First Meeting  

(If I encounter danger during the exam, you must not help me.)

"Change of clothes, toothbrush, toothpaste, towels, pajamas... should I bring a yukata? If it's Chitose's yukata, I remember—" the pink-haired woman muttered to herself as she took stock of the prepared package, finally going to the closet to look for her nephew's yukata. Next to the desk, the black-haired boy was also carefully checking his own weaponry and equipment:

Shuriken, kunai, bandages, food pills, flash bombs, explosive tags... should I also bring some antidote pills?

He finally turned his gaze to his aunt who was still rummaging through the closet, "Aunt Sakura, can you give me some antidote?"

Hearing this, Sakura turned her head back and smiled, pointing to a small cloth pouch on the table about the size of half a palm, "Already prepared, a simple medical kit."

Chitose's eyes lit up as he picked it up and opened it to check the contents. Seeing what was inside, he hooked the corners of his lips, "As expected of Aunt Sakura! Thank you!"

He carefully stored the items in his tool pouch, then looked again at Sakura who was trying to stuff the yukata into his already bulging luggage. He hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Aunt Sakura, I think the yukata..."

"It's fine, it's fine! Daily necessities are all taken care of by me!" Sakura beamed at him, causing Chitose to silently swallow back his unfinished words. 

However, Sarada who had been resting her chin on hand watching them couldn't help but say with exasperation, "Mom, Brother's going to take the Chunin Exam not on vacation, there's no need to bring a yukata."

Without even turning her head back, Sakura retorted, "How can there be no need? The Hidden Mist Village is located in the island-formed Water Country, with the most abundant water resources, enjoying the hot springs there is a must!" She finally succeeded in stuffing the yukata into the bulging luggage and pulled the zipper close with some effort. Standing up and letting out a breath, she put a hand on her waist and grinned at Chitose, "You definitely have to play around and relax there!"

Facing such an aunt Sakura, Chitose couldn't help laughing resignedly as he nodded. Twenty minutes later, he was already at the village gates, joined up with his teammates. The unusually punctual Kakashi lazily nodded at Sakura, then led his three students off with the other two Konoha teams participating in the Chunin Exams held at Kirigakure this time.

Sarada stood unmoving at the village gates, eyes fixed intently on Chitose's back until long after he disappeared from sight. Only then did she say somewhat reluctantly, "What a pity... I can't accompany Brother to the Chunin Exams."

Upon hearing this, Sakura smiled. "There, there, it's about time for Sarada to go to school too. You're still worried about Chitose's abilities? It's just the Chunin Exams, no big deal for someone of his strength."

While being pushed on the shoulders by her mother towards the school, Sarada kept looking back every three steps, until her brother's figure completely vanished. Only then did she argue, "Of course I know that! But I still wanted to see Brother's heroic demeanor. Don't you want to see too, Mom?"

Sakura smiled awkwardly. "But the hospital really needs me there..."

Sarada sighed. "The Seventh Hokage really is fortunate, huh."

Indeed, since this examination was jointly held by the Five Great Ninja Villages, and the hosting rights went to the rapidly developing Hidden Mist Village, according to convention, Naruto as Hokage would undoubtedly be going to the exam venue to observe the third phase.

Feeling dispirited, Sarada arrived at school and pushed open the classroom door towards her seat. The students in the classroom were chattering noisily. Boruto who had arrived earlier was engaged in a heated discussion about the upcoming Chunin Exams with Mitsuki and Iwabe. Seeing Sarada, light flashed quickly in Boruto's azure eyes. He suddenly rolled his eyes and poked the girl's back with a finger. The second knuckle of that index finger had two scabbed circular wounds, from practicing shurikenjutsu taught by Professor Sasuke. Aside from Sarada, very few knew about this injury.

The girl was in low spirits and glanced back coldly, obsidian eyes full of aloofness. "What do you want?"

Boruto curled his lips, but quickly decided not to go tit-for-tat with her. His gaze drifted for a moment before returning, the brilliance already back in his eyes which shone dazzlingly. He was smug and delighted, the pure emotions in his orbs making them exceptionally dazzling.

"Humph, later I'll bring back photos of Chitose's matches for you. Don't cry your eyes out from jealousy!" He said arrogantly, increasingly exuding a youthful spirit.

Sarada was taken aback, then in the next second, "swish", she abruptly stood up and reached to grab Boruto's collar midway. However, Boruto easily dodged her swift and bold move. He laughed loudly while evading Sarada's attacks driven by anger and impatience.

