Chapter 60:
"Good luck, big brother!"
Standing at the doorway and hearing his little sister's voice cheering him on, Boruto adjusted the Leaf Village headband on his forehead.
"Stay calm during the exam. As long as you remember everything you've learned, passing the Chūnin Exams won't be a problem," said Hinata, standing next to Himawari.
"Mm, got it, Mom. Don't worry, I'm definitely going to pass the Chūnin Exams in first place this time."
Outside Boruto's house stood his two teammates—Sarada and Mitsuki.
The upcoming Chūnin Exams had drawn some attention from Boruto's and Sarada's families. The only exception was Mitsuki's parent, Orochimaru, who hadn't expressed any interest or even reached out.
But Mitsuki didn't mind. He was always understanding when it came to his parent—Orochimaru, who was both his father and mother.
At the plaza for the Konoha Chūnin Exams, Mitsuki stood on the left, Sarada on the right, and Boruto in the middle.
"He was just acting all annoyed a while ago—looked just like Shikadai—but now he's full of energy," said Inojin.
The trio approaching Boruto was none other than the new generation of the Ino-Shika-Chō formation.
"I'm feeling super confident about this Chūnin Exam. Get ready to see the results of my recent training!" Boruto declared energetically.
"Looks like the others are arriving too," said Mitsuki, glancing around as more and more Genin began gathering in the exam plaza.
"Hey, what's with these other villages' candidates? Are they really Genin?" Boruto looked around at the incoming examinees from the other ninja villages.
Most were in their teens, but here and there, a few seemed to be in their prime—ninjas in their twenties.
"I heard from my dad that since this time's Chūnin Exams are a joint event held by all five villages—and it's going to be televised—every village wants to put on a good show. That's why many ninjas who were already Chūnin got demoted back to Genin under various pretexts just so they could participate," Shikadai explained, recalling what his father had told him the night before.
"That's so unfair! What about our village? Are we sending any demoted Chūnin?" Boruto asked, looking at Shikadai.
His own father, Naruto, never told him anything about these matters. Clearly, Naruto didn't trust Boruto not to blab. But Shikamaru trusted his son enough to share trivial information and even discuss it with him.
"My dad said it all happened so suddenly that the Seventh didn't have time to demote any Chūnin. If they had rushed to demote Chūnin in the week leading up to the exam, it would've looked bad for the Leaf Village. So in the end, only a fellow Genin named Shuyu is taking part in the exam. I don't know why, but both the Seventh and my dad seem to have a lot of faith in him."
Shikadai was confused about why his father and the Seventh trusted Shuyu so much, but Boruto—having fought his senior apprentice many times since becoming Sasuke's student—was all too aware of Shuyu's strength.
So far, Boruto had lost every match against Shuyu, and each time, he had only just barely been defeated.
In terms of strategic insight, Boruto was much sharper than Naruto. After several matches, he'd already sensed something was off.
"Then who are Shuyu's squad members?"
Boruto knew full well that Shuyu didn't have anyone to form a squad with.
Seeing Shikadai shake his head, Boruto continued, "You don't know either?"
"No, it's not that—I mean, he doesn't have any squad members," Shikadai said.
"Well, he didn't have any last night. But this morning, he does," came a voice. Hyūga Hanabi, the woman of the Hyūga Clan who had always refused to marry outside, walked over, with Shuyu, Wasabi, Namida, and Sumire following behind her.
Wasabi Izuno—an energetic short-haired girl with a boyish outfit. She wore green clothes with a hood on the back and a cat-tail accessory hanging from her pants. She was fast and specialized in medical ninjutsu. Using a scroll, she could activate Ninja Art: Cat Cloak, which granted her cat ears, claws, and tail for enhanced agility.
Namida Suzumeno—a girl with brown twin-tails and brown eyes, a beauty mark below her right eye, and a preference for orange tracksuits. She specialized in sonic attacks.
Sumire Kakei—a girl with a purple triple-braid hairstyle, dressed in a purple sailor-style outfit. She wasn't particularly skilled at anything; if anything, she excelled at clerical tasks. She was the weakest in terms of combat ability and had almost no self-defense skills, but her intellect far surpassed her teammates'.
"Ah! It's Aunt Hanabi!" Of all the people who made Boruto cringe, it was his aunt and grandpa.
"Boruto, come give Auntie Hanabi a hug," she said, walking up with open arms.
"Aunt Hanabi, come on—there are so many people here. Can you not embarrass me?"
Like most boys his age, Boruto found close interactions with women mortifying. Still, people usually regret this kind of awkwardness as they grow older.
"Hmm… fine, I'll let it go this time. But Boruto, when was the last time you visited your grandpa? He's been missing you." Though she didn't hug him publicly, Hanabi still clung affectionately to Boruto's side.
"I've been really busy lately... Anyway, Aunt Hanabi, what do you mean by saying Shuyu has a team now?" Boruto quickly changed the subject. As much as he liked his aunt and grandfather, every trip to the Hyūga household added new entries to his list of blackmail-worthy memories.
"Because this morning, your dad agreed to let Shuyu join my squad," Hanabi said, pinching Boruto's cheek.
"Wait, but that means your team has four members now," Boruto said, enduring the curious stares from everyone around them.
"Normally, a squad has three people, but there are exceptions. For example, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen from another village form a seven-person team. So there's no issue with my squad having four," Hanabi said with a smile. Beside her, Mitsuki watched with envy—he wished he could be the one acting so affectionately toward Boruto.
"If that's the case, why not just let Shuyu join our team?" Boruto struggled to escape Hanabi's clutches.
"Nope. I even asked your dad about it, but he didn't tell me why. He just said it was Shikamaru's arrangement." Hanabi looked a bit disappointed as her hands finally let go of Boruto's face.
"I think I get it now. It's probably to avoid suspicion. If the Seventh and my dad trust Shuyu's strength that much, then he must be really strong. People from big clans like ours are already expected to dominate the exams. If Shuyu joined our team and we ended up winning, it could spark rumors that might hurt our family's reputation."
Shikadai glanced at Hanabi. There were some things he didn't say—things that would've been too harsh.
Honestly, Hanabi's squad was probably the weakest of them all—especially in this joint Chūnin Exam hosted by all five villages. They were the bottom tier.
One likely reason for placing Shuyu on Hanabi's team was to prevent her squad from performing too poorly. After all, the exams would be televised.
If Hanabi's team embarrassed themselves too much, it would bring shame to both her and the entire Hyūga Clan. Putting Shuyu on her team was a way of saving face.
The adult world sure is complicated, thought Shikadai.
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