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Chapter 314: The Chunin Exams Draw to a Close
Chapter 314: The Chunin Exams Draw to a Close
Only after learning about Yahiko's opponent did Tobirama turn his attention to his own. He was number nine, and according to the order, his opponent would be number ten.
"Huh, it's actually Asuma," Tobirama realized that his first-round opponent was surprisingly someone he knew. The tenth candidate was Sarutobi Asuma.
As Tobirama searched for Asuma, the latter also looked in his direction. Their eyes met, and Asuma walked over to Tobirama with a serious expression.
"Tobirama, you must give it your all when the time comes. Although you are strong, I won't lose. I carry the hopes of my teammates!" Asuma said earnestly.
The three of them had vowed to become Chunin together, but only Asuma made it to the third round. At this moment, he was no longer alone; he carried the hopes of his teammates as he moved forward.
"Haha, of course, I'll be using my full strength, and I will definitely win!" Tobirama replied confidently.
Even though his opponent was a friend, Tobirama would not hold back in battle. After all, it would not only be disrespectful to Asuma but might also affect Asuma's promotion.
According to Hiruzen's explanation, the more spectacular and impressive the fights were, the more it showcased their true strength, and the higher the chances of becoming a Chunin.
Kakashi, on the other hand, looked directly at the bottom of the large screen. His number was sixteen, and there were only sixteen candidates in the third round. His first-round match would be the last one, and his opponent was number fifteen.
"Hyuga Gangi," Kakashi muttered the name to himself, recalling Hyuga Gangi's performance during the preliminaries.
Without any flashy moves, Gangi had defeated his opponent with a combination of the Byakugan and gentle fist style.
Kakashi took out his small notebook and wrote down the numbers of all sixteen candidates on one page. He felt confident about the first round but wanted to analyze his potential opponents for the subsequent rounds.
"Hatake Kakashi, you're a formidable rival," Hyuga Gangi said, his expression turning solemn as he watched Kakashi taking notes.
While Kakashi hadn't intimidated his opponent into forfeiting like Tobirama, he had swiftly defeated his opponent after a simple test of strength. He was indeed one of the fastest candidates in the preliminaries.
"But perhaps I have a chance if it's a speed-type ninja," Gangi thought, feeling more assured as he considered his own bloodline limit.
Kakashi had displayed incredible speed during the preliminaries, but his Byakugan's strength lay in observation. Gangi believed that Kakashi's speed might not be as effective against him.
"Damn it, I'll defeat you again in the second round," Terumi Mei said to herself as she glanced at her opponent. Realizing that it was a Konoha ninja who hadn't performed exceptionally in the preliminaries, she didn't pay much attention and instead focused on potential opponents for the second round.
Her number was eleven, and her second-round opponent would be either number nine or ten.
Based on her observations during the preliminaries, Terumi Mei believed that Sarutobi Asuma, number ten, wouldn't be Tobirama's match. Most likely, her second-round opponent would be Tobirama.
Terumi Mei was satisfied with the draw. Even though the battles hadn't started yet, she felt that she had already made it to the top four. She looked forward to taking revenge on her opponent from the scroll-stealing incident during the advancement to the top four.
"Might Guy, I won't make it so easy for you next time," Kisame Hoshigaki thought, unlike Terumi Mei, who felt assured. He didn't pay much attention to his ranking and was only concerned about when he would face Might Guy.
Kisame was number one, and Might Guy was number six. If they both won their first two rounds, they would meet in the top four, fighting for a spot in the finals.
Once Kisame identified their first-round opponents and potential second-round matchups, he knew that they would inevitably meet in the top four.
Kisame's first-round opponent was number two, Yamashiro Aoba. His second-round opponent would be either number four, Nara Yukimi, or number three, Yahiko. Kisame believed that any of these opponents would be easy for him to defeat.
Might Guy's first-round opponent was number five, Noguchi Nobuhide, a Kirigakure ninja and Terumi Mei's teammate. His second-round opponent would be either Kuromaru or Inuzuka Midori. In Kisame's eyes, these three together wouldn't stand a chance against Might Guy, let alone in a one-on-one fight.
"Also, the official start of the third round of the exams will be in one month. During this time, you can cultivate and improve your strength, or you can gather information about your opponents to increase your chances of victory. After all, you will be fighting for the honor of your respective ninja villages," Hiruzen reminded them.
