Lost in thought, he had already returned to the entrance of the camp before he realized it.
"What a diligent little brat." A loud, carefree voice came from the shadows at the side.
"Jiraiya-sama." Shinichi stopped, turned toward the source of the voice, and offered a calm greeting.
He had actually sensed it long ago—under the enhancement of the [Spirit Sense] Entry, his sixth sense and sensitivity to his surroundings had already far surpassed that of ordinary people. Though he had not learned systematic sensory ninjutsu, his perception of gazes and presences was extremely clear.
Jiraiya had not deliberately concealed himself, so before stepping into the camp, Shinichi had already noticed that observant gaze resting on him.
"With talent at the very peak, and even rarer, this unrelenting perseverance—no wonder the old man values you so highly…" Jiraiya folded his arms and stepped out from the shadows, his tone carrying a hint of emotion.
"I have merely done what is within my duties. It is the Third Hokage's broad-minded kindness and favor." Shinichi lowered his head slightly, speaking with humility.
"Alright, alright, no need to heap praise on that old man." Jiraiya waved his hand. A mysterious grin suddenly appeared on his face. He glanced around, lowered his voice, and said, "Come here. Let me show you something interesting."
Hm?
A question mark surfaced in Shinichi's mind, but he still walked over as told.
Jiraiya chuckled and extended his right hand. His gaze sharpened. The air above his palm seemed to distort slightly as deep-blue chakra surged forth, spinning and condensing. Almost in the blink of an eye, a stable, dazzling sphere of chakra the size of a fist formed, rotating quietly in his palm with a low hum of energy.
Rasengan!
"Well? Impressive, right, kid!" Jiraiya proudly shook his hand. The chakra sphere continued to rotate steadily, its glow reflecting the childlike pride on his face. "It only took me three days! Three days to learn your jutsu!"
The campfire flickered in the distance, its light reflecting in Shinichi's slightly widened eyes.
He was indeed somewhat surprised—not that Jiraiya could learn the Rasengan, nor that he could learn it in just three days.
What surprised him was that this Sannin, like a child who had just gotten a new toy and could not wait to share it, was showing it off to him with a hint of pride.
Shinichi quickly composed himself and nodded seriously. "As expected of Jiraiya-sama, that is indeed impressive. When I first developed this jutsu, it took me a very long time."
"Heh, that's because I stood on your shoulders." Jiraiya was quite frank. He clenched his hand, and the Rasengan dissipated soundlessly.
He rubbed his chin, and the look he gave Shinichi carried a few more hints of serious scrutiny. "But you little brat really aren't simple. You could come up with a concept for a hand-signless ninjutsu like this, and then step by step actually put it into practice successfully… The old man called you a genius—he wasn't wrong. More importantly, you're willing to put in the hard work."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the sharp edge and lingering sweat marks on Shinichi's body that had yet to fade after returning from training. "I've seen far too many guys who get lazy because they're talented. In this exam, perform well. Let me see whether you—the developer of the Rasengan—are just as strong in other areas."
After saying that, he patted Shinichi on the shoulder—not lightly—then immediately went back to that lazy demeanor. Swaying along, he headed toward the firelight at the center of the camp, as if the person who had just been so enthusiastically showing off a ninjutsu hadn't been him at all.
Tch—he didn't even give me a ninjutsu as a token, huh? Just freeloading?
Shinichi stood where he was, watching Jiraiya's back as he complained inwardly.
Several days later, at the far end of a golden sea of sand that seemed to stretch almost beyond sight, a deep-colored outline—completely different—finally appeared.
It was a settlement built up against enormous rocky mountains. On the towering rock walls, a massive Sunagakure emblem was carved, looking solemn and cold under the scorching sunlight.
Sunagakure—at last.
...
In the days that followed, the exam proceeded step by step as scheduled.
After the written test and the scroll snatch battle carried out in the Desert of Death, although they ran into clearly targeted obstruction from Sunagakure's side, with the solid strength and coordination of Shinichi, Maruboshi Kosuke, and Might Duy, they still advanced steadily into the final round.
