Chunin Exam

"Minato told me about the Chunin Exam today. Uncle Zixiao signed me, Kurenai, and Asuma up." After joking around, Duke got down to business.

"Mm, the Chunin Exam is usually taken in three-man squads. You can't be missing anyone, so there's nothing strange about that!"

"That's not what I mean. I mean signed up—signed up! If Minato hadn't told me, I wouldn't even have known I was taking the Chunin Exam."

"I never told you?" Zixiao asked in surprise.

"When did you ever tell me?" Duke rolled his eyes and shot back.

"The day after we returned from the Land of Hot Water. Asuma and Kurenai were both there..." Zixiao put down his newspaper and scratched his chin, suddenly remembering. "Oh, right. You were still in the hospital that day. I really didn't notify you."

"Don't you have anything to say about that?" Duke was furious. He had never expected the Hokage World to have this sort of being represented without consent.

"What does it matter? With your strength, wouldn't the Chunin Exam be a piece of cake?" Zixiao said indifferently. After thinking for a moment, he reminded him, "As long as you don't use Ice Release, do whatever you want."

"That's not what I meant... Forget it. I'm too tired today. I'm going to rest first." Duke sighed wearily. After training all day, even an energy monster like him was struggling to keep going.

"Wait!" Zixiao called Duke back. "Since you brought up the Chunin Exam, I have to explain it to you so you don't make a fool of yourself later. I already told Asuma and Kurenai about this before, but I'll go over it with you separately now."

"The exam for Genin to advance to Chunin is not only a test of a ninja's personal strength and growth, but also a clash of strength between ninja villages. Especially this time. This is the first Chunin Exam after the war to be jointly held with other ninja villages, so it carries extraordinary significance. You'll run into plenty of powerful Genin. Take it seriously, and don't get yourselves killed."

"For such an important exam, will daimyo from other countries attend the finals to watch?" Hearing Zixiao say that, Duke linked this exam to Naruto's in the future.

"Unfortunately, no. As the victors of the war, we don't need to prove anything to the daimyo. Maybe if there hasn't been a war for many years, it would be possible."

"What's special about this Chunin Exam, then?"

"Be careful of the defeated countries. For example, the Sunagakure ninja from the Land of Wind. After losing on the battlefield, they won't mind regaining face in the exam hall."

"..."

At the beginning of Konoha Year 42, the winter snow had yet to melt.

Konoha, the ninja village of the Land of Fire, acted as the host and joined with its allies, Sunagakure of the Land of Wind and Amegakure of the Land of Rain, to hold this Chunin Exam. Yugakure, Takigakure, Hidden Craftsman Village, and more than ten other ninja villages of varying sizes responded enthusiastically. Though these villages differed in scale, they shared one trait: all maintained friendly relations with Konoha. Of the Five Great Ninja Villages, Hidden Cloud Village and Hidden Stone Village had no interest in Konoha's Chunin Exam. As for Hidden Mist... they were still closed off from the world, amusing themselves in isolation.

On that day, Konoha's examination grounds were packed with people. The number of Genin from each village varied, but they were undoubtedly all elites. Not long ago, they had been fighting to the death on the battlefield. Now they had gathered in one place, sharing the same room, and no one liked the look of anyone else. Fortunately, the squad instructors stepped in quickly and suppressed the brewing conflict. Otherwise, a melee involving hundreds of people would have been inevitable.

"There are so many people!" Duke's group arrived a little late. The classroom was crammed full, leaving barely any room to stand.

"There are over three hundred people. There are very few from our village; most are Genin from other villages." Kurenai swept her gaze over the room, looking worried. Many of them were obviously elite-level Genin, while Shixiao Squad had graduated less than half a year ago. They were the newest Genin, the least experienced—complete rookies.

"Don't be discouraged, Kurenai. You're very strong," Asuma encouraged her. "Besides, aren't Duke and I here too?"

"That's right! With Duke here, there's nothing to worry about!" Kurenai immediately brimmed with confidence.

"And me..." Hearing the admiration in Kurenai's voice, Asuma felt a little jealous.

"Yes, yes, Asuma is amazing too," Kurenai said perfunctorily.

"Even I... would have to run for my life if I encountered certain monsters!"

Duke scanned the crowd and spotted two watermelon-headed figures pumping each other up among the Genin. The smaller one was Might Guy, whom he had not seen in a long time. The larger one was Guy's father, Konoha's eternal Genin—Might Duy!

The man had thick hair and a sloppy appearance, looking like a born loser. In truth, he was a terrifying powerhouse who either did nothing or shocked the world with a single move. A few years later, he would open the Eight Gates in fury and brutally crush Hidden Mist's popular powerhouse group, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. Before dying, he would pass his will on to his son Guy, allowing him to become the greatest taijutsu master, one even Six Paths Madara admitted was beyond him. Thinking of Prince Naruto and his princess, Uchiha Sasuke, who had sealed their love with a kiss, Duke could not help sighing. Konoha's most terrifying people really were its Genin. Once these guys got serious, they could pin the Hokage to the ground and use him as a rag.

"There are really monsters like that?" Kurenai was shocked. She could tell from Duke's tone that he was completely serious, not joking.

"No way!?" Asuma found it hard to believe as well, searching the room in every direction.

"It may sound like I'm admitting defeat, but that's simply the truth." Duke patted Asuma on the shoulder. Even if your dad came, he'd have to kneel.

"Then don't I have no chance of winning at all?" Asuma burst into tears. If even Duke felt inferior, wouldn't he be instantly defeated if he encountered one?

"No. If you run into him, your chances of winning will actually be quite high. Kurenai's too... There's a ninety-nine percent chance he won't use his full strength." Duke spoke cryptically. Might Duy was a great ninja. He held himself to strict standards and would never harm a ninja from his own village.

