Chunin Ninja Exams

"So that was how it was... It was surprising, but honestly, I felt relieved. The village hadn't abandoned me after all."

"Sakumo, politics is like a battlefield. So, do you want to become Hokage?"

Though I knew Sakumo could never become Hokage. After all, Minato was simply too dazzling.

He could nominally be considered a disciple of the Third Hokage, had trained under Jiraiya, mastered the Second Hokage's Flying Thunder God, and was close to Kushina, the current Nine-Tails jinchuriki. During the Third Shinobi World War, he would also earn the title of the Yellow Flash.

Who could defeat a Minato like that and become Hokage?

"Hokage... Honestly, it sounds like a hassle. Besides, given the current situation, it's not like I can become Hokage just because I want to, right?" Sakumo narrowed his eyes and scratched his head.

"Actually, if you want to become Hokage, I have ways to make it happen. It's just prestige. Rumors can ruin someone, and with enough embellishment, they can also send someone's reputation soaring to the peak."

Once the Third Shinobi World War began, Sakumo would first establish tremendous military achievements, and then I would take control of the rumors.

It might not help much with the higher-ups' decision, but when it came to swaying public opinion, with all the knowledge I had from my previous life, there was no way I could lose to anyone.

Wasn't writing a few clickbait articles easy enough?

"Forget it, forget it. Let someone else be Hokage. I'll just do my current job well as a Jonin and train the next generation."

"Is that so? Then forget it."

Either Sakumo or Minato becoming Hokage would be good for me anyway. Although I still hadn't met Minato, I believed that I would definitely get connected with him in the future.

Minato was destined to become Obito's Jonin instructor. Obito was the only Uchiha in this class, and given the old Third Hokage's way of thinking, he would definitely want to ease the relationship between the village and the Uchiha.

The most suitable arrangement, then, would be to have Minato guide Obito, bringing Obito closer to the Hokage faction and easing the relationship between the two sides.

And Rin was Obito's friend. Kakashi and I were as well. For the team to function smoothly, one of us would definitely end up connecting with Minato.

Once they were connected to him, I would naturally be connected as well.

On the way home, I ran into Rin, who had long been "lying in ambush" here.

"Rin, why are you here? What a coincidence."

"I heard you went to the Hokage Building, so I happened to wait here to go home with you."

Rin was still dressed in a black V-neck long-sleeved top paired with an apron-style skirt, looking petite and adorable.

"Mm, let's go home together."

On the road, my callused hand held her soft little hand. Our shoulders leaned together as we walked quietly like that.

"Oh, right. I still haven't congratulated you on officially graduating and becoming a Genin. Congratulations, Qingyue. You've taken your first step toward protecting Konoha!"

"Thank you, Rin. But you'll all be graduating soon too. As far as strength goes, you already have no problems at all."

"Really?"

"Of course. I've been watching you all this time too."

Before I knew it, we had reached Rin's doorstep. I released her little hand and, before leaving, told her that I would be taking the Chunin Ninja Exams.

So far, everything had been going fairly smoothly. My relationship with Rin was practically secure now. Once the war ended, I could slowly confess our feelings to each other.

In terms of strength, I was about to enter the upper level of Sword God Style. My Observation Haki had reached an advanced level, while my Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki...

There would always be a way.

I had no leads regarding Devil Fruit abilities right now, but what I had was already completely sufficient for this stage.

[Lord Qingyue, have you considered what changes might occur on Madara Uchiha's side after you save Obito?]

Huh? Madara...

Ah! I had completely forgotten about that! During the Third Shinobi World War, Madara would very likely begin taking action. Most likely, he would still choose an Uchiha member to carry out the Eye of the Moon plan.

After the Third Shinobi World War, the Nine-Tails Rebellion had originally been launched by Obito. Its purpose was to weaken Konoha's national strength and take the opportunity to eliminate Minato.

And there was Akatsuki. At the end of the Third Shinobi World War, they had also been wiped out through Danzo and Hanzō's joint efforts, leading to the emergence of a new Akatsuki.

No, what kind of hell-level dungeon was this Naruto world? There were traps everywhere...

Should Konoha just hurry up and get destroyed already?

Early the next morning, just as I finished my morning training, I ran into Hatake Sakumo. Kakashi was beside him.

