Chapter 124: The Chūnin Exam Announcement
"I wonder if Rin misses me," Obito Uchiha said, a goofy smile on his face as he thought of Rin.
"I don't know," Kakashi Hatake said, his face calm. In the past six months, he had become more composed and cold. Unlike other ninja teams, they hadn't spent a lot of time on D-rank missions.
After graduating, Minato Namikaze had immediately taken them to the Land of Lightning. While they weren't officially at war with the Hidden Cloud Village, there were frequent skirmishes at the border.
They often had to fight enemies, which helped them grow a lot, including Obito and Guy. They were only able to return because of Itachi Uchiha's 100th-day celebration, to which Fugaku Uchiha had invited Minato.
"I can feel the flames of youth burning!" Guy said excitedly. "Hoshikawa must be looking forward to a youthful showdown with me!"
No, he's not, Kakashi thought, a twitch in his mouth. But he didn't say anything, as Guy would go bother Hoshikawa instead of him. Who knows how I've survived these last six months? Sometimes, Guy even wakes me up in the middle of the night.
"She definitely misses me!" Obito said, ignoring his teammates and getting lost in his fantasy. "After all, we haven't seen each other in so long."
Kakashi gave him a glance and said no more. To him, love was meaningless, far less important than his blade. Guy, on the other hand, had no idea what was going on in Obito's head. His mind was only on youth.
"We're almost there!" Obito cleared his throat and straightened his clothes, his heart full of anticipation.
"Someone's fighting!" Guy said, his spirit soaring.
"I hear it, too," Kakashi said, pausing. "It stopped now. I bet it's Hoshikawa ."
"Why do you two care so much?" Obito asked, a little annoyed. They were always thinking about Hoshikawa , and it was getting on his nerves.
"Let's go," Kakashi said, nodding slightly.
The three of them walked toward the clearing outside of Tsunade's house, the same place they used to train. Obito saw a few figures in the distance and picked up his pace. He was about to call out to Rin when he froze in place as if he had been struck by lightning.
"What... what are you doing?!" Obito asked, his eyes wide. He saw Rin kneeling in front of Hoshikawa , holding his ankles.
"Obito?" Rin said, turning her head at the sound of the familiar voice. She looked surprised.
"Rin is just healing me," Hoshikawa said, looking at Kakashi and Guy behind Obito.
"You guys wait. I'll be done soon," Rin said, continuing to channel her chakra.
Just healing him?Rin's a medical ninja, so it makes sense for her to heal a teammate, Obito thought, letting out a silent sigh of relief. He had been overthinking it.
"Hoshikawa , why are you hurt?" Kakashi asked, a little confused.
"My sensei beat me up," Hoshikawa said, shrugging.
Kakashi was stunned for a moment before he understood. Hoshikawa was probably referring to their sparring match, but the way he said it sounded a lot less respectful. Kakashi had a deep appreciation for his sensei, Minato, as he had come to understand his strength since becoming his student. But every team had their own way of getting along, so he didn't say anything.
"All done!" Rin said, wiping the sweat from her forehead. She wasn't as strong as Hoshikawa and Kurenai, so maintaining a medical ninjutsu for a long time was difficult for her.
"You worked so hard, Rin!" Obito said excitedly.
"It was nothing," Rin said with a gentle smile. "You can come find me if you get hurt, too."
"I'll definitely come!" Obito said, his voice full of passion.
"I mean it in a nice way, but it's best not to get hurt at all," Rin said, shaking her head.
"Okay!" Obito said, his heart touched. She cares about me! he thought.
"It's too bad you're not on my team," Obito said with a sigh. "Our team really needs a medical ninja like you." He glanced at Hoshikawa . He had a feeling that Hoshikawa had stolen Rin from him, since a ninja team shouldn't have two medical ninjas.
"It's okay," Rin said, comforting him. "Maybe we can go on a mission together in the future."
"That's right!" Obito's spirit was lifted. "We often teamed up with other ninja teams when we were at the border."
"Did you guys come back for Itachi Uchiha's 100th-day celebration?" Kurenai asked, walking over and interrupting their conversation.
"Yeah," Kakashi nodded slightly.
"I'm his senior! It's only natural for me to get an invitation!" Obito said, patting his chest proudly.
"We got one, too," Rin said with a smile.
"That's great!" Obito said happily. "I'll give you a tour of the Uchiha district!"
"Yeah, we'll all go together," Rin said softly.
"Fine," Obito said. He really wanted to be alone with Rin, but since she said that, he could only agree.
