Konoha: Gu Master

In September, Konoha's weather turned chilly, but the atmosphere grew increasingly lively.

Shinobi from various villages, including Sunagakure, Amegakure, Kusagakure, and Takigakure, had all gathered for the Chunin Exams. 

The Fourth Kazekage from the Hidden Sand would also attend, given that they were co-hosting.

Of course, the current Kazekage wasn't actually Rasa but rather Orochimaru in disguise.

Although Tsunade had extended invitations to Kumogakure, Kirigakure, and Iwagakure, all three had declined. 

Kumogakure was wary of exposing its strength, Kirigakure didn't want to risk embarrassment due to its weakened state, and Iwagakure claimed the distance was too far.

However, Shinho suspected the reason for Iwagakure's refusal stemmed from their leader, Ōnoki. Years ago, when the Second Tsuchikage, Mū, took him to Konoha to form an alliance, they hadn't met Hashirama but had been harshly humiliated by Madara instead.

September 3rd finally arrived, marking the start of the Chunin Exams' first round: the written test.

After washing up, Shinho headed to the dining room.

"Tonkotsu ramen."

Shizune handed him a pair of chopsticks. "Extra meat slices just for you. Good luck on your exams."

"Thanks, Shizune." The moment felt nostalgic for Shinho, like his own days before the high school entrance exams. 

For those few days, he'd enjoyed being treated like royalty at home—until the exams ended, and he promptly returned to being his parents' main source of disappointment.

"Here, take mine too," Tsunade said, placing two more slices of meat into his bowl.

"Aren't you afraid you'll lose the bet?" Shinho asked, taking a bite.

"Shut up," Tsunade glared at him. "Two pieces of meat won't make any difference."

"Come on, better eat up before it gets cold," Shizune said with a smile.

"And don't let yourself be beaten by a bunch of outsiders," Tsunade huffed.

"I know." Shinho glanced at her and got to slurping his noodles.

Breakfast over, Tsunade left for the Hokage Building. 

She wouldn't appear until the second round, leaving Shizune to accompany her while Shinho lingered a bit longer.

"Shinho!" A knock sounded at the door.

When he opened it, Sasuke and Naruto were waiting outside. 

Kakashi, of course, wasn't participating since he was neither a student nor an exam proctor and would show up as an observer only in the second and third rounds.

"Let's go." Shinho locked the door behind him.

"Have you seen Iruka-sensei recently?" Naruto asked, something suddenly coming to mind.

"No," Shinho replied, shaking his head.

"What?!" Naruto clutched his head. "Why haven't you?"

"What happened to Iruka-sensei?" Shinho asked, confused by Naruto's reaction.

"This idiot put Iruka-sensei in the hospital," Sasuke said coldly.

"He used the Transformation Jutsu, okay? And he attacked me! I just reacted!" Naruto defended himself.

Shinho thought about it and remembered something like this happening in the original storyline. 

Iruka believed that fresh graduates weren't ready for the Chunin Exams. To test them and convince them otherwise, he had transformed himself to conduct one-on-one assessments.

"You can't even see through a basic Transformation Jutsu?" Sasuke scoffed.

"Hey, I'm a ninja speciallized in taijutsu!" Naruto said, as if that explained everything.

"…"

Sasuke was speechless, realizing it was pointless to argue.

By the time they arrived at the academy, the entrance was packed with shinobi.

"There's so many people!" Naruto said excitedly.

Sasuke gave them a brief glance, immediately losing interest. None of them seemed strong.

"Over there," Shinho said, looking at the map posted on the bulletin board.

"Woof, woof!" Akamaru barked as he trotted over to them, with Kiba following close behind.

"Hey, you guys!" Kiba greeted.

"Shinho-kun." Hinata looked shyly at Shinho.

"Hey, everyone!" Naruto greeted them happily.

Sasuke merely nodded.

"Perfect timing." Shinho reached out to pat Hinata on the head. "Let's head to the exam room together."

Hinata's face turned slightly pink, though she managed to stay composed.

When they reached the academy entrance, a surprising scene greeted them.

"Sakura! I like you!" Rock Lee's face was flushed as he stood before Sakura, shouting, "Please go out with me!"

"What's going on?" Naruto scratched his head. "Since when did Bushy Brows like Sakura?"

