Chapter 81: The Chūnin Exams
"I want an iron ball this big!" Sakura spread her arms wide, sketching out the dimensions of her weapon, while the girl across the table — buns in her hair, notepad in hand — felt a chill crawl up her scalp.
If she remembered right, the pink-haired girl in front of her was her teammate's opponent in the next round.
This pinkhead isn't actually trying to kill Lee, is she...?
That's too much! Lee just likes you — and you want to murder him~~~
Tenten dutifully took notes, cold sweat trickling down her neck.
She stared at what she'd written and couldn't help going quiet.
Could a human being actually use this weapon...?
Two solid iron balls, each three and a half meters in diameter, studded with iron spikes for maximum lethality, connected by a chain of high-grade steel.
Was this for fighting a person, or for fighting a monster?
Tenten sneaked a glance at the pink-haired girl sitting across from her — a full year younger than herself.
She genuinely could not picture those slender little arms swinging this thing.
"...Hey, can I ask something?"
Tenten hesitated, meeting those eager eyes.
"Hm? What?"
Sakura tilted her head, puzzled.
"Sakura... are you making this thing to use against Lee?"
Tenten felt it was her civic duty to worry about her teammate's continued existence.
If the other girl could actually wield something that size and Lee got hit by it — would he survive?
"Ah——"
Sakura looked at Tenten and immediately understood what she meant.
The final stage of the Chūnin Exams was ten days out.
She'd just commissioned a weapon that sounded terrifying by description alone.
And her third-round opponent was Tenten's own teammate, Rock Lee — it was only natural Tenten would be worried.
"Nothing like that. I'm not going to use this against someone from my own village."
"Relax."
Sakura gave her a light smile, gesturing for Tenten to put her heart back where it belonged.
In truth, Sakura was planning to use it alongside the Shuriken Giantification Technique — channel Enhanced Strength, and smash through the Sound Four's Four Violet Flames Formation in one clean strike.
Originally, without Rasa in the picture, her plan had been to stay at Hiruzen's side and help him dogpile Orochimaru together.
But now that Rasa was here, there was real value in cracking the Formation open first — then she, Hiruzen, and Jiraiya could all pile on Orochimaru with the righteous combined fury he deserved.
Oh, right. And Rasa.
As for Rasa himself...
Kakashi should be able to handle him... probably.
He is Konoha's resident fifty-fifty after all~~~
"Phew. Okay, that's a relief."
Tenten patted her chest and exhaled. She'd genuinely been scared that monstrosity would come down on Lee.
"In that case — thank you for your patronage. That'll be three hundred thousand ryō."
The bun-haired girl turned to Sakura with a warm, professional smile.
Three hundred thousand~~~
Sakura winced internally but still dug every last coin out of her wallet.
The bun-haired girl's eyes lit up with unmistakable money-colored light as she accepted the full amount, beaming.
"It'll be ready in ten days. Tenten's Ninja Tools — fair prices, quality guaranteed."
"Come pick it up at ten in the morning~~"
Sakura said goodbye and stepped back out onto the street. She lingered for a moment, casting one wistful look back at the shop, then walked away.
The Four Violet Flames Formation looked like a mid-tier barrier technique at first glance.
But its advanced variant — the Four Red Yang Formation — required four Kage-level fighters to operate. It was the kind of jutsu that could change the outcome of entire battles. Theoretically only A-rank in difficulty to learn, yet it had blocked a Tailed Beast Ball from the Ten-Tails.
If one Heavenly Canopy Iron Ball wasn't enough to shatter the Four Violet Flames Formation, then Sakura would just have to tear apart the exam arena itself — deny the Sound Four their footing, strip their balance, and let the formation collapse on its own.
The days passed quietly, one by one, the stillness before a storm.
And at last, the final round of the Chūnin Exams officially opened.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Fireworks burst across the sky, and the joint exam — assembled from three great nations — began in earnest.
The dignitaries of the Fire, Wind, and Earth Countries had all arrived in Konoha and settled into the spectator stands.
The venue could seat over ten thousand, and it was nearly full.
This Chūnin Exam was, by any measure, a rare spectacle for the shinobi world.
High above the arena floor, three stone chairs sat on the main platform. Behind each one were carved the characters for Fire, Wind, and Earth in their respective colors.
The Hokage's chair occupied the center. The Kazekage and Tsuchikage sat to either side.
Hiruzen Sarutobi surveyed the competitors below, his expression perfectly composed, betraying nothing unusual.
"I hear the Hokage has taken on another exceptional student."
Ōnoki — Tsuchikage of the Two Scales — peered down at the contestants on the field.
"How come I don't see her?"
"She's a young girl. With this many eyes on her, perhaps she wanted a moment to get ready."
Hiruzen responded to Ōnoki's comment with perfect mildness.
The arena was heavily guarded — every contingency prepared for.
"Heh. Since when do shinobi fuss over that sort of thing."
"More likely she's afraid to face my Kurotsuchi, and thought better of showing up."
Ōnoki knew full well he was talking nonsense, but his stubborn old pride demanded the last word regardless.
"You misjudge her, Lord Tsuchikage. The Hokage's personal disciple does not fear anyone."
Rasa cut in from the side.
"When elders are speaking, the young ought to listen quietly."
One sentence, and Rasa's expression darkened noticeably.
Rasa's eyes went cold as he glanced sidelong at the old man.
If it weren't politically inconvenient to antagonize the Tsuchikage right now, he'd have been sorely tempted to bury both these ancient relics under a Gold Dust Funeral.
"Sakura!"
"Why aren't you leaving yet!"
"Isn't today your exam?"
Mebuki Haruno sat in the living room watching TV, shouting toward her daughter's room.
If Sakura hadn't insisted otherwise, Mebuki would already be at the arena watching in person.
As it was, she was stuck at home in front of the television.
Sakura stood before her mirror and let out a slow breath.
Pink ponytail. Forehead protector at her throat. Green flak jacket — the kind worn by jōnin — over black shinobi gear underneath. The distinctive Uzushio spiral crest on her left arm.
Everything was in order. All that was left was to stop by Tenten's shop and collect the goods.
With that decided, Sakura bit her thumb, ran through the hand seals, and summoned a small slug.
"Sakura? Something the matter?"
The slug — barely palm-sized — looked up at the girl standing before her, fully armored, expression set like she was heading to war.
"I'd like to ask you to stay here for a while, if that's alright. If anything dangerous happens, use the reverse summoning technique to call me back immediately."
The slug didn't fully understand, but she nodded, gentle and unhurried.
"Of course, Sakura. Leave it to me."
(End of Chapter)