Inside the hospital ward—
Under the curious gaze of another genin patient, Kaito was mercilessly lecturing the two girls—why hadn't they stopped Might Duy? When he learned Duy had pushed himself just to save them, even he couldn't help rubbing his temples.
Seriously…
Why did that idiot take a chūnin exam so seriously?
What is he trying to be—Konoha's Little Lee Who Accidentally Unlocks A Forbidden Technique™?!
If Kaito hadn't strictly forbidden Duy from touching the unfinished Fourth and Fifth Gates, the boy really would have earned himself a deadly "prodigy" nickname.
"Anyway, get some rest first."
"As for Miss Rin, I'll visit her tomorrow and prepare her psychologically…"
"Thank you so much, Kaito."
Bandaged head to toe, Duy looked genuinely moved.
Kaito nodded and motioned for the two girls to follow him outside. They walked past numerous injured shinobi limping through the corridors. Mikoto and Nonō exchanged glances filled with curiosity before the three of them slipped up the stairwell—
Onto the hospital rooftop.
The place where, in the future, Sasuke and Naruto's bond would collapse.
The night breeze was cool, the weather damp but refreshing—nothing like the scorching heat of day. Cleaned blankets hung from the railing in rows, still dripping with water. Most were white, shimmering in the moonlight.
Passing through the humid curtain of laundry, the air shifted from damp to crisp as they stepped toward the outer railing.
Kaito said nothing for a long while.
Behind him, Mikoto and Nonō stiffened nervously, afraid their teacher was preparing another round of scolding.
"About Duy…"
"You two worked hard."
"Eh?!" x2
Both girls were stunned.
Kaito turned his head and met their tense eyes. The cold sharpness of his features softened into a faint smile.
"What? Did you think I dragged you up here to yell at you again?"
"N-no, no, no!" Nonō waved both hands frantically. "I just thought sensei had something important to say!"
"Tch. Just say it. Who's scared?" Mikoto muttered, hands behind her back.
But the way her fingers clenched together… and the way her foot nervously nudged a pebble… she wasn't fooling anyone.
Even so, in their hearts, Kaito's presence was still overwhelmingly authoritative.
"This time, you all did well," Kaito said, his gaze sweeping over Mikoto first, then Nonō.
"On my way back, I ran into Hirata Shinichi—that old man said I picked myself some excellent disciples."
"A stable-performing, naturally gifted Uchiha girl… and a bright blonde kunoichi skilled in Earth Release and tactical cooperation. Both of you are top-tier genin."
"And even—"
A flash of Might Duy's face appeared in his mind.
"Even a young man with only genin-level ability… who never gave up on himself and developed a taijutsu forbidden technique strong enough to shake the world."
"Thank you all."
Before they could react, Kaito bowed deeply.
"Thank you for giving your teacher this honor.
And thank you… for easing the regret I've carried for years."
"Thank you."
Mikoto and Nonō panicked instantly, flailing their arms.
"Sensei! W-why are you bowing?! It was all because you taught us!"
"Exactly, Kaito-sensei!"
They rushed to pull him upright.
Kaito hid a faint smirk—his acting really was flawless. With any luck, the old man in the Hokage building wouldn't give him another overly dramatic lecture after this exam.
—Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office—
Hiruzen Sarutobi had used his crystal orb just moments earlier to check on the situation. Seeing Duy's injuries and Kaito's emotional bow…
He sighed.
"What a good child."
"A shame…"
"If only, back then… sigh."
He dispelled the Viewing Technique and sat back, preparing to work overtime so he'd have energy to personally oversee tomorrow's third exam.
The Next Morning
The third stage of the Chūnin Exams began as scheduled.
Despite his exhaustion, Hiruzen appeared at the arena, reading the same speech he gave every year—what it meant to bear the responsibilities of a chūnin, ending with the Will of Fire.
"Still as long-winded as ever, huh," Shiranui Genma muttered beside Kaito on the second-floor balcony.
Below, it was Yuhi Liuyun's match.
Her opponent: Mito Monzō, from a clan genin squad.
Kaito vaguely remembered the last time he reached the third exam—it had been two years ago. At that time, his chakra control, total reserves, and development of Fire Release chakra were all lacking. Learning Shadow Clone back then was practically impossible.
"Hmm~"
Mito Monzō, a boy with natural Water Release affinity, cocked his head.
"If I remember right, you're from the Yuhi clan—the genjutsu specialists, yes?"
Across from him, the girl with long black hair nodded calmly.
"Yes.
I'm Yuhi Liuyun. Please treat me—"
"No need," he cut her off, waving dismissively.
"I'm not interested in befriending future losers."
Liuyun's eyebrow twitched.
This guy really knew how to be insufferable.
At that moment, the proctor for the match stepped onto the field—Hirata Shinichi.
Liuyun tensed instantly.
"L-long time no see… Senior Shinichi."
"Indeed. Let's see how much your genjutsu has improved," Shinichi replied with a slight nod.
He raised his right hand—
—and dropped it sharply.
"Third Stage, Round Two… begin!"
Shinichi vanished using Body Flicker.
Not even a second later, Liuyun's fingers were already dancing through seals.
"Clone Technique!"
Two identical illusionary doubles appeared at her sides.
"Clone tactics?" Monzō muttered.
A kunai came flying toward him. He tilted his head aside—catching sight of a small white sphere behind it.
A smoke bomb.
Boom!
A cloud of harmless white smoke burst open, engulfing his vision.
"I see…" Kaito murmured from above.
Liuyun wasn't using the clones to confuse him—the smoke was the real setup.
Hidden inside the expanding cloud, she hurled three shuriken based on Monzō's last known location.
Clang! Clang! Whoosh!
One was deflected—revealing his exact position.
Another illusionary clone formed. With her three clones charging forward, Liuyun herself slipped silently into the smoke.
Moments later, Monzō burst out of the cloud—only to find three Liuyuns rushing him.
"Perfect chance!"
His hands flew through hand seals—
Tiger → Snake → Tiger → Snake → Tiger → Snake
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
A C-rank water technique—able to form a small wave pool powerful enough to crash through enemies or extinguish fires. Far superior to the one E-rank Water Bullet Kaito knew.
"So that's the hand seal sequence… I should write this down later."
Before awakening other chakra attributes, Kaito's non-Fire Releases were too weak to bother learning. He didn't even try to remember them.
Fire Release, meanwhile, consumed too much chakra—he could barely support four Shadow Clones back then.
Monzō's water output scaled with his chakra control.
And judging by the volume blasting from his mouth, he had plenty to spare.
A stream of water surged outward, crashing toward the incoming figures.
None of the observing shinobi warned Liuyun—third parties were strictly forbidden from intervening.
This wasn't like Naruto's era, where the exam sometimes doubled as a publicity stunt.
These candidates were being trained for war.
Beside Kaito, Shimura Yūko folded her arms and spoke coldly under her breath.
"He fell for it. Idiot."
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