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Chapter 8: Chunin Exams

The day of the Chunin Exams finally arrived as all the Chunin candidates gathered around the village square. Genins from all the villages slowly trickled in as Hiroshi, Asuka, and Iraia watched and waited. There were many candidates this time around including those from Konoha such as Denki, Iwabe, and Metal forming a team. Another team in the vicinity was Inojin, Shikadai, and Chohco.

Sarada, Mitsuki, and Boruto were also present. As Hiroshi conversed amiably with Boruto and the others he suddenly heard the shout of an all too familiar voice.

"Hiroshi! We meet again! This time I'll win!"

Hiroshi inwardly panicked and awkwardly turned around to face who it was. It was a boy around his age who had medium length black wavy hair and green eyes. He wore a dark red short sleeved haori and a black long sleeved t-shirt with matching red pants. The Iwagakure forehead protector was worn on his head.

Boruto gave a confused look and nudged Hiroshi asking, "Oi, Hiroshi. You know this guy?"

Hiroshi just awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck and nodded. "Er...Haha...I do...This is Koen. Kaguya Koen. His dad is uncle Kimimaro and his mom is the 4th Tsuchikage."

"EEEHHHH?!" Everyone around him exclaimed in shock.

Koen smirked at everyone's reaction and replied, "Hahaha! It's nice to meet you all! Let's all do our best and battle it out! And this time, I will win Hiroshi! Oh, where's Iraia? I need to settle our score as well!" As Iraia heard Koen call out her name she just inwardly sighed but kept her expressionless face pretending not to see him. Koen turned and looked around scanning the crowd for her until finally he took note of the all too familiar snow white hair. He ran over and said, "Iraia! Long time no see!"

Unable to avoid Koen she simply turned around and said emotionlessly, "Oh, Koen. Hi." She then turned and walked off standing by Sarada and Asuka. Koen just clenched his fist in determination lost in his thoughts. Gah! She's still as beautiful as I remembered! But even still I won't lose to her next time! Or Hiroshi!

Shikadai, Boruto, Inojin, Iwabe, and Denki just gave Koen a strange look in confusion as they turned to Hiroshi for an explanation. Boruto broke the silence as he asked, "Oi. What's his deal Hiroshi?"

Hiroshi just let out a long drawn out sigh. "Well...He just likes to battle that's all. Out of all the ninja villages Iraia and I are most familiar with Iwagakure because dad used to take us there all the time when we were little to visit uncle Kimimaro. Koen would always challenge us to a sparring match at any chance that he could get. That's all. He's not a bad guy or anything. Maybe just a bit eccentric."

"Ehhhh…" Everyone simply let out. Inojin then asked, "He said something about not losing to you or Iraia this time. Does that mean he lost the last time you guys fought?"

Hiroshi simply nodded. "Yeah. Let's see the last time we fought was probably 4 years ago. That was a long time ago so we definitely weren't as skilled then as we are now, but still it leaves me with 10 wins and he has 0. As for Iraia she has 5 wins and Koen has 0."

"Ehhhhh…" Everyone let out again.

Iwabe then chimed in, "Heh. Then I guess he's not that big of a deal huh?"

Hiroshi shook his head. "You're wrong. Koen is strong. At least, he definitely has the potential to become a top class shinobi."

Everyone widened their eyes in shock at Hiroshi's words as Shikadai asked, "What do you mean?"

Hiroshi stared seriously at Koen in the distance before replying, "We were really young back then so we weren't that skilled yet. But I have no doubt that Koen has rapidly improved his skills. Dad told me that if I underestimate him and slack off on my training then I'll lose badly to him one day. And that's because dad said that Koen has an incredibly rare Kekkei Tota."

"EHHHH?!" This time everyone was shocked to the extreme. Before anyone could say anything they heard another voice.

"Don't worry about that too much. I'll keep my big brother in check."

Everyone turned around to see another young boy who was probably about a year younger than them. He had shoulder length white hair and black colored eyes. He wore a short sleeved gray haori with a large dark red sash tied around his waist and he wore dark red pants to match. His Iwagakure forehead protector was worn on his head.

Hiroshi widened his eyes in pleasant surprise and walked up to this new Genin patting him on the shoulder amiably as he said, "Kaito! I knew you'd be here since your brother was. It's good to see you again." Hiroshi then turned to everyone and said, "Guys, let me introduce you. This is Kaguya Kaito. He's Koen's younger brother. He's only younger than us by a year."

Kaito nodded his head acknowledging everyone and said, "Hello everyone. I hope we can get along. And...please excuse my big brother. He's just very energetic."

Everyone smiled and nodded at Kaito's words but were inwardly shocked how different the personality between Kaito and his brother Koen was. Kaito observed the surroundings and noticed Iraia so he silently waved to her. Iraia took note and nodded in his direction acknowledging Kaito's presence as she, Sarada, Chocho, and Asuka walked over. Hiroshi then asked, "Kaito, if you and Koen are on a team then who's your third member?"

Kaito smiled and pointed to a shinobi who was slowly making his way to the village square in the distance. Immediately many of the kunoichi in the surrounding area took note of this new shinobi and started fidgeting. Chocho widened her eyes and commented, "He's gorgeous! He's tall and handsome! The all black clothing makes him seem mysterious and that golden cloak makes him more desirable. The katana by his waist makes him feel dangerous! Who is he?! I wonder if he likes potato chips!"

