The sun peeked over the rooftops of Konoha as Naruto zipped up his jacket and stretched outside his apartment. The morning was crisp, and birds chirped softly in the distance. Across the hallway, a door creaked open.
Haku stepped out, her long hair tied in a neat ribbon, dressed in a pale blue kimono. She offered a soft smile.
"I suppose today is the start of the Chūnin Exams?"
Naruto nodded. "Yeah. The beginning of something big."
"I wish I could join," Haku said, a slight trace of disappointment in her voice. "But since I'm still on watch, I'll keep training in the meantime."
Naruto gave her a lopsided smile. "You'll be part of it soon enough. For now, keep a low profile, okay? Don't give them a reason to doubt you."
Haku bowed her head. "Of course. And Naruto… be careful."
He smirked, offering a thumbs-up. "Always."
With a final wave, he turned and darted toward the Academy.
Konoha Academy – Genjutsu at the Gates
As Naruto arrived at the familiar building, he noticed something… off.
There was a room number posted above the door, "301," but his instincts and Uzuhiko's passive analysis immediately triggered a warning.
[UZUHIKO: Alert – Genjutsu Detected]
Naruto's sharp gaze scanned the hallway. Some genin were arguing, and others tried to force their way through. Naruto kept walking, passing through the illusion without acknowledging it.
He casually turned to a couple of confused genin beside him. "Wrong floor, guys. Don't trust what your eyes tell you all the time. This is the first test already."
Just as Naruto reached the correct exam floor, he sensed it—a burst of chakra behind him. He turned slightly to see Rock Lee, standing in front of Sasuke with that trademark confident smile and thick brows.
"I challenge you, Uchiha Sasuke!" Lee declared, striking a flamboyant pose.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Tch. Not interested in showoffs."
"That's unfortunate," Lee said, "because this is more than a show." And with a burst of speed, he launched toward Sasuke with a high-speed spinning kick.
But before the kick could land—
Smack!
A hand caught Lee's leg mid-air.
Everyone blinked.
It was Naruto.
With a casual motion, he twisted his wrist and flipped Lee over, sending him skidding backward with perfect form.
Naruto stood normally again, scratching his head. "Geez, save the fighting for the exams, will ya?"
Lee pushed himself up, blinking in surprise.
Sasuke was stunned. "You... caught that?"
Naruto just grinned like an idiot. "Must've been luck."
But as he walked away, his demeanor changed. He didn't even turn around as he said, in a voice as cold as frost:
"Lee. Proving yourself is good… but don't make that a habit of arrogance . That's the first step toward losing your way."
Lee stood in silence for a moment, deeply affected by Naruto's words.
Team 7 Heads to the Exam Hall
As Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura continued down the hall, the atmosphere around Naruto subtly shifted. Sasuke glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. Something was off. Something was… hidden.
But Naruto played the fool perfectly, hands behind his head, chatting loudly with Sakura as if nothing happened.
Inside Uzuhiko, Minato spoke quietly.
"You controlled that beautifully, Naruto."
Kushina chuckled. "Even I got chills from that line to Lee!"
Uzuhiko responded:
[Observation Log Updated: Emotional impact confirmed – Rock Lee. Personality analysis suggests respectful admiration has developed.]
Naruto mentally responded to them, "I'm not ready to show the world who I really am… not yet. Let them underestimate me."
As the doors of the exam hall loomed ahead, Naruto's grin widened.
"Time to see who's really ready to be a Chūnin."
Outside the large double doors of the Chūnin Exam hall stood Kakashi Hatake, as relaxed and unreadable as ever. His one visible eye curved into a closed smile as Team 7 approached.
"Well… good luck," he said casually, hands in his pockets. "Don't die."
Sakura blinked. "Wait, that's it?!"
Kakashi only gave a half-hearted wave as he turned around. "You're shinobi now. If you can't survive an exam, you're not ready."
Naruto smirked and muttered under his breath, "Still a dramatic slacker as ever…"
But inside, he knew this was a test—just like everything else.
