Before the Competition Begins / A Conversation Between Kage

Before the competition began

"Hey, hey, there's no need to be this impatient, is there? We're not stepping into the ring until tomorrow." Might Guy finally arrived, fashionably late.

Keiichi couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. With this Jonin here, Gaara couldn't cause much trouble unless he went on a rampage.

So although things looked dangerous, they'd be safe as long as they held out until Might Guy arrived.

Sure enough, the moment Gaara saw the Leaf Village Jonin show up, he turned and left without a word. He wasn't stupid; he knew what kind of people he couldn't handle.

"Remember, anyone who opposes me will die." Before climbing out the window, Gaara swept his gaze over Shikamaru and Keiichi, sending a chill down their spines.

The meaning behind his words was obvious: if he ran into them in the ring, he'd kill them.

"Should I just withdraw?" Shikamaru scratched his head in distress. He had no desire to face that monster.

"Don't worry. Someone will teach him a lesson." Keiichi reassured Shikamaru, worried that he might use illness as an excuse to avoid fighting tomorrow.

Then this Chunin exam would become a joke, with no one passing in the end.

Besides, Keiichi wasn't wrong. Someone as isolated as Gaara needed a talk-therapy specialist like Naruto to keep him in check.

Just look at how they'd chatted their way into becoming friends.

Might Guy was profusely grateful to the two of them for stepping in. If they hadn't intervened in time, he might have arrived to find only his student's corpse. By then, even killing Gaara would have been no use.

Keiichi smiled without saying anything, though inside he was ranting: What good is your gratitude to me? Couldn't you give me something practical instead?

Like the Eight Inner Gates or something?

Unfortunately, his wish never came true.

At least the master and student now owed him a favor. Favors were hard to repay, so he'd take his time.

Since Kakashi had even learned the Eight Inner Gates from you, Might Guy, it was clear you didn't consider the technique all that precious.

By now, Keiichi had more or less recovered from his injuries. All that remained was to wait for the Chunin exam to begin. He had to earn the rank of Chunin before anything else.

He was fairly confident about that. In his previous life, Shikamaru had been the only one to pass the exam, because his intelligence was enough to qualify him for a leadership role.

And Keiichi's ability to gather intelligence far surpassed that of an ordinary ninja. Surely that could count as a similar kind of bonus.

What did you think those Ninja Star Cards were for? Just making money and earning Magic Modification Points?

It was called showing off your talents!

It was called getting three uses out of one thing!

In the Chunin exam, strength wasn't actually the most important thing. What mattered was demonstrating other talents along the way.

Otherwise, why weren't Sasuke and Gaara chosen as Chunin?

Even Naruto was still a Genin before becoming Hokage. It wasn't deliberate, either. After the Fourth Great Ninja War, he'd even taken the Chunin exam, but he still failed every time.

Could anyone claim it was because he wasn't strong enough?

Some might ask: if the Chunin exam produced so few Chunin each time, was that really enough?

In fact, most Chunin and even Jonin weren't promoted by passing this kind of exam. They were promoted through special approval from the leaders of their villages.

This usually happened during wartime. Many promising Genin were promoted to Chunin for their military achievements, while Chunin with a particular area of expertise were promoted to Special Jonin.

There was a purpose behind this, of course: to stoke the ninjas' desire for war, even making them look forward to it, so they would fight at full strength.

As for lofty talk about doing it for the village, people could take it with a grain of salt. Human nature meant most people pursued their own interests. Those with noble ideals were always in the minority.

The Chunin exam offered a path to promotion during peacetime, but it was an exceptionally narrow one.

Of course, anyone who distinguished themselves and earned a promotion through the exam was an elite among elites. Their future promotions would be smooth sailing, and becoming an Elite Jonin would be all but certain.

Take Shikamaru, for example. Within a few years, he was rapidly promoted to Jonin. Then, starting in Kakashi's era, he became something of a strategist, highly valued by successive administrations. After Naruto went missing, he was directly chosen as Acting Hokage.

That was the value of launching your career through the Chunin exam.

