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"What on earth is going on! Is this the butterfly effect?"
Shinji's thoughts raced as he tried to pinpoint the crux of the problem.
But at this moment, his mind was a complete mess.
He could only take a deep breath and slowly walk forward.
He passed through the crowd and entered the exam hall.
Not far away, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were gathered together, talking about something.
Naruto's expression was exaggerated, his hands waving about. Sakura rolled her eyes beside him. Sasuke leaned against the wall, his face devoid of expression.
"What did you say?! The Mizukage of the Hidden Mist Village?!"
Naruto's voice exploded, causing several people nearby to turn their heads.
Sakura quickly pulled his sleeve: "Naruto, keep your voice down!"
But Naruto couldn't stop himself.
"That… that time during the Land of Waves mission."
His face turned a bit pale, his eyes widening beneath his goggles:
"That woman who walked out of the mist! The one Zabuza called 'Lord Mizukage'! It's her, isn't it?!"
Sakura's expression also changed.
She remembered that day. The mist. The broken bridge.
That figure emerging from the mist. In just an instant, Naruto had been frozen in place, unable to move.
Chakra felt as if it were being suppressed by something, making it impossible to muster.
Sasuke pulled his hand out of his pocket.
He leaned against the wall, eyes narrowed, staring in a certain direction in the distance. There was nothing there, but he stared nonetheless.
His expression was cold, but something was moving within those eyes.
It was the memory of being crushed, the frustration of knowing he was still so far behind.
Shinji walked past them.
He didn't stop, didn't look back.
He didn't even spare them another glance.
...
The exam hall grew increasingly crowded.
Shinji found his seat and sat down.
Sunlight shone in through the window, falling onto his desk, onto the blank answer sheet in front of him.
He looked down at the paper.
It was white. Very white. As white as the shiromuku she had worn that day.
He remembered the way Mei Terumī had stood on the high platform.
The sunlight fell on Mei Terumī, gilding her entire form in gold.
That glance she gave Shinji when she turned back, her eyes slightly red, the corners of her mouth curved.
Then Shinji remembered the night they overthrew the Fourth Mizukage.
Mei Terumī had asked him: "What is it that you truly want?"
Shinji hadn't answered.
This was what he had ultimately chosen to want.
Sage Body.
The power sufficient to change fate.
"Forget it. Mei Terumī participating in the Chunin Exams this time must just be an accident. It has nothing to do with me. After all, the past is the past; I shouldn't dwell on it."
Shinji comforted himself in his heart and began the exam.
The first part of the exam was a written test.
He lowered his head, his pen tip gliding gently across the paper. The questions were too simple for him.
He had experienced countless similar trials in the simulations, not to mention that he already possessed a solid theoretical foundation.
As he answered the questions, he scanned his surroundings with his peripheral vision.
Naruto was scratching his head and ears, sweating profusely from anxiety.
Sakura was writing furiously, a confident smile on her face.
Sasuke was expressionless, but he was writing quickly.
Yakushi Kabuto sat not far away, head buried in his work, occasionally pushing up his glasses; he looked like a diligent honor student.
Then Shinji saw Hinata.
She was sitting by the window, head down, answering the test. But her gaze drifted to the side from time to time. Toward Naruto.
Shinji followed her gaze.
Naruto was staring blankly at his paper, not having written a single word.
Hinata bit her lip, reached into her ninja tool pouch, and pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper.
The paper was densely covered in writing. Those were the answers she had prepared in advance.
She quietly pushed the paper toward Naruto.
Shinji saw that Naruto had seen the paper.
Then Naruto shook his head.
He pushed the paper back.
Hinata froze. She looked at Naruto, her lips moving, wanting to say something.
But Naruto had already lowered his head, continuing to stare blankly at the blank test paper.
His gaze was firm.
It wasn't him trying to be tough; he really didn't want it.
Hinata's eyes turned a bit red. She took the paper back, clutched it in her palm, and lowered her head, her shoulders trembling slightly.
Shinji watched this scene.
Then he lowered his head and continued answering the test.
After a while, a paper ball landed on his desk.
It was very small. Very light. It rolled over from the side and stopped by his hand.
He turned his head.
Hinata was looking at him, her eyes red, but the corners of her mouth were struggling to curve upward.
She pointed at the paper ball, meaning: "It's for you."
Shinji lowered his head and unfolded the paper.
It was densely covered with answers. The handwriting was very neat, and the solution to every question was clearly written out.
The corners of the paper were a bit crumpled from being clutched in her palm.
He raised his head and looked at Hinata again.
She had already lowered her head and continued answering the test.
Her face was very red, flushed to the roots of her ears.
Shinji looked at the paper and was silent for a moment.
Then he picked up his pen and began to copy.
It wasn't for the answers. He already knew those questions. It was for something else.
He knew what this meant.
In the Chunin Exams exam hall, risking disqualification to pass answers to a boy.
He knew better than anyone what this meant.
Mei Terumī was just a dream.
No matter how beautiful that dream was.
Now, the young girl before him was the person he had decided to accompany and protect in this world.
Shinji copied very slowly. Stroke by stroke.
After finishing the last stroke, he folded the paper and tucked it into his ninja tool pouch.
Then he raised his head and glanced in Hinata's direction.
She was still head down, answering the test. Sunlight shone in from the window, falling on her, making her whole person shine.
Shinji withdrew his gaze.
And continued answering the test.
Finally, Ibiki Morino stood on the podium, his scar-filled face sweeping across the hall as he began to read the rules.
The tenth question, the final question.
Shinji knew what this was testing.
He didn't speak, merely giving Hinata a firm look.
Under Naruto's lead, many people chose to stay and answer the question.
Anko Mitarashi burst through the door and announced that they had passed the exam.
...
On the podium.
Mei Terumī sat to the right of the Third Hokage.
She wore the formal robes of the Mizukage, her brownish-tea colored long hair draped over her shoulders, her emerald green pupils like two deep pools.
That face was indeed as the rumors said. Breathtakingly beautiful.
But at this moment, there was no expression on that face; she was just calmly watching the examinees pouring out of the exam hall below.
The Third Hokage puffed on his pipe, glancing at her occasionally, calculating something in his heart.
To the left sat the "Kazekage." Disguised by Orochimaru, he wore a gentle smile on his face, also sizing up the examinees.
"For the Fifth Mizukage to come in person, it truly makes Konoha shine," the Third Hokage said with a smile.
Mei Terumī turned her head slightly, withdrawing her gaze from the hall below and letting it fall on his face.
"You are too kind, Third Hokage. The Hidden Mist has just undergone reforms and needs to re-establish ties with the major nations. Since Konoha is the greatest village in the Ninja World, a visit was naturally in order."
Her voice was very flat. So flat it was as if she were stating a fact.
The Third Hokage nodded and didn't ask further.
But his gaze lingered on her face for a moment.
In that instant, he saw something.
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