Chunin Ninja Exams Begin

Naruto had once considered recruiting Haku as an ally. After all, once he became a rogue ninja, the protection offered by Konoha's great tree would vanish.

The ninja world was fraught with danger, and as the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki, he was destined to be relentlessly hunted by Akatsuki.

Having one more helper was always a good thing.

But Naruto quickly abandoned that unrealistic assumption.

Haku was kind by nature, but that did not mean he was naive.

Haku had long since completely brainwashed himself into being Zabuza Momochi's tool, and since they were protecting Tazuna, they could only be enemies of Zabuza.

Relying on his knowledge of the original plot and using the information gap to kill Haku and Zabuza was the safest choice.

The time Kakashi was unconscious was Naruto's best opportunity to deal with the two of them.

Naruto would not have to worry about Kakashi seeing through his disguise, and he only needed to deal with Haku. As for Zabuza—turning his fake death into a real one would greatly reduce Naruto's pressure in battle.

Compared to Haku, a Kekkei Genkai ninja who had already chosen Zabuza and whose replacement could be found at any time—

Naruto had always known the most crucial purpose of the Land of Waves Incident.

It was to make Kakashi judge, through this unconventional mission, that Team 7 was now qualified to take the Chunin Ninja Exams.

That would allow him to reasonably come into contact with Karin, who would be coming to Konoha for the Chunin Ninja Exams.

Karin, who could help Naruto control the Nine-Tails and was highly likely to become his companion during his life as a rogue ninja, was the person Naruto valued most at present and someone who could not be replaced.

And that goal had already been achieved.

After weighing the benefits even slightly, any normal person would know how to choose.

Naruto quickly discarded the ridiculous idea of recruiting Haku.

If he tried to recruit Haku, he might lose far more than he gained and end up unable to contact Karin again.

He might also accidentally expose the disguise he had maintained for the past two years while trying to recruit Haku.

But choosing to kill Haku and Zabuza was much easier than recruiting them.

All the potential problems mentioned above would disappear in an instant.

He would no longer need to fear Zabuza, whom he had let go, suddenly emerging from the mist with Haku one day to kill him.

After all, no one wasted energy worrying about the "dead"—

—Not even Kakashi.

Kakashi did not know that Zabuza and Haku had already been secretly dealt with by Naruto.

A week later, Kakashi had recovered. When Gato personally led a group of warriors to attack the bridge workers, Zabuza still did not appear.

Kakashi remained wary of Zabuza making a comeback, but in the end, nothing came of it.

As for Gato, the chief culprit behind the Land of Waves' poverty, Kakashi dealt with him during the attack.

Once the employer paying them to commit violence was dead, those wandering warriors scattered like birds and beasts.

Tazuna's protection mission thus dropped from B-Rank back to the C-Rank he had originally reported to the village when he commissioned the Hidden Leaf Village's ninjas.

News that Gato had been dealt with by Konoha's ninjas quickly spread across the Land of Waves.

Without the oppressor's tyranny, the goodwill Tazuna had accumulated throughout the Land of Waves finally showed itself.

The sea-crossing bridge linking the islands of the Land of Waves was completed earlier than expected.

Although Naruto felt somewhat reluctant that his rare, unmonitored life of freedom in the Land of Waves had ended early—

There were benefits as well...

After Gato's death, the workers who came to help build the bridge all hoped for a bright future for the Land of Waves, and most worked without pay.

This saved Tazuna a considerable amount in construction costs. Although the ninja mission was officially recorded as C-Rank difficulty, the final payment was calculated according to B-Rank standards.

Kakashi and Tazuna discussed the exact amount. After all, Kakashi was a Jōnin with extensive mission experience, so his quotation was naturally reasonable.

Even so, the Land of Waves' sea-crossing bridge was not completed until mid-June.

There were only a few days left until the Joint Chunin Exams began in July.

Team 7 finished their mission in the Land of Waves and returned to the Hidden Leaf Village.

June 24th, Konoha.

Naruto stared at the calendar by the window, lost in thought.

A week had already passed since they returned from the Land of Waves. Kakashi had disbanded Team 7 on the very day they returned, allowing its three members to move freely.

Naruto guessed that Kakashi had likely gone to report the Land of Waves mission to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

After all, it had truly been a B-Rank mission in terms of difficulty.

Although the Land of Waves mission had ended happily for everyone, none of the proper procedures after a mission could be skipped.

Moreover, Team 7 included the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki and Konoha's last Uchiha. Kakashi's reporting process would naturally be more complicated than that of an ordinary ninja team and consume a great deal of time.

Just as Naruto had guessed, after allowing Team 7 to move freely, Kakashi did not gather them again until the day after they returned to the village.

After Kakashi gathered Team 7 again, Naruto used the Wind Caress Dawn Technique to conduct counter-surveillance on the Root members monitoring him in the village.

