"Right… the Chūnin Exams are almost here," Tenten said with a sigh. "If you hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have noticed at all. Time really flies—half a year just passed like that."
Kazusa gave her a strange look and lowered her voice.
"Wait, weren't you training so hard because of the Chūnin Exams?"
"Of course not."
Tenten shook her head.
She trained simply because she felt she had to—because she needed to push herself harder and move faster, just to keep chasing after Souma.
At the very least, she wanted to be able to see his back.
Otherwise… she felt that the distance between them would only grow wider and wider.
That kind of thought wasn't something she needed to say out loud—especially not with Souma standing right there.
Kazusa was completely baffled.
She had assumed Tenten had planned everything long ago. Turns out, abandoning deep weapon research wasn't about the Chūnin Exams at all—it was just a pure desire to become stronger?
Kazusa couldn't help but glance at Souma.
It's because of him, isn't it…?
Her emotions became oddly complicated.
"The Chūnin Exams require three-person teams," Souma said calmly, looking at the two of them.
"After some consideration, the Third Hokage has decided that you'll participate together with Senior Kabuto."
He paused.
"You still remember him, right?"
"Of course," Tenten replied immediately. "He joined the Medical Corps. Thanks to him, I don't even have to queue anymore when buying medicinal bath packs."
"..."
Corruption really was everywhere.
Souma complained inwardly, but didn't dwell on it.
Compared to what the major clans were doing, this was nothing. Some clans had outright bought batches in bulk through private channels—Inuzuka included. They were even hoping the Medical Corps could develop medicinal baths specifically for ninja hounds.
What truly mattered was Yakushi Kabuto's attitude.
Souma briefly explained the situation to the two girls, then stood up and left.
He needed to find an opportunity to have a proper talk with Kabuto.
But before that—
He had something else to settle.
Souma went to find Yamato, to discuss his "compensation."
After resting for a full day, Yamato looked much better. But what truly lifted his spirits wasn't the rest—it was the change in attitude within the research institute.
Today, no one pestered him for Wood Clone sparring.
That alone was a massive improvement.
Just as he was enjoying the peace, Souma arrived and handed him an open notebook.
Yamato lowered his head.
His eyes widened instantly.
Afraid of missing even a single line, he read with absolute focus.
A special power cultivation method…
Senjutsu?
So that was it—Sage Chakra.
Yamato's breathing grew noticeably heavier. After reading an entire page, he finally reacted.
"This… you're giving this to me?" he asked hesitantly. "Isn't that… inappropriate?"
"I've already discussed it with Elder Baishi of Fire Temple," Souma replied with a smile.
"You're cleared to learn it. There's no need to worry."
Yamato really was a decent man—he still checked Souma's opinion even after being given such a thing.
"Still…"
"Because of Wood Release's special nature, I don't currently have many direct ways to help you," Souma continued, flipping to the next page.
"So I thought this would be the most straightforward option."
Yamato read on, then froze.
"If you can't sense natural energy, you can try the method on this page. It might not work—but it's definitely the most suitable approach for you."
"Using Wood Release–based perception?" Yamato blurted out.
"Is this from the First Hokage's notes… or something you created?"
He was shocked.
The technique fits Wood Release perfectly. At first glance, Yamato had assumed it was copied from Senju Hashirama's research.
Souma shook his head.
"My own creation. Any Wood Release should be compatible with this—possibly even non-combat variants."
Yamato fell silent, then slowly nodded.
"You want me to help contact the Konoha ninja who possess basic Wood Release, don't you?"
As a former ANBU captain, he immediately grasped Souma's intention.
Souma nodded.
Yamato thought for a moment.
"Alright. Anything else you want me to pass along?"
"Nothing much," Souma replied. "Just ask whether they're willing to cooperate with the research institute. This has nothing to do with cell experiments."
He deliberately added that last sentence.
Those ninja with rudimentary Wood Release had suffered greatly in the past. Hashirama cell research was practically a nightmare carved into their history.
Yamato himself was living proof of that.
"I understand," Yamato said quietly.
Leaving the institute, Souma organized his thoughts as he walked, considering how to refine the Chūnin Exams.
He had no intention of burning too many brain cells designing a completely new format. After weighing things carefully, he decided on modifying the existing structure instead.
Same framework. Minor tweaks.
For the first round, he drew inspiration from his experience in Sunagakure—
But with upgrades.
