NOVEL NEXT Chapter 94: Hyuga
Half a month later…
On this day, Chiba once again ran into the current generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio—a rare occasion.
"Long time no see, Chiba. What have you been up to lately? I haven't seen you taking on any missions or anything," Nara Shikaku said lazily, leaning against the railing.
"Yeah, Chiba, we haven't seen you in almost two months since graduation," Akimichi Chōza added, munching on his usual bag of potato chips.
Hearing this, Chiba smiled and replied, "Nothing much, just focusing on improving my strength. The Chūnin Exams start tomorrow, after all. What about you guys? Have you been doing a lot of missions?"
"What else would we be doing? Our team leader had us stuck doing D-rank missions every single day. It took over a month before he finally let us do a C-rank mission," Yamanaka Inoichi complained.
After hearing Inoichi's frustration, Shikaku couldn't help but think of their team leader—Sarutobi Shinnosuke.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke, the eldest son of the current Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was their Jonin instructor. Initially, they believed him when he said that new genin should start with easier missions to get used to the process before moving on to more difficult ones. However, as time passed, it became clear that their teacher was simply too lazy to assign them anything challenging.
Feeling sympathy for his friends, Chiba nodded. "Yeah, those low-level missions can be really dull. But at least they're safe."
"Chiba, are you saying you plan on participating in the Chūnin Exams this time?" Chōza asked, pausing his snacking.
"Of course. Why else would I have been training so hard? What about you guys? Are you taking part?"
The three of them exchanged glances before turning back to Chiba and nodding in unison.
Then, as if remembering something, Shikaku asked, "Wait, Chiba, your team is just you and Nawaki, right? Can two people even enter the Chūnin Exams?"
Chiba was momentarily taken aback but then shook his head. "I'm not sure, but it shouldn't be a problem. You guys know that Orochimaru is our team leader."
"Ah, right. Your sensei is one of the Hokage's disciples. If anyone can bend the rules, it's him," Shikaku nodded knowingly.
Chiba wasn't too worried about the technicalities. With his current strength, even if he wasn't officially promoted to Chūnin, it wouldn't be a big issue.
After chatting for a while longer, the four of them eventually parted ways.
The next day, Chiba arrived at the examination hall early. Apart from the familiar faces from Konoha, he didn't recognize any of the ninja from Iwagakure.
At that moment, two figures walked into the examination hall in perfect synchronization.
Both had pure white eyes, a distinct trait of the Hyuga clan. Chiba also noticed that the one walking behind had his head lowered slightly, maintaining a fixed distance from the one in front.
Recognizing them immediately, Chiba realized they were Hyuga Hiashi and Hyuga Hizashi. Hiashi was the one leading the way.
Chiba was well aware of the Hyuga clan's strict traditions. Despite being brothers, one of them was destined to bear the Caged Bird Curse Seal and be relegated to the branch house.
The Caged Bird Curse Seal not only allowed the main family to control the fate of branch members, but it also ensured that, upon death, their Byakugan would be destroyed to prevent it from falling into enemy hands.
On the battlefield, the Byakugan's value was immense. It granted an extraordinarily wide field of vision, making its user a living radar, while also allowing them to see the chakra network inside a person's body. It was essentially a human CT scan in action.
Sensing Chiba's gaze, Hyuga Hiashi turned to look at him. Upon noticing his Uchiha clan insignia, Hiashi's lips curled slightly in disdain.
The Hyuga clan had always viewed the Uchiha with a certain level of rivalry. As the two great dōjutsu clans in the ninja world, they had been competing for the title of the strongest ocular lineage for generations. However, despite their efforts, the Hyuga had always been overshadowed by the Uchiha.
Having been raised with this mindset, Hiashi naturally had no fondness for Chiba.
Chiba, however, was indifferent. From his perspective, unless a Hyuga awakened the Tenseigan, they were merely more skilled than ordinary civilians.
At that moment, a voice called out behind him.
"Chiba, there you are! I've been looking all over for you."
Turning around, Chiba saw Nawaki approaching.
"Why were you looking for me?" Chiba asked curiously.
Nawaki looked exasperated. "Why do you think? We're on the same team, remember? The later stages of the exam require teamwork."
Chiba's curiosity piqued. "Do you know the details of the exam?"
"Come on, didn't you see the announcement outside? The first round is a written test. The second round is a survival test where teams fight to obtain scrolls. The teams that pass move on to one-on-one battles in the semifinals."
Chiba blinked. "There was an announcement outside? I must've missed it."
However, as he processed what Nawaki had just said, something felt oddly familiar about the format.
After a moment of thought, Chiba realized why—it was the exact same structure as the Chūnin Exams that Naruto Uzumaki would participate in years later.
Silently, Chiba cursed in his mind. So, Sarutobi Hiruzen has been recycling the same exam format for decades?
An amusing thought crossed his mind.
"Hey, Nawaki, come here. I have an idea. Wanna hear it?" Chiba grinned mischievously.
Nawaki, recognizing that look, knew Chiba was about to suggest something wild. Still, his curiosity got the better of him, so he nodded.
Seeing Nawaki's interest, Chiba leaned in and whispered his plan.
As he listened, Nawaki's expression grew increasingly strange.
After Chiba finished explaining, he asked, "So, what do you think?"
Nawaki hesitated. "Chiba… are you sure about this? I mean, isn't it kind of risky? What if we get caught? What if someone tries to beat me up?"
Chiba smirked. "What are you afraid of? I'll be right there with you. If anyone tries to mess with you, I'll handle them myself."