Even Sarada couldn't help but take a second glance with a bit of intrigue, however she was instantly confused because she saw the Konoha forehead protector that was tied around the hilt of this newcomers katana so she inquired, "That's your third teammate? But why does he have a Konoha forehead protector instead of an Iwagakure one?"

Hiroshi furrowed his brow just as confused because he knew who this was so he turned to Kaito and asked, "Kaito. Can you explain the situation a bit? Why is Zen on your team?"

At Hiroshi's words everyone was also confused as it seemed Hiroshi knew him. Boruto tilted his head in curiosity and asked, "Hiroshi, you know who that is?"

Hiroshi nodded. "That's Yagami Zen. He's the personal disciple of my dad."

"EEHHHHHH?!" Once again everyone was left speechless. Boruto narrowed his eyes as he carefully studied Zen and recalled that uncle Izaya had mentioned having a disciple already.

So that is uncle Izaya's disciple? Tch. I wonder how strong he is. Even though uncle Izaya wasn't able to accept me as a disciple uncle Sasuke did.

It was then that Kaito finally responded. "Mn. Zen is still a Konohagakure shinobi. He's not joining us as an Iwagakure shinobi. A couple years ago when Lord 6th Hokage took Zen to visit our village he was talking to mom and dad about something. After hearing them out Lord 6th made some sort of suggestion to them and in the end I guess they came to a consensus. I don't know what they really talked about, I just know that they agreed to let Zen join Koen and I to take the Chunin Exams as a team. According to dad there isn't a rule stating that a shinobi of one village needs to participate with shinobi from their own village. They just need a viable team or some form of approval from the Kage's. And since this is the era of the ASF it's not unreasonable for a team like this. At least that's how dad explained it to me. Plus he said something about Zen's circumstance being unique. I suppose you, Hiroshi would know a bit more about it than I would. All in all Koen and I have gotten to know Zen pretty well over the past couple weeks. He's not a bad guy."

Everyone simply nodded and accepted Kaito's explanation. Iraia however was inwardly surprised at Zen's appearance on Kaito and Koen's team. She and Zen made eye contact before they both quickly averted their eyes not knowing why. Asuka nudged Iraia's side and whispered, "Hey, Iraia. He's the personal disciple of Lord 6th right? Can you introduce us?"

Iraia slightly flinched at Asuka's request but nodded. To their surprise Zen walked over to them first and stood in front of them. A moment of silence passed by as he wasn't sure what to say exactly. It was Iraia who spoke first as she stepped to the side a bit and said, "It's good to see you again...Zen. This is my teammate and friend, Yuki Asuka."

Zen nodded and acknowledged Asuka's presence as he replied, "A pleasure to make your acquaintance." He then returned his focus on Iraia. Asuka and the other Kunoichi in the area felt their hearts skip a beat at the sound of Zen's voice as they all had the same thought. His voice sounds like a deep and soothing but dangerous lullaby. I can listen to him talk all day.

Zen slightly panicked inside as his brain wasn't working. He didn't know what to say. The longer he stood there in silence the more awkward he was making the situation so he quickly said, "It's nice to see you again. Iraia." He then turned toward Kaito and Hiroshi and walked over to them as fast as he could without making it look like he was rushing. Hiroshi raised an eyebrow questioningly at Zen but just shrugged his shoulders.

It wasn't long after before Shikamaru arrived and gave the introductions for the exams. And it wasn't long before the time of the very first Exam began. As everyone stood next to their teammates Sai stood up on a stage to address everyone as the first exams proctor. "I will now explain the first round. Round one is...A true or false quiz!"

"EEHHHHHH?!" Immediately everyone was completely and utterly shocked. Sai just smiled and continued, "The question will be given 20km away from here at venue B. Any Genin who doesn't make it within one hour of this stop watch to the venue will be disqualified. Furthermore traps have been laid-" Instead of listening to Sai explain more of the details some of the Genin had already realized that the timer in Sai's hand had already begun to count down so they quickly ran and made their way to venue B. As Iraia, Hiroshi, and Asuka dashed through the forest heading to the venue they expertly dodged, parried, and disarmed all the traps set up along the way to hinder them. Just as they reached a clearing in the forest several tens of puppets appeared with kunai guns as it aimed it right at them.

Hiroshi simply smirked and placed his hands together saying, "Wood Style: Silent Strangle Jutsu!" Immediately wooden vines erupted beneath those puppets and tore them apart leaving nothing left. It wasn't long before they made it to the venue, however, to their surprise they weren't the first ones. The first ones were actually Koen, Kaito, and Zen. After a minute or two many others began showing up at the venue. As the one hour time limit ended all those who didn't make it to the venue were disqualified.

Sai then stood on the podium at the venue and pulled down a drape revealing a giant X and O and proceeded to explain, "Now that you're all here, I will explain how this quiz works. You and your team of three will stand on either the X for false or the O for true depending on what you three decide is the correct answer. Those who answer incorrectly, specifically those who turn black will fail. Now here is the question. In the 5th volume of the the shinobi military strategy handbook the following passwords appear. Moon is day. Mountain is river. Flower is nectar. True or false? You have 3 minutes to make your selection."

