Chapter 157: Chapter 159: Is She Really That Terrifying?
After Hanabi left, the Stage cut away from "Dream-Fulfillment Master" Yakushi Kabuto and back to the exam hall.
The Third Hokage announced that the finals would begin in one month, then had everyone draw lots.
The final match order would be set by this draw.
"Ara, ara."
When the full bracket came out at last, Hanabi found it rather amusing.
Shikamaru—of all people the one who’d drawn the prelim bye—pulled number one, and Temari pulled number two.
Which meant Shikamaru would be up against Temari.
The second round was Hinata against Tenten.
The third round, Hanabi against Sasuke.
The fourth round was the interesting one—Naruto against Gaara.
And the fifth round, Shino against Chōji.
"Looks like it’ll only run the one round, then."
Truth be told, Hanabi had rather wanted to watch a certain someone go all the way and take the Chūnin Exam crown.
But with Naruto drawn against Gaara this round, she figured a rematch in the next was probably off the table.
"It’s that troublesome woman, huh... Maybe I should just forfeit."
Shikamaru had drawn the bye, but he wasn’t the least bit happy about his match.
"Another one of Neji’s cousins, huh." Tenten looked over at Hinata. As far as she was concerned, Hinata wasn’t even in the same league as Hanabi. Hinata had just gotten lucky.
As for Sasuke, he’d fallen silent.
—I’m fighting Hanabi? You’ve got to be kidding.
Kakashi of Team 7 was forever ducking out on them, and while Hanabi was technically just a teammate of Naruto and Sasuke’s, she was also more than half their teacher.
After all, their ninjutsu and their chakra control—both had been drilled into them by Hanabi.
"No. This is exactly the moment to prove what I’m made of!"
He knew full well his wins were few and his losses many, but Sasuke still wasn’t giving up.
Hanabi tilted her head.
Someone had once cracked that the original Naruto was basically one big teacher-slaying spectacle—from the Third to Orochimaru to Jiraiya, that was the pattern.
Who’d have thought it would be her turn now.
"That guy with no eyebrows, huh." Naruto scratched his head.
Gaara hadn’t shown much of his strength in front of Naruto; he’d barely lifted a finger. But the guy really was powerful—and cruel. He’d finished his opponent in a single instant, and nearly killed him doing it.
Aburame "Undefeated-in-Canon" Shino was silent as ever, while Chōji had somehow torn open another bag of chips and was currently inhaling them.
"Wait—there’s only one winner of the whole thing, so does that mean only one person gets promoted to Chūnin?" The question struck Shikamaru as he looked over the bracket.
"No," the Third explained. "This exam is being observed by the examiners, myself included, along with the Kazekage, the daimyō of various nations who commissioned us, and the ninja leaders. The examiners will judge you all by your performances. Anyone deemed to have sufficient Chūnin caliber can still be promoted—even if they lose their very first match."
"So there’s a possibility that everyone gets promoted to Chūnin?" Temari asked.
The two of them played off each other smoothly—oddly in sync, despite having had nothing to do with each other before.
"But it’s equally possible that not a single one of you passes," the Third said. "Which is why, in this exam, you must seize every chance to perform. Understood?"
"Well then—thank you all. I’ll see you in a month. Dismissed."
With that, the Third left.
Naruto hurried straight over to Hanabi. "Hanabi, Hanabi, can you give me some special training?!"
"Hanabi’s a competitor too. This month, Sasuke, Naruto—you’ll be training under me."
Both of them were facing a mountain.
Honestly, Kakashi thought their odds were limited at best.
"What about Hanabi, then?" Naruto pressed.
"I’m a competitor too, you know. So naturally I’ll need to train this month as well." Hanabi smiled.
"Well, that’s how it is. You two—come with me."
Kakashi gathered up Naruto and Sasuke and left.
One by one the others filed out, until only the three Sand shinobi and Hanabi were left.
"Gaara?"
Baki, the Sand jōnin, furrowed his brow.
Gaara hadn’t moved. His gaze had been fixed on Hanabi ever since the draw.
No—it had never once left her, right from the start.
"What exactly are you?" Gaara asked.
"Mm~ what do you think I am~"
Hanabi smiled.
"That monster. I’ve never seen it so calm."
"Ara—if all you want is a good night’s sleep, you’re welcome to come find me."
Hearing the two of them talk, Baki broke into a cold sweat.
—What is going on? Does this Leaf ninja actually know about Shukaku?!
Should he find an opening and silence her?
"So—are you going to give me my answer?" Hanabi asked again. "The one from last time."
"It doesn’t matter," Gaara said. "I want to fight you again. And this time—I will not lose!"
"What?! Gaara was beaten by this woman?! No—Gaara... since when has he ever been this level-headed?"
The usual Gaara would have struck long ago.
But this Gaara wasn’t just calm—even his words were strangely "peaceable."
—Is she really that terrifying?
[That’s a hard yes]
[You can’t even imagine how scary Director Hanabi is]
[Lmao, when other people kill someone they just kill them—Director Hanabi kills the body and breaks the heart]
[Shrimp-pork-heart, kouya!]
[Boomerang—dying, 233]
Baki, though, didn’t get that sense at all.
The woman might have some real talent on the genjutsu front, but Baki figured Yakushi Kabuto had only been putting on an act.
—That man is a spy for the Sound, after all!
The Sound and the Sand had conspired to attack the Leaf, and Kabuto had played the role of "liaison."
Still, if even Gaara had been beaten by this woman, that changed things.
"No—rather, Gaara was defeated, and he didn’t go on a rampage? What in the world happened in that forest?"
Baki sank into thought.
That was when the ever-expendable Kankurō piped up. "I’ve been thinking the same thing. It’s got to be the Hidden Leaf’s doing, right? They snatched all our commissions out from under us!"
"Be quiet." Gaara shut Kankurō down.
"..." Kankurō clamped his mouth shut. He’d done some thinking too.
The one who’d handed the mission to the Hidden Leaf was the daimyō of the Land of Wind himself—not the Leaf pulling strings.
So the one with the problem was...
Kankurō didn’t dare follow the thought.
"Has that woman already seen through our plan?!"
In which case—was it time to kill to keep the secret?
Baki was about to move.
"—!"
But then he froze.
Because his legs were already pinned by sand.
"Gaara?!"
"Stand down, fool."
Gaara let out a cold snort.
"Um," Temari said, turning back to look at Baki as well, "I think it’d be wise not to act rashly. She... she really is strong."
"So—come find me once you’ve thought it through. Or after you beat Naruto, that works too. I get the feeling the two of you might have plenty to talk about~"
Hanabi smiled.
"I’ll kill that person!"
Gaara couldn’t have cared less about Naruto.
"Is that so? Personally, I think Naruto just might beat you. Hehehe~" And with that, Hanabi’s figure scattered like mist.
"Wugh." Meanwhile, off on the other side, Naruto—trailing along after Kakashi—gave a full-body shudder. "Wh-what’s going on? Somebody’s plotting something about me...?"
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