Cheating would still be allowed.
However, among the proctors stationed around the room, there would be three different versions of answers circulating.
For some questions, only one version would be correct.
For major questions, the correct information would be mixed across all three.
That's right.
Souma chuckled.
Information gathering and verification were core ninja skills. Discerning truth from falsehood requires knowledge and judgment.
If you couldn't even do that—
You still wanted to become a chūnin?
Dream on.
First round: done.
The second round would be simple—brutal combat and competition.
But if he wanted to spice things up…
Hide key intelligence in the first exam.
That way, if a team failed to identify and extract the information—
They had no business passing the second round.
Souma's smile turned strange.
This batch of candidates might not be the weakest ever—but the exam would definitely be the most ruthless and mentally taxing in history.
If Gaara gets eliminated in the second round…
Heh.
Though realistically, that was just wishful thinking. Gaara might struggle academically, but Kankurō and Temari were older and far more experienced.
Temari was, what—three years older than Shikamaru?
Souma's expression grew even stranger.
"As for the third round—no need for tricks. That's pure strength."
He finalized the plan and quickly wrote it down.
Once it was handed to the Third Hokage, his task would be complete.
Next came the real headache—
Researching the Spirit Transformation Technique.
Modifying an S-rank forbidden technique—especially one tied to the soul—was nearly as difficult as creating a new S-rank jutsu from scratch.
"Slow and steady," Souma muttered.
"I'll start with a budget version and enhance it step by step."
The simplest approach was a mental shockwave.
That would be his starting point.
He scribbled notes as he walked, refining the concept. By the time he returned to the village, a full preliminary plan had taken shape.
However—
He had just left the Hokage Tower and had zero desire to go back again.
And he still needed to "accidentally" run into Kabuto for a heart-to-heart talk.
So instead—
The Beetle King was summoned.
Only one this time.
"Deliver this to the Hokage's office."
"..."
Ao looked down at the folded papers inside the ninja pouch, then looked back at Souma.
It seemed to fall into deep contemplation.
This was her first time acting as a courier.
The delivery address was clearly written—but that didn't mean it understood.
"Just deliver it. If you don't understand, ask someone."
More importantly, sending a shadow clone might result in the client demanding revisions.
A summon, on the other hand, had no such issue.
Once delivered, the job was done.
The Third Hokage might argue or adjust things later—but that would be his problem.
"Hiss—!"
Ao didn't understand human schemes, but it understood one thing—
Running errands required payment.
Souma fed it a trace of Sage Chakra.
The dog-sized beetle burst with excitement, grabbed the pouch, and flew straight toward the Hokage Tower.
Not long after—
An eerie hissing echoed through the Hokage Tower.
ANBU immediately appeared on high alert.
When they saw what it was—
They fell silent.
"Stand down. It's the Beetle King."
Uzuki Yugao waved her hand.
She had been to the Forest of Death and knew of the terrifying king among the kikaichū—vastly larger and more dangerous than ordinary ones.
This had to be it.
Its golden carapace gleamed, chakra flowing faintly across its surface.
Truly astonishing.
Yugao observed quietly as the other ANBU withdrew. The Beetle King flew down in front of her.
"Bzz—"
It recognized her.
Souma's subordinate.
Yugao couldn't understand insect speech, but the writing on the pouch was clear:
Recipient: Third Hokage.
"What an unusual delivery method," she murmured.
"Isn't he worried someone might intercept it?"
She dismissed the thought almost instantly.
Who would dare touch something like this?
Rumor had it that within seconds, it could summon an entire kikaichū swarm.
The Aburame clan really was fortunate.
Yugao nodded politely.
"Thank you. I'll make sure this reaches the Hokage."
"Hiss—!"
The Beetle King responded once, then vanished back toward the Forest of Death.
Yugao entered the office and placed the pouch on the desk.
The Third Hokage looked conflicted.
"…That was the Beetle King Souma raised, wasn't it?"
"Yes. It delivered this document for you to review."
The Third opened the pouch, grumbling.
"That boy has no idea how terrifying that thing is—letting it fly around the village so casually… though at least he trained it well."
He pulled out the papers.
Moments later—
He sucked in a sharp breath.
Was this exam process… really acceptable?
"Third Hokage?" Yugao asked cautiously.
After a long pause, the Third finally spoke.
"Go call Shikaku. I need to discuss something with him."
"Yes!"
Yugao vanished instantly.
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