Chapter 104: Promotion Commotion (Part-5) [Training Begins with Screaming and Threats]

Chapter 104 - Promotion Commotion (Part-5) [Training Begins with Screaming and Threats] The arrival of the Third Hokage immediately silenced the room. Whatever quiet muttering had been going on among the Genin was wiped away the moment Hiruzen Sarutobi stepped onto the stage, his presence commanding attention with ease. He stood still for a moment, scanning the line of participants. His gaze was calm, thoughtful, but heavy. Every Genin in the room straightened instinctively under the pressure of his presence. The Akimichi proctor took a step forward and announced clearly, "Hokage-sama will now explain the third test. Listen carefully." He turned slightly, then bowed. "Hokage-sama, please." Hiruzen nodded and began, "For the coming third test-" He paused, then started again. "Before that, there's something I would like you to know. It concerns the true reason behind this exam." Ren immediately tuned out. 'Here it comes,' he thought. He had already heard the speech once before in the anime, and later read it in the manga. The talk of how the Chunin Exams were a replacement for war, meant to avoid unnecessary bloodshed between nations, how they allowed nations to compare strength without falling into conflict, and how they served as a show of power to attract clients and allies. All very grand, all very political, and none of it new. He let his mind wander while the old man spoke, only tuning back in when the final line dropped. "This is not just a test," Hiruzen declared. "This is a life-risking battle, with your dreams and your village's prestige on the line." Now that got the room's attention. Ren noticed it instantly. The tension. The way nearly every Genin tensed up, their hands subtly clenching, their expressions tightening. Even Yugao and Hitoshi, who rarely let anything shake them, showed a flicker of tension. On the other side, he could see Kurotsuchi and her teammates glance at each other, their bodies stiffening. The Sand team looked similarly affected. 'Yeah,' Ren thought. 'He might be long-winded, but the old man still knows how to work a room.' Hiruzen smiled gently, perhaps to lighten the mood a little, and said, "Well, I think your third proctor is better suited to explain the test format." With a light flicker, a man appeared beside the Hokage. Platinum blond hair, calm demeanor, and the unmistakable bearing of a Yamanaka. "To those of you who've passed the second round of the Chunin Exams, congratulations." He bowed slightly. "My name is Inokawa Yamanaka. I will now explain the rules of the third round." His voice was calm, even, and efficient. "As Hokage-sama already mentioned, the third round is public. It is a stage meant not only to test your abilities but to display them to others, nobles, clients, and shinobi alike. Because of this, the final stage will be held a month from today." He paused, letting it sink in. "This one month will serve as your preparation period. You may train, strategize, and study your opponents. Additionally, those of you from other villages will be permitted to remain in Konoha for this time. You will be allowed to move freely throughout most of the village, except for secured and restricted areas, of course." Ren nodded slightly. 'So they're telling us to scope each other out. Standard.' Then Inokawa raised a small box from behind the stage and stepped forward. "There's one final thing. Inside this box are numbered slips from 1 to 10. These will determine the match order for the third round." He went down the line, allowing each Genin to draw a slip. Once everyone had drawn, the Nara proctor from the first round stepped in, clipboard in hand. He gathered the numbers and then, after a brief pause, announced the results. Match 1: Ren Takahashi (Leaf) vs. Iwa Shiro (Stone) Match 2: Akatsuchi (Stone) vs. Kamiko (Sand) Match 3: Kurotsuchi (Stone) vs. Benjiro (Sand) Match 4: Yugao Uzuki (Leaf) vs. Daiki (Sand) Match 5: Hitoshi Aburame (Leaf) vs. Itachi Uchiha (Leaf) As soon as the match list was revealed, Ren understood the implications. 