Chunin Karot

"That you can become a ninja..."

Hyuga Koji said solemnly.

"Nothing is impossible, it's just that the direction you chose was wrong."

Did he want to tell them that he was cultivating qi and was different from them? So Karot shot back with some platitudes.

After that, Hyuga Koji didn't waste any more words. He raised his palm and struck at Karot. Karot didn't dodge and met the blow with his own palm. As their palms collided, a wave of energy immediately spread outwards.

"Huh?"

Someone without chakra actually blocked his Hyuga Gentle Fist with his bare hand. It was impossible for an ordinary person to do it so easily.

"You're surprised by this? The truly surprising part is yet to come."

Your Gentle Fist techniques are too cumbersome. In my eyes, they are useless.

"Nonsense."

Hyuga Koji's veins bulged even more, clearly angered by Karot's words.

"Then I'll let you taste the power of our Hyuga clan. You will pay for what you said."

A Bagua formation appeared around Hyuga Koji.

"Gentle Fist Style, Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"

He saw the opponent strike Karot with one palm, then the second, then the third, forcing Karot to retreat step by step. A total of sixty-four palms were struck.

"In this battle, Koji wins."

From the stands, Hyuga Koji's father said to the other Hyuga clan ninja. He had come to watch the match to cheer for his son, and seeing all of his son's Eight Trigrams Palms hit Karot, he had already determined his son's victory.

After all, the Hyuga's Eight Trigrams Palms were renowned throughout the ninja world. They specifically targeted a ninja's pressure points, and once hit, chakra would be sealed, rendering them unable to use it. Unfortunately, he had encountered Karot, an anomaly.

After delivering the sixty-four palms, Hyuga Koji let out a long sigh. After all, continuously executing sixty-four palms consumed a lot of stamina.

Just as he turned to leave, Karot's voice came from behind him.

"Leaving just like that? Your strength is really weak."

Hyuga Koji turned back in disbelief. The power of his sixty-four palms was enough to shatter mountains and break stones. How could hitting Karot feel like it had no effect at all?

"How is this possible? You clearly took my Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms. You should be completely drained of strength right now. Why is this happening?"

Hyuga Koji was lost in confusion. Why was his clan's Eight Trigrams Palm suddenly so ineffective?

"Perhaps you didn't actually hit my pressure points."

Karot explained.

"Impossible, I clearly every time..."

Hyuga Koji was about to argue when he suddenly realized. He had struck Karot with his Eight Trigrams Palm every time. Unless Karot's speed was too great, and he had shifted his position just as the palm was about to hit, making him unaware and leading him to believe he had successfully sealed all his pressure points. How fast was this man in front of him? This was completely unlike the strength of a Genin.

"It's rude not to reciprocate. Now it's my turn."

With that, Karot flashed behind Hyuga Koji.

"This is bad."

Hyuga Koji thought to himself as he lost sight of Karot. He couldn't keep up with Karot's speed at all. He didn't even have time to defend himself before being hit in the back and sent flying. Then, with another flash, Karot appeared in front of Hyuga Koji and landed an uppercut to his jaw. Before Hyuga Koji could even react, he lost consciousness and fainted.

The audience was silent, not a sound. What they had expected to be a fierce battle turned out to be a one-sided affair, a complete rout. It wasn't until the referee announced:

"The winner is Hatake Karot!"

Only then did the audience erupt in thunderous applause.

Thus, the Chunin Exams concluded successfully, with some rejoicing and some grieving. A total of five people became Chunin. Among them, the Hatake brothers were the youngest. Kakashi became the fastest Chunin in history as he had wished, while Karot, as the older brother, narrowly missed out on this title. The reputation of the Hatake brothers also became more widely known through this exam.

Life continued as usual afterward: training, taking missions. This became Karot's daily routine. He was immersed in the constant progress he made every day.

One day, it was time to execute a mission again.

"This time, we will be carrying out a escort mission. The mission rank is B-rank."

After gathering at the mission building, the Jonin leader, Matsushita Hokuto, explained the detailed content of the mission to the students.

"An escort mission again? Who's the VIP this time? We can relax a little."

A typical escort mission was like a vacation, easy and simple, akin to a trip outside the village. This was why Hyuga Sanada spoke like that.

"No, this time we are escorting cargo. It's being sent to the border, and we cannot be careless in the slightest."

Matsushita Hokuto said with a serious expression.

This caused Sanada to drop his relaxed demeanor, as transporting supplies often involved uncertainties. A B-rank mission could potentially escalate to A-rank or even S-rank.

"Given that our team has three Chunin, the Hokage specifically assigned us this mission."

Hearing this, Hyuga Sanada immediately became excited. This was a mission personally requested by the Hokage! It seemed his name was known to the Hokage. At this time, Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi was the faith of all Leaf Village ninja. Hyuga Sanada was no exception.

Ignoring Sanada, who was still excited, Matsushita spoke.

"First, we will collect the supplies and depart immediately. No time is to be wasted, understand?"

"Yes."

About ten minutes later, they gathered at the village entrance again. Everyone had a backpack slung over their shoulders, and Karot's was so full it was about to burst.

The greatest invention in the ninja world was the sealing scroll. Anything could be sealed inside and then released when needed – very convenient. However, Karot, who couldn't use them, had a lot to say about it.

Seeing that his students were all ready, Matsushita Hokuto gave the order.

"Depart, and head to the border at top speed. We won't rest unless absolutely necessary."

With that, he plunged into the forest, with Karot and the others following closely behind.

At their fastest pace, it would take them three days to reach the border, and that was assuming the best-case scenario with no unexpected events.

Escorting such supplies, it was inevitable they would encounter combat along the way, which would invisibly slow down their arrival time. Therefore, they had to maintain a certain level of stamina throughout the journey.

After a day and a night of forced march, Kazumi, a Medical Ninja, was the first to falter, her speed slowing down. On a mission like escorting supplies, falling behind the team meant a slim chance of survival.

Matsushita Hokuto noticed his student's condition. Considering they hadn't rested for a day and a night and had suffered significant physical exhaustion, he ordered them to rest where they were.

The unexpected arrived sooner than expected. Just moments ago, Karot had sensed enemies approaching their location.

He suddenly stood up and said, "There are enemies."

The three Matsushitas quickly formed a defensive circle, backs against each other. Following Karot's gaze, they intently watched the nearby jungle.

Matsushita Hokuto couldn't sense any enemies, but Karot, his student, had a wider range of perception than his own. He realized Karot had already surpassed him by a great deal.

Matsushita Hokuto formed hand seals.

"Fire Style, Great Fireball Technique."

Since he had sensed the enemy's arrival, Matsushita Hokuto wasn't going to be polite. If you won't come out, fine, I'll force you out.

After an explosion, eight figures leaped out from the forest, wearing Stone Ninja headbands.