Betting on Next Year's Chunin Exam

Rooftop.

"My name is Hinata Hyuga, I..."

The shy and bashful Hinata Hyuga introduced herself in a soft, gentle voice, followed by Yuki Haku.

"I am Yuki Haku from the Land of Water. I possess the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai and am skilled in Medical Ninjutsu. I hope to heal everyone..."

She has a gentle personality and always wears Yuki Haku gentle smile.

The last student, Ino Yamanaka, with her golden ponytail and a confident, resolute demeanor, introduced herself.

"Ino Yamanaka is skilled in Medical Ninjutsu and Yamanaka Clan Secret Technique. She likes... and dislikes..."

When Ino Yamanaka mentioned her disgust, she clearly glanced at the trio on the other side of the rooftop, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.

After all four classes had introduced themselves, Sarutobi Asuma, the teacher leading the Ino-Shika-Cho, smiled at the three of them, a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

"Tonight, I'll treat you to barbecue."

"Yay!" Choji Akimichi, who was already quite overweight at a young age, cheered excitedly. Yamanaka Fire Ino as the ninja, was also all smiles.

Although Yamanaka Fire had some ulterior motives, they weren't many. All of this was observed by Shikamaru Nara.

At this moment, Shikamaru Nara, who looked lazy, yawned, but he had already analyzed everyone.

"What a hassle."

Although he kept saying it was troublesome, it was obvious that Sarutobi Asuma's eyes never left Shikamaru, as if the two had known each other for a long time.

"You all wait here, I'll go invite them to come along."

Sarutobi Asuma found an excuse, stubbed out his cigarette, and headed towards Kakashi's direction.

Seeing all this, Shikamaru Nara secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Teacher Asuma was calm and knew that he should bow his head at this time.

Of the four Elite Jonin on the rooftop, Kakashi is clearly a confidant of Uchiha Yoru, second only to the two Five Kage in terms of Prestige and strength.

Yūhi Kurenai goes without saying; she is now a renowned Genjutsu ninja in Konoha.

Another one is Zabuza Momochi, an infamous demon and Elite Jonin Mist Ninja. His class assignments this time are quite obvious.

"Kakashi, tonight at the barbecue restaurant."

Sarutobi Asuma greeted the three of them with a smile, and Hatake Kakashi and Yūhi Kurenai, being classmates, naturally didn't refuse.

When Zabuza Momochi saw that Kakashi was going, he naturally decided to go too, since someone else was treating.

Q's BBQ.

In the evening, in a luxurious private room, four Jōnin sat alone at an exquisite small table, while their students took their seats at a large table.

Having just graduated from the Ninja Academy, they didn't understand these things, or rather, even after experiencing some missions, they didn't understand the political implications.

Of the group, only Shikamaru Nara understood the reason, after all, in recent years, the Ino-Shika-Cho Clans and the Sarutobi Clan had been relocated to the outskirts and had not lived a good life.

"Cheers."

They were young and not yet at the age to have worries; they excitedly ate barbecue and drank juice.

However, there were also some incongruous scenes, such as Ino Yamanaka looking at Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi with disdain and sneers.

"Hey fat pig, even though it's your teacher treating, please still maintain some manners."

His parents sacrificed their lives for the family, but in the end, he was abandoned by the family. Ino Yamanaka's personality became more independent, and he could be said to be the most mature among them.

Watching Choji Akimichi Choji Akimichi down his food without any manners, Ino Yamanaka had no patience for such bad habits.

After being retorted with one sentence, Choji Akimichi's face immediately turned red, and there was a look of anger in his eyes. The world of children is so simple: you call me a fat pig, I get angry.

"Chōji."

Shikamaru Nara, oblivious to life and death, tugged at Choji Akimichi's collar, while Yamanaka Fire nearby, awkwardly gave Choji Akimichi a wink.

Ino Yamanaka is different now. Having successfully become Tsunade, she is someone they can no longer afford to offend in the future.

Only the simple-minded Choji Akimichi was holding back his anger; if he weren't outmatched, he would have truly exploded.

When Ino Yamanaka saw this, she gave a disdainful sneer. With elegant movements, she slowly placed several slices of meat into Shiro's and Hinata's bowls, while a lot of grilled meat was still burning on the charcoal fire.

It's obvious that so many classmates are eating; it's not just you eating. What kind of person only cares about eating and doesn't leave any for others?

If you've already eaten it, just keep grilling it. Do you expect others to watch you eat it?

"Ino."

The gentle Shiro, like a kind older sister next door, gave Choji Akimichi and the other two an apologetic smile, then turned to Ino with a gentle smile.

Under the gentle smile of Yuki Haku, and with Hinata's sweet gaze beside her, Ino Yamanaka finally gave in, and couldn't help but pout helplessly.

