Chitose Gets Into Trouble  

(In such a vast arena, where was Chitose's shadow?)

Yosuke slightly lowered his head, quietly waiting for the proctor to announce the start of the exam.

In the water, the man-eating fish had already started ramming the circular platform, as if urging something on. This ferocious beast, which had already proven itself highly intelligent and almost supernatural before everyone, was clearly enraged by the prey that had twice slipped from its mouth during the previous round. Its temperament had become even more savage. At this moment, it seemed impatient to attack those on the platform. Its clever mind probably realized that the Jonin were not good attack targets, so it forcibly suppressed itself.

Such a furious beast was perhaps the downside to starting the second round of the exam. The information advantage grasped in the first round could almost be negated by this shortcoming.

Yosuke thought to himself. The instinct of an intelligence agent made him subconsciously analyze the situation again.

He raised his head to look at the composed, upright black-haired youth in front of him. In his icy blue eyes, trust and unease intertwined, revealing his extremely anxious mood at this moment.

Last year, it was also during the second exam...

"...Then, the second round of the second exam, Leaf vs Cloud, begin!"

The red-haired youth snapped back to his senses, his gaze turning sharp as a blade.

—This time, even if it costs me my life, I have to protect them!

Utterly unaware of his comrade's psychological change, Chitose swiftly drew his sword the moment the proctor's words fell. He slashed diagonally downwards in front of him, releasing a sharp whistling sound through the air. Gripping the hilt with both hands, he held the blade upright before him, its tip pointing at the three Cloud genin who seemed about to move, as well as the restless giant fish, standing on the line between the two groups. His black eyes were sharp as he calmly called out, "Yosuke, Ruri!"

Yosuke followed right after, swiftly unsheathing his sword. He took a sideways stance before the white-haired girl, his entire body instantly enveloped in blue-white electric arcs, his exquisite features as cold as ice. The girl he shielded behind him naturally took on the task of retrieving the Night Pearl.

Indeed, the Leaf team's strategy was for the strongest, Chitose, to guard the most dangerous rear, freeing them from worries about a backstabbing attack, while Yosuke protected Ruri as she went for the Night Pearl.

In terms of chakra control, the puppet mastery that the white-haired girl had practiced to a transcendent level made her undoubtedly the most skilled among the three. However, her offensive capabilities naturally fell short compared to the two boys, so this division of roles seemed most reasonable to them.

Moreover, the combination of Ruri and her Shinku puppet offered a huge advantage in this exam.

Before the white-haired girl could summon her puppet maiden, the opposing Cloud team had already made their move. Two of them shielded the third in a shoulder-to-shoulder stance, warily regarding the formidable Chitose and the giant beast in the water.

The youth before them was clearly the strongest of the Leaf trio and had emerged unscathed from the first exam, a formidable figure. Seeing him assigned to guard the rear as they had expected, the two felt uneasy about being able to stop him, but...

They exchanged a glance, both gripping their swords tightly.

Their comrade Yurui's bubble technique could fly!!

Chitose narrowed his eyes slightly at them. From their stances, it was clear the enemy planned to send one to retrieve the Night Pearl while two stayed behind to...

Suddenly, he froze in surprise upon witnessing the next scene. "That person actually—!"

"Shinku!"

Yosuke and Ruri's voices rang out one after the other, because the genin being protected had actually used the bubblegum he was chewing to blow a massive bubble half his height, and that green bubble was now carrying him into the air!!

The white-haired girl urgently called out to the newly revealed Shinku, who understood the urgency of the situation. He put away his staff and grabbed the hands of both her and Yosuke, taking flight before the eyes of the Chunin and some of the Jonin instructors. Just as Chitose glanced at the ascending Cloud genin for a momentary distraction, the other two seized the chance to charge at him.

However, before they could reach Chitose, Shinku's sudden appearance and flight ability left them gaping in shock. The black-haired youth, having regained his senses, swiftly glanced at them before flicking out two hand shuriken upwards.

Yosuke, still ascending, also threw a handful of kunai at this moment. However, the bubble boy didn't panic, using his own short swords to deflect Chitose's projectiles that arrived first. He then rapidly blew out dozens of bubbles in various colors that not only clustered around him to block Yosuke's kunai, but also trembled as they floated towards Shinku's group.

At this moment, the impatient man-eating fish finally moved, the water inflow rate visibly accelerating to flood the circular platform, drenching the shoes of Chitose and the two Cloud genin.

Its target seemed to be the three on the platform, the easiest prey for it.

No, its true target—

While unsurprised to see his projectiles blocked by the bubble boy's bubbles, Chitose swung his sword to drive back the two Cloud genin simultaneously attacking him.

—That thing is looking at me like a wolf eyeing a terrified little rabbit.

Unfortunately, he was no rabbit to be slaughtered at will.

The two Cloud genin scrambled aside in a panic, while Chitose's calm, composed black eyes surveyed the surrounding footholds, the bubble boy ensnaring Ruri's group with his explosive bubbles despite their greater speed, and the man-eating fish charging straight at him. His gaze then darkened slightly.

