Exam Preparations

After eight months of imprisonment, Kanna finally returned home. The first thing he did was read an intelligence report the village had sent to Kanna Tokiomi.

Kanna's hard work and progress had earned Tokiomi's approval. He had also performed admirably when dealing with the Security Force and the clan some time ago, so Tokiomi agreed to let his son start getting involved in village affairs. After all, the report contained nothing confidential; it concerned a mystery that had circulated throughout the Shinobi World.

The Third Kazekage of Sunagakure, hailed as the strongest Kazekage in history, had mysteriously disappeared in August. His life or death was unknown! Sunagakure had mobilized a huge amount of manpower and resources, but still hadn't found him. The village was in a state of panic, and the political situation was beginning to look unstable.

Kanna knew the truth, of course. Sunagakure's puppet prodigy, Sasori of the Red Sand, had been discovered developing forbidden techniques the year before and had been forced to defect. After completing his own puppet transformation outside the village, he had secretly snuck back in and assassinated the Third Kazekage. Later, he would turn the Kazekage's corpse into the strongest human puppet in history.

Kanna had originally planned to take part in the incident, but he couldn't find a way to get involved, so he gave up. It was a shame, but not a big deal.

The Third Kazekage's disappearance had also served as a wake-up call for Kanna. First of all, he still wasn't nearly strong enough. Sasori was only sixteen or seventeen at the time, yet he had already been powerful enough to defeat the strongest Kazekage in history. It was worth noting that a great many factors had worked against Sasori in that secret battle. He had infiltrated enemy territory alone, and the Third Kazekage's Magnet Release naturally countered his Puppet Technique. Even so, the Third Kazekage hadn't been able to call for help or escape. That showed just how powerful Sasori had become.

More importantly, the Third Kazekage's disappearance meant that the Third Shinobi World War was not far off. It would be a massive conflict, surpassing the first two wars in scale and involving almost every country and village in the world. None would escape, except for the Land of Iron, which claimed to be permanently neutral.

According to the original story, Kirigakure entered the war midway through and was repeatedly suppressed by the Land of Fire, ultimately suffering a crushing defeat. In short, they'd tried to steal a chicken and ended up losing the rice they'd used to lure it.

Kanna had only one goal for the Third Shinobi World War: to carry out his plan to obtain perfect body cells. Everything else was secondary. The outcome would depend on how things played out.

Before then, though, there was something else to take care of. It was now the end of November in the 44th year of the Konoha calendar. This year's Chunin Exams, held in September, had long since ended, but Kanna could take part in the exams scheduled for next March.

Before the Third Shinobi World War broke out and Kirigakure joined the fighting, if Kanna was still a Genin, then no matter how strong he was, he would have to follow his superiors' orders. A Chunin, however, could lead a team and enjoy some freedom of action. Jonin could direct local battles and oversee the bigger picture. As for the Mizukage, they wouldn't deploy unless the Land of Fire fought its way overseas and invaded the Land of Water itself.

Kanna didn't need to think about becoming a Jonin for now. Strength alone wasn't enough to reach that rank. Ability, beliefs, personality, battle record, and contributions were all taken into account. It was out of the question unless there was a special circumstance like a war, when the higher-ups had enough support among the rank and file to ignore opposition, or the village urgently needed to promote a few representatives to boost morale.

There was another piece of news that greatly heartened Kanna. After nearly a year of struggle, Kirigakure's leaders had finally compromised and settled on a plan. Starting this year, the Ninja Academy graduation exam would be greatly simplified. Under a teacher's supervision, students only had to demonstrate the skills they had learned at school. If they passed, they would graduate. In principle, there would be no accidental casualties. The Chunin Exams would no longer require teams of three, except for joint exams involving multiple countries. They would consist of a written test and a practical test, with the latter as the main focus, accounting for 70 percent of the score.

This system was undoubtedly copied from Konoha, though Kirigakure's exams would be a little harder to suit its circumstances. Their actual effect remained to be seen, but one thing was certain: in the future, more Genin would be promoted to Chunin in Kirigakure each year.

