Chapter 42 : Chunin Exam Begins

As soon as they entered the examination room, the trio of Haruto, Sasuke, and Naruto instantly became the center of attention.

"Those boys are so handsome…"Several female ninjas whispered, eyes sparkling with nympho energy.

But naturally, not everyone was pleased.

"Tch, showing off with those flashy clothes—do they think this is a catwalk or something?"

At that moment, Ino dashed over and clung tightly onto Haruto's arm: "Brother! Why did you only come now?"

As she spoke, her eyes darted sharply toward Sakura—ready for the usual verbal clash.

But to Ino's surprise, Sakura merely lowered her head, her eyes dim. She didn't retort. Ino was stunned. She felt a strange sense of… disappointment.

Haruto gently pulled Ino's arm down: "Don't cling like that, there are too many people watching. It doesn't look good."

Ino pouted and turned away dramatically: "Hmph. You're just afraid Hinata might see it!"

Haruto turned toward Hinata instinctively—only to meet her warm, gentle smile. She nodded slightly, signaling she didn't mind at all.

Meanwhile, Naruto had already started yelling across the room: "Yo! Shikamaru! Still lazy as ever. Choji, you're still munching, and—wait, Kiba, you still have fangs?"

The trio stared at him.

"...You are??" Shikamaru asked with a deadpan face.

Naruto puffed out his chest: "I'm Naruto!"

"...What?" Everyone blinked.

Even Akamaru froze mid-sniff, barking loudly.

Kiba interpreted dryly: "Akamaru says he doesn't believe it. Says you used to be ugly."

Naruto had black lines all over his face. Am I really that pitiful...?

Just then, a cold voice interrupted: "You new grads sure are loud. This isn't a playground, you know."

A silver-haired genin with glasses stepped forward.

Sasuke gave him an icy look: "And who are you, acting all high and mighty?"

The Genin pushed up his glasses with a glint: "My name is Kabuto Yakushi. If you'd look around—"

The whole room quieted as everyone slowly turned their heads.

All around them—pairs and pairs of cold, sharp, murderous eyes were staring.

"...What the—?"

"Why is the killing intent so thick?"

Kabuto smirked: "Everyone's tense before the exam. Better watch yourselves... or you might not last five minutes."

After glancing once more at the swarm of murderous glares, everyone in the room instinctively swallowed in unison.

Haruto smiled faintly. Now's the perfect moment to make a statement and cut off unnecessary trouble early.

He stepped forward confidently, striking a pose he considered especially stylish, and said slowly:

"I'm warning you... stop looking at me like that—Or you'll die."

The whole room broke into a wave of murmurs.

"This brat…"

"Tch, thinks he's hot stuff…"

"I'll shut him up—"

Shing—

The chilling sound of Muramamaru being unsheathed echoed through the examination room.

And then—silence.

Cold sweat appeared on dozens of faces. Everyone froze, paralyzed.That killing intent—so intense it felt like a knife at their throats. They stared at Haruto, eyes wide in horror. What is this pressure...? Are we... going to die here?

Haruto's eyes swept the crowd: "So… who was it that wanted to 'teach me a lesson'?"

The room was dead silent.

Only a few people—Gaara, Neji, Lee, Haku, and a cloud ninja team—met Haruto's eyes calmly. Everyone else? Heads down. Completely dominated.

"Weaklings should know their place. If you don't want to die, don't provoke those stronger than you. Next time—I won't stop at intimidation."

Shink—Haruto sheathed Muramamaru with a single sharp motion.

The entire room let out a collective breath they didn't know they were holding.

From that moment on, no one dared to even glance at Haruto's group, let alone stir trouble.

Haruto, internally: Nice… that was cool as hell.

After he dispelled the oppressive aura, Konoha's group of genin quickly rushed up, chatting excitedly.

"Haruto! That was insane! I didn't know you were that strong! Man, you scared them all stiff! You didn't even hit anyone!"

Haruto chuckled: "It's just… a little secret technique to boost presence."

Suddenly, Kabuto stepped forward again, holding a stack of cards.