Everyone began to discuss and some began to panic. At this moment Iraia, Hiroshi, and Asuka nodded as they walked over to the false platform. Right after everyone made their choice Sai smirked and revealed the answer, however everyone was confused as both the true and false answers showed up on screen. Without time for anyone to react the platform beneath them disintegrated revealing a giant hole with black ink at the bottom causing everyone to fall. Iraia frowned and quickly said, "Hiroshi."

Hiroshi nodded in understanding and placed his hands together activating his Wood Style. A large wood tendril erupted from the side of the wall and quickly wrapped itself around him, Iraia, and Asuka before pulling them close to the walls edge stopping them from falling.

Asuka breathed out a sigh of relief and commented, "Nice going!"

Hiroshi just smiled brightly at Asuka's praise. They watched as many others used their own way to save themselves from falling and watched as many others also failed. As Koen, Kaito, and Zen were falling Koen quickly activated an Earth Style Jutsu creating a platform for them to land on safely. Soon after Sai congratulated those who didn't fall into the ink pool as passing, finally ending the first round of the Chunin exams.

The second round took place three days later as every team of three was placed against another team of three in a game of capture the flag. Each team had to not only protect their own flag, but successfully steal the other team's flag. At this moment Iraia, Hiroshi, and Asuka were facing off against Zen, Koen, and Kaito. Both sides geared up for battle as the start of their game finally began. Asuka looked at the twins and asked, "So, what's the plan of attack? Koen and Kaito aren't going to be easy pickings. And you both said that Zen is the personal disciple of uncle Izaya. That means he's got to be strong."

Hiroshi thought for a moment and replied, "I'll stay behind and guard the flag. With my ability it'll be easier to hinder and fight either a single opponent or multiple opponents. Either way I can stall for time or defeat my opponent. Asuka, with your speed you go for the flag. Iraia you should back her up."

They both nodded and agreed that Hiroshi's plan was a good one and quickly went into action. In but a few minutes as Hiroshi stood by the flag both Kaito and Koen appeared before him causing Hiroshi to grin. "So Kaito, Koen, looks like it's you two eh?" He then grit his teeth and shouted, "Bring it on!"

Meanwhile Zen stood by his own flag in waiting. It didn't take long before he took note of a shuriken aimed straight at him. He quickly unsheathed his sword and blocked the incoming attack, however that moment of distraction was enough for Asuka to utilize her Swift Style to greatly enhance her speed and grab the flag. She then landed on the far end of the roof in triumph and smirked at her and Iraia's success, however Iraia saw things play out differently as she was instantly shocked. What had actually happened was that the moment Asuka stepped foot on the roof of the building she had stopped moving and was completely still. Iraia quickly activated her Byakugan and noticed how Asuka's chakra was completely disrupted.

Genjutsu?! Incredible! What kind of Genjutsu trap is this? Asuka doesn't even realize that she's been trapped.

Without wasting any time Iraia quickly placed her palms together and gathered the chakra in her body. Just as she set foot on the roof she immediately stopped the flow of her chakra before quickly flaring it up and shouted, "Release!" Due to her action the Genjutsu trap that was in place was dispelled. She quickly arrived by Asuka's side and released her from the Genjutsu as well. Asuka quickly came back to her senses and was shocked. "W-What happened? Didn't I get the flag already? No way! Genjutsu? How?"

Both Iraia and Asuka looked over where Zen was who still simply stood by the flag. He took note of their arrival and simply nodded his head acknowledging their presence. Iraia bit the bottom of her lip unsure of how to proceed.

So this is the strength of papa's disciple? To think that his Genjutsu skills are on this level. It'll be dangerous to engage him in a prolonged form of combat. If he can capture Asuka in a Genjutsu from just her stepping on the roof then there's no telling what other kinds of Genjutsu he could use. I'm not sure how he is in Ninjutsu as well so best to engage him in Taijutsu and not give him a chance to weave hand signs.

Without wasting anymore time Iraia activated her Sharingan as well and dashed straight at Zen engaging him in Taijutsu. Zen felt a strange emotion of pain and warmth as he fought Iraia in Taijutsu and saw her activate her Sharingan. It pained him that he knew how she had awakened the Sharingan. He also felt conflicted because after he confirmed that Iraia was truly the same little girl that he met all those years ago when they were kids he had resolved himself to do his best to protect her. He vowed that he would never let her be in that same kind of position again. The position where she had to shield him and take the hits and beating and torture that should have been his. He grit his teeth and dodged, parried, and defended against her every strike. He recalled how his sensei said that Iraia was better than him at Taijutsu two years ago. He did his best to improve his Taijutsu and he did, however his skill was still just a bit short of that against Iraia's as he felt the pressure weighing down on him. Add on to the fact that he wasn't using his Sharingan and Iraia was and he also didn't want to attack her. Just as he dodged a palm strike to his head he was surprised because that move of Iraia's was actually a feint for her kick which connected against his leg causing him to fall towards the ground. Before he could hit the ground he thrust out his arm and pushed off the ground thrusting his body into a horizontal twirling motion through the air and landed back on his feet. It was then that Asuka successfully grabbed the flag, however the flag in her hands suddenly turned into nothing but air as several dozens of flags appeared on the rooftop. This time both Iraia and Asuka widened their eyes in shock as they realized it was another Genjutsu.