Kagura stared unblinkingly at Chitose, while Shinki's expression turned grim, his lips pressed tightly together.

Chitose now faced a predicament identical to Shinki's earlier one. He wanted to see how this person would extricate himself.

No sooner said than done. As the man-eating fish charged at Chitose with its massive, blood-filled maw like an arrow, he swiftly sheathed his sword. Crouching instantly, he leapt powerfully upwards, narrowly avoiding that three-meter wide mouth filled with sturdy fangs!

"Chitose, its tail!!" Kagura's pupils contracted as he shouted out in warning. Shinki, rather experienced in this area, furrowed his brow slightly. Before he could recover from the strangeness of Chitose sheathing his long sword instead of using it to block the giant maw, he saw the unfazed expression on Chitose's face and his right hand reaching into his ninja pouch.

As Kagura had said, seeing its attack fail to catch its prey, the muscular man-eating fish twisted its body fiercely in midair, its massive yet powerful tail whistling through the air as it viciously slammed towards Chitose along with a torrent of seawater! Just as everyone expected the black-haired youth to be struck into the water and swallowed by the giant fish, he pulled out seven kunai, wedging them between the fingers of both hands which he crossed before his chest.

If Boruto had been here, he would have recognized this movement instantly.

Chitose seemed utterly unaware of his current peril. His right hand flicked out, sending three kunai flying diagonally upwards.

Attacking Yurui at a time like this? The two Cloud genin exchanged a glance, both thinking this person must be insane. The remaining Sand trio had a similar thought, but Chitose's two teammates, as well as Kakashi watching from above, clearly had different ideas.

The jet black eyes of the aloof youth showed no sign of the fish tail bearing down on him. He simply transferred the four kunai in his left hand to his right, then narrowed his eyes slightly. With a powerful twist of his slender waist, he shifted angles in midair and shot out the kunai in both hands.

The damp, fish tail whipped past Chitose's nose. The powerful airflow it created violently blew his black hair and clothes in the same direction, yet the youth performing an unthinkable series of midair movements didn't even blink.

The tail splashed into the water, raising a spray several meters high, while the youth who had narrowly and perfectly evaded the attack flipped backwards in the air. He then landed cleanly on one of the most difficult circular footholds, his deep, unruffled eyes reflecting the rising water spray as his hair dampened slightly.

Just as he steadied himself on the stone, Yurui fell into the water with a small splash.

Silence reigned over the arena.

The head proctor blinked his widened eyes, his contracted pupils finally shifting from the youth now hastening towards his comrades to the stunned assistant proctors. "...What are you spacing out for? Hurry and fish that brat out of the water!!"

The assistant proctors snapped out of their daze and hastily dove into the water to retrieve Yurui. The Cloud team's Jonin instructor also recovered from his shock, glancing worriedly at the water before involuntarily turning to study the black-haired youth nimbly traversing the slippery marble blocks.

In that case... From the moment the fish charged at him, that youth's objective was far more than simply evading the attack!

In the blink of an eye, he had completed a series of actions - evading two strikes, repelling Yurui, and landing safely.

Indeed, those kunai he had fired out with uncanny technique collided midair from six different angles, shattering the bubbles protecting Yurui. The final one that made it through then burst the explosive bubble Yurui was currently blowing, its blast knocking the Cloud genin unconscious and into the water.

The Genin gasped in awe, while the Cloud Jonin - as well as any ninja present with a brain - felt a chill run down their spines.

The events just now proved that this Uchiha Genin, said to have graduated early from the ninja academy, had in that split second the fish attacked him, already completed the following in his mind: predicting the fish's moves, finding a way to evade, locating footholds, devising a method to defeat Yurui, including identifying the key bubbles obstructing him, calculating firing angles, simulating the kunai's trajectories - a series of feats beyond ordinary ninja. Most crucially, he had executed it all flawlessly.

That inconceivable series of techniques requiring impeccable skill, physical strength, mental acuity, eyesight, reflexes - without a single element lacking - he had truly accomplished.

The Chunin and Jonin present asked themselves honestly - they could never easily pull off such a throw, let alone in that precarious airborne situation while under attack with no leverage. As for that horrifying level of calculation ability and observational prowess, and most critically, that unshakable calm in the face of a life-threatening assault...

They had all witnessed it - that youth hadn't even blinked once. Those jet black eyes remained placid throughout, not a single ripple arising.

The expressions of all the ninja changed, some more than others.

Putting aside his abilities, just that precise, meticulous intellect, that flawless strategic planning, that composure under duress... Taken together, this youth had already surpassed Jonin level, even elite Jonin...

Though thinking about it, the path he treads does seem awfully familiar? The older Jonin present discreetly studied the calm-faced Kakashi.

If the master is this man, there's nothing strange about it. After all these years, this style of genius ninja has finally produced a second, even more talented successor from the same lineage. The most hateful part is that he just had to emerge from the Leaf again.

