Naruto: Nawaki was already dead, how could you bring him back to life?

Just as Jiraiya was getting into the swing of things, Chiba silently crept up behind him and then suddenly shouted.

"(OωO?)! What?!"

Jiraiya was so startled by the sudden shout that he almost died on the spot. Seeing this, Chiba chuckled to himself.

Just as he expected, just like Zhang Wei always appeared at the toilet entrance, Jiraiya always respawned near the hot spring.

"Chiba has gotten stronger again. Even though I was distracted just now, he managed to sneak up behind me without me even noticing..."

Jiraiya coughed twice, chin in hand, and adopted a serious expression: "Ahem, it's Chiba. Um, is there something you need from me?"

Chiba nodded and said, "Lord Jiraiya, after much deliberation, I have decided to become your disciple. Do you think I still have a chance?"

After saying that, Chiba looked at Jiraiya with anticipation, afraid that Jiraiya might suddenly change his mind like Tsunade.

"Oh?"

Upon hearing Chiba's words, Jiraiya's eyes lit up. He waved his arms and struck what he considered a cool pose, then spoke with a smug look on his face.

"Hey, so you've finally decided to become my disciple, the great hero who's known throughout the land, so handsome he can shut up a crying child instantly?"

"Hmm...would you like me to think about it some more?"

After a moment of silence, Chiba spoke with some uncertainty.

Chapter 52 Chiba is the first to go on stage.

In the end, Chiba reluctantly accepted Jiraiya's apprenticeship. He had no choice; if he slipped up again, he would be assigned to Orochimaru's side.

You have to understand that Orochimaru is currently conducting human experiments at a frenzied pace, and Yamato, who is involved in landscaping, is a product of that period. Chiba really doesn't dare to get involved.

With so many "special qualities" about him, he was genuinely afraid that Orochimaru might use him as a test subject on a whim.

Orochimaru has a history of experimenting on his students. Chiba had only met Orochimaru a few times, so why would he risk his life to make Orochimaru develop feelings for him?

He only sought apprenticeship to build a connection, while Jiraiya's reputation was clearly more secure.

The two people, who had never been in a relationship, got together and chatted for a while.

Surprisingly, they got along quite well, and soon the two put their arms around each other's shoulders, looking like close friends despite their age difference.

"Chiba, now that we've become master and disciple, there are some things you no longer need to hide from me."

The two walked together through the woods. Jiraiya patted Chiba on the shoulder and said with a wise expression, "There must be something about you that's different from ordinary people, right?"

Jiraiya was almost certain that Chiba was the child of prophecy, so he guessed that there must be something special about Chiba.

"Well, if you put it that way..."

Chiba thought for a moment, and realized he did have some, so he leaned close to Jiraiya's ear and whispered a few words.

"(OωO?)! What?!"

Jiraiya's eyes widened in shock. This kid, Chiba, actually had a bigger one than him, the Great Hero?!

"Ahem, that's not the skill I was referring to."

Jiraiya coughed twice and changed the subject, saying, "I'm talking about training skills, special abilities that can help you improve your strength."

Chiba understood Jiraiya's meaning, of course. He had only mentioned "because" to show off, or rather, to buy himself some time to think.

"Hmm, I was born with a strong ability to control chakra, and I can use some strange escaping techniques."

Chiba said, "I tried to combine fire and earth chakra before, and I didn't expect to accidentally develop Lava Release. However, it is not mature enough to be used in battle."

After some deliberation, Chiba decided to reveal all of his special abilities through Jiraiya's words to Hiruzen Sarutobi, and see how the Konoha leadership would react.

On the other hand, he offered the Lava Release technique because he wanted Jiraiya to give him some pointers.

Jiraiya's understanding of various ninjutsu is unparalleled in Naruto. With the system and the old man's help, he's going to take off!

"Haha, what a coincidence!"

Jiraiya laughed loudly, "I once fought against Roshi of Iwagakure and experienced his Lava Release. I haven't figured out how to guide your training yet, so let's start with Lava Release."

"Ah this..."

Chiba was somewhat surprised.

He didn't expect that Jiraiya would not doubt him at all, and would believe him directly and start planning his training.

In response, Jiraiya remarked: "If the Child of Prophecy isn't special, then what kind of Child of Prophecy is he?!"

"By the way, Jiraiya-sama, there's something else I'd like to suggest to you," Chiba suddenly said.

Jiraiya was in a good mood and said with a smile, "Speak."

"You are a truly great and upright hero! You should never do something like that again. It really tarnishes your heroic and magnificent image!"

Faced with his disciple's "accusation," Jiraiya blushed and said, "Ahem, well, I understand."

……

A month passed in the blink of an eye, and the third round of the Chunin Exams was held as scheduled.