So no matter how dangerous the process was, Keiichi was determined to take the Chunin exam. Opportunities like this didn't come twice.

Not everyone could jump straight from Genin to Hokage like Naruto. Ordinary people couldn't take the express lane reserved for those with connections.

Early the next morning, Keiichi checked himself out of the hospital.

By the time he reached the streets, they were already packed with people. Everyone in the village had come out to watch. After all, an event this grand only came around once every few years.

One palanquin after another entered the Chunin exam arena. It was obvious they carried important figures, and each household put on a grand display, afraid of losing face.

The arrival of the Feudal Lord of the Land of Fire brought the atmosphere to a climax. Everyone wanted a glimpse of the Feudal Lord.

Unfortunately, the Feudal Lord kept a fan over half his face. Even through the translucent silk curtains, nothing could be made out.

As one of the ten competitors, Keiichi entered the arena and joined the line beside the ring, waiting for everyone to arrive so the competition could begin.

He was a little nervous, too. He'd never taken part in such a grand event before, and he'd never seen the stands filled with so many people. In his previous life, he'd never taken the Chunin exam at all; he'd been promoted for his wartime achievements instead.

After all, with the aptitude of a Commoner Ninja, he shouldn't have been at an event like this in the first place.

Otherwise, why did so many people think Keiichi had made it to the finals purely through luck?

Keiichi scanned the important figures in the stands, searching for the Kazekage.

He clearly remembered that Orochimaru had assassinated the Kazekage on the way to the Leaf Village, then disguised himself as the Kazekage and openly sat beside Hiruzen.

Then, when the plan began, he'd taken Hiruzen hostage and used a barrier to create the perfect one-on-one battleground.

Now that Root was involved, would Orochimaru's plans change?

Keiichi hoped they wouldn't change too much, since that would help him keep himself safe.

But he also hoped they'd change more, since that would increase his Magic Modification Points by quite a bit.

Still, even if he saw the Kazekage with his own eyes, he couldn't tell whether it was really him or Orochimaru in disguise. He was still too inexperienced.

Interestingly, he spotted quite a few Anbu scattered throughout the stands. They were especially concentrated around the VIP section, with more than a hundred agents there. It seemed Hiruzen knew Orochimaru might come and cause trouble.

But perhaps he hadn't realized that the Anbu harbored a large number of people secretly loyal to Root. How many of those present were truly loyal to him?

Forget it. He'd just take things as they came.

"Big Brother Keiichi, are you feeling better?" Naruto entered the arena with dark circles under his eyes. The moment he saw Keiichi, his eyes lit up.

It was his first time attending such an important event, and he'd been so nervous that he hadn't slept all night.

"Don't worry. I could take on five opponents like Dosu!" Keiichi gave him a thumbs-up.

"That's my big brother!"

Nearby, Dosu's forehead twitched with anger. I'm standing right here! Aren't you worried I'll hear you?

The local ninjas had no manners at all!

Chapter 61: A Conversation Between Kage

"Hey, Big Brother Keiichi, why did your hair change color?" Naruto asked curiously.

"I just dyed it red. Don't I look a lot more handsome?"

"Uh... I guess so." Naruto couldn't see what was handsome about it at all. What was so great about red hair?

Keiichi sighed inwardly. In truth, this was a "side effect" of his Uzumaki Bloodline reaching 15% purity: his hair had changed color overnight.

This bloodline was really overbearing.

"How did Lord Jiraiya's training go?" Keiichi asked quietly after Naruto came to stand beside him.

"Can I tell you the truth?" Naruto leaned in and whispered.

"Obviously!"

"I don't think it was as good as your training!" Naruto stuck out his tongue, looking thoroughly unimpressed.

The Pervy Sage had made the Summoning Jutsu sound so incredible, but the Chief Toad he summoned wouldn't listen to him. How was he supposed to have any fun like that?

It wasn't as good as the jutsu I came up with myself!

"Of course!" Keiichi smiled slightly. It was satisfying to outdo Jiraiya.

