Promotion Commotion (Part-6) [Konoha's Got Talent (It’s Mostly Just Punching)]

The month passed sooner than expected, and finally, the day of the third stage of the Chunin Exams arrived.

Even though Jiraiya had reluctantly agreed to train Ren, it became obvious quickly that he didn't intend to stick to his promise entirely. As a result, Ren had to spend a good portion of the month chasing Jiraiya down across Konoha, mostly by exposing his latest perch while he was "researching" outside bathhouses.

It became a daily ritual: Ren would spot him, shout his location, and eventually corner the man into sparring.

Jiraiya got sneakier each day, trying new hiding spots and disguises. But even so, Ren still managed to force three fights a week out of him.

During these spars, Ren focused primarily on perfecting his Eight Gates techniques and fine-tuning his chakra control strength. He avoided using ninjutsu or Fuinjutsu too much, not because they wouldn't work, but because of Itachi.

With his three tomoe Sharingan active, Itachi could potentially copy jutsu in the heat of battle. So Ren decided on something different. A pure Taijutsu battle against a fully awakened Sharingan, it would be more fun. And more of a challenge.

Outside of training, Konoha had become significantly livelier. The streets were packed, and Ren couldn't even complete his morning runs. Annoyed, he began jogging along the village walls, until the Hokage issued a village-wide notice explicitly banning "certain individuals" from wall-running during festival hours, citing "decorum and public safety."

'Bullshit,' Ren had thought at the time, but he'd complied anyway.

He hadn't met his teammates the entire month, but today, they were finally gathered again, standing together outside the stadium. Both Yugao and Hitoshi had improved during their training. Yugao now stood at level 48, and Hitoshi had climbed to level 44.

Ren approached with a casual smile. "You guys ready?"

Both nodded, calm and confident.

As they made their way around the stadium, they stumbled upon a pair of betting booths, one for civilians and another for shinobi. Ren curiously peeked at the odds. In the civilian pool, Itachi held the highest odds, followed by Kurotsuchi, with Ren in third place.

But in the shinobi betting pool?

Ren was being heavily favored.

'Huh… guess the shinobi side knows me better.' He thought through it: the mission with Tsunade and Jiraiya, the few S-rank missions, and even quiet Anbu evaluations. Word must've spread.

What Ren didn't know was that ANBU themselves had subtly pushed out information about his strength and accomplishments as part of a growing quiet campaign to prepare Konoha's internal power shifts.

Ren grinned. 'Well, if the civilians don't know me yet, today's a good time to fix that.' His thoughts shifted, 'Fuck being worried about Danzo or anyone else's attention, let's just have fun today, beat Itachi and throw away the canon.'

He turned to his teammates and said, "Hey, let's go place bets. We could make some quick money."

But before either of them could reply

BONK.

Utakata smacked him square on the head.

"Absolutely not," their sensei said sternly. "Don't you three remember? Money is one of the three great vices of a shinobi."

He raised his voice just slightly, enough for the nearby shinobi to hear. "And I shouldn't be surprised, considering your seniors are shamelessly gambling like civilians."

Some shinobi quietly dispersed, ears red. Others, thick-skinned veterans, stayed put.

Ren rubbed his head, unbothered. "But Sensei, look over there, Pervy Sage's in disguise placing civilian bets."

Utakata narrowed his eyes, and without a word, flickered through the crowd, grabbing one of the louder civilian bettors by the collar.

The man was just about to protest, but when he saw who had grabbed him, he froze. Utakata dragged him toward the Genin trio and, with a sigh, said:

"Sensei, how long are you going to keep up the disguise?"

There was a puff of smoke, and Jiraiya emerged, looking slightly sheepish but mostly annoyed. "Damned brat. How do you always find me?"

Ren simply flashed a peace sign with a big smile as he couldn't tell him about the glowing name and the question mark above his head.

Utakata ignored them both and turned to his team.

"You three have worked hard this past month," he said. "Now go. Fight with everything you've got and let the world see the next generation of Konoha, and Ren, you can be as flashy as you want."

All three nodded together. "Yes, sensei."