The name Momochi Zabuza had been brought up once again. He was the prodigy, both praised and condemned, who had led to Kirigakure's exam reforms.

The first Chunin Exams after Kirigakure's initial reforms would take place in four months. Kanna figured that people would either wait and see, leaving few participants, or have such confidence in the village that they'd rush to compete. He didn't care which. There would only be a handful of elites anyway, and Kanna was ready to sweep the field. He had to pass on his first try.

After learning what his son had planned, Kanna Tokiomi had considered setting aside time for a special training session or asking a Jonin to teach him. Kanna refused both offers. It was only a Chunin Exam. With his ninjutsu, he was unlikely to run into trouble even if he lacked experience. It wasn't the First Martial Arts Tournament, where only one person could win. A little ordinary instruction would be enough.

Kanna had only one limitation: Highland could currently hold only one ninjutsu. Its precious single slot had rightfully gone to Shinra Tensei, an incredibly powerful technique that combined offense and defense. He hadn't mastered his other S-rank techniques, so he couldn't perform them on his own. Of course, he wouldn't need them in a practical exam at the Chunin level. As for other techniques, after experiencing Highland firsthand and with the help of the perfect chakra circulation system he had built in his body, Kanna learned far faster than ordinary people. He could simply choose a few to focus on and master before the exams.

As time passed, Kanna threw himself into preparing for the exams. Fortunately, his predecessor, the original Kanna, had worked hard at school, so his fundamentals were solid. Kanna had inherited and begun to master the basic knowledge of a ninja. The Chunin Exams often included theoretical questions at the Chunin level, but he didn't expect too much of himself. He just needed to pass the written test.

During the first month, he practiced Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms every day, mastering all sixty-four variations one by one. Without the aid of the Byakugan, he couldn't accurately perform the sixteen variations that involved striking chakra points and severing chakra pathways. But the other techniques, which targeted joints, muscles, vital points, and balance, posed no problem. He had officially begun to learn the art.

At the same time, Kanna exchanged that month's lottery opportunities for three B-rank techniques and one A-rank technique. He obtained the following ninjutsu.

B-rank ninjutsu: Summoning Jutsu, Shadow Possession Jutsu, Water Style: Water Cannonball. A-rank ninjutsu: Water Style: Syrup Capture Field.

He had no use for Summoning Jutsu for now, and Shadow Possession Jutsu was the Nara Clan's signature technique in Konoha. That left only the other two as useful options.

Water Style: Water Cannonball required chakra control that emphasized "roundness" and "stability," both of which were Kanna's strong suits. Syrup Capture Field was an even lower-level Water Style technique. Syrup was a sticky liquid made by fermenting cassava flour with hot water and malt. The technique transformed water into syrup to restrain its target. It wasn't difficult, and Kanna mastered both techniques.

During the second month, Kanna began trying to grow bones between his muscles and skin. Since the Kaguya Clan's Shikotsumyaku was quite renowned, it was also a Bloodline Limit that he couldn't let others see for now. He had no choice but to treat this powerful ability as a defensive technique. Bloodline Limits were innate abilities, and some required no practice for their owners to master naturally. Kanna developed this layer of bone without much effort. Tests showed that it could perfectly block physical damage from ordinary sharp and blunt weapons. The other advanced Shikotsumyaku techniques remained to be developed.

Kanna also followed his usual routine, drawing one B-rank ninjutsu every nine days and an A-rank technique on the last three days. The results were as follows.

B-rank ninjutsu: Earth Release: Multiple Earth-Style Walls, Ninjutsu: Ink Stream, Secret Technique: Shadow Sewing. A-rank ninjutsu: Earth Release: Earth Flow Divide.

His luck didn't seem very good this time. None of the techniques was what Kanna wanted. Although two of the Earth Release techniques would be useful in battle, given Kanna's life experience, it was impossible for him to get access to Iwagakure's techniques. So he used his time to study White Secret Technique: Chikamatsu Ten Puppets instead. The technique included a puppet master's research into the human body, and it worked well alongside Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms. It was some consolation, at least.

