Chapter 139: The Strongest Chūnin Trait
"Are we even at the Chūnin Exams?" A dejected Asuma Sarutobi asked after a moment of silence.
"I think so," Shizune said uncertainly.
"He won!" Kurenai Yuhi jumped up and down in excitement, as if she had won the match herself.
"Both Hoshikawa -senpai and Guy-senpai are monsters!" Shisui Uchiha said with admiration. He couldn't help but wonder what would happen if he were to fight Might Guy with five gates open. Genjutsu wouldn't work, and he couldn't block his taijutsu or ninjutsu. He would most likely suffer a devastating defeat. His only chance of winning would be to use genjutsu on Guy before he activated the Eight Inner Gates.
And what if he had to fight Hoshikawa ? Shisui shook his head. As he was now, he had no chance at all. The one thing he was good at, genjutsu, Hoshikawa was also highly skilled in.
Kakashi Hatake felt a strange sense of relief. He wondered if he should go thank Might Guy for sparing him. He was glad that Guy never used the Eight Inner Gates during their training sessions. But the fact that Hoshikawa could beat Guy in a taijutsu battle was unbelievable. Kakashi had watched the entire match. Hoshikawa had only used taijutsu. Even his Chidori Stream was used as a taijutsu, primarily for defense.
"So... amazing..." Rin Nohara murmured, lost in thought. The matches today had shocked her deeply. Though they were all genin, Hoshikawa and Guy had reached a level of power that was completely beyond her comprehension. So this is what real geniuses are like.
"Damn it!" Obito Uchiha's expression was grim. On one hand, Rin's attitude had changed. On the other hand, he realized that Hoshikawa had left him far behind. With such power, could his three-tomoe Sharingan even beat him? No matter how strong the three-tomoe Sharingan was, it still had its limits.
Argh! Obito fell into despair, and his chakra aura wavered uncontrollably.
"Obito?" Rin noticed his strange behavior. "What's wrong? Are you still hurt?"
"I... I'm fine." Obito looked at her concerned face and immediately shook his head. His aura returned to normal.
After a moment of silence, the stands erupted with cheers. Both the ninjas and villagers felt that their time had been well spent. They had witnessed the birth of a new generation of geniuses. It was very likely that they would have a lasting impact on Konoha for the next ten, twenty, or even more years.
"These youngsters are truly incredible," Minato Namikaze said with a smile.
"They really are," Sakumo Hatake agreed. "I feel like it's only a matter of a few years until the youth take over."
"You're not even old yet. Why are you talking like you're about to retire?" Kushina Uzumaki asked with a laugh.
"I can't help it," Minato said with a shake of his head. "They performed so well that I can't find anything to critique."
"They still have a long way to go," Tsunade said with a cough.
"Lady Tsunade, you can go ahead and smile," Kushina said, noticing her lips curling up.
"It was just okay," Tsunade said, waving her hand as if she didn't care. "That final Mystical Palm Technique was about half of my strength."
Now you're being humble? Kushina and Minato exchanged glances and both laughed.
Tsunade looked up at Hoshikawa in the center of the arena. Although he hadn't used any of the jutsu she had taught him before, that one winning punch was enough. After all, the Mystical Palm Technique was one of her signature moves. But Tsunade was a bit confused. When did his Mystical Palm Technique get so powerful? Then again, she didn't know much about Hoshikawa . The Chūnin Exams had been full of pleasant surprises for her.
This kid has a lot more to explore, Tsunade thought to herself.
On the high platform not far away.
"Are these really genin?" Jiraiya asked with a jab. He wasn't this strong when he had graduated. To be more accurate, the reason he became a top-tier jōnin was because he had accidentally stumbled upon Mount Myōboku.
"What a flourishing time for the village!" Hiruzen Sarutobi said, his face filled with a smile. He thought of his sensei, Tobirama Senju. When he was Hokage, there were also many geniuses, and they even formed a bodyguards team for the Second Hokage. Hiruzen was one of them. This generation of Hoshikawa and the others had a similar vibe to their generation. Hiruzen felt a surge of ambition. He knew he could lead Konoha to a new height!
"Lord Hokage," Inoichi Yamanaka said, walking up to him and handing him a scroll. "This is the ranking for this year's Chūnin Exams."
"Let's promote the top fifteen," Hiruzen said after glancing at the scroll.
"Yes," Inoichi said, immediately understanding his meaning. The top fifteen would be promoted, and the rest of the genin would have to try again next time.
"Go ask about Guy's condition," Hiruzen said, noticing that Hoshikawa was still healing him. "Announce the list of new chūnin after you're sure he's okay." He was now very interested in Might Guy. Everyone could see his great potential. As long as he mastered the Eight Inner Gates, he would surely become an elite jōnin. The only problem was his personality. Usually, Hiruzen liked to put geniuses in the Anbu to train them, but... Guy? He probably shouldn't do that to the Anbu.
"Yes," Inoichi said, taking the scroll and returning to the center of the arena.