While inwardly alarmed at how fast he had grown to this extent, Sarada shouted fiercely, "Stand still, Boruto! What do you mean by that? Can you go to Kirigakure?!"

Having leaned back to evade a fierce punch from the girl, Boruto crossed his arms behind his head and grinned, "Who knows? In any case, you definitely can't go hahaha..."

"But after all, neither of you can watch Chitose's performances for the first two phases right?" Just as Sarada was provoked right where it hurt most and was about to erupt, Shikadai's calm voice sounded. Like a pail of cold water poured over the two's heads, it doused them thoroughly. Seizing the moment of silence, the boy with his hair in a spiky ponytail sighed while resting his chin on a hand, eyes unfocused, "...Our distance with him is growing wider and wider."

His tone was full of helplessness and loneliness. As soon as he finished speaking, the other two instantly grimaced, shadows filling their faces. Sarada tightened her fists and walked silently to her seat while Boruto removed his hands from behind his head and stuck them in his pockets instead. Head lowered, he pondered in silence for quite a while, eyes fixed somewhere on the ground. Even the light in them dimmed as his blonde bangs drooped, resembling an abandoned Golden Retriever.

After a long while, he suddenly jerked his head and bit his lower lip before returning to his seat. But he no longer had any mood to concentrate in class. Propping his chin in one hand, he gazed at the seat beside his left which had long been empty, cerulean eyes murky and eyebrows faintly knitted together unconsciously.

While being missed so much by his little buddies, Chitose was currently aboard a cruise ship heading for Kirigakure with his team. Leaning against the railing looking up at the sky, the sea breeze blew his cropped raven hair and fluttering clothes into nice arcs. His obsidian eyes reflected the clear azure sky. Suddenly, the eyes of a certain blonde boy that he chanced upon right after regaining consciousness at the hospital floated into his mind.

That color, even deeper blue compared to the sky, more similar to the ocean. At that moment, it made the boy's eyes seem exceptionally profound.

Moreover, because of the purity of emotions contained within, that blue became exceptionally dazzling, to the point one couldn't tear their eyes away.

After reminiscing for a bit, Chitose suddenly smiled self-deprecatingly.

He was really bored out of his mind, actually describing Boruto's eyes so eloquently and vividly. Although it was quite an accurate metaphor.

——Still, Boruto's eyes are indeed very beautiful, compared to her's——

At this thought, his breathing hitched sharply for a fleeting moment before instantly returning normal. But he still closed his eyes briefly to calm the ripples in his heart just from thinking about that person.

He opened his eyes again. As always, those dark orbs were fathomless yet tranquil, but from this moment on, they also contained a hint of something more.

***

Three days later, the oil tanker arrived at Kirigakure. This village which seemed even more modernized compared to Konoha had streets already filled with shinobi from other villages.

Chitose surreptitiously surveyed the stores lining the streets. His gaze lingered for a long time at the dark alleys between those flashy shopfronts. He sensed hostile, malicious stares but did not react at all. He merely withdrew his gaze calmly and continued staring at Kakashi's back ahead. Perhaps sensing his gaze, Kakashi suddenly halted and turned back to look down at Chitose behind him. The latter immediately noticed his movement and shifted his gaze up. Their dark eyes inadvertently collided.

Looking into Chitose's eyes devoid of any emotional fluctuation, Kakashi paused for a bit before saying meaningfully, "Chitose, if not in a truly hopeless situation, it's best not to use those all-seeing eyes of yours."

His tone was indifferent with this one line of warning. Then as if nothing had happened, he simply turned back and continued on his way. However, his softly blown words made the listener's heart sink like lead.

Facing away from his student, he said, "Otherwise, you'll go blind very quickly."

There was a split second of dead air before the black-haired boy responded in a flat tone so apathetic it seemed almost callous. As if the one facing possibly terrible consequences wasn't himself, "Mn." After one or two seconds, as if finally realizing his reply to his teacher was too cold, he supplemented, "That kind of outcome won't happen."

His words were brimming with self-confidence and certainty towards his own abilities.

Nevertheless, Kakashi's words provided rather useful information to the three genins. They exchanged a look and became extremely prudent about this exam.

After all, their teacher definitely had reason to say what he did. That so-called "hopeless situation" he mentioned should be lurking not too far ahead.

