Reborn into Naruto World with Tenseigan

Hokage Office, Konohagakure

“Are they being serious?” Kuroto muttered with a pout as he glanced at the contents of the scroll in his hand. It listed the participants from Iwagakure slated to take part in the Chūnin Exam. Among the teams, one group drew Kuroto’s attention: the team comprising Deidara, Kurotsuchi, and Kamizuro Suzumebachi.

Kamizuro Suzumebachi hailed from a lineage tied to the Shodaime Tsuchikage, a clan akin to Konohagakure’s Aburame Clan, specializing in bee usage. The Shodaime Tsuchikage and even Ōnoki and his descendants were associated with the Kamizuro Clan.

Kurotsuchi, the granddaughter of Sandaime Tsuchikage Ōnoki, was destined, according to canon, to become the Yondaime Tsuchikage. Despite being only thirteen, the same age as Neji and Rock Lee, Kuroto couldn’t believe that as the Tsuchikage’s granddaughter, she remained a Genin.

However, Kurotsuchi wasn’t the most surprising inclusion. The mention of Deidara among the participants left Kuroto dumbfounded. Gazing at the image of the brat obsessed with art, Kuroto couldn’t resist asking once more, “Are we truly certain the Tsuchikage sent this? Could it be a prank?”

Elder Hiruzen shook his head with a sigh. “This list was delivered by Ōnoki’s personal Anbu; the authenticity of the participants is unquestionable.”

Tsunade-hime snorted coldly. “This kind of play is what you’d expect from the Raikage. I did not expect that even Ōnoki would engage in such despicable means!”

Elder Koharu added in a gloomy tone, “I have confirmed it already. Back when Deidara fled from Iwagakure, he was only nine years old and had just graduated from the academy. Because he did not return to Iwagakure, he missed several Chūnin exams. So, he is without a doubt a Genin… but still…”

Kuroto once again looked at the photo of the grinning brat with a speechless expression and said, “He is Ōnoki’s disciple, and it only takes a word from that old guy to make Deidara Chūnin or even a Jōnin… yet he is only a Genin, huh?”

Elder Koharu sighed, “It is precisely because the boy is Ōnoki’s disciple, so being Genin, Chūnin, or Jōnin does not have any effect on his identity. Officially, even if he is only a Genin, he has always been treated with the same respect as a Jōnin. And because not long ago Iwagakure suffered severe damage, his promotion was delayed. Strangely enough, even Ōnoki did not bother to promote him to Chūnin despite the lack of Chūnin and Jōnin in his village.”

Deidara rose to fame at a remarkably young age, defecting at nine and gaining recognition in the shinobi world by ten. Even in canon, when Sasori, Kisame, and Itachi recruited him into the Akatsuki, he was barely twelve or thirteen, the age at which children in Konoha graduate from the Ninja Academy in times of peace. At that time, Deidara was already part of the world’s most dangerous terrorist organization.

At around fifteen years old, Deidara is three years older than Sasuke, two years older than Neji, and the same age as Kimimaro and Haku. Despite his youth, he is remarkably proficient in Explosion Release and Dust Release. Contemplating this, Kuroto couldn’t help but marvel, ‘This guy is truly a genius, huh?’

Undoubtedly, if Deidara remains alive, he would likely be the one to inherit the position of Yondaime Tsuchikage from Ōnoki.

Upon learning that Deidara and Kurotsuchi would participate in the Joint Chūnin Exams on behalf of Iwagakure, Kuroto didn’t bother to read the other participants’ names. He placed the scroll on the table and grinned, “No wonder Tsuchikage proposed the idea of the Joint Chūnin Exam; he wants Deidara and Kurotsuchi to single-handedly sweep away the Genins of all the other Shinobi Villages.”

The others in the room were left speechless. Who could possibly contend against Explosion Release, Lava Release, and Dust Release?

Originally, the elders were very confident about the Joint Chūnin Exam, considering the remarkable performance of this year’s new graduates. The Konoha eighteen had instilled enough confidence in them to believe that victory was assured. However, who would have thought that Ōnoki would have such an ace up his sleeve?

“It seems Ōnoki is really set on restoring the prestige of Iwagakure using the Joint Chūnin Exam,” muttered Elder Hiruzen. The Chūnin Exam served multiple purposes. Aside from examining the Genins, it also allowed nations to showcase their exceptional talents to deter others and attract potential clients for missions. Now that Iwagakure had decided to showcase Deidara, they were poised to come out on top.

Even if they wanted to, they couldn’t find fault with Deidara because he was officially a Genin, and his age was indisputable at fifteen.

