Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
During those three days, the streets of Konoha were filled with many unfamiliar faces. On any normal day, one might see plenty of strangers in the village—mostly outsiders with no ties to shinobi.
But now, all these new faces were wearing forehead protectors bearing various symbols, clearly ninja from different hidden villages.
Far from causing any panic, Konoha's residents actually felt quite thrilled. So many foreign ninja showing up meant that this year's Chūnin Exams were about to begin. Before long, everyone would get to watch the ninja battles again.
Shopkeepers were especially excited. They were already stocking up for the incoming business rush. After all, the Chūnin Exams—no matter which one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages hosted—were among the biggest events of the ninja world.
…
July 1, 3:00 PM
Team 8 arrived right on time at their usual meeting point, then headed to the Ninja Academy with their registration forms.
On the way, Shino Aburame strolled along with his hands in his pockets, saying,
"In theory, since Konoha is the hosting village, we might be at a disadvantage. I'm guessing a lot of people have been investigating our info recently, while we don't know a thing about them."
Izayoi just laughed lightly. "It doesn't matter—intel goes out of date. Whatever they scrounged up doesn't apply anymore. I'm sure you've both made plenty of progress these past few days."
Hearing that, Hinata and Shino both exchanged confident smiles.
They soon reached the academy. It felt strange for Izayoi and Hinata to come back here after months, but as they walked the familiar paths, they couldn't help reminiscing—recalling echoes from years past. Memories of two smaller figures, cheeks still plump with baby fat, quietly shoulder-to-shoulder…
They glanced at each other and realized they were remembering the same moments. They both broke into a mutual smile.
Arriving at the academy's main building, Team 8 had barely stepped onto the first stair leading upward when Shino and Hinata both paused, expressions changing slightly.
"This is…a genjutsu," Shino remarked, quickly forming a Ram seal to disrupt his own chakra flow.
Hinata did the same.
"Technically," Izayoi clarified with a grin, "it's a genjutsu barrier. Looks like the Chūnin Exams have already started."
On the second floor, they found a jam-packed corridor. Some examinees wore disoriented looks, while others, having caught on, were blocking the stairway up to the third floor—stopped in their tracks by two Chūnin posted there.
"Hey, drop the genjutsu barrier! We need to get to the third floor."
Just as Team 8 approached, they heard a very familiar voice.
"That's Sasuke-kun," Hinata said. Then, looking into the crowd, she noticed one more observer: Neji Hyūga. "Neji-oniisan is here for the Chūnin Exams, too."
At that same instant—perhaps alerted by Hinata's voice—Neji, who had been quietly watching Team 7, turned his head. Catching sight of Hinata, he walked over with a neutral expression and offered her a small bow.
"Lady Hinata."
Though polite in form, his tone carried no warmth. As he bowed, a flicker of hatred flashed across his eyes.
"Neji-oniisan, good luck in the exam," Hinata responded softly.
"You as well, my lady," Neji returned, settling his feelings and offering a nod. "Hopefully, we can face one another in the Exams."
That said, Neji shifted his gaze to the young man beside Hinata—Izayoi—and said,
"You must be Izayoi."
"Any advice to give me? You're last year's top graduate," Izayoi asked with a lighthearted smile.
"…You're strong," Neji acknowledged, looking Izayoi up and down before coolly adding, "But you should know your place. You and Lady Hinata have no future. That's the gap in your bloodlines…that is your fate."
"Neji-oniisan, be quiet."
Before Izayoi could reply, a chilled voice cut in. Hinata's gentle eyes had grown sharp as she glared at Neji, pure warning in her tone. Her entire aura shifted dramatically.
"My apologies, Lady Hinata."
Neji bowed, then turned away. As she watched her cousin depart, Hinata's usual ladylike composure resurfaced, and in a soft voice she said to Izayoi,
"Please don't hold it against him, Iza… Izayoi-kun. Neji-oniisan didn't really mean it."
Izayoi placed a hand on Hinata's head. "That was amazing, just now," he teased. "It's a pity I couldn't grab my camera in time."
"Yes indeed. That aura was quite commanding," Shino chimed in agreement.
They all had been top three in their class, after all—none of them were ordinary. Shino couldn't wait to see the full scale of Izayoi's and Hinata's abilities…along with Sasuke's…in the upcoming Chūnin Exams.
Hinata, though, turned bright red at their compliments, index fingers tapping nervously. The difference in her bearing from moments before was almost comedic—like she possessed a secret dual personality (unlike Sakura).
Just then, Naruto's loud voice echoed nearby:
"Hey—Izayoi, Hinata…and, um, that other guy. You're here, too!"
"I'm Aburame Shino," said Shino, trying to assert his presence.
"Right—Shino. Great to see ya." Then, as usual, Naruto's attention moved away from him at once, focusing instead on Izayoi. He flashed a wide grin. "So, Izayoi, you guys came for the Chūnin Exams, huh? This time, believe it, I'm not losing!"
"Oh?" Izayoi raised a brow in genuine curiosity. "You sound pretty confident. Did you finally learn some jutsu from Kakashi-sensei?"
Had that happened, the butterfly effect might be huge. In the original timeline, Naruto's powers were reined in so the story of an underdog protagonist could continue.
Copy Ninja Kakashi, who had apparently mastered over a thousand jutsu, somehow never bothered to teach Naruto even a basic wind technique.
Even though Naruto had already learned the Multi-Shadow Clone Technique—if he also got a single C-rank Wind Release: Breakthrough, with his massive chakra pool, that alone would be absurd. Multiplied by his hundredfold shadow clones, it might outstrip Madara Uchiha's Great Fire Annihilation.
But Naruto shook his head in a smug sort of way, rubbing a finger under his nose. "Heh heh, you and Sasuke both better watch out. I'm gonna blow your minds this time, dattebayo!"
"Stop talking in riddles, Naruto."
Izayoi deadpanned. Hinata, Shino, and even Sasuke gave Izayoi an odd look, as if to say, Like you have room to talk?
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 100 Chapters Ahead of Others!