Chapter 136. The Strongest Chūnin

Chapter 136 - 136. The Strongest Chūnin"Are we really in the Chūnin Exams?" After a moment of silence, the devastated Asuma Sarutobi asked quietly. "I think so," Shizune replied uncertainly. "We won!" Kurenai Yūhi jumped up excitedly, as though she herself had achieved victory instead of Hanekawa. "Those two seniors are absolute monsters!" Shisui Uchiha couldn't help but exclaim in awe. He began to wonder what would happen if he faced Might Guy, who had opened the Fifth Gate. Genjutsu would be useless, and his taijutsu and ninjutsu couldn't keep up. Most likely, he'd suffer a crushing defeat. The only chance of victory would be to use genjutsu to control Guy before he activated the Eight Gates. But what if he faced Hanekawa instead? Shisui shook his head. Right now, he had no way to win. Even his strongest skill, genjutsu, was an area in which Hanekawa excelled. Kakashi Hatake felt a strange mix of emotions rising within him. He wondered if he should thank Might Guy for sparing him during their practice matches. Thankfully, Guy never used the Eight Gates during their sparring sessions. But for Hanekawa to surpass Might Guy in taijutsu—it was simply unbelievable. Kakashi had watched the entire match. Hanekawa had relied solely on taijutsu throughout the battle. Even Chidori had been used as a defensive measure, enhancing his physical combat. "Amazing..." Rin Nohara murmured, dazed and awestruck. Today's battle had left her deeply shaken. Both Hanekawa and Might Guy, though technically still genin, had reached heights far beyond her comprehension. "Damn it!" Obito Uchiha's face darkened. Part of his frustration stemmed from Rin's shifting attitude. But more than that, he realized just how far Hanekawa had pulled ahead of him. Could his Three-Tomoe Sharingan even stand a chance against such overwhelming power? Even at its peak, the Three-Tomoe Sharingan could only rival an elite jōnin—there were limits to its strength. "Ahhhh!" Obito Uchiha fell into despair, his chakra aura trembling uncontrollably. "Obito?" Rin Nohara noticed his strange behavior and asked, "What's wrong? Is it the injury from before?" "I'm... fine." Seeing her concern, Obito quickly shook his head, and his chakra aura stabilized once more. After a brief silence, the audience erupted into cheers and exclamations. Both the shinobi and villagers alike felt that attending this event had been worthwhile. They had just witnessed the birth of a new generation of geniuses. Undoubtedly, these young talents would shape the future of the Hidden Leaf Village for the next ten, twenty, or even more years. "These young ones are truly terrifying," Minato Namikaze said with a smile. "Indeed," Sakumo Hatake agreed with a nod. "It feels like it won't be long before the world belongs to the younger generation." "You two aren't even old—why do you sound like you're about to retire?" Kushina Uzumaki joked with a laugh. "We can't help it," Minato shook his head and said, "They're performing so well that I can't find a single flaw." "They're still far from perfect," Tsunade coughed lightly and said. "Lady Tsunade, if you want to laugh, just laugh," Kushina teased, noticing the corners of Tsunade's lips curling upward. "Well, they're decent," Tsunade said, waving dismissively. "That final display of strength is at least half as good as mine." Is she being modest now? Kushina and Minato exchanged glances and burst into laughter. Tsunade then turned her gaze to Hanekawa, standing in the center of the arena. Even though he hadn't used the techniques she had taught him, that decisive punch was more than enough. After all, super human strength was one of her signature techniques. However, Tsunade couldn't help but feel puzzled. When had his strength grown so powerful? On closer thought, she realized she didn't know much about Hanekawa. During this Chūnin Exam, he had displayed a surprising array of talents, which left her astonished. "This kid still has plenty of mysteries to unravel," Tsunade thought to herself. --- At the distant viewing platform: "Are they still genin?" Jiraiya couldn't help but comment. When he graduated, he wasn't anywhere near this level. To be precise, his rise to prominence as an elite jōnin was largely due to a lucky encounter with Mount Myōboku. "The village is truly flourishing," Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a broad smile. He thought of his teacher, Tobirama Senju. During Tobirama's time as Hokage, many geniuses had emerged, forming the Second Hokage's personal guard, which included Hiruzen himself. Hanekawa's generation bore a striking resemblance to theirs. Hiruzen now felt full of ambition—certain that he could lead the Hidden Leaf Village to even greater heights! --- "Lord Hokage," Inoichi Yamanaka approached and handed Hiruzen a scroll. "Here are the rankings from this Chūnin Exam." "Take the top 15 names," Hiruzen instructed after glancing at the scroll. "Understood," Inoichi replied, immediately understanding his intent. The top 15 would be promoted, while the others would have to try again next time. "Also, check on Guy's condition," Hiruzen added, noticing that Hanekawa was still treating him. "Only announce the new Chūnin names once you confirm everything is fine." He was particularly concerned about Might Guy's potential. Anyone could see that Guy had immense talent. If he mastered the Eight Gates, he would undoubtedly become an elite jōnin. The only issue was his personality. Hiruzen generally preferred sending geniuses to the Anbu for training, but