After simply packing their luggage at the hotel where they were about to check into, they, along with two other teams from Konoha, were led by ninjas from the Hidden Mist Village to the Mizukage Tower. At that moment, another team arrived at the gate, led by a high-ranking ninja with seaweed-like black hair and sharp, jagged teeth, resembling a shark. Among the three subordinates behind him, the teenage boy in the middle had a slender figure, a handsome face, large and beautiful purple-red eyes, and a long sword hanging from his waist.

As Kagura Karatachi walked along the path towards the familiar gates of the Mizukage Tower, he noticed the four individuals standing there. His purple-red eyes lingered on the forehead protectors of the Leaf Village and the silver-haired man beside them for a moment, then shifted his gaze to the black-haired youth gazing up at the Mizukage Tower. Almost as soon as he noticed the youth, the youth's gaze lowered, and their black eyes met his purple-red ones.

In that brief moment of eye contact, Kagura was momentarily stunned, then instinctively smiled at him. He saw the other person turn his head towards him, give him a careful look, and then nod simply and slowly. Kagura sensed something, but amidst the call of someone ahead, he could only nod hastily at the youth and then hurry to catch up.

As he did so, he couldn't help but think: What a beautiful person. And he recalled the glance he had caught of the long sword at the youth's waist just now. Thinking about the way the other had looked at him and that not-so-simple nod, his right hand involuntarily rested on the hilt of his sword, his expression becoming serious. A sense of excitement, acknowledgment from his opponent, made his blood boil faintly.

Chitose and his team parted ways with Kakashi on the ground floor, watching as he headed towards the resting place of the leading ninjas. Then, they went straight up the stairs, continuing under the guidance of the Hidden Mist ninja towards the Mizukage's office.

Upon entering, a palpable aura of killing intent hit them. Chitose felt as if he had stepped into the first round of the Hunter Exam again, the tense and murderous atmosphere making it hard to breathe. Calmly facing the murderous glares from the teams already present, Chitose's cold and deep eyes scanned them one by one. After scanning the entire room, he lowered his gaze and looked to the side.

Exchanging glances with his two teammates, they made their way to a corner of the room. The subordinates who had focused their attention on them due to their arrival now turned their gazes away, continuing with their own tasks during this process. Chitose glanced at the currently empty Mizukage desk, then spoke first, "This exam probably won't be easy."

Ruri and Yosuke's expressions stiffened as they looked at him. From their expressions, they probably already guessed something. Yosuke glanced at the clock on the wall and said, "It's about time. Looks like these are probably all the participants for this year's exam." He glanced around, estimated the number of people again, then turned back, lowering his voice, "This year's participants seem to be too few."

In this spacious office, judging from the forehead protectors, apart from Konoha sending three teams, Sunagakure sent two, and the other three major ninja villages each only sent one team. In addition, only the Hidden Rain Village sent a team from a smaller country.

Twenty-seven people, it seemed a bit too few.

Ruri glanced at Yosuke, not doubting his words. After all, as a lower-ranking ninja who had already graduated for a year, he had already participated in the Chunin Exam once. And as far as she knew, it was during that exam that he lost two teammates.

She had just drifted off for a moment and came back to say, "This year's exam is probably going to be quite difficult." She paused, pursed her lips, and continued, "And, one careless mistake could cost us our lives."

Because of this, the lower-ranking ninjas who came to participate in the exam were all ruthless characters.

—Compared to ordinary lower-ranking ninjas.

Chitose added in his mind.

He squinted at the Mizukage, who had suddenly appeared, and the stack of documents in his secretary's hand. He already had an idea of what that was. What was supposed to be a boring exam was starting to get interesting, and he happily narrowed his eyes. Just as he was about to remind his two companions that this year's participants were not simple, he heard a whispered word from the red-haired youth, as if it were a whisper in his ear.

"If I'm in danger during the exam, you must not intervene."

The black-haired youth paused, turning half of his face to look at the speaking youth. He was behind him, slightly lowering his head, covering his ice-blue eyes under his red hair, revealing only the tight lines of his profile. Chitose's gaze swept over his unconsciously clenched fists at his side, his eyes deepening, then turned to the white-haired girl on the other side.

Clearly, they had both realized the potential level of their opponents, and Yosuke, in particular, had thought of something extra.

"I understand," Chitose said, and the girl beside him nodded as well.

Seeing the red-haired youth relax his hands quietly and the even darker look in his eyes, Ruri's red eyes flickered and then turned back to the Mizukage, who had just finished explaining the significance of the Chunin Exam and was emphasizing the danger and voluntary nature of the death guarantee certificate this time.

Just understanding. She silently thought.