'So the final's going to be me vs. Itachi.' He wasn't being arrogant. That was just how the bracket worked. Akatsuchi, Kamiko, Benjiro, they were not much trouble for him. Kurotsuchi and Yugao were around the same level, so their match could go either way. But Hitoshi, no matter how much he improved in the coming month, wasn't beating Itachi. Ren looked over at his teammate briefly but didn't say anything. Hitoshi simply adjusted his collar and stared straight ahead. He probably knew too. In the background, the Hokage gave a small, proud smile and spoke one last time. "Well then, good luck. I hope all of you represent your nations with honor and make us proud." With that, he flickered away. The Genin started to disperse after that. Each one made their way to their respective Sensei. Kurotsuchi's team went to Kitsuchi. The Sand team went to their jonin. Itachi approached his father. Fugaku was still watching Ren. The room slowly emptied as everyone exited one by one. Only one thing was certain now, the real battles were about to begin. ~~~ Once they were out of the Forest of Death, Utakata silently led Team 1 toward Training Ground 1. The sun was just starting to dip, casting a mild golden hue across the field. Upon arriving, Utakata gave a casual wave to Ren and said, "Alright, go train on your own for the month." Ren blinked. "That's it?" Utakata, already turning to face Yugao and Hitoshi, stopped when he saw Ren still standing there. He raised an eyebrow. "What, you need help too? If that's the case, sit down. I'll get to you after the other two. But honestly," he shrugged, "I don't think there's much I can help you with this month. Just keep doing what you've been doing. Don't slack off, because if you do, you might end up getting beaten." He pointed at Yugao and Hitoshi, both of whom looked back at Ren with calm, confident expressions. Ren nodded thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. "Alright. Can I train in the Forest of Death, then?" Utakata paused for a second, then nodded. "That's fine. Meet me here in two days. Also." He looked at the three of them, adding flatly, "Your reward request has been approved. But you'll get them after the third round." Yugao pumped her fist, "Yes!" Ren gave a slight grin and nodded. "Thanks. And good luck to both of you." With that, he flickered away, likely already planning out his next month's routine in his head. Once Ren was gone, Utakata turned to the other two. "Alright. Let's begin. Yugao, we'll start with you. Specifically," he crossed his arms, "let's talk about how to deal with the Tsuchikage's granddaughter." ~~~ The next day soon arrived. As per Utakata's instructions, Ren had one free day before reporting back. So, he began his routine training. He made his clones, strapped on his training seal weighted at 800kg, and went for his usual morning run around the village. After a couple of hours, he returned home for a quick refresh, then resumed physical training and sparring with his clones until the afternoon. By the time his stomach grumbled, he was already heading toward Ichiraku Ramen. He ordered his usual, nodded at Teuchi, and quickly devoured the steaming bowls placed before him. Once he was done, he wandered around Konoha, thinking to himself, 'Should I just keep doing regular training? I can't think of anything new right now. Learning another jutsu won't be helpful in a month. And any sealing technique I make would be incomplete without testing.' His train of thought paused when his eyes landed on the rooftop of a nearby bathhouse, or more precisely, on the man perched on it. Ren grinned as he muttered, "Well, maybe not regular training." With a flicker, he appeared beside none other than Jiraiya, who was lying on his stomach, telescope in hand, grinning like a fool. Ren casually laid down next to him and watched for a moment. Jiraiya, completely immersed in his "research," didn't even notice the presence beside him, or ignored him until Ren slipped out two of his custom explosion tags and placed one on either side of him. Still no response. With no other warning, Ren flickered away and triggered the tags. BOOM. The explosions blasted Jiraiya into the air. However, instead of damaging the rooftop, the seals channeled the blast upward, propelling Jiraiya into the sky like a missile. A second later "AIIIIIIEEE!" Buckets, towels, and sandals flew out of the bathhouse as several women half-covered and fully furious stormed out, chasing after the airborne toad sage. "PERVERT!!!" The sight of a half-dressed mob chasing Jiraiya across Konoha