Chapter 149 - A Lucky Girl
I forgot to publish these Chapters.
Team 7...
Had barely managed to scrape by.
Even after Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki regained consciousness, the two wasted no time. They immediately resumed their search for the Heaven and Earth scrolls in the Forest of Death.
These two brats...
They had no intention of giving up on the exam!
Even though Jiraiya and Kakashi Hatake knew they had encountered Orochimaru and Obito Uchiha—worried sick about their safety—nothing could change their decision.
As long as these two refused to quit, no one from the outside could interfere.
All anyone could do was watch as Team 7 pushed forward.
Their luck was surprisingly good.
After three grueling days in the Forest of Death, they finally gathered both scrolls and made it to the designated location.
They barely made it through.
But their trials weren't over yet.
Too many teams had survived the second exam. A sudden elimination round was required to narrow the competitors before the third stage.
Rather than a real exam—
It was more of a spectacle.
Even though Jiraiya and Kakashi reported the presence of Orochimaru and Obito in Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, refused to cancel the Chunin Exams.
"This is a joint event with the Hidden Sand," Hiruzen said firmly, puffing on his pipe as he watched the preliminary fights unfold. "Daimyo and nobles from every nation will be attending. No matter what, the exams must continue."
"Orochimaru is dangerous right now!"
Jiraiya's voice was grim. He had failed to catch Orochimaru and only found a severely wounded Anko Mitarashi.
"And more importantly..."
"Obito Uchiha is here too."
Jiraiya's expression darkened.
"If they use Naruto to trigger another Nine-Tails incident during the final exam..."
That was the real threat.
A third Nine-Tails disaster in Konoha.
If nobles and feudal lords died in the village, Konoha wouldn't just lose lucrative missions—
It would suffer a devastating blow to its reputation.
The fallout...
Could be worse than the last Shinobi World War.
No matter what, Jiraiya couldn't stand idly by and watch Konoha fall into crisis.
"Jiraiya..."
"Follow orders."
Hiruzen exhaled a slow puff of smoke, completely unfazed.
"Your job is to protect the village."
It sounded like an unreasonable demand.
But Jiraiya knew his old teacher well.
This man wasn't reckless.
"...Speak."
Jiraiya took a deep breath, steeling himself. "Placing everyone in danger like this... that's not like you."
But—
The old man gave no answer.
His gaze remained fixed on the young shinobi below, watching silently as smoke curled from his pipe.
Jiraiya sighed in frustration, temporarily giving up on convincing him. Instead, his eyes fell on a particular match.
"...That kid."
Jiraiya muttered as he watched a shinobi named Pain dominate his opponent.
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"Damn it."
He gritted his teeth.
"Besides Orochimaru, the other villages didn't come here with pure intentions either."
His gaze sharpened as he spotted two more participants—Rain ninja Zero and White Tiger—standing in the crowd, both wearing gas masks.
"They forfeited?"
Yes.
Nagato and Konan had chosen to withdraw.
Maybe they wanted to avoid drawing too much attention.
Only Pain remained in the tournament.
Their withdrawal was allowed.
Both the preliminaries and the final exams were one-on-one battles.
Any shinobi who doubted their strength could choose to quit.
But—
Nagato and Konan were not weak.
This was a military exhibition.
The Chunin Exams were meant to showcase the power of each village.
If a shinobi excelled, their village would gain prestige and attract more missions.
For them to drop out...
Meant only one thing.
They weren't here for the exams.
These Rain ninja...
Needed to be investigated.
If they had another objective, they were using the Chunin Exams as cover.
The Hidden Rain wasn't trustworthy.
And the Hidden Sand wasn't behaving either.
Jiraiya was still watching from above when Temari, daughter of the Fourth Kazekage, severely injured Konoha's Tenten.
Then—
Gaara, the Kazekage's son, completely lost control.
He nearly killed Rock Lee, crushing his stomach with his sand.
"That brat..."
Jiraiya frowned as Might Guy intervened.
"His bloodlust is worse than his sister's."
Even though Gaara was stopped—
Lee's leg had already been shattered.
Luckily, Tsunade was in Konoha.
With her skill, Lee wouldn't be permanently crippled.
Konoha Hospital.
Lee was rushed into surgery.
Might Guy, needing to oversee Neji Hyuga's match, had to leave.
So Tenten sat anxiously outside the operating room.
"It's fine... it'll be fine..."
She clenched her fists, lightly tapping her knees in agitation.
Ignoring her own injuries, she whispered encouragement to herself—
And to Tsunade, who was treating Lee.
"It's Lady Tsunade, after all..."
The village's most revered kunoichi.
Tenten had always admired her.
She once dreamed of becoming a medical ninja like Tsunade.
But her chakra control was... terrible.
Even the basics were beyond her.
Now—
She could do nothing.
All she could do was wait.
As she paced, her eyes landed on another woman seated across from her.
Strange...
The woman wore a Konoha doctor's uniform.
She must have been a hospital staff member.
Earlier, when Lee was rushed into surgery, this woman had even helped carry him in.
Time dragged on.
Tenten grew more and more restless.
Lee wasn't just her teammate—
He was family.
If Lee lost his dream of being a ninja...
She couldn't accept it.
"Please... hang in there."
Tenten's worry deepened.
Her exhaustion grew.
She finally reached into her pouch, pulling out a sealing scroll.
Unrolling it, she retrieved two cups of water.
She set one beside the woman.
But—
The woman didn't react.
She remained silent, writing on a scroll.
It wasn't until she finished that she seemed to notice Tenten at all.
"...His wounds."
The woman finally looked up.
Her eyes flickered to Tenten's forehead and stomach—both lightly wounded, her bandages stained red.
She frowned.
"Do you need treatment?"
"You're not a medic, are you?"
"Huh?"
Tenten quickly touched her headband.
Her fingers brushed dried blood, but she forced a smile.
"No... I'm fine."
Injuries like this—
Were nothing new.
Her team's sensei, Might Guy, was reckless.
He protected them, sure.
But they always found themselves in danger anyway.
"Thanks, though."
Tenten tried to change the subject, shifting her focus.
Her nerves slightly eased.
As she relaxed, she noticed something.
The woman's scroll—
It wasn't finished.
Tenten rummaged through her ninja pouch and pulled out a blank scroll.
"Here."
She handed it over.
She carried plenty of them for sealing weapons.
The woman silently accepted it.
Then, out of nowhere, she muttered:
"The green spandex kid... is quite lucky."
Her voice was distant.
"Tsunade's medical skills are outstanding."
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Powerstones?
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