Chunin Ninja Exams

"I've got the basics of Lightning Ball down. It should just about work as a finishing move in Practical Combat."

Asami Ri lowered his gaze to the broken branches and charred wood littering the ground, refusing to let its power go to his head.

He knew perfectly well that the straightforward Lightning Ball he had just used might be more than enough against ordinary Genin, but against Chunin or stronger ninja, such a predictable attack would be easily dodged.

"This Ninjutsu has more potential than simply 'throwing a ball.'"

The image of Raiga Kurosuki surfaced in his mind.

In the original story, a single swing of Kiba often sent more than a dozen Lightning Balls attacking at once.

"Increasing the numbers is only the foundation. The real breakthrough lies in changing their trajectories at will."

Asami Ri rubbed his fingertips, where a trace of warmth still lingered, his eyes gleaming as he worked through the possibilities. "If I could use fine Chakra Threads to control several Lightning Balls, making them trace strange curves instead of straight lines, or even ricochet off one another in flight to converge on blind spots... now that would be a real finishing move."

Imagine dodging one Lightning Ball, only for another that had already passed you to suddenly loop back and strike you in the back. An attack that was virtually impossible to guard against—that was the true essence of this Ninjutsu.

"Unfortunately, time waits for no one."

Asami Ri glanced up at the dappled light filtering through the trees and let out a long breath.

"There are only two days left until the Chunin Ninja Exams. Developing shape control at this level takes a lot of trial and error. There's no way to master it overnight."

He reined in the urge to keep experimenting and decisively filed his plans away in a mental memo for later.

In the ninja world, biting off more than one could chew was a fatal mistake. What mattered most now was honing his existing offensive and defensive abilities to their limits.

"One step at a time. I need to spend all the time I have left training Taijutsu, and... shortening the hand-seal windup for Lightning Ball in Practical Combat."

The two days passed in a flash.

As dawn spilled across the entrance to Konoha's examination grounds, Asami Ri arrived among the crowd right on time.

Plenty of candidates had already gathered at the entrance, and the air was taut with a mixture of excitement and anxiety.

Amid the subdued ninja outfits, a green jumpsuit stood out sharply.

Might Guy had pulled Ebisu and Genma Shiranui aside and was crouching in a corner with a serious expression.

"Morning, Guy." Asami Ri walked over to greet him.

"Oh! Ri! Youth shines just as brightly today!" Guy abruptly looked up and gave Asami Ri a thumbs-up.

But after that brief greeting, he immediately turned back, his expression tense as he spread out a crumpled Scroll and murmured to Ebisu and Genma, "Listen closely. If we run into a sudden encounter, I'll lead the first charge. Genma, you cover the flank. Ebisu, make sure you set your traps at..."

Watching the three huddle together for some last-minute preparations, Asami Ri couldn't help chuckling.

He hadn't expected even someone as cheerful as Might Guy to resort to cramming before an Exam that would determine his future.

Asami Ri let his smile fade and surveyed the crowd.

Several dozen ninja stood around the examination grounds. Fewer than a third were fellow students around his age; the rest were older Genin with weathered faces.

Most of them had only average talent and had qualified for the Chunin Ninja Exams through extensive Practical Combat experience and the advantages of age.

Just then, his gaze settled on a corner diagonally across from him.

Rin Nohara was gently going over their tactical plans again. Kakashi stood with his hands in his pockets, his dull eyes as indifferent as ever, while Obito Uchiha, standing between them, fumbled with the Ninja Tool Pouch at his waist.

Asami Ri's gaze lingered on Obito for a few seconds longer.

Who could have imagined that this clumsy fool with an intelligence score of two would one day throw the Shinobi World into turmoil and become a second Sage of Six Paths?

Fate always seemed so absurd before its answers were revealed.

Perhaps sensing Asami Ri's gaze, Obito sharply raised his head, abandoning his struggle with his Ninja Tool Pouch.

When he saw Asami Ri, Obito froze for a moment before immediately breaking into a radiant smile.

He waved vigorously and called out with easy confidence, "Yo! If it isn't Ri! You're taking the Exam too? Just watch me show everyone what I can do, beat every opponent, and become a Chunin!"

Beside him, Kakashi gave a barely audible snort, seemingly mocking Obito's boast, while Rin Nohara nodded to Asami Ri with a slightly embarrassed look.

Asami Ri returned the greeting with a small nod, then calmly looked away.

As check-in at the entrance drew to a close, the stream of people gradually thinned.

Asami Ri searched the crowd again and again until his gaze finally settled on two figures who looked utterly out of place.

They stood side by side, yet maintained a subtle distance from each other. Their auras made the surrounding candidates instinctively give them a wide berth.

The boy on the left stood tall and straight, his flawless, porcelain-white Byakugan carrying an arrogance rooted deep in his bloodline.

The boy on the right wore a high-collared coat, the bright red fan-shaped clan crest at his collar glaring in the morning light.

His arms were folded across his chest, his expression sullen and withdrawn, with stubbornness and conceit etched into his features.

Hyuga... Uchiha?

Asami Ri's pupils narrowed slightly, and a trace of resignation rose within him.

These weren't teammates. This was two active volcanoes that could erupt at any moment, forcibly shoved together.

Konoha's two strongest clans had always refused to acknowledge each other's superiority. What were the people in the Hokage Building thinking, putting troublemakers from both clans on the same team?

"Two serious headaches."

He muttered under his breath, then composed himself and walked toward the two prodigies whose very presence warned strangers to keep away.

Asami Ri showed neither excessive enthusiasm nor any sign of being cowed by their auras.

Remaining calm, he drew a recommendation letter bearing the Hokage Building's seal from his Ninja Tool Pouch and leisurely waved it before them.

"Team number seventeen. If that's the number you're waiting for too—"

He stopped, his gaze shifting between the Byakugan and the fan crest, his tone calm and direct.

"Asami Ri. I'll be your teammate for these Chunin Ninja Exams."

"Uchiha Tekka."

Unexpectedly, the gloomier-looking Uchiha was the first to speak.

He turned his head slightly, his black eyes sweeping over Asami Ri, his voice as hard as raw iron. "I hope you won't drag us down during Practical Combat."

With that, he folded his arms again and closed his eyes to rest, like a statue that refused all conversation.

The Hyuga ninja's response, on the other hand, was far more cutting.

Rather than address Asami Ri directly, he scrutinized his ninja attire, his lips curling with an unmistakable sense of superiority.

"Hyuga Hiko. Tch. I really don't understand what the village leadership is thinking... why would they assign a commoner ninja without even a clan crest as a teammate to someone of my standing?"

His words dripped with arrogance, as though merely standing beside Asami Ri lowered his status.

Having said his piece, Hyuga Hiko simply closed his eyes as well, shutting out the world around him.

Asami Ri stood between them, his expression unchanged, showing no anger at their taunts.

Uchiha Tekka's attitude was cold, but the Uchiha Clan's reputation was well established. By their standards, this manner of interaction was fairly ordinary.

The one who truly concerned him was Hyuga Hiko.

Asami Ri's gaze rested on Hyuga Hiko's unmarked forehead for half a second.

No Caged Bird Seal... the Hyuga Main Family.

Asami Ri understood.

In a clan so obsessed with bloodlines and hierarchy, a young master of the Main Family who had been fawned over since childhood would naturally see a commoner-born ninja as nothing more than a stray dog by the roadside.