"Why?"

"Is he a Genin from the village?"

Asuma and Kurenai were puzzled, but Duke did not answer them. He saw Dead Fish Eye Duke Sakata Gin... Hatake Kakashi, in a corner and walked over to greet him.

"Kakashi, it's been a long time!"

"You're... Duke?" Kakashi stared with his lifeless dead fish eyes, recalling this former classmate. The two had not interacted much at the academy and could not be considered close, but Obito often mentioned Duke, so Kakashi was not unfamiliar with him.

"And Rin. This is the first time we've met since graduation." Duke greeted the anxious Rin beside Kakashi.

"It's been a long time!" Rin was as polite as ever.

"I don't see Obito... Don't tell me he's late again today?" Duke was speechless at Obito's sense of time. Even when doing good deeds, one had to consider the occasion. On such an important day, he really should not be helping old people cross the street.

"..." Kakashi and Rin silently agreed. They had long since learned to calmly accept ordinary lateness.

"There are three minutes left before the first round starts. Will that be a problem?" Duke was somewhat worried. A three-man squad missing one person did not even qualify to take the exam. Besides, Obito's lateness was usually measured in hours. By the time he arrived, the written test would already be over!

"If it comes down to it, I'll use a Shadow Clone..." Kakashi did not expect Obito to appear within three minutes. After half a year, he had thoroughly learned Obito's habits.

"You think a Shadow Clone can fool the proctors?" Duke asked.

"I can only try. If I try, there's still a chance." Kakashi was no longer wearing his dead fish expression. "If we really get caught, I'll kill Obito."

"Don't be impulsive. Maybe he'll be here any second." Duke hurriedly grabbed him, forming hand seals behind his back with one hand.

A moment later, a drenched Obito appeared at the doorway. The instant his back foot stepped into the classroom, the proctor at the entrance shut the door. The timing was perfect.

"You're too late! We almost got eliminated because of you!" Kakashi grabbed Obito by the collar and unleashed a furious tirade. Obito truly was Kakashi's best buddy. The moment he appeared, the normally cool Kakashi's expression changed dramatically, transforming him into a resentful housewife; even his entire style seemed to have changed. Rin kindly tried to calm them down from the side, while Obito sensibly kept apologizing, finally allowing Kakashi to cool off.

Still simmering with anger, Kakashi released him. Then he suddenly noticed a layer of frost on his palm. Ever vigilant, he discreetly glanced at Obito and found him standing quietly beside Rin, completely unlike his usual loud and reckless self.

This guy... isn't Obito... Not a Shadow Clone either. Could it be a Transformation Jutsu... No, that's not right. What's with the frost on my hand? Kakashi narrowed his eyes and scrutinized the room, finally stopping at Duke's back.

Did he do this? Such an incredible tangible clone technique, and even the proctors didn't notice it. Was he always this strong? Kakashi tried to recall Duke from before graduation, but in his memories, Duke's strength had been average. Aside from his pretty appearance, there had been nothing special about him.

A skilled warrior sought no dazzling achievements; a skilled healer gained no illustrious fame! Kakashi did not know that saying, but that did not stop him from understanding the principle. Cold sweat immediately streamed down his back. It seemed everyone had been deceived.

"Quiet! This is the first round of the Chunin Exam. Sit in the seats marked with your names!" Several Konoha ninja wearing Jonin flak jackets appeared in a Body Flicker. The tall Jonin at the front was the chief proctor, and he released a killing intent as he barked at everyone.

Some frowned while others trembled, but everyone obediently took their seats according to the rules. The chief proctor looked around, confirmed that there were no troublemakers, and ordered his subordinates to count the candidates. Once the count was confirmed correct, they handed out the test papers.

"Before the exam begins, I'll explain the rules for this written test once. Listen carefully. I will not repeat them a second time! No questions are permitted during this time. Any objection will be treated as a violation, and the squad in question will be disqualified from the exam. Understood?"

None of the candidates answered. They quietly waited for the chief proctor to announce the rules.

The chief proctor nodded in satisfaction. "As expected of the elites from every village. So far, none of you have given me the chance to put you in your place. I have to say, I'm starting to like you."

"This written test lasts sixty minutes and contains ten questions. It uses a point deduction system. You all begin with ten points. One point is deducted for every wrong answer, and one point is deducted for every unanswered question. Answer everything correctly and you get ten points. Get five questions wrong and you get five points, and so on. Of course, if you get everything wrong, you get zero points. Anyone with no points will be disqualified, as will their entire squad."

"This exam is judged by the total score of each three-man squad. The full score for a squad is thirty points. Based on percentages, high scores pass and low scores are eliminated. I'll keep the elimination rate secret for now and reveal it at the end... So, for the sake of not dragging down your teammates, give it everything you have and do your best!"

"One more thing. During the exam, if you cheat or are judged to have cheated, two points will be deducted each time. After five offenses, your score will be reduced to zero, and your squad will be directly disqualified."

"One final warning: don't embarrass yourselves with clumsy cheating tricks. That would be nothing less than digging your own grave. If you want to become Chunin, act like real ninja!"

"Does anyone have any objections? Ah, I almost forgot—the rules don't allow you to have objections! Then I hereby announce that the first round of the Chunin Exam begins now!"

According to Kakashi's official data, he became a Chunin at the age of six. But in Obito's flashback, he took the exam and became a Chunin in the same year. Obito graduated at nine, so when he took the Chunin Exam, Kakashi should have been at least eight. That was clearly impossible, and reality left me thoroughly confused for a time. For the needs of this story's plot, Kakashi can only suffer this injustice.