Chapter 314: The Chunin Exams Conclude
After learning who Rin's opponent would be, Obito finally turned his attention to his own. He held number nine, so according to the order, his opponent was number ten.
"Eh, it is Asuma," Obito realized when he matched the numbers to the names. His first round opponent was a familiar face. Examinee number ten was Asuma Sarutobi.
As Obito searched the crowd, Asuma also happened to look his way. Their gazes met. Asuma walked over, his expression unusually serious.
"Obito, you had better go all out," Asuma said. "You are strong, but I am carrying my teammates' hopes. I will not lose."
All three of them had set their sights on becoming Chunin, but in the end, only Asuma had reached the third stage. At this point, he was not standing here alone. He was walking forward with the expectations of his teammates on his back.
"Haha, of course I will give it everything," Obito replied, brimming with confidence. "And I am definitely going to win."
Even though his opponent was a friend, Obito had no intention of holding back. That would not only be disrespectful to Asuma, it might even hurt Asuma's own chances of promotion.
Hiruko had made it clear. The more intense the fight and the better you showcased your strength, the more likely you were to be promoted to Chunin.
Kakashi, meanwhile, kept his eyes on the bottom of the big screen. He had drawn number sixteen. There were only sixteen candidates in the third stage, which meant his match would be the very last of the first round. His opponent was number fifteen.
"Gangi Hyuga," Kakashi murmured to himself, recalling Gangi's performance in the preliminaries.
There had been nothing flashy about it. Gangi simply activated the Byakugan and used Gentle Fist to shut his opponent down.
Kakashi thought for a moment, then took out a small notebook and wrote down all sixteen examinees and their numbers on a single page. He was confident in his first round match. What he wanted was to plan ahead for the later rounds.
"Kakashi is a tough opponent," Gangi thought as he watched the silver haired boy writing with his head lowered.
Kakashi had not scared his opponent into surrendering with a single ninjutsu the way Obito had, but he also finished fights quickly, ending his preliminary as one of the faster winners after only a brief probe.
"Still, against a speed type," Gangi told himself, thinking of his bloodline, "this might work."
In the preliminaries, Kakashi had relied heavily on his speed. But the true strength of the Byakugan lay in observation. If he could see every movement clearly, Kakashi's speed might not be such an advantage.
"That irritating guy… just wait for the second round. I will beat you again."
Mei glanced at her own opponent, then looked away almost immediately. He was a Konoha ninja who had performed only average in the preliminaries, so she did not waste energy on him. Instead, she focused on her likely opponent in the next round.
Her number was eleven. The opponent waiting for her in the second round would be the winner of the match between numbers nine and ten.
From what she had seen in the preliminaries, Asuma would not be able to stand up to Obito. Which meant her second match would very likely be against Obito.
Mei was very satisfied with that bracket. To her, it felt as if she had already reached the Top Four. Once she made it there, she could even the score for the scroll that had been stolen in the Forest of Death.
"Might Guy, next time we fight, I will not let you win so easily."
Compared to Mei's calm calculation, Kisame only had one thing on his mind: when he would get a rematch with Guy. He did not care about rank. He cared about strong opponents.
Kisame was number one and Might Guy was number six. If both of them won their first and second matches, they would meet in the Top Four for a place in the final.
Once Kisame had clearly seen both their first round opponents and the likely matchups, he was certain that they would clash in the semifinals.
His first opponent was number two, Aoba Yamashiro. His second opponent would be the winner between number four, Nara Shiosui, and number three, Rin. Kisame was confident he could easily crush any of those three.
Guy's first round opponent was number five, Noguchi Nobuhide, a Mist ninja from Mei's team. In the second round, Guy would face the winner between Kurosawa and Inuzuka Midori. In Kisame's eyes, all three of those ninja together would still be no match for Guy. One on one, they had no chance.
"Also, the official start date of the third exam is one month from now," Hiruko announced. "During this period, you can train to improve your strength or gather information about your opponents. Do whatever you can to raise your chances of victory. Remember, you will be fighting for the honor of your villages."
"Huh? A month from now? Why so long?" Obito blurted out, unable to make sense of it.
It was only sixteen people fighting. Why did they need such a long break?
"The third exam will be watched by many people," Hiruko explained. "To give them enough time to travel to Konoha, this much preparation time is necessary."
Unlike the first two stages, the third exam's core purpose was to display military power and demonstrate each village's strength. Nobles and officials would be invited to watch, and the rich merchants preferred to arrive in comfort and without haste.
Obito still did not quite understand. A whole month just so people could travel here? Was Konoha inviting spectators from seven or eight countries away?
