Chapter 30 – Chūnin Exams

After visiting Kiyosuke, everyone went their separate ways. They were all shinobi—lingering in the hospital all day wasn't practical.

Asuma and Kurenai headed back to rest. They had immediately brought Kiyosuke to the Konoha Hospital and hadn't taken a break since. It was finally time for some sleep.

Lying in bed, Kiyosuke also drifted off. With medical-nin treating his wounds and some medication to help, all he needed now was proper rest. The exhaustion of the past few days washed over him like a tide, and before long, he was sound asleep.

...

He woke up the next morning, stomach growling from hunger. On the table beside his bed sat a tray of fruit, brought over by Obito and the others. He picked up an apple, didn't bother washing it, just wiped it on the bedsheet and took a bite. The flesh was crisp and sweet.

"You look like you're recovering quite nicely."

That distinctive raspy voice caught his attention. He turned his head to see Orochimaru leaning against the doorframe, smiling.

"Orochimaru-sensei, you're here." Kiyosuke tossed him an apple. "They brought it."

Orochimaru caught the apple but didn't eat it.

"I heard you defeated a jōnin from Kumogakure and seriously injured another?"

"I did."

"Tell me about it."

Kiyosuke gave a brief rundown of the fight from that night. When he finished, Orochimaru chuckled.

"Sounds like you got lucky. You ran into two overconfident jōnin. If they'd taken you seriously from the start, you'd be dead."

"Yeah... I got lucky. If things had gone differently, I'd be done for."

Looking back on it now, that night had been dangerously close. Galobi didn't understand his elemental transformation and got caught in Kurenai's genjutsu, thinking he was still under illusion—giving Kiyosuke the perfect opening to strike. And Maki... she'd let her desire for revenge blind her, making her predictable.

If it had been any other shinobi in his place, the three of them probably wouldn't have made it out of that forest alive.

"You still need to keep training," Orochimaru reminded him.

"Yes, sir."

"Also... in a month, the Chūnin Exams will begin."

The Chūnin Exams?

Everyone knew that the only way for a genin to be promoted—aside from being specially chosen by village higher-ups—was through the Chūnin Exams. Normally held once a year, the exams sometimes involved joint participation from other villages if it wasn't a time of war.

Besides being a test of individual growth and strength, the exams were also an opportunity for each village to scout the younger generation of other shinobi nations.

"I see... Shinku-sensei hasn't told me yet." Kiyosuke had been bedridden since returning. Shinku hadn't visited once—he was probably tied up with something important.

"Still, I don't know if my body will be fully recovered in time..." If his injuries hadn't healed, they could seriously affect his performance.

"You don't need to worry about that," Orochimaru said. "Your body recovers faster than most. With the hospital's medical ninjutsu and some rest, you'll be up and running in two weeks."

He'd already tested Kiyosuke's physique—it was exceptional, far beyond what was normal for his age. Orochimaru suspected it was tied to his bloodline limit.

In truth, it was the Devil Fruit power that was slowly transforming Kiyosuke's body. His chakra was gradually increasing, and his overall physicality was starting to resemble the superhuman standards of the pirate world.

A definite upside—his recovery speed was phenomenal.

"That's great news. I don't want to drag my team down."

Chūnin Exams required a three-person squad. If even one member was missing, the team couldn't participate. If he couldn't join, they'd have to wait until next year.

"With your skill, you'll only need to worry about the first part of the exam. The rest won't be a problem." Orochimaru waved casually as he turned to leave.

"I'm heading back to my experiments."

...

"Chūnin Exams, huh?" Kiyosuke muttered. Being a forever-genin had its perks, but ultimately, he needed that promotion.

First things first—heal up.

...

"Sorry to bother you—oh, Kiyosuke, you're awake?" Asuma and Kurenai entered the room, grinning.

"Wanna hear some good news?"

"Let me guess—Chūnin Exams?"

"Yep, the Chūnin—wait, huh? How'd you know? Shinku-sensei sent us to tell you. How did you find out already?"

"Orochimaru-sensei just came by and told me." He tossed them each an apple.

Kurenai handed him a sheet of paper.

"This is your application form. My dad's already recommended us. All we have to do now is pass."

"I see... though I heard there's a written test. Asuma, what're we gonna do?" If it came down to ninjutsu or taijutsu, they were confident. But theory? That was their Achilles' heel—they were academic disasters.

Both of them turned their hopeful eyes to Kurenai.

"..." Kurenai sighed.

"Seriously, you two... Do you ever pay attention in class?"

"Nope, never listened to the theory lectures," Asuma admitted.

"She'd cry if she heard you say that."

"Alright, alright, I'll figure something out to help you both."

"Woohoo!"

"Awesome! Leave the rest of the exam to us." Kiyosuke was confident that once he got past the first round, the rest would be a breeze.

From what he remembered, the first round was a written exam, the second was a team-based trial, and the third was individual combat. As long as they made it through the first test, he'd have nothing to fear.

"Speaking of which... it's kinda tragic that Kakashi still has to take the Chūnin Exams again." He had graduated at five and become a chūnin at six, but now had to go through the process once more.

The rules had changed—now the exams required a three-man team. If Kakashi didn't participate, Obito and Rin wouldn't be able to, either. Unless they switched teammates, which wasn't likely, they'd be stuck in genin limbo forever.

"That's true. But with Kakashi's talent, he'll probably be promoted to jōnin soon."

There was no denying it—Kakashi was a genius. Getting promoted to jōnin wasn't easy. It required more than strength; strategy, leadership, and experience all played a part.

Kakashi had what it took.

That's what it meant to be a prodigy.

"Ah, geniuses are so amazing... But I'm not giving up! I'll become a chūnin, then a jōnin, and after that—Hokage! I'll be even better than my old man!" Asuma declared with a fiery grin.

No, you'll just end up arguing with your old man during your rebellious phase.

"Sure, sure... let's see you become a chūnin first."

Kakashi would go on to become the Sixth Hokage. As for you... well, focus on staying alive.

Come to think of it, that heretic cult they wiped out in the Land of Hot Springs last time—was it going to produce someone like Hidan?

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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