#29 Divine Reward System.

After filling everyone in on what they wanted to know, Tatsuya summed it all up.

“In short, based on what I’ve gathered, this year’s [Chunin Exams] have far more powerful participants than in previous years.”

“That means the difficulty of advancing to Chunin has also increased!”

Shikamaru, Sasuke, and the others nodded thoughtfully, their expressions turning serious. They now had a much clearer understanding of just how tough this [Chunin Exam] was going to be.

For Tatsuya, completing his mission was the top priority.

That’s why he didn’t intend to prevent “Gaara’s full transformation into Shukaku.”

As for everything else? He’d deal with it as he saw fit.

Hearing that so many strong opponents were in the mix, Naruto, ever the loudmouth, couldn’t contain himself.

“My name isUzumaki Naruto!” he suddenly shouted, fists clenched.

“I won’t lose to any of you!”

The words echoed through the room. The pressure in his chest finally released, but his declaration had an unintended effect—it earned him the hostility of nearly everyone present.

Ino and Sakura immediately pounced on him.

“Naruto, you idiot!” Ino snapped.

“You moron! You just made us a target!” Sakura scolded, smacking him over the head.

Just as expected, Naruto’s outburst caught the attention of some irritable types.

The ones most interested? The “Sound Trio”—Dosu, Zaku, and Kin.

Their real mission? Assassinate Sasuke.

That meant Naruto, as part of Sasuke’s team, was already on their hit list.

Dosu smirked and glanced at his teammates.

“Zaku, how about we play with him a little?” he suggested.

Zaku grinned. “Sounds good. Let’s teach them a little about the power of the Sound Village.”

“Don’t hold back,” Dosu added, his voice dripping with menace.

The moment he spoke, both he and Zaku disappeared from their spots, moving at an alarming speed. Only Kin, the lone girl in their trio, stayed back.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two shadows darted through the crowd, reappearing a split second later in front of Naruto, cutting off his escape routes.

Naruto tensed, realizing his back and left side were blocked by the two Oto-nin. He braced himself for a fight—

But then something strange happened.

The moment they were about to strike, all three fighters—Naruto, Dosu, and Zaku—froze in midair, as if some invisible force had caught them.

Gasps rippled through the crowd.

Even Kin, their teammate, looked bewildered.

This wasn’t their technique. They didn’t have any jutsu that could do something like this!

Dosu and Zaku struggled against the force, confusion and frustration twisting their faces.

And then—

Boom!

They slammed into the ground, hard.

The once cocky duo now lay sprawled out in front of Naruto like a pair of defeated dogs.

Silence filled the room. The other examinees stared in awe.

Had Naruto done this?

Before anyone could answer that question, a sudden bang echoed through the classroom as smoke filled the air.

A voice followed, sharp and commanding:

“You brats!”

“Settle down!”

As the smoke cleared, a group of proctors stood at the front of the room.

Among them were Kotetsu and Izumo—but standing before them was someone even more intimidating.

Morino Ibiki.

The head examiner of the first test.

His presence alone was enough to send a chill through the room.

His gaze landed on Tos and Zaku, his voice carrying a quiet but undeniable authority.

“You Sound Village troublemakers better control yourselves.”

His tone turned sharp. “Or I’ll disqualify you on the spot.”

The room fell dead silent.

His eyes swept across the examinees, his voice cutting through the tension.

“While we’re at it, let’s go over the rules.”

“Fighting between candidates is forbidden unless permitted by an examiner. Even then, killing is absolutely prohibited.”

“Break these rules, and you’re out.”

As Ibiki finished, the room stayed eerily quiet. Many still believed the strange event earlier had been his doing.

But two people knew better.

The first was Kabuto.

Ibiki specialized in mental torture, not some weird ability that could suspend people in midair.

Even so, Kabuto couldn’t pinpoint who had done it. The chakra responsible had disappeared too quickly. Too cleanly.

The second was Sasuke.

Because he had seen something similar before.

His eyes narrowed as he focused on the metallic armor pieces attached to Dosu and Zaku.

His suspicions were correct.

It was Tatsuya who had acted.

Both Sound ninja had been caught by his secret technique, [Magnetic Release: Iron Grip].

There were only two ways to counter it:

1. Remove all metal from your body.

2. Constantly channel chakra into the metal to prevent it from being manipulated by [Magnetic Force].

The second option drained chakra continuously. The moment you let your guard down, you’d fall victim to it.

Dosu and Zaku weren’t weak, but Tatsuya was simply too strong. His Bloodline Limit technique had been impossible to counter.

Kin had been lucky. If Tatsuya had targeted her too, his mission would have been completed right then and there.

But there was no rush.

Once the second exam began, the Sound Trio would come to him on their own.

Their true goal wasn’t the exam.

It was Sasuke’s life.

And when they made their move… Tatsuya would be waiting.

Ibiki, seeing the room finally under control, nodded in satisfaction. He then announced:

“Now… we begin the first stage of the [Chunin Selection Exam]!”

“The written test!”