"What?"
Souma had just reached the tower, opened the sealed scroll, and was about to head to the third test ground when—
Two masked figures flickered into existence in front of him.
ANBU.
One from Konoha.
One from Suna.
"Yagyu Souma. Your exam is over."
"Huh?"
Tenten and Kazusa both jumped, shocked.
"On what grounds!?"
Souma was stunned as well.
He'd only killed two small-fry puppeteers.
That shouldn't be enough to disqualify him.
Impossible.
That meant something else had happened.
Did Rasa pull some stunt?
Drawing a steady breath, Souma asked calmly,
"Did something happen?"
"It's like this—Lord Rasa believes your strength and overall capability have already reached the jōnin level. So he's recommending you skip the remainder of the exam and be promoted directly to jōnin."
The Suna ANBU relayed the Fourth Kazekage's message.
Souma fell silent.
He understood.
He'd only fought once, but the level he'd shown was enough to make Rasa feel he was too strong.
Put simply—
They weren't going to let him keep playing the game.
And on top of that—
A thirteen-year-old jōnin in peacetime?
They were strapping him to a spit and roasting him over the political fire.
Of course, Rasa was only recommended.
Whether it was accepted or not still depended on Konoha.
"I understand," Souma nodded.
"Souma…"
Tenten and Kazusa were genuinely happy for him.
A thirteen-year-old jōnin.
Not exactly unheard of in history—but still rare and incredible.
Souma shook his head.
"It's not decided yet. You two go on ahead. I'll talk to Kakashi-sensei."
"Okay."
They nodded.
Souma followed the Konoha ANBU away.
His mood was… complicated.
When he met Kakashi, Souma let out a sigh.
"Sensei, I tried. I really did. I was already being low-key."
"Mm. That slash…"
"Instinct."
Souma sighed silently.
It had genuinely been instinct.
The moment he sensed danger, his body had drawn the blade on its own.
If the sword was already out, he had to cut something.
If not the puppet, then what?
"Ahem, with that level of strength, you really don't need the exam."
Might Guy tried to comfort him.
Souma taking the Chūnin Exam was, honestly, bullying.
Kakashi narrowed his visible eye.
"That puppeteer's strength wasn't bad. As the Fourth's son, yet only taking the Chūnin Exam now…"
"And those two puppets were custom-made."
Souma took out his notebook and flipped to the puppet sketches.
Kakashi and Tenzo leaned in.
Guy did not.
He knew he wouldn't understand a thing, so he moved up to a higher vantage point instead, standing watch with the ANBU who'd escorted Souma back, preventing anyone from sneaking up to eavesdrop.
Souma pointed to the first diagram.
"This puppet can fly. Its arms can reconfigure midair, and the internal components can recombine too."
"A very sophisticated puppet," Kakashi murmured.
"And judging from the layout, it's designed to coordinate with the one on the right," Tenzo added.
They weren't puppeteers, but after years in ANBU, they'd encountered several dozen.
Some skilled, some mediocre.
But puppets this intricate?
Those were rare.
They both understood immediately—
Something was off in Sunagakure.
Their eyes met, then both glanced at Souma.
Tenzo lifted a finger to his lips.
Souma closed the notebook.
A moment later, Guy's voice called down from above,
"Lord Kazekage, I didn't expect you to come in person!"
Then another voice—calm and mature:
"No need for formality. I heard Yagyu Souma has returned, so I wished to see for myself what this 'young prodigy' is like."
Rasa's chuckle drifted down from the tower roof.
Kakashi gave Souma a small nod and shunshined them both up to the top.
"Lord Kazekage."
"Lord Kazekage."
Kakashi bowed politely. Souma followed suit.
"A genius youth indeed," Rasa said, eyes bright. "I've been watching you since the first exam. That barrier modification of yours truly taught us Suna shinobi a lesson."
He gave a big thumbs-up, face full of apparent goodwill.
