Year 48 of Konoha, Land of Fire, Konoha.
Today was Sora Uchiha's Chunin exam.
A light drizzle fell from the sky. Damp leaves landed on the dark yellow mud, marked with a closely packed trail of footprints.
On the Ninja Academy training ground, two Genin fought with kunai in the rain.
The one on the right wore goggles and spoke with an unbearably cocky tone.
"Hey, hey! Could you at least put up a little fight?"
Unfortunately, anyone with eyes could see he was on the back foot. He was the kind of guy who was bad at something but loved doing it anyway.
A few boys and girls sat in a row on the resting platform not far away.
"Hehe, Obito's still as cocky as ever." Kurenai Yuhi rested both hands on the railing and watched Obito struggle through the fight below, smiling. The damp breeze lifted the hair draped over her shoulders, and her lovely eyes curved into crescents.
"Sora, who do you think will win?" Kurenai turned to ask Sora Uchiha, who was leisurely snacking beside her.
At that, the handsome, black-haired, black-eyed boy, who looked like a young scholar, paused. He lowered his eyes, then looked up slightly as the wind brushed the long hair at his temples across his face. (For reference, his looks are like Jiang Mingzi from [Riyue Tongcuo].)
"Hmm, let's see. Obito will win." Sora Uchiha thought it over and gave a confident answer.
"Huh? I feel like Obito's going to lose. He can barely hold on." Kurenai pouted, blinking as she spoke, unconvinced.
"Um... Obito's arm looks hurt." Beside them, the girl with purple face paint murmured, noticing that Obito's arm had been injured during the exam.
"See? Rin agrees with me, right? Obito's going to lose." Kurenai's eyes lit up. She grabbed Rin's arm and shot the boy an unconvinced look.
Sora Uchiha smiled faintly. "How about another bet? If you lose, you have to supply my snacks for a month."
"And what if you lose?"
"Hmm... I'll agree to one thing you ask, as long as it's within my power."
Kurenai's eyes lit up. "Then... if I win, you have to be my boyfriend."
"Deal." Sora Uchiha smiled faintly.
As for the bet, he was certain he'd win. In history, Obito Uchiha had been promoted to Chunin in Year 48 of Konoha—and that was today's exam.
That's right, he was a transmigrator. He'd already been in the Naruto world for twelve years.
Fortunately, fate had treated him well and given him a system. He'd spent his childhood surrounded by praise from his elders and admiration from his peers.
As a transmigrator, he naturally knew the outcome of today's Chunin exam.
So he was sure to win the bet.
Even if he lost... it wouldn't matter. Kurenai was beautiful, so being her boyfriend wouldn't be a bad deal.
"Hey, the written exam results are out." A boy came running over excitedly from not far away.
Bowl cut, tight green jumpsuit, green from head to toe—no mistake, he was Might Guy, Konoha's Blue Beast of the Hidden Leaf. Though, at this point, he hadn't earned that fearsome title yet.
[ Ding! ]
[ The host has placed first in the written portion of the Chunin exam. ]
[ First stage of the mission complete. ]
[ Obtained Secret Scroll: Lightning Strike. ]
The system's pleasant mechanical voice rang out in Sora Uchiha's mind. He smiled faintly, pleased with the reward.
That was his cheat: a system with a very specific function. Every so often, it issued him a mission, and completing it earned him a reward.
Most of the time, the rewards increased his Chakra reserves. Occasionally, he'd trigger a critical bonus and receive a summoning technique or the like.
This mission required him to take first place in the Chunin exam.
He'd used Summoning: Chameleon to get a perfect score on the written exam, taking first place and completing half the mission.
"Guy, who came first?" Kurenai asked eagerly.
She was in such a hurry because she'd made a bet with a certain arrogant someone. The stakes were a week's worth of snacks.
Might Guy was clearly excited, having passed the written exam. He gave Sora a thumbs-up.
