Speedrun! Crushing the Chunin Exams

Compared to the ugly expression on the Third Kazekage's face, the Third Hokage's complexion was looking remarkably good at this moment.

He hadn't felt this refreshed and invigorated in a long time!

"My two disciples haven't seen the Chunin Exams in quite a while, and they were feeling a bit nostalgic. I thought I'd bring them along today; I trust that won't be any trouble for Sunagakure?"

Heh.

The Third Kazekage sneered inwardly; he was well aware of what that old fox Sarutobi Hiruzen was really thinking.

However, he couldn't show it, so he forced a stiff smile. "Of course not. It's just that I was a bit surprised to see so many familiar faces from Konoha arriving all at once."

With that, he turned and walked ahead, leading the group from Konoha into the village.

The moment the Konoha delegation stepped into Sunagakure, countless gazes immediately converged upon them.

It wasn't just the people of Sunagakure; there were also participants from other villages who had come for the Chunin Exams, such as the smaller Kusagakure and Takigakure.

At the same time, there were also several nobles from the Land of Wind present.

The Konoha team was simply too eye-catching.

It wasn't just because Konoha was one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages with a renowned reputation; more importantly, the lineup they had brought was excessively luxurious.

To put it bluntly, this group was powerful enough to launch an all-out war within Sunagakure without any issue.

What was even more infuriating was that even with this group here, Konoha still had other powerhouses guarding the village back home.

The current Konoha was truly overflowing with soldiers and generals!

Feeling the surrounding gazes, Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded with satisfaction.

This was exactly the effect he wanted!

Walking in front, the Third Kazekage felt those stares and his expression darkened further.

The first half of the year's Chunin Exams had been held in Konoha, allowing them to flex their muscles, and now that it was Sunagakure's turn, the Third Kazekage had been ready to show off his own village's strength. He hadn't expected Konoha to steal the spotlight once again.

However, being an old fox, the Third Kazekage remained outwardly calm as he led the Konoha group to their designated lodging.

The Chunin Exams wouldn't begin until tomorrow, so the Konoha group could take the day to rest.

Night fell.

Akiyama Shun and Kakashi were assigned to the same room.

Yuhi Kurenai had been right; Akiyama Shun really couldn't get used to the food here, and he had barely eaten anything during the day.

Before going to sleep, Akiyama Shun opened the food that Yuhi Kurenai had packed for him.

To prevent spoilage, the food was of the type that could be stored for a long time. It didn't taste amazing, but it was much more to Akiyama Shun's liking than the local Sunagakure fare.

"...Where did you get that?"

Kakashi, who had been in the middle of training, suddenly caught the scent of the food and looked toward Akiyama Shun.

"Yuhi Kurenai was worried I wouldn't be able to handle the food here, so she packed some for me."

After saying this, Akiyama Shun looked at Kakashi, paused, and then added, "Do you want some?"

Kakashi swallowed hard. To be honest, he wasn't used to the food here either; due to the geographical differences, the diet here was vastly different from that of Konoha.

After a moment of internal struggle, Kakashi nodded.

Faced with Kakashi's longing gaze, Akiyama Shun found it hard to refuse.

"Fine, I won't disturb your thoughts. You keep at it, I'm going to eat."

After saying that, Akiyama Shun ignored Kakashi entirely.

Kakashi: "..."

The next day, the Chunin Exams began on time.

Just like in the original story, the first stage was a written exam.

It was primarily a test of a genin's reconnaissance skills; if you didn't know the answers, you were expected to find ways to cheat.

However, Akiyama Shun had no intention of cheating because it was a waste of time. These questions weren't difficult for him at all; the moment he finished reading a question, the answer appeared in his mind.

While the other students were still pondering the questions, Akiyama Shun had already begun writing furiously.

Of course, he wasn't the only one answering; Kakashi was doing the same.

While answering, Akiyama Shun took the opportunity to observe the students around him.

He didn't spot any opponents who looked particularly strong, though it was possible they weren't in the same testing room.

Soon, Akiyama Shun finished. The moment he put down his pen, Kakashi followed suit, finishing only two seconds later.

When Akiyama Shun and Kakashi turned in their papers early, not only the other candidates but even the proctors were stunned.

That fast?

They knew some students were good at their studies, but they hadn't expected anyone to hand in their papers this quickly!

Some students had only just realized that cheating was an option and were still brainstorming methods, yet these two had already finished?

Akiyama Shun and Hatake Kakashi ignored the gazes of the others and left immediately after handing in their papers.

Unsurprisingly, both of them received perfect scores.

The second day of the assessment was the Forest of Death.

The team of Akiyama Shun and Hatake Kakashi was assigned the Scroll of Heaven.

This stage primarily tested strength and teamwork.

Of course, for Akiyama Shun and Hatake Kakashi, teamwork was an option, but entirely unnecessary.

The strength of the two was enough to crush everything!

From the moment they entered the Forest of Death, the two charged forward like a force of nature, easily crushing any team they encountered!

The strength of these two existed in a completely different dimension compared to the genin from other ninja villages.

The only thing that could affect them was luck.

They took out three teams in a row, all of whom had the Scroll of Heaven; with no other choice, they had to keep searching for others to fight.

It wasn't until the fifth team that they finally obtained the Scroll of Earth. Once they had the scroll, the two didn't want to waste any more time and headed straight for the Central Tower.

On their way out, they were targeted by several Sunagakure ninjas. These ninjas from major villages were indeed stronger, but they were still no match for Akiyama Shun and Hatake Kakashi.

They dealt with their opponents as easily as slicing through vegetables.

Throughout the entire Forest of Death, Akiyama Shun and Hatake Kakashi didn't even use a single ninjutsu. Those ninjas weren't even worth the waste of extra chakra; the two simply used their White Fang Blade to hack their way from start to finish.

The Forest of Death, which was supposed to take five days to complete, was speed-run by Akiyama Shun and Hatake Kakashi in less than a day.

When Akiyama Shun and Hatake Kakashi appeared at the Central Tower, everyone was stunned.

In an instant, the reputation of these two Konoha geniuses began to spread rapidly.

Everyone participating in the Chunin Exams memorized two new names: Akiyama Shun and Hatake Kakashi!

Seeing the two, the Third Kazekage was so angry he nearly ground his teeth to dust, yet he still had to act amiable and praise Sarutobi Hiruzen: "Konoha is truly overflowing with talent."

And even though Sarutobi Hiruzen was blooming with joy on the inside, he remained calm and collected on the surface: "Sunagakure's talents are quite impressive as well."

Night fell.

Under the envious gaze of Hatake Kakashi, Akiyama Shun finished his dinner and sat by the bedside, letting the night breeze wash over him.

At this moment, Akiyama Shun was in a fantastic mood—not because he had enjoyed a meal that made Hatake Kakashi jealous, but because at midnight today, a new month would begin!

This meant he could collect his welfare benefits again, and collecting those benefits meant one other thing.

He could pull for cards again!