Genin Came in Waves / Hizashi: Stab You, Stab You!

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

The number of people dancing in front of Uchiha Chonhua had grown from three to nine.

During that time, two more ninja teams who weren't afraid of them showed up. One tried to steal their flags, while the other planned to drive them off and claim the platform across the river.

But neither team was up to the task. In an instant, Uchiha Chonhua had them under his genjutsu, and they joined the dancing army.

As soon as midnight struck on the third day, the three of them got up and leisurely crossed the river to the platform. They planted the red and blue flags, then took out their sleeping bags and started a campfire.

As for the nine people... they had a better view of the dancing from the platform on this side. As luck would have it, the campfire over there hadn't gone out, leaving them a little warmth.

"Ahh..."

Mikoto Uchiha yawned and snuggled deeper into her sleeping bag. Her little face serene, she drifted off to sleep.

Uchiha Chonhua and Hizashi Hyuga weren't sleepy, so they fussed over the campfire.

"This exam is so boring."

Hizashi Hyuga suddenly grumbled. Even his placid expression had begun to crack.

The three-day time limit was meant for the candidates to fight over flags and defend the platform, but for the three of them, it was pure torture.

The Genin Came in Waves

With the other two members of Team Tsunade wrapped up in each other, Hizashi Hyuga felt he shouldn't stay. Using scouting as an excuse, he left the two of them alone.

They couldn't possibly spend every waking hour scouting, except when they were hungry.

So, over the past few days, Hizashi Hyuga had wandered back and forth through the forest, using his Byakugan to observe the other candidates' battles.

At first, he'd found it somewhat interesting, but the longer it went on, the more excruciatingly dull it became.

Hizashi Hyuga sighed, feeling utterly drained.

"Teacher Tsunade has a big mouth. The other candidates are all afraid to face us."

Uchiha Chonhua handed him a water bottle with a smile. "Even when they do dare to face us, they're no match for us, and the fight's over in an instant. Isn't that still boring?"

Hizashi Hyuga's face darkened. "This year's candidates are much worse than those from previous years. Apart from us, there isn't a single other clan member."

His words showed his contempt for the civilian ninja. They didn't even dare face them, and the few who did were all so weak.

Uchiha Chonhua smiled. "Don't underestimate civilian ninja, Hizashi. Have you forgotten about Minato?"

Hizashi Hyuga came back to himself, his contempt easing as he remembered that Namikaze Minato was a civilian ninja too.

But his manner and formidable strength made people overlook his background, unconsciously assuming he was some noble young master.

"That's right, Minato's a civilian ninja too." Hizashi Hyuga frowned. "How can there be such a huge difference in skill between them?"

Uchiha Chonhua shook his head. "We only have the advantage of our bloodlines. If we were truly starting from the same line, we might not be any better than them."

Before he got the system, his abilities hadn't been much to speak of. He'd only been a little stronger than an average civilian ninja. His Uchiha bloodline wouldn't do him any good unless he awakened his eyes.

Well, at least he had the system to back him up. A cheat was far more unreasonable than a bloodline.

Uchiha Chonhua glanced at Hizashi Hyuga's Forehead Protector. The Caged Bird Seal beneath it was like a ticking time bomb.

He suddenly chuckled to himself. Hizashi Hyuga often said that fate was predetermined, but if he really stopped being a member of the Hyuga Clan, he might feel lost and insecure.

After all, Hizashi Hyuga had the pride of someone born into a clan.

That was what they called being like Lord Ye, who loved dragons but was afraid of them.

Dawn broke.

The candidates emerged from the forest, dusty and filthy. Some were injured, their sleeves soaked with blood. They looked to be in bad shape.

Grimacing, they helped one another across the riverbank and searched for the platform.

They couldn't relax yet. The deadline wasn't until the next day, and during this brief yet drawn-out stretch of time, they had to protect their flags and defend the platform, making sure they were the ones standing on it.

The fighting wasn't over.

Uchiha Chonhua and the others stayed out of the fray, content and carefree.

Some candidates spotted them and, recognizing them, gave them a wide berth.

Those who only knew part of the story but had some nerve saw the nine strange people dancing and hesitated to approach.

In the end, the candidates tacitly ignored Uchiha Chonhua and his two teammates.

At last, the second exam came to an end.

Everyone else was in poor condition, their faces pale. Uchiha Chonhua and his two teammates, on the other hand, looked relaxed. They joked around and laughed their way through the exam.

The chief examiner was perplexed. He looked from the six candidates who were battered and bloodied to Team Tsunade, clean and cheerful.

The contrast was far too stark.

"Ahem. Congratulations on passing the second exam. You'll have one day to rest. Come to the High Tower tomorrow morning for the final exam."

Three teams, nine ninja in total, had passed the second Chunin Ninja Exam.

The chief examiner mulled it over. That was fewer than he'd expected. Once the candidates had gone back to rest, the examiners entered the training grounds to wrap things up.

On the way, they came across several dead candidates, and the examiners coldly collected their bodies.

There were genin year after year, like crops of leeks being harvested and replanted. It was nothing unusual or tragic for genin who lacked the strength to be killed during the Chunin Ninja Exams.

Besides, having too many genin wasn't a good thing. The number of D-rank missions grew slowly, while the number of genin increased rapidly every year.

Some genin who couldn't pass the Chunin Ninja Exams were just taking up space, too.

