Chunin Ninja Exams

The meridian system existed throughout every corner of the human body. Even the nerves had a meridian system.

Shimizu planned to wrap his nerves in Lightning Style chakra as well.

Sometimes, what held a person back wasn't a lack of imagination, but a lack of talent.

The meridian system, chakra control, spatial awareness, nerve reflex speed, and so on—most of these were innate traits that were extremely difficult to change later in life.

No matter how good his ideas were, he couldn't put them into practice.

Take wrapping his nerves in Lightning Style chakra, for example. It required not only a tough, responsive meridian system, but also precise chakra control.

If even one of those fell short, the lightning could turn around and injure him.

Crackle.

Lightning Style chakra wrapped around the nerve endings in one of Shimizu's fingertips.

The Lightning Style chakra was like a fine needle, stimulating the nerves' responsiveness and vitality. Then he applied Medical Chakra to heal them, repeating the cycle over and over.

Shimizu could clearly feel the nerves' limits gradually rising. His finger felt more sensitive, and his brain could send commands to it more quickly.

The process was going much more smoothly than he'd expected.

"Did the Three-Tomoe Sharingan raise my talent, while my meridian system was strengthened once again, making my body more tolerant of chakra?"

Shimizu considered the reason.

He began to expand the area covered by the Lightning Style chakra. Starting with the nerve endings in a single finger, he moved on to his whole hand, his arm, his limbs, and his torso. Even his entire spine began to flicker faintly with Lightning Style chakra.

The sensation was peculiar. After all, stimulating his body with Lightning Style caused some pain.

The Medical Chakra soothed the pain, bringing him to a delicate balance.

"With this, my nerve reflexes can keep up with Fire Body Flicker."

Fire Body Flicker was an explosive burst of movement. Shimizu still couldn't control it completely. Sometimes he traveled a little too far, and sometimes not far enough.

Now that his nerve reflexes were slowly improving, it wouldn't be long before he saw significant results.

Crackle...

Shimizu continued his usual training, having named this cycle Lightning Style: Regenerative Body Refinement. His every movement looked perfectly normal.

Even White Dove, watching him from a tree trunk, couldn't detect his transformation.

Lightning Style chakra flowed cheerfully through Shimizu's body, gradually raising his limits.

Half a year passed in the blink of an eye, and the Chunin Ninja Exams were approaching.

The Chunin Ninja Exams were held twice a year. They were an important opportunity for allied nations to assess one another's national strength.

Konoha needed to show off its strength and let the other powers see how capable its ninja were, earning a large number of mission contracts in the process.

The exams also served to deter the other ninja villages and remind them of Konoha's might, so they would keep their ambitions in check.

The Hokage Building.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, unusually, wasn't smoking. Instead, he looked at the ninja gathered before him.

Among them were members of the Yamanaka Clan, the Akimichi Clan, the Nara Clan, and other ninja clans, as well as several civilian ninja.

With the Chunin Ninja Exams approaching, everyone's duties had to be assigned properly.

No one could predict whether people from outside the Hidden Leaf Village might launch a terrifying attack once they arrived in Konoha.

Among the visitors this time were powerful figures from famous families and wealthy merchants with fortunes to their names. If anything went wrong right under Konoha's nose, it would seriously damage the Hidden Leaf Village's reputation.

"Tsunade, you've finally come back for a visit. Would you be interested in serving as an examiner and seeing how this batch of students measures up?"

Jiraiya turned to Tsunade beside him and asked.

He was tall, with long white hair that fell to his waist and narrow red markings on his face. He wore a red outer robe, and his wooden sandals creaked as he walked.

He and Tsunade were both ninja who spent most of their time away from the village. Their chances to reunite had grown increasingly rare.

"No, Jiraiya."

Tsunade shook her head. Her blond hair fluttered in the breeze, and her emerald-green eyes held a trace of sorrow.

Her loose, sleeveless top revealed little skin, but the ample curves of her chest made it clear she was a woman with a generous figure.

"You're still..."

Jiraiya stopped halfway through, thought of something, and held his tongue.

During the last Ninja World War, Tsunade had lost her younger brother and the man she'd been romantically involved with. The war had left her traumatized, and she'd developed a fear of blood.

It seemed her condition hadn't improved at all.

"Heh heh, Jiraiya, are you eager to be an examiner?"

Orochimaru walked over while Jiraiya and Tsunade were talking.

"Isn't it our duty to watch over the new buds as they grow?"

Jiraiya looked at Orochimaru.

"Looks like you've changed too, Jiraiya. You've taken on more responsibilities."

Orochimaru's voice was hoarse. The long purple markings beneath his nostrils cast shadows in the sunlight.

"Heh heh."

Jiraiya rubbed his nose. In truth, he'd only asked Tsunade about serving as an examiner to strike up a conversation with her.

Now he was simply saying this so he wouldn't lose face as the Toad Sage. He'd gone along with the idea and said it on the spur of the moment.

"But who knows? Something interesting might happen this time. Heh heh."

The handsome figure flashed through Orochimaru's mind, and a faint smile parted his lips.

Shimizu's body had developed far too quickly. It was quite possible he'd used Medical Ninjutsu to modify himself.

What kind of person was he, really?

Was he one of Orochimaru's kind, seeking to reach a higher plane of existence?

Orochimaru's interest in Shimizu, who seemed to share his aspirations, grew considerably.

The three spoke in hushed voices, without disturbing anyone.

A little farther ahead, Hiruzen Sarutobi had nearly finished discussing matters with the other clan leaders.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the blond ninja with a bright smile and said:

"Minato, the Chunin Ninja Exams begin tomorrow, and people from all the nations have arrived in Konoha. You'll serve as one of the examiners this time."

"Yes, Lord Hokage."

Minato Namikaze nodded. It was a sign that Hiruzen Sarutobi recognized his abilities.

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded with satisfaction. Minato was still young, but with his seasoned eye, Hiruzen could see that he had extraordinary potential. After observing him over the years, Hiruzen had also seen how pure Minato's Will of Fire was.

Given time, Minato would surely have a place in the future. He was one of the promising candidates worth nurturing.

After all, Hiruzen was getting old. Before retiring, he needed to extend his influence as far as possible. That way, under the next Hokage's leadership, the Sarutobi Clan wouldn't be pushed around.

As the thought crossed Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind, he glanced over his shoulder at his three disciples.

The most talented one, and the disciple he was proudest of.

Orochimaru.

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned slightly. Orochimaru was too deep and calculating, and worst of all, he was so close to Danzo.

Even if Hiruzen groomed Orochimaru as a candidate for Hokage, he would only become Danzo's puppet.

"Sigh."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed inwardly. What was he supposed to do?