Chunin Exams

Bang!

With the muffled sound of fists and feet colliding, the two figures separated.

This was a secluded training ground, and the two people in the field were Shinji and Haku, sparring in Taijutsu.

Seeing his attack foiled once again, Shinji frowned slightly.

Over the past few days of sparring, he could clearly feel himself improving, but no matter how much he improved, Haku always gave him the illusion that he was just a little more effort away from winning!

In the end, he was repelled again and again.

"Let's try the Breathing Technique!" Shinji decided, looking at Haku. "Be careful, I'm going all out this time!"

Haku nodded in agreement, his face solemn.

"Total Concentration!"

Hoo.

After exhaling, Shinji's figure flashed, and he threw a straight punch directly at Haku's face.

"!"

A flash of surprise crossed Haku's eyes, as if he hadn't expected Shinji's speed to suddenly become so fast.

Bang bang bang.

In an instant, the two exchanged four or five punches.

With every punch Shinji threw, he exhaled a mist of air. Each move seemed to follow a certain rhythm, and his speed and power had increased significantly compared to before.

This made Haku very uncomfortable, and he showed a rare hint of panic.

Hoo.

Exhaling lightly again, Shinji's speed increased once more. His figure flickered, and he moved behind Haku, then swept out a side kick!

But just as the side kick was about to hit Haku, with a "swish," Haku leaped up quickly. He not only dodged Shinji's side kick but also lightly tapped the side kick with the tip of his foot, using the force to spin around and return a side kick to Shinji.

"This!?"

Shinji was startled. He didn't have time to change his move and dodge, so he could only reluctantly raise his arms to protect his vital areas.

Bang.

With a muffled sound, Shinji was repelled once again, and the rhythm of his Breathing Technique was disrupted.

Feeling the slight numbness in his arm, Shinji pouted. "Haku, the strength of that kick was off. Were you going easy on me?"

Haku panted slightly. "Shinji, blocking your attacks is already very strenuous. How could I have any extra energy to go easy on you?"

Shinji shook his arm to relieve the pain. "You were going easy on me."

Haku didn't explain further. Instead, he walked to the edge of the field and handed Shinji a bottle of water. "Shinji, let's take a break."

Shinji took the water and drank it silently.

He knew that Haku had keenly sensed his physical limit. Not only had he secretly reduced the intensity of their sparring, but he had also proactively suggested a break, caring about Shinji's pride.

Reviewing the exchange just now, Shinji confirmed that the 'Breathing Technique' had a significant boost to Taijutsu.

Without using the 'Breathing Technique,' with his Taijutsu foundation, he couldn't pose any threat to Haku at all.

But once he used the 'Breathing Technique,' even in his half-baked state after only two weeks of practice, he could still cause a little trouble for Haku.

"My Water Breathing isn't being used skillfully enough. The rhythm is easily disrupted."

Shinji silently reflected.

Haku, drinking some water beside him, casually asked, "Shinji, can I ask why you're training so hard when you're already so strong?"

Shinji grumbled inwardly, 'If I said it was to protect the Ninja World, would you believe me?'

Who knew what would invade the Ninja World next time? He couldn't afford to be careless.

Seeing Shinji's silence, Haku tentatively asked, "Is it because of that person? Why did he do something like that?"

Shinji glanced at Haku, then looked away. "I don't know either."

What Haku was referring to was naturally Itachi Uchiha, who had massacred his entire Clan.

It was not surprising that he had such doubts.

Because many people in the village had the same doubts. Everyone couldn't understand why Itachi Uchiha, as the young clan head, would personally destroy his own Clan.

But Shinji had a hunch that Haku cared too much about him and the Uchiha Clan, even though Haku concealed it very well.

The next day.

"What, the Chunin Exams?"

Shinji in the classroom was somewhat surprised.

On the podium, Teacher Iruka was still explaining the various arrangements for the Ninja Academy during the upcoming Chunin Exams.

Simply put, students in the lower grades like Shinji would be on holiday.

When the Chunin Exams were mentioned, Shinji instinctively thought of the Chunin Exams in the original work that Naruto had participated in.