Danzo had not assigned any additional observers, which showed that the precaution Naruto had left behind for Kakashi in the Land of Waves had worked.

After that, Team 7 returned to their routine from before the Land of Waves, carrying out D-rank Missions.

An ordinary and boring morning of June 24th arrived.

But Naruto knew very well that today would definitely be interesting.

Naruto remembered that in the original Naruto, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had explicitly revealed when the Chunin Ninja Exams would begin.

July 1st.

And today happened to be the day foreign ninjas entered Konoha for the Joint Chunin Exams, hosted by the Hidden Leaf Village of the Land of Fire and attended by ninjas from multiple countries.

The day I flee Konoha is drawing closer and closer.

Thinking that, Naruto silently reminded himself that the more critical the moment, the more cautious he needed to be.

Naruto had been preparing for his escape from Konoha ever since he had transmigrated here.

This Chunin Ninja Exams would end with the deaths of the Third Hokage and the Fourth Kazekage. The forces involved included Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Danzo... and Akatsuki, which would appear in Konoha not long after the exams.

Facing those people, even the slightest mistake from Naruto could turn all his preparations into fleeting bubbles and leave all his efforts wasted.

But danger and opportunity were equal.

It was precisely amid such a complex crisis that Naruto might be able to completely break free from Konoha's shackles.

Opportunity was always hidden within danger.

Having made up his mind, Naruto put on the forehead protector representing his identity as a Konoha ninja and walked out of his home.

Later that same day, noon, Hokage Office.

Although the Hokage had busy work every day, he could normally complete it all alone in an orderly fashion.

It was rare for the village's Chunin, Special Jōnin, and Jōnin to gather in the office as they had today.

The village's ninjas had all answered the Hokage's summons.

"It seems everyone is here."

Hiruzen raised a hand to straighten his Hokage hat and briefly swept his gaze over the people standing before him.

The Konoha ninjas had been urgently summoned before the Hokage, yet none of them showed any anxious or worried expressions.

"Judging by your expressions, you should already know why I summoned you here, correct?"

Hiruzen asked.

In response to Hiruzen's question, the ninjas gathered in the Hokage Office selected a representative from among the Jōnin standing at the front, ranked from highest to lowest.

A Jōnin with silver hair, a Konoha forehead protector covering his left eye, and a black mask concealing half his face stepped forward.

"It's about the Chunin Ninja Exams, right? The village has recently received many Daimyo, so I assume you invited them—"

Kakashi answered, though he still had a question. "But when exactly will the exams be held?"

"One week from now, on July 1st, Konoha will officially begin the Chunin Ninja Exams."

Hiruzen's words left all the ninjas stunned.

"I didn't expect it to be so soon."

Among the Jōnin, a man with a black bowl cut, extremely thick black eyebrows, and a green bodysuit that looked like some bizarre outfit—

He expressed surprise at how close the Chunin Ninja Exams were.

"Guy!"

Beside the unusually dressed Jōnin, another Konoha Jōnin spoke up. He had a beard and a cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth, reminding Guy that his remark was inappropriate at this moment.

"It's fine, Asuma."

Hiruzen stopped the cigarette-smoking man from making a fuss.

"It is only natural for Guy to have doubts. By my original estimate, the Chunin Ninja Exams would probably not have been held for another month or two."

Hiruzen explained his own expectations.

"If that is the case, Lord Third Hokage, why are you holding the exams early?"

This time, the speaker was the female Jōnin standing beside Asuma. She had long black hair, striking red eyes, and lipstick on her lips.

"This was the Fourth Kazekage's request."

Hiruzen explained the reason.

After speaking, he looked at the four Jōnin who had just spoken. "Then do you four have any thoughts regarding these Chunin Ninja Exams? According to the rules, as long as Genin have completed a sufficient number of missions, you, their supervising Jōnin, may recommend them for the Chunin Ninja Exams."

Among the four, the Jōnin in the green bodysuit spoke first. "I, Might Guy, recommend Neji Hyuga, Rock Lee, and Tenten of Team 3 for these Chunin Ninja Exams."

Guy's choice did not surprise anyone. The three Genin of Team 3, whom he led, had graduated from the Ninja Academy last year and had long been qualified to participate in the Chunin Ninja Exams.

But the Genin led by the remaining three had only graduated from the Ninja Academy in March of this year.

They had only been Genin for a little over three months.

Just as everyone assumed that Guy would be the only one allowing his ninja team to participate in the exams—

Kakashi also chose to let his team participate. "I, Hatake Kakashi, recommend Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno of Team 7 for these Chunin Ninja Exams."

Immediately afterward, Kurenai Yuhi, the supervising Jōnin of Team 8, also recommended the three Genin under her: Hinata Hyuga, Shino Aburame, and Kiba Inuzuka.

Asuma Sarutobi, the supervising Jōnin of Team 10, likewise recommended Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, and Ino Yamanaka from his ninja team.