"Qingyue, today is the special Chunin Ninja Exam for you and Kakashi. Go to the Hokage Building and see the Third Hokage now."

"Alright. I'll go home, change clothes, and head over immediately."

After arriving at the Hokage Building, the Third Hokage brought us to a lecture hall. Exam papers had been placed on two seats.

The written portion was simply normal test questions. There was no test of intelligence-gathering ability, nor was there any test of cheating.

The questions on the paper were all basic ninja exercises—simple arithmetic and common knowledge. Even someone from my original world could answer them after attending two classes.

As expected, Kakashi and I both passed with perfect scores.

Next came the familiar Forest of Death. Several Genin were hiding in the forest with scrolls. As long as we found them and took their scrolls, we would succeed.

"So this is the Forest of Death. It really is gloomy."

After entering the Forest of Death, I immediately headed toward the center and spread my Observation Haki to search for traces of people.

Since they were Genin, they would definitely reveal plenty of flaws, such as their breathing...

Just as I thought that, I sensed breathing. After placing my hand on the hilt of my sword, I calmed myself and used Observation Haki to lock onto that person's position.

"Phew..."

Once I was ready, my legs moved in quick succession as I charged toward the front left. In an instant, my ninja sword was already resting against the neck of the Genin, who was still looking around in panic.

"So fast..."

"Forgive me, but I'll be taking this scroll."

I completed this stage in less than ten minutes. Kakashi followed close behind, only a few minutes slower than me.

The final round was a match between Kakashi and me. Combined with our results from the first two rounds, it would determine whether we were qualified to be promoted to Chunin.

"Sakumo, you were right. Whether it's your son Kakashi or Qingyue, both are new pillars of Konoha."

After only the two tests just now, Hiruzen Sarutobi had already become certain of it.

More than anyone, he knew that war was approaching, so he desperately hoped for more new sparks to ignite within the village.

"They will become the pillars of Konoha, and in the end, they will become the soil that nurtures new sparks for Konoha."

In the arena, Qingyue and Kakashi formed the Seal of Confrontation toward each other. Once the referee announced the start, battle was ready to erupt at any moment.

Given Kakashi's personality, he'll definitely use some kind of feint first. After confusing me, he'll strike immediately, but at the same time, he'll be wary of my Water God Style swordsmanship.

After the two stared at each other for a second, Kakashi made the first move. There was no feint at all. He simply raised his ninja sword and charged straight at Qingyue.

He's facing me head-on?

His rhythm disrupted, Qingyue immediately twisted aside to evade Kakashi's charge. Then Observation Haki suddenly warned him of danger directly above. Looking up, he saw three kunai plunging straight down.

After using Water God Style swordsmanship to perfectly deflect all the kunai, Qingyue ducked beneath Kakashi's swinging blade with Observation Haki.

At the same time, Qingyue seized Kakashi's opening, raised his left elbow, struck him in the abdomen, and sent him flying.

The elbow strike, wrapped in powerful Battle Aura, slammed heavily into Kakashi's abdomen. Its power was comparable to a Rasengan. With that single blow, his face twisted in pain as stomach acid surged up.

However, Kakashi did not stop moving because of it. Instead, he quickly pulled back and drew a kunai from his clothes.

Yet in the instant he had felt pain, Kakashi revealed the slightest opening. That moment was enough for Qingyue to seize the chance.

Sword God Style swordsmanship activated. Qingyue left his entire body undefended, focusing solely on Kakashi as he gripped his ninja sword tightly and mobilized the Battle Aura wrapped around him.

Think of nothing. Don't think...

In that instant, Qingyue completely emptied his mind. Even his expression became vacant as the Battle Aura around him grew increasingly intense.

Silent Sword activated.

A sharp whistle split the air. In the blink of an eye, Qingyue's ninja sword had appeared before Kakashi, knocking the short blade from his hand.

Before Kakashi, whose weapon had been knocked away, could react, the edge of the blade was already pressed against his neck.

The speed had been so fast that even the referee failed to see it clearly. Only after a long moment did he react and announce the end of the match.

[Congratulations, Lord Qingyue. You have officially entered the Sword God Style: Upper Level and learned Silent Sword, the simplified version of Light Blade!]