Ultimately, the vast Konoha Village relied more on its Chunin and Jonin. Losing a few genin wasn't worth batting an eye over.

When the examiners reached the river, they came across the nine candidates dancing.

The chief examiner's face went dark. Good grief, so this was why so few had passed.

There hadn't been many candidates to begin with, and nine of them had been here dancing...

Uchiha Chonhua and his two teammates stood below the platform, refreshed and full of energy, listening to the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi give his speech.

Sarutobi Hiruzen delivered an impassioned speech, and only Uchiha Chonhua and his two teammates responded, applauding enthusiastically.

As for everyone else...

They all looked listless, glancing at the empty spots beside them with heavy hearts.

Only six people were left in the venue. The other three had been seriously injured and sent straight to Konoha Hospital to recuperate, leaving them unable to take part in the final exam.

Looking at Uchiha Chonhua and his two teammates, brimming with energy, the remaining three could only hope they wouldn't draw them as opponents.

Some of them were even thinking about forfeiting outright...

"It doesn't matter if you fail. Show us what you can do to the fullest. The Chunin Ninja Exams won't judge you based on success or failure..."

At those words, the three candidates forced themselves to perk up, fighting spirit returning to their eyes.

As long as they didn't lose too badly, they still had a chance of being promoted to Chunin.

After Sarutobi Hiruzen finished his speech, he handed things over to the chief examiner.

The examiner brought out a box of lots and gestured for them to come up and draw.

Uchiha Chonhua casually drew a lot and looked at its number, then checked what his teammates had drawn.

"Oh? Bad luck. We've drawn each other."

Uchiha Chonhua raised an eyebrow and looked at Hizashi Hyuga, who had drawn the same number as him.

Hizashi Hyuga shook his head with a wry smile. "We really are unlucky." Then he gazed eagerly at Uchiha Chonhua. "I won't forfeit, Chonhua. I want to know my limits."

He knew he couldn't beat Uchiha Chonhua, but he wouldn't back down or run from a fight.

Uchiha Chonhua nodded with a faint smile. "Please go easy on me, Hizashi!"

"Ah!" Tsunade groaned when she saw her two students matched against each other.

At least promotion to Chunin depended on the Hokage's and the examiners' evaluations and approval, not on victory or defeat.

Otherwise, the bet she'd placed at the gambling house would have gone bust the moment they were matched against each other.

"First match: Mikoto Uchiha versus Nagano Aka!"

"Mikoto, good luck!"

Uchiha Chonhua cheered her on, then went upstairs with the other candidates, leaving the arena to the two competitors.

Nagano Aka took a deep breath, his expression tense and wary.

His opponent was from the Uchiha Clan, a name renowned far and wide. Even though she was a pretty girl, he couldn't afford to underestimate her.

Whoosh!

His opponent stayed still, but Mikoto Uchiha moved.

She opened with a kunai throw. Nagano Aka immediately gripped his own kunai in a reverse hold and knocked hers aside, then pushed off with his foot and charged at Mikoto Uchiha.

Mikoto Uchiha remained unhurried, holding a kunai in each hand before throwing them.

Nagano Aka twisted aside to dodge, only to find Mikoto Uchiha coming at him with a short sword raised overhead.

Hizashi: Stab You, Stab You!

Nagano Aka quickly retreated, narrowly avoiding the short sword. Suddenly, he heard a clanging sound behind him.

Nagano Aka turned around in confusion and saw the kunai Mikoto Uchiha had thrown earlier bouncing off one another along unpredictable, erratic trajectories.

In the end, the first kunai she'd thrown was knocked aside, its tip turning to fly at Nagano Aka's back.

Nagano Aka was terrified. Forgetting all about looking foolish, he scrambled into a clumsy roll. His eyes wide with fear, he gasped as he watched the kunai stab into the ground.

That was close. Just a little closer and the kunai would've stabbed him.

He quickly composed himself, but there was no time to catch his breath. Nagano Aka pulled out a smoke bomb and crushed it in his fist. A huge cloud of smoke burst out.

Nagano Aka vanished into the smoke.

Mikoto Uchiha formed Hand Seals and spat out a ball of fire.

Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!

The fireball swallowed the smoke. With a roar, it smashed into the ground, leaving a huge crater.

Mikoto Uchiha furrowed her brow. Nagano Aka wasn't in the smoke.

Crack!

Just then, the floor beneath Mikoto Uchiha's feet split apart, and a hand suddenly shot up to grab her ankle.

Hidden underground, Nagano Aka rejoiced. He'd caught her. He tightened his right hand, trying to pull Mikoto Uchiha underground.

But with a dull thud, his hand closed on empty air. His expression changed in alarm.

He'd grabbed nothing!?

He quickly leapt out of the ground and looked around. The place where Mikoto Uchiha had been was now filled with nothing but lingering smoke.

There was also a burning tag.

"Oh no! An Explosive Tag!?"

Boom!

An explosion shook the entire arena, sending splintered wood flying everywhere.

Nagano Aka had dodged with the Substitution Technique, but he was drenched in sweat. He looked around, searching for Mikoto Uchiha.

"Where are you?"

"I'm right here."

Mikoto Uchiha's voice rang out without warning. Nagano Aka stared down in shock. The voice had been very close, right beside him.

But there was nothing different around him, only some wood chips and rubble... Wait!?

Smack! A pebble suddenly turned into Mikoto Uchiha. She swung her short sword, stopping it beside Nagano Aka's neck.