Uzuhiko pulsed softly within his mind.
[Note: Emotional resonance detected – anxiety masked with sarcasm. Chakra stability optimal. Proceed with caution.]
Naruto nodded mentally. "Always."
With that, they stepped through the doors.
As soon as they entered, the atmosphere shifted. A wave of killing intent washed over them like cold water.
Naruto's eyes flicked from side to side.
More than a hundred genin from various villages turned their attention toward them like wolves eyeing new prey. Some smirked. Others narrowed their eyes. A few already radiated bloodlust.
Sakura took an unconscious step back.
Sasuke's eyes scanned the room with intense focus.
But Naruto just smiled, tilting his head slightly as if confused.
"So many people trying to act dangerous…" he thought. "Uzuhiko, status check on threat levels?"
[Most present are genin with standard-to-mid-tier academy training. Outliers detected: Sabaku no Gaara – extreme chakra instability. Rock Lee – unorthodox taijutsu specialist. Kabuto Yakushi – anomaly. Recommendation: monitor closely.]
Naruto's eyes shifted just as a familiar voice called out.
"Yo, looks like Konoha's new genin batch is here."
Kabuto Yakushi, looking older than most in the room, with silver hair and glasses, approached them casually, holding a stack of info cards.
Sakura perked up. "Oh! Isn't that Kabuto-senpai? He's taken the exam several times."
Kabuto smiled warmly, pushing up his glasses. "That's me. Seventh time, actually."
Naruto watched him carefully.
He was smiling… but his chakra signature wasn't that of a genin. It was calm, composed. Too calm. And his chakra control—it was clean. Elite jōnin level, nearly as precise as Kakashi's. No one who failed six times should be this composed. This smooth.
Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly behind his usual grin.
"Uzuhiko…?"
[Alert: Kabuto Yakushi's chakra signature does not match documented genin capabilities. His chakra density is at elite jōnin level, chakra control refined. Threat level: Hidden operative suspected. Cross-referencing intel.]
Sasuke stepped forward. "Oi. Got any info on some genin?"
Kabuto tapped his cards. "Sure. Who are you looking for?"
"Rock Lee. And Gaara."
Kabuto nodded, flipping through the cards. "Let's see…"
Kabuto pulled two cards and held them up.
"Rock Lee, no ninjutsu or genjutsu, pure taijutsu specialist. Uses something called the 'Strong Fist.' Can crack boulders. Some say he's faster than most chūnin already."
Naruto's danger senses flared.
"Gaara, of Sunagakure. Team hasn't taken a single scratch during the preliminaries. Missions: C-rank and even one B-rank. Never seen without his sand gourd. Rumored to have never bled once."
Sasuke frowned.
Naruto kept watching Kabuto. Mission records? B-rank? This wasn't information random genin could have. Especially from other villages.
"Uzuhiko," Naruto whispered internally, "Mission files like this should be restricted."
[Correct. These are classified documents available only to jōnin and up. Estimated possibility of Kabuto's true identity being a spy or operative: 87%.]
Naruto took a step back and gave a forced chuckle. "Wow, senpai, you sure know a lot. Like a walking intel division."
Kabuto gave a bashful smile. "I do my research."
But behind that smile, Naruto saw it. A mask. One hiding secrets.
As Kabuto walked away, Naruto's expression flattened for a split second before returning to his usual playful demeanor.
"Something's off about him," he muttered.
Kushina's voice spoke in his mind. "Smart one. Keep an eye on that guy. He's not what he looks like."
Minato added, "If his control is really that advanced, he's trained far beyond genin. There's a reason he failed so many times… maybe he didn't want to pass."
Uzuhiko chimed in.
[Tracking initiated: Subject – Kabuto Yakushi. Passive monitoring engaged.]
As the air grew still in the exam hall and Kabuto drifted into the crowd, Naruto's focus sharpened. He leaned back slightly, watching the silver-haired enigma disappear into the sea of shinobi.
Inside his mind, a calm voice cut through the silence.