barely raised an eyebrow among the villagers. It had, after all, become something of a weekly event a few years back. Eventually, Jiraiya hid himself in an alleyway behind a food stall, huffing, his hair soaked and soap suds still clinging to his sleeve. Ren appeared near him, completely unbothered. "So, would you be so kind as to fight me for the next month?" he asked with such sincerity and politeness that it took Jiraiya a full five seconds to process it. "What?! Hell no!" Jiraiya glared. "You just screwed up my research, brat. Now you want my help?" Without responding, Ren calmly stepped into the open street and shouted at the top of his lungs, "HE'S HERE!" Instantly, the still-searching mob perked up and started running toward the voice. Jiraiya paled. "YOU LITTLE!" He vanished in a blur. But Ren wasn't done. He continued flickering across rooftops and alleys, helpfully announcing Jiraiya's exact location like a live tracker. Eventually, Jiraiya snapped. He yanked Ren into an alley and hissed, "ALRIGHT! You win! The hell do you want?!" Ren fixed his clothes like nothing happened and bowed politely. "Thank you for accepting my unreasonable request." Jiraiya groaned. "Drop the flowery words. I'd rather you be rude again like with Tsunade than pretend to be some kind of sage." Ren straightened up and grinned. "Okay then. Train me for a month. I don't need jutsu or anything, though I won't complain if you toss one or two in, but mostly I want experience. I figured a month of fighting someone like you would help more than grinding." Jiraiya thought, 'While I don't really mind giving him some time since he is Juichi's brat, but.' He looked him over with a frown. "Why not Utakata? And what the hell is grinding?" Ren smiled sheepishly. "Sensei is focused on training my teammates. And also," he scratched his cheek. "I didn't really plan this out. I just saw you peeping and thought, 'might as well ask.'" Jiraiya looked genuinely offended. "First off, I was not peeping. I was collecting research for my next masterpiece." He pulled out a worn, dog-eared copy of Icha Icha Paradise like it was some kind of holy scripture. Ren's eyes twitched toward the book. He'd heard of it, the legendary adult series that every man in the village either read or wanted to read. As a norm for all transmigrators he too wanted to read the book but he'd never been able to buy a copy himself. Jiraiya noticed the glance and smirked. "Oh? You wanna take a peek?" he asked, like a sleazy merchant offering forbidden fruit. "Come on. Sit. I'll give you a preview." He patted the ground and Ren sat beside him, both crouched in a corner of the alley. Jiraiya slowly opened the book like it was a national treasure. Before he could read even the first word, "What are you two doing?" Both froze. They looked up. Standing at the alley entrance, expression unreadable, was none other than Utakata, his hands held some bags. His eyes dropped to the Icha Icha in Jiraiya's hand, then to the way the two were huddled suspiciously in a corner. Jiraiya went pale. Ren immediately pointed at him. "It was him! I was just passing by!" "TRAITOR!" Jiraiya roared. Utakata sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I don't even want to know," he muttered and walked away but left a remark for Ren, "It's fine if you train with him, but if you pick one bad habit, I swear I'll hang the both of you on the front gate." Ren nodded then turned to Jiraiya and said flatly, "You better agree now. Or next time I'll invite Sensei to our training too." "...Fine," Jiraiya muttered. "One month. Training. No peeking, no snitching, no screaming." Ren gave a mock salute. "Aye aye, Pervy Sage." "Call me that again and I'll feed you to a toad." And thus, Ren got himself a rather colorful training partner for the next month. ~~~~~ {Who better to spar with than someone who is one of the strongest in the village right?} {Jiraiya is the sleazy uncle, we all wish to keep away from our kids, but still, the kids would always go to them.} {Also, visit the pat-reon I'll be posting some polls regarding the story, it's for both free and paid members so make sure you vote.} { h t t p s : / / w w w . p a t r e o n . c o m / / Z e e n o n } {You can just search for my name too, it's the one with tom's pic (from tom and Jerry)} {You know what else to do.} {STONES!!!!}