However, the Chunin Exams are actually held every three years.

The scale varies.

Naruto's Chunin Exams were on a very large scale, while normally, the scale is a bit smaller.

The venue isn't necessarily Konohagakure; any village that has an alliance or cooperative relationship with Konoha is, in principle, qualified to host the Chunin Exams.

"Awesome, we get a holiday!"

"I heard many villages will send people to participate this time."

"Doesn't that mean there will be good entertainment?"

The genin were all beaming with joy, as if the village was about to hold a festival.

In fact, the Chunin Exams are indeed no different from a festival; villagers can even buy tickets to watch the final round.

After leaving the Ninja Academy, Shinji and Haku began to wander the streets.

Suddenly, a commotion could be heard from a distance.

Shinji looked in the direction of the sound and saw a procession approaching from the end of the street. In the center of the procession was a magnificent carriage.

Haku also looked over. "That looks like the symbol of the Land of Demons. Is the Land of Demons Miko going to attend these Chunin Exams too?"

Shinji's expression stiffened. "The Land of Demons Miko?"

Haku said, "Yes, the one in the carriage is very likely that Lord Miko from the Land of Demons."

Why is she here in Konoha? Could my Genjutsu have been broken? Shinji thought, alarmed. He then followed the direction of the Land of Demons' procession and mused, Are they heading to the Hokage Building?

Noticing Shinji's troubled expression, Haku asked with concern, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Shinji shook his head and left the street.

Even though he knew Shion's appearance in Konoha was highly unusual, he couldn't take any action.

This was the central area of Konoha, only a few streets away from the Hokage Building. Any action he took could lead to unpredictable consequences.

The only thing he could do now was pray that Shion hadn't yet broken the psychological suggestion he had placed on her.

Filled with anxiety, Shinji spent the day.

No Anbu came to control him that day, nor were there any rumors about him or his Mangekyo Sharingan. It was as if the Land of Demons Miko's arrival had nothing to do with him.

Later that day, teams from Sunagakure, Kusagakure, Amegakure, Takigakure, and Kirigakure arrived in Konoha one after another.

Hearing this news, Shinji was filled with doubt.

In his memory, Konoha and Kirigakure had a very strained relationship, and Kirigakure had never sent anyone to participate in Konoha's Chunin Exams.

The number of people sent by the other ninja villages was also noticeably higher than usual.

It seems participating in the Chunin Exams is just a pretense; the real goal of these villages is to verify the rumors of the Uchiha Clan's annihilation.

After a moment's thought, he understood why these ninja villages were so eager to send people to participate in this Chunin Exams.

After all, the Uchiha Clan was a prestigious family that had existed for nearly a thousand years, a ninja clan that stood at the pinnacle of the Ninja World even before the major ninja villages were established.

Therefore, the news of the Uchiha's annihilation was a bombshell to the entire Ninja World.

In the evening, Shinji didn't relax and continued to spar Taijutsu with Haku.

During a break, while wiping sweat with a towel, he casually asked, "Why did the Land of Demons send people to participate in the Chunin Exams? Do they have a ninja village?"

Haku shook his head. "I haven't heard of the Land of Demons having a ninja village."

"Then why did the Land of Demons Miko come to the village?"

Haku chuckled. "I'm not too sure, but I heard that Lord Miko from the Land of Demons spent the day sightseeing in the village and visited quite a few shops."

"Oh."

Shinji responded, lost in thought.

Rustle

Suddenly, a sound came from the bushes by the training ground.

Shinji and Haku looked over.

A figure emerged from the bushes.

She was small, wearing a gorgeous dress, her mouth bulging as if chewing something, and she was holding a skewer of tri-colored dango.

Shion!?

Shinji's heart leaped as he recognized her identity.

The figure who had hastily emerged from the bushes was none other than the Land of Demons Miko he had just been discussing with Haku.

Shion seemed not to have expected anyone to be in such a secluded spot. She made a shushing gesture to Shinji and Haku, then, holding up her dress, prepared to sneak away.

But after a few steps, she suddenly stopped, tilted her head, and ran up to Shinji, staring intently at him. "You..."