But when he thought of his failure in the Forest of Death, he started to feel that an extra month might actually be a good thing. With that window, he could beg Mugetsu for special training, and if he trained for a month straight, his chances of taking first place would rise.
Kisame and Mei both had terrifying Water Release techniques. Guy's Rock Breathing combined with the third of the Eight Gates made him overwhelming in close combat. And Kakashi, who had cut down a jonin in an instant as if possessed, left a deep image in Obito's mind. Obito could not guarantee a sure victory against any of those four.
"If there are no further questions, you may leave the exam grounds," Hiruko concluded.
He had covered everything thoroughly, and nobody raised their hand. The examinees filed out of the Central Tower together, heading toward the exit.
Obito really wanted to ask Mugetsu for one on one training right away, but he also felt that being the chief examiner for the second stage must have been exhausting. He decided not to cling to Mugetsu just yet. After greeting his teacher, he left the Forest of Death with Kakashi and the others.
"I envy them. They still have endless possibilities ahead of them," Hiruko sighed as he watched their backs recede into the distance.
There were many geniuses among these examinees that he could not help but envy: Kakashi, Obito, Mei… all of them were under ten years old, yet their strength was already outstanding.
He, on the other hand, would turn thirty two in a little more than a month, and he was nothing more than a mid tier jonin, nowhere near the level of Orochimaru and the others from their generation.
"Senior Hiruko, you have only lived a third of your life," Mugetsu said with a gentle smile. "You still have huge room to grow."
Hiruko shook his head with a wry smile.
"At this age, a ninja's future is more or less decided," he said. "Look at Jiraiya and Orochimaru. They are already leading armies in the great villages, while I, who was in the same class as them, can only serve as an examiner for the Chunin Exams."
He had felt a flicker of warmth when Mugetsu told him he still had sixty years ahead of him. But deep down, he knew that if he did not do something drastic, his life would simply continue as it was: an ordinary man with no talent.
"If I can finish that, maybe I can still catch up to Orochimaru and the others," Hiruko thought silently.
Having been overtaken step by step by his peers, Hiruko could no longer even clearly gauge the difference between them. He only knew that ordinary jonin would be slaughtered if they faced Orochimaru or Jiraiya. And among jonin, his own strength was nothing special.
Still, he did have his own advantage.
In terms of research, Hiruko was an expert among experts. His theoretical knowledge was finer and more comprehensive than most.
To make up for his innate lack of talent, Hiruko had read every single open scroll in Konoha related to ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, and bloodline limits. He had devoured material like a starving man.
At last, he had found a path he could take: fusion. If he could integrate other people's physical talents into his own body, he could also become a genius.
But this path was extremely difficult. Hiruko had needed an enormous amount of time just to solidify the theoretical framework.
Now that phase was nearly complete, he had begun to worry about what came next: experimentation.
The technique he was developing was far too dangerous. It would require human experimentation to perfect, and the nature of that ninjutsu was utterly inhumane. It could never see the light of day. If he was going to continue, he would have to work in absolute secrecy.
"That is hard to say," Mugetsu said lightly. "My own strength used to be nothing special either. It was only in the last two years that I suddenly understood some things and started to progress quickly. Maybe you are the type who gathers power quietly, then erupts all at once."
He comforted Hiruko with a smile, while also quietly polishing his own image in Konoha.
Hiruko nodded with a faint smile. "I hope so."
He knew Mugetsu was trying to encourage him, but he did not believe Mugetsu truly understood his feelings. From the information Hiruko had heard, Mugetsu was also a genius, someone who had fought side by side with Jiraiya against a jinchuriki at a very young age.
Besides, he had already poured so much time into the Chimera Technique. There was no way he would abandon that research now, just to gamble on some vague hope that one day he would suddenly "comprehend" something and soar in strength.
After chatting briefly with Hiruko, Mugetsu finished the necessary clean up work and then returned to his house in the main district of the village.
When he arrived home, it was four in the afternoon, still some time before dinner.
Today, instead of immediately diving into sealing theory as usual, Mugetsu took out a notebook and started thinking seriously about who should receive his fifth disciple slot.
The first name he wrote was Uchiha Itachi.
Itachi's future actions would be highly controversial, but his talent was beyond question. His potential would never be low. At a young age, he had sent Kakashi to the hospital with a single glance, and later, after being revived by Edo Tensei, his performance was even more stunning.
However, there was a problem with choosing Itachi: he had just been born.
Mugetsu had only heard last month that the Uchiha clan head had a son. If he wanted to give the disciple slot to Itachi, he would have to wait several years.