During the third month, Kanna first studied Ninjutsu: Exploding Bubble. Using some of the principles involving Explosion Release, he made preliminary modifications so that any water ball could explode. These exploding water balls were nowhere near as effective as properly made exploding bubbles, but they could catch an opponent off guard. If one struck a vital point, it could still do considerable damage. That counted as a success. After nine days, Kanna eagerly drew the month's first B-rank ninjutsu.

This time, he obtained an extraordinary technique: the Mayfly Technique!

Madara Uchiha had "created" this secret technique for White Zetsu after obtaining cells from the First, Hashirama. It fused the user's body with the earth, plants, and trees, allowing them to travel at high speed to any location through organic networks such as plant roots and underground water. While the technique was active, it suppressed all traces of the user's presence. No one could sense them. It was a very practical intermediate-level technique, useful for gathering intelligence, infiltrating, and escaping.

Unfortunately, the technique fell under the category of Wood Release in a sense. Kanna couldn't understand it or use it.

The second B-rank technique was Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere, a move used by Konoha elder Shimura Danzō. He preferred to stay behind the scenes and had rarely fought in public since reaching middle age. Kanna could use the technique, but he would have to consider whether Kirigakure had any veterans who had witnessed Danzō in battle. There was some risk.

The third B-rank technique was Desert Suspension, a technique Gaara usually used to move through the air. It lifted the user with sand, allowing them to float. It was a power granted to the Jinchuriki by the One-Tail. Though it wasn't a Bloodline Limit, it was still difficult to master. On top of that, there was little chance of an aerial battle during the Chunin Exams, so Kanna decided not to learn it for now.

The final A-rank technique was Wood Release: Cutting Wood. Like the Mayfly Technique, it was a technique he couldn't analyze on his own, so he set it aside for the time being and would consider it later.

It was already the end of February, and the Chunin Exams were only about fifteen days away. Kanna spent the remaining time reviewing Taijutsu and sparring with his mother at low intensity. He also drew his final B-rank technique and two A-rank techniques.

B-rank ninjutsu: Lava Style: Scorching Stream Rock Technique, a Bloodline Limit technique used by Roshi, the Four-Tails' Jinchuriki. It created high-temperature magma spheres with tremendous destructive power. But it was a power belonging to a Tailed Beast, so Kanna couldn't use it. He ruled it out.

A-rank ninjutsu: Paper Style: Paper Tree, a technique used by Konan. It disguised a large quantity of paper as a tree, and was generally used to protect Akatsuki's leader, Nagato Uzumaki. Paper Release wasn't a traditional nature transformation, nor was it a Bloodline Limit. It was a way of using ninja tools, much like Gaara's Sand Release. It didn't change the nature of chakra; rather, it involved coating a tool in chakra and modifying it for easier use. Of course, Gaara coated sand in chakra, while Paper Release coated paper.

With the exact technique in hand, Paper Tree wasn't difficult to master. However, Kanna didn't think he would need it in the exams, so he didn't practice it.

There was also the secret technique Insect Wall, an Aburame Clan specialty. It required raising insects to use, so Kanna ruled it out as well.

At last, Kanna's pre-exam training was complete. He had the following ninjutsu at his disposal: S-rank ninjutsu: Shinra Tensei; B-rank ninjutsu: Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, Ninjutsu: Exploding Bubble, Water Style: Water Cannonball; A-rank ninjutsu: Water Style: Water Body Flicker, though he still needed to complete the Body Flicker aspect, and Water Style: Syrup Capture Field; D-rank ninjutsu: Transformation Technique, Fuma Shuriken: Shadow Windmill, Clone Technique, Shuriken Manipulation Technique, Substitution Technique, and Water Ball Technique. He also had the bone membrane from Shikotsumyaku. It was more than enough for the Chunin Exams!