Completely unaware of the inner thoughts of some Jonin, Kakashi only looked at Chitose's eyes, which had remained unwavering from start to finish, giving a faint nod of approval.

His young disciple was more gifted than Itachi, more diligent than Sasuke. The all-encompassing foresight that made the sequence look effortless on the surface was fundamentally different from Kakashi's own passive style born of lacking chakra reserves, forcing him to plan everything out in advance.

Chitose simply preferred to control everything in his grasp. Unburdened by chakra worries and disinclined to even use his Sharingan, the paths open to the youth who favored overpowering foes through sheer force were far broader, destined to reach heights Kakashi could only gaze upwards at.

He still recalled Naruto often complaining in his youth about favoring Sasuke, but that was because Kakashi could actually guide Sasuke in areas like the Sharingan and Lightning Release. Compared to the legendary Orochimaru and Jiraiya who were their true masters, what Kakashi could impart to them was limited. Not to mention their somewhat impulsive natures were quite unlike his own.

But Chitose was different.

Kakashi watched as the youth reached Yosuke and the others, the corners of his mask-covered lips curling slightly upwards, his eyes crinkling.

This was his disciple. In intelligence, mentality, methods, observational prowess - all mirrored Kakashi himself and even surpassed him in every aspect. This was his successor, the one he had patiently awaited all these years to finally call him "Master."

Yosuke watched Chitose approach step by step, his racing heart gradually calming. God knew when he saw that fish charging at Chitose, his heart almost leapt out of his chest.

"Yosuke, leave this to me. You go handle the remaining two." Chitose stopped halfway across on a long stone pillar, sword drawn in a wary stance as he addressed the red-haired youth.

Yosuke glanced at the two Cloud genin scrambling to catch up to them, hesitated for a moment, then looked back at Chitose. Seeing his confident nod, he pressed his lips together before releasing Shinku's hand and dropping down.

He understood Chitose's rationale. Shinku could fly, but couldn't stray too far from Ruri, so having her carry Ruri to retrieve the Night Pearl was ideal. His own chakra control was poor, making traversing the stones risky, while flying with them would be slower yet ensure the girls' safety - the most prudent course.

As for now... The signs indicated the man-eating fish was targeting Chitose this time. So with Chitose drawing its attention to clear the way, Yosuke could handle the remaining threats - currently their best option.

But why was he so uneasy?

The observing Sand trio widened their eyes in surprise upon seeing the exquisitely beautiful Yosuke draw his short sword. With a seemingly casual motion, he landed on a stone above the two Cloud genin's heads, a flash of lightning arcing from his blade as he forced them to hastily retreat. The three Sand genin exchanged looks before remaining silent.

Yosuke forced himself to believe Chitose's earlier reassurance that they would be fine. The water-vapor filled environment undoubtedly greatly aided his Lightning Release. If nothing went wrong, victory in this match was undoubtedly theirs. Thinking thus, he suppressed his unease as the lightning on his short sword intensified. One of the Cloud genin he was facing faltered, momentarily losing chakra control. His footing slipped, his arms flailing as he teetered backwards. At that very moment, the man-eating fish lurking below suddenly lashed its tail against the water surface, its cavernous maw gaping open as it lunged towards him! The genin's eyes widened in terror, instinctively reaching out towards Yosuke in a desperate plea for help. Yosuke, the focus of that fear-filled, pleading gaze, felt a flurry of familiar eyes flash before him. His icy blue pupils contracted sharply as he unconsciously took a step forward, as if to grasp that outstretched hand!

"Idiot!" Ruri, who had been vigilantly monitoring the situation while being carried upwards by Shinku, couldn't help but furrow her brows and shout out upon seeing Yosuke's action. A split second later, she saw a black blur shoot past as the youth's chilly voice reached her ears: "Don't worry about it, go get the Pearl!"

She instinctively reached out a hand in that direction, but upon hearing his order, she clenched her fist tightly. Raising her head towards the still distant Night Pearl, she gritted her teeth, retrieving her scroll. Grasping one end, she forcefully swept it through the air, white smoke flashing as her red-haired, red-clothed puppet rapidly manifested under her dexterous fingertip movements, charging upwards at full speed.

"Almost there - hurry, Shinku!" She noticed her chakra lines weren't sufficient to support the puppet's ascent and anxiously urged on. The puppet girl furrowed her brow, gritted her teeth, and increased the flight speed slightly.

Ruri's red eyes reflected the bright light. Closer, closer, they were almost able to retrieve the Night Pearl!!

Suddenly, a heart-wrenching scream made the girl shudder, and she abruptly looked down. At that moment, the world spun around her.

In the vast arena, where was Chitose's figure?

Only the fish, happily splashing their robust tails as they returned to the water.

Meanwhile, in Konoha, a blond-haired young boy suddenly felt a palpitation, the sharp edge of his shuriken grazing his fingertip. He stared blankly at the droplets of blood, unconsciously lifting his head and looking towards the direction of the Hidden Mist Village.