"This assessment is a microcosm of wars between nations; it's a place where you must risk your lives to uphold your dreams and the prestige of your ninja village! Do you understand?"

"understand!"

After receiving a speech from Hiruzen Sarutobi, Chiba, along with the other Konoha examinees, entered a magnificent cylindrical building.

"Whoa! The people from Konoha are here!"

"Sunagakure, Sunagakure!"

"Go, Cloud Village examinees! Crush them!"

The place was bustling with noise, and the blinding sunlight shone on her face. Chiba felt a moment of disorientation, as if she had suddenly entered another world.

Chiba squinted and looked up. He saw that the stands above were filled with people, their faces flushed with anger as they cheered for the examinees who were in the lower-level "arena".

Of course, the top-ranking figures wouldn't lose their composure; they simply waited quietly for the assessment to begin.

"I am Hiroto Gekko, the examiner for the third assessment. Now, I will introduce the rules of this assessment to you."

At that moment, a Konoha Jonin who looked somewhat weak walked past the examinees to the center of the arena and used his chakra to make his voice resonate throughout the entire building.

"The sixteen candidates who passed the previous round of assessment will engage in one-on-one combat in this assessment. There are no rules, no restrictions on methods, until one side falls, admits defeat, or dies!"

After the examiner finished reading the rules, he began to address the audience, and the bored candidates in the audience began to whisper among themselves.

"Hey, have you guys heard? Some scoundrel destroyed four scrolls during the test, which is why four fewer people passed."

"This guy is really...%@, my companion was just one Rock Concealment Scroll away from finding it, but he couldn't find it no matter what!"

Despite the insults around him, Chiba remained unfazed, standing in the center of the group of test takers.

What does the scroll that Kosuke destroyed have to do with Chiba?

"Wait, could it be Shimura Danzo from Konoha who did this?"

"Holy crap, bro, are you out of your mind? You actually dared to say something like that?"

"I'm not from Konoha, what the hell do I have to be afraid of?"

"Oh, I forgot, hold on a thread."

"This kind of despicable thing must have been done by those shameless barbarians from Cloud Village!"

"Get lost! You Sunagakure people are shameless! A bunch of poison-using dogs dare to bark like that?!"

Before the assessment even began, the atmosphere among the candidates was already tense. They stared coldly at each other and exchanged friendly greetings about each other's relatives.

"Hey kid, we meet again."

Just when Chiba thought he could stay out of it, Rasa walked up to him and looked down at him.

"Hey, isn't this Brother Luo Sha?"

"I still remember your gold-flecked shield from last time so vividly," Chiba teased with a chuckle.

Since it's his own territory, Luo Sha can't do anything to him, so why doesn't he act like a jerk?

"you……!"

Enraged, Luo Sha lost his composure on the spot, wishing he could just kill Chiba. Seeing this, a gentle woman who was at least 1.7 meters tall quickly walked over and stopped Luo Sha.

"This is... Karura? Is she also one of the examinees?"

It wasn't until this mother, Sano, stood next to Rasa that Chiba realized who she was—Rasa's future wife and the mother of Gaara, Kankuro, Temari, and others.

"Wow, those legs are so long. I wonder if I can see my toes if I lift my head. I really want to try," Chiba thought to herself.

"Kid, I'll teach you a lesson during the assessment!"

Despite being stopped by Karura, Rasa coldly left a message and turned away.

"Where do you think this is? This is Konoha. Do you think you get to decide what's going on here?"

Chiba smiled and retorted dismissively.

Just then, the examiner on the stage finally finished reciting his speech and changed the subject, saying, "The other candidates may leave the stage for now. The first group of candidates, please come up to the stage and prepare to begin the assessment."

"Sunagakure—Rasa! Konoha—Chiba!" the examiner read aloud from the list.

"WTF?!"

Chiba's smile froze on his face.

What the hell was that idiot who put together that personnel list? Why pick the strongest one out of so many weak ones?!

Chiba subconsciously looked across at the other side, and through the crowd of examinees, he met Rasa's cold gaze.

"This guy's not simple. He guessed the personnel allocation just from the candidates present?"

……

At this moment, at the very top of the stands.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, whom Chiba considers an "idiot," is chatting and laughing with the Third Kazekage beside him.

Because there was a troublesome examinee in Kumogakure who Minato needed to deal with, Hiruzen Sarutobi made a bold move and assigned the strongest examinee from Sunagakure to Chiba.

"Lord Hokage, how could this child possibly be a match for Rasa?" The Third Kazekage said with a look of pity, "You should make him admit defeat quickly to avoid losing his life."

Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand and laughed, "Lord Kazekage, you're speaking too soon. Let's wait and see. Perhaps the outcome will exceed our expectations."