"Since everyone's calmed down, allow me to share a little info. These are Ninja Info Cards. They don't cover everything, but I've recorded a lot over the years. If there's anyone you're curious about, I can look them up."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes: "Can you check two names for me? Gaara, from the Sand Village and Rock Lee, from our own village."

Kabuto adjusted his glasses and began flipping through his cards.

"Rock Lee… hmm. Here:

Completed 20 D-rank missions and 11 C-rank missions. Known for his exceptional taijutsu, though he can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu at all."

Kabuto adjusted his glasses and continued,

"Gaara... Eight C-rank missions, one B-rank.What's more frightening—he's never been injured during any mission."

The entire room fell into a quiet, tense silence.

Sakura gulped and gently tugged at her teammates.

"Should… should we just give up now?"

Akuni and Yuriko patted her shoulders reassuringly.

"It's okay. Honestly… we kind of expected to get crushed anyway."

Just then, Kiba walked over, pointing at Haruto with a grin:

"Hey Kabuto, what about him? Got anything on that guy?"

Kabuto paused for a moment, then flipped to the right card.

"Ah, yes—Haruto Itsuki…"

The room quieted immediately. Everyone leaned closer to listen.

Kabuto read: "Seven D-rank missions. One C-rank mission. Specializes in kenjutsu.…Nothing seems too unusual in the report. However—"

Everyone tensed.

"However… according to recent intelligence—He single-handedly defeated the rogue Mist ninja, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen,—Momochi Zabuza, the Demon of the Hidden Mist."

Boom. The entire room exploded with whispers.

"What?!"

"One of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen? Alone?!"

"Isn't that Jonin level?!"

Kiba blinked in confusion:

"Seven Ninja Swordsmen? What's that?"

Shino, calm as always, explained: "They're elite specialists from the Hidden Mist. Just beneath the Kage in authority. Each one wields a legendary blade.In short—they're monsters."

Even Kiba swallowed nervously: "So… Haruto's that strong now? Seriously?"

Haruto (sweating inwardly):Can I tell them it was partly just luck back then…? I mean, Zabuza wasn't even at full strength...

Though now, if I fought him again, I could win cleanly. Honestly, at this point, elite jonin aren't that terrifying. Gaara? Kimimaro? That's elite jonin level too. Itachi? Same age as me, already at Kage level. If I have to face Gaara next round… it'll be way worse than fighting Zabuza.

He cleared his throat and gave his best modest shrug.

"Ahem. You know me. I like to keep things low-key."

Kiba rolled his eyes hard. "Low-key my butt. You love showing off."

Haruto pointed at himself indignantly: "Don't slander me! I'm humble! Modest!"

Everyone around just stared at him with disbelief.

At that moment, a gentle voice cut through the atmosphere.

"Haruto-san."

Haku walked over calmly, smiling with a gentle expression. His white hair and soft demeanor made the surrounding noise vanish in comparison.

"I'm glad we meet again."

Haruto smiled back, genuinely happy. "Same here, Haku. You're joining the Chunin Exams too?"

Haku nodded.

"Yes. This time, as a proper Genin of the Hidden Mist. I hope we'll have the chance to spar again… under better circumstances."

At this moment, Haku came over to say hello to Haruto and the others. Naruto shouted in amazement: "Haku, why are there only two of you in your group, and why did this beautiful sister shave her head bald?

"The "beautiful sister" in Naruto's mouth was furious: "Idiot, I'm a man!"

Naruto looked at Haku in surprise.Haku nodded: "His name is Daigo, and yes, he's really a man."

"Why?" Naruto asked, clearly confused by Daigo's delicate features.

With a wry smile, Haku held Naruto back from blurting out more and said, "Masaki, come out and say hello to everyone."

A figure emerged from Haku's shadow, shocking everyone. This person wore a strange cloak, and his face was obscured by a layer of white mist, making it impossible to see clearly.

"Haku, why are you all weirdos?" Naruto said bluntly.

Everyone was speechless.

Haruto hammered Naruto on the head and said, "If you don't know how to talk, just don't talk."

At the same moment Haruto slammed down, a loud bang echoed. A puff of smoke rose, and with a strong gust of wind, Morino Ibiki appeared with a group of men.

Haruto muttered silently, "This guy is even more pretentious than I am."