A month later, Sunagakure's largest arena plaza.
The place was a roaring sea of voices, the stands packed to the brim. The spectators were not only Sunagakure's own residents—many wealthy merchants and officials of the Land of Wind had also come on hearing the news to watch the grand event. The clamorous waves of sound nearly seemed ready to lift the sunbaked air.
Most of the contestants who had made it into the final round were from either Konoha or Sunagakure.
The match schedule seemed intentionally arranged—having Konoha's participants fight among themselves, exhausting and eliminating their own strength in advance.
The first match was Higashino Shinichi versus Maruboshi Kosuke.
However, before the match even began, Kosuke announced his forfeiture outright on the grounds of "not acclimating to the water and soil, and feeling unwell." This immediately drew a chorus of dissatisfied boos from the stands.
On the high platform's main seating area, the Third Kazekage turned slightly and spoke to the unruffled Third Hokage beside him. His voice was not loud, yet it was enough for several nearby key figures to hear clearly: "Hokage-dono, this ninja from your village… seems rather off. His age and the strength he displayed earlier do not look like those of an ordinary genin. Could it be that your village deliberately arranged for some jōnin to disguise his identity and come to compete?"
The Third Kazekage's tone remained calm, but the doubt within his words was sharp. During the earlier assessments, he had deliberately observed Maruboshi Kosuke; that seasoned experience and effortless display of strength had absolutely reached the level of a jōnin.
For Konoha to seize first place in this Chūnin Exam, were they really willing to disregard their dignity to such an extent?
The Third Kazekage sneered inwardly.
He had deliberately arranged this match precisely to force Konoha into a choice: to completely abandon all shame and protect a veteran to compete for ranking, or to discard him and preserve that younger Higashino Shinichi, whose potential was equally obvious.
Hearing this, the Third Hokage still wore his customary gentle smile. He took an unhurried puff of smoke before slowly replying, "Kazekage-dono jests. Kosuke's identity records are verifiable in Konoha—he is indeed a genin. On this point, this old man can guarantee it."
His tone shifted immediately afterward, his gaze seemingly casual as it swept toward Sunagakure's waiting area. "Speaking of which, that young kunoichi from your village who can manipulate sand, and whose defense has yet to be broken by anyone, has performed quite astonishingly. This old man cannot help but wonder whether she might be some capable jōnin senior from your village, merely having changed her attire to guide the younger generation."
The Third Kazekage's expression did not change; he smiled faintly. "Hokage-dono worries too much. Karura is, without question, a genuine genin of our village. On this matter, I can also give Your Excellency my assurance."
On that point, he was not entirely lying.
After graduating from the Ninja Academy, Karura had consistently worked in clerical duties within the Kazekage Building and had not been a frontline combat ninja.
However, perhaps due to her inherently kind nature and the experience of witnessing her parents' deaths in childhood, she had awakened a special bloodline ability.
She could infuse chakra into sand and control it for both offense and defense. In particular, her defense responded at will, forming what was known as an "absolute defense" sand shield.
This time, in order to ensure that Sunagakure could seize the top ranking on its home ground, the Third Kazekage had deliberately granted her a ninja identity and deployed this atypical blade.
Originally, after witnessing the strength displayed by Maruboshi Kosuke—especially that Water Release, remarkable both in scale and control—he had still harbored some concern about whether they could firmly secure the championship.
But now, with Maruboshi Kosuke's voluntary withdrawal, the stone in his heart finally settled.
Of Konoha's remaining two contestants, one was Higashino Shinichi. He appeared to possess decent talent, but he was still young and ultimately lacked refinement.
The other was Might Duy, a shinobi who relied solely on taijutsu. Before Karura's sand defense without blind spots, he posed even less of a threat.
In his view, neither of the two could shake Karura's defensive line. The championship was already in Sunagakure's pocket.
Cunning old fox!
The two old foxes' gazes met briefly and then separated. The smiles remained on their faces, yet inwardly, each cursed the other.
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