Asuka gritted her teeth and said in seriousness, "Iraia, can you dispel this Genjutsu with your Sharingan to find the real flag?"

Iraia frowned but nodded. "I can, but it'll take a few moments."

Asuka nodded. "I'll leave it to you." She then dashed out with incredible speed and engaged Zen in close combat. Zen was greatly shocked at Asuka's speed and could barely keep up, especially since he wasn't utilizing his Sharingan. After defending and blocking several dozens of Asuka's punches the pressure on him was finally too much and so he finally activated his Sharingan. Asuka widened her eyes with extreme shock at the revelation that Zen also wielded the Sharingan, however it was too late for her as she realized her mistake. She had made eye contact. Although it was only very brief it was enough for Zen to place her under an ocular Genjutsu, but it was also at this moment that Iraia dispelled the Genjutsu placed on the flag and gripped the real flag raising it high in the air. A loud sound blared in the area signaling their victory. Zen just let out a sigh and smiled warmly at the sight of Iraia holding the flag before he deactivated his Sharingan and released Asuka from the Genjutsu he placed her in. Iraia, however didn't miss the fact that Zen possessed the Sharingan as well. She had a complicated mix of emotions inside her at that moment.

Sharingan? Why does Zen have the Sharingan? Didn't papa say that Zen is from the Sage continent? W-Wait...D-Don't tell me...I-Is he actually papa's...No! No papa would never betray mom like that! What am I thinking! Papa wouldn't do that to us. Papa loves mom and Hiroshi and I so much. He tells us all the time. Even if papa isn't always around. B-But then why?...I-Is this why papa took Zen on as a disciple? What's happening...I-I don't understand.

Zen felt conflicted at this moment as he stared at Iraia's facial expression turn from one of joy at her success in taking the flag to one of internal distress. And he knew why. She had seen his Sharingan and had become confused. Asuka had begun asking Zen some questions but whatever she said went through one ear and out the other as Zen couldn't concentrate on Asuka. At this moment he only saw the sadness in Iraia's facial expression and eyes. He let out a soft breath and quickly walked beside her. He was a good head taller than her so he slightly bent down near her ear just so she could hear and whispered, "It's not what you think. Karasuma-sensei never betrayed your family. I've already lost both of my parents." After having said that he quickly disappeared.

Idiot. Am I an idiot? I should have stayed behind and made sure that I explained properly. What if I just confuse her more. Tch. This is why I didn't want to use my Sharingan against her. But now that she knows what if she questions why I didn't use my Sharingan against her? Will she think that I was looking down on her? I wasn't. Damn it. Why am I bad at forming relationships? Sensei...how did you do it? I hope you return soon sensei...safe and sound.

As Zen had disappeared leaving Asuka and Iraia behind Iraia had inwardly flinched at what Zen had said to her and felt guilty.

Wait...So Zen isn't papa's...then papa never betrayed mom and us? I'm an idiot. How could I have ever doubted papa like that! A-And was it that obvious about what I was thinking that Zen knew? He said that his parent's are already gone...I'm horrible...for doubting papa. For suspecting Zen. I want to apologize…

While Iraia and Asuka started to make their way back to Hiroshi he had finally plopped down on the floor completely exhausted. He laid down on the hard ground as the entire building and roof where the flag was placed was completely destroyed at this point. It was filled with a mix of trees, bushes, vines, rock walls, boulders, and bones. Hiroshi just heaved completely out of breath and said, "What-..The...Hell! You both...are crazy...strong!" Hiroshi let out as he struggled to control his breathing.

Koen and Kaito were also breathing rapidly, however they had a much easier time as it was two on one after all. They also stared at Hiroshi with a bit of shock as Koen said, "Damn you Hiroshi! I wanted to settle our score! To think that you've gotten good at stalling. That Byakugan of yours made it hard for us to hide from you and perform sneak attacks. And your control over your Wood Style improved so much!"

Hiroshi just smirked before saying, "Heh! Actually I have to thank you both for making it easier on me. Kaito you didn't really try since Koen insisted on settling the score against me. Thanks to that it was actually more of a one on one with an attack from Kaito every now and then. And plus neither of you used your more powerful killing techniques. How come? If you did I wouldn't have been able to protect the flag."

Kaito shook his head and replied, "We don't want to kill you Hiroshi. We're friends after all. Plus, our dad told us that we should never use those techniques unless it is to protect the people we care about. And our skill with the techniques aren't so great yet where if something goes wrong we can stop it at will. That's why."

It didn't take long for Iraia and Asuka to arrive back at Hiroshi's side. Soon after all of the matches had ended signaling the completion of the second round. Those who had passed were Team 11, Team 7, Team Shinki, and Team 10. The next day early in the morning Hanabi walked towards the arena where the final round of the exam was being held alongside Hiroshi and Iraia. Hiroshi took a sweep of the surroundings but pouted a bit as he remarked disappointedly, "Cheh…"

Hanabi noticed this and simply grabbed Hiroshi's hands and held it in hers as they walked. Hiroshi's face turned beet red as he said, "Mom! T-This is embarrassing!"