Great question. I'd like to know, too.

Shinho instinctively glanced at Sasuke, who seemed completely unaffected.

Tsk. No wonder the Uchiha nearly went extinct.

Hinata bit her lip. A confession, huh? 

She felt a pang of envy toward Lee's courage to speak his mind so freely. She dared to lift her gaze to look at Shinho but quickly lowered it again.

"Sorry." Sakura looked at Lee apologetically. "I can't go out with you."

"Why?" Lee looked devastated, as if he'd been struck by lightning.

"Because I don't like thick eyebrows," she said after a moment's thought.

"Huh?" Lee looked dumbfounded.

"Sasuke-kun?!" Sakura froze, catching a glimpse of Sasuke and realizing he'd witnessed the entire exchange. 

Would he get the wrong idea? Panic set in as she hurried to him, trying to explain. "I don't have anything to do with him!"

"What does it have to do with me?" Sasuke asked expressionlessly.

Sakura opened her mouth but had nothing to say.

"Shinho! I challenge you!"

A green blur dashed up, and there was Lee, newly energized after his rejection, filled with fighting spirit. There wasn't the slightest trace of sadness in his eyes!

"?"

Sakura looked confused. Was his love a passing whirlwind?

"Why are you challenging me?" Shinho suggested, "Wouldn't Sasuke be a better opponent?"

"You were top of the class," Lee explained.

I was top of the class too, you know! Sasuke tightened his grip on his sword, clearly displeased.

"There'll be time for that later." Shinho shook his head. In the original story, Lee challenged Sasuke but was stopped by Guy-sensei halfway through.

"Lee!" Tenten's voice called from the staircase.

"Here!" Lee answered, waving back.

He'd gotten separated from his team in the crowd, then bumped into Sakura.

"Ah, You guy's are here too," Tenten smiled and waved her hand, spotting Shinho and the others with Lee.

Following closely behind her was Neji.

"Lee, time's running out. Let's head to the exam room," Tenten said, trying to convince Lee.

"Alright then!" Lee gave a thumbs up. "Our youthful battle will have to wait until later! Don't you dare run away!"

"When it comes to youth, I'm unmatched!" Naruto said confidently, adding, "Only I can beat Shinho!"

"Don't underestimate me, Naruto!" Lee said seriously. "Youth isn't about going first or last!"

"Idiots." Sasuke looked at them coldly. "I'll defeat every Genin here—including Shinho."

"...?" Shinho raised an eyebrow.

Had they even thought about asking how he felt about this?

Hinata nervously clutched the edge of her clothes. 

Shinho-kun's really popular, she thought. But in her heart, she knew: he'd surely be the one to win.

"Let's go," Shinho said, starting toward the stairs.

Hinata, Yakumo, and Shino quickly fell in line behind him, and the group finally stopped discussing who would get the honor of beating him.

"There's a genjutsu in effect here," Sasuke suddenly announced as they reached the second floor.

Ahead of them, a crowd of Genin had gathered, blocked by Konoha's "Gatekeepers," Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki. To everyone else, this seemed to be the third-floor exam room, though in reality, it wasn't.

"It's a test," Neji said, explaining, "If you can't see through this simple genjutsu, you don't deserve to take the Chunin Exams."

Naruto looked slightly embarrassed, realizing he hadn't noticed. But he took comfort in the fact that Lee also hadn't caught on.

Shinho glanced at the group, then headed up to the real third floor. 

When he opened the door to the classroom, the room fell silent. The uniquely-dressed Genin inside all turned their attention toward him.

Hinata instinctively moved closer to Shinho and gripped the back of his shirt, trying to stay out of sight.

Shinho looked around at the various participants, many of whom he didn't recognize. Still, there were a few familiar faces. 

Their distinctive appearances made them easy to identify: Kabuto Yakushi, who in the original story would become an important, complex character, now a triple agent—no, more like a triple pawn. 

And from Sanagakure: Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari, who never seemed far from each other.

Shinho had been surprised to learn they were siblings; afterall, they looked as though they belonged to different families.

"Shinho-kun!" Ino stood up and waved at him.

"We'll join them." Shinho looked down at Hinata, who quickly let go of his shirt and nodded.