"It was Sora! Sora, you're amazing—you got first place on the written exam!"
"Ah, how could this happen..." Kurenai's little face immediately fell.
Beside her, Rin Nohara's expression also dimmed. Clearly, she'd been one of the bettors, too.
Sora Uchiha cheerfully plucked a leaf from the nearby tree, poked a hole in it, and held it over his right eye.
"Well, Kurenai, Rin, don't forget my snacks."
Kurenai puffed out her cheeks, looking adorable. "All you do is eat! You'll eat yourself to death." Then she remembered something. "Even though I lost to you last time, I'm definitely winning this time."
She leaned against the railing, cupped her hands around her mouth, and shouted, "Obito, you'd better lose!"
Below, Obito rolled his eyes. "Thanks a lot!"
A little while later,
Obito's opponent was so annoyed by his nonstop chatter that he left an opening. Obito seized the chance and won.
"Obito Uchiha wins."
The lively look in Kurenai's eyes vanished, leaving her like a hollow doll who'd lost her soul.
"How could this happen? Obito actually won... Waaaah, there goes the boyfriend I had in the bag..."
Just like in the original story, Obito had beaten his opponent through sheer determination.
"Kurenai, that makes one month and one week," Sora Uchiha drawled, amusement in his eyes.
Come on, he was a transmigrator with a cheat. How had this girl dared to bet against him?
He wasn't Tsunade!
"Gaaah, one day I'll beat the betting demon!" Kurenai clenched her fists, her face flushed.
The girl's blush said it all.
Just then, the examiner's voice rang out.
"Next match: Sora Uchiha versus Choji Akimichi."
Choji Akimichi?
Sora Uchiha thought for a moment. He didn't recognize the name, but he was probably from the Akimichi Clan.
"Hmph! I hope you lose!" Kurenai made a face at him, glaring.
"Heh. I'm a genius. Losing's the hard part." Sora Uchiha smiled mildly, swallowed a handful of raisins, and strolled onto the training ground.
Kurenai glared at his back and muttered, "Show-off."
At that moment, the battered Obito Uchiha also arrived at the resting area, grinning from ear to ear.
"Rin, did you see how awesome I was just now?"
"Yeah, you were great." Rin Nohara praised him, then turned her gaze toward the training ground.
Obito Uchiha's expression fell as he watched the boy below. He gritted his teeth and muttered, "I hope Sora loses."
No one there paid him any attention.
Everyone present knew that, if anyone had a one-hundred-percent chance of passing this Chunin exam, it was Sora.
Because he was so dazzling—an absolute genius among geniuses.
On a lookout platform not far away, a white-haired boy silently watched the confident youth on the training ground.
He murmured in confusion, "Why did you wait so long to become a Chunin? What are you trying to accomplish by staying at the Ninja Academy...?"
Yumeno Chunin, the examiner, looked at the two contestants on the training ground and called out:
"Begin!"
Then he noticed that a tall, slender man had appeared beside him without him realizing it. Startled, he looked up and exclaimed in surprise,
"Jonin Shio, what are you doing here?"
Shio Nara waved a hand, his gaze resting on Sora Uchiha on the training ground. "The Lord Third sent me to take a look at this Uchiha prodigy."
"Hm? Sora?" Yumeno Chunin was taken aback, then nodded with a sigh. "Right, he's a genuine Uchiha prodigy. I heard he defeated three Chunin from other villages a while back."
"I wonder why he's only taking the Chunin exam this year. By all rights, he should've passed ages ago."
Shio Nara nodded slightly. "The Lord Third said his talent surpasses Kakashi Hatake's."
"Kakashi?" Yumeno Chunin was startled. "That genius who passed the Chunin exam at six?"
"Yeah."
"His talent surpasses Kakashi's... The Lord Third really thinks highly of Sora."
Shio Nara silently watched the confident youth.
Indeed, he was a once-in-a-generation genius. If only... he weren't an Uchiha.
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