Hanabi just smiled and held Iraia's hands in hers too as she said, "Now now. Can't a mother just hold the hands of her children?"

Iraia didn't say anything nor did the expressionless look on her face change, however she was inwardly happy. Hiroshi just grumbled but let it be. Hanabi smiled at them. "I know. You miss your father. He's been gone for a few weeks. I'm sorry kids. I don't know where he is right now but you know him. He's probably off saving the world somewhere. I know you wish he was here to watch you both, I wish he was here too. But don't forget, your dad is always with you no matter how far he may be. You both wear the necklace that he gave you right? It bears your father's Flying Thunder God Mark so he can always reach you in just an instant. And besides, he'd probably be smothering you both with so much love in broad daylight in front of all your friends and the other villages that you'd be embarrassed to death right? So your father being with you in spirit isn't so bad huh?"

Hiroshi gave his mom's words some thought before his face turned more red at the thought that Izaya really would probably be shouting very loudly and cheering him on in the stands and quickly nodded. "Yeah yeah you're probably right mom. Ugh...Dad probably would go a bit overboard with the whole cheering thing."

Hanabi smiled and said, "Plus, your father gave you both a Summoning Contract right?"

Hiroshi and Iraia smiled as they thought about Kuro and Shiro and nodded. Hanabi squeezed their hands encouragingly. "See. Your father loves you both. He didn't even give me a Summoning Contract. Your father is always thinking about you two and he loves you so even though he's not here right now, we should do the best we can so he doesn't need to worry when he gets back home okay?"

"Mn!" Hiroshi and Iraia nodded.

Hanabi nodded in approval at their reaction. "Alright. Just go out there and do your best okay? It doesn't matter what the outcome is. Remember what your father taught you both?"

Hiroshi and Iraia nodded as they replied, "As long as we do not forget where our heart is supposed to be, we will never lose our way. And what matters most is that we stay true to our ninja way."

Hanabi smiled lovingly at her kids as she bent down and quickly gave them both a hug before saying, "Alright. Go on. I'm sure Asuka is already waiting for you both. I'll be watching from the stands okay."

Hiroshi and Iraia nodded as they hugged their mom back before dashing off to find Asuka. It wasn't long before all the participating Genin that made it this far had gathered in the waiting hall they were assigned. All those that made it this far included Shikadai, Inojin, Chocho, Iraia, Asuka, Hiroshi, Boruto, Sarada, Mitsuki, Shinki, Araya, and Yodo. The final part of the exam consisted of a tournament style individual battle with three rounds and three brackets meaning in the final round it was to be a three way battle between the winners of each bracket.

In the first round the first bracket matchups were Boruto vs. Shikadai and Iraia vs. Yodo. In the second bracket the matchups were Sarada vs. Araya and Hiroshi vs. Inojin. And the third bracket matchups were Asuka vs. Chocho and Shinki vs. Mitsuki. As Boruto and Shikadai's match was going on everyone else was watching on the monitor screen while waiting in their respective rooms. Iraia watched the battle but frowned a bit in confusion. She didn't quite understand what was going on. At first the match had seemed quite even, but it wasn't long before Shikadai had actually managed to outwit Boruto and trap him in a circle of pure shadow capturing Boruto in the Shadow Paralysis Jutsu. To Iraia it seemed that the match should have ended, however Boruto had somehow managed to produce an extra clone while he was caught and throw Shikadai off granting Boruto the win.

This doesn't seem right? I've been classmates with Boruto for a long time and I've seen him battle before. He already utilized the max amount of Clones he can make at one time and Shikadai captured them all. He shouldn't have enough chakra to make another. On top of that I didn't even see him weave the sign for the Clone. In fact, since he was caught it should have been impossible for him to weave the Clone sign...unless Boruto has truly mastered the Shadow Clone Jutsu so well that he no longer needs to form the hand sign to mold chakra for the Jutsu. I suppose that might be possible. After all, I'm sure he's been improving after all this time as well. And the Shadow Clone does seem to be a favorite of his.

Iraia was snapped out of her thoughts as Rock Lee, who was the proctor of the exam declared Boruto as the winner. Iraia didn't spend anymore time thinking too much about it as her match was next. As she walked out onto the arena she took note of her opponent Yodo. She wore a hooded sweatshirt and had ear-pods in her ears. Just like Iraia she wore an expressionless face as they both stared at each other. Without wasting time for words Lee got right to it and started the match. Yodo remained unmoving so Iraia decided to make her move first. Instantly she activated her Byakugan, however this move greatly startled Yodo and caused alarm bells to ring in her head. Iraia then dashed out and struck with a palm strike forcing Yodo to perform a backflip to escape, however Iraia didn't let up as she expertly kept pace with Yodo's movements. In fact Iraia was much faster and much more nimble than Yodo putting the pressure on Yodo's defenses. As Yodo got frustrated she realized that she couldn't take her opponent lightly and jumped in the air to distance herself from Iraia. She then removed her hood and earbuds before gripping her hair and slammed it in the direction of Iraia generating a powerful airwave of high frequency. Iraia simply pulled back her palm before thrusting out a powerful strike as she shouted, "Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!"

