The Three Sannin Invigilate the Exam
"Come on, Guy! If you lose again, that'll be 50 defeats in a row!"
At the sidelines, Guy's two teammates, Shiranui Genma and Ebisu, cheered while lounging beside a small betting table they'd set up for the occasion.
Guy was locked in his usual routine lately—daily sparring matches against Bai Ye.
In the past, they had traded wins and losses evenly, but ever since Bai Ye had "gotten his plug-in back online" (as Genma jokingly described it), Guy had been on a losing streak that now spanned several months.
It had been nearly two weeks since the conclusion of the second stage of the Chūnin Exams. The third and final round was scheduled for the next day.
With no missions assigned during this preparation period, the Genin had been gathering frequently for training and sparring sessions.
"Guy's already stronger than Obito," Kakashi commented dryly, watching the match. "But Obito hasn't won a single match all week."
Kakashi had just placed his usual bet on Bai Ye and couldn't help grumbling about his teammate.
He always claimed to look down on Obito, but even he couldn't stay indifferent watching his teammate get beaten so badly and so often. It was just sad.
Out of everyone, only Kakashi and Bai Ye consistently maintained high win records. The others rotated wins and losses based on their condition or luck that day.
Only Obito was the constant loser. He got wiped out by just about everyone. If not for his ridiculous resilience, he might've given up on being a ninja altogether.
"Kakashi," said Yuyan, brushing some hair from her eyes, "Let's fight again later."
She had managed to get in several matches with him over the past week—something she had long hoped for.
Though she hadn't won once, her progress was obvious, and she was lasting longer in each fight.
"Sure," Kakashi nodded, a bit resigned. Everyone had agreed to open challenges during this prep period, and Yuyan had taken that seriously. In fact, the two of them had sparred even more than Bai Ye and Guy lately.
Of course, there was a purpose to Bai Ye and Guy's sessions—both had studied the Eight Gates, and Bai Ye was helping Guy train to open more gates safely.
Bang!
While the group chatted, Bai Ye, using only taijutsu enhanced by opening one of the Gates, landed a decisive blow that sent Guy flying and crashing through a table.
"That's the seventeenth table in half a month…" muttered Genma, eyeing the wreckage as Guy groaned on the ground.
He was silently grateful he had gotten Shou to supply the tables—Genma only had to cover the initial cost. The real profit came from the bets.
"Ahhh! You bastards are doing this on purpose!"
Shou, the unwilling quartermaster, dropped to his knees and let out a wail. His profits from the last two weeks were gone—completely eaten up by replacing smashed furniture. Meanwhile, Genma pocketed most of the winnings.
"How could you think that?" Bai Ye asked innocently, whistling. Four of those tables had, in fact, been his fault.
Ever since Bai Ye's finances had dried up, he had been eating with the group for free. Seeing the tables get destroyed every day only deepened his grudge.
"Hehe…"
Yuyan stifled a laugh and gave Kakashi a little shove onto the field. Her record was worse than Bai Ye's—she'd broken eight tables so far.
She always claimed she didn't mean to gamble, but the moment Genma opened the betting board, her hand was already reaching for her wallet. She'd yet to win even once.
"Whatever. Idiots, the lot of you. Anyway, today's the last day."
Shou didn't bother setting up a new table. Instead, he drew a circle in the dirt and divided it like a pie chart, writing betting odds in each segment.
The current wager? How long Yuyan could last against Kakashi. The options ranged from one to ten minutes.
"Bai Ye," Genma said, chewing a bamboo stick, "It's been a while since you and Kakashi fought. You thinking about giving us a show later?"
His tone was lazy, but the interest was real. They'd all grown bored of the repetitive matchups, but a clash between Kakashi and Bai Ye? That still held hype.
After all, Kakashi was the undisputed genius of their class, and Bai Ye had quickly become the most gifted of the class below.
Even the Third Hokage, observing secretly through his Crystal Ball Technique, was curious about the outcome of such a duel.
"You'll see tomorrow," Bai Ye replied with a grin. "Better to save the suspense."
"Right now, I just want to punch your smug face," muttered Asuma, cracking his knuckles.
"We're going to buy groceries," said Kurenai, who had been quietly sitting beside Asuma. She rose and motioned to the other girls. "Bai Ye, don't forget—you're cleaning the house later."
Bai Ye sighed.
After Obito's "renovation" project, his home had become the group's de facto base. It was big enough for everyone and far enough from the village center that no one complained about noise or chaos.
It made for the perfect gathering spot. Bai Ye didn't mind the company, and everyone appreciated the space.
---
The Day of the Final Exam
"There are no special rules for this stage," announced the invigilator from the podium. "Just demonstrate your ability. We'll assess your suitability for promotion based on your performance."
The students in the arena stirred. Standing at the front—flanked by two legendary figures—was Orochimaru.
And not just Orochimaru. Behind him stood Jiraiya and Tsunade—the Three Legendary Sannin, all present as proctors.
That alone was enough to send a ripple of excitement through the room.
But Orochimaru wasn't finished.
"There's one more announcement," he said, smiling faintly. "The three of us will be selecting potential disciples based on today's performances."
Gasps and whispers filled the room.
"Bai Ye… did I hear that right?" said Yue, standing just ahead of him. Her eyes sparkled. "Jiraiya's taking on a disciple?"
She was visibly excited—especially given her obsession with Konan, one of Jiraiya's former students. The announcement clearly hit home.
"Just focus on your performance," Bai Ye said, ruffling her hair. But inwardly, he frowned.
Something didn't sit right.
Orochimaru might do something like this, but Jiraiya and Tsunade? That didn't align with what Bai Ye remembered.
Jiraiya had only taken on Minato as a student before later mentoring Naruto. There was no record of him accepting anyone else in between.
As for Tsunade, she only trained Shizune, her late lover Dan's niece—and Shizune wasn't even in this group.
Which meant something was definitely off about this "announcement."