If not for the clothes, a bystander might have thought he was Konoha's Hokage.
Blatant flattery was apparently part of the job description for every Kage.
Souma, of course, didn't take it at face value.
"Your village's shinobi were generous. If they'd taken it seriously, they would've broken the barrier long ago."
"Sigh, I know my subordinates all too well."
Rasa shook his head dramatically.
"Take that puppeteer, for example. Once he deployed his puppet and chakra threads, it would have been easy for him to lead everyone straight to the classroom."
"Maybe he got nervous and forgot."
Souma's tone was mild. "Seems he still needs more mental training."
Rasa's mouth twitched.
"That puppeteer" was obviously Kankurō.
Souma might as well have said his name outright.
"By the way, Lord Kazekage," Kakashi cut in smoothly, "about your recommendation that Souma be promoted directly to jōnin…"
"That is a decision of mine and of Sunagakure. You in Konoha may treat it as a reference."
Rasa handed over the document.
Kakashi accepted it with both hands, bowed deeply, then raised it to read carefully.
"Thank you for your high regard."
"I hear he's your student—and that he's created quite a number of new jutsu?"
Rasa's smile didn't waver.
"Nowhere near as impressive as that sounds. Just a few rough ideas. They're still crude. Your village's puppet arts, on the other hand, have truly opened our eyes."
Kakashi shook his head modestly.
Rasa and Kakashi went from talking about Souma, to ninjutsu in general, to Konoha, to the Land of Fire, wandering all over the map.
They could really talk.
Souma stood to the side with a polite smile plastered on his face.
Good thing he didn't have to handle this himself.
If he did, he'd probably choose to solve things with a single slash instead.
Yeah… I'm really only suited for research,
Souma thought.
Put him in charge of this kind of delicate interaction?
He'd rather just cut something.
"Lord Kazekage," Kakashi finally said.
"Hmm?"
"The third exam is about to begin. Shall we…?"
"Of course. Let's go."
Rasa pulled on his Kazekage cloak and headed toward the next arena.
Kakashi glanced at Souma, signaling him to put his notebook away.
They'd talk details back in Konoha.
One thing was clear:
Sunagakure definitely had something brewing.
Down at the exam grounds—
"Tenten, where's Souma?"
Lee looked completely lost.
At this level of exam, Souma getting eliminated?
Impossible.
Who could even beat him?
"Uh… Souma's been recommended for jōnin by Lord Kazekage. Our village hasn't formally confirmed it yet, but he doesn't need to take part in the third round anymore."
Tenten explained.
"What!?"
Neji, Mami, and Kabuto all cried out.
Exempt from the exam.
No—
The real bomb was recommended for jōnin.
Kabuto's face showed surprise, but his mind was already working.
According to his original plan, he would continue to pose as a genin in Konoha and take the next Chūnin Exam.
But now…
Orochimaru wanted him to show a bit more of his ability, so he could connect with Konoha's Medical Corps.
With Souma already at the front,
Kabuto realized he could afford to show slightly more strength.
He narrowed his eyes.
He'd have to display just enough to make it reasonable for him to apply to the Medical Corps later—
But not so much that it destroyed his "stagnant genin" persona.
Neji, meanwhile, clenched his fists so hard his nails dug into his palms.
A year ago, Souma had graduated from the academy.
Back then, Neji had made a decision—
He would surpass Souma one day.
A year later, the result was…
The longer time went on, the further the distance grew.
He'd come here to "run alongside" Souma,
only to realize he could barely even see Souma's back.
Too slow.
Hyūga…
Maybe… Neji thought bitterly, the Hyūga bloodline isn't a blessing to me at all. It's a shackle.
If he didn't have the clan's eyes and blood—
He wouldn't bear the cursed cage of the clan seal.
He could train however he wished.
Perhaps…
It wasn't too late.
Neji closed his eyes.
Images flashed one after another in his mind—
He made a decision.
He would no longer use the Byakugan to fight.
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