Chapter 112

Chapter 112

As the afternoon approached dusk, at the center of the 44th Training Ground's tower, Kakashi sat in a tree, leaning against the trunk. He sensed the familiar chakra of Haneda drawing closer and turned his head.

"You're late, Haneda."

"No, I arrived first," Haneda said, looking up and locking eyes with Kakashi.

"I meant I was the first to gather the scrolls," Kakashi said, pointing at the base of the tree, where three Sand Village ninjas, including Maki, were tied to the trunk. They had tried to ambush him but failed.

Kakashi jumped down, glancing at Sakumo, who was standing quietly next to Haneda. Smiling, Kakashi said, "You're here too, Father. Were you sparring with Haneda just now?"

"Yes," Sakumo nodded. "Haneda's progress has surpassed my expectations."

"It always does," Kakashi said seriously, looking into Haneda's eyes. "But I'm not going to lose."

They hadn't talked long when Obito and Rin returned from gathering food. Sakumo quietly stepped aside to give space to the younger generation.

"Haneda, you're here too! And Uncle Sakumo!" Obito greeted them enthusiastically. He glanced around but didn't see Asuma and grumbled, "Darn it! I finally finished the exam first, and your number one fanboy isn't even here!"

"You mean Asuma? He and Kurenai are setting traps near the tower. Maybe you just didn't cross paths with them," Haneda explained, chuckling at Obito's amusing description of Asuma.

"Whatever, forget him," Obito said, waving it off. "When we get to the individual matches, I'm definitely going to use my awesome Sharingan to beat him to a pulp!" He handed Haneda a basket of mushrooms and wild vegetables. "Rin and I gathered these nearby. Let's have a meal together. It's getting dark."

"You didn't pick enough, Obito. This won't feed five people," Kakashi commented, suddenly cutting in.

"You can just not eat, Kakashi!" Obito shot back instantly.

Kakashi paused for a moment, then retorted, "You weren't the only one gathering food, idiot."

"Enough," Haneda sighed, grabbing Obito with one hand and Kakashi with the other. "Let's all go gather more together."

From beneath the tree, Sakumo smiled fondly at the scene. Watching Haneda, Obito, Kakashi, and Rin interact brought back memories of his own days with his comrades and friends, sharing meals out in the field.

...

Elsewhere near the tower, Asuma and Kurenai were sitting quietly, eating dried rations and drinking water from their canteens. They hadn't started a fire to avoid revealing their location. As the sun fully set in the west, Asuma wiped his mouth and grumbled, "Why hasn't Haneda come back yet?!"

"Maybe he's still training with Sakumo-sensei, or he's testing us," Kurenai suggested logically.

Hearing this, Asuma remembered how Haneda was always encouraging him. Clenching his fists, he declared, "You're right! Haneda must be testing us! Kurenai, we've got to finish this mission perfectly, so Haneda doesn't have to step in again!"

...

After the Sand Village trio—Maki and his team—were eliminated by Kakashi's group, they were brought back to the inn for foreign guests in the Leaf Village by their team leader, Pakura. After confirming there were no listening devices in the room, Pakura asked, "Maki, were you eliminated by Uchiha Haneda?"

Maki exchanged awkward glances with Yura and the others before admitting, "We were defeated by Hatake Kakashi's lightning technique…"

"It's a lightning technique we've never seen before. Its most notable feature is that it doesn't require hand signs and sounds like a thousand birds chirping when released."

"A self-created jutsu… It seems the Leaf Village is still full of talent," Pakura remarked with admiration. Suddenly, Yura spoke up, "Captain, there was something strange about Kakashi's lightning jutsu. His lightning was purple!"

"Purple?" Pakura echoed, surprised.

Typically, lightning techniques are blue. For it to have a different color means either it's tied to a specific kekkei genkai or the user has an extremely advanced understanding of lightning chakra. Since the Hatake clan was known for their swordsmanship and not any bloodline limits, the only explanation was that Kakashi's lightning mastery was exceptional.

"He's a genius on par with Uchiha Haneda. You didn't lose unfairly," Pakura reassured them. She decided she would report this to the higher-ups in the Sand Village. On the future battlefield between the Sand and Leaf, Uchiha Haneda and Hatake Kakashi must be targeted to prevent them from growing any stronger.

The next goal was to closely observe Haneda and Kakashi's performances in the individual matches.

...

Five days quickly passed, and only eight teams—twenty-four people—made it through the second exam. Some were eliminated due to having the wrong scrolls, and others were forced to withdraw due to injuries to their teammates.

Asuma and Kurenai managed to capture a team on the third day, using the traps they had set earlier to secure the necessary scroll. During those five days, Haneda spent his time further refining the nature and form transformation of his lightning chakra.

After the survival challenge, it was time for the individual matches. The Third Hokage made a brief appearance.

"The purpose of the Chunin Exams is to showcase the strength of each nation's shinobi, acting as a deterrent to prevent wars from breaking out," he explained. "The third exam will be observed by important figures from various nations, but we only have half a day for the event. With eight teams and twenty-four participants, that's too many for the allotted time."

The Hokage paused before continuing, "So, we'll have a preliminary round—a series of one-on-one matches. The winners will move on to the main tournament, reducing the number of participants to twelve. The top four in the finals will be promoted to Chunin."

After another pause, the Hokage announced, "Here are the matchups."

"Uchiha Haneda versus Shiranui Genma."

Hearing his name called first, Haneda casually walked forward, hands in his pockets. He glanced at Genma, who had a senbon needle in his mouth, and in that instant, Genma fell under Haneda's genjutsu and promptly surrendered.

By the time Genma snapped out of it, the Third Hokage had already declared the result.

Genma looked bewildered, completely unaware of what had just happened.

This swift and effortless defeat sent a shiver down the spines of the other participants. They recalled how Haneda had once controlled the proctor with his Sharingan during the written exam. Now, he had taken down a shinobi of near-Chunin level without even using his Sharingan.

"Kai!" Guy called out to Genma from the sidelines. "You were caught in Haneda's genjutsu!"

Watching Haneda's retreating figure, Guy thought to himself, 'As expected of my lifelong rival! To defeat Genma with a single genjutsu…'

'Yosh! Challenging Haneda is truly my destiny in the springtime of youth!' Guy declared inwardly, his gaze naturally shifting to Kakashi, who had half his face covered by his mask.

Guy's eyes blazed with determination. Only by defeating Kakashi could he challenge Haneda, the opponent of his fate.