Just as everyone in the office was left speechless, there came a knock on the door.

Knock! Knock!

Kuroto responded, “Come in.”

An Anbu entered the office with several scrolls. He bowed to Kuroto and the elders and said, “Hokage-sama, we have just received these scrolls from other shinobi villages containing their lists of participants.”

Kuroto and the other elders accepted the scrolls from the Anbu and unfolded them to review the participants. Kuroto, reading the list from Kumogakure, was immediately taken aback. With a chuckle, he remarked, “Well, Tsunade-sama… you were indeed right. This is the kind of move we should expect from Kumogakure.”

The others, intrigued, inquired, “Who is participating from Kumogakure?”

Kuroto placed the scroll down for everyone to see and explained, “It’s Darui of the Black Lightning… The disciple of Sandaime Raikage and next in line for the position of Raikage.”

“Darui?” Elder Hiruzen’s eyes widened as he examined the list.

Kuroto continued, “Let’s not debate whether this guy is still a Genin or not. He is already twenty-two years old, currently serving as the Anbu Commander of Kumogakure, and is at least a Kage Class Shinobi!” Pausing for emphasis, he added, “Recently, I even received intelligence that he is being personally trained by the Raikage. The old guy is drilling Lightning Chakra Mode into him with daily training.”

Ever since Killer Bee and Yugito Nii fell into the hands of the Akatsuki Organization, Kumogakure’s formidable military strength began to wane. To address this concern, the Raikage took it upon himself to personally train Darui.

In canon, Darui had not mastered the Lightning Chakra Mode even during the Fourth Great Shinobi War. However, in this timeline, circumstances differ significantly. Unlike in canon, where the threat of the Akatsuki became evident only during the Fourth Great Shinobi War, in this world, everyone is acutely aware of the Akatsuki’s menace. Consequently, they are pursuing various avenues to bolster their strength and counter the threat effectively.

Tsunade-hime slammed the table furiously. “The Raikage really has no shame!”

While Ōnoki’s decision to nominate Deidara and Kurotsuchi at least acknowledged their Genin status, the Raikage was sending the person serving as the Anbu Commander. It was akin to sending Hatake Kakashi for the Chūnin exam! Though Kakashi was no longer the Anbu commander, the comparison was clear.

“Darui, Shee, and Atsui, huh?” mumbled Hiruzen, his expression reflecting disbelief. “Only Atsui seems to be fine… but both Darui and Shee…”

Kuroto shook his head. “Shee also serves as the Raikage’s aid; his title itself speaks volumes. I don’t know who the Raikage is trying to fool, or if he thinks everyone has the same muscle-brain mentality as him.” He then pointed at Atsui’s name. “In fact, this kid isn’t normal either… Initially, he was only capable of infusing fire-based Chakra into his sword. However, recently, he seems to have developed a Fire Chakra Mode similar to the Raikage’s Lightning Chakra Mode.”

As Atsui is Samui’s younger brother, Kuroto has always paid attention to him, whether intentionally or not. Samui’s death during the War of the Best at Amegakure deeply affected him, driving him to rigorous training to seek vengeance against the Akatsuki. Now, he has developed a unique Chakra Mode.

In fact, Kuroto is also intrigued by Atsui’s Fire Chakra Mode, which he intends to master using his Tsukihi Clone.

“This means Kumogakure’s primary ‘Genin’ squad is as troublesome as Iwagakure’s…” Elder Koharu sighed.

The others couldn’t help but nod in agreement.

Next up were the Genin squads from Sunagakure.

“Temari, Itsuki, & Shira led by Jōnin Maki, and Kankurō, Sen, & Yome led by Jōnin Baki… well, at least the Kazekage sent Genins…” mumbled Elder Hiruzen with a sigh.

He didn’t doubt the capabilities of these two Genin squads. He knew about Temari and Kankurō being the children of former Kazekage, while Itsuki was the adopted son of the current Kazekage. Temari also served as her disciple. Their strength was likely extraordinary, akin to Iwagakure’s and Kumogakure’s Genin squads.

“From Kirigakure… the main focus should be on this Genin squad consisting of Hōzuki Suigetsu – the younger brother of Hōzuki Mangetsu, and the newest member of the newly reinstated Seven Ninja Swords of the Mist. He wields the Kubikiribōchō. Chōjūrō – another member of the Seven Ninja Swords of the Mist, wields Hiramekarei, and the daughter of the current Mizukage, Karatachi Tamako, who is also the disciple of Terumi Mei,” said Kuroto as he read the list of participants from Kirigakure.

