Obedience Test

Take the tenth question, for instance; the proctors wouldn't even provide an explanation until forty-five minutes had passed.

How could any examinee finish in less time than that?

"Lord Third Hokage, Minato, one of the proctors for this exam, has provided a note explaining the situation."

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi lowered his head. Behind the record of five minutes and thirty seconds, there was a string of small text detailing the circumstances.

"So that's how it is, Uchiha Shimizu..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi understood why such a situation had occurred.

It was simply that Qingshui's theoretical knowledge was so solid that he had finished all the questions outright.

And since his final answer happened to align with the solution to the tenth question, it stood to reason that this had happened.

"Fugaku, the Uchiha Clan has produced an excellent ninja. I believe he will also become a blazing Will of Fire, illuminating Konoha."

"Hmm... ah, yes, Lord Third Hokage."

Fugaku frowned. The Uchiha Clan had produced an excellent ninja?

Quite a few had gone to participate in the Chunin Exams this year, and several outstanding Uchiha were among them.

Which member of the Uchiha Clan was the Third Hokage referring to?

The second stage of the exam skipped the training ground segment and proceeded directly to the Chunin Exam preliminaries.

Everyone drew lots, and Qingshui was lucky enough to get a bye.

This meant he only needed to wait quietly for the first round of preliminaries to end before participating directly in the second round.

"Hey, Kurenai, Qingshui actually got a bye."

The two of them walked out of the exam room and looked at the announcement board in front of them.

"Once I get through the second round, maybe I'll get to spar with Qingshui."

Asuma Sarutobi rubbed his hands together, brandishing his newly purchased ninja tools. They looked like brass knuckles, but with curved blades extending from the bottom, emitting a cold glint.

It had been a while since Qingshui graduated from the Ninja Academy, and Asuma Sarutobi was very curious about the extent of Qingshui's strength.

"No, the one who is going to spar with him is me."

Cold words spilled from Kurenai Yuhi's lips, her crimson pupils filled with determination.

"So eager to spar with me, are you?"

Qingshui had appeared behind Kurenai Yuhi at some point, and she could even feel his breath against her delicate neck.

She hurriedly turned around, glaring fiercely at him.

"Who told you to hog all the limelight today?"

Asuma Sarutobi gloated, assuming that Kurenai Yuhi simply couldn't stand Qingshui showing off and wanted to take him down a peg.

"Classmate Kurenai Yuhi, do you have some spare time?"

Qingshui looked at her calmly.

He had handed in his paper early, gone out to feed the White Dove, and returned here to check the announcements.

The announcements required tallying the number of people who passed; he had been the first, and at that time, the notice hadn't even been posted yet.

"...I do."

Kurenai Yuhi's expression shifted, but she eventually nodded.

She wanted to see what Qingshui was up to.

If he tried to treat her like he did before, she would call for help.

"Asuma, I'm going to exchange some genjutsu pointers with Classmate Qingshui. I'll be back soon."

Afraid that Asuma Sarutobi might overthink things or get the wrong idea, Kurenai Yuhi made up a casual excuse.

"Sure, the matches are still a while away. I'll wait for you here."

Asuma Sarutobi radiated a delinquent aura, but he trusted Kurenai Yuhi implicitly and didn't doubt her for a second.

Five minutes later.

Qingshui and Kurenai Yuhi arrived at a secluded, sparsely populated corner.

They were on the rooftop of a building, from which one could just see the bustling crowds below.

"What exactly do you want? Do you want to fight me right now?"

Once they reached the spot, Kurenai Yuhi spoke bluntly.

Given what Qingshui had done to her, the fact that she was standing here without punching him was a testament to her good upbringing.

"This isn't the right place. A duel between the two of us should be saved for later. As long as you survive enough rounds, you'll run into me sooner or later."

Qingshui's lips curled upward as he said:

"I know you want to wash away your shame, and I am satisfied that you have this resolve. However, I don't like what you're wearing today. Change into something more youthful, or I won't compete with you in genjutsu. Instead, I'll defeat you in other ways—after all, genjutsu is the only thing you have to show for yourself, isn't it?"

Having said that, Shimizu's figure vanished from the spot, leaving via the Body Flicker Technique without caring whether Kurenai Yuhi agreed or not.

"I won't wear it!"

Shimizu's sudden disappearance made Kurenai Yuhi tremble with rage. She slammed her hands against the rooftop railing, her fingers gripping the surface tightly as if venting her fury.

Yet, if Shimizu refused to use genjutsu to duel her, then what would all her efforts up to this point amount to?

"That devil..."

Kurenai Yuhi gritted her teeth. Every time she saw Shimizu, he managed to redefine her perception of him.

After a long silence, Kurenai Yuhi's chest heaved as she took deep breaths, finally loosening her fingers, which had turned white from the strain.

She didn't want to dream of Shimizu every night anymore; she even began to suspect that he had placed some kind of suggestive genjutsu on her, forcing her to repeat that night's nightmare over and over.

For the sake of a fresh start and to restore the honor of the Yuhi Clan, Kurenai Yuhi turned and left, heading toward the Yuhi Clan compound.

Half an hour later.

Asuma Sarutobi, bored from waiting, was fiddling with his chakra blades when he suddenly heard footsteps. He looked up to see Kurenai Yuhi.

Kurenai Yuhi was dressed in a sharp, practical outfit: a long-sleeved top covering her upper body, a red bandage wrapped around her waist, and a white skirt below.

"Why did Kurenai change her clothes?"

Asuma Sarutobi muttered to himself, sheathed his chakra blades, and stood up to greet her.

"Kurenai, why did you..."

Asuma Sarutobi voiced his question; he wasn't the type to hide his thoughts, preferring to say whatever was on his mind.

"A ninja accidentally spilled their water cup, and my clothes got soaked, so I changed," Kurenai Yuhi said calmly, her voice crisp.

"It's fine. Maybe you've just used up all your bad luck, Kurenai. From here on out, it'll be nothing but good luck for the matches."

Asuma Sarutobi offered his clumsy words of comfort to Kurenai Yuhi.

"Bad luck, huh..."

Kurenai Yuhi looked at the oblivious Asuma Sarutobi and suddenly felt a sense of sorrow.

Immediately, she clenched her hand tightly. She would end the source of her bad luck starting today.

The two walked together toward the competition venue.

The matches had just begun, and the two headed to different competition areas based on their respective opponents.

The day would be long; some were full of energy, while others were eliminated in the first round, left to wallow in their grief.

As for Shimizu, who had left long ago, he had already returned home.

The preliminary rounds would take at least a few days, and since he had a bye, he only needed to wait quietly for someone to notify him.

Shimizu had no interest in watching the petty squabbles of others.

With that time, he might as well spend it training.

Only Pakura was worth watching; she possessed a unique kekkei genkai, Scorch Release.

Two days later.

The Chunin Exams were in full swing, and the second round had arrived.

Shimizu looked at the draw results in his hand; his opponent was Pakura.