"Alright, alright, can you eat your food now?"

It was common knowledge that Ino Yamanaka had always been at odds with the Ino-Shika-Cho trio in the class, so it was no surprise to everyone.

The girl with long black hair, Qin (the Sound Ninja 'Gold'), was clearly unfamiliar to everyone, and they all showed curiosity.

Inuzuka Kiba, with his hot-blooded personality, excitedly slapped the table and introduced, "This is Koto, our teammate. She's from Otogakure and works under Lord Orochimaru."

Sannin, one of the legendary Orochimaru, remains outside of Konoha. What he does and where he is are unknown, but everyone knows that he possesses his own power base in the Orochimaru Shinobi World.

However, in recent years, every ninja graduation season has seen Orochimaru's ninjas join the ninjas, which can be seen as proof of their existence.

"Hello everyone."

With her long black hair, Koto calmly nodded to everyone and introduced herself. Inuzuka Kiba, who was standing next to her, was about to say something excitedly, but Koto interrupted her without hesitation.

"Ninjas only like the strong."

Qin's words immediately embarrassed Inuzuka Kiba was standing to the side, causing him to scratch his head in embarrassment.

Then, Shino Aburame had the lowest profile, suddenly blurted out a sentence, causing an awkward silence.

"The strongest Shinobi World right now is God of Night, also known as Uchiha Yoru."

Good grief! Shino Aburame truly lives up to her reputation as a conversation killer.

"Of course."

There's always someone stronger who can outdo the strong. In the awkward silence, the usually arrogant Sasuke Uchiha actually spoke up, with a proud look on his face, as if to say, "Don't you know who you are?"

"Arrogant Sasuke, I will definitely surpass the so-called God of Night in the future!"

Sure enough, the hot-blooded and thick-skinned Naruto Uzumaki shouted excitedly, as if telling everyone about his goal.

Some people laughed, while others turned indifferent, such as Hinata Hyuga, Ino Yamanaka, and Yuki Haku, whose expressions were clearly not good.

Gin, who hails from the Otogakure, coldly retorted, "Shut up, you golden-haired brat! You're so arrogant. You'll understand how insignificant you are, like an ant, when you die on a mission."

When faced with attacks from his teammates, Sasuke Uchiha responded with an equally indifferent nod.

"Naruto Uzumaki, Teacher Yoru's strength is beyond your comprehension. As for surpassing him? Heh."

Naruto Uzumaki was completely baffled by what was happening before him, wondering why everyone was acting so hostile. He was utterly bewildered.

Even Inuzuka Kiba sneered at him, as if mocking his overestimation of his abilities. Shino Aburame silently pushed the grilled meat away, as if to avoid the awkward atmosphere, and pointed at it, saying, "The grilled meat will burn if you don't pick it up soon."

"Ouch, my barbecue!"

Naruto Uzumaki's shouts seemed to restore the atmosphere, but it was clear that the group had split into three smaller groups.

Most of them now represent the rising new forces of the village, the Ino-Shika-Cho represent the marginalized old forces, and the remaining neutral Naruto Uzumaki knows nothing.

Shikamaru Nara, who clearly knew about Naruto Uzumaki's situation, had a glint in his eyes.

Jōnin.

The atmosphere was somewhat calm. Zabuza Momochi silent, his eyes fixed on Kakashi and the barbecue, while Yūhi Kurenai glanced at the students' table from time to time, clearly not paying attention there.

Sarutobi Asuma sighed inwardly at this scene; Yūhi Kurenai was clearly trying to avoid trouble, after all, she was Yoru's Woman.

She could be capricious and throw a tantrum, but when it came to political matters, Yūhi Kurenai was extremely clever; she never questioned or interfered.

A man can tolerate a lot from you, but he will never tolerate you interfering in his career.

Kakashi, however, lazily gazed at Asuma, raised his glass, and said softly, "Asuma, don't think too much about it."

"Hasn't it gradually slowed down in the last two years?"

Under Kakashi's encouragement, Sarutobi Asuma also showed a slight smile. Yes, in the past two years, after Uchiha Yoru completely seized power, the suppression of their Sarutobi Clan had indeed slowed down.

Otherwise, why would he and Kakashi be assigned to lead the students this time? The fact that the Ino-Shika-Cho of this generation entered Class A proves everything.

Thank you.

Sarutobi Asuma's hosting this dinner was, in essence, a political signal to build rapport with everyone and ease tensions.

Although he didn't say anything, Kakashi's relaxed smile signaled that the village was lowering its guard, and the Sarutobi Clan could slowly repair their relationship and regain mutual trust.

It has to be said that this is extremely ironic.

The once- Uchiha Clan has been marginalized, and their attempts to repair relations with the village have only resulted in increased wariness and distrust.