"Hoshikawa !" Guy said, running over to him. "Are you healed yet?"
"Nope," Hoshikawa said, his face unchanging. "I don't think I can do any strenuous activities today."
"Oh, really?" Guy said, scratching his head. "That's a shame. I wanted to spar with you."
"I have a better person for you," Hoshikawa said, standing up. "My sensei is very interested in the Eight Gates."
"Tsunade-sama?!" Guy's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Yeah," Hoshikawa nodded.
Guy instinctively clenched his fists, his body trembling. Hoshikawa was speechless. He knew what was about to happen.
"Dad! Did you see that? Even Tsunade-sama recognizes me!" Guy cried out, tears streaming down his face. "This is the fiery youth!"
Kakashi and Obito, with unspoken understanding, took two steps back.
"I'll go get Sensei," Hoshikawa said, turning and walking into the house. A moment later, he and Tsunade came out.
"Tsunade-sama!" Guy said excitedly. "Please guide me!"
Tsunade looked at his tear-soaked face and remained silent.
"While I may not be your opponent now, the flame of youth will never be extinguished!" Guy said, stepping back and roaring. "Eight Gates! Gate of Opening, open! Gate of Healing, open! Gate of Life, open!"
He opened three of the gates, and a terrifying chakra aura shot up into the sky. A green energy enveloped him.
"How... how is that possible?" Obito was stunned. He felt that Guy's current strength had already surpassed his own one-tomoe Sharingan.
"Incredible!" Kakashi thought, a shock in his heart. He had only seen Guy use the first Gate. He never knew the second and third Gates would increase his power severalfold.
Hoshikawa was deep in thought. In the original series, Rock Lee opened the Fifth Gate against Gaara in the Chūnin Exams, but he was left with severe side effects. Lee was about fourteen years old at the time. He wondered how many Gates Guy could open now since he was younger. The first three Gates were safe, but from the Fourth Gate onward, the user would be in danger.
"Not bad!" Tsunade said, impressed. "It's worthy of being the most difficult taijutsu to learn."
The sound of rushing air followed. Guy flew forward like a green cannonball. Tsunade stood still and simply threw a punch. He was sent flying back at an even faster speed.
Thump!
Guy crashed into the ground, forming a shallow crater.
So strong! He looked at Tsunade, his spirit full of fight, and attacked again. The two of them continuously clashed. The fight was intense, but it was obvious that Guy was at a complete disadvantage. He was no match for Tsunade's strength or speed.
"That's enough," Tsunade said, pulling back to create some distance. "You've reached your limit."
Guy sat down on the ground, sweat pouring from his forehead. The Eight Gates was strong, but it didn't last. At his young age, his body wasn't at its peak, so being able to last for a few minutes was already impressive. Tsunade looked at him and thought that she should talk to the old man. A ninja like Duy shouldn't just be a genin.
"How did I get third place back then?" Kurenai couldn't help but ask.
"The Eight Gates are too dangerous, so he doesn't use it when he spars with us," Hoshikawa said with a smile.
"That makes sense," Kurenai said, her face showing a hint of understanding. Her Water Release was powerful, but it wasn't fast enough. She wouldn't have a good chance of winning against Guy with the Third Gate open. As for her Genjutsu, his chakra had already turned into a physical aura. It would be impossible to disrupt him.
Hoshikawa was also thinking about how to deal with the Eight Gates. He would definitely run into it at the Chūnin Exams next year. For the sake of his titles, he absolutely could not give up first place.
Obito's expression was a little grim. He thought that after he awakened his Sharingan, he would be the strongest on his team. But now it looked like he was at the bottom of the barrel. He was very unwilling to accept this.
Rin, on the other hand, had no such thoughts. The stronger her teammates were, the happier she was.
"Hoshikawa , did you get a gift for Itachi Uchiha yet?" Tsunade asked, suddenly remembering.
"Yeah," Hoshikawa said, nodding.
"Alright," Tsunade said, closing the door. "It's about time. Let's go to the Uchiha district."
"You've gotten a lot stronger," Hoshikawa said, walking over and helping Guy up.
"Then tomorrow, we can have a youthful showdown..." Guy's words were cut off.
"Let's save it for the Chūnin Exams," Hoshikawa said, shaking his head.
"The Chūnin Exams?" Guy was surprised.
Kakashi and Obito also looked at Hoshikawa .
"It's internal information from my sensei," Hoshikawa said, pointing at Tsunade. "Konoha will be hosting the Chūnin Exams after the new year."
......
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