The morning sun casted long shadows across the Academy building as I stood before the entrance, my eyes surveying the structure that would host the Chunin Exams. Hiro and Miki flanked me—Hiro barely containing his excitement, Miki maintaining her calm demeanor despite the tension I could sense beneath.
"Listen carefully," I said, letting that familiar edge creep into my voice that always made them straighten up. "No matter what happens in there, no matter how difficult things get, you don't quit. You don't give up. If you do, this whole thing becomes meaningless."
Hiro nodded rapidly, his enthusiasm undimmed but now focused. "Right! We'll give it everything we've got!"
Miki simply gave a firm nod, and I could see the determination in her focused expression. Good. They both understood what was at stake.
"Good. Let's go."
We stepped through the entrance, and immediately the bustling energy hit us. The corridors were packed with genin from various villages, creating a wall of noise and nervous energy. The sheer number of candidates was more than I'd expected.
"Whoa!" Hiro couldn't contain himself, his voice echoing through the hallway. "Look at all these people! There must be hundreds!"
I noticed the stares his outburst drew—some curious, others calculating. Several candidates were already sizing us up.
"Such unnecessary volume," came a cold, measured voice from nearby.
I turned my attention to the speaker—a young man with long dark hair tied back and distinctive pale eyes that seemed to look right through you. The Hidden Leaf symbol on his forehead protector and those unmistakable white eyes marked him clearly. Beside him walked a girl with brown hair in twin buns, weapons pouches carefully arranged across her outfit.
Neji Hyuga. The prodigy of the branch family.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Hiro bristled, taking a step forward, his pride obviously stung.
"Hiro, wait—" Miki started, but he was already worked up.
"You got something to say about how I talk? Maybe you want to back it up?"
Neji barely spared him a glance, his expression one of complete indifference. "There is no point in wasting energy on meaningless displays. Everything has already been decided by fate. Your enthusiasm changes nothing."
Hiro's fists clenched, but he calmed down instantly as he noticed my gaze at him.
But Neji's attention had already shifted away from Hiro entirely, those pale eyes now studying me with the calculating gaze of someone accustomed to reading opponents. I could see him trying to assess our team dynamic, wondering about the quiet authority that made both Hiro and Miki defer to my judgment.
I met his stare without flinching, letting him look. There was something almost sad about the cold certainty in those eyes.
"You seem different from your teammate," Neji observed, his voice carrying that characteristic Hyuga composure. "But it makes no difference. People cannot escape what they are born to be. The weak will always be weak, no matter how they struggle against their destiny."
A slight smile tugged at my lips. "Destiny, huh?" I kept my voice conversational, almost friendly. "That's an interesting way to look at things. Tell me, if everything is already decided, why bother training at all? Why take these exams? Shouldn't your predetermined fate just... take care of itself?"
His eyes narrowed slightly, the first crack in his composed facade. "These exams simply reveal what was always true. The naturally gifted will rise, the failures will fall. It is the way of all things."
"The way of all things," I repeated thoughtfully. "So when you succeed, it's because you were born superior. And when others fail, it's because they were born inferior." I tilted my head slightly. "Must be convenient, having such a tidy explanation for everything. Takes all the pressure off, doesn't it?"
The girl beside him—Tenten—shifted uncomfortably, clearly sensing the change in atmosphere.
"You understand nothing," Neji said, his voice gaining an edge. "You know nothing of the burden of being born into—"
"Into what? One of the most powerful clans in the Hidden Leaf?" I interrupted gently. "Born with one of the most feared bloodline limits in the shinobi world? You're right, that does sound like a terrible burden."
His composure cracked further, hands tightening at his sides. "The branch family serves the main family. That is our fate. That is—"
"Your choice," I said simply. "You could choose to see it differently. But I guess it's easier to blame destiny than take responsibility for changing things."
The veins around Neji's eyes began to bulge as his Byakugan threatened to activate involuntarily. I'd found the exact pressure point I was looking for.
"You dare speak of things you cannot comprehend—"
"DYNAMIC ENTRY!"
A green blur descended from above like a meteor, landing directly between us with enough force to crack the floor tiles. When the dust settled, Might Gai stood there in his signature pose, one hand on his hip, the other extended dramatically. His bowl cut was somehow still perfectly styled despite the dramatic entrance.
"Neji, my youthful student!" Gai's voice boomed with its characteristic enthusiasm, though I caught the note of warning underneath. "The flames of your youth are burning brightly, but you must not let them consume your judgment! A true shinobi masters his emotions, not the other way around!"
Neji's Byakugan deactivated as he straightened, though his jaw remained tight. "Gai-sensei, this person was—"
"Was testing your composure, and you nearly failed!" Gai interrupted, spinning to face me with an apologetic—yet somehow still energetic—bow. "Please accept my sincere apologies for my student's behavior! The passionate flames of youth sometimes burn without proper direction!"
I couldn't help but grin at that. "No harm done. Youth should burn hot, right? That's what makes it youth."
Gai's eyes practically sparkled with approval as he straightened up. "Exactly! You understand the true spirit of youth!" He clapped me on the shoulder with enough force to stagger most people. "The youthful energy that drives us to improve ourselves, to face challenges head-on! That is the beautiful springtime of our lives!"
