Chunin Exams

Mission Hall.

More than three months had passed since their first C-rank Mission.

During that time, they had not been taking only C-rank Missions. They had accepted both C- and D-rank Missions. In terms from the game of his first life—

D-rank Missions were for grinding experience, while C-rank Missions were for farming breakthrough materials.

The rewards and experience gained from missions were ultimately meant to make oneself stronger.

If one did missions merely for the sake of doing missions, that would be putting the cart before the horse.

Missions were ultimately only means and methods, not the goal.

"Naruto?" Sakura looked at the figure in the distance, uncertainty filling her voice.

Since the new teams had been formed, the two sides had not crossed paths again. Children at that age changed by the month, which was why she sounded so unsure.

"Yo, long time no see, Hayate-san!" Kakashi called out.

The sickly Hayate turned around. After recognizing the speaker, he returned the greeting.

They were not particularly close, but they were more than mere acquaintances.

Konoha had many ninja, but there were only around a hundred Jonin. Most of them knew one another.

"Long time no see." Naruto turned toward Sakura's group.

He still remembered Sasuke and Sakura somewhat. As for the other boy, he did not know him. He was probably their replacement.

The boy seemed to notice his gaze and politely nodded at him with a smile that did not reach his eyes.

"Why does his smile feel a little creepy?" Izuno Akigiku leaned close and asked quietly.

Clearly, she had noticed the boy's smile as well.

"No idea." Naruto shook his head.

As the two whispered, Hayate Gekko approached with a mission scroll in hand.

"Let's go."

"See you!" Naruto nodded toward Sasuke's group, then followed behind his Jonin Instructor and left the Mission Hall.

Watching Naruto's departing back, Kakashi narrowed his eyes. Something puzzled him greatly.

Judging by Naruto's performance during the exercise, he should not have been the type to get along well with teammates...

So how...

"Kakashi-sensei, have you chosen a mission?" Sakura asked when she saw him spacing out.

"Oh, yeah, I have." Kakashi casually took a mission scroll.

Sakura: "..."

Sasuke stared fixedly in the direction Naruto had left. He did not know whether it was an illusion, but he felt that guy had become stronger again.

The boy with the creepy smile watched the scene from the corner of his eye, his expression thoughtful.

Hayate Gekko handed the mission scroll to Izuno Akigiku. The kids had more or less adapted to the mission routine by now, and for many C-rank Missions, they no longer needed him to intervene.

"D-rank?!" Izuno Akigiku looked at the scroll in surprise. "Sensei, why is it D-rank?"

"Cough, cough, I forgot to tell you." Hayate Gekko smiled faintly, his pale, sickly face softening. "The Chunin Exams are coming up soon. I thought I'd find you an easier mission so you could relax properly and prepare for them."

As he spoke, he handed each of them a Chunin application form.

"Isn't this a little early?" Raimon Koshireki seemed somewhat lacking in confidence. From what he knew, most new graduates avoided the first year's Chunin Exams and participated in their second or even third year.

"It may be a bit rushed, but just treat it as an experience." Hayate Gekko nodded.

In his eyes, only Naruto in this team met the standards of a Chunin in terms of strength.

He had never expected his class to become Chunin in their first year. That was unrealistic.

"I see." Raimon Koshireki did not say anything more.

"You're a grown man. Can't you show a little ambition?" Izuno Akigiku smacked him hard on the head, speaking with exasperation.

Poor Raimon, a full-grown young man, could only keep nodding in response to Izuno's scolding.

Naruto watched the two with interest. Perhaps outsiders saw things more clearly. He and Hayate Gekko had both more or less noticed that Raimon harbored feelings for Izuno, while the two involved seemed completely unaware.

To be fair, Raimon Koshireki, who knew not what hormones he had been fed, had reached a height of 1.72 meters early on. Combined with his naturally slightly chubby build and the training of the past few months, he gave peers the oppressive feeling of a city wall when standing up.

Naruto's own natural development had been quite good, yet he was only 1.56 meters tall. With his slim frame, he was simply not in the same weight class as Raimon.

"...Tell me, what is your goal for this Chunin Exams?" Izuno Akigiku stood with her hands on her hips, looking down on the big fellow before her from the level of her soul.

"Chu... Chunin."

"Where's your spirit?!"

"I'm going to become a Chunin!"

Head raised, chest out, gaze slightly lifted—at that moment, even Naruto could not help but look at Raimon Koshireki differently.

"That's more like it," Izuno Akigiku muttered quietly.

Hayate Gekko smiled faintly. He had a lover too, and she was also his childhood sweetheart. Compared to Naruto, he understood their current state better.

"I won't be accompanying you on this mission. Remember to hand in your application forms tonight."

The three answered in unison.

Once he disappeared from sight, the trio's gossip instincts immediately flared up.

"I dare say Hayate-sensei definitely went to see Yugao-sensei."

"He only gets a few days off each month," Naruto said succinctly.

Uzuki Yugao was Hayate Gekko's girlfriend. However, unlike Hayate Gekko, who was relatively free as a Jonin Instructor, Uzuki Yugao was far busier in the ANBU.

The two only had a few short days together each month.

"'The Chunin Exams are coming up soon, so I thought I'd find you an easier mission so you could relax properly and prepare for them.' Hehehe..." Raimon Koshireki's expression gradually turned lecherous.

"Your smile is so sleazy!" Izuno Akigiku covered her eyes as though she had gone blind.

Though they were teasing him, none of the three had any complaints about Hayate Gekko's arrangements.

He had only been their team leader for a few months, but in those months, the three of them had undergone earth-shaking changes in both strength and experience.

The kind where they could defeat their former selves from a few months ago with one hand.

The reason for that was inseparable from Hayate Gekko's conscientious teaching.

Hayate Gekko had even taught each of them some of his closely guarded techniques according to their individual traits.

Naruto's Secret Sword: Moon Shadow; Izuno's Konoha Style Taijutsu; Raimon's Water Release: Water Marsh.

"Do either of you have a pen?" Naruto asked, looking at the Chunin application form in his hand.

"No. I think I threw mine like a kunai during the last mission." Izuno scratched her head helplessly.

"I have some." Raimon Koshireki took out two pencils from his ninja tool pouch and handed them over.

"Just what I'd expect from you!" Naruto gave him a thumbs-up.

"Raimon, are you still designing that fantasy vehicle of yours?" Izuno Akigiku asked while filling out her application form.

"It's not entirely fantasy. The Land of Snow once had a similar design." Raimon Koshireki looked a little embarrassed. Grand ideals were important, but they were still somewhat shameful as a topic of conversation.

"By the way, Naruto, how is your Shinobi Prosthetic coming along?" Raimon asked.

Perhaps it was fate. He had never expected someone in his team to be interested in "making things" as well.

"I've mostly finished it. The remaining details still need polishing." Naruto nodded slightly.

I'll try to update around twelve in the future, with two chapters at a time, so everyone can enjoy reading more.