Chapter 44 Chūnin Exam!
As soon as he arrived, Morkel felt something was off beneath him.
When he looked down, Konohamaru was lying between his legs!
Morkel: "..."
Konohamaru: "..."
Morkel asked in confusion, "Konohamaru, what are you doing between my legs?"
Konohamaru quickly scrambled to his feet. "It's you, Brother Morkel! You suddenly appeared!"
Morkel realized what had happened. Konohamaru had been lying next to the Flying Thunder God mark he had set in advance, and when Morkel teleported, he had unintentionally landed right on top of him.
On the side, the little girl Meng Huang saw the handsome Morkel appear out of nowhere, and her eyes sparkled with admiration. "Cool! Konohamaru, is this big brother your friend?"
Konohamaru, still dusting himself off, introduced Morkel proudly. "This is Brother Morkel! He's the one I told you about! He even taught me how to use the Rasengan!"
"Wait, he was the one who taught you to master the Rasengan in just one day? That's amazing!" Udon said, clearly impressed.
Meng Huang's admiration only grew. "Brother Morkel is so strong and handsome..."
Konohamaru suddenly remembered something and said excitedly, "Oh, Brother Morkel! The Rasengan you taught me was really useful! One time, I snuck up on Grandpa and knocked him down!"
Morkel's face went pale. "...You did what?"
This kid is ruthless! He actually used Rasengan on the Third Hokage?! If Sarutobi Hiruzen blames me for this, I'm doomed!
Trying to change the subject, Morkel looked at the three kids and said, "Okay, okay, that's enough chatting. I have to go buy groceries and cook."
---
Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen had been working all day, his back aching as he patted his waist and coughed lightly.
The secretary beside him asked with concern, "Hokage-sama, are you still feeling the effects of the injury Konohamaru gave you?"
Sarutobi squinted, pipe in hand. "Yes... that brat actually used the Rasengan on me. My back has been sore ever since. I'm getting too old for this..."
---
More than half a month had passed since Team 7 completed their mission in the Land of Waves.
Although they had performed exceptionally well on that mission, they were still being assigned low-level tasks in the village, like digging sweet potatoes and looking after children.
One day, while waiting for Kakashi at the training ground, Naruto leaned in close to Morkel and whispered, "Hey, Morkel, have you noticed there are a lot of new faces in the village lately?"
Morkel had indeed noticed.
Not only had the number of people increased, but they were also ninjas wearing forehead protectors from various villages, not ordinary merchants or travelers.
"They showed up in Konoha all of a sudden. Maybe it's some kind of secret invasion plan?" Naruto guessed wildly. "What if they're here to destroy Konoha?"
Then, as if already picturing the scenario, Naruto grinned excitedly. "If that happens, I'll be the one to turn the tide! I'll defeat all the enemies, save Konoha, and become the village hero! Then the Third Hokage will retire and give me his job!"
"You're hopeless," Sasuke muttered, shaking his head. "Wars aren't won by individuals, Naruto. Not unless you're the First Hokage and have Wood Style."
"Wood Style?" Naruto scratched his head. "Is that really such a big deal?"
Sasuke glared at him. "I keep telling you to pay attention in class! It's a legendary bloodline ability only the First Hokage had."
At that moment, Kakashi finally appeared, as usual, arriving late.
"Sorry, everyone," he said casually. "I had to help an old lady cross the street."
Naruto frowned. "Yeah right, you just overslept."
Kakashi ignored the accusation and got to the point. "You all may have noticed the influx of unfamiliar ninjas in Konoha. That's because the Chūnin Exam is coming up. It's the test for Genin to be promoted to Chūnin, and it happens twice a year. The next one is in a week, on July 1st."
Then he dropped the real news. "I've already signed up the three of you."
Naruto immediately cheered. "Yes! I'm finally going to be a Chūnin!"
Kakashi, however, gave him a skeptical look. "Don't celebrate too soon. The elimination rate for the Chūnin Exams is very high."
"How high?" Naruto asked, suddenly nervous.
"About seventy percent," Sasuke said flatly.
Naruto blinked. "Wait, but there are so many Chūnin in the village!"
Kakashi explained patiently, "That's because the exam happens twice a year. If you fail, you can try again. Still, the test is extremely difficult. I don't expect you all to pass, but it will be a good experience."
Then Kakashi glanced at Morkel, his most capable student. Among the three, Morkel had the best chance of actually passing. Given his strength, he could probably pass the Jōnin Exam too.
Naruto, still caught up in his excitement, suddenly asked, "Hey, Kakashi-sensei, how old were you when you became a Chūnin?"
Kakashi thought for a moment before answering, "Around six."
Naruto: "...?!"
Morkel: "...?!"
Sasuke: "...?!"
Was the older generation really that terrifyingly strong?
Naruto gulped. "Then... when did you become a Jōnin?"
"Twelve," Kakashi answered nonchalantly.
The three Genin stared at him in disbelief.
So, the moment Kakashi graduated from the Ninja Academy, he was already a Jōnin?!
Kakashi saw their stunned expressions and chuckled. "Well, that was during wartime. Things were different back then. You shouldn't compare yourselves to me."
The truth was, Kakashi had become a Jōnin during the war, received his special Jōnin gift from a dear friend, and quickly joined Anbu. In just three years, he had risen to the rank of Anbu captain—a position some ninjas never reached in their lifetime.
"Anyway," Kakashi said, "focus on preparing for the Chūnin Exam."
With that, he disappeared, leaving the three of them to process the information.
Sasuke clenched his fists. He needed to get stronger and prove himself in the Chūnin Exam.
Naruto, not wanting to fall behind, decided to intensify his training as well.
And Morkel? He smirked. This was going to be interesting.
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