Hoshikawa was kneeling in front of Might Guy, using the Mystical Palm Technique. The side effects of the Eight Inner Gates were indeed strong, and his body had suffered a lot of damage, but it was still within an acceptable range. In this regard, Might Guy was much stronger than Rock Lee.
[D-Rank Trait 'Youth Without Regrets' effect has been upgraded.]
[Taijutsu talent has been increased by 100% on top of the original.]
Just then, the trait system's notification appeared. Hoshikawa was not surprised at all. He was more excited about the effect of the B-Rank Trait: Strongest Chūnin.
"Hoshikawa , how is Guy?" Inoichi asked, walking up to him.
"He's fine," Hoshikawa said, putting his hands down. "He'll just need some time to rest."
"Alright," Inoichi said with a nod, then shouted, "I will now announce the ninjas who have passed this year's Chūnin Exams!"
Asuma Sarutobi and Rin Nohara quickly walked forward.
"First place, Hoshikawa !" Inoichi's voice was drowned out by the huge cheers from the crowd. Power and talent would always be celebrated.
"Hoshikawa , you're a celebrity in Konoha now!" Asuma said with an envious look. The Hoshikawa he saw now was the person he had always wanted to be. He had always wanted to get out from under Hiruzen's shadow, and if he had taken first place like Hoshikawa did, he probably could have. But... he wasn't him.
"Hoshikawa has always been famous!" Kurenai Yuhi said proudly.
Rin looked at Hoshikawa , lost in thought. He wasn't just powerful; he was also very handsome.
"Second place, Might Guy!" Inoichi waited for more than ten seconds before continuing.
"It's a shame Guy is unconscious..." Asuma said, but before he could finish, he saw Might Duy crying. He closed his mouth and decided not to say the rest. It was better that he was unconscious; at least he wouldn't have to witness anything strange.
Name after name was announced, until the fifteenth name was called.
"...The fifteen genin above are officially chūnin starting today!" Inoichi paused and said, "Now, please welcome the Hokage for his speech!"
Again? Hoshikawa 's mouth twitched.
"Why does he have so much to say?" Asuma asked, a little annoyed.
Kakashi Hatake subconsciously nodded, but he quickly realized his mistake and stood there with a blank expression. Shizune and Rin naturally didn't dare to complain.
Hoshikawa glanced at Hiruzen on the high platform and opened his trait system. With Inoichi's announcement, he had gained a new trait.
[C-Rank Trait: First in Chūnin Exams.]
[Trigger Condition: Finish in first place in the Chūnin Exams.]
[Effect: Intelligence is increased by 100% on top of the original.]
Intelligence? Hoshikawa was pensive. Intelligence referred to his ability to comprehend things. This included ninjutsu. With this increase in intelligence, the most direct result would be a reduction in the time it took to learn ninjutsu. All in all, it was a good trait.
Of course, the main point was still the B-Rank Trait: Strongest Chūnin. Hoshikawa made a mental choice to synthesize it.
[B-Rank Trait: Strongest Chūnin.]
[Trigger Condition: Synthesized from the C-Rank trait 'First in Chūnin Exams,' the C-Rank trait 'Perceptive Chūnin,' and the C-Rank trait 'Five Elements Chūnin.']
[Effect: Chakra extraction speed is increased by 150%, and chakra capacity is increased by 100% on top of the original.]
[Note: Can be synthesized with the B-Rank trait 'Seven Elements Special Jōnin' and the B-Rank trait 'Perceptive Special Jōnin' to create the A-Rank trait 'All-Purpose Jōnin.']
The effect was an upgrade from his previous C-Rank Trait: Genius Genin. It was simple, direct, and very useful. Especially the chakra capacity part. This was a game-changer.
The upgrade path, however, was a bit ridiculous. The B-Rank Trait: Perceptive Special Jōnin was fine. Hoshikawa had already planned to learn more perceptive ninjutsu after Rin's attack. But the B-Rank Trait: Seven Elements Special Jōnin would be a huge time sink. The seven elements were Lightning, Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Yin, and Yang. He currently only had the Lightning Release Special Jōnin, Genjutsu Special Jōnin, and Medical Special Jōnin traits, which meant he was missing four. He was also thankful that the trait system's standards weren't too strict. It considered his Genjutsu Special Jōnin trait as an Yin Release Special Jōnin trait and his Medical Special Jōnin trait as a Yang Release Special Jōnin trait.
There was no doubt that he had a long way to go. But he was young, and he could take his time.
"...The Chūnin Exams have now officially come to a successful end!" Hiruzen Sarutobi babbled for an hour before finally finishing his speech.
"Hoshikawa came in first place, so he has to treat us!" Asuma Sarutobi said immediately.
"No problem," Hoshikawa said, coming back to reality. "What do you want to eat?"
"Barbecue, of course!" Asuma said without hesitation. "I can't beat you, but I can at least make you pay for a meal, right?"
"Deal," Hoshikawa said. "But we have to wait until Guy wakes up. For now, everyone's tired, so let's all go home and rest."
After they all went their separate ways, Obito Uchiha walked down the street, feeling lost. Just then, a familiar voice called out to him.
"Obito, is something bothering you? You can tell your grandma about it."
(End of chapter)
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