Minato: "Naruto… stay sharp. I don't have proof yet, but my instincts are telling me—something big is going to happen. Soon."
Naruto: "So you felt it too, huh?"
He let out a quiet sigh, arms folding across his chest as his teal-blue eyes shifted with practiced ease toward the closed door Kabuto had passed through.
Naruto (internally): "Uzuhiko… initiate Project: Watcher. Target – Kabuto Yakushi."
There was a moment of silence.
Then…
Uzuhiko:
[Command received.]
[Opening secure channel… accessing central base protocols.]
[Project: Watcher – Online.]
[Deploying Espionage Drones: Class A – Recon Stealth Unit.]
Underground – Naruto's Hidden Base
Beneath the very earth of Konoha, where no eyes could reach and no chakra signature would give it away, lay Naruto Uzumaki's secret command hub—a marvel of sealing and chakra technology crafted from months of effort, trial, and Uzuhiko's ever-growing guidance.
The walls pulsed faintly with a deep crimson glow of the Uzumaki spiral insignia, and the floor was lined with dozens of inscription rings—each embedded with chakra-responsive ink, pulsing like a heartbeat.
At the far wall stood a massive terminal made of seal panels, scroll-screens glowing with information, maps, and live chakra-sensing readouts from around the village.
And then, there was the Vault.
The doors hissed open with a rush of cool mist. Mechanical spirals rotated and slid apart with smooth, chakra-infused elegance, revealing rows upon rows of sealed drones—sleek, serpent-like constructs adorned with black metal plates, kunai-sized wings, and a single glowing eye in each.
Like the fluttering of leaves in the wind, they awoke one by one.
The sound of chakra-infused turbines hummed into life.
Uzuhiko:
[Project: Watcher drones—active.]
[Target lock: Kabuto Yakushi.]
[Permission to initiate silent pursuit, passive intel collection, chakra scan, and voice replication sensors?]
Naruto's voice rang clearly through the chamber, even though he wasn't there in person.
Naruto (through seal projection):
"Permission granted. Protocol: Silent Echo. No detection. Keep this ghost-level."
The drones shimmered—vanishing one after another, like ghosts into air, phasing directly through the fuinjutsu exit seals Naruto had personally crafted into the foundation.
They scattered into the Konoha skies, unseen and unheard.
Back in the Chūnin Exam Hall
Naruto allowed himself a small smile.
"Let's see who you really are, Kabuto Yakushi."
From the outside, he still looked like the loudmouth, goofy Naruto. But behind that grin now gleamed the eyes of a tactician, a shinobi far beyond his years.
Minato chuckled softly in his mind.
Minato: "That drone deployment was smoother than my kunai throw."
Kushina laughed. "That dramatic door opening… did you really program a mist effect?"
Naruto: "C'mon. You can't have a secret lair without some drama."
Uzuhiko:
[Update: Project Watcher Unit 1 in pursuit. Kabuto Yakushi currently heading east sector of Konoha – unmonitored alley. Chakra signature remains stable. Secondary scans underway.]
Naruto nodded subtly, his gaze briefly flicking toward the walls of the exam hall.
No one noticed a thing.
He couldn't trust everything to strength. Not in this world.
Now, he had eyes everywhere.
And with Watcher activated, the shadows of the Leaf had just gained a new hunter.
As the low murmurs of Genin filled the exam hall, a sudden wave of silence swept the room like a gust of cold wind. The heavy door creaked open with a thud, and the man who entered immediately commanded attention.
A thick scar ran across his face, and his cold, calculating eyes swept over the gathered candidates like a hawk sizing up prey. Clad in a long coat with the Konoha emblem and a sharp glare, Ibiki Morino, head of Konoha's Torture and Interrogation Division, stepped forward and let his very presence radiate pressure.
Ibiki: "Welcome, candidates… to the First Stage of the Chūnin Exams."
The room tensed.
Naruto watched him with a calm gaze. Beside him, Sasuke was leaning back confidently, while Sakura had already picked up on Ibiki's threatening aura. But Naruto? He just leaned slightly in his chair, hands together in a near-lazy pose—almost too calm.
