The Gathering of Champions

The evening breeze swept across Konoha's training ground, stirring fine sand and dust from the ground and dispersing the lingering afternoon heat.

Lin Chen stood quietly in white, not a trace of his edge showing. He seemed utterly ordinary, yet his presence plunged the entire bustling training ground into deathly silence.

No one dared raise their voice. No one dared make a move.

The pressure of his nascent Conqueror's Haki, which had filled the world moments earlier, had long since withdrawn into his body. Yet that aura of rules rooted at the dimensional level still imperceptibly weighed upon everything around him, making every ninja's mind instinctively submit.

Naruto froze in place, his outstretched hand suspended in midair. The excitement and delight slowly faded from his face, leaving only pure awe. He dimly sensed that the Lin Chen before him was already utterly different from the companion he had known. This was a height he could never touch, even if he gave everything he had to catch up.

Sakura lowered her hands, her clear eyes filled with conflicting feelings and acceptance. Once, she had harbored a trace of competitiveness, hoping her own hard work could close the gap between herself and a genius. But after surviving the Level Three Rift catastrophe and witnessing one person subdue ten thousand enemies and overpower the entire Shinobi World alone, she finally understood: the diligence of ordinary people and the gifts of geniuses were too insignificant to mention before the absolute power of rules.

Everyone's gaze remained fixed on that slender figure in white, like mortals looking up at a god.

Everyone except Sasuke.

Beneath the shade of a tree, the boy's body was stretched taut. His Three-Tomoe Sharingan stared fixedly at Lin Chen, dark obsession and cold madness churning in his scarlet eyes. There was no awe, no envy, only an inferiority complex that ran bone-deep and a twisted longing.

The path of light had been completely sealed off. The orthodox ninja way had become a joke.

The seed of darkness in his heart had already broken through the soil and taken root, silently entwining every last remnant of his reason.

Standing nearby, Kakashi took in every change in Sasuke's eyes. He sighed heavily inwardly, powerless to stop it. He knew that from the moment the battle report from the Level Three Rift spread throughout the Shinobi World, this Uchiha boy's mindset had utterly collapsed.

The gap was too despair-inducing, and hope had been extinguished completely. Only darkness could offer him an empty salvation.

"The Chunin Ninja Exams officially begin tomorrow morning."

Kakashi collected his thoughts and softly broke the deathly silence. His gaze swept over the three of them as he spoke evenly. "Every young genius from the Five Great Shinobi Villages has gathered in Konoha. This is the stage where the Shinobi World's younger generation will clash, and the grandest contest of competing interests in the Shinobi World right now."

His words stirred everyone on the training ground.

In the past, the Chunin Ninja Exams had been an arena where each village's geniuses competed and made their names, an opportunity for countless Genin to prove themselves and advance in rank.

But now, everyone knew that the nature of this gathering had changed completely.

Before a boy who stood above the Five Kage and reigned supreme over the Shinobi World, these so-called clashes of geniuses and contests among the younger generation were nothing more than a farce of ants amusing themselves.

"Got it!" Naruto rallied, clenching his fists, his eyes bright. "Even if I can't match Lin Chen, I'm still going to give this exam my best and work hard to get stronger!"

Sakura nodded slightly, calming her mind and readying herself for tomorrow's examination trials.

Only Sasuke remained silent, his hands still clenched tightly at his sides as the darkness in his eyes deepened. He could not hear the voices around him. Only one obsession remained in his mind-power, at any cost.

Lin Chen glanced indifferently over the three of them, utterly unruffled.

To the entire Shinobi World, these Chunin Ninja Exams were the pinnacle showdown of the younger generation. To the villages' leaders, they were a chessboard for covert maneuvering. To Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke, they were an important trial in their lives.

But to him, they were merely an inconsequential farce.

The Myriad Realms Rift was his hunting ground, and otherworldly origin was the fuel for his cultivation. The Shinobi World's internal conflicts, clashes of geniuses, and power struggles had long since ceased to merit his attention.

"Get some rest, all of you."

Lin Chen spoke indifferently. As his words fell, his figure shifted, becoming a fleeting shadow as he turned and left without a trace of worldly bustle, leaving behind a field full of awestruck ninja whose emotions would not settle for a long time.

The night passed in a flash.

At daybreak the next morning, the rising sun spilled golden light over all of Konoha.

Konoha was utterly different that day.

Crowds surged through the village streets. Young geniuses from the four great hidden villages of Wind, Lightning, Earth, and Water had all arrived. Forehead Protectors of various designs and different outfits mingled in the crowds, while a thick air of conflict and competition enveloped the entire village.

Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro of Sunagakure wore their village's standard attire. Their bearing was cold and defiant, their murderous auras contained as they swept indifferent gazes over the surrounding Konoha Ninja. After Sunagakure's submission, not a shred of pride remained in their hearts, only extreme wariness toward Konoha and Lin Chen.

Otogakure's geniuses concealed themselves among the crowd, their presences dark and obscure as they silently slipped into the corners of the examination venue. No one knew that these seemingly ordinary Otogakure Genin were the pawns Orochimaru had planted in the venue, the final trump card of the Konoha Crush.

The top geniuses of Kumogakure, Kirigakure, and Iwagakure had all arrived, each brimming with pride and confidence. They were the outstanding talents of the younger generation whom their villages had poured resources into nurturing, unmatched among their peers at home. In gathering at Konoha, they had intended to vie for supremacy and sweep aside their generation.

But today, an invisible shackle tightly bound every genius's pride.

From the previous night onward, every participating ninja from the Five Great Shinobi Villages had received strict orders from their leaders.

-Provoking Lin Chen was strictly forbidden.

-Testing him, antagonizing him, or directly confronting his might was strictly forbidden.

-Give way to him throughout the event. Not the slightest defiance was permitted.

The villages' leaders knew well that this twelve-year-old Kage Level Intermediate Stage expert was indifferent by nature, yet wielded the world-destroying power of rules. If angered, he would need no drawn-out confrontation. With a flick of his fingers, he could annihilate every genius present and even severely damage the foundations of their villages.

The Chunin Ninja Exams, originally a tense clash of geniuses, had been forcibly transformed into an unusual gathering where everyone avoided conflict and watched in reverence.

On the venue's raised platform, the Third, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat in the seat of honor. His expression was peaceful as he looked down at the sea of participating ninja below, countless thoughts running through his mind.

During previous Chunin Ninja Exams, he had needed to remain constantly vigilant against maneuvering between villages, covert killings, and sudden outbreaks of conflict. Today, however, he did not need to worry in the slightest.

Lin Chen's presence alone in Konoha was the ultimate trump card for keeping everyone in line.

Any schemes, deadly probes, or covert arrangements within the examination venue were meaningless before that boy who commanded rules.

"This year's examination venue is the liveliest, and also the safest."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed softly. The elders beside him murmured their agreement, their eyes filled with relief.

It was never the situation that ensured safety, but the absolute suppression that left no one daring to cause trouble.

In a corner of the crowd, Zetsu of the Akatsuki hid in the shadows, his body merged with a rock wall as he silently observed the entire venue. Fragmented whispers passed his lips. "Everyone is lying low. No one dares move... The balance among the Shinobi World's younger generation has been completely locked in place by one person."

"Lord Pain's judgment was correct. At this stage, we absolutely must not make an enemy of Lin Chen."

In another patch of shadow, Orochimaru wore a loose black robe that concealed his presence. His emerald snake eyes pierced through the crowd, fixed intently on the entrance to the examination venue, fervor and wariness intertwining in their depths.

The Otogakure pawns he had planted, the killing formations he had arranged in the venue, and the Konoha Crush he had spent so long preparing had all been put on hold.

He was waiting and observing.

Observing Lin Chen's stance on the Shinobi World's chessboard, observing the limits of what this master of rules would tolerate, and waiting for an opening he could exploit.

Countless undercurrents lurked within the sea of people. Countless schemes lay dormant in silence.

Just as the atmosphere grew increasingly heavy and every genius held their breath in concentration, quietly awaiting the start of the exams.

A figure in white stepped slowly through the venue's gates.

His white clothes fluttered without wind. The boy stood tall, his expression indifferent and his steps unhurried. He released not a trace of his aura, yet the entire noisy, bustling examination venue instantly fell deathly silent.

One step into the venue, and every sound ceased.

Hundreds of top geniuses from every village froze in place. Their pride, defiance, and confidence vanished in an instant, leaving only submission and awe from the depths of their souls.

The cold, lifeless eyes of Sunagakure's Gaara abruptly contracted. The murderous aura accumulated through years of killing instantly collapsed. His body tensed involuntarily, and an instinctive, overwhelming fear arose within him.

Kumogakure's geniuses clenched their fists. The physiques and speed they took such pride in seemed utterly laughable at that moment.

The powerful contenders from Kirigakure and Iwagakure all lowered their heads, not daring to look directly at that figure in white.

This was the crushing weight of absolute strength.