As Gai began leading his team away, I caught Neji looking back at me. Good. I could see the questions in his eyes, the slight crack in his fatalistic worldview. Doubt was a powerful weapon when used correctly.
Tenten tugged at Neji's sleeve. "Come on, we need to find Lee and get ready."
"Hn" Neji grunted, but I could see him glancing back one more time as they disappeared into the crowd.
Miki was quiet for a moment, then shook her head with what might have been amusement. "You have a talent for finding people's weak spots."
I shrugged. Information was power, and understanding your opponents' psychological states was just as important as knowing their jutsu. "Come on. We need to find the examination room."
We made our way through the building until we finally reached the correct floor and found ourselves standing before the doors that would lead to the first stage. The moment we entered, I was struck by the sheer number of candidates. The room was massive, yet still felt crowded with genin from every corner of the shinobi world.
The atmosphere was electric with tension. Conversations buzzed constantly—nervous chatter, boastful declarations, whispered strategies. Natural alliances had formed along village lines, creating invisible boundaries throughout the space. As we moved deeper into the room, I noticed the looks we were attracting. Takigakure wasn't exactly a major player, which made us interesting but not immediately threatening.
We found a spot near one of the walls where we could observe without being boxed in. Hiro was trying to take in everything at once while Miki cataloged potential threats with her usual methodical approach. I was doing the same when I heard heavy footsteps approaching from behind.
"You're in our spot."
I turned to see a figure wrapped in bandages, wild hair framing what little was visible of his face. His teammates stood a few feet back—a large shinobi with metal arm guards and a girl with bells woven into her dark hair. Sound Village, based on their forehead protectors.
"Your spot?" I asked mildly, not moving from where I stood. "I don't see any names carved here."
The bandaged one—who had to be Dosu Kinuta—stepped closer, and I could sense the device hidden beneath his wrappings. "Maybe you didn't hear me clearly"
Around us, other conversations began to die down as people noticed the brewing confrontation. This wasn't random—this was territorial display, the kind of thing that happened when predators tested the hierarchy.
"I heard you just fine," I replied, keeping my tone calm and reasonable. "I'm just not seeing any reason to care about your claim."
Dosu's posture shifted, and I could tell he was preparing to make his move. "You minor village shinobis never learn respect until someone teaches it to you."
His hand moved faster than most genin could track, the sound amplifier on his right arm gleaming as he prepared to grab me. The Resonating Echo Drill would be devastating to most opponents.
But I was ready.
My fist met his chest before his technique could activate, and I let a controlled burst of repulsion force flow through the strike. Not enough to kill, but certainly enough to make a statement.
Dosu's eyes went wide with shock as the invisible energy sent him flying across the room. He hit the far wall with a crack that made everyone wince before sliding down to the floor, gasping and struggling to catch his breath.
The entire room fell silent.
Every conversation stopped. Every eye turned toward our corner. The casual atmosphere that had filled the space moments before was gone, replaced by the kind of tension that made people reassess everything they thought they knew.
Zaku and Kin looked between their teammate and me, clearly calculating whether revenge was worth the risk. Smart of them to stay put.
I didn't say anything. The message was clear enough.
Across the room, the Konoha rookies had been scattered in their typical formations when the sound of impact against stone made every head turn.
Naruto's eyes went wide as he watched the bandaged Sound ninja struggle to get back to his feet.
"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered, straightening slightly from his usual slouch.
"Did you see how fast that was?" Sakura observed, her analytical mind automatically assessing what she'd witnessed. "The Sound nin didn't even have time to react."
Sasuke's expression darkened as he stared at the aftermath.
"Who is that guy?" Ino asked, noticing how several people were now giving the Takigakure team a much wider berth.
"Naruto mentioned running into someone from Takigakure yesterday," Shikamaru said, his tactical mind already working. "Guess this is him."
"Yeah, that's Kenji!" Naruto confirmed, though his usual enthusiasm was notably dampened. "He seemed totally different yesterday though. Way more friendly."
"You actually talked to him?" Kiba asked, Akamaru whimpering softly from inside his jacket.
Naruto nodded "We had this huge ramen eating contest. He was really cool about it too."
Choji looked up from his chips with genuine interest. "Ramen eating contest? Really?"
"It was awesome!" Some of Naruto's excitement returned. "But seeing him now..."
"Sounds like a drag either way," Shikamaru said with a yawn.
Hinata activated her Byakugan briefly, trying to get a read on the situation. "His chakra feels... unusual."
"What do you mean?" Sakura asked quietly.
"I'm not sure exactly," Hinata murmured. "There's something I can't quite identify about it."
Sasuke's hands clenched slightly. Yesterday, he saw him standing up to Sand ninja and knowing pressure point techniques. Now seeing him in action, the casual way he'd handled that Sound nin, it irritated him that someone from a minor village was drawing this kind of power.
"Sixteen bowls?" Choji asked again, clearly stuck on the important details.
"I know, right?" Naruto grinned, momentarily forgetting the current tension. "Thought I'd finally found someone who could keep up with my eating!"
"And now he's throwing people into walls," Ino said dryly. "What a lovely personality combination."
None of them could quite reconcile the friendly ramen competitor Naruto described with the cold efficiency they'd just witnessed. It left them all with the same uncomfortable question: What other monsters did this chunin exams they are gonna face that they hadn't seen yet?
. . .
Read ahead /Opeler