On the Eve of the Chunin Ninja Exams, Was Team 7 Not Good Enough?

Kakashi said nothing. He merely tilted his head and looked calmly at Iruka with his dead-fish eye.

The look made Iruka uneasy, but he gritted his teeth and finished. "Sahiro Uchiha did place first in this year's Graduation Exam. He earned perfect scores on the written test, Shurikenjutsu, and basic Taijutsu."

"I'll admit he was the best student in his class."

"But..." Iruka took a deep breath. "His ability in actual combat is too weak."

Kakashi did not argue, but Might Guy could not hold back.

"Iruka!" Might Guy's voice made the windowpanes rattle. "Youth is about constantly challenging yourself! I trust Kakashi's judgment!"

"Guy, this isn't about judgment," another voice cut in.

It was Asuma Sarutobi.

He took the half-smoked cigarette from his mouth and held it between his fingers, his expression more serious than usual. "I've heard a few things about Team 7 too."

"Sasuke is certainly impressive. He's a prodigy of the Uchiha Clan, he's awakened his Sharingan, and his combat ability stands out among his peers."

He paused, then changed tack. "But the problem is, one Sasuke can't carry three other people."

"Sakura Haruno." Asuma raised a finger. "Her chakra reserves are average, she has no inherited clan techniques, and all she has going for her are the three basic techniques and good chakra control."

"That's barely enough for an ordinary Genin squad. But for the combat elimination round of the Chunin Ninja Exams, she's nowhere near ready."

He raised a second finger. "Naruto Uzumaki. He graduated from the Ninja Academy at the bottom of his class. He couldn't even produce more than a useless shadow with the most basic Clone Technique."

"He learned Shadow Clone Technique later, but his chakra control is crude, and he uses ninjutsu with terrible efficiency."

"Send a half-trained Genin like that into the Chunin Ninja Exams, and what is that if not sending him to his death?"

Asuma did not raise a third finger, but his meaning was clear.

"And as for Zuo Hao, he may have placed first in the Graduation Exam, but his performance at the Academy was unremarkable. Nothing about him stood out..."

Kurenai Yuhi spoke up then. Her voice was gentler than Asuma's, but her assessment was no more encouraging.

"Kakashi, you'd better not nominate them. Your Team 7 just isn't capable enough..."

Kakashi tilted his head. His dead-fish eye moved from Asuma to Kurenai, then over Iruka and the other Chunin, before finally settling on the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

An awkward tension hung over the office.

Everyone thought Team 7 was not good enough.

That was hardly news.

Naruto had been bottom of his class, Sakura was a civilian-born ninja, and although Zuo Hao had placed first in the Graduation Exam, he had never beaten Sasuke in a single practice fight during his years at the Ninja Academy.

As for Sasuke, he was a prodigy, but even prodigies needed teammates.

One person could not carry three deadweights. Almost everyone present agreed on that.

"Kakashi," the Third Hokage said, "are you certain you want to nominate all of Team 7 for the Chunin Ninja Exams?"

"I am."

Kakashi answered without hesitation. Even his languid tone did not change.

Asuma's brow furrowed deeper.

"Kakashi, it's not that I don't trust your judgment. But you know as well as I do that the Chunin Ninja Exams are no game."

"The second exam is a combat elimination round. Genin die in the Forest of Death every year. Sending in three newcomers who've barely seen real combat—isn't that sending them to their deaths?"

Kurenai nodded slightly, concern in her red eyes. "Kakashi, Asuma is right. Your Team 7 hasn't even worked out basic squad coordination."

"Naruto has made progress with his shadow clones, but his judgment and tactical thinking are still at Ninja Academy level."

"Sakura knows her theory inside out, but theory won't save her in a real fight to the death."

She paused, her tone growing graver.

"As for Zuo Hao... I know he's from the Uchiha Clan and has awakened his Sharingan. But we've all seen how he performed at school these past few years. He's never shown exceptional talent in any practice fight."

Asuma picked up the thread, lowering his voice as though stating a fact he was reluctant to say aloud. "And honestly, Kakashi, I heard that during the Land of Waves mission, Zuo Hao..."

He broke off mid-sentence.

Because Zuo Hao's performance on the Land of Waves mission had been so extraordinary, Kakashi had falsified the report and made his performance sound poor.

As a result, no one knew Zuo Hao's true strength. Some even thought he was weaker than Sasuke.

As for why Kakashi had done it, Zuo Hao himself had asked him to.

"What about the Land of Waves mission?" Kurenai asked, noticing Asuma's hesitation.

Asuma opened his mouth, still searching for the right words, when Might Guy suddenly burst into deafening laughter.

"Hahahahaha! Asuma! Kurenai! You have no idea how hot the flames of youth burn!"

Might Guy gave a thumbs-up, his teeth flashing dazzling white in the sunlight. "Kakashi's Team 7 isn't the ordinary Genin squad you think it is! In the Land of Waves, they—"

"Guy," Kakashi interrupted mildly.

The rest of Might Guy's words stuck in his throat, but the look on his face said it all: he knew a huge secret and could not tell them.

Asuma frowned even harder.

He looked at Might Guy, then Kakashi, before turning to the Third Hokage.

Hiruzen Sarutobi held his pipe between his lips. His aged face betrayed nothing, but an almost imperceptible gleam passed through his clouded eyes.

"Kakashi." The Third Hokage slowly exhaled a puff of smoke. "You've submitted the report on the Land of Waves mission, haven't you?"

"I have," Kakashi said.

"The report says Team 7 encountered Zabuza Momochi at the bridge in the Land of Waves."

For a moment, the air in the office seemed to freeze.

Zabuza Momochi.

Every Jōnin present knew that name.

A Rogue Ninja from Kirigakure, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, an S-rank wanted criminal, and a master of Kirigakure assassination techniques.

The cigarette nearly fell from Asuma's mouth. "What?! Zabuza?! What was a Rogue Ninja of his caliber doing in a little place like the Land of Waves?!"

"Gato hired him," Kakashi said, as if it were nothing. "Besides Zabuza, there was an Ice Release Kekkei Genkai user whose strength was at least Special Jōnin level."

Kurenai's expression changed.

An Ice Release Kekkei Genkai.

It was exceedingly rare. The known Ice Release users in the entire Shinobi World could be counted on one hand.

Zabuza alone would have been troublesome enough. Add a Jōnin-level Ice Release user, and even an A-rank mission would have been considered demanding.

"You... you ran into enemies like that and survived?" Disbelief filled Asuma's voice.

"The mission report is on Lord Hokage's desk," Kakashi said. "You can read it yourself."