Location: Konoha Academy Hall – Chūnin Exam Site
Time: Day One – Written Exam
---
Silence spread like fog in the exam hall.
Rows of shinobi—rookies, wanderers, prodigies—sat in tense rows, ink pens trembling above answer sheets.
The proctors at the front didn't speak. They didn't need to. Their chakra was enough. Sharp. Suppressive. Hungry.
I sat in the middle row, seat 45. Hood down. Eyes half-lidded. The name on my sheet said "Kazuya Renga."
But the fire in my veins belonged to two clans, and one burned with memory.
---
> [System Passives Engaged – "Battle Memory Echo"]
Analyzing chakra flow of proctors… calculating visual patterns… predicting movement zones.
[Enhancement Assist: Exam Adaptation Mode Activated]
The questions were ridiculous. Not even jōnin-level—it was like trying to guess the mission intel of a future war. The real exam was the pressure, the cheating detection, the mental edge.
Good.
That's where I thrived.
I let my hand hover over the paper, not to write, but to mimic the motions of the boy next to me.
His pencil strokes, adjusted every few seconds, were tied to micro-movements—answer cues from a distant teammate.
With the system guiding my mimicry, I matched it.
Word for word.
Line for line.
> [Memory Sync: 92% Accuracy]
> Instinct tracking successful.
Chakra masking: undetected.
---
Then I felt it.
Someone watching me.
Not a proctor.
Someone else.
A few rows ahead—on the left.
Black hair. Cold eyes. The faintest swirl of red chakra in his core.
> Sasuke Uchiha.
He was staring over his shoulder—at me.
---
He didn't recognize me. Couldn't. Not like this.
But he felt something.
A twitch in his brow. The slightest narrowing of his eyes.
> Your blood knows me, even if your mind doesn't.
---
Behind him, a blonde idiot was chewing his pencil and whispering under his breath.
> "Stupid test. What is this, algebra no jutsu?"
Naruto Uzumaki. Loud. Unfocused. Radiating unfiltered chakra.
The girl to his right—Sakura Haruno—was already ten questions in, flipping through her mental library like a seasoned tactician.
A strange trio. But… not without potential.
> [Observation Bonus: Key Targets Detected]
🔹 Uzumaki, Naruto – Jinchūriki (Status: Unknown to self)
🔹 Uchiha, Sasuke – Survivor (Status: Sharingan Unstable)
🔹 Haruno, Sakura – Cognitive Focus Enhanced (Status: Support Role Prime)
---
Thirty minutes passed.
Then, the proctor—Morino Ibiki—stood, his scars more intimidating than any jutsu.
> "Final question. One answer. One chance."
> "If you answer wrong… you and your team fail."
People whispered. One girl from Rain panicked. Another from Sound broke his pencil in half.
I said nothing.
I remembered my parents' letter. Their words:
> "Forge something new. From fire and memory."
I raised my hand before anyone else.
> "I'll take the question."
Ibiki raised an eyebrow.
"Confident, Grass Genin?"
> "I don't bluff. I evolve."
---
He smirked.
And I passed.
So did Squad 7.
As everyone exited the building, I felt a tug at my sleeve.
I turned—and found myself face to face with Sasuke.
He stared at me. Unblinking.
"…Have we met before?"
I smiled politely.
> "Doubtful."
He squinted. "…You fight like someone I knew."
> I am someone you knew, Sasuke.
But I didn't just survive the fire.
I became it.
Location: Academy Courtyard, After the Written Exam
Characters Present: Kaizen (disguised), Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura
---
The afternoon sun slanted across the courtyard, casting long shadows over the stone path leading from the academy doors. Genin from across the continent emerged in small clusters—some chatting, others silent, weighed down by the gravity of the Chūnin Exams.
I walked quietly, blending into the edge of the crowd.
But some lights are too loud to ignore.
> "Hey! You! Grass guy!"
I blinked.
Uzumaki Naruto, charging at me like a ninja-shaped battering ram, finger extended like I'd insulted his ramen.
> "You totally aced that test, right? How?! I didn't see you cheat even once!"
I glanced sideways. Sasuke and Sakura were a few paces behind him, watching with mixed expressions—Sasuke with suspicion, Sakura with academic curiosity.
> "Instinct," I said flatly.
Naruto blinked. "…That's not an answer."
> "Wasn't meant to be."
He stared at me for a beat, then grinned.
> "You're weird. I like that. I'm Naruto Uzumaki! Future Hokage! Believe it!"
> He really says that out loud.
Incredible.
I nodded once. "Kazuya Renga. Grass Village… temporarily."
Sasuke stepped forward. "You're not from Kusagakure."
My gaze met his. Calm. Controlled. But beneath the surface, the Ketsugan system whispered again.
> [Instinct Echo Triggered]
🔁 Scanning target Uchiha – residual chakra patterns match historical Uchiha imprint…
Connection: Familiarity Registered (Unconscious Level).
> His chakra reacts to mine like old flame meeting smoke.
"I'm registered under their banner," I replied evenly. "That's all that matters here."
Sasuke didn't reply. But his jaw clenched slightly.
He felt it. That faint, buried pull. The one only Uchiha blood can truly recognize.
---
Sakura finally spoke. "You were calm during the whole test. Not just smart… but composed. That's rare, even for jōnin."
Her voice wasn't admiration—it was analysis. Precise, like a medic-nin slicing through excuses.
> "Experience," I said. "Too many tests. You stop flinching after a while."
Naruto's eyes widened. "Wait… how old are you?"
I hesitated. "…Same as you."
Not a full lie. Biologically, I was still a genin. Just one with a kill count and a chakra signature older than my face should carry.
> [Passive Alert: Suppression Holding | Root Agent Not Nearby]
> Good. I can afford a few more minutes.
---
We walked together down the road as the crowd began to disperse.
For the first time, I was side by side with the last "true" Uchiha. And he didn't even know he wasn't alone.
Sasuke spoke again, quieter this time. "You use fire."
Not a question. A statement.
I met his eyes. "So do you."
He paused.
"…Yours smelled different."
That caught me.
> Smelled? He's more sensitive than I expected.
> "Must be the forest air," I replied.
He didn't believe me. But he let it go.
For now.
---
As we turned the corner, I caught sight of someone else in the distance.
A long tongue. Pale yellow eyes. Snakelike smile.
> Orochimaru.
Not approaching us. Just watching. Cloaked in a disguise, but his chakra… pulsed like something ancient and patient.
But he wasn't looking at Sasuke.
He was looking at me.
And he smiled wider.
> [System Warning: Threat-Level Entity Detected – "Orochimaru"]
Interest registered. Data flagged. Prepare contingency plan.
---
> So it begins.
The Forest of Death would not be a test.
It would be a hunt.
And suddenly, I wasn't sure who was hunting who.