Chiba ascended the stairs behind Hirohiko and Yukina, while Kayami Hyuga approached from the opposite end of the auditorium. Throughout their ascent, Kayami's eyes remained fixed on Chiba. Although he attempted to conceal his murderous intent, Chiba perceived it clearly.
'He's going to try to kill me during the competition,' Chiba realized, his thoughts darkening.
Outwardly, Chiba maintained a facade of indifference, pretending not to notice Kayami's hostile gaze. He focused on eating his steamed buns, but inwardly, his mind churned with violent possibilities.
Before killing the Iwa nin, Chiba might have hesitated if confronted by Kayami Hyuga. His primary concern would have been preventing Kayami from acting, rather than contemplating murder himself. However, after taking a life, Chiba discovered that killing wasn't as momentous as he'd imagined. He still retained some of his previous world's perspective, but this was the world of Naruto. Here, his guilt over murder was significantly diminished.
Despite having lived in a peaceful era where he wouldn't have dared harm even a chicken, Chiba's hands were now stained with blood. He felt no shame about killing. While he might hesitate to take a life without provocation, if someone threatened his existence, Chiba could steel his resolve.
Regardless of Kayami Hyuga's genius status, if he truly intended to kill Chiba, then Chiba would not hesitate to reciprocate.
As these thoughts raced through his mind, Chiba, Hirohiko, and Yukina found a place to stand and observed the arena below. Two young ninjas, no older than twelve, were already in position.
"Hirohiko," Chiba said suddenly, "if I fight later, can you lend me your ninja pouch?"
"Oh, sure," Hirohiko agreed readily. After a moment's consideration, he removed his pouch and handed it over. "Here, check it. I'll swap it out."
Chiba understood immediately. To prepare for the test, Hirohiko had altered the contents of his ninja pouch and wanted Chiba to verify its contents.
Nodding, Chiba accepted the pouch and examined it carefully. Despite its small size, the pouch utilized space efficiently. It contained at least eight to ten shuriken, three kunai, smoke bombs, and explosive tags.
As Chiba inspected the pouch, Yukina glanced at him surreptitiously, noting his concentration and the hint of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth before looking away.
Hirohiko observed this interaction, his face impassive but his eyes betraying a flash of understanding. 'So that's how it is... Yukina...' he thought, nodding to himself.
"What are you doing?" Chiba asked, returning the ninja pouch and noticing Hirohiko's repeated nods.
"It's nothing," Hirohiko replied, accepting the pouch. His natural poker face concealed his surprise.
Chiba frowned suspiciously but didn't pursue the matter, turning his attention back to the combatants below.
In all honesty, the fight between the two genin was somewhat... underwhelming.
Though it might be disrespectful to them, compared to Kakashi, these two were far behind. They relied primarily on physical combat, and their ninjutsu execution was slow. While their application was skillful, the flaws were glaringly obvious.
Their chakra reserves were nearly depleted after just one or two D-rank to C-rank ninjutsu. However, their movements were relatively smooth, and their basic skills were solid. Limited by their chakra reserves and ninjutsu proficiency, their strength was that of elite genin, approaching average chunin level. From a ninjutsu perspective, their abilities weren't bad, even impressive. From a chunin's standpoint, it was slightly inadequate but close to reaching that level.
Meanwhile, a jonin nearby seemed to share Chiba's assessment. He withdrew a small scroll, jotted something down, and put it away.
This subtle movement didn't escape Chiba's notice. 'As expected, these jonin aren't just spectators. Is this some kind of rating system? But this exam uses a knockout format, so scoring shouldn't be necessary. What could it be, then?' Chiba pondered as he finished his steamed bun.
At that moment, Kushina Uzumaki turned to Minato Namikaze beside her. "Minato, shall we make another bet?"
"A bet? Kushina, you've been quite fond of gambling recently," Minato observed. "Last time, You won a special Flying Thunder God kunai. What do you want this time?" As her lover, Minato was perceptive enough to recognize Kushina's desires.
Indeed, if Kushina wanted something, she need only ask. In situations like this, she could be particularly forceful. Minato simply smiled, perhaps appreciating this aspect of her personality.
"Hey..." Kushina smiled sweetly, then whispered affectionately in Minato's ear.
Minato's surprise was evident. "This... betting on whether Kayami Hyuga or Chiba will win?"
"Yes," Kushina replied, her gaze earnest.
Minato glanced at Chiba, then back at Kushina. 'Kushina... Do you think so highly of him? No, the condition involves all three of her disciples. This isn't just one person being optimistic about Chiba, but three.'
However, Kayami Hyuga's strength wasn't inferior to Kakashi's on the surface. There was likely hidden potential within him. Initially, he had led them on a mission instead of Guy. This Kayami Hyuga was truly impressive.
'Well, there's no harm in agreeing, and it will make Kushina happy,' Minato reasoned. He nodded and said, "Alright, if Chiba loses, then I want you to promise me one condition."
"What condition?" Kushina asked, intrigued by Minato's agreement.
"Well... Let's just say it's a condition you'll have to promise me in the future," Minato replied with a gentle smile.
"What is it?" Kushina pressed, confused.
"I'll tell you later," Minato teased.
"Well, Chiba won't lose anyway," Kushina declared confidently.
Minato responded with a knowing smile.
By this time, the field trial had concluded. The defeated contestant trudged back to their team, while the victor, equally exhausted, celebrated their hard-fought victory.
"In this match, Nanmu is victorious!" the proctor announced, concluding the first game.
Outside, the Sannin observed silently, occasionally exchanging comments.
"Unremarkable," was Orochimaru's assessment of the winner.
Jiraiya nodded in agreement. "But their basic skills are very solid."
"Let's make a note," Tsunade suggested, producing a scroll and writing something on it.
"Then, let's move on to the second match," Jiraiya said.
"The second match..." the proctor began.
Simultaneously, names flashed on the large screen:
Yukina Hyuga VS Kurenai Yuhi!
The words on the screen settled, eliciting surprise from Chiba.
'Yukina and Kurenai?' he thought, astonished.
He paused mid-bite, watching with amazement as a red-eyed girl slowly made her way to the center of the field. 'Kurenai is already eligible for the Chunin exam?' Chiba mused, his interest piqued by this unexpected development.