Naruto: Martial God Art

Hearing a voice behind them, Naruto and the others turned to see a man they didn't recognize approaching. His relaxed but confident demeanor immediately caught their attention.

"Is he here to take the Chūnin Exam too?" Rock Lee thought, his gaze sharpening. He felt an aura from this man as dangerous as that of Might Guy or Kakashi. This exam has some serious monsters this year, he thought, remembering Gaara and Neji.

The man walked up to the group, his friendly smile not quite reaching his eyes. "You're the nine rookies, right?" he asked, looking around at them. "Fresh from the academy, noisy, and full of energy."

"What's with you?" Ino retorted, giving him a suspicious look. "Who even are you?"

The man chuckled. "My name's Yakushi Kabuto," he replied easily. "Look around, will you?"

The group glanced around, surprised to find many of the other ninjas from different villages watching them with unfriendly eyes. It was as if they were prey.

"The group behind you is from the Village Hidden in the Rain," Kabuto said with a small smile. "They're not the patient type. With the exam coming up, everyone's a little tense. I'd avoid provoking them if I were you."

"Oh… okay," Sakura stammered, her eyes widening. The intense stares from the Rain ninjas made her nervous.

"But hey, I get it," Kabuto went on, as if remembering something. "Seeing you all here reminds me of myself when I was starting out."

"Wait, you're Kabuto-senpai!" Sakura said, suddenly recognizing him. "Isn't this your second time taking the Chūnin Exam?"

Kabuto shook his head. "Actually, this is my seventh time."

"Seventh?" Sakura and the others exchanged shocked looks.

"Yes. The exam is held twice a year, so this is my fourth year," Kabuto explained.

"Wow, so you know a lot about the exam, then?" Sakura asked, looking at him with newfound interest.

Kabuto nodded. "I've picked up quite a bit."

"That's awesome!" Naruto exclaimed.

"But… he's failed six times already," Shikamaru pointed out, unimpressed. "Are the exams really that tough? This is getting troublesome."

Kabuto only chuckled at Shikamaru's remark. "It's no problem. Actually, I've gathered some useful information for you guys." He reached into his pouch and pulled out a stack of cards. "These are my ninja info cards."

"Ninja info cards?" Sakura asked curiously.

"They're chakra-infused cards that store information I've collected over the years," Kabuto explained, setting them on the ground. "I've used chakra to record details from past exams and gathered a lot of intel for this one."

"There are 200 cards in total. At first glance, they look blank, but when I apply my chakra…" He placed his fingers on a card, and suddenly small, clear letters appeared.

"Wow! That's incredible," Sakura gasped, clearly impressed. "What kind of information is on there?"

"This card shows the number of candidates in the exam and their villages," Kabuto replied. "By the way, do you know why so many villages gather together for these exams?"

Naruto and the others looked at each other, clearly confused.

Kabuto smiled. "Officially, it's to strengthen the bonds between nations and help ninjas learn from each other."

"'Officially?'" Sasuke repeated, raising an eyebrow.

Kabuto nodded. "The real reason is to assess each village's strength and keep power balanced among nations."

"Balanced power?" Naruto echoed, trying to understand.

"If one nation gets too strong, it could quickly overpower smaller villages and dominate them. Holding joint exams lets each village keep an eye on the others," Kabuto explained.

Sasuke's eyes gleamed with interest. "Do you have any information on individual participants?" he asked.

Kabuto's smile widened. "Ah, you already have someone in mind?"

Sasuke nodded firmly. "Yes."

Kabuto flipped through his cards. "Tell me their names. I'll see what I have."

"Rock Lee from Konoha and Gaara from the Village Hidden in the Sand," Sasuke replied without hesitation.

"Got it." Kabuto shuffled through the stack and pulled out two cards. "Let's start with Rock Lee," he said. "He's a year older than you, with experience in 20 D-rank and 11 C-rank missions. His teacher is Might Guy. Though his taijutsu is impressive, he lacks ability in other areas."

Kabuto paused, then continued, "This is his first time taking the Chūnin Exam, and he's here with teammates Tenten and Hyūga Neji."

"Now for Gaara of the Sand," Kabuto said, holding up the second card. "He's completed eight C-rank missions and even a B-rank mission—all as a Genin."

"Wow, a Genin doing B-rank missions? He must be strong," Sasuke murmured, looking serious.

"Yes. There's not much information on him since he's from another village, but I've heard that he returns from every mission unharmed."