The match between Minato and Haiichi was surprisingly engaging easily one of the higher-quality battles in this year's Chunin Exams.
After all, most of the matches in these exams devolved into little more than clashing kunai and desperate dodging. Actual ninjutsu? Rarely seen. (Just look at Sakura Haruno for reference many contestants didn't even reach her level.)
Ordinary genin usually burned through their entire chakra reserve after casting a single C-rank technique. Only those blessed with real talent could continuously release multiple jutsu in battle.
Once Minato and Haiichi's fight ended, Dingza was next. His opponent was similar to Shane Mountain's last one easily defeated.
Before long, all matches wrapped up. The Third Hokage dismissed them, instructing everyone to rest and await results the following morning.
By the time they left the Forest of Death with their supervising jonin, the moon was already high overhead.
"Alright, I'm heading home! See you guys tomorrow!" Shane waved to his teammates, the first to leave.
Minato soon followed, intending to refine the Raging Spiral Dance technique he'd used earlier. He was convinced the jutsu still had room to grow.
Jiro and Dingza also went their separate ways, with Dingza loudly proclaiming he was going home to "worship the temple of his stomach" after days of exhausting missions.
Inside the Hokage's Office.
"Hiruzen! Hand Shane over to me. I'll make him into the perfect shinobi!"
Danzo slammed a folder of Shane's records onto the desk, his tone demanding.
"No," the Third Hokage replied calmly, shaking his head. "I've already decided on his teacher."
"Teacher? Don't tell me it's Jiraiya!" Danzo's voice rose sharply. "That fool has been missing for months! How can you entrust such a prodigy to him? And Minato too! Both of them are exceptional talents, yet you're wasting them on that idiot!"
Danzo's frustration was palpable. He'd once respected Jiraiya's abilities, but the man's constant wanderings had pushed that respect to its limit. If not for Tsunade and Orochimaru confirming Jiraiya's continued survival, Danzo might've already carved his name into the village's memorial stone.
Now that another genius had appeared, he couldn't believe Hiruzen was once again letting him slip away.
"Danzo, that boy doesn't belong in your hands," Hiruzen said quietly, his tone firm.
He'd seen Shane's nature up close. The young man had no hunger for power, no taste for politics only an insatiable curiosity for ninjutsu. Ever since learning about sealing techniques, Shane had immersed himself entirely in study, forgetting about everything else.
A mind like that would wither inside the shadows of the Root.
Hiruzen had another vision for him a partnership with Minato. Not as the kind of dark-light balance that existed between himself and Danzo, but as true comrades: one leading, one striking. A general and his blade.
More importantly, Hiruzen was ready to curb Danzo's influence.
A decade ago, when the Second Hokage died and the elders formed the Root to stabilize the village, it made sense. The Hokage's authority had to be divided to maintain internal balance among the clans.
But times had changed. Hiruzen's rule was now unshakable, and with the next generation of Hokage candidates already in training, the continued existence of Root and the meddling elders had become a potential threat.
If those forces interfered with the next Hokage's succession, how could he face the First and Second in the afterlife?
Danzo clenched his jaw, his face twitching with suppressed anger. Hiruzen, ever composed, met his glare with calm indifference.
At last, Danzo turned to leave, spitting out a bitter promise.
"Fine, Hiruzen. I won't stand in the way of your seedlings."
The office fell silent once more, leaving only Hiruzen's thoughtful sigh behind.
The Next Day.
Shane received a summons to the Hokage's office.
As expected, their team had passed every member was officially promoted to Chunin. After receiving their new vests, they were immediately assigned a mission.
"You're to escort a supply convoy to the Wind Country frontlines," Hiruzen said, handing Shane a sealed scroll. "Once you arrive, deliver this to Tsunade. From there, follow her orders."
Accepting the scroll with a bow, Shane realized this would be his second journey beyond the village and a far more dangerous one.
This time, they wouldn't just deliver supplies. They would remain on the battlefield.
But to Shane, danger was a relative term.
He, Minato, Jiro, and Dingza soon set off with the caravan three wagons loaded with weapons bound for the frontlines.
Shane couldn't help but wonder why the Hokage trusted a team of newly minted chunin with such valuable cargo.
Rain began to drizzle, mist blanketing the forested path. The mud made the carts creak and groan as they trudged forward.
"Why aren't we using the main road?" Shane finally asked.
"Smaller paths are safer," Minato explained patiently. "They're harder to track, and even if the enemy knows we're coming, they can't predict which route we'll take. The terrain here also limits ambushes too few places to hide."
Shane blinked. "There's that much strategy in picking a road?"
"Of course," Minato chuckled. "Every detail counts in war."
Rain continued to fall in a soft, steady rhythm. The caravan's wheels left deep grooves in the muddy ground as they moved deeper into Fire Country's forests.
They'd already traveled far from the village the perfect place for an ambush, if one were coming.
Minato tightened his grip on his kunai, his senses spreading outward like ripples on water. One sign of danger, and he'd react instantly.
But luck seemed to favor them today. They passed through the narrow route without incident.
"Relax, lads," called the middle-aged driver at the front of the convoy. "This is still Fire Country territory. There's no way the Sand nin could have broken through Lady Tsunade's line!"
His words eased the group's tension. Minato grinned. "True enough. Lady Tsunade's not someone you'd want to challenge."
Because of Kushina, he'd met Tsunade a few times though most of those encounters had been brief. When not on missions, she spent more time at the gambling tables than anywhere else.
Shane, meanwhile, quietly extended his Observation Haki, sensing every presence in the surrounding forest.
The driver seemed right. There were no signs of enemies nearby. If the Sand's forces truly couldn't breach Tsunade's defenses, then this journey might actually end peacefully.
Still, Shane's thoughts drifted as they moved.
Konoha's forces are at their peak right now, he mused. The Three Legendary Sannin can stand toe-to-toe with Hanzō the Salamander. Even Sakumo Hatake is an elite at the Kage level. The Sand probably doesn't even want to keep fighting.
Then another thought struck him. Wait… wasn't Tsunade's brother supposed to die around this time? Should I… save him?
Before his encounter with the "White Coat" Shane from another world, he would've dismissed the idea entirely. Back then, survival was his only concern heroics were a luxury.
But now?
With his newfound power, Shane Mountain no longer feared the world.
Perhaps, this time, he could rewrite a tragedy.
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