Chapter 133: The Hokage's Machinations
Three days later, in the morning.
Hoshikawa finished making breakfast, waiting for Tsunade to wake up. His mind drifted to Rin's attack during the second stage of the Chūnin Exams. While he was versatile, his perception ninjutsu still had its weaknesses.
He wondered if non-Uzumaki clan members could learn the Kagura Mind's Eye. Based on the original story, it seemed more like an innate talent than a learned jutsu, given that Karin learned it without any formal training, along with the Adamantine Sealing Chains.
Hoshikawa stroked his chin. Would there be a bloodline-related perk?
"Morning," Tsunade said, emerging from her room in a nightgown. The hem stopped at her thighs, revealing her fair, long legs and bare feet.
"Sensei, are you going to watch the finals today?" Hoshikawa asked, turning his gaze away.
"Nothing else to do, might as well," Tsunade said with a yawn, heading for the bathroom. As she walked, her nightgown swayed, subtly outlining her full, round hips.
A moment later, Tsunade reappeared. She sat at the dining table, picked up her chopsticks, and asked, "Where are Kurenai and Rin?"
"I told them to go straight to the arena," Hoshikawa replied.
Tsunade nodded and didn't ask any more questions. After breakfast, she changed into her clothes and headed to the arena with Hoshikawa .
"Lord Tsunade! Hoshikawa !"
As soon as they arrived, they spotted an unexpected figure: Kushina Uzumaki.
"Big Sister Kushina, what are you doing here?" Hoshikawa greeted her.
"It would have been a shame to miss such an exciting Chūnin Exam," Kushina said, clearly in good spirits, with a bright smile on her face.
"Lord Hokage gave her special permission," Minato Namikaze explained, walking over.
"So the old geezer finally wised up? It's about time," Tsunade said with a chuckle.
Minato could only offer an awkward, polite smile, pretending not to hear her. He wouldn't dare to speak so freely about Hiruzen like Tsunade did.
"Do your best, Hoshikawa !" Kushina said, clenching her fists. "Knock 'em all out!"
"Don't forget Minato's students are competing, too," Tsunade said, laughing at the comment.
"Hmph. They definitely can't beat Hoshikawa ," Kushina said, glancing at Minato.
"She's right," Minato agreed, nodding.
Hoshikawa 's mouth twitched. Stop with the toxic positivity!How am I supposed to handle this much pressure before the matches even start?
"Lord Tsunade, I saved you a seat. Let's go," Kushina said, pulling Tsunade toward the spectator stands.
As a competitor, Hoshikawa couldn't go to the stands, of course.
"Becoming a Chūnin isn't about rank; it's about performance," Minato said with a smile. "You don't need to put too much pressure on yourself."
"Got it," Hoshikawa said with a nod. "See you later, Minato-senpai." He walked straight to the center of the arena. All 20 other competitors were already there; he was the last to arrive.
After the initial greetings, it was time to wait. Hoshikawa looked around the stands. At the high platform, an empty seat was reserved for the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. Tsunade, Sakumo Hatake, and Minato were seated on either side of the platform, with regular villagers filling the rest of the seats.
The clock struck nine. Hiruzen Sarutobi entered on time, accompanied by Jiraiya.
"Please welcome Lord Hokage for his opening remarks!" a young man announced loudly, and the entire arena fell silent.
"I will keep this brief with just two points—" Hiruzen said with a gentle smile.
Hoshikawa immediately felt a bad premonition. Sure enough, his feeling was correct. Hiruzen's speech was anything but brief, stretching on for a full hour before he finally finished.
"Why is the old man so long-winded?!" Asuma Sarutobi complained, his head spinning. The other competitors didn't dare to be so brazen, but they all secretly nodded in agreement.
"I am the proctor for the finals, Inoichi Yamanaka," the young man from earlier said, leaping down from the platform to stand before them. Hoshikawa had seen him once before, during the incident with Orochimaru and Danzō's Hashirama cells. Inoichi had been investigating the disappearances of infants at the time. Unsurprisingly, he never found anything, and the matter caused no public stir in the village.
Hoshikawa thought of Yamato. He's probably operating as 'Kinoe' in the Foundation right now, and he'll try to assassinate Hiruzen in a few years. In his past life, Hoshikawa had never understood that particular move from Danzō. He trained Yamato for a decade, only to hand him over to Hiruzen for free. Did Danzō really think Yamato would succeed in assassinating the Hokage?
"The finals have only two rules," Inoichi said, holding up two fingers. "First, matches will be drawn randomly. Second, there is no killing. The fight ends when one opponent yields."
Behind him, a large screen lit up, and text rapidly scrolled before stopping.
"First round, first match: Mizuki versus Asuma Sarutobi." Inoichi read from the screen.
Hoshikawa and the others stepped back to the edge of the arena.
