Chunin Karot

"If someone like you could become a ninja..."

Hyuga Koji said solemnly.

"Nothing is impossible. It's only a matter of choosing the wrong direction."

Should I tell you that I cultivate Ki and am different from you lot? So Karot hit him with a motivational speech.

Hyuga Koji didn't waste any more words. He raised a hand and struck at Karot. Karot didn't dodge, but met him with a palm of his own. Their palms collided, and a wave of force burst outward.

"Hmm?"

Someone without Chakra had caught his Gentle Fist barehanded. An ordinary person couldn't have done that so easily.

"Surprised already? The real shock is yet to come."

"Your Gentle Fist techniques are too cumbersome. In my eyes, they're worthless."

"Utter nonsense!"

Hyuga Koji's veins bulged even more. Karot's words had clearly enraged him.

"Then let me show you the might of the Hyuga clan. You'll pay for what you said."

A Eight Trigrams formation appeared around Hyuga Koji.

"Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"

The first palm struck Karot, followed by a second and a third. The blows drove him back, and Hyuga Koji struck him a full sixty-four times.

"Koji's won this fight."

In the stands, Hyuga Koji's father spoke to the other Hyuga ninja. He'd come to watch the match and cheer on his son. When he saw his son land every strike of the Eight Trigrams Palm on Karot, he was sure his son had won.

After all, the Hyuga clan's Eight Trigrams Palm was renowned throughout the Ninja World. It targeted a ninja's chakra points; once struck, their Chakra would be sealed, leaving them unable to use it. The trouble was, Karot was no ordinary opponent.

After delivering all sixty-four strikes, Hyuga Koji let out a long breath. Landing sixty-four blows in a row took a lot of stamina.

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

"You're leaving already? Your hits were pretty weak."

Hyuga Koji turned around, unable to believe it. The power of his sixty-four strikes was enough to split mountains and shatter rocks. Why did it feel as if they'd had no effect on Karot at all?

"How is that possible? You clearly took my Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms. You shouldn't be able to use even a little strength now. Why is this happening?"

Hyuga Koji was completely bewildered. Why had his clan's Eight Trigrams Palm failed?

"Maybe you didn't hit my chakra points."

Karot explained.

"Impossible! I clearly hit you every—"

Hyuga Koji started to argue, then realized what might have happened. He'd struck Karot with the Eight Trigrams Palm every time. Unless Karot was so fast that he moved out of the way at the moment each blow was about to land, without Hyuga Koji noticing, making him think he'd successfully sealed all of Karot's chakra points. Just how fast was the man in front of him? That was nothing like the strength a Genin should have.

"Courtesy demands I return the favor. Now it's my turn."

With that, Karot flashed behind Hyuga Koji.

"Not good."

When Karot vanished from his sight, Hyuga Koji thought, I can't keep up with his speed at all. He didn't even have time to defend himself before a punch struck him in the back and sent him flying. Karot flashed in front of him and landed an uppercut on his chin. Hyuga Koji had no time to react before he lost consciousness and passed out.

The spectators fell utterly silent. They'd expected an intense battle, but instead it had been completely one-sided—a crushing victory. Only when the referee announced the result did the crowd react.

"The winner is Hatake Karot!"

The spectators erupted into thunderous applause.

The Chunin Ninja Exams concluded successfully. Some celebrated, while others were disappointed. Five people became Chunin, with the Hatake brothers the youngest among them. Kakashi fulfilled his wish of becoming the youngest ninja ever to make Chunin, while his older brother, Karot, narrowly missed out on the title. The Hatake brothers' names became even better known after the exams.

Afterward, daily life went on as usual: training, taking on missions—that was Karot's routine. He was making progress every day, and he was completely absorbed in it.

The day for another mission came around.

"This time, we're escorting a delivery. The mission rank is B."

After they gathered in the mission building, their Jonin leader, Matsushita Hokuto, explained the details.

"An escort mission again? Who's the big shot this time? We can take it easy."

Ordinary escort missions were like a vacation: easy and simple, almost like a trip outside the village. That was why Hyuga Sanada had said that.

"No. This time we're escorting cargo to the border. We can't afford to be careless."

Matsushita Hokuto spoke with a serious expression.

Sanada's carefree look vanished. Missions to transport supplies were often unpredictable, and a B-rank mission could turn into an A- or even S-rank one.

"Since our squad has three Chunin, the Hokage personally assigned this mission to us."

Hearing that, Hyuga Sanada immediately got excited. The Hokage had personally picked them! It seemed the Hokage knew his name. At the time, the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was the idol of Konoha's ninja. Hyuga Sanada was no exception.

Ignoring Sanada's excitement, Matsushita continued.

"First, we'll collect the supplies, then set out immediately. We're not to waste a single moment. Understood?"

"Yes."

About ten minutes later, they gathered again at the village entrance. Each of them had a pack on their back. Karot's was the fullest, almost bursting at the seams.

The greatest invention in the ninja world was the sealing scroll. You could seal almost anything inside one, then unseal it whenever you needed it. So convenient. Unfortunately, Karot couldn't use one, and he had a few choice words about that.

Once he saw that the students were ready, Matsushita Hokuto gave the order.

"Move out. Reach the border as quickly as possible. We won't stop to rest unless necessary."

He plunged into the forest, and Karot and the others followed close behind.

Even at their fastest, it would take them three days to reach the border. That was assuming they maintained top speed and nothing unexpected happened.

A mission escorting supplies was bound to involve fighting along the way, which would inevitably slow them down. They had to conserve their stamina throughout the journey.

After a full day and night of forced marching, Kazumi, the Medical Ninja, was the first to falter. Her pace slowed. On a mission to escort supplies like this, falling behind meant your chances of survival were slim.

Matsushita Hokuto noticed his student's condition. They hadn't rested in a day and a night, and their stamina was running low, so he ordered them to stop and rest.

As expected, trouble arrived sooner or later. Just moments ago, Karot had sensed enemies approaching their position.

He sprang to his feet and said,

"Enemies!"

The three of them quickly stood back-to-back and went on alert. Following Karot's gaze, they stared intently at the nearby forest.

Matsushita Hokuto hadn't sensed the enemies, while Karot's detection range was even greater than his own. He realized that Karot had far surpassed him.

Matsushita Hokuto formed hand seals.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Since he'd sensed the enemy approaching, Matsushita Hokuto didn't hold back. If they wouldn't come out, fine—he'd force them out.

After an explosion, eight figures leaped out of the woods, each wearing a Stone Ninja forehead protector.