Chapter 86 86: Kaito Vs Ino.

The only thing Kaito regretted was that the one-month time limit had already passed. After the slug's reverse spiritual communication, Kaito returned home. His sudden appearance made the two women who were cooking tense up briefly, but once they saw him, they immediately relaxed. After dinner, thanks to the explanations of Kaito and the others, high-ranking officials and dignitaries from other Villages had come to Konoha one after another during the month, making the already thriving village even more prosperous. Ino learned from her father that Gekkou Hayate, the overseer for the third round of the Chunin Exam, had been killed, and Toss, one of the Top Eleven, was also dead. Kaito thought to himself that things were unfolding much like in the original story. The only difference was that the original Top Eight would become the Top Ten because of his and Ino's participation. Tomorrow marked the start of the Top Ten matches — also the beginning of Orochimaru's collaboration with the Sand Ninja to execute the plan to bring down Konoha, and the death of the Third Hokage... By now, Naruto had learned Jiraiya's summoning technique, and Sasuke had mastered Kakashi's Chidori. Recalling everything from the original story with a smile, Kaito felt excited for what was to come. The next morning, Kaito got up and washed himself. He intended to do the same as before, but the two girls left shyly as soon as he suggested it. This left him a little frustrated — as the saying goes, if there's a first time, there should be a second. He had his first time, so why be shy the next? When he stepped outside, Ino and Hinata were already waiting by the door. "You're up early!" Kaito greeted them. "Oh, I couldn't help it. Today's the finals! I was a little excited and woke up early!" Ino yawned sleepily. "Same here!" Hinata added. Kaito smiled. With their current strength, apart from the two pillars of the village, the others wouldn't pose much of a threat. There was nothing to worry about. Taking both their hands, he walked with them toward the Chunin arena. By the time they arrived, six of the candidates, excluding Sasuke, were already in the waiting room. It was a little funny that in this Chunin finals, seven out of the ten participants were from Konoha. "Kaito! You're here! I'll defeat you this time! I learned a new technique!" Naruto ran up to Kaito, eager to show off. "Hey! You're back!" Shikamaru greeted lazily as he stepped forward. Shino quietly appeared behind Shikamaru, almost forgotten in the lively group. Meanwhile, Gaara and the others were quiet off to one side. After some chatting, a Chunin entered from outside. "Hokage-sama, Kazekage-sama, and dignitaries from various countries have arrived!" "Everyone, please proceed to the gathering area downstairs," he said, pointing to the passage. "Let's go!" Kaito said with a smile, leading the way. There was no doubt he was now the leader of the group. When they exited the passage, a building resembling the ancient Roman Colosseum stood before them. A roar, like a tsunami, echoed in Kaito's ears as they stood on the arena. In the audience nearby, a cute girl with white eyes pointed at Kaito, her little face filled with curiosity. "Father, is this my brother-in-law?" Hinata Hiashi nodded grimly, "Yes, it is him." This girl was Hanabi Hyuga, Kaito's sister-in-law, who would grow up to be as beautiful as Hinata. Unfortunately, Hanabi was born too late. Had she been born at the same time as Hinata, Kaito might not have minded... but that's beside the point. From the highest and most honorable position on the field, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, announced, "I declare the Chunin Exam Finals officially begin!" His words meant the Chunin Exam had started, and that the countdown to his fate had begun. Genma Shiranui suddenly appeared, balancing a stack of books in his mouth, and pointed to the large screen. "My name is Genma Shiranui. I will be the examiner and referee for this Chunin Finals Exam. The competition rules are the same as the preliminaries: whoever's name appears will proceed." "Teacher Genma Shiranui, Sasuke hasn't arrived yet!" Naruto said anxiously. "It's fine for other matches, but if he doesn't show up when it's his turn, he'll forfeit," Shiranui said calmly, indifferent to Naruto's concern. With a wave of his hand, the big screen began to shake rapidly as before. After a moment, the shaking stopped, and two names appeared on the screen: Ayanami Kaito VS Yamanaka Ino! Seeing the matchup, Kaito forced a bitter smile. What was this? He recalled that in the original story, the first match was Naruto vs. Neji. With his and Ino's participation, the story changed, but he did not expect to be paired with Ino for the first match. "No need to fight! Referee, I admit defeat for this round!" Kaito said with a wry smile, raising his hand. What a joke. He couldn't bear fighting the woman he cared about. It would be too painful. "You don't have to surrender! Referee, I surrender! Let Kaito advance!" Ino spoke up at the same time. Seeing the two contestants competing to surrender, a cold sweat broke out on Genma Shiranui's usually calm forehead. Everyone in Konoha knew about their relationship, so enough with the public displays of affection. In the end, he would be the one caught in the middle. After all, he'd been a bachelor for nearly thirty years. How could he tolerate this? "I'll give you both one minute to figure it out and see who surrenders first," Shiranui said, exasperated. "No need for that! I surrender! Let Ino advance!" Kaito quickly covered Ino's mouth and smiled. He knew the original story's outcome. Due to Orochimaru, only one person was promoted to Chunin as an exception, and that person was Shikamaru. Now that he knew the result, there was no reason to fight Ino for a spot. As a Naruto fan, he was familiar with a popular saying: The fight among Konoha Genin destroys the world! Jonin fight with pots and pans! Konoha Genin are not to be messed with... In short, Konoha's Genin were more impressive than Jonin! Shiranui looked at Kaito's actions, his mouth twitching. Then he loudly announced, "In the first match, Ayanami Kaito has forfeited! Yamanaka Ino wins!" --- Patreon.com/Zphyr_ Get access to at least 70+ chapters by becoming patrons.