"Kai, what are you doing?" Jiraiya exclaimed in alarm, preparing to leap down to rescue Naruto. But Kai stopped him.
"Don't worry," Kai said calmly. "Naruto has the Nine-Tails inside him—there's no way it would let him die so easily. Only in the most desperate situations can his greatest potential be unleashed. Don't underestimate Minato's child."
Jiraiya's initial panic quickly subsided as he realized that while the method was dangerous, it was undeniably the most effective approach. He nodded in understanding.
After more than ten seconds, a tremendous noise erupted from the bottom of the cliff.
Jiraiya's face showed surprise as he muttered, "With that much commotion, it must be Gamahiro or Gamaken."
Kai smiled but remained silent.
Suddenly, an enormous toad leaped into view, its massive form blotting out the sky.
Seeing the colossal toad, Jiraiya's expression froze in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me! He summoned Gamabunta!"
"I told you, Jiraiya—don't underestimate Naruto," Kai said casually.
"Ahaha!" Naruto shouted excitedly from atop Gamabunta's head. "Uncle! Pervy Sage! Look! I did it! I really did it!"
Gamabunta, who had initially planned to show off in front of Naruto, suddenly spotted Kai nearby. His entire body shuddered, and the pipe fell from his mouth as he said awkwardly, "Oh... it's Big Brother Kai."
Hearing Gamabunta's address, Kai couldn't help but smile.
Years ago on the battlefields of the Land of Lightning, Minato had frequently summoned Gamabunta for combat. During their first meeting, Gamabunta had arrogantly demanded that Kai address him as "Boss Gamabunta" in the future. Instead, Kai had thoroughly beaten him with Wood Release, which quickly humbled the giant toad. Kai had then forced Gamabunta to call him "Big Brother," threatening to beat him up every time they met if he refused. Left with no choice, Gamabunta had reluctantly submitted.
"Gamabunta, it's been a while," Kai said mildly.
"Jiraiya, what do you want with me?" Gamabunta turned his gaze to Jiraiya with obvious displeasure. How dare he summon him in front of Kai!
Jiraiya quickly shook his head. "I didn't summon you this time—it was that kid on your head. He's Minato's child." He pointed to Naruto standing on Gamabunta's head.
Minato's child?
Gamabunta immediately thought of the golden-haired ninja with whom he'd shared perfect combat synchronization. His eyes rolled at an odd angle to look at Naruto on his head. "Kid, what's your name? Back in the day, Minato called me Boss Gamabunta. You can call me that too."
In Kai's presence, Gamabunta didn't dare force Naruto to call him "Boss." If he angered Kai, he'd be the one to suffer. Though he was just a toad, Gamabunta wasn't stupid.
"Yes, Boss Gamabunta! I'm Uzumaki Naruto. Please take care of me!" Naruto replied enthusiastically, thrilled to follow in his father's footsteps.
"Alright, Gamabunta, you can return to Mount Myōboku now. I still need to teach Naruto some jutsu," Kai said.
Hearing Kai's words, Gamabunta looked as if he'd been granted a reprieve. Without even saying goodbye, he vanished in a puff of smoke with a loud poof.
Looking at Naruto, who was still beaming with excitement, Kai smiled. "Good, Naruto. You've pretty much mastered the Summoning Technique. Now I'm going to teach you the Rasengan, but this jutsu isn't as simple as you think."
"Don't worry, Uncle! I'll definitely learn it!" Naruto declared with determination.
Perhaps like the Multi Shadow Clone Technique, the Rasengan seemed tailor-made for Naruto. In just over a week, he had successfully mastered it. Though he needed shadow clones to perform it, his progress was already impressive.
"Alright, Naruto. Your special training is complete. Good luck in the final Chūnin exam," Kai said with a smile.
Naruto responded with complete seriousness: "Don't worry, Uncle! Pervy Sage! I'll definitely pass the Chūnin exam and become a chūnin!"
Looking at Naruto, Kai suddenly remembered something—Naruto never actually passed the Chūnin exam, remaining a genin right up until the final battle. How pitiful.
At the final Chūnin exam venue, the daimyōs of both the Land of Fire and Land of Wind sat on the elevated platform.
Kai glanced at the Fourth Kazekage sitting beside the Third Hokage, his eyes gleaming with amusement. Orochimaru really has some nerve, showing up here so brazenly. If Kai weren't aware of the truth, he probably wouldn't have paid attention to such a "minor character" as the Fourth Kazekage.
But the Third Hokage—he truly had grown old. He couldn't even recognize his most prized disciple sitting right beside him.
When Kai's gaze fell on him, Orochimaru immediately felt like he was sitting on pins and needles. Only when Kai looked away did he breathe a sigh of relief, his eyes showing a mixture of fear and suspicion. Has he discovered me?
Glancing at the Third Hokage beside him, Orochimaru's eyes flashed with madness. Sarutobi-sensei, you've grown so old and frail. Let me kill you! Only then can I sever all my remaining bonds!
Kai shifted his attention to the genin gathered before him, scanning the group before speaking calmly: "Alright, the final genin exam officially begins."
Suddenly, countless white feathers began falling from the sky above the exam venue. The spectators in the stands fell into slumber one by one, leaving only the jōnin and a few individuals like Naruto still conscious.
"Temple of Nirvana Technique... Kabuto, you're quite bold indeed."
After all, Kai was the chief examiner for this Chūnin exam. Though he didn't particularly care, he wouldn't ignore such behavior either.
His Kagura Mind's Eye instantly expanded, immediately revealing Kabuto's location.
Kabuto was frantically fleeing toward the outskirts of Konoha Village. He knew all too well how terrifying Kai was—despite his elite jōnin-level abilities, he didn't dare entertain even the slightest thought of confronting Kai.
However, Kabuto had severely underestimated Kai's power.
No... he simply couldn't comprehend the level of strength Kai possessed!
Suddenly, Kabuto's form froze in place, terror filling his eyes as Kai's mocking voice reached his ears: "Escape? Do you really think you can get away?"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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