with Guy... it might be better to keep him out of the Anbu to avoid any chaos. "Understood." Inoichi nodded and returned to the arena. --- Hanekawa crouched in front of Might Guy, using the Mystique Palm Technique. The side effects of the Eight Gates were severe, and Guy's body had taken significant damage, though it was still within manageable limits. This showed that Guy was indeed stronger than Rock Lee. --- [D-rank Talent: 'Youth Without Regret' has upgraded.] [Taijutsu proficiency increased by 100%.] The notification from the system appeared right on cue. As expected, Hanekawa wasn't surprised. He was more curious about the effects of the B-rank trait 'The Strongest Chūnin.' --- "Hanekawa, how's Guy?" Inoichi walked up and asked. "He's fine," Hanekawa replied, withdrawing his hands. "He just needs some time to recover." "Alright then." Inoichi Yamanaka nodded and announced loudly, "I will now declare the ninja who passed this Chūnin Exam!" Asuma Sarutobi, Rin Nohara, and the others quickly stepped forward. "First place: Hanekawa!" The moment Inoichi finished, the crowd erupted into thunderous cheers. The strong and talented are always admired. "Hanekawa, you're officially a celebrity in the Hidden Leaf Village now!" Asuma said enviously. To Asuma, Hanekawa was like the idealized version of himself. Since childhood, Asuma had wanted to escape the shadow of Hiruzen Sarutobi. If he could perform as brilliantly as Hanekawa and claim first place, perhaps he could finally step out of that shadow. But... he wasn't Hanekawa. "Hanekawa's been famous for a while!" Kurenai Yuhi said proudly. Rin Nohara glanced at Hanekawa, her eyes filled with admiration. Not only was he strong, but he was also incredibly handsome. "Second place: Might Guy!" Inoichi waited for about ten seconds before continuing. "It's a pity Guy's unconscious..." Asuma began, only to spot Guy's father, Might Duy, sobbing uncontrollably. He stopped mid-sentence, realizing that Guy being unconscious might actually be better—it spared them from witnessing any overly emotional scenes. Inoichi continued reading the names one by one until the fifteenth was announced. "...The above fifteen genin are officially promoted to Chūnin as of today!" Inoichi paused before adding, "Now, let's welcome the Hokage to give a speech!" Again? Hanekawa couldn't help but twitch his lips. "Why does he always have so much to say?" Asuma grumbled irritably. Kakashi instinctively nodded but quickly straightened up, his face expressionless, as if nothing had happened. Shizune and Rin, on the other hand, didn't dare to complain. Hanekawa glanced up at Hiruzen Sarutobi on the high platform and opened the trait system. With Inoichi's announcement, a new trait had been unlocked. [C-Rank Talent: First Place in the Chūnin Exam] Condition: Achieve first place in the Chūnin Exam. Effect: Increases comprehension ability by 100%. Comprehension? Hanekawa pondered. Comprehension refers to one's ability to understand and learn things, including jutsu. With enhanced comprehension, the time required to learn jutsu would significantly decrease. Overall, it was a good trait. But the real focus was still on the B-Rank Trait: The Strongest Chūnin. Hanekawa activated the synthesis function. [B-Rank Talent: The Strongest Chūnin] Condition: Synthesized from C-Rank Traits: First Place in the Chūnin Exam, Sensory Chūnin, and Five-Element Chūnin. Effect: Chakra refinement speed increased by 150%, and chakra capacity doubled. Note: Can be synthesized with B-Rank Traits: Seven-Element Specialist Jōnin and Sensory Specialist Jōnin to unlock an A-Rank Trait: Omni-Jōnin. The effect was a direct upgrade of the previous C-Rank Talent: Genius Genin—simple, powerful, and extremely practical. The chakra capacity increase, in particular, was invaluable. However, the synthesis pathway seemed daunting. While achieving the B-Rank Trait Sensory Specialist Jōnin was manageable, the Seven-Element Specialist Jōnin would take a long time. The seven elements included Lightning, Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Yin, and Yang. Currently, Hanekawa had mastered Lightning Specialist Jōnin, Genjutsu Specialist Jōnin (counted as Yin), and Medical Specialist Jōnin (counted as Yang). He still needed the other four. Thankfully, the system had lenient criteria, recognizing Genjutsu and Medical Jōnin as Yin and Yang counterparts. Undoubtedly, it was a long road ahead. But he was young—there was plenty of time to work on it. --- "This concludes the Chūnin Exam!" After an hour of Hiruzen's speech, he finally wrapped up. "Hanekawa got first place, so he has to treat us!" Asuma said immediately. "No problem," Hanekawa replied with a smile. "What do you want to eat?" "Barbecue, of course!" Asuma said bluntly. "I can't beat you, but I can at least eat my fill at your expense!" "Alright," Hanekawa agreed, pausing before adding, "but we'll wait until Guy wakes up. For now, everyone should rest after such a long day." As the group dispersed, Obito Uchiha wandered aimlessly through the streets, looking lost. Just then, a familiar voice called out. "Obito, is something troubling you? You can always talk to Grandma about it." __ New entry: This Danzo Is Weird Patreon.com/rashta Be a member so you can read: New. 340 adv ch of This Danzo Is Weird Sёarᴄh the NôvelFire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. 1. 280 adv ch of Talent System In Naruto 2. 560 adv ch of Qian Renxue's Younger Brother 3. 270 adv ch of Uchiha Madara's Cousin 4. 163 adv ch of WDQK: Divorcing Ling Qingzhu (Complete)