At that moment, Jiraiya walked into the Hokage Office carrying a scroll and spoke, “Here’s the list of participants from Otogakure, it just arrived…”

Kuroto unfolded the scroll and examined the list of Genin squads from Otogakure. There were many names such as Tayuya along with other members of the Sound Four, Dosu Kinuta, Zaku Abumi, Kin Tsuchi, and more. However, the prime focus was on three Genins named Kimimaro, Haku, and Guren.

As Kuroto glanced at their names, his eyes widened. ‘Orochimaru-sama is really sending these three? What is he planning this time? Is he after the Uchiha’s Mangekyō Sharingan?’

Kuroto didn’t believe Orochimaru would attempt the Konoha Collapse plan as in canon, yet he was sending three of his best subordinates aside from Kabuto and Tenzō. Unless he had an alternate objective, he wouldn’t bother sending Kimimaro, Haku, and Guren. The only thing Kuroto thought could interest Orochimaru would be the Uchiha’s Mangekyō Sharingan, but he couldn’t be certain due to the lack of information.

As Jiraiya took a seat on one of the empty sofas and picked up a scroll, he expressed surprise, “Huh? Amegakure is also sending Genin squads?”

Since the War of the Best, the five great nations had jointly managed Amegakure’s affairs. However, in reality, the village was barely functioning, and its survival relied on the efforts of its people, aiming to prevent another Nagato-like figure from emerging. Therefore, it was surprising to see Amegakure sending Genin squads.

Jiraiya read through the profiles of the Genins from Amegakure but couldn’t find anyone remarkable enough. He paused for a moment at the names of Raijin, Samsara, and Tengu, then shook his head and folded back the scroll. “Sigh, Amegakure has really weakened to this degree…”

Takigakure and Kusagakure have also decided to participate. From Takigakure, Team Fū will be participating, while from Kusagakure, a few random teams of Genins, including Shiore, are going to participate.

Uninterested in Takigakure and Kusagakure, Jiraiya focused on the list of participants sent by Otogakure and uttered in surprise, “Huh? This kid named Kimimaro… I remember that he defeated Sasuke during the alliance ceremony a few years ago, right? Sasuke also awakened his Sharingan during that fight.”

Kuroto nodded, “That is indeed the case…”

Elder Hiruzen scrutinized Kimimaro’s name and said, “Although this boy did not show his full strength, I reckon that he was at least as strong as a Chūnin back then… since it’s been more than five years since that fight, he should also be at the level of a Jōnin, right?”

‘Jōnin?’ thought Kuroto inwardly as he shook his head.

The full extent of Kimimaro’s strength remained unknown even to Kuroto. A healthy fifteen-year-old Kimimaro was strong enough to fight against a Nine-tailed Chakra Mode Naruto’s Shadow Clone and remain undefeated. This was the same Shadow Clone that could overpower Sandaime Raikage, who was undoubtedly the strongest Raikage, and defeat him.

Even a terminally ill Kimimaro, during his last breath, was strong enough to almost kill both Rock Lee and Gaara. This was the same Gaara who was about to become the next Kazekage, and Kimimaro even aided Orochimaru in killing Rasa. Kuroto firmly believed that a healthy Kimimaro was definitely stronger than most Kage-level shinobi. However, the current status of his health remained unknown to Kuroto, making it hard for him to judge the boy’s current strength.

As Jiraiya looked at the participants from other Shinobi Villages one by one, he couldn’t help but sigh, “This joint Chūnin exam… our chances don’t seem very good.”

Tsunade-hime agreed with a sigh. Originally confident in Konoha’s geniuses, she now felt hopeless seeing the “unremarkable” Genins sent by other shinobi villages. With elite Jōnin and Kage-level shinobi participating, no matter how high their expectations were for their Genins, there seemed to be little chance of victory against such formidable opponents.

Elder Hiruzen took a puff from his tobacco pipe and said, “It looks like we will have to reformulate our strategy…”

Elder Koharu added, “The other villages will also be competing against each other. Characters like Deidara and Darui will be the focus of each shinobi village. Maybe the Genins from Konoha can utilize this to their advantage and come out on top if they implement a well-thought-out strategy…”

Jiraiya hesitated for a moment and said, “But would it really be helpful? Let’s not talk about others… Dust Release, Lightning Chakra Armor, and Scorch Release alone can sweep the entire Joint Chūnin exam!”

Kuroto looked at the three unremarkable names, Raijin, Samsara, and Tengu, in the list of participants from Amegakure with a smile and mumbled to himself, “They won’t sweep…”