The crowd roared.
The Chūnin Exam Preliminaries had officially begun.
Hundreds of spectators—clan elders, jonin, diplomats, and genin hopefuls—filled the high stands around the Konoha Arena. The stone structure hummed with tension and anticipation, like a kunai just before it's thrown.
Henri stood on the contestant platform beside Jeneya, eyes sweeping the battlefield below.
This was it.
No more simulations. No more private missions.
This was war with rules.
---
🟢 [SYSTEM EVENT – CHŪNIN EXAM: ROUND ONE]
→ Stage: Preliminary Duels
→ Opponent: Random Selection
→ Mutation Signal Detected: 3 Nearby
→ Current Power Level: Moderate
→ Bonus XP for Combo Moves, Mutation Use, and Crowd Impression
→ Optional Goal: Win Without Using Void Pulse
---
"Look alive," Jeneya whispered. "We're on stage now."
Henri smirked. "I plan to fly."
Before they could speak further, the arena intercom crackled.
"First match—Henri of Team Alpha vs. Inato Shigarai of the Mist."
A hush fell over the crowd.
Jeneya clenched her jaw. "Mist ninja… be careful. They're trained for killing, not sparring."
Henri jumped down into the arena, landing with a soft thud that echoed across the silent stadium.
Across from him stood Inato—tall, pale, with strange ink-black veins running down his neck. His eyes were solid gray, unblinking.
And when he smiled… it looked like a corpse trying to remember how.
---
🧠 Observation Booth – Jonin Side
Kakashi stood with his arms folded beside Gai and Kurenai.
"So that's the jumper," Gai muttered. "Interesting form. His chakra pulses upward rather than outward."
Kakashi's visible eye narrowed. "It's not just jumping. He's syncing his kinetic chakra to a foreign system. That's why his patterns don't match any known clan."
Kurenai frowned. "That boy… he feels watched."
---
🥊 Arena Floor – Start of Match
Hayate stepped between the two fighters. "Begin when ready. Surrender, knockout, or incapacitation ends the match."
Henri bowed slightly. "Let's keep it clean."
Inato didn't respond.
Instead, he crouched—and vanished into mist.
---
⚠️ [ENEMY ABILITY – MIST VEIN STYLE]
→ Type: Bloodline Technique
→ Function: Phase-based Illusion + Mist Armor
→ Weakness: Wind Chakra, High-speed disruption
→ Advice: Air Pressure Movement
---
Henri moved.
He jumped left—then mid-air flipped backward, letting his Sky Weave trigger a chakra spin.
A kunai flew from the mist—he deflected it with his heel.
Then Inato emerged like a shadow behind him, arm poised to jab—
Henri smirked.
"Too slow."
He vaulted backward—compressing chakra into his legs.
BOOM.
The moment he touched the ground, a burst of air pressure launched him upward and backward, escaping Inato's strike.
Mid-air, he twisted and launched two chakra-coated shuriken.
One sliced through Inato's mist veil, disrupting the illusion.
---
✅ [SYSTEM MOVE SUCCESS – "Twist Vault + Aerial Disruptor"]
→ Bonus XP: +50
→ Crowd Reaction: Positive
→ Chakra Efficiency: 79%
---
Inato hissed.
He dropped the mist and revealed his arms—now covered in dark, vein-like tendrils.
"Guess I'll have to taste your blood," he muttered.
The crowd gasped.
Henri cracked his knuckles. "Nah, I'm not on the menu."
Inato lunged, spinning low with inhuman flexibility. Henri blocked one strike, dodged another, then kicked upward—
But Inato absorbed the blow.
His body bent like water, then twisted around Henri's arm.
"Now bleed," he whispered.
A vein pulsed—and latched onto Henri's skin.
---
🔴 [ALERT – BLOODLINE PARASITE ATTEMPT DETECTED]
→ System Defense Triggered
→ Auto-Pulse Activated: "Void Ripple"
→ Enemy Contact Rejected
---
"GET OFF ME!"
Henri roared—and a blast of Void Pulse erupted from his arm.
The chakra shockwave tore through Inato's mist armor, sending him flying back across the arena floor.
He crashed hard into the wall—smoke rising from his chest.
Silence.
Then—
"WINNER: HENRI OF KONOHA!"
---
🟢 [BATTLE COMPLETE]
→ Victory XP: +300
→ First Mutation Clash Bonus: +150
→ System Level Up: 7 → 8
→ New Skill Unlocked: "Void Skin" – Passive pulse barrier (5% damage reduction)
→ Void Pulse Mastery: 46%
→ Crowd Favorability: High
→ Mutation Stability: +12%
---
Henri stood there, chest heaving, eyes locked on his unconscious opponent.
The medics rushed in.
From the stands, murmurs turned to loud chatter.
"Did you see that chakra burst?"
"That's not normal ninjutsu…"
"He's not Uchiha or Uzumaki. What is he?"
"Maybe he's the new Senju weapon."
---
🧠 Observation Booth
Kakashi tilted his head.
"Tsunade… you knew, didn't you?"
Tsunade crossed her arms, face unreadable. "Not everything. But I suspected. He's not a weapon, Kakashi. He's a seed. One that'll either bloom… or explode."
---
🏞️ After the Match – Medical Hall
Henri lay on a cot, shirt off, bandaged lightly.
Jeneya stood beside him.
"You okay?" she asked, brushing hair from his eyes.
He smiled weakly. "Just a scratch. He almost bit me though."
"He latched onto your chakra stream," she said. "If the system hadn't pulsed…"
"I'd be in a coma, maybe worse."
She sat beside him. "That wasn't just a match. That was an execution attempt."
Henri nodded. "They sent in killers disguised as genin."
---
🟠 [SIDE QUEST UNLOCKED – "The Hidden Bloodlines"]
→ Investigate Mist Bloodline Escapes
→ Target: Inato's Clan Files
→ Optional: Meet Shinji Again
→ Reward: Bloodline Counter Skill
---
Jeneya looked down. "The crowd was chanting your name."
Henri chuckled. "Yeah?"
"They called you... the Jump Blade."
He laughed.
And for a moment, the pressure lifted.
But they both knew—this was just the first round.
Others were coming.
Faster. Stronger. Stranger.
---
[To Be Continued…]