"Time really flies. The Chunin Ninja Exams finals are finally about to begin."
A month had passed in the blink of an eye.
Konoha welcomed a celebration on an unprecedented scale. To watch the Chunin Ninja Exams finals, which brought together elite genin from every village, not only had the Daimyo of the Land of Fire come in person, but nobles, wealthy merchants, and countless civilians from the surrounding countries had also packed Konoha's enormous circular arena to bursting.
The sun shone brightly, and a gentle breeze blew. The arena seethed with voices, cheers and shouts merging into a tremendous wave of sound that soared into the sky.
In the VIP seats at the very top of the stands, Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi sat upright in the seat of honor, dressed in his Hokage Robes and wearing his Hokage hat. Beside him sat Orochimaru, disguised as the Fourth Kazekage. Undercurrents stirred as their gazes met.
Below, at the exit of the competitors' passage, the genin who had passed the preliminaries had already assembled.
Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, Gaara, Kankuro, Temari, Shikamaru Nara, Shino Aburame... and Shengu Xuan, his hands in his pockets, looking as though he had yet to wake up properly.
"Hey, Xuan! Where have you been this whole month? Kakashi-sensei took me off for special training, and I wanted to find you for a spar!" Naruto sidled up to Shengu Xuan, waving his fists excitedly. "I've gotten super strong now!"
Shengu Xuan glanced at Naruto and yawned. "A spar? I'll pass. I'm afraid I might accidentally flatten you into a meat patty. Then if that Nine-Tails fox came out, I'd have to put some effort into stuffing him back in."
"You're still as arrogant as ever!" Naruto puffed out his cheeks in irritation.
On the other side, Sasuke