BAM!

Iraia's powerful air thrust slammed into Yodo's airwave of high frequency causing both techniques to cancel out. Yodo gritted her teeth at her failed attack, however Iraia inwardly smirked and threw several shuriken straight at Yodo who was still airborne. Yodo frowned at this new development and forced her body to tip backwards in order to avoid the shuriken aimed at her, however this was a fatal mistake as her position left her vulnerable. Just as she completed her flip midair to reface Iraia she widened her eyes with extreme shock because Iraia was right in front of her. Iraia simply expressionlessly said, "Eight Trigrams 16 Palms."

Bam!

Yodo had her tenketsus struck instantly feeling weakened, but Iraia didn't stop there as she said, "32 Palms." Yodo felt weaker and weaker with every strike as her ability to build up and mold chakra was halted from having her tenketsus sealed. Yodo simply fell from the air listlessly and laid flat on the ground struggling to move any part of her limbs. Iraia quickly arrived before her and placed a kunai to her throat prompting Lee to end the match and declare Iraia the victor. The crowd shouted and cheered as the Five Kage's sat at the highest point of the arena stadium. Gaara let out a sigh as he watched Yodo, who was from his village be defeated by Iraia and commented, "As expected of the 6th Hokage's daughter. She's quite powerful. To think that she has awakened her Byakugan and mastered it to this extent already."

Darui simply smirked in amusement. "So the son of the 7th Hokage and the daughter of the 6th Hokage have made it through round 1. But now in round two they will face off against each other. That will be quite the match. What do you think 7th Hokage? Any predictions?"

Naruto simply scratched the back of his neck awkwardly and shook his head. "I can't really say. We'll just have to watch and see how things turn out."

Kurotsuchi just smiled at Naruto's comment before commenting herself. "She could end up being just as much of a monster as the 6th Hokage."

Chojuro smirked at Kurotsuchi's remark before chiming in, "Well let's just wait and see. Boruto seems to show a lot of promise as well. And don't forget, the 6th Hokage's son is also participating in the Exams. By the way 7th Hokage, where is the 6th?"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders and let out a sigh. "I don't really know. Like Sasuke Lord 6th has been going off searching for clues on the Otsutsuki clan. Not only that but the Jashinists as well. It's possible that he's already off-world."

The Five Kage were brought out of their thoughts as the next bracket match had begun. Sarada fought a fierce battle against the puppet user Araya from Sunagakure. After Sarada discovered Araya's trick at using a puppet in the fight she made quick work of him afterwards gaining her the win. Hiroshi's match was next as he walked onto the stage facing Inojin.

Inojin smiled with seriousness as he said, "Hiroshi, just because we're friends doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on you. I know you can use the Wood Style Kekkei Genkai but I'm going to show you that I can beat it!"

Hiroshi smiled back with just as much enthusiasm and replied, "Yeah! Give me your best Inojin!"

At Lee's signal the match began. Inojin quickly drew in his scroll creating a bunch of green colored birds that flew straight at Hiroshi. Hiroshi quickly formed the hand seals of Rat, Dog, and Tiger as he said, "Wood Style: Wood Dome Jutsu!" Thick wooden branches quickly erupted from the ground and completely surrounded Hiroshi inside protecting him from Inojin's birds. Some explosions could be heard on the outside as Inojin had hidden some paper bombs within his bird drawings, however the bombs failed to breach Hiroshi's defense. Not a moment later Hiroshi activated his Byakugan allowing him to see outside of his wooden dome and track Inojin's movements. He then formed the signs of Ram and Snake shouting, "Wood Style: Grand Garden Emergence!" As Inojin was preparing another drawing thinking of a way to break through Hiroshi's wooden dome he widened his eyes in shock as the surrounding arena began to change. Small trees, vines, and bushes began to grow about in the area as they spread towards him trying to hold and bind him.

Inojin frowned and quickly dashed around as he drew a large bird in his scroll and shouted, "Super Beast Scroll!" The bird came to life as he jumped on it letting him escape the now garden filled arena. Hiroshi frowned racking his brain for an idea. He then smirked as one came to him and quickly formed the Clone hand sign saying, "Wood Clone Jutsu." Instantly a wooden clone separated itself from his body and dashed outside of the wooden dome.

Inojin stared down at the arena with great focus as he thought about what to do next.

Damn Hiroshi. He's gotten even stronger. Since when did he have a technique like that Garden thing? And how can he see me to coordinate an attack with those trees, vines, and bushes while he's inside that dome? Wait...Don't tell me he also awakened the Byakugan like Iraia did? Tsk. It would make sense since he's Iraia's twin and Iraia can use it. Dang it.

It was at this moment that Inojin saw Hiroshi exit the wooden dome and dash outside. Inojin smirked and controlled all the drawings that he had hidden behind some bushes and trees to activate. Several tens of different animal paintings rushed towards Hiroshi as Hiroshi frowned and placed his hands together shouting, "Wood Style: Wood Snake Jutsu!" He extended both of his hands outwards creating two wooden snakes as they dashed around him biting into and piercing through all the animal drawings destroying them. He then attached paper bombs to several kunai and threw them into the air forcing Inojin to weave and swerve in the air to dodge. The smoke cloud obscured Inojin's sight, however due to Hiroshi's Byakugan he saw perfectly fine. He threw a kunai successfully piercing through the bird Inojin was on causing him to fall back to the ground.

