Jiraiya...!

"Whew, I've only got five thousand points. That's enough for daily training, and with my body in its current condition, I should be able to withstand the side effects of the Mangekyō Sharingan, right? Looks like it's time to prepare to awaken it!"

After finishing his usual training, Li felt the immense chakra inside him and let out a quiet breath. Three years ago, he'd had the chance to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan, but he'd been too young and didn't have enough chakra, so he'd put it off. Now, three years later, his body had matured, and thanks to the long-term support of Life Potions, he was in much better shape than the average person. He could probably withstand the side effects of the Mangekyō Sharingan.

"Never mind. There's no rush. With my strength, I should be fine as long as I'm not surrounded by several Jonin!" Li shook his head and was about to leave when the Third Hokage ambled through the gate into the courtyard.

"Lord Hokage!"

Li gave a slight bow. He hadn't visited the Third Hokage's home or received his guidance in three years. Without even noticing, he'd gone from calling him Teacher Sarutobi to Lord Hokage, and the Third Hokage had accepted the change.

"Heh, I hope you don't mind me bothering you so late!" The Third Hokage chuckled, then continued, "Were you training just now?"

"Yeah, but I was only refining my chakra," Li replied casually with a nod.

The Third Hokage studied Li for a moment, then waved a hand with a smile. "This isn't the Hokage Office Building, and it's after work hours. There's no need to be so formal with me. Just treat me like an ordinary ninja!"

Then should I call you Hiruzen Sarutobi, Hiruzen, or Sarutobi? Li grumbled inwardly. On the outside, however, he remained calm and said evenly, "May I ask what brings you here so late, Lord Hokage? Is there something you need to tell me?"

Hearing Li still call him Lord Hokage, the Third Hokage shook his head, but decided not to make an issue of it. After a couple of coughs, he said, "Here's the situation. The students who took the graduation exam today all passed, so tomorrow I'll assign them Jonin instructors. You're still a Genin, and the Chunin Ninja Exams are coming up soon. I'd like you to take part as a Genin, with the chance to earn Chunin status. But the rules require a team of three Genin to enter, so I'm planning to put you on a team with the students who graduated today. What do you think?"

"The Chunin Ninja Exams?" Li was briefly taken aback, then remembered. He'd spent every day training since arriving in this world and had forgotten about things like that. Konoha and the other major villages had only recently ended their war, so no Chunin Ninja Exams had been held in the past three years. Aside from his memories of his previous life, this was the first time he'd heard about the exams in this world.

"Ding! System mission issued: Earn Chunin status in the Chunin Ninja Exams. Mission reward: 5,000 points. Mission failure: 5,000 points will be deducted from the host!"

The system's alert brought Li back to his senses. After reviewing the mission, he looked at the Third Hokage and said calmly, "Understood. I'll take part in this year's Chunin Ninja Exams."

"Heh!" The Third Hokage smiled, pleased with Li's decision. If Li cared about the title of Chunin, it meant that he still felt some loyalty to Konoha. That was one of the factors the Third Hokage had considered.

"Since you've agreed, go to the Third Training Ground at eight tomorrow morning. Your Jonin instructor and your two teammates will meet you there." The Third Hokage nodded, then turned to leave. "It's getting late. Get some rest, and don't be late tomorrow!"

"The Chunin Ninja Exams, huh? Interesting. Maybe I can earn enough points there to exchange for the Three-Tomoe Sharingan. Then the Mangekyō Sharingan will be within reach!" Watching the Third Hokage walk away, Li narrowed his eyes slightly, then turned and went inside.

The next day, after getting up, finishing his usual training, and eating a little breakfast, Li gathered some ninja tools and headed out. The Third Training Ground was where he'd tested Minato Namikaze and the others yesterday, wasn't it?

When Li arrived at the Third Training Ground, he didn't see the Jonin instructor. Instead, he spotted two people who took him by surprise.

"Li? What are you doing here?"

Seeing Kushina's curious expression, Li let out a quiet breath. His two teammates were probably Kushina and Minato Namikaze. But he was puzzled. Kushina hadn't taken the graduation exam yesterday, so why had she suddenly become a Genin?

"Wait, could it be...?" Kushina seemed to realize something. Her eyes widened as she pointed at Li in disbelief. "Are you our Jonin instructor?"

Li was speechless at Kushina's wild guess. He said irritably, "I'm a Genin, okay? How could I be your Jonin instructor? I'm here for the same reason you are—I'm waiting for my own instructor!"

"Oh?" Kushina finally caught on. Her little face turned red. She knew she was wrong, but couldn't bring herself to admit it. Pouting, she said indignantly, "I knew that! I was just joking. Why did you take it seriously?"

Li and Kushina were deep in conversation, leaving Minato Namikaze awkwardly standing off to the side. Seeing how close Kushina and Li seemed made Minato feel even more dejected. He had a soft spot for Kushina, too.

"Li, I'm glad you'll be our teammate. I hope we'll get along!" Minato Namikaze, unwilling to be left out, interrupted Li and Kushina and extended his right hand with a smile.

Kushina was immediately annoyed when Minato Namikaze interrupted them. She shot him a sidelong glance, then turned away with a sour expression. She only got to see Li once every few days and had so much to talk about. She hadn't expected this girly-looking guy to interrupt them.

"Sure. Let's get along," Li replied without any objection, reaching out to shake Minato Namikaze's hand.

"Well, look at you little brats, right on time!"

A teasing voice sounded. A young man with a head of white hair appeared in front of the three of them. Two streaks of face paint ran down his cheeks. The moment Li saw him, his pupils contracted. He hadn't expected Jiraiya to be their Jonin instructor. That came as quite a surprise.