Chunin Exams

The meridian system exists in every corner of the human body, and even the nerves possess a meridian system.

Shimizu intended to wrap his own nerves in Lightning Style chakra.

Sometimes, what binds a person is not a lack of ingenuity, but a lack of talent.

The meridian system, chakra control, spatial perception, nerve reflex speed, and so on—these are mostly innate, things that are extremely difficult to change after birth.

Even if he had brilliant ideas, he would be unable to realize them.

Take the step of wrapping Lightning Style chakra around the nerves, for instance; it requires not only the toughness and agility of the meridian system but also profound chakra control.

Should any single requirement fall short, the lightning could easily backfire and injure him.

Zzzzt.

The nerves at the tip of one of Shimizu's fingers were enveloped in Lightning Style chakra.

The Lightning Style chakra acted like fine needles, stimulating the nerves' response and vitality, before being followed by medical chakra to heal them, cycling continuously.

Shimizu could clearly feel the upper limit of his nerves rising bit by bit; he felt that this finger had become more sensitive, and the speed at which his brain issued commands to it had increased.

This process went much more smoothly than Shimizu had anticipated.

The Three-Tomoe Sharingan has already elevated my talent, and the meridian system has been further strengthened—has this made my body more tolerant of chakra?

Shimizu deduced the reason.

He began to expand the range covered by the Lightning Style chakra, moving from the nerve endings of a single finger to the entire palm, arm, limbs, and torso; his entire spine was faintly flickering with Lightning Style chakra.

The sensation was quite strange; after all, using Lightning Style to stimulate the body inevitably caused some pain.

The medical chakra smoothed away the pain, achieving a delicate balance.

In this way, my nerve reflex speed will be able to keep up with the Fire Body Flicker.

The Fire Body Flicker was an explosive burst of movement that Shimizu could not yet fully control; sometimes he would overshoot by a little, and other times he would fall short.

Now that his nerve reflex speed was slowly rising, it wouldn't be long before he saw significant gains.

Zzzzt...

Shimizu continued his training as usual, naming this cycle [Lightning Style: Regenerative Body Refinement], and every move he made appeared entirely normal.

Even the White Dove observing Shimizu from the tree trunk could not detect his transformation.

The lightning coursed joyfully through Shimizu's body, raising his upper limit bit by bit.

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

The Chunin Exams are held twice a year and serve as an important occasion for allied nations to observe each other's national strength.

The Hidden Leaf Village needed to flex its muscles, letting other powers see the excellence of its ninja to secure a large volume of mission orders.

It was also intended to deter other ninja villages, showing them the strength of the Hidden Leaf to make them keep their own schemes in check.

Hokage Building.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was uncharacteristically not smoking his pipe, instead looking toward the ninja gathered before him.

There were members of the Yamanaka Clan, Akimichi Clan, Nara Clan, and others, as well as some civilian ninja.

With the Chunin Exams approaching, it was essential to allocate everyone's duties reasonably.

With people from outside the Hidden Leaf Village arriving, no one could predict if there might be any terrorist attacks.

The visitors included dignitaries from prestigious families and wealthy merchants; if any mishap occurred under their very noses, the impact on the reputation of the Hidden Leaf Village would be catastrophic.

"Tsunade, it's been a long time since you've been back. Are you interested in serving as a proctor to see the quality of this year's students?"

Jiraiya looked at Tsunade beside him and asked.

He was tall, with long white hair reaching his waist, a long red mark on his face, and he wore a red haori, his wooden sandals clicking as he walked.

Both he and Tsunade were ninja who spent most of their time abroad, and the opportunities for them to return and gather together were becoming increasingly rare.

"No, Jiraiya."

Tsunade shook her head, her blonde hair dancing in the breeze, her eyes like emerald ribbons carrying a hint of desolation.

Although her loose, sleeveless top did not reveal much skin, it was not difficult to judge from the full, rising curves of her chest that she was a woman of generous proportions.

"Are you still..."

Jiraiya stopped halfway through his sentence, having realized something, and swallowed his words.

During the last Great Ninja War, Tsunade had lost her younger brother and her lover, leaving her with the shadows of war and a phobia of blood.

Looking at her now, her condition had not improved in the slightest.

"Heh heh, Jiraiya, are you so eager to be a proctor?"

While Jiraiya and Tsunade were talking, Orochimaru walked over.

"Isn't watching over the new green shoots exactly what we should be doing?"

Jiraiya looked at Orochimaru.

"It seems you have changed too, Jiraiya, and have taken on more responsibilities."

Orochimaru's voice was raspy, and the long purple markings beneath his nose cast shadows in the sunlight.

"Heh heh."

Jiraiya rubbed his nose. In truth, he had only asked Tsunade if she wanted to be an examiner so he could strike up a conversation with her.

What he said now was merely to save face as the Toad Sage, following the flow of the conversation.

"But this time, perhaps something interesting might happen, who knows? Heh heh."

The image of that handsome figure flashed through Orochimaru's mind, and his lips curled into a smile.

Shimizu's physical development was far too rapid; it was highly likely he had used medical ninjutsu to modify himself.

What kind of person was he, really?

Was he a kindred spirit, someone also pursuing a higher realm of life?

Orochimaru's interest in the potentially like-minded Shimizu grew significantly.

The trio's conversation was merely a whisper and did not affect anything else.

A bit further ahead, Hiruzen Sarutobi had nearly finished discussing matters with the heads of the other ninja clans.

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked toward the smiling, yellow-haired ninja and said, "Minato, the Chunin Exams begin tomorrow, and people from various nations have arrived in Konoha. You will serve as one of the examiners this time."

"Yes, Lord Hokage."

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

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded with satisfaction. Minato was still young, but with his seasoned eye, he could see that Minato's talent was extraordinary. Through his long years of observation, he also knew that Minato's Will of Fire was pure.

Given time, Minato would surely have a place in the future; he was a promising individual worth cultivating.

After all, he was getting old, and before retiring, he needed to expand his influence so that the Sarutobi Clan would not be suppressed under the leadership of the next Hokage.

Thinking of this, Hiruzen Sarutobi cast a sidelong glance at his three disciples behind him.

That most gifted one, and also his proudest student.

Orochimaru.

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned slightly. Orochimaru's thoughts were far too deep, and most crucially, he was getting too close to Danzo.

Even if he were to cultivate Orochimaru as a candidate for Hokage, he would be nothing more than a puppet for Danzo.

"Sigh."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed inwardly. What exactly should he do?