The next name Mugetsu wrote down was Yakushi Kabuto.
As the "dream weaver" of the Fourth Great Ninja War, Kabuto had caused all kinds of trouble in the later story. He had not only used Edo Tensei to fight the entire Allied Shinobi Forces but also learned Sage Mode from Ryuchi Cave, something Orochimaru himself had never mastered. Mugetsu estimated Kabuto's potential to be S rank even without additional boosts.
Kabuto was older than Itachi, which was an advantage, but he had a serious problem as well. In Mugetsu's memory, Kabuto had been adopted by Yakushi Nonou, and at this point Nonou had not yet become the director of Konoha's orphanage. She was still working in Root.
If Mugetsu wanted to find Kabuto now, it would be like searching for a single grain of sand in a desert.
Mugetsu temporarily left Naruto and Sasuke off the list. Their potential was also ridiculously high, but the timing was terrible. They were still several years away from even being born, and even longer from the age where he could reasonably take them as disciples. By then, Mugetsu might already have reached a level where no one in the world could threaten him, assuming no enemies descended from the heavens.
After thinking through the obvious names, he chose not to write down Mei.
She was perfect in many ways, and Mugetsu did not mind teaching disciples from other villages. But Mei would only be in Konoha during the exam. After that, she would go back to the Mist. It was too far. If he tried to manage both Konoha and the Mist at once, he would spread himself thin. Abandoning Konoha as his base was out of the question.
He also could not exactly talk Mei into defecting in only one month. That felt unnecessary and too troublesome.
After considering for some time, Mugetsu thought of another candidate: Yamato.
Yamato was a little younger than Kakashi, which made his age just about right. The real problem lay in his circumstances. Because of his Wood Release, Yamato should currently be in Danzo's custody, undergoing secret training.
After turning those options over again and again, Mugetsu realized that, aside from those with serious complications, Asuma actually looked like the most convenient choice.
But he could not bring himself to use the system's disciple slot on Asuma.
For disciples not connected to the system, Mugetsu would still teach sincerely. He would not hold back just because there was no reward attached. They were still his students, and they respected him and liked him, just as he had created Water Breathing specifically for Rin.
The system slot, however, was different. It was directly tied to his own growth. He needed to give it to someone whose potential would maximize his gains. In the world of Naruto, raw strength was too important. Whether for himself or for his students, he had to keep growing until he could crush any scheme underfoot.
"Nagato," Mugetsu whispered at last, and wrote that name down.
Nagato had many problems attached to him.
First, he did not meet Mugetsu's original requirement that all system disciples be under ten. Nagato was only six years younger than Minato, and Mugetsu was the same age as Minato. Strictly speaking, they were closer to peers than master and student.
Second, Nagato carried Uchiha Madara's Rinnegan. Madara himself would probably monitor Nagato frequently.
Third, Nagato was not in Konoha. Although the Land of Rain bordered the Land of Fire, Mugetsu would still need to spend time traveling there and working to win Nagato over. That meant a delay in reaping system rewards.
There were some minor issues too, such as the fact that Nagato already considered Jiraiya his teacher. But Mugetsu did not need to erase that bond. He only needed Nagato to truly acknowledge him as a teacher in his heart. That much, at least, was negotiable.
Even with all those problems, Nagato's advantages were overwhelming.
He was an exceptionally talented member of the Uzumaki clan. Even though the Rinnegan did not originally belong to him, his enormous chakra allowed him to use it. If Mugetsu could raise his trust level, he would gain a massive amount of chakra in return.
And unlike Itachi or Kabuto, Nagato did not require any waiting. Once Mugetsu settled on his choice, he could head for the Land of Rain immediately and act.
Looking at the three names and their pros and cons, Mugetsu finally closed his notebook and turned back to his sealing notes.
He did not need to decide in just a few days. Itachi and Kabuto were both long term choices, and Nagato still had not reached a dangerous stage of his own story. There was no need to rush.
This was a real Naruto world. There might be other geniuses out there whose names had never appeared in the manga.
He had not memorized every character from the series to begin with, and this reality was even broader than that. It would not be strange at all if he happened to use Appraisal Technique on some unknown chunin one day and discovered S rank potential.
That night, Mugetsu went to Tsunade's house to cook dinner, just as usual. After they ate, he packed two extra portions and handed them to a shadow clone, who went off to deliver them to Minato.
The next morning, Obito woke up at eight. He washed up at lightning speed, wolfed down his breakfast, and dashed straight toward Mugetsu's house.
If he wanted to be number one, there was only one path.
He had to undergo secret special training and then show up at the third exam so strong that everyone's jaws hit the floor.
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