Naruto: The Nine-Tails' Legacy

"I've already made the necessary arrangements. We'll have people working with Anko's team throughout the entire examination."

The Third Hokage, who had been sitting in the back, finally spoke.

If this had been the old Hiruzen Sarutobi, then even knowing there were all kinds of risks involved, he probably would have proceeded with the Chūnin Exams as planned.

After all, the event concerned alliances with other villages and pressure from the Land of Fire.

But he was different now.

Not only had he completely handed things over to Jiraiya, Kakashi, and the others, allowing them to act as they saw fit, he was also prepared to give them his full support.

Even if it meant using an event involving Konoha and other villages as bait.

Without advisors or anyone else interfering with his judgment, Sarutobi's attitude was simple—

Go ahead and do whatever you need to do.

This old man will take responsibility for everything afterward.

"Although it's probably unrealistic, I really do hope these people reveal themselves sooner rather than later."

Anko shrugged.

"After all, we're basically conducting this examination at the difficulty level of an elite jōnin assessment. I don't even know how many of the other genin will actually make it through."

"Wouldn't it be ridiculous if, by the end, all the people hiding among the candidates gathered together, while not a single genuine Chūnin Exam participant remained?"

"From a certain perspective, that's pretty cruel to the genin taking the exam."

"It means they were destined to make the trip here for nothing."

"Cough, cough... Anko, you don't need to worry."

Moonlight Hayate, the chief examiner for the third stage, spoke up from the side.

"Cough, cough... There's still my third—"

"Don't say too much."

Jiraiya interrupted him.

"I'm worried you won't even make it to the day of the exam."

"Go find Tsunade afterward and get yourself properly treated."

"That's the truth of the shinobi world."

Ibiki recalled the battlefield with a solemn expression.

"Once someone truly sets foot on the shinobi path, what does a ninety-nine percent elimination rate even mean?"

"During a brutal war, thousands of people can die without a single one surviving."

Jiraiya shook his head.

"But this isn't a battlefield."

"Eliminating those who aren't strong enough is also meant to protect them."

"After all, when true experts clash, weaker shinobi who remain nearby will only end up throwing their lives away for nothing."

"There's no helping it."

Ibiki shook his head.

"This three-village joint Chūnin Selection Exam was deliberately made into such a huge event."

"We've expanded the preliminary candidate pool to more than twice its usual size."

"The purpose is to make everyone believe this Chūnin Exam is an unprecedented grand event with layer upon layer of selection."

"Even if the difficulty is extremely high, that's only natural."

"If there weren't enough genin participating, people probably wouldn't fall for it."

"And once someone actually passes an examination of this difficulty, it can only mean that they're already far beyond the level of an ordinary genin."

"There's an extremely high chance that they're one of the people we're looking for."

"I only hope that our own village's participants don't end up traumatized by this and become afraid."

"Taking part in an examination that might ultimately yield nothing is still better than inexplicably becoming cannon fodder, right?"

"Konoha is basically risking the ire of the entire shinobi world this time."

"We're breaking the established rules and using the entire Chūnin Exam as bait."

"That's precisely why nobody will think of it."

Jiraiya summed it up.

"And besides..."

"I have a feeling a few of those kids might surprise all of you."

"Strictly enforce... high elimination rate... strictly enforce... high elimination rate..."

Naruto muttered to himself as he walked.

It was obvious that his first experience attending such a large-scale meeting had exposed him to the strange language of the leadership circle.

Those two phrases had appeared so frequently that they had practically been drilled into his head.

He shook his head, slapped his cheeks a couple of times, and temporarily pushed those thoughts aside.

Whoosh.

Naruto's figure disappeared from the spot.

The next second, he appeared inside the Hyūga residence.

His own house still hadn't been repaired, so for the time being, he could only continue staying at the Hyūga compound.

As mentioned before, Sasuke, Hinata, and Karin were all participating in the upcoming Chūnin Exams.

As an assistant examiner, Naruto had already learned some of the examination details during the meeting, so he needed to temporarily avoid meeting up with them.

No one was watching him, but Naruto still had principles.

However, before doing that...

There was one thing he absolutely had to take care of.

He quickly found Hiashi and asked him to inform Hinata and the others that he couldn't meet them for the time being because he needed to avoid any suspicion of leaking examination information.

Even though he desperately wanted to see his girlfriend, and even though the mother inside his heart was practically urging him to go meet Hinata as well, Naruto ultimately resisted the urge to have Hinata's father relay a few lovey-dovey messages for him.

"...Also, Uncle, could you ask Neji to come over?"

"Hmm? Neji is participating in this Chūnin Exam too..." Hiashi frowned.

But then he suddenly understood.

He stared at Naruto in disbelief.

"Could it be...?"

"Yes."

"I'm going to remove the Caged Bird Seal from him."

"This is something I promised him."

"And now, I can finally do it."

"...I understand."

"I'll go get him myself."

When Neji saw Hiashi personally come to the training ground and explain the situation, he was stunned for a moment.

But soon, Neji followed Hiashi to Naruto.

"The Caged Bird Seal of the Hyūga branch family..."

"I've heard about it before."

Inside Naruto's inner world, Kushina looked at Neji as he removed his forehead protector, excitement filling her voice.

"Do you need me to help, Naruto?"

Apparently, the prolonged use of the Reincarnation Seal had brought back some of Kushina's old memories of fighting alongside Minato.

After having spent so much time as a housewife in her memories, she seemed to have rediscovered the feeling of fighting side by side with her husband.

Now she simply wanted to get back into the action.

Minato could only helplessly shake his head as he watched his wife remain incredibly energetic ever since waking up.

It's fine, Mom.

After watching you perform it for so many days, I've completely figured out how to use the Reincarnation Seal.

Naruto answered.

That's right.

He was going to use the Reincarnation Seal to break the Caged Bird Seal.

The biggest problem with the Caged Bird Seal was that whether one attempted to remove it or destroy it, there was only one outcome.

The seal would activate and destroy the host's Byakugan.

But the Reincarnation Seal had a completely different effect.

It could reseal any seal or barrier in its original, intact form.

There was no need to destroy it.

As long as he sealed the Caged Bird Seal directly into Neji's body, that was enough.

Naruto placed his hand against the green mark on Neji's forehead.

But surprisingly, he couldn't sense any nervousness or excitement from Neji.

"Aren't you happy?"

"..."

Neji looked at Naruto and smiled.

"I'm just a little disappointed."

"Disappointed?"

"Yeah."

"I'm disappointed that I couldn't figure out how to solve this thing myself before you came to help me."

"If I'd managed to do that..."

"Wouldn't that have meant I finally beat you at something?"

Hearing Neji's words, Naruto smiled happily as well.

Then black sealing formulas spread from Naruto's hand.

Before long, they covered the green mark on Neji's forehead—the mark that had once symbolized his so-called fate.

Naruto didn't hesitate.

"Reincarnation Seal, activate!"

The black sealing formulas wrapped around the Caged Bird Seal.

In the next instant, both of them transformed into a single mass of energy and sank into the center of Neji's forehead.

Neji slowly opened his eyes.

The perfectly unobstructed vision granted by his Byakugan felt slightly unfamiliar.

The bird that had once been trapped inside a cage slowly raised its head.

And now, within his field of vision...

There was no cage.

Only an endless sky and boundless freedom.