Signing Up for the Chunin Exam

"It's over. Brother Xuanye is definitely going to get beaten to a pulp by that petty man!"

Mei covered her little face, unable to bear watching any longer.

"Lord Patriarch, you must whip Hyuga Genya severely to vent this anger for Takashi!"

Hyuga Takashi felt a sense of exhilaration.

Earlier, he had been sent flying by a single palm strike from Xuanye, and today, he would finally see this grudge...

BOOM!

Accompanied by a thunderous explosion, and to Hyuga Takashi's horror, Hyuga Yuansheng... also went flying!

(ﾟДﾟ≡ﾟДﾟ)!

Hyuga Takashi took one look and realized the Patriarch had flown even further than he had!

"Lord Patriarch!" he shrieked, his heart tearing apart.

"Phew." Although his arm was aching like hell, watching Yuansheng fly off into the distance made Xuanye feel like the sun was shining brighter than ever.

That felt amazing!

After yesterday's enhancement, his physical fitness was closing in on a Jonin's level. While he lacked the combat experience, his hardware was up to standard.

With triple the force erupting at once, this punch carried at least twenty years of cultivation behind it. How could you, Hyuga Yuansheng, possibly block that?

"Pfft!" Hyuga Yuansheng landed in a pathetic heap and spat out a mouthful of blood.

The entire scene... fell into dead silence.

"Are you kidding me? The Patriarch is a Jonin-level fighter, yet he was sent flying by a single punch from a teenager?"

"This is bad. The Main Branch has lost all face; how is this going to end?" Many members of the Branch Family wore expressions of panic.

"Scoundrel! How dare you injure the Lord Patriarch!"

Hyuga Hiashi was furious. After ordering two clansmen to help Hyuga Yuansheng up, he turned deathly pale and activated the Caged Bird Seal on Xuanye.

He's panicked. He's really panicked now. Can't handle losing, can he?

Following his bloodline enhancement, the Caged Bird Seal could no longer restrain Xuanye.

The torture that used to be unbearable now felt more like a head massage.

However, Xuanye still feigned agony, collapsing to the ground and secretly laughing—laughing so hard he began to twitch.

"Brother Xuanye!"

As soon as Mei lowered her hands, she saw Xuanye collapse to the ground, trembling in apparent pain.

Her heart tightened in sympathy.

But didn't the Lord Patriarch tell him to use his full strength?

It wasn't just Mei thinking this; it was the shared sentiment of most of the Branch Family members present.

"Hyuga Genya!"

Watching his father, who could only stand with the help of others, Hyuga Hiashi pointed at Xuanye and snapped in a rage.

"Clan sparring is meant to stop at the point of contact, yet you attacked with lethal intent! Tell me, what is your crime!"

"That's right, this brat has no martial honor." Hyuga Yuansheng chimed in while spitting blood, "I was just careless earlier; I didn't dodge."

"Xuanye... Xuanye... knows his mistake."

Xuanye spoke in broken sentences as if in pain, but in reality, he was struggling to hold back his laughter.

"It is Xuanye who is dull-witted and misinterpreted the Lord Patriarch's intentions."

"So, when the Lord Patriarch repeatedly ordered me to use my full strength, he actually meant for me not to use my full strength and to stop at the point of contact!"

"You!" Hiashi was momentarily speechless, nearly choked to death by Xuanye's words.

He could clearly hear that Xuanye had no intention of apologizing; he was obviously mocking the father and son.

Yet, with everyone watching, Hiashi couldn't even punish Xuanye out of personal spite. He could only secretly intensify the Caged Bird Seal, wishing he could kill the brat on the spot.

These Main Branch father and son are truly shameless. They clearly lack the strength, yet they insist on blaming others.

Heh, the Main Branch can never be wrong; it's always the Branch Family's fault. It's been like this for thousands of years, what's so strange about that?

Noticing the increasingly strange looks from the surrounding clansmen, Hiashi's expression shifted slightly.