It's just that now it's the Sarutobi Clan's turn.

"Kakashi, I heard you've picked up the swordsmanship you abandoned years ago?"

The usually taciturn Zabuza Momochi uttered a sentence, immediately eliciting curious glances from everyone.

Kakashi smiled lazily and nodded. "I used to have limited energy, and some people said that it was better to specialize in one thing than to try to learn everything, so I used to focus on Ninjutsu. But now I'm old."

"At our age, our Chakra are almost fully developed and have entered a plateau phase. We can only pick up the sword techniques we left behind back then."

However, upon hearing this Zabuza Momochi coldly, "White Fang Swordsmanship, you seem to have made it commonplace in your mouth. Let's spar another day."

At this moment, everyone's eyes Zabuza to the huge Kubikiribōchō had placed next to his seat. Kakashi's eye twitched. Goodness, no wonder you have such an unapproachable personality. You're obviously here to show off.

"Oh, Juzo Biwa is actually willing to hand over the Kubikiribōchō?"

Kakashi asked the question out of curiosity, but Zabuza Momochi, who usually had a deadpan expression, revealed a barely perceptible smile.

"I heard that a while ago Juzo Biwa sparred with Karin, using the Executioner's Blade to Kubikiribōchō Tailed Beast Ball. As a result, the Fifth Mizukage Mei Terumi, was furious and gave her a good scolding. Now she's the master of the Exploding Blade Shibuki."

It was obvious that Zabuza Momochi's eyes flashed with a hint of schadenfreude, and everyone fell silent upon hearing this.

Especially Hatake Kakashi, whose Kakuzu twitched even under his mask, speechless. He cleaved the Tailed Beast Ball with his greatsword, which was indeed brave.

"It seems the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist are about to appear."

At this moment, Kakashi rarely showed a hint of curiosity, looking at Zabuza and asking, "Could you tell me who the owners of these seven swords are?"

Seeing that even Kakashi had been aroused and was asking questions, Zabuza Momochi's lips curled up under his bandages, and he let out a cold snort.

"It's a secret! But you'll find out during the Chunin Ninja Exams next year."

Seemingly realizing his words had sounded a bit abrupt, Zabuza Momochi added, "However, I can tell you that not all seven swords' owners are from Kirigakure this time, but Konoha of them!"

At this moment, Zabuza Momochi looked at Kakashi and mocked, "You can even put aside White Fang's swordsmanship. It seems difficult for you to choose a sword master from Konoha."

Good grief, Zabuza Momochi is really ruthless; he seizes every opportunity to provoke Kakashi.

Kakashi, however, was already used to it and nodded in sudden realization, "I knew it! I knew it! Konoha ninjas never rely on external forces."

Good grief! Kakashi won't suffer the slightest loss.

"Alright, if you two plus Might Guy, I can hardly imagine next year's class reunion."

Yūhi Kurenai interrupted their banter, chuckling as she said, "Starting next year's Chunin, any ideas?"

A glint instantly appeared in Yūhi Kurenai's eyes, a sight that made Kakashi awkwardly say, "Kurenai, I think you should reduce your contact with Lady Tsunade. After all, gambling isn't good."

"I think it's pretty good."

Zabuza Momochi spoke calmly, but his eyes were fixed on Kakashi, clearly indicating his intention to participate in the fight.

"However, Kakashi, your two students cannot be counted."

It's obvious that Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki are special cases, and Zabuza Momochi isn't stupid either.

Yūhi Kurenai suddenly perked up, her eyes gleaming with excitement as she said, "I heard Kai and the others missed it; next year's competition is going to be fierce."

"However, Kai has found his successor, so this time we won't focus on the students he's mentoring, but on the successor's performance, okay? Let's make it clear beforehand, no violations allowed."

Yūhi Kurenai's line of thinking clearly refers to Ino, Hinata, Haku, and Naruto, since they've already undergone specialized training and, frankly, aren't really her disciples or successors.

Upon hearing this, Zabuza Momochi, then suddenly seemed to remember something, and a smile appeared on his lips.

"Sure, since the Chunin start next year in July, there's plenty of time, and I might already have a suitable candidate in mind."

Seeing the curious gazes directed at him, Zabuza Momochi remained silent, but the fighting spirit in his eyes was impossible to conceal.

Yūhi Kurenai smiled and looked at the little girl from Otogakure on the table, saying, "Zabuza, I've looked at this girl's information; she's a promising Genjutsu talent."

The meaning is quite clear: she wants him to take good care of her, and she will personally train her in her spare time.

"No problem."

Fair and reasonable, Zabuza, an honest man Zabuza directly, even solemnly patting his chest and saying, "Don't worry, I will treat all three of them equally."

Good heavens, everyone's up now, except for Sarutobi Asuma and Kakashi, who both look helpless.

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