Just as Inojin touched the ground Hiroshi dashed out at him, however Inojin smirked and shouted, "Super Beast Scroll!" From the shadows of the trees appeared several tens of painted snakes that were completely black in color allowing them to remain hidden. Those snakes quickly and expertly wrapped themselves around Hiroshi binding him in place. Just as Inojin walked up to Hiroshi and placed a kunai by his neck Inojin paused as a bead of sweat dripped down the side of his forehead. There was a kunai placed by his neck as Inojin heard Hiroshi's voice, "That was pretty good Inojin. So what do you say we call it a day?"

Inojin smiled in defeat as he stared in shock at the wooden Hiroshi he had captured. "Hiroshi, I didn't know you could perform the Wood Clone Jutsu. You got me. I give up."

Hiroshi nodded and smiled goofily as he and Inojin shook hands and walked off stage together. The last bracket battles had finally begun as Mitsuki fought Shinki in the arena in a fierce battle. Asuka watched the match carefully as her match was after. If she won against Chocho then she would be battling the winner of the current match. She furrowed her brows as she observed how Shinki's iron sand seemed nearly impenetrable. It granted him near perfect defense and near perfect offense. On top of that when he hit Mitsuki with his fist he was able to magnetize a part of Mitsuki's body to ensure that his next attack would hit. That was when Mitsuki had conceded the match. Asuka only continued to frown as she tried to think of how she would counter Shinki's iron sand, however she snapped out of her thoughts and walked towards the arena as her match was next.

Well, I have to get through Chocho first. Guess I can only go with the flow…

Soon she stood on the arena facing opposite Chocho as Lee signaled the start of their match. Chocho immediately activated her Partial Expansion Jutsu enlarging both of her fists and punched out towards Asuka, however Asuka's speed was simply too fast. She arrived in front of Chocho and struck.

Bam!

Asuka didn't stop there as she continued to move around Chocho striking at every muscle and pressure joint weakening Chocho's physical control over her body. After nearly 30 hits Chocho finally collapsed on the ground huffing and panting feeling completely weak in the arms and legs. Asuka didn't let her utilize any of her other techniques. Lee soon declared Asuka the victor ending the first round of the tournament matchups.

As Haku was watching in the stands with Akane he clenched his fist with excitement and wanted to shout and cheer, but before he could Akane stood up first and shouted, "Asuka! Good Job! Do it just like that next time too!"

It was then that Haku felt a bit embarrassed and realized that shouting out loud wasn't his style, but he couldn't help smiling in joy at Asuka's victory. Asuka's cheeks turned red in embarrassment when she heard her mom cheering for her so she quickly waved at them before dashing out of the arena as fast as she could. The second round started soon after with the first match being Iraia vs. Boruto. As they both stood on the arena floor the wild cheers and shouts in the stands created a powerful energy of high expectations, however both Boruto and Iraia drowned out the noise as they stared at each other. Boruto felt a bit of pressure on him as he knew how strong Iraia was but he smirked in the end and said, "Heh, just because you're my cousin doesn't mean I'll take it easy on you Iraia. I'm going to win. No I have to win. I'm not going down here."

Iraia furrowed her brow and replied, "Strong words Boruto, but you still have to get past me."

Boruto gritted his teeth in seriousness as Lee then signaled for the match to start. Boruto dashed straight at Iraia engaging her in close quarter combat. Iraia narrowed her eyes in focus and expertly matched Boruto blow for blow as she expertly blocked, defended, countered, struck, swept, punched, and kicked. Boruto widened his eyes in shock as he realized he was quickly being outmatched in Taijutsu and Iraia hadn't even activated her Byakugan yet. He quickly dashed backwards and formed the Clone sign saying, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Puff!

Immediately four Clones of Boruto appeared by his side as they all five dashed around the arena surrounding her and trying to confuse her. Iraia furrowed her brow and said, "Byakugan!" Instantly her field of vision increased allowing her to see the entire arena and all of the Boruto's, however she widened her eyes in shock as saw a scientific ninja tool hidden in Boruto's right sleeve.

What is that?

She was snapped out of her thoughts as Boruto and his clones each threw out a kunai attached paper bomb at her. Just before it could reach her she shouted, "Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven!"

Swish!

With a powerful twist of her body a blue chakra sphere surrounded and shielded her expertly knocking all 5 kunai attached paper bombs away before blowing up.

Boom!

A cloud of smoke filled the area around Iraia obscuring everyone's vision of what was going on inside, however the smoke cloud did nothing to obstruct Iraia's view. She instantly took note of where all 5 Boruto's were and threw out 5 shuriken utilizing the Shadow Shuriken Jutsu. All the Boruto's smirked as they saw the incoming shurikens fly out of the smoke cloud and took out a kunai each throwing them to intercept the shurikens, however he widened his eyes in shock as there was a second shuriken beneath the first one.

Put! Put! Put! Put!

Clink!

Boruto's 4 Shadow Clones were too slow to react and were immediately struck in the chest dispelling them while he was able to quickly grab another kunai and defend just in time. It was at this moment that Iraia appeared above him and thrust out with her palm from above shouting, "Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!"

