Chapter 154 - The Chūnin Exams (Subject 1)
Uchiha Makoto stood atop the Hokage Monument, overlooking the transformed Hidden Leaf Village below, torn between whether to visit his clan first.
But the image of his father's tragic death and the promise Madara had made to him quickly rekindled his determination—he would revive his father.
To do that, he had to become the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki. No, Makoto had never intended to revive Madara.
If becoming the Ten-Tails' host meant gaining the power to resurrect the dead, then why not take that power for himself?
But to become the Ten-Tails' host, he first needed to gather all nine tailed beasts.
The most crucial among them was the Nine-Tails, sealed in Konoha. With Kazane constantly in the village, the Nine-Tails had been the most difficult to access.
But now that Kazane had left Konoha, Makoto wasn't going to waste this golden opportunity.
Because Kazane's Observation Haki could detect White Zetsu, Konoha had always been a no-go zone for them. Thus, Makoto had no intel on the current state of the village.
His first order of business was to gather information.
Whoosh!
A crisp sound of air splitting rang out, and Uchiha Makoto vanished from the Hokage Monument.
---
Kirigakure
The blazing sun could not pierce the mist that perpetually hung over the Hidden Mist Village.
As the five Daimyō and the four Kage took their seats, Yagura officially announced the beginning of the Chūnin Exams.
Soon after, a Mist jōnin stepped forward from behind the candidates. After identifying himself as the proctor, he led the examinees away from the arena.
The Genin grouped themselves by village, following the Mist jōnin closely.
Before leaving their villages, all of the Four Great Shinobi Villages had given their Genin identical orders:
Cooperate with the other villages' candidates and eliminate the Genin from Konoha.
However, Konoha had only registered six Genin without providing any details about them.
So now, the other candidates could only rely on visual observation to gather intel.
One by one, their eyes turned toward the Konoha team.
The first to catch their attention was Jiriku, with his massive build and fierce appearance. Seeing his bulging muscles and intimidating demeanor, the other Genin instinctively shook their heads.
They easily pegged him as a taijutsu specialist—but not one they wanted to fight.
Then they looked to the green-clad, bowl-cut, thick-browed Might Guy, who smiled back at them goofily.
Again, they all shook their heads in unison.
That outfit was too iconic. Might Duy, the man who once pressured a Tailed Beast during the Third Shinobi World War, had worn the same garb.
There was no way Guy wasn't related to Duy. Whether son or student, no one believed a disciple of the infamous taijutsu master would be easy to handle.
"Yeah... let's put him on the back burner."
Sighs echoed silently among the crowd.
Next, their attention shifted to three well-dressed, stone-faced Genin beside Guy.
But as soon as they spotted the fan crest of the Uchiha Clan on their backs, everyone quickly looked away again.
The name "Uchiha" still carried weight. Even if the clan's former glory had faded, a weakened giant was still a giant.
And three Uchiha together, all likely wielding Sharingan… that was pressure no one wanted to face.
Pfft!
Suddenly, a Sand ninja snorted out a laugh.
The sound pierced the silence of the group, drawing confused glances—even from the Mist jōnin proctor.
The Sand Genin quickly waved his hands. "Sorry, sorry! I just remembered something funny! (≧ω≦)"
Once the attention shifted, he discreetly pointed toward the last member of the Konoha team.
Everyone turned to look—and their eyes lit up.
There it was: the weak link they'd been looking for.
An old man, probably in his forties or fifties, carrying a shiny black wok strapped to his back. A ladle and two chopsticks clinked along with it.
In a profession as dangerous as shinobi, most had already retired at that age.
This guy didn't even look like a real ninja—more like a cook dragged along for meal prep.
"Heh… jackpot."
However, in the Mist Village's lineup, one Genin didn't join in the mockery.
With sharp fangs and no eyebrows, he focused his cold gaze on Jiriku.
This was Momochi Zabuza—the "Demon" of the Hidden Mist and leader of the Mist Genin.
He had no interest in weaklings. What thrilled him most was tearing down the strong—and Jiriku looked very strong.