"Ah, in one month? Why so long?" Tobirama asked, confused.
He couldn't understand why they needed so much time for sixteen people to fight.
"The third round of the exams will have many spectators. We must leave enough time for the wealthy merchants and nobles to travel here comfortably," Hiruzen explained.
Unlike the first two rounds, the main purpose of the third round was to showcase the villages' military might and strength. Therefore, many noble officials would be invited, necessitating sufficient travel time for them.
Kisame Hoshigaki and Terumi Mei were both skilled in Water Style jutsu, Might Guy had the power of the Three Gates and Rock Lee, Kakashi had displayed godlike prowess by taking down a jonin-level opponent. Deidara wasn't sure he could beat any of them.
"If there are no further questions, everyone can leave the exam site," Hiruzen finally said.
Hiruzen had explained everything clearly, and with no more queries, the participants left the central tower, heading outside.
Although Deidara wanted to ask Mu Yue for help with special training, he considered that she must be tired from serving as the main examiner these past few days. Thus, he refrained from disturbing her too much and merely bade her farewell before leaving the Forest of Death with Kakashi and the others.
"I really envy them. They still have infinite possibilities ahead of them," Hiruzen sighed as he watched the candidates' departing figures.
Among the examinees, there were several geniuses who aroused his envy—Kakashi Hatake, Uchiha Obito, and Terumi Mei. Despite being under ten years old, they already possessed extraordinary strength.
In contrast, Hiruzen would be turning thirty-two in a month, and he was just an average jonin. He couldn't compare to his peers like Orochimaru.
"Senior Hiruzen, you've only lived a third of your life so far. You still have a lot of potential and possibilities ahead of you," Mu Yue offered a gentle smile.
Hiruzen's smile turned bitter as he shook his head. "For a ninja, this age has already determined our path. Look at Jiraiya and Orochimaru; they are already leading the five great ninja villages in war. Meanwhile, I, their peer, can only serve as an examiner for the Chunin Exams."
Mu Yue's suggestion that he still had sixty years to live pleased Hiruzen, but he knew that without doing something significant, his life would remain ordinary and unremarkable.
"Perhaps if I can accomplish that, I might be able to catch up to Orochimaru and the others," Hiruzen thought to himself.
Being surpassed by his peers step by step, Hiruzen had no idea how far the gap between them had widened. He only knew that an ordinary jonin like him would be effortlessly killed by Orochimaru or Jiraiya, and his strength was not particularly notable among jonin...
Although he lacked exceptional strength, Hiruzen had his own strengths. He excelled in research and was an expert in theoretical knowledge.
To overcome his innate disadvantages, Hiruzen had read every book related to ninjutsu that Konoha had to offer.
Eventually, he stumbled upon a potential solution—fusion. By integrating the physical gifts of others into his body, he could become a genius as well.
However, achieving this was incredibly difficult, and Hiruzen had already spent a significant amount of time on the theoretical research alone.
Now, as the theoretical phase neared its end, Hiruzen began to worry about the upcoming experimental development stage.
His jutsu was too dangerous and had to be developed through human experimentation, but the problem was that it was inhumane and something that couldn't be done openly. So, he had to figure out a way to do it secretly.
"It's hard to say. Actually, my strength wasn't outstanding before either. It's only in the last two years that I've suddenly comprehended some things and made rapid progress. Perhaps you're the type to make a breakthrough after a long period of accumulation," Mu Yue offered words of comfort while also further refining her background in Konoha.
Hiruzen smiled and nodded. "Yes, I hope so."
He knew that Mu Yue was trying to comfort him, but he didn't think she could truly understand his feelings. Based on the information he had, Mu Yue was also a genius, able to fight alongside Jiraiya against jinchuriki at a young age.
Moreover, having already invested so much time, Hiruzen couldn't abandon his development of the Ghost Sprout Technique and gamble on the possibility of suddenly comprehending something that would boost his strength in the future.
After a brief chat with Hiruzen, Mu Yue wrapped up some loose ends and returned to her home in the main city.
It was 4 p.m. when Mu Yue got back, and there was still some time before dinner.
Instead of delving straight into studying sealing jutsu, Mu Yue took out a notebook and began contemplating the candidate for the fifth disciple slot.
First, Mu Yue wrote down the name 'Uchiha Itachi.' Although Itachi's actions were highly controversial, his talent was undeniable, and his potential was undoubtedly high, as evidenced by his early display of power that hospitalized Kakashi and his later performance as a reanimated shinobi.
