"Old Man, can't I just take the exam alone?"
Yami didn't want to be teamed up with Itachi.
Hiruzen shook his head. "There's no precedent for that. Everyone participating in the exam must register as a team. That's the rule."
"Unless you'd rather be promoted through accumulated mission merits," Hiruzen added as he flipped through the mountain of documents on his desk and pulled out Yami's file to review.
"At the rate your team is completing missions, it'll take at least another six months for you to qualify for Chūnin based on merit alone."
In the past half year, Yami had become more and more lazy, only completing ten C-rank and two B-rank missions.
"Seriously, can't you bend the rules a little?" Yami asked again.
"No."
Hiruzen's tone was firm. He didn't want Yami relying on connections for everything.
Otherwise, not only would his own dignity as Hokage be damaged, but Yami would also develop a disregard for rules, expecting privilege to solve everything.
So he was absolutely unwilling to compromise on the team requirement for the Chūnin Exam.
"Fine then." Yami shrugged casually. "I'll go to Root and pull two shinobi from there. They don't have ninja registration files, so technically they count as Genin, right?"
With that, he turned to leave.
"Wait!" Hiruzen instantly dropped his firm stance and rushed to stop him.
"This won't do! It's way too unfair to the other participants!"
Root had its own training system, and it was extremely harsh. Those who survived and became official members were elite among elites.
At the Genin and Chūnin level, their quality far exceeded that of regular shinobi.
Yami alone was already beyond standard.
According to the reports from Hizashi, Yami's strength was already close to that of a Jōnin.
If he teamed up with two Root members, would any of the other participants even survive?
"Isn't this within the rules?" Yami spread his hands. "I'm just following your conditions."
"This isn't allowed, that's not allowed—being a shinobi is really troublesome."
Yami picked up the forehead protector hanging from his waist. "I don't want to stay in Konoha anymore. I'm becoming a rogue ninja!"
"Wait!"
Hiruzen could no longer stay seated. He rushed forward and snatched Yami's forehead protector from him.
What a troublemaker! Saying he'd become a rogue ninja just because something didn't go his way.
If Danzō found out, he'd flip the village upside down.
"It's my fault, don't get so worked up."
Hiruzen smiled bitterly. "Forget about the team requirement. I'll allow you to participate as a special entry, and you'll be judged based on individual performance only."
"Happy now?"
Yami immediately lit up with a bright smile. "Thanks, Grandpa Third."
Hiruzen: This kid… was he faking all that just now?
Before he could think further, Yami had already pulled Yugao and Kurenai away.
They arrived at the mission assignment center, where Hizashi accepted a mission he had selected earlier.
Transport strategic supplies to the front lines near the Land of Earth.
Hizashi wanted Yami to experience the battlefield atmosphere without taking on missions that were too dangerous, so transporting supplies was the best option.
Aside from their team, there were three other Genin teams led by Chūnin joining the mission—it was a joint operation.
The work was divided between the teams.
Hizashi's team was responsible for security, while the other three teams handled transport.
The four arrived at the rendezvous point.
When they saw Hizashi, a Chūnin in a green vest with a scar on his face walked up.
"Hizashi-sama."
"Yes." Hizashi nodded. "Are all the preparations complete? Ready to move out?"
"We're ready. We can leave anytime."
"Then let's head out. The front line is waiting on these supplies, we can't afford delays."
"Yes!"
Soon after, the convoy left Konoha Village.
Hizashi walked at the front of the team, activating his Byakugan every few steps to monitor the surroundings. Yami followed behind to cover his blind spot.
Due to the Caged Bird Seal, Hizashi's Byakugan had a single blind spot—directly behind him.
Yugao and Kurenai stayed on either side of the convoy, ready to provide backup at any time.
The other three teams were organized as well. The Genin handled the carts, and the Chūnin oversaw the supplies.
The three wagons carried kunai, shuriken, and explosive tags, especially the latter. If even one was accidentally ignited, it could cause a chain reaction and blow up everything.
So the convoy moved slowly, carefully avoiding sparks or friction.
At night, the teams took turns keeping watch. To ensure Yami got proper rest, Kurenai and Yugao covered his night shifts.
---
Five days later, the convoy had covered about two-thirds of the journey.
As they moved along, Hizashi activated his Byakugan as usual. His expression changed, and he immediately signaled everyone to enter alert mode.
Thirty chakra signatures appeared at the edge of his detection range, about four kilometers away.
There happened to be a forest in that direction—it was also the fastest route to the border.
The moment the others saw the signal, their nerves tensed.
Yami quietly approached Hizashi and asked with lip movements:
"Are there enemies?"
"Twenty-one." Hizashi replied the same way. "Two Jōnin-level chakras, three tokubetsu jōnin, and sixteen Chūnin."
Yami tapped the trees beside the road and activated the Mind's Eye of the Kagura (Universal Version), sensing the same life signatures as Hizashi had reported.
Seeing Hizashi's hesitant expression, Yami nudged him with his elbow.
"What are you hesitating for? Pretend we don't know, they're waiting for an ambush, so we'll ambush them first."
"No, it's too dangerous. There are two Jōnin."
"You stall them, and Yugao and I will handle the small fry. Then we'll each take one Jōnin."
Hizashi thought about the recent growth of Yugao and Kurenai and realized Yami's plan was solid.
Even if they couldn't take down both Jōnin, they could at least drive them off.
With that, Hizashi stopped hesitating. He nodded slightly and approved the plan.
The team continued moving at the same pace as before, but Hizashi silently signaled behind him to organize their ambush strategy.
And so, the convoy slowly entered the forest.
(To be continued.)
***
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