After all, this was the Shadow Clone Training Method. Even Keiichi himself coveted it!

"Hasn't Sasuke arrived yet?" Sure enough, Naruto immediately started asking about his best buddy.

"He hasn't finished training his ultimate technique yet. Why would he come before he's finished?"

"So that means I'm stronger than him, right? I mastered my ultimate technique ages ago!" Naruto repeated Keiichi's words, looking very proud of himself.

"Not necessarily. You know how the protagonist often shows up last."

"I see! I'll leave for now, then. Let me know when Sasuke arrives. I'll make sure to show up even later than him!" Naruto said, starting to leave.

Keiichi shook his head with a wry smile and quickly pulled him back.

His nickname really was well earned. Who else could come up with such a bizarre train of thought?

"Keiichi, I accept that bet." Just then, Neji walked over. He didn't even glance at Naruto, addressing Keiichi seriously instead.

At first, Neji hadn't cared about a nobody like Keiichi. He, too, had thought the boy made it to the third round purely through luck.

But when he'd actually been matched against Naruto, he'd finally become interested in Keiichi, because he couldn't figure out how Keiichi had managed it.

The key was that Keiichi had not only predicted that he'd face Naruto, but had also proposed a bet that Neji was certain he couldn't lose.

Me? Lose to Naruto?

What a joke!

In his eyes, the only opponents who mattered were Sasuke and Gaara. He looked down on Naruto more than anyone.

How had Naruto won his last match?

It was laughable: he'd won by bribing his opponent!

Was that any way for a ninja to act?

How could Neji lose to an opponent like that, who was as stupid as a pig?

But Keiichi's prediction loomed over him like a shadow, and he'd been wrestling with it for a long time. Now, perhaps, the day had finally come to uncover the truth.

He looked around. The stands were packed, and more importantly, important politicians and celebrities from various countries had taken their seats. Even the Kazekage and Hokage were in attendance.

Good. Even that man had come. Let's see if you can still sit there calmly later.

This was the perfect occasion, the grand stage he'd been waiting for.

Compared to the plan he'd been plotting for years, Naruto and the bet didn't matter at all.

Because if his plan failed, death would be the only thing waiting for him.

But if he succeeded, it would mark a turning point in the fate of the Branch House!

Today, he, Neji Hyuga, would be the one to ring the bell, even if it meant sacrificing himself for the cause!

Just as Neji's emotions were surging, Naruto was furious with him. He'd actually been ignored.

I'm your opponent, so why are you picking a fight with Big Brother Keiichi instead?

Do you really look down on me that much?

"I'll definitely beat you, Neji!" Naruto jumped in front of him and gave him a thumbs-down, his taunt crystal clear.

But Neji only smiled. He wasn't the least bit ruffled, and walked straight over to the line on the other side.

"What's with him? He's so arrogant! He's even more annoying than Sasuke!" Naruto grumbled.

"Don't just talk. Show him, and make everyone who doubts you eat their words." Keiichi patted his shoulder reassuringly.

"Don't worry, Big Brother. I'll make sure you win the bet. I promise!"

At this point, all the competitors except Sasuke had arrived. So Hiruzen, the Hokage, stood up and began his speech.

"Thank you all for coming. The third round of the Chunin exam hosted by the Leaf Village is about to begin. Please enjoy the performances of the younger generation!"

Hiruzen's speech brought the atmosphere to a fever pitch. Everyone was looking forward to the upcoming ninja battles.

These noblemen and aristocrats lived in extreme luxury, and their excitement threshold had long since been raised. Only combat between ninjas could thrill them.

After all, this wasn't some fake performance on television. It was a battle where lives were on the line, and it was bound to end in bloodshed.

Though the rules said the referee would step in if either side was in danger of dying, even a slight delay could lead to a serious accident.

It wasn't unusual for competitors to die in the ring during past Chunin exams. The villages had staked their reputations, and the ninjas had staked their lives. Everyone fought with everything they had, leaving no doubt about how real it was. That was what made the crowd's blood run so hot.