"I never expected Mo Chen to have such powerful strength hidden within him. Even a Jonin couldn't stop him!"
On the way back, Choji munched on potato chips and sighed, "How strong will he be once he's mastered that power?"
Shikamaru rested his hands behind his head and said indifferently, "The more powerful the ability, the harder it is to master. The effort you have to put in increases accordingly."
Ino frowned. "If I remember correctly, Mo Chen's teammates are Chie Mai and Ryota, right? For those two to do something like that just to win is utterly despicable!"
"That's why finding teammates you can trust with your back is incredibly lucky and precious!" Asuma lit a cigarette and said with a smile, "Your families have ties going back a long way. You three are the perfect team, aren't you?"
Shikamaru and Choji chuckled, and even Ino didn't argue.
They really were lucky. Even as a newly formed team, they had no need to worry about anyone betraying them.
"All right, let's not talk about Mo Chen anymore!" Asuma clapped his hands. "Keep this incident in mind as a warning, and don't tell anyone about it. Understood? I'm the one vouching for you!"
The three kids of Team 10 were all clever. Asuma didn't need to spell it out for them to know what to do.
[Tenten: Ino, Ino, calling Ino. What's going on?]
[Tenten: Was it exactly like in the video? Did Mo Chen awaken another new ability?]
[Tenten: Why aren't you saying anything?]
[Hinata Hyuga: I'm being tested by my teacher too, so I haven't had much time to check the group. Ino must have run into something that's keeping her busy as well.]
[Sakura Haruno: You can tell from the video that things were dangerous for Mo Chen. Ino Pig might've gotten caught up in it.]
[Ino Yamanaka: Forehead, do you just want bad things to happen to me? You're the one who should be in danger... Oh, wait, are you still stuck in the classroom? That place is safe enough!]
[Sakura Haruno: Who knows what's going on with our team leader? They still haven't shown up. I'm furious!]
[Tenten: @Ino Yamanaka, so what exactly happened with Mo Chen?]
[Ino Yamanaka: I did promise to keep it secret, but you've all seen the video, so telling you shouldn't count as letting it slip. But you have to promise not to tell anyone.]
[Sakura Haruno: Do you really have to be so serious? Mo Chen just awakened a new ability. It has nothing to do with us.]
[Tenten: This is probably to protect Mo Chen. I promise not to tell anyone.]
[Hinata Hyuga: Mm, I promise too.]
[Sakura Haruno: Fine, fine. I promise not to tell either, okay?]
[Ino Yamanaka: What happened in the video was real. When I heard the noise and rushed over, I saw...]
[Ino Yamanaka: So you understand now, right? Anbu has already stepped in, and the Third Lord will handle this personally. We don't have the standing to ask questions.]
[Hinata Hyuga: Chie Mai and Ryota were so awful!!]
[Sakura Haruno: I never thought they were that kind of people! You can't judge a book by its cover. We should stay away from them from now on.]
[Tenten: Killing and betrayal—that's the main theme of being a ninja. I've only been a ninja for a year, but I've already seen many people suffer terrible fates after being betrayed by their own.]
[Tenten: This might sound a little cold, but I want to say this isn't a bad thing for Mo Chen.]
[Sakura Haruno: Of course it isn't a bad thing. He even awakened such a powerful ability, didn't he? He beat a Jonin.]
[Ino Yamanaka: Are you stupid? Tenten means those two didn't hurt Mo Chen. After taking this lesson to heart, he won't make the same mistake again.]
[Sakura Haruno: Hmph, as if I needed you to tell me!]
[Tenten: Ino, can you tell what kind of ability Mo Chen has?]
[Ino Yamanaka: You're asking the impossible. Even Anbu and Teacher Asuma had no idea at the time. Maybe it's a new ability that's never appeared in the Shinobi World.]
[Ino Yamanaka: They didn't tell me the details, and I didn't dare ask. Anyway, what I saw when I arrived was pretty much the same as what was in the video.]
[Tenten: All right. But now we can be sure: Mo Chen will definitely become an unimaginably powerful ninja in the future. We have to get on good terms with him.]
[Sakura Haruno: Are you actually hoping to join his harem?]
[Ino Yamanaka: If he becomes the God of Shinobi like the First Hokage, then joining his harem wouldn't be out of the question.]
[Tenten: Ahem, same here. If anything, I'm worried Mo Chen might not like me.]
[Hinata Hyuga:...]
[Sakura Haruno: You're all crazy!]
On the way to the Hokage's Office, Mo Chen pretended to look worried while, in reality, he watched the Chat Group conversation with interest.
He was the center of attention for several cute girls, and most of what they said made it clear they admired him.
It felt pretty great.
Maybe he could make up a few more future scenes of rescuing girls in danger.
They wanted to get to know him, didn't they?
A bond formed that way would be far deeper than a casual chat on the street.
Before long, Mo Chen arrived at the Hokage's Office.
As soon as he walked in, he saw the Third Hokage sitting behind his desk, looking at him with a kind expression.
"You must be Mo Chen. I've already heard about what happened," the Third Hokage said slowly.
An Anbu member had arrived ahead of them and reported what had happened.
Some of the black substance left behind had also been placed on the desk.
Clearly, the Third Hokage had already examined it.
"Third Lord!" Endo Hiroshi stepped forward and spoke first. "I'm mainly to blame. I was careless..."
The Third Hokage raised a hand, cutting Endo Hiroshi off, and smiled kindly. "You misunderstand, Hiroshi. I'm not blaming Mo Chen. Besides, what happened this time wasn't his fault."
Endo Hiroshi visibly relaxed.
That surprised Mo Chen. At first, he'd been able to tell that Endo Hiroshi felt no sense of belonging to Team 9.
The practical exam Endo Hiroshi had mentioned had seemed more like a formality, as if he just wanted to get it over with and leave.
But now he was actually pleading on Mo Chen's behalf?
The Third Hokage then said to Endo Hiroshi, "You look exhausted. Go back and get some rest. I have something to discuss with Mo Chen."
Endo Hiroshi hesitated.
"What is it? Do you have something else to say? Go ahead. Even if you say the wrong thing, I won't blame you." The Third Hokage still looked kind and gentle, and he seemed very patient.
Endo Hiroshi gritted his teeth and dropped to one knee. "Third Lord, I think Mo Chen is a promising talent. We should nurture him properly. He'll surely become an outstanding ninja of Konoha."
"You have such high hopes for him?" Surprise showed on the Third Hokage's face.
The decision had already been made: out of this year's 27 graduates, nine would become Genin.
Mo Chen was on the list of those who had failed.
In other words, Endo Hiroshi had been set on keeping Team 9 from passing the exam from the very beginning!
But Endo Hiroshi's attitude now clearly wasn't because of Mo Chen's newly awakened ability. He simply didn't agree with the choice of those nine.
"Outstanding ninja" wasn't a title one could earn just by being strong!
Before you continue