The next day.
Shinobi from the Hidden Snow Village and the Hidden Star Village arrived in Hidden Leaf one after another.
The Hidden Star Village was unremarkable, their shinobi dressed in standard attire, nothing out of the ordinary. But the Hidden Snow Village was a different story. Though they'd swapped their heavy coats for lighter clothing, each shinobi wore peculiar mechanical devices. At first glance, they looked like armor, but a closer inspection revealed these contraptions didn't protect vital areas.
As more shinobi from various villages poured in, Hidden Leaf Village grew lively, but it also stirred up plenty of unrest.
After all, those sent to participate in this Chunin Exam were the pride of their respective villages—geniuses, often brimming with arrogance.
So, even before the Chunin Exam began, duels and challenges erupted frequently.
Not only were Hidden Leaf's participating shinobi challenged, but the villages were also testing each other constantly. Some busybodies in the village even created a Challenge Ranking.
The rules for making the list were simple: defeat at least one opponent in a fair fight.
Currently at the top was Ringo Ameyuri from the Hidden Mist Village. In just a few days, she had crushed seventeen opponents.
After arriving in Hidden Leaf, aside from receiving treatment at the Hidden Leaf Hospital, she spent nearly all her time challenging others. Her formidable strength, combined with the Lightning Blade Fang, made most opponents fall in a single strike.
In second place was Kurotsuchi from the Hidden Rock Village.
Third and fourth were Darui from the Hidden Cloud Village and Gaara from the Hidden Sand Village.
Shinobi from the Hidden Sound Village, Hidden Grass Village, and Hidden Waterfall Village also made the list.
But what puzzled many Hidden Leaf villagers was that, despite their village being a breeding ground for talent, not a single Hidden Leaf shinobi had made the ranking.
This led some villagers to suspect that the higher-ups, to avoid conflicts, had secretly ordered Hidden Leaf's geniuses to refrain from challenging other villages' shinobi.
Soon, voices began to spread through the village, demanding the higher-ups lift the supposed ban and allow Hidden Leaf's prodigies to strike back against the arrogant outsiders.
The Hidden Leaf leadership, naturally, was in a tough spot.
Sasuke had the will to act, but with his Mangekyo dojutsu depleted and his strength severely diminished, he had lost both of his battles and was now recovering in the hospital.
Yakumo was in secluded training.
Shinji, Neji, and Kimimaro were unusually low-key. Forget participating in challenges—they barely left their homes or showed their faces.
…
At the Hyuga Clan grounds.
After visiting Clan Head Hiashi, Kakashi arrived at Neji's doorstep.
Sigh
Kakashi never imagined he'd one day be making house calls to convince a shinobi to join the Chunin Exam.
But Neji was worth the effort. During the Akatsuki's attack, Neji and Kimimaro together had held off Shinno, who had opened the Eight Gates Release up to the seventh gate, the Gate of Shock. That feat alone was something many of Hidden Leaf's jonin couldn't achieve.
Knock knock
Kakashi knocked and waited quietly.
Moments later, the door opened, revealing Neji. But the instant Kakashi saw him, he frowned.
Neji was leaning on a crutch!
Puzzled, Kakashi asked, "What happened to your leg?"
Neji smiled lightly. "I got careless during training and took a fall. It's not a big deal—just a few weeks of rest, and I'll recover."
"This…"
Kakashi's expression froze, the invitation stuck in his throat.
Neji asked, "Kakashi-sensei, what brings you here?"
Kakashi sighed helplessly. "I was going to invite you to join this Chunin Exam, but… sigh, just focus on recovering at home!"
After seeing Kakashi off, Neji closed the door and let out a soft sigh.
He'd heard about the events unfolding in the village these past few days.
Geniuses from every village were gathering in Hidden Leaf for the Chunin Exam—a grand event he desperately wanted to join. But for the sake of keeping his Tenseigan safe, he had to restrain himself and stay low-key.
To give himself a legitimate reason to skip the Chunin Exam, he'd even gone so far as to injure his own leg.
"With Shinji and Yakumo there, it should be fine, right?"
Muttering to himself, Neji hobbled back into the house on his crutch.
…
After leaving the Hyuga Clan grounds, Kakashi's usually laid-back face was now clouded with worry.
Neji's unexpected injury left him at a loss. After a moment of thought, he mused, "Do I really have to ask Kimimaro to participate?"
Soon after, he arrived at Kimimaro's apartment and knocked on the door.
Once inside, Kakashi sat down, about to explain his purpose.
Cough cough cough
Before Kakashi could speak, Kimimaro broke into a violent coughing fit. As he coughed, he spat out a large amount of blood, staining the hand covering his mouth.
Kakashi knew Kimimaro suffered from a severe Bloodline Limit illness. Seeing this, his heart sank. "Kimimaro, has your condition worsened?"
Kimimaro replied faintly, "Mm."
"Then rest well at home. I'll talk to Lady Tsunade and see if we can arrange another full check-up to find a way to cure your Bloodline Limit illness."
With that, Kakashi stood and took his leave.
Leaving Kimimaro's apartment, Kakashi thought to himself, "Neji's injured, Kimimaro's ill—neither is fit for the Chunin Exam. Looks like I'll have to pin my hopes on Shinji!"
…
At the Elder's Office.
Koharu Utatane said, "Shinji, this situation is unusual and has exceeded our expectations. I'm afraid you, as First Chair, will have to participate in the Chunin Exam!"
Shinji replied casually, "Don't we have Sasuke and Yakumo?"
Koharu explained, "I'm not sure about Yakumo's situation, but Sasuke's in bad shape. He can't use his Mangekyo Sharingan for now, so he has no edge against the other villages' geniuses."
Shinji fell into thought.
He'd already heard that, despite his injuries, Sasuke was stubbornly insisting on joining the Chunin Exam.
If Sasuke could just stay put, it would save him some trouble. But now that Sasuke was determined to participate, and with people targeting him, Shinji clearly couldn't stand by and do nothing.
To ensure Sasuke's safety—and to secure the smooth awakening of his Rinnegan—Shinji began seriously considering joining the Chunin Exam.
While Shinji was still weighing his options, Koharu upped the stakes. "The Third promised you that if you win this Chunin Exam, you'll be made an Anbu squad captain. A twelve-year-old Anbu captain—there aren't many in Hidden Leaf's history who've achieved that."
Shinji replied coolly, "Not enough!"
"Not enough?" Koharu frowned. "What do you want, then?"
Shinji said, "On top of being an Anbu captain, I want the authority to handpick my own subordinates!"
Koharu rejected it outright. "Impossible! The Anbu is under the Hokage and the Elder Council's jurisdiction. The power to select personnel can't be handed over to you!"
"Then break the rules for me!"
With that, Shinji stood and walked out.