Ibiki began pacing slowly before the Genin.
Ibiki: "This test isn't about physical strength. It's about your ability to gather intelligence… without being caught."
Gasps rippled through the room. Ibiki didn't pause.
Ibiki: "You'll be given a written test. But make no mistake—you're expected to cheat. However, every time you're caught, points will be deducted. Get caught too many times, and your team is out."
He gave a cruel smile, tapping the long list in his hand.
Ibiki: "The proctors are all elite-level shinobi. Think you can beat them? Try. Fail? You'll be disqualified, disgraced, and sent home crying."
The tension spiked.
Naruto tilted his head ever so slightly, his usual grin hidden under his focused, internal monologue.
Inside his mind, a soft voice echoed for the last time before the test started.
Uzuhiko:
[As per protocol, I will now disable myself until the exam ends to prevent external assistance. Good luck, Naruto.]
Minato: "You got this, son."
Kushina: "Remember, brains win this one."
The world inside went silent.
The Exam Begins
Ibiki's team handed out papers with cold precision. Naruto stared at his sheet for a moment. The questions weren't hard for him—not anymore. He could solve them all easily after everything he'd learned under Uzuhiko's guidance.
But that was exactly the problem.
"This is a psychological test… they want to see how we deal with pressure and the rules. If I ace this too easily, I'll draw attention."
Naruto narrowed his eyes.
"So… I'll play the game."
As he slowly lifted his pencil, he performed a small, subtle half-ram seal, hidden beneath his desk.
Yin Release: Genjutsu – Twilight Blackout
His chakra whispered through the room like a breeze, untraceable to the untrained eye.
Naruto (whispering internally):
"Yin Release: Genjutsu – Darkness Veil."
The effect was immediate.
For two minutes, a subtle wave of darkness swept over the visual field of every proctor and every genin—except Naruto. It wasn't true blindness, but a clouding of the senses, a spiritual dimming of awareness—like your eyes were open underwater during twilight. The chakra involved was refined, silent, and expertly distributed using his control.
Proctors blinked, confused. Some rubbed their eyes. A few scribbled notes with uncertainty.
No alarms were triggered.
In those two minutes, Naruto's hand moved quickly, copying answers from the well-placed fake genin near the left aisle—one Uzuhiko had warned him was part of the exam to be used exactly like this.
Perfect cover. Controlled chakra. Temporary mental fog. No trace left.
As the genjutsu dispersed, sight returned like a curtain being lifted. The proctors resumed watching. None suspected Naruto.
He smiled faintly.
Near the End – Ibiki's Final Blow
After the ninth question, Ibiki slammed his hand on the table, and the room froze.
Ibiki: "And now… for the tenth question."
Murmurs erupted, but he raised a hand to silence them.
Ibiki: "If you choose to answer and fail, your whole team fails and can never take the Chūnin Exams again."
Gasps. Fear. Chaos.
Naruto's fingers curled slightly. "Psychological warfare."
Sakura was trembling beside him. Even Sasuke seemed tense. One by one, candidates began to leave, slamming chairs and storming out in defeat.
But Naruto just leaned forward.
Naruto (grinning):
"Old man Ibiki… give us the damn question already."
The silence was thick.
Then—Ibiki smiled. Cold. Sharp.
Ibiki: "You pass."
Confused gasps erupted around the room.
As the exam ended, Uzuhiko reactivated.
Uzuhiko:
[Congratulations. Test complete. No detection from proctors.]
[Yin Release Genjutsu assessed: Efficiency 98%.]
[Note: Half-Ram Seal Usage—advanced manipulation successful.]
Minato: "Nice finesse, Naruto. You really masked that like a pro."
Kushina: "Hehe~ darkness genjutsu! Just like a proper Uzumaki troublemaker!"
Naruto chuckled silently, hands behind his head as he walked with his usual goofy bounce, pretending nothing had happened.
But deep inside, he knew he just aced the first round of war.