He knew his punishment of Xuanye was unpopular and could not continue.

"Since you know your mistake, I shall dock one month of your salary. Do you have any objections?" Hiashi retracted the Caged Bird Seal, intending to end the matter quickly.

"None," Xuanye replied indifferently.

The money he earned from completing a single mission was already worth nearly half a year of the clan's salary.

Hilarious. I don't even care about that.

What a pity, that cranial massage was actually quite comfortable. I'll have to find a way to cause some trouble again next time, he thought to himself.

Hiashi swept his gaze over the crowd and said sternly, "Today's events are not to be spoken of outside this clan. Violators will be punished without mercy!"

"Yes!" the branch family members replied in unison, and Mei let out a sigh of relief.

"Damn it, damn it all!" Hyuga Takashi gritted his teeth.

"Why, why is Hyuga Genya so strong? I... I admire him so much!"

Before long, the news that Hyuga Yuansheng had been sent flying by a single punch from a young man spread throughout the village.

Don't ask who started it; if you did, it was Xuanye.

At Training Ground Eight.

Asuma nudged Xuanye with his elbow. "I heard you punched your clan leader so hard he coughed up blood?"

"That's right." Xuanye nodded and laughed. "I hadn't even used my full strength, and he just went flying."

"Get lost, stop spouting nonsense to me!"

Ever since he met Rin, Asuma liked to refer to himself as "this young master" whenever he was annoyed. Xuanye suspected he had hit puberty.

"If you run into any trouble, come find me. I'll have my old man smooth things over for you!" Asuma said.

Yuhi Kurenai chimed in, "That's right, Xuanye-kun. If anything happens, come to us. My father has some history with the Hyuga clan leader."

A warmth spread through Xuanye's heart. "Let me say tha—"

"Stop!" Asuma cut him off instantly. "Don't let this young master hear any sappy talk!"

"You guy!" Xuanye was speechless.

Just then, Shimura Hofu walked over from the sidelines and waved at them. "Alright, enough chatter. Come over here; I have an announcement to make."

"Teacher, is there another new mission?" Yuhi Kurenai asked.

"No. For the time being, you should focus on your training. I intend to nominate you all for the next Chunin Exams," Shimura Hofu said.

"Chunin Exams?" Xuanye was uninterested.

Konoha genin were already so overpowered; why would they want to downgrade their combat status to become chunin? That sounded like a total headache.

Suddenly, as if realizing something, Xuanye chuckled. "Hofu-sensei, don't tell me you're butting heads with Namikaze Minato again?"

It wasn't a secret that their teacher and Namikaze Minato didn't get along.

If Team Minato completed a C-rank mission, their team had to complete a B-rank one. If Team Minato finished ten commissions, their team had to finish twenty.

It was highly likely that this time, the Chunin Exams were just another case of their teacher trying to outdo Namikaze Minato.

"You talk too much!" Shimura Hofu shot Xuanye a sidelong glance, not bothering to deny it.

The three of them exchanged looks. Great, it looks like that's exactly what's happening.

"Lame. This young master can't be bothered to get dragged into your petty rivalries," Asuma grumbled.

With that, he turned around, intending to head off to train, showing absolutely no respect for Hofu.

He was the Hokage's son; who did he have to fear? His father was the Hokage, so he didn't care about anyone.

Shimura Hofu didn't get angry. Instead, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. "If all of you pass the exam, I'll grant you two weeks of leave."

Asuma's footsteps came to a halt.

He turned around and said with a deadpan expression, "I'm taking this Chunin Exam for my own sake. It has nothing to do with you, Shimura Hofu."

Xuanye covered his face. Asuma was the type of guy whose only hard part was his mouth.

But to be fair, Shimura Hofu's move had certainly piqued the interest of all three of them.

Even Xuanye began to look forward to it.

To be able to participate in the exams alongside Kakashi and Obito, perhaps even competing on the same stage!

Tsk, just thinking about it was interesting.