"You guys are here too, huh?" Shikamaru sighed in resignation, muttering, "Can we just forfeit now?"

"What's wrong? Afraid of clashing with the Great Naruto?" Naruto asked, grinning in satisfaction.

"Naruto, stop stealing my lines!" Kiba retorted, glaring back at him.

Shikamaru opened his mouth as if to explain but quickly thought better of it. It was simply too much trouble.

"Shinho-kun, sit here." Ino gestured to the seat next to her. "I saved it just for you."

"Thanks." Shinho sat down without hesitation, making Ino beam with happiness. Her face quickly froze, though, when she saw Hinata slide into the empty seat next to him. 

Her spot beside him was no longer exclusive.

"Good morning, everyone," Kabuto said, approaching the group. "I'm Kabuto, a graduate from two years ago."

"Hello, Kabuto-senpai," Ino said politely. "Is there something you need?"

"I just wanted to meet Shinho Aburame." Kabuto held up a card. "This is part of my database of Genin strengths."

Everyone leaned forward curiously. Kabuto's card had a hexagonal chart displaying categories like ninjutsu, taijutsu, and mission experience. Shinho's ratings were all maxed out, earning him a reputation as a "all rounded warrior."

"Among all the Genin, Shinho here is the strongest," Kabuto said with a smile. "I'd regret not getting to know such an exceptional junior."

"Yes, this is Shinho-kun!" Ino said proudly.

"Nice to meet you." Kabuto offered his hand with apparent sincerity.

Something's off here, Shinho thought. Shouldn't he be more interested in Sasuke? He suddenly wondered if he'd somehow ended up on uncle no, aunt Orochimaru's "interest" list as well.

He shook kabuto's hands without much fanfare.

"The strongest?" Sasuke glanced over, clearly interested. "So what about me?"

"You're just behind Shinho in strength," Kabuto replied, smoothly pulling out another card.

Sasuke squinted at the hexagon on his card. According to Kabuto's chart, he was only slightly behind Shinho.

"After this Chunin Exam, you'll understand you were mistaken," Sasuke said coolly, confidence brimming from his recent accomplishments—achieving the Sharingan's second tomoe, mastering the Rasengan, and practicing Chidori.

"Impressive, as expected of an Uchiha prodigy." Kabuto praised him earnestly enough that Sasuke was left speechless.

"Kabuto-senpai!" Naruto stepped forward, an expectant look on his face.

"The fourth Hokage's son, skilled in taijutsu—a force to be reckoned with," Kabuto said, handing him a card.

"You've got a good eye!" Naruto said, clearly pleased, immediately deciding Kabuto was a good person.

Shinho caught a glimpse of Naruto's chart: five corners missing, only taijutsu maxed out. Kabuto smiled slightly, finding it effortless to gain Naruto's trust.

After introducing himself, Kabuto added, "We're all here by chance, so I'll give you a rundown of the various Genin participating in this Chunin Exam."

It wasn't long before their examiner, Ibiki Morino, arrived, prompting Kabuto to return to his team.

"Silence!" Ibiki growled, his face dark. "Any idiot who defies me will be eliminated on the spot!"

The exam room instantly went quiet, no one daring to make a sound.

"Now, I'll explain the exam rules." Ibiki said from the front of the room.

Each team of three would start with ten points. Each wrong answer cost a point, while cheating would cost two. In the end, scores would be tallied as a team, meaning all three members had to score well for the team to pass.

"This is bad!" Sasuke muttered, pressing a hand to his forehead. He knew he'd be fine, as would Shinho, but Naruto's chances were abysmal.

Ibiki finished explaining, and the test papers were distributed. Sasuke looked at his test, feeling his sense of dread confirmed—the questions were difficult. Even he wasn't confident he'd get everything right, and Naruto…

With a resigned sigh, Sasuke started working on his answers.

Shinho, with his Bookworm gu, found the questions manageable. Besides, it wasn't like the answers mattered too much—the "real" test lay in the final question.

Naruto stared blankly at his paper, confirming his worst fears.

No way I can answer any of these.

Still, he couldn't give up here. People could do extraordinary things when pushed to the edge! Once, he'd stayed angry for an entire day. But… these were math problems.

Utterly deflated, Naruto let go of his test paper in despair.

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