Qualifications

Chapter 28 Qualifications

"Boom!"

The sound of a heavy slap on the table resounded in the Hokage's office.

Uzumaki Kushina stared fiercely at the Third Hokage. "Why? Minato's disciples are eligible to take the Chunin Exams, but my disciples are not!"

The Third Hokage looked at Uzumaki Kushina, his face full of frustration. One hand stroked his beard unconsciously as he signaled Namikaze Minato, who stood behind Uzumaki Kushina, to intervene.

"Kushina, calm down," Namikaze Minato said, looking at his lover with a wry smile. "This is a decision made by the Third Hokage. It cannot be changed now, and the slots are already limited. Adding another team will cause issues. Everyone recognizes the talent of your students, so you don't need to worry too much about the Chunin rank."

Unexpectedly, Uzumaki Kushina was not as docile as before. She turned her head suddenly, her red hair flaring up. "Minato, your disciples are qualified to take the exam, so you don't care!"

Namikaze Minato could only smile awkwardly. "Kakashi will not participate."

"Your legendary Kakashi is already a Chunin. Of course, he doesn't need to participate. If Kiba was born a year earlier, the legend might not belong to your Kakashi!" Uzumaki Kushina folded her arms and turned her head away with a cold snort.

Namikaze Minato felt embarrassed but knew his lover's fiery temper. He just smiled wryly.

The Third Hokage touched his forehead, clearly troubled. He took a long puff from his pipe and said, "Kushina, the decision is final. Moreover, although your three disciples are exceptional, they haven't completed a single mission yet. Even if they pass the Chunin Exams, it might not be beneficial for them without mission experience."

The Third Hokage looked at Uzumaki Kushina, but she turned away with another "Hmph!" and didn't turn back.

Minato Namikaze smiled helplessly.

The Third Hokage bit his pipe and coughed. "Kushina, it's settled."

"You favor Minato. You've always believed his disciples are better than mine. You think I can't teach students well and that it's inappropriate to entrust these three geniuses to me. You were reluctant when deciding me as their sensei!" Uzumaki Kushina retorted.

"Pfft..." The ninja assistant, Homura, saw Kushina Uzumaki closing her eyes and pouting. Finding her cute, she couldn't help but laugh.

"Cough!" The Third Hokage coughed heavily and glanced at Homura. She immediately looked down, but the smile on her lips remained.

"In that case, let my disciples compete with Minato's. If my disciples win, they should take the Chunin Exams instead of Minato's disciples!" Uzumaki Kushina proposed, leaving everyone speechless.

Competition?

The three of them exchanged glances.

"If my disciples lose, I will never mention the Chunin Exams again!" Uzumaki Kushina added.

The Third Hokage looked at Namikaze Minato, seeking his opinion. Uzumaki Kushina also looked at Minato, her eyes filled with a clear threat.

If you don't agree, I won't talk to you anymore!

Seeing her serious demeanor, Namikaze Minato sighed.

"Fine, let Kiba compete with your Kakashi to decide the winner. Kakashi is a genius, a Chunin at eight. It should be fine!" Uzumaki Kushina added confidently.

Kakashi?

The Third Hokage pondered.

No matter how talented Kiba is, defeating the current Kakashi is impossible. But maybe this will keep Kushina from raising the matter again.

With this in mind, the Third Hokage said, "Okay, if Kiba can defeat Kakashi, I'll make an exception and let them swap with Minato's team. Is that okay, Minato?"

Namikaze Minato, seeing no other option, nodded. "Fine."

"Then it's settled!" Uzumaki Kushina beamed, walking out of the Hokage's office with a bright smile.

After she left, the Third Hokage and Namikaze Minato wiped their sweat and sighed in relief.

Homura tried hard to suppress her laughter.

...

"Kiba, do you think we'll be able to take the Chunin Exams?" Yukina asked during their lunch break, sitting beside Kiba as he devoured his lunch.

Hirohiko sat down on Kiba's other side.

Unbeknownst to him, Kiba had become the decision-maker in their group. When Hirohiko and Yukina faced a dilemma, they instinctively looked to Kiba for answers.

"Nine times out of ten, we can't," Kiba replied. After a month of training and eating together, they had developed mutual trust, so he didn't hide anything from them.

"Why?" Hirohiko asked.

"We have no mission experience," Kiba explained.

Both Hirohiko and Yukina understood immediately, their faces showing disappointment. Unlike Kiba, they had been looking forward to the Chunin Exams.

As heirs to prominent clans, they carried a responsibility Kiba did not. Passing the Chunin Exams at their age and becoming Chunin was a matter of honor for their families, an obligation instilled in them from childhood.

Family honor above all else!

Seeing their disappointed expressions, Kiba was taken aback.

Do they really care that much about the Chunin Exams? There's no real benefit... Even if we become Chunin, Kushina might prevent us from going on missions. The rewards for Chunin missions could be tempting, though.

Kiba didn't fully understand.

At that moment, Uzumaki Kushina approached aggressively, grabbing Kiba's shoulders, causing him pain.

Before Kiba could react, Kushina stared him down and said, "You must not lose the competition in three days! The next two days, I'll train you super hard!"

What... what's going on?

Kiba looked at her in surprise, feeling a sense of foreboding.

The competition in three days? What competition? With whom?

What happened?