Jiraiya...!

"Sigh, only five thousand points. That's barely enough to maintain daily training. Given my current physical condition, I should be able to withstand the side effects of the Mangekyo Sharingan now. It looks like it's time to prepare for the awakening."

After finishing his routine training, Li exhaled slightly, feeling the vast chakra within his body. Three years ago, he had the opportunity to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan, but because he was too young and his chakra reserves were insufficient, he had delayed it. Now, three years later, his body had matured significantly. Furthermore, thanks to the long-term assistance of the Life Potion, his physical state was far superior to that of an average person, making him capable of enduring the side effects brought on by the Mangekyo Sharingan.

"Forget it, there's no rush for that right now. With my current strength, as long as I'm not besieged by several jonin, I should be fine!" Shaking his head slightly, Li was just about to leave when the Third Hokage strolled in through the courtyard gate.

"Lord Hokage!"

Li bowed slightly. For the past three years, he hadn't visited the home of the Third Hokage, nor had he accepted his guidance. Unconsciously, his form of address had shifted from "Teacher Hiruzen" to "Lord Hokage," and the Third Hokage had tacitly accepted this change.

"Heh, I hope you don't mind me disturbing you so late!" The Third Hokage chuckled before adding, "Were you just training?"

"Yes, though I was merely refining my chakra," Li replied with a nod, looking indifferent.

The Third Hokage studied Li for a moment, then waved his hand and said with a smile, "This isn't the Hokage Office Building, and it's well past working hours. There's no need for such formalities between us; just treat me like an ordinary ninja!"

Should I call you Hiruzen Sarutobi, or just Hiruzen or Sarutobi then? Li mused silently, though his expression remained calm. "I wonder, Lord Hokage, what business brings you here so late at night?"

Hearing Li continue to address him as Lord Hokage, the Third Hokage shook his head slightly, deciding not to dwell on it. After a couple of coughs, he began, "It's like this: the students who took the graduation exam today all passed, so I will be assigning them jonin instructors tomorrow. However, I recall that you are still a genin. Since the biannual Chunin Exams are approaching, I hope you will participate as a genin to earn the rank of chunin. The rules of the Chunin Exams require three-man genin squads, so I intend to place you into one of the squads formed today. What do you think?"

"Chunin Exams?" Li was momentarily stunned before it clicked. He had been so focused on training since arriving in this world that he had forgotten about such things. Over the past three years, Konoha and the other major villages had just ended a war, so no Chunin Exams had been held. Aside from his past life, this was the first time Li had heard of the Chunin Exams in this world.

"Ding! System mission issued: Obtain the rank of chunin in the Chunin Exams. Mission reward: 5,000 points. Mission failure: Deduct 5,000 points from the host!"

Hearing the system's prompt, Li finally snapped back to reality. After reviewing the mission, he looked at the Third Hokage and said calmly, "I understand. I will participate in this Chunin Exam!"

"Heh!" The Third Hokage smiled, clearly satisfied with Li's decision. As long as Li valued the title of chunin, it showed that his heart was still with Konoha—a factor the Third Hokage had taken into account.

"Since you agree, head to the Third Training Ground at eight o'clock tomorrow morning. Your jonin instructor and your two teammates will be gathering there," the Third Hokage said with a nod. He turned to leave, adding, "It's getting late. Get some rest, and don't be late tomorrow!"

Chunin Exams, huh? Interesting. Perhaps I can earn enough points there to exchange for the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, and then the Mangekyo Sharingan will be within reach! Watching the Third Hokage's retreating figure, Li narrowed his eyes slightly before turning to head inside.

The next day, after waking up, finishing his daily training, and eating a light breakfast, Li packed some ninja tools and headed out. The Third Training Ground—wasn't that where he had tested Minato Namikaze and the others yesterday?

Upon arriving at the Third Training Ground, he didn't see the so-called jonin instructor, but he did see two people who surprised him.

"Li? What are you doing here?"

Seeing Kushina's curious expression, Li exhaled slightly, realizing that his two teammates were likely Kushina and Minato Namikaze. However, what puzzled him was that Kushina hadn't even taken the graduation exam yesterday, so why was she suddenly a genin?

"Could it be?" Kushina seemed to realize something; her eyes widened as she pointed at Li in disbelief. "Could it be that you are our jonin instructor?"

Li was speechless at Kushina's wild imagination. He retorted irritably, "I'm just a genin, okay? How could I possibly be qualified to be your jonin instructor? I'm here for the same reason as you—waiting for our instructor!"

"Ah?" Kushina reacted, her face flushing red. Though she knew she was wrong, she couldn't bring herself to admit it. She puffed out her cheeks and said huffily, "I knew that, of course! I was just joking, why did you take it so seriously?"

As Li and Kushina chatted animatedly, Minato Namikaze, left on the sidelines, felt a bit awkward. Especially seeing how close Kushina and Li were, Minato Namikaze felt a sense of dejection, as he also held deep affection for Kushina.

"Li, I'm very happy that you'll be our teammate. Please take care of us from now on!" Unable to stand the silence, Minato Namikaze interrupted their conversation, extending his right hand to Li with a smile.

Kushina was annoyed by the interruption. She glanced at Minato Namikaze, then turned her head away, looking displeased. She only got to see Li every few days and had so much to say, yet this sissy had to go and interrupt.

"Sure, let's work well together," Li said, unfazed, as he shook Minato Namikaze's hand.

"Yo! You brats are quite punctual!"

At that moment, a teasing voice rang out, followed by the appearance of a white-haired young man before the three of them! He had two lines of face paint on his cheeks. Seeing the newcomer, Li's pupils constricted. He hadn't expected the jonin instructor to be Jiraiya, which came as quite a surprise.