After another two or three uneventful days, the Chunin Exams began.
Ninja from various countries arrived in Konoha one after another, along with tourists who had come to visit. The streets were packed with people and abuzz with activity.
The Genin taking part in the exams gathered in the examination hall to wait.
Shikamaru's team, Sasuke's team, and Kiba's team had arrived early and were exchanging greetings. Just then, Zeyu and the others showed up.
"Hinata, we're here!"
Zeyu called out as he jogged over to Hinata.
"Hello, Zeyu. You look very energetic today," Hinata greeted him shyly.
"Mm, you look cute today too, Hinata," Zeyu said with a smile.
Hinata lowered her head and tapped her index fingers together. Feeling everyone's eyes on her, she murmured her thanks.
"Th... thank you for the compliment."
"Hey, Zeyu, don't ignore us!" Kiba complained, turning around after showing off with Sasuke.
"Come on, Zeyu's always like this. Haven't you gotten used to it, Kiba?" Megumi said as she walked over behind Zeyu with her arms crossed. Shota followed, looking exasperated.
Kiba could only laugh awkwardly.
"Yeah, that's true. That guy only has eyes for Hinata."
Hinata blushed even more when she heard that. She glanced secretly at Zeyu, feeling very happy.
Zeyu noticed Hinata's faint blush and scratched his head with a grin.
Then he introduced Megumi and Shota to everyone.
After a brief exchange of greetings, a white-haired man wearing round glasses came over.
It was Kabuto Yakushi. He gave everyone a few warnings about the exams.
Zeyu listened halfheartedly, then leaned toward Hinata and whispered,
"Hinata, do you remember what I told you before?"
Hinata raised a hand to her mouth and whispered back,
"You mean about the exam? I remember, Zeyu."
"Good," Zeyu said.
The two of them kept chatting quietly at the back. Kiba and Megumi could only sigh helplessly as they watched.
After Kabuto had shared information about several people, Naruto made an insolent provocation.
The ninja present were all displeased. Unable to hold back any longer, the Sound Ninja Trio leaped out of the crowd and attacked Kabuto.
Though Kabuto had dodged the attack, he was still lying on the ground vomiting. Sasuke and the others stared in astonishment.
Just then, the empty space at the front of the hall suddenly erupted with a bang, billowing with smoke. Ibiki Morino appeared.
After a brief opening speech, he began explaining the contents of the first exam.
Meanwhile, beneath Konoha, in the middle of a hollowed-out, cross-shaped bridge, a bandage-wrapped man gave orders to a ninja kneeling before him.
"The Chunin Exams begin today. Follow the plan to the letter. Be careful, and don't expose yourself."
"Yes, Lord Danzo."
Danzo turned around and asked,
"Has the Third made any moves lately?"
"My lord, there hasn't been anything unusual from Lord Hokage's side recently. He did request the records on a boy, though."
"Oh? Requesting records is nothing unusual. Why report that?" Danzo asked, turning around in confusion.
"My lord, requesting records is common, but afterward, he had this boy's records sealed. And..." As he spoke, the ninja pulled Zeyu's file from his clothes.
He had obtained it before the information was sealed.
Danzo frowned and took it, then immediately noticed the boy's striking red hair.
He continued reading.
After a long while, he found nothing particularly unusual and gave an order.
"I understand. You've done well. You may go."
After the ninja left, Danzo fell into thought.
"Hiruzen, what are you planning? Just don't get in the way of my plans."
At the exam site,
After Ibiki finished explaining the exam, it officially began.
The examinees already seated looked at the test papers before them, each with their own thoughts.
Kiba: "That guy Zeyu really did call it. This should be easy from here."
Megumi: "I didn't think it would really be like this."
Hinata: "That's wonderful, Zeyu. We can all pass now."
Shino: "I could pass without writing anything, but gathering information is one of my strengths, too." As Shino thought this, a tiny bug crawled out of his hand.
Shota: "Zeyu, you're a god! Thank you so much!"
Zeyu propped his head up with one hand and played with his pen, yawning as he stared at the test paper.
"Boring. I wonder how Hinata's doing?" he thought. He closed his eyes and used the Mind's Eye of the Kagura to search for her.
"Ah, found her." Zeyu focused on Hinata and suddenly noticed Naruto sitting beside her.
"Huh? It's still Naruto? Even though so much has changed, are certain things still bound to happen?"
Zeyu frowned, feeling a little displeased.
But after thinking it over, he came to terms with it.
"Whatever. Hinata's already with me, so I should be more open-minded. That's all in the past. I'm Hinata's boyfriend now. That's a fact."
At that moment, Naruto was sitting beside Hinata, scratching his head in frustration. He didn't understand any of the questions on the test and couldn't answer a single one.
But if he just guessed and got them wrong, he'd lose points.