While Kabuto was older than Itachi, there was also a significant issue with him. In Mu Yue's memory, Kabuto was taken in by Nono Yakushi, who had not yet become the director of the Konoha Orphanage and was still working for the Root Organization. Finding Kabuto under these circumstances would be like finding a needle in a haystack.
Mu Yue temporarily set aside the idea of considering Naruto and Sasuke, even though their potential was undoubtedly off the charts. However, it would be several years before they were even born, and it would be even longer before they could be taken on as disciples. By that time, Mu Yue might have already become unstoppable, unless a formidable foe appeared.
After some thought, Mu Yue decided against writing down the name of Terumi Mei.
Although Terumi Mei was a suitable candidate in many aspects, and Mu Yue had no qualms about teaching someone from outside Konoha, the problem was that Terumi Mei had come to take the exam and would return home afterward. The Hidden Mist Village was too far from Konoha, and it would be challenging for Mu Yue to manage both locations simultaneously. It would be out of the question to abandon Konoha, her base of operations, for the Hidden Mist Village.
It would be unreasonable to expect Terumi Mei to defect from her village within just one month. Mu Yue felt that it was unnecessary to go to such lengths.
After further contemplation, Mu Yue thought of Yamato. Yamato was slightly younger than Kakashi, making him a good fit age-wise. However, the awkward situation with Yamato was even more complicated than the others, as he was likely being secretly trained by Danzo due to his Wood Release ability.
After ruling out all the problematic candidates, Mu Yue realized that Asuma was the most outstanding choice among those remaining.
However, Mu Yue had no intention of offering the system disciple slot to Asuma.
When teaching disciples outside the system, Mu Yue would still impart his knowledge without holding anything back, as they also addressed him as "Teacher" and respected and liked him. This was similar to how he had specifically developed the Water Breath Style for Rin Nohara.
But the system disciple slot involved something very important. Mu Yue had to offer it to the most suitable candidate to maximize his own strength enhancement. Strength was of paramount importance in the world of ninjas. For the sake of himself and his disciples, he had to become stronger, strong enough to crush all conspiracies.
"Nagato," Mu Yue finally wrote down after much thought.
There were many issues with Nagato. Firstly, Nagato was far from Mu Yue's requirement of being ten years old or younger, as he was only six years younger than Minato, and Mu Yue was the same age as Minato. It would be more appropriate for them to be brothers than master and disciple, as the age gap was too small.
Secondly, Nagato possessed the Rinnegan, the dojutsu of Uchiha Madara, who would likely keep a close eye on Nagato's situation.
Additionally, Nagato was not from Konoha, and although the Rain Village was bordering the Fire Country, it would take some time for Mu Yue to successfully recruit Nagato as his disciple, which would delay his progress in obtaining system rewards.
There were also some minor issues, such as Nagato already having Jiraiya as his mentor. However, Mu Yue only needed Nagato to acknowledge him as a teacher in his heart, so this wasn't a significant problem.
Despite all the issues, Nagato's advantages couldn't be ignored. He was a member of the Uzumaki clan, a clan known for their extraordinary talent. Even without his own Rinnegan, he could still utilize its powers thanks to his vast chakra reserves. This meant that Mu Yue could gain a substantial amount of chakra by raising Nagato's trust level.
Moreover, Nagato was immediately available, and Mu Yue could put his plan into action without any delay.
Looking at the list of names and their respective pros and cons, Mu Yue finally closed the notebook and began studying sealing jutsu.
He didn't need to make a decision within a few days. Itachi Uchiha and Kabuto Yakushi would require a long wait, and there was still plenty of time before Nagato's situation became critical.
After all, this was a real world of ninjas, and there might be unknown geniuses with names unfamiliar to Mu Yue. He hadn't even memorized all the characters from the manga, let alone this authentic ninja world.
Perhaps one day, he would use the Appraisal Technique on someone and discover an S-level genius.
For dinner, Mu Yue cooked at Tsunade's place. After packing two portions, he sent one to Minato via his shadow clone.
...
The next day, Obito woke up at 8 a.m., quickly finished his morning routine, ate breakfast, and immediately set off toward Mu Yue's house.
Determined to be the best, he planned to secretly train and astonish everyone with his newfound skills.
(End of Chapter)
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