"I think you should just give up now," Asuma said, crossing his arms. Mizuki's face immediately darkened. These damn geniuses! He took a larger-than-normal shuriken from his back and threw it.
The sound of air being cut filled the arena. Asuma glanced at the shuriken, easily dodging it before using the Body Flicker Jutsu to appear directly in front of Mizuki. He swung his right hand, a chakra blade forming in his grip. With his Wind Release chakra flowing through it, the already sharp blade became even more dangerous.
Mizuki's heart pounded. He pulled out a kunai from his bag and met the attack. What?! His eyes widened in shock as the kunai was effortlessly sliced in half by the chakra blade. The blade didn't stop, coming to a halt at his throat. Asuma's face broke into a smile. It was worth it, all the buttering up I did for the old man!The chakra blade he gave me is really something else.
"Asuma Sarutobi wins," Inoichi announced promptly.
"Sorry, I have a reason I can't lose," Asuma said, noting Mizuki's grim expression. Mizuki suppressed his anger, turned, and walked away.
"What's his problem?" Asuma shook his head and didn't think any more about it.
Hoshikawa looked at the blade in Asuma's hand. It was the same one he used in the original story, a kind of knuckle-duster. So he had to 'pay to win'? As a genin, Asuma couldn't possibly afford this himself. This was definitely thanks to his Hokage father.
"Please don't let me fight Hoshikawa !" Kurenai said, watching the flickering screen, her heart pounding. The others felt the same way.
There were 21 contestants in the finals, so the first round would have ten matches, with one person getting a bye. Since their three squads alone made up nine people, the chance of a match between teammates was high.
"Relax," Hoshikawa said, reaching out and patting Kurenai's head. The rules said the matches were random, but was that really true? He didn't believe it. Hiruzen knew that anyone who faced him would be eliminated early. The best way to make the tournament exciting was to have the weaker competitors weeded out in the first round, leaving the truly strong for the next. With so many spectators, they couldn't afford to have the best fights over so soon.
"First round, second match: Hoshikawa versus Ebisu," Inoichi announced loudly.
"Dude, I'm done for!" Ebisu said, as if struck by lightning.
"Just do your best," Genma Shiranui said, shaking his head with a senbon in his mouth. "It's normal to lose to him."
Meanwhile, the atmosphere on Hoshikawa 's side was much more relaxed. Nobody thought Ebisu had a chance of winning. In fact, Ebisu himself knew it.
Hoshikawa walked to the center of the arena, facing the young man in sunglasses. In the original story, Ebisu could be considered a true man, standing alone to face Pain's Hell Path.
"Be careful," Ebisu said, taking a deep breath and quickly forming hand signs.
Clone Jutsu! A puff of smoke and two clones appeared. The three Ebisus, armed with kunai, charged at Hoshikawa .
The one on the left is the real one.
Hoshikawa 's eyes flicked over them, and he used the Body Flicker Jutsu to move forward, throwing a powerful punch.
"What?" Ebisu instinctively raised his kunai, but it was too late. He was sent flying back several meters.
A gasp went through the crowd.
"Is that the Strength of a Hundred Seal?" Kushina asked, her eyes wide.
"No," Tsunade said, shaking her head. "That kid is just naturally strong." If he had used that much strength, Ebisu wouldn't have just been knocked back.
"It feels like Hoshikawa entering the Chūnin Exams is like a tiger running into a flock of sheep," Sakumo said with a laugh.
"Hoshikawa wins!" Inoichi announced the result after seeing Ebisu try and fail to get up several times.
The screen scrolled, and the matches continued.
The third match was Kurenai. Her opponent was just an average genin, who was defeated by her Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu.
Then it was Kakashi's turn. Although his opponent was from the Hyūga clan, he was not pressured in the slightest.
The more Hoshikawa watched, the stranger he felt. From Asuma's match onward, there were eight consecutive matches, featuring exactly the eight of them—everyone except Rin. Not a single one of them had to fight each other.
"Rin Nohara, bye!" After ten matches, Inoichi announced. "There will be a thirty-minute break before the second round begins."
"Rin, your luck is amazing!" Kurenai said, in awe.
"I didn't expect it, either," Rin said with a sigh of relief.
"This is great!" Asuma said happily. "We all made it to the second round!"
"Looks like everyone's been really lucky," Shizune said, surprised.
Hoshikawa just smiled without a word. Luck? No, this is all fixed! But aside from him, no one else thought the Third Hokage would actually rig the matches.
"The next round will probably be all familiar faces," Shisui said, shaking his head.
Aside from the nine of them, the only other winners were Ibiki Morino and Genma Shiranui. There was no way to avoid fighting each other now.
"No matter who the opponent is, our youth must always give it our all!" Guy said, his teeth flashing as he gave a thumbs up.
The half-hour break flew by, and the screen began to scroll again.
"Second round, first match: Hoshikawa versus Obito Uchiha," Inoichi said.
...........
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