Just as he was wondering what to do, he glanced toward Hinata out of the corner of his eye.
She held a pen, but wasn't writing.
The veins around her eyes bulged as she activated her Byakugan. Her face was flushed.
"What is Hinata doing?" Naruto wondered, utterly confused.
"Zeyu looks like he's about to fall asleep. Hehe, he's so cute." Hinata couldn't help covering her mouth and giggling.
She didn't notice Naruto's puzzled expression beside her and continued watching Zeyu with her Byakugan.
After a while, Ibiki announced the hidden rule.
Since they had been told about it beforehand, the others remained calm and passed the exam without a hitch.
Ibiki announced from the front that those still in the room had passed the exam.
Naruto happily sprang up from his seat and congratulated everyone.
Just then, something flew in through the window, shattering the glass. Several kunai shot out and stuck into the ceiling and walls, with a red curtain tied to their ends.
The name of the examiner for the second Chunin Exam was written on the curtain.
Mitaraishi Anko stood in front of it.
After a dramatic opening speech, she turned to Ibiki and complained that too many people had passed.
She declared that she would cut the number of examinees by more than half.
Everyone broke out in a cold sweat.
After a while, the examinees left the exam hall to find their team leaders and discuss the second exam the following day.
Ibiki stayed behind alone to collect the test papers.
Looking at the handful of blank papers in his hands, the corners of his mouth twitched. He wore a helpless expression.
"So many people turned in blank papers and still passed. Looks like I'll have to come up with another rule."
"Yo." Kakashi called out to Naruto and the others from the side of the road.
"You all passed, right?" Kakashi asked.
"Hehe, of course!" Naruto said with his hands on his hips, laughing loudly.
Elsewhere,
"You all turned in blank papers and still passed?" Shimizu Nana stared at the three of them in disbelief.
"Why did that idiot Shota have to tell Nana?" Zeyu thought, shaking his head helplessly.
Megumi looked just as embarrassed.
Only Shota stood there grinning with his hands on his hips, looking smug.
"That idiot's just like Naruto," Zeyu thought, the corner of his mouth twitching.
Just then, Kurenai Yuhi walked over with Kiba, Shino, and Hinata.
Kurenai stepped forward, took Nana by the arm, and pulled her aside to whisper,
"Nana, did your team turn in blank papers too?"
"Huh? Yours did too, Kurenai?" Nana asked, unable to believe it.
Kurenai understood and whispered,
"Did they plan this together? Whose idea was it?"
Nana fell into thought as well. The two exchanged a glance, then turned around together.
They stared at the six of them and asked,
"Whose idea was it to turn in blank papers?"
Everyone broke into a cold sweat and looked away, acting as though it had nothing to do with them.
Hinata took hold of Zeyu's arm and gently shook it as she asked quietly,
"Zeyu, are you okay?"
Zeyu gently patted Hinata's hand and smiled.
"I'm fine, Hinata."
Then he turned to Kurenai and Nana and said,
"It was my idea. This exam was meant to test our ability to gather information. I knew the contents in advance, so you could say I completed the assignment beyond expectations. Is there a problem, teachers?"
Kurenai and Nana smiled helplessly. Nana said,
"So it really was you, Zeyu."
"It's not a big problem. You passed the exam," Nana continued. "But Zeyu, you were too conspicuous this time. All three of you turned in blank papers."
Kurenai added,
"That's right. And you led Hinata astray, too. With the Byakugan, Hinata could have passed this exam easily. She didn't need to turn in a blank paper."
Hinata lowered her head and said,
"I'm sorry. It's not Zeyu's fault. This was my decision."
Zeyu reached out and took Hinata's hand.
He was just about to comfort her when Kurenai stepped forward and pressed down on his head, sounding a little angry.
"You little rascal. Don't drag Hinata into it the next time you do something bad. If anything happens to her, you'll answer to me."
"Yes, yes, Teacher Kurenai. Please go easy on me," Zeyu pleaded.
After joking around and chatting for a while, they went their separate ways.
Zeyu apologized to Hinata as well, but she said it was okay. She knew she could have answered the questions; she'd just spent the exam watching Zeyu with her Byakugan, so she had handed in a blank paper too. Besides, a blank paper had been enough to pass.
She was too embarrassed to say that aloud, and the two of them playfully tried to push the blame onto each other.
Later, as Zeyu walked Hinata home, she bravely admitted what she'd done. When he heard, Zeyu blushed too.
The mood between them grew increasingly intimate.
As they walked along, a carriage suddenly sped past them. Zeyu pulled Hinata into his arms to protect her, their faces very close.
Hinata's face turned red. Looking at how cute she was, Zeyu couldn't resist giving her a kiss.
"Zeyu, there are too many people here," Hinata said.
Zeyu glanced around, then led Hinata into an alley.