123. Pre-Exam Prep

Damn, the sandstorms in the Land of Sand never quit.

Even as someone born in Sunagakure, Temari was tired of the endless yellow haze. Though loyal to her village and the Kazekage father, she couldn't shake her personal annoyance.

"Ugh, I'm beat. Why do we still have to do these escort missions? We already did plenty before."

Beside her, Kankuro grumbled, massaging his aching shoulders. The exhausting guard duty was wearing on him too.

"This is the last escort for the Fox Tale release this month. After this, we're done."

Their leader, Jonin Maki — the Fourth Kazekage's most trusted top ninja — was qualified to mentor the Kazekage's three children.

"True... After that plan, even Konoha might vanish..."

Temari took out a fresh copy of Fox Tale from her pouch, feeling a bit nostalgic. As a young woman, she was interested in romance stories — otherwise, she wouldn't have admired Sasuke's handsome looks in the original.

"But... is cooperating with the Otogakure really viable? That village's new and weak. Can they really help?"

Kankuro looked gloomy but quickly snapped back, looking to Maki for an answer.

"The Otogakure's strength isn't the key — it's their leader. One of the legendary Sanin, he knows Konoha's defenses and terrain inside out. Our mission..."

Maki's voice faltered as he glanced toward the short red-haired figure leading the squad. Even as mentor, the fear in his voice was clear.

"Is just to make sure Gaara can unleash his power inside Konoha."

That sent chills down Temari and Kankuro's spines. The figure ahead was the Sand's dark ruler, a terrifying force of evil.

Monsters like that aren't rare in this world, but they all share one trait — they embody evil and despair. Anyone possessed by them becomes a bloodthirsty demon.

---

Back in Konoha

"Deep in that distant forest, still hidden lies the forgotten heart... Ah-choo!!"

Naruto, wearing a bright crimson twelve-layered kimono, sneezed loudly, breaking the perfect tune. Rubbing his dripping nose, he whined, "Who's talking trash behind my back?"

"Seriously? Can your excuses get any lamer?"

Shikamaru yawned, displeased behind the camera. The mission for the genin teams 7 and 10 today was to help the Fox Tale film crew record the new special effects BGM, Deep Forest.

If all went well, it would become the ending theme.

Ten hours to finish, Location: Uchiha Estate, Konoha. Difficulty: C-rank.

Since Blue Bird was the opening, the ending needed something equally timeless and serious. The Naruto world's anime culture favored earnest, dramatic tracks, not cute, soft ones.

"I'm not lying! And I'm always the one singing in girl's voice and crossdressing! As the hardest working one here, can't I complain a little? Hmph!"

Naruto crossed his arms, puffed up, posing like 'I'm tired, I need a break'. Shikamaru rubbed his temple weakly.

"Fine... We've got plenty of time. Just finish before sunset. Let's rest a bit now."

"Is this really the life of a ninja?"

Ino came out from the tea room with a tray of cups, sighing. Outclassed in girl power by Naruto and Shikamaru, her job was logistics. The blonde girl grumbled, "Tea's ready, everyone take a break."

"Hey, thanks Ino!"

Kakashi and Asuma, sitting at a chessboard in the hallway, raised their hands smiling. "Two cups here too — we're tired."

"You guys tired from playing?! What kind of teachers are you?"

Ino barely kept her cool, holding back from throwing a cup, while Choji, munching on a big bag of snacks, cheerfully raised his hand.

"Hey Ino, I'm thirsty too!"

"You fat pig, hope you dry up and die!"

"I'm not fat, just full-bodied!"

"Alright, stop fighting — you're all adorable students."

"Heh, convenient ones more like."

The 'sweet' quarrel echoed in the courtyard. On the rooftop, Hinata lazily twitched her ears, yawning.

"Ugh, so noisy. What are they up to?"

"Just a bunch of idiots spacing out."

About five meters away, Sasuke gave a sharp remark. His dark eyes glanced at Hinata, showing clear confusion and inner conflict.

"What's wrong? These peaceful days making you uneasy, Sasuke?"

Hinata's mood had brightened lately. After gaining Suigin Tou's powerful mystic body, her tense nerves relaxed enough to nap a little. Humans need to recharge — tension can't last forever.

"You're the one slacking off lately, aren't you?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, disliking her calmness. Not because of laziness, but because it seemed she was confident she'd reached power enough that he and Naruto couldn't catch up — so she lay back to rest.

"You can't rush many things. Besides, we just became genin but already aced A-rank missions and took down elite jonin — that's legendary. Doesn't that bring honor to the Uchiha?"

Hinata noticed Sasuke's mood but wouldn't reveal the truth. After all, he was the late-game cheat type. Better let him stew in some pressure.

"Hmph, of course. Even in the old Uchiha days, genin who finished A-rank missions were rare."

However, Sasuke was still just a kid. Prompted by Hinata's words, he instinctively returned to thoughts about the Uchiha clan. As a young boy still holding the ideal of restoring the Uchiha's glory, he clearly had great expectations for his clan.

"So no need to rush. Also, here's something for you— the annual Chūnin Exams are coming up soon. I don't know what form it will take this year, but I'm sure you wouldn't want to miss it, right?"

Hinata, of course, was well aware of the Chūnin Exams, an annual customary event. Although not always jointly held with other villages, Konoha's exams were widely recognized as the most prestigious among the Five Great Shinobi Villages.

Every year, smaller villages sent their Genin to Konoha to participate, seeking to boost their own reputation and standing. After all, good results in Konoha—the largest village—would naturally elevate the strength and prestige of their own villages.

"Chūnin... huh?"

Sasuke's black eyes suddenly narrowed. Then, like a shadow, the black-haired boy vanished from the rooftop, obviously recalling something important.

At twelve years old now, Sasuke remembered that in the Uchiha clan, there had been a prodigy who became Chūnin at only ten years old.

That ninja's name was... Uchiha Itachi.

"Hmph~ Such a reckless kid, so easy to manipulate."

Knowing that Sasuke had gone off to train again, Hinata didn't bother to stop the stubborn boy. After all, the upcoming Chūnin Exams were far more dangerous than the Land of Waves mission. Every bit of strength gained now would help ensure survival later.

Perhaps it was good for him to train.

Closing her eyes briefly, Hinata felt the flow of chakra in her main body. Compared to Suigin Tou's senjutsu body, her own chakra circulation and recovery were much slower—like a person used to walking in water suddenly stepping onto dry land and feeling the weight of gravity.

Indeed, once accustomed to luxury, it's hard to go back to austerity. Even after just using Suigin Tou's body once, she could feel her own body's shortcomings clearly now—like a dried riverbed revealed in full.

Although Hinata didn't intend to learn the Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist style, she realized there were many aspects worth borrowing—such as the ability to release chakra through all the body's pressure points to cast area effects. This was a bloodline limit unique to the Hyuga clan, but Hinata still hadn't mastered it.

"Looks like I'll need a special training regimen. Fortunately, the skills I've learned can be shown even stronger through Suigin Tou's body."

"Maybe I can surprise a lot of people this exam."