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[— Manga Scene —]
"Hey! Hey, did you hear?"
"For the first time in five years, there are going to be rookies in this Chunin Exam."
"No way!! It's probably just some stubborn jonin competing with each other or something…"
"No, the story is that three of them are students of that Kakashi."
A young man and woman were talking while training.
"That sounds interesting…"
A third young man joined their conversation.
"But in the end… You have to feel sorry for them."
The three appeared clearly now. A young man with white eyes, seemingly from the Hyuga clan, a young woman with black hair and red eyes, and a boy wearing a green jumpsuit, with thick eyebrows and round, shining eyes.
[— End Scene —]
The Art Store in Konoha was packed with people, yet silence dominated as readers approached the final pages of the volume.
Breaths were held.
All readers' eyes were fixed on the final chapter, Chapter 36, and the last of Volume Four.
In one unusually emotional corner, Maito Dai and his young son Maito Gai were reading, and the tears streaming down their faces like waterfalls.
When Rock Lee appeared at the beginning of the chapter, with his thick eyebrows and green jumpsuit, both father and son's eyes widened.
"Gai! Look! That boy… he looks exactly like you! Is he your future son?!"
Dai's tears in that moment were those of a proud father. He quickly gave his son a shining thumbs-up, flashing his youthful, sparkling smile.
"You've done it, Gai! How inspiring! You'll find your soulmate and have a little hero like that! I'm truly proud!"
Tears of pride welled up again.
Young Gai's eyes trembled at the sight, but he said nothing, his gaze glued to the green-clad boy in the image.
"So his name is Rock Lee…"
"He doesn't have my first name, so he can't be my son or anything… but he looks more like you than me, Father."
"Oh, really? I don't remember marrying anyone other than your mother… will I do that in the future?"
"In any case, he clearly possesses the sacred Flame of Youth! No ninjutsu, no genjutsu… only hard work!"
As the scenes continued, father and son's hearts pounded with excitement.
Unfortunately, only two pages remained before the end.
But in a particular scene, when the talented genins passed the preliminary test, the name 'Gai' was mentioned as the team's teacher.
Young Gai froze. The volume slipped from his hands involuntarily.
"I… Will I become the teacher of such a team? Father… does this mean I'll succeed in proving that taijutsu is the supreme art?"
His father stood beside him, still trying to confirm whether that name truly belonged to his son. He didn't want to give him false hope, but something inside told him his son would reach incredible heights.
So he hugged him tightly and shouted:
"Yes, Gai! This is your future victory!"
When Rock Lee stepped between Sasuke and the chunin examiner, blocking the kicks with both hands, both Dai and Gai trembled with excitement.
Only now did they realize the boy was truly gifted.
But their eyes shook when they saw him confess to Sakura and get rejected… their image of the young man shifted slightly.
…
Tension shifted to where the Hyuga clan was seated.
The current clan head, Masanori, stared at the white-eyed boy with curiosity.
"He resembles you…" He muttered, glancing at his sons, Hizashi and Hiashi.
"Hmm… the tension with that Uchiha boy has already begun…"
His eyes narrowed at the developing scene between Sasuke and the unnamed Hyuga boy.
Beside him, the twins watched in astonishment.
Hizashi looked at the Hyuga youth and felt a strange connection he couldn't explain.
"Father, that boy… he looks incredibly strong. Even Sasuke considered him a monster… Could he be the direct heir of our clan in the manga?"
Hiashi observed silently, realizing that the appearance of the girl named Hinata alongside that boy in the same exam meant the Hyuga would remain a pillar of Konoha in the future.
"Well, perhaps so… The important thing now is that our clan seems destined to display overwhelming superiority in this Chunin Exam. I'm rather looking forward to it."
Masanori stood, followed by his sons and the rest of the clan, and left after finishing the volume.
…
Elsewhere, Sakumo placed a hand on his young son's shoulder.
"Look, Kakashi," Sakumo said proudly, "everyone is talking about 'Kakashi's students.' It seems you won't just become a great shinobi, you'll become the teacher who brings forth a generation of miracles."
Young Kakashi tried to maintain his cool, but his heart pounded strongly. Beneath his mask, his faint smile could not disappear.
"It seems my counterpart won't be the only one allowing his rookie students to participate in this Chunin Exam…"
He unconsciously glanced toward Gai, who was chattering endlessly with his father.
'Could this kid also have a dazzling future…?' he wondered.
…
Far from the store's noise, Yuuhi Shinku sat at home, with little Kurenai in his lap.
He showed her the image of her future self as a beautiful jonin.
"Look, Kurenai, this is you. You'll lead a team of great shinobi."
Her innocent eyes sparkled.
"Will I be beautiful and strong like that lady, Father?"
Shinku laughed and hugged her.
"You'll be greater than you imagine."
…
On a busy Konoha street, Shikaku Nara, Choza Akimichi, and Inoichi Yamanaka walked together, exchanging theories about upcoming events.
"Shikamaru Nara… he looks like he wants to sleep during the exam, just like you, Shikaku!" Choza laughed while eating chips.
Shikaku sighed lazily.
"Future chatter… how troublesome. But look, the Tenth Team still unites our families. It seems our bonds can't be broken across generations."
He smiled faintly.
Inoichi remained composed. "Heh… I wonder who that young girl named Ino might be…"
…
That evening was unusually calm. After all, much had happened that day.
Inside the Hokage building, Hiruzen watched the smoke from his pipe thoughtfully.
"A new generation in the future… huh?"
He smiled at the thought of his manga counterpart addressing that generation and instilling the Will of Fire in them.
"But…"
The moment he remembered that the man publishing this future generation possessed enough power to destroy a nation the size of Kumogakure, Hiruzen instinctively trembled.
"It seems this news will tame Danzo for a while, at least…"
After learning that Rob had opened another Art Store in Kumogakure with ease, after flattening their mountains and teaching them a lesson, including the Third Raikage A, Hiruzen had canceled all resistance plans he had been building.
None of it would work against a man with such power.
He did not want Konoha to pay the same price Kumogakure had… or worse, especially given their complicated ties with Rubiro.
"Sigh… to think we lost such a man because of your foolishness, Danzo…"
Hiruzen looked toward the sunset with a somewhat sorrowful expression.
"Well… at least we can read Volume Five later."
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 117: Quiet Villages and Worldwide Fame.
Chapter 118: Natural Restoration, The Shock of the Shinobi World!
Chapter 119: The Mighty Rock Lee!
Chapter 120: A Humiliating Defeat for Sasuke.
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