As they turned to enter the stadium, Utakata and Jiraiya stood side-by-side for a moment, watching them go.

Jiraiya exhaled. "That kid really is gonna shake up the village one day."

Just then, a soft voice broke through behind them.

"Oh my, I thought I'd finally get to meet your students today."

Utakata froze slightly.

Turning to the source, he saw a tall, elegant woman with orange hair, delicate features, and a playful smile. She was pouting ever so slightly.

"Ah. Nami-san…" Utakata said, standing a bit straighter.

Jiraiya's eyes turned, the man always interested in stories, asked, "Who's this Utakata?"

Utakata was about to reply but the woman raised her hand in greeting and spoke sweetly, "Hello, Jiraiya-sama. I'm Nami Kageshiro. I'm his fiancee."

Jiraiya blinked.

Then again.

And then

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" he shouted, nearly slipping on the plain ground.

Utakata sighed and muttered, "...Here we go."

~~~

Once the Genin had entered the stadium, they were led through a separate passageway that ran beneath the stands, an old, reinforced corridor lined with stone tiles and thick wooden beams.

The path eventually opened up into the participant stand, a reserved balcony space overlooking the circular combat arena. From here, one could see the entire stadium clearly even the VIP platform adjacent to them.

As Team 1 entered, they saw that the Sand team was already there. The three shinobi from Sunagakure stood together quietly, watching the preparations below. Not far from them stood Itachi, his posture as composed as ever, arms crossed loosely as he looked toward the arena floor.

Ren gave him a nod in greeting. Itachi nodded back.

Team 1 didn't waste time. After a brief word with Itachi and some small talk about the matches to come, the three of them settled in. Yugao took the spot between Hitoshi and Ren, her hand casually resting on the hilt of her katana. Ren leaned back on the railing behind them, watching the audience slowly fill the stands.

"It's packed," he muttered.

Hitoshi, scanning with his insects, added, "Multiple Chunin squads are positioned in the audience. ANBU too. They're not taking any chances."

Ren nodded. "Makes sense. If something goes wrong, this place would be chaos." 'Well, even this much security wouldn't be enough, if an attack really happened.' He left the last part unsaid.

Yugao stretched slightly. "Let's just focus on the matches. We trained enough."

Moments later, the Stone team finally arrived. Kurotsuchi, her bulky teammate Akatsuchi, and the third member Iwa Shiro entered with the composed but unwarranted arrogance only shinobi from a Kage's family could carry. Kurotsuchi glanced briefly at the other Genin, her eyes lingering on Ren before she turned and sat down with her team.

Soon, the buzz in the stadium shifted as the proctors gave their final checks. The large stadium gates creaked open and the main announcer stepped into the center of the arena.

A burst of cheering followed.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the announcer called out, his voice amplified by a chakra-enhanced seal. "Welcome to the Final Round of the Chunin Exams!"

The crowd responded with thunderous applause and scattered whistles. The atmosphere surged with anticipation.

"Now," the announcer continued, "please rise for the Third Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village, Hiruzen Sarutobi-sama!"

A flicker of movement drew all eyes to the highest platform.

There, standing in full formal robes, the Third Hokage appeared and at a respectful distance behind him were several ANBU guards.

Hiruzen stepped forward with practiced grace, his eyes scanning the audience before falling briefly on the Genin participants. He offered a calm smile and raised a hand for silence.

As the crowd hushed, Hiruzen began:

"Welcome, honored guests, noble clans, and dear citizens of the Leaf and beyond. It brings me great joy to stand before you today as we mark a return to what we once feared we might lose, peace."

He paused, letting the weight of the word settle.

"Not long ago, our nations were at war. Bloodshed stained every battlefield, and trust seemed like a distant dream. But now, thanks to your courage, your resilience, and your belief in a better future, we stand united, even if only tentatively."

A wave of respectful silence swept across the stadium.

"The Chunin Exams are not just a test for our young shinobi," he continued. "They are a stage, a chance for the next generation to shine, to represent their nations not just with strength, but with honor. These battles will be watched not only by us, but by future clients, leaders, and children who dream of one day walking in these contestants' shoes."

Hiruzen allowed a slight smile.

"So cheer proudly. Support loudly. And watch as the will of fire and the will of every hidden village, blazes anew."

Applause thundered again, and this time it was joined by a soft rumble of murmured excitement.

"And now," the announcer said as the clapping died down, "please welcome the Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, Onoki-sama, to the stage!"

A second flicker appeared, and the aged form of Onoki floated into view, supported by a hovering earth-style platform. Though visibly aged, his presence carried the weight of decades of battlefield command and sheer stubborn will.

Onoki drifted beside Hiruzen and stepped forward, arms behind his back.

"It is… tiring, traveling at my age," he began in his gravelly tone. "But I suppose there are things worth dragging these old bones around for. And this exam, this moment, is one of them."

There were light chuckles from the crowd, including from Hiruzen.

"Long ago, we sought strength through conflict. Now, we seek strength in understanding. These young shinobi are not just warriors, they are future leaders. And I, for one, look forward to watching them bloody each other up, respectfully, of course."

More laughter. Onoki allowed a grin to flicker at his lips.

"Let the matches begin," he said simply.

With that, he floated toward the main VIP box, Hiruzen walking beside him. The two elders sat down side by side, their guards stationed just behind.

For a moment, they were quiet, until Onoki glanced sideways.

"I see your brat with the blue hair broke the record in the second round," he said casually.

Hiruzen puffed his pipe. "Ah. So you've been reading the reports."

Onoki retorted, "Hard not to, when your proctors keep bragging in their debriefs."

Hiruzen chuckled. "Well, he is rather talented. Though I'm sure your granddaughter will make things interesting."

Onoki made a thoughtful noise. "If she doesn't, I'll toss her back into the training pits."

They both chuckled, but behind the laughter, each sentence felt like a subtle test.

Power was being weighed.

"So," Hiruzen said lightly, "have you considered retirement?"

"Have you considered keeping your successors alive longer than five years?"

Hiruzen laughed outright at that, "Touche."

Their private conversation continued in hushed tones, laden with history and rivalry, however, how much they believed each other was a different matter since the two were few of those who had lived too long to believe the world was simple.

