At Konoha's village gates, Might Guy, Neji, and their teammates were already waiting.
Aside from them, three other squads stood gathered.
Most of the faces were unfamiliar—
But one team stood out immediately.
Yakushi Kabuto, the bespectacled medic-nin, along with his teammates Akiton Ton and Kenmi Mei.
Souma's fingers tapped his pen lightly as he eyed them.
Akiton Ton possessed a chakra-absorbing technique…
If he could get a close look, or even obtain a sample—
Well.
That opportunity would never come.
That team would deliberately wash out by the second test so they could continue taking exams year after year.
Orochimaru's people always had their own timetable—
They greatly inflated the Chūnin Exam's attendance numbers.
Souma let his gaze slide away naturally, suppressing any hint of interest—
At the same time, across the square, Kabuto was studying him.
Their eyes never met, but their senses collided.
Kabuto's observation was subtle—so subtle that if Souma hadn't recently evolved his sensory ability, he might never have noticed.
And even so, noticing meant nothing.
Watching a fellow Konoha genin was not a crime.
Heh. Old fox.
Souma continued scanning the other teams.
"Souma! Over here! We're about to leave!"
Only one person in the world called out with that kind of sunshine:
Rock Lee.
Souma walked over to join Kakashi's group and exchanged greetings before stopping beside Lee and the others.
"Lee, you've gotten much stronger."
"To be acknowledged by you, Souma-kun—truly, my flames burn brighter than ever!"
"…"
Neji glanced sideways at Souma, expression caught between disbelief and resignation.
That guy had grown taller and sturdier since their last meeting.
His muscle tone looked unchanged on the surface, but Neji's Byakugan intuition told him otherwise:
Souma's physical power had improved tremendously.
Only Lee would take Souma's words at face value.
Mami and Tenten were chatting nearby.
Kasa, as always, remained silent when surrounded by too many people.
Souma and Lee fell into conversation.
Rock Lee was the first real friend Souma made after arriving in this world.
Even though they weren't in the same team, they crossed paths in training all the time.
When they finished catching up, the jōnin leaders had already submitted all the paperwork.
"Move out!"
"Yes!"
A chorus of voices echoed as dozens of figures flickered out of the village gate.
The Journey Begins
The Land of Wind was far.
Even for shinobi, reaching the reception post would take three to four days.
Barely half a day into the trip—
Souma noticed Kabuto gradually slowing down, and even from behind he could hear soft, controlled panting.
Only after another long run did Kakashi call for a break.
Souma leaned against a tree next to Tenten.
Kasa perched on a high branch to watch the surroundings.
A few seconds passed—
Then a silver-haired boy in glasses approached with a bright, excited smile.
"Hello! You're Yagyu Souma, right? My name is Yakushi Kabuto— I'm a huge admirer of yours."
He gave a polite bow.
Souma nearly jumped.
He quickly reached out to stop him.
"Please, senpai, there's no need for that!"
"No—truly! Your improvements to the Soldier Pills have helped us ordinary genin immensely. And your training tips—so many of us benefited. You've been incredibly generous…"
Kabuto continued rambling, voice filled with earnest gratitude.
Souma blinked, flustered, stumbling as he deflected the praise with humble excuses.
After a brief chat, Kabuto left perfectly satisfied—
Looking every bit like a starstruck fan whose idol had signed his poster.
If this were an acting competition, Kabuto would score a perfect 100.
Anything less would be an insult to the man's performance skills.
If Souma didn't know Kabuto's real identity, he might actually believe the guy was just an average genin with a harmless smile.
Tenten exhaled softly.
"Souma… I didn't realize your soldier pill idea really meant that much to ordinary shinobi."
Souma glanced at her.
Tenten was technically a civilian by birth, but her family ran a highly successful weapon business.
In terms of wealth, she easily ranked among the upper class of Konoha.
And wealth changed everything.
For the first time, she understood the economic hardships of regular genin—
All thanks to Kabuto's little speech.
Souma sighed.
"Most people in this world are ordinary. That's why I want to create techniques they can actually learn."
"…Yeah."
Tenten's voice softened.
She looked at him with new understanding—almost admiration.
His goal wasn't ambition.
It wasn't power.
It wasn't prestigious.
It was something larger.
Above them, within earshot, three jōnin were also listening:
Kakashi,
Guy,
and Kabuto.
Kakashi and Guy exchanged faint smiles—they already knew Souma's character.
Kabuto…
His reaction was far stranger.
He sat beneath a tree, eyes half-closed, staring up through the leaves.
For ordinary people?
So there truly exist idiots with such naïve dreams.
Kabuto's mood soured instantly.
Souma noticed the sudden dip—
But trying to read Kabuto's mind was a fool's errand.
He simply let it go.
After half an hour of rest, they resumed their journey.
Kabuto never approached again, blending back into obscurity so naturally that no one suspected him of anything.
Only Souma was keeping a distant, quiet watch.
Kabuto was a masterpiece-class actor—
In many ways, the perfect support unit.
Shame he belonged to Orochimaru.
Reaching the Land of Rivers
By the next day, they crossed into River Country.
All along the way, Souma continued observing, sensing, and tracking the presence of natural energy.
The place was like Amegakure—war-scarred, chaotic, fractured.
A perfect fallback option.
If the future became truly dangerous, Souma could consider creating an escape route here.
Danzō hadn't acted yet, but his ambition was endless.
Hiruzen had limits.
Danzō did not.
And outside Konoha, the danger from Akatsuki only grew.
So the River Country was a last resort—
Not a plan.
Souma exhaled slowly.
The air was drying.
The humidity was fading.
They were close to the Land of Wind.
A quick pulse of sensory chakra—
He detected faint chakra signatures up ahead.
"Kakashi-sensei," Souma said quietly, "shinobi ahead."
Kakashi nodded.
"Everyone, stay sharp. We're entering the Wind Country."
Guy turned his head.
"Understood!"
Neji activated his Byakugan instantly.
"Three signatures ahead—looks like a patrol unit."
"Doesn't seem hostile," Kakashi said.
Which meant no ambush.
Moments later, the two groups met—
A Suna patrol, sent by the Kazekage himself, had arrived to escort them the rest of the way.
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