Hagoromo's arm was indeed injured, but thanks to the layers of effective defenses he had prepared, the damage wasn't actually that severe.
In fact, it was likely less debilitating than the short-term aftereffects Guy suffered from using the Eight Gates.
When Hagoromo arrived at Konoha Hospital, he was met by a perfectly ordinary medical ninja who gave him a perfectly ordinary diagnosis, followed by perfectly ordinary treatment. And that was that.
According to the medic, he just needed a few days of rest.
Hmph. Wanting a scan from the prestigious Hyuga clan? There's no such luck.
Still, this was for the best. Hagoromo had no desire to sustain a truly heavy injury.
At this point, his business in Konoha was concluded. Logically, he should have returned to the front lines as soon as possible. After all, his return was solely to report intelligence and provide a first-hand account so the higher-ups could make the most rational judgment.
That job was finished long ago.
However, just as he was preparing to leave, he was assigned a "chore."
The Chunin Exams were short-staffed, and as a member of the "miscellaneous personnel" currently loitering about, he was snatched up to fill the gap.
It was, quite formally, a B-rank mission.
Hagoromo didn't complain. He considered himself a proud screw in the great machine of Konoha—wherever he was needed, he would twist himself in. Besides, by participating in the Chunin Exams, he could gather certain types of intelligence.
The Chunin Exams of this era were not like the joint festivals held with allies in later years. It was a strictly internal Konoha affair. Naturally, it wouldn't last for a whole month; it would be wrapped up in three to five days at most.
Hagoromo's task: serve as a proctor for certain segments of the second phase.
To truly test a ninja's caliber, the exam formats were varied and creative. However, one form of testing remained the most direct expression of a ninja's combat power.
Combat.
Duels were an inevitable part of every Chunin Exam. Defeating an opponent was the foundation for a Genin to prove their strength and demonstrate their eligibility for promotion.
The evaluators focused heavily on the candidates' thought processes and tactical levels displayed during the heat of battle.
Becoming a Chunin was no simple feat. After all, the Chunin were the bedrock of Konoha's military strength.
By the time Hagoromo joined, the duels had already reached their second day.
Supposedly, the Hokage had been present to watch on the first day. Given that it was wartime, Hagoromo occasionally felt the Hokage seemed a bit idle, but he knew that was an illusion. The Hokage was rarely truly free; most of the time, he was buried in work.
Thus, today's exam was not presided over by the Hokage himself.
Specialized ninjas would evaluate the Genins' performances and submit digitized reports to the Hokage. The final promotion order remained solely in the hands of the Third Hokage.
That authority belonged to him alone.
Considering that ninja combat is inherently dangerous—especially for Genin who often lack restraint—Hagoromo's job was to stand in the center of the battlefield. If a situation arose that threatened the lives of either party, he was to intervene immediately.
These were all Konoha's people. It wouldn't be funny if they started killing each other.
In a routine exam like this, the system operated like a well-oiled machine. Hagoromo didn't need to worry about the logistics; he just had to stand there and look the part.
Oh, and there was one more thing.
Once both sides were ready, he had to shout "Begin!"
And when the fight was over, he had to announce the winner.
He expected a routine day, but before the matches even started, Hagoromo encountered a surprisingly famous figure.
He didn't recognize the boy's face at this young age, but judging by his attire and the hushed whispers of those nearby, it didn't take long to realize who it was.
He looked roughly the same age as Hagoromo.
He wore a smile that was distinctly different from the typical "dead-eyed" expression of his clansmen.
He had a uniquely rounded nose.
And on his back, he carried the "ping-pong paddle" the entire clan took pride in... the Uchiha Fire Fan.
Uchiha Shisui.
Hagoromo hadn't expected him to be one of the proctors as well. Had so much of the workload been handed over to the younger generation? It seemed the manpower shortage was indeed dire.
Hagoromo etched the boy's appearance deep into his memory. Those peculiar Sharingan... this was clearly not an enemy who could be defeated by brute force alone.
When facing an Uchiha, the method of engagement is everything.
Thinking this, he suddenly froze.
Wait, why am I already calculating how to deal with the Uchiha?
Well, thinking about it wasn't a crime. There were surely plenty of people in Konoha thinking the exact same thing.
During the exam, the names of the combatants were generated randomly and announced by Shisui.
In truth, Hagoromo was overthinking things. At this stage, Uchiha Shisui likely hadn't awakened those terrifying Mangekyo eyes yet; his Sharingan were probably still at the three-tomoe stage.
Though his Body Flicker Technique was already insanely fast—a "three-second speedster"—he hadn't yet reached his future peak. The ultimate genjutsu Hagoromo feared, Kotoamatsukami, was likely still out of his reach.
Once the matches began, it became clear that Hagoromo's presence was necessary.
These Genin may have been low-ranking, but they had all come off the battlefield. Consequently, they shared a common trait: they were ruthless.
The fights were overly intense. Though their techniques and chakra levels couldn't compare to Jonin, they frequently defaulted to lethal strikes without a second thought.
It was a habit ingrained by the war—a subconscious reaction.
For instance, a certain Hyuga ninja had already knocked his opponent unconscious, yet he insisted on completing his full set of Gentle Fist strikes.
He probably felt a great sense of rhythm finishing the sequence, but if Hagoromo didn't stop him, the opponent would be played to death.
Clang!
A black chain whipped out from behind Hagoromo, binding the Hyuga ninja like a skewered snack without a word of warning.
Hagoromo found value in participating. It gave him the chance to observe the younger generation of the various clans, gathering intelligence on their traits and the power of their secret techniques.
The Hyuga, Uchiha, Aburame, Inuzuka, Akimichi, Nara, Yamanaka...
Ultimately, Konoha was propped up by these clans and their ninja lineages. Those secret techniques often played a decisive role.
Hagoromo was an extreme outlier and didn't count. After all, how many decades does it take for a civilian family to produce a genius like Minato Namikaze?
Regrettably, in this exam, the duo of Might Guy and his father both fell in defeat.
Guy was not in peak condition due to his previous clash with Hagoromo. As for Dai, he ran into a particularly troublesome opponent—the insects of the Aburame clan. Against them, his Taijutsu couldn't find its mark.
The father and son possessed immense self-restraint. If they had used the Eight Gates, they could have easily dusted most of their opponents.
But alas, that was a forbidden technique, not to be used against one's own comrades.
And so, despite possessing explosive combat power, Dai remained an unknown.
Everyone has their own philosophy, but if it were up to Hagoromo?
If you can use the Eight Gates, why wouldn't you? Just control your strength and don't kill your teammates.