Starts In Konoha: Unlocking Shadow Clone

"I must explain the true purpose of the Chunin Exams."

Sandaime held the pipe in his mouth and said, "Why do we conduct this Chunin Exams alongside our allied nations? It's to foster peaceful coexistence among allied countries and raise the overall level of our Shinobi. This Chunin Exams is, in many ways, a microcosm of our battles as allies!"

With that, Sandaime exhaled a puff of smoke.

While others took his words at face value, Naruto couldn't help but smirk.

'Sandaime was emphasizing the alliance and battles was most likely due to Orochimaru's recent plot with Sunagakure to destroy Konoha. Understandably, he was outraged… Well, any leader would be, especially given his role as the head of the village.'

'In saying this, he wasn't just issuing a warning to the allied village representatives present but also making it clear to the candidates that banding together to resist the Chunin Exams was a complete misunderstanding.'

'With just a few sentences, Sandaime effectively conveyed various perspectives to everyone in the room… His level of conciseness and emphasis on key points showed that he was worthy of being the one who had held the seat of Hokage for many years.'

"Historically speaking, today's allied nations were once neighboring countries in constant conflict. To avoid mutual destruction, they established this exam as a battlefield, which is the origin of the Chunin Exams."

After hearing Sandaime's explanation, Sakura was puzzled and asked: "It isn't just a way to promote Chunin?"

"While it's true that this exam identifies those qualified to become Chunin, it's also a stage for nations' Shinobi, bearing their countries' pride, to fight for their lives."

Sandaime explained, "In the upcoming rounds, Daimyo and many notable figures from different countries… those who assign us missions, will be present to watch your battles. If one nation's Shinobi excel, their country will receive more commissions, while weaker nations will get fewer. Moreover, this is a way to showcase our power to neighboring countries."

His tone was heavy and his words were full of fighting spirit, clearly speaking to the other village representatives on the stage.

The more Naruto watched, the more he found it amusing.

But Shikamaru, who was standing behind Naruto, couldn't help but ask, "Then why do we have to risk our lives fighting for all this? What a drag."

"A nation's strength is also the strength of its village, which in turn reflects its Shinobi's strength." Sandaime replied, "And a Shinobi's true ability only shows in life-or-death combat. This exam is about demonstrating your country's Shinobi capabilities to others. Because it's a fight for survival, it holds meaning."

Taking a deep drag from his pipe, he continued, "Our ancestors also took the Chunin Exam with dreams in their hearts. This is a life-or-death battle for both honor and dreams."

As the Third Hokage's speech grew more fervent, Gaara interrupted coldly, "Rather than that, why don't you just tell us the content of this so-called life-or-death exam?"

If they let Hokage kept talking, they'd probably be there for hours.

"Alright, I'll now explain the content of the next stage of the exam."

Sandaime began, but then…

Whoosh!

A figure appeared out of nowhere, kneeling respectfully before Sandaime, and said, "Apologies, Hokage-sama, but as the appointed referee, let me, Hayate Gekkō, to explain the next phase."

"Then I'll leave it to you."

Sandaime nodded slightly and stepped back.

"Hello everyone. Before we proceed to the third stage, there is something we need to address."

Hayate took center stage and began, but halfway through, he started coughing violently, finally managing to continue after a long pause, "That is…a preliminary round that will determine whether or not you can proceed to the next stage of the exam."

This announcement caused an uproar among the candidates.

"Preliminaries?"

"What do you mean, preliminaries?"

"Sensei, I don't understand. Why can't the remaining candidates proceed directly to the next round?"

Hayate explained, "Perhaps the previous exams were too lenient, leaving an excessive number of candidates. Thus, following the rules of the Chunin Exams, we need to hold a preliminary round to reduce the number of participants."

Sakura's face fell immediately. "How can they do this?"

"Just like Hokage-sama mentioned, many important guests will be attending the final rounds, so we can't afford to let the exam drag on too long. Time constraints require us to shorten the process."

After explaining, Hayate said calmly, "Well, the preliminaries will begin now. The battles will be fought as team matches, in a total of six rounds, with the winning teams moving forward to the main exams."

Hearing this, Naruto was slightly startled, 'Wasn't it an individual competition? How did it become a team competition?'

'It seems that forcibly changing the number of candidates can also cause a butterfly effect… However, this is also good. If Sasuke fights alone, it will be difficult for him to pass the preliminaries in his current state.'

"There are no rules in the preliminaries. The game only ends if one side is either killed, knocked out, or surrenders. So, if you don't want to die, admit defeat quickly. However, if I feel the outcome is clear, I'll step in to prevent unnecessary casualties. Now, to decide your fate..."

Hayate looked toward Anko, who wore a headset. She nodded slightly and spoke into a microphone, "Turn it on."

The wall opened, revealing a display screen.

Hayate gestured at the board and said, "This is it. This electronic board will randomly display the names of two teams for each round. Let's reveal the teams for the first battle."

At his words, all candidates stared intently at the screen.

The dark display lit up with a yellow glow, then shifted to a green background. In the center was a yellow 'VS' symbol, with lines of yellow text scrolling above and below it. After about five seconds, the names solidified on the screen.

[Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura]

[VS]

[Kinuta Dosu, Abumi Zaku, Tsuchi Kin]

"Wow, I didn't expect us to go first! But who are these three again?"

Naruto remarked as he led Sasuke and Sakura toward the platform, glancing down at the audiences.

It had been a while since he last watched the original work, so Naruto struggled to place the names with faces.

Soon, three figures appeared on the platform.

The leader had his head completely wrapped in bandages, with only his left eye showing. He wore a long, sweeping cloak that resembled a broom, which covered his arms and a porous arm guard on his right arm. He stood hunched over and his legs are in an odd O-shape, a rather peculiar look.

To his left was a boy with gray-black spiky hair and a yellow-brown outer shirt marked with three red 'Death' symbols, and wind holes on both of his palms.

On the right was a girl with long black hair that reached down to nearly touch her feet, tied with a large purple bow at the end. She wears a gray and black top and pants, an olive green sleeveless top, and a forehead protector that indicates her identity as an Otogakure's Shinobi.

"So it's you guys."

Naruto muttered in realization. These three were the infamous 'Otogakure's Trio'.

He remembered a piece of trivia he had picked up, as each of their surnames corresponded to the parts of the inner ear: the stirrup, incus, and malleus. (T/N: The three's clan name, Abumi, Kinuta and Tsuchi. Abumikotsu means stirrup, Kinutakotsu means incus, and Tsuchikotsu means malleus.)

Plus, Naruto recalled playing a Naruto's mobile game where Kin's moves were surprisingly strong, almost as powerful as A-Rank Ninjutsu. In that game, she was called 'Kane' instead of 'Kin', which must have been a translation difference.

If the screen had displayed Tsuchi Kane earlier, Naruto would have recognized them immediately. After all, in his previous life, he'd spent a lot of time searching for strategies on how to defeat other characters using Kane.

But before Naruto could get lost in his memories, Hayate raised his hand and announced, "First match, begin! "