~~~

Down below, the crowd had returned to cheering as the proctor of the third round, Inokawa Yamanaka, stepped onto the field.

With his distinctive platinum-blond hair tied back, he raised one hand for attention.

"Participants," he said, "your numbers have already been drawn. Each of you will now face your opponents in one-on-one matches. There will be no substitutions. Matches will not be stopped unless surrender is declared, the proctor intervenes, or death is imminent."

He paused, letting the weight of that settle across the stadium.

"The first match…" he read off the clipboard, his voice steady.

"…Ren Takahashi of the Hidden Leaf… versus… Iwa Shiro of the Hidden Stone."

The crowd's response was immediate. A blend of cheers, some gasps, and a ripple of excitement as the first match was called.

Ren stood up calmly, brushing the front of his vest as he exhaled slowly.

"Let's show them a good start," he muttered.

Yugao gave him a quick fist bump. "Make it flashy."

Hitoshi only nodded. "Don't let him land a single hit."

Ren grinned. "Wasn't planning to."

He flickered from his place in the stands and reappeared on the field.

Across from him, Iwa Shiro, a sharp-eyed Genin with stone armor bracers and a heavy-looking kunai, stepped forward with a scowl. Unlike his confident teammate Kurotsuchi, Shiro looked more agitated than composed.

Ren cracked his neck once, then smiled casually.

Inokawa raised his hand.

"Match one will begin at my words."

"Ready…"

"Begin!"

~~~~~

{Well, Utakata-Sensei has a fiancee now, wonder if that will change him.

Also yeah, I just got lazy and copied Nami's name and appearance. She won't be important to the story, but she'll be a nice character to write.}

{Out of all the chapters in this arc the hardest part is to write the audience's reaction, if any of you ever attended live tournaments comment on how I should improve them.}

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{ h t t p s : / / w w w . p a t r e o n . c o m / / Z e e n o n }

{You can just search for my name too, it's the one with tom's pic (from tom and Jerry)}

{You know what else to do.}

{STONES!!!!}