The moon hung bright and the stars pricked the sky.
At the Chūnin Exam arena, the genin who had assembled the Heaven-and-Earth scrolls stood in formation on the fighting field, waiting for the referees to announce the start of the third round. Six teams were listed, but only sixteen contestants remained—two members of the Akadō (Sound) team could not continue to the third round.
On the field stood Team Seventh (Naruto's team), Team Eight with Hinata, Team Three with Neji, Team Ten led by Shikamaru, the Sand team headed by Gaara, and the lone Akadō shinobi. Many teams had already been eliminated in the Forest of Death—some squads had been wiped out entirely.
"There aren't many people left…" Sakura felt the heavy atmosphere pressing on her. She scanned the faces around her; most were familiar. Seventh Team had tracked down the missing Mist squad, but an odd incident had followed: the Mist squad was engaged in conflict with Gaara's team, and Sasuke had insisted on fighting them to fulfill the promise he'd made to Ayato. After a brief clash the two groups disengaged, the Mist squad slipped away, and then—astonishingly—declared themselves forfeited. Seventh Team hadn't been able to punish them.
"Gaara, you interfered with my chance to settle that promise. Remember me." Sasuke kept his hands in his pockets and shot Gaara a cold glare. The thought of Ayato's mocking look for failing the task stung him.
Gaara folded his arms, the gourd at his back emitting a faint tremor. He regarded Sasuke without expression. "Name yourself."
"Sasuke Uchiha," Sasuke replied with icy pride.
"I'll remember you," Gaara said coolly.
Naruto bounced between them, grinning and thrusting his thumb at himself. "Hey! Remember me! I'm Naruto Uzumaki—I'm gonna be Hokage!"
"Who cares," Kankuro sneered, throwing a contemptuous glance at Naruto.
Temari stepped forward, hand resting on her giant iron fan, and fixed Sakura with a challenging look. "You—who punched me before—what's your name? I'll beat you in the next round."
Sakura blinked, surprised she'd even been remembered. "I—I'm Sakura Haruno," she answered, lost in the small thrill of being noticed.
Naruto cast a jealous look at how everyone focused on Sasuke and Sakura while he was ignored. "What? Why nobody pays attention to me? I'm gonna get my moment!"
Naruto bristled and shouted, voice ringing with youthful conviction, "My teacher is Ayato! I've been trained by him—so just bring it on! I'll be a Chūnin before anyone!"
A heavy silence fell. Every eye in the arena turned to Naruto. He smiled smugly at the attention—this was the effect he craved. Sasuke muttered under his breath, "What an idiot," while Sakura shot Naruto an annoyed glare.
Nobody else paid much mind to the talk of Ayato until Kankuro spat toward Naruto, "If your teacher is that Ayato, don't embarrass us. Don't make him look bad."
Temari tossed a bill in Naruto's face as she left, "Tell Ayato he owes the Sand Village. He ate at our inn and left a bill."
Naruto peered at the numbers on it, eyes growing comically wide. "Zero—zero—zero—" He started counting zeros with panicked barking laughter, "How many bowls of ramen is that?! Ayato owes so much money?!"
The announcer, Moonlight Gales, coughed and wheezed, voice hoarse. "Cough—first match: Tennin vs. Temari." Those not called were told to wait upstairs.
Soon the ground was left with only Temari, Tennin, and the exhausted referee; other teams moved to the balcony to watch. On the balcony, Mei Terumi glanced down at the match and inwardly fretted about the missing Mist teams. Their three squads were supposed to be strong—why were they gone? Had Ayato cheated?
"Lady Mei, I've received our intel." Ao slid closer and whispered in Mei's ear. "The Mist squads were defeated by Gaara's team. Gaara was about to finish them, but Seventh Team intervened and rescued the Mist squad. It seems unlikely to be a coincidence—perhaps Ayato ordered Seventh Team to help the Mist teams so as to please you."
Mei's brow smoothed. She had been ready to scold Ayato; the new information calmed her. If Ayato had indeed arranged for Seventh Team to help the Mist, then maybe he'd been trying to make amends for upsetting her earlier. The idea made her strangely pleased—this brash, infuriating man had at least considered her feelings.
"Are you certain?" Mei asked, curious.
Ao nodded respectfully. "Ayato might not apologize face-to-face, but his actions—sending the students—could be his way of making it right. That shows he holds you in regard."
Mei almost smiled at the thought. Ayato, thoughtless as he seemed, had taken the trouble to avoid humiliating the entire Mist Village—so perhaps his antics had purpose beneath the irritation.
On the field, TenTen had already been defeated by Temari; the first match ended quickly.
High above, a figure watched with a predator's gaze—someone who had reasons to covet Ayato's power. Hidden beneath the guise of the Fourth Kazekage, a familiar presence narrowed his eyes at Sasuke Uchiha: the child was Ayato's pupil. The disguised figure's lips curved with a hungry smile.
"Among these genin, there is one who draws my attention: Sasuke Uchiha," the masked observer murmured. "He will be useful."
Naruto's squadmates in the stands—Asuma at his post—watched Ayato disappear briefly and reappear beside Yūhi, chomping on a bag of chips. Ayato gave Yūhi a lazy nod. "Hey, Yūhi."
Yūhi crossed her arms, stamping out her earlier glumness.
Mei, sitting near the leaders, caught the same glance the masked man gave Ayato. The look held more than rivalry—it had an edge of obsession. Mei felt something like a chill. The Kazekage's (or rather, the disguised presence's) interest in Ayato was oddly intimate—more than mere detection of a rival's ability. Mei's heart skipped: could a powerful lord be enamored with him? The thought made her both stunned and a little amused.
Ayato munched on a chip and surveyed the matches below. "If you see us act in a boring way, don't worry. Naruto's got the drama side covered—he always does."
Down below, Naruto prepared himself, determined to perform spectacularly. He wanted Ayato's approval and the spotlight—he would not let the chance slip.
Sasuke stood silent and watchful, resolved and coiled like a spring. He felt Ayato's presence like a tether—something to live up to, something that pushed him harder than any vow to vengeance alone.
The third round had begun. Stakes were higher now, and subtle currents—alliances, jealousies, ambitions—swirled under the bright moonlight above the arena.
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/c/MugiwaraTL