Boruto panicked as he realized that the shurikens weren't only meant for destroying his clones, it was also to distract him so he wouldn't keep his attention on where Iraia was going to be. In his panicked state he could only think of one way to get out of this situation and it was to use the scientific ninja tool on his right arm. He gritted his teeth and formed a hand sign generating a small scroll to land in his hand as he shouted, "Wind Style: Gale Force Jutsu!" In an instant a giant force of powerful wind intercepted Iraia's attack and smashed into her small frame. She widened her eyes in complete astonishment as her Byakugan allowed her to see the whole thing play out. She crossed her arms in front of her just as the powerful wind blasted her through the air and into the wall of the arena creating small cracks and tears in the wall. Iraia coughed as she steadied her breathing and frowned at how Boruto was able to perform such a powerful Wind Ninjutsu.

What did he do just now? With a single hand sign he generated a small scroll from that ninja tool on his arm and somehow that allowed him to use an incredibly powerful Wind Ninjutsu. Is that how he defeated Shikadai in his first match?

Iraia slowly freed herself from the cavity in the wall she created when crashing into it and narrowed her eyes in deep focus at Boruto. Boruto felt completely nervous at this moment as he realized that his attack seemed excessive and with that excessive attack he still didn't knock Iraia out. He felt completely guilty now and terrible about what he did at the same time nervous if Iraia was able to see through his trick with her Byakugan.

Iraia took note of Boruto's strange behavior and dashed right at him. Boruto panicked and created four Shadow Clones to surround them, however Iraia formed the Tiger sign and shouted, "Lava Style: Volcanic Ash Cloud Jutsu!" She spewed out a dark cloud of ash that spread out and covered the area smothering Boruto's Shadow Clones and obscuring their sight. She then expertly threw out 4 shuriken destroying the Clones just as she arrived in front of the real Boruto. She threw a punch at Boruto who defended with his palm, but before Boruto could counter strike she gripped his arm forcing Boruto to punch out with his other hand. Iraia frowned and blocked with her free hand also gripping Boruto's other arm as they were stopped in a deadlock. At their close proximity Iraia whispered, "Why are you fighting?"

Boruto gritted his teeth as they were still in a deadlock hold and responded, "What are you talking about? This is the Chunin Exams. Of course I'm fighting so I can win and become a Chunin."

Iraia frowned. "No. That's not what I want to know. I want to know your reason for fighting. For being a ninja. Your ninja way. What is it?"

Boruto had a complicated look on his face as a moment of silence passed between them before he answered, "I...I can't lose! I won't lose here! I'm gonna show dad just how capable I am and to do that I won't lose to you Iraia."

Iraia was inwardly surprised at this new revelation and understood.

I see. Boruto wants to win and become acknowledged by uncle Naruto. But Boruto...The way you're doing it…

Iraia took a quick look at the people in the stands before sneaking a peek at the Hokage rock faces and lightly smiled before resuming her indifferent expression.

Papa. I know you may not be here watching me right now but I know you're probably fighting with me in spirit. You always told Hiroshi and I that it doesn't matter what the outcome is as long as we stay true to our ninja way and don't lose where our heart is. It's fine, right papa? If I don't win.

Iraia let out a soft sigh before releasing her grip on Boruto and dashed backwards. Boruto charged straight at her and formed the hand signs of Snake, Ram, Boar, Horse, Bird, and clapped his hands together generating a force of wind by his palms. Just as Boruto reached her and thrust out his air palm Iraia deactivated her Byakugan and crossed her arms in front of her jumping slightly back to help create a bit of distance and cushion the force of the blast. The wind from Boruto's Gale Palm struck her and sent her crashing into the arena wall.

Iraia panted heavily as she worked to steady her breathing after taking the hit and responded, "I...give up."

Immediately the Five Kage, Hanabi, Hiroshi, Asuka, and many others widened their eyes in surprise. Boruto included as he was actually confused. The moment before he was about to hit Iraia he saw her deactivate her Byakugan.

What? What did Iraia say? Did she say she gives up? But why? And why did she deactivate her Byakugan? And while others may not know, I know that Iraia can use other forms of her Lava Style so how come she didn't use them against me? She even beat Shizuma!

As Boruto was left standing in the middle of the arena confused Lee jumped down to her and asked, "Iraia, can you repeat what you said just so I know I heard correctly."

Iraia nodded. "I give up. I've over exhausted my body."

A moment of silence passed through the arena before Lee nodded and shouted, "Winner, Uzumaki Boruto!" After Lee's announcement the crowd shouted in loud cheers. As Iraia slowly stood back up Boruto walked over to her with a guilty and complicated expression in his eyes and said, "Why? Why are you giving up? You barely used your Lava Style."

Iraia let out a soft sigh expressionlessly and said, "Like I said. I over exhausted my body."

Before Boruto could respond she slowly walked next to Boruto and whispered in his ear so only he could hear. "I understand. Wanting to be acknowledged by your dad. But the way you're doing it is wrong. Still...I wish you good luck."

Iraia then walked away leaving a stunned and even more guilty feeling Boruto behind as he realized that Iraia saw through him.