---
The Mist jōnin proctor led the candidates into a sealed classroom.
Once inside, he shuffled their seating and handed each a standardized test.
This was the first phase of the Chūnin Exams.
The written exam!
As the proctor announced the start, candidates from each village immediately began scribbling answers using their own cheating techniques.
The room buzzed with quiet trickery—dozens of unique methods at once.
Even the Uchiha trio used their Sharingan to copy answers from nearby papers.
From time to time, a Genin would get caught using a sloppy method and be expelled on the spot.
Yet among this chaos, three stood out with their… unique answers:
Jiriku, Might Guy, and Maruboshi Kosuke.
Kosuke, a veteran, had long since memorized the exam content.
As for Jiriku and Guy—they didn't know a damn thing.
Before the exam, Kazane had asked Minato to prepare study materials for them.
But with all the sightseeing along the way, both of them had completely forgotten everything they learned.
Still, neither panicked.
Because the questions seemed oddly… simple to them.
---
Sample Question:
1. As a Chūnin, you're on an assassination mission and discover that the target is protected by a jōnin. What do you do?
A. Abort and return to report to your Kage.
B. Wait for the jōnin to leave, then strike.
C. Kill a random person and submit the body.
D. (write-in)
Without hesitation, both Jiriku and Guy wrote:
D: Beat up the jōnin and continue the mission.
---
2. Two small nations are at war. One hires your village to obtain the enemy's military schematics. As a Chūnin, how do you obtain them discreetly?
A. Disguise as a civilian and sneak in.
B. Pretend to be a noble's attendant.
C. Forge the info and turn it in.
D. (write-in)
Jiriku: "Charge the noble's manor and force him to hand over the intel."
Guy: "I can't tell what's real or fake, so I'll ask the Hokage for a different mission."
---
Essay Question:
After completing an assassination, you're pursued by a squad led by a jōnin from another village. How do you escape?
Jiriku: "Rush in and punch the jōnin first. Then deal with the rest."
Guy: "With my speed and stamina, I'll outrun them all! That's my youth!"
---
Not long after they finished, the proctor announced the end of the exam.
All test papers were collected, and the examinees were told to return to the inn and await tomorrow's results.
---
Night – Mist Village, Hidden Chamber
Three Mist jōnin furiously graded the tests.
One of them stared at a particular paper, growing increasingly agitated.
Crack!
His pen snapped in his hand.
The other two jōnin looked over curiously, then followed his gaze to the offending test.
Crack! Crack!
They also crushed their pens upon seeing it.
It was Jiriku's paper.
Not only had he completely avoided all correct answers, but every response also included brazen declarations about beating up jōnin—on every single question.
As jōnin themselves, the proctors were fuming.
But when they saw the Konoha emblem next to his name, they swallowed their rage.
They'd already been ordered by Yagura: no matter what, Konoha's candidates must pass the written test.
After all, if Konoha's Genin failed now, they wouldn't enter the survival round—and the real assassination attempt wouldn't happen.
Grudgingly, the proctor scratched out the zero and wrote "100."
Unbeknownst to him, there was another surprise waiting.
—
Back in the Village – A Secluded Alley
Under the moonlight, two figures stood silently.
One was Uchiha Makoto.
The other—a Konoha ANBU—was suspended midair, held by the throat.
Makoto's Mangekyō Sharingan spun rapidly, drawing the information he needed from the ANBU's mind.
"The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki is pregnant? Now that's good news."
Makoto's lips curled beneath his mask.
Madara had taught him how to control the Nine-Tails. With that power, he could bolster his Susanoo—enough to defeat Kazane.
Now that he had what he needed, he squeezed.
The ANBU went limp, and Makoto let him fall.
But just then, his expression shifted.
Footsteps echoed from the end of the alley.
Step. Step. Step.
From the shadows, Uchiha Obito emerged.
"Who are you? Why did you kill an ANBU?"
Moments ago, during his night patrol, Obito had sensed a familiar chakra signature.
He followed it to the alley—only to find a fellow Uchiha standing over a murdered ANBU.