Naruto: With maxed-out affection, I am invincible in the ninja world.

"You're late, Haneda."

"No, I arrived first." Haneda looked up and met Kakashi's gaze.

"What I mean is, I was the one who collected all the scrolls first."

Kakashi pointed to the tree below, where three Sand Village ninjas wearing Sand Village headbands were tied to the tree trunk.

It was Maki and his two companions who were preparing to launch a sneak attack.

Then, Kakashi jumped down, looked at Sakumo who was standing silently next to Haneda, and smiled:

"You're here too, Father. Were you sparring with Haneda just now?"

“Yes.” Sakumo nodded and said, “Haneda’s growth has exceeded my expectations.”

“He’s always been like this.” Kakashi looked into Haneda’s eyes and said seriously, “But I won’t give up.”

They hadn't been chatting for long when Obito and Rin returned from gathering food.

Shuo Mao silently walked to the side, leaving his seat to the younger man.

"Haneda, you're here too! Uncle Sakumo is here as well."

Obito greeted him excitedly.

He scanned the area around Haneda but couldn't find Asuma, and said angrily:

"Damn it! I finally passed the exam first, and your number one brainless fan didn't even show up!"

"You mean Asuma? He and Red went to set up traps near the tower. Maybe you went the other way and didn't run into them."

Haneda explained.

Suddenly, he found Obito's description of Asuma amusing and couldn't help but laugh.

"Forget it, leave him alone."

"Anyway, if I run into Asuma in the individual tournament, I'll definitely use my mighty Sharingan to beat him to a pulp!"

Obito handed Haneda a basket of mushrooms and wild vegetables:

"Lin and I picked these nearby. Let's eat them together later, it's getting dark."

"You're the worst performer. You picked too little. It's not enough for five people to eat," Kakashi suddenly interjected.

"Just don't eat it, you idiot Kakashi!"

Upon hearing Obito's words, Kakashi paused for a second before retorting:

"You didn't pick all the vegetables yourself, you're the last one standing."

"Alright." Haneda grabbed Obito with one hand and Kakashi with the other, suggesting, "Why don't we go and collect some more together?"

Sakumo, standing under the tree, looked at Haneda and the others with a nostalgic smile.

His mind seemed to return to the past, to the scene of him having a meal with his companions and comrades in the wild.

…………

At the other end of the tower, Asuma and Red were eating dry rations with one hand and drinking water from water pouches with the other.

They did not light a fire in order to conceal their location.

As he watched the sun completely sink below the horizon, Asuma wiped his mouth and unconsciously said:

"Why hasn't Brother Haneda come back yet?!"

"Perhaps he's still training with Master Sakumo, or maybe he's training us?" Hong speculated reasonably.

Upon hearing Hong's words, Asuma immediately recalled Haneda's words of encouragement.

He clenched his fist and said, "That's right! Brother Haneda must be testing us!"

"Hong! We must complete this mission well this time! Otherwise, we'll have to rely on Brother Haneda again!"

…………

After Maki and his fellow Sand Village trio were eliminated by Team 7, they were taken back to the Konoha inn used for receiving foreign guests by Pakura.

After checking whether there were any surveillance cameras in the room, Ye Cang asked:

"Maki, were you eliminated by Uchiha Haneda?"

Maki and Yura exchanged a glance, and said awkwardly:

"He was subdued by Kakashi Hatake's Lightning Release attack..."

"This is a lightning release technique we've never heard of before. Its most distinctive feature is that it's released without a seal, and the sound it makes when released is like a thousand birds chirping."

"A self-created ninjutsu... it seems Konoha still has a wealth of talent," Yekura remarked.

Suddenly, Yura said, "Captain, there's something strange about Kakashi Hatake's Lightning Release technique. It's purple!"

"Purple?"

Lightning Release techniques are generally blue.

Those with other colors either possess a bloodline limit that includes lightning release, or they have an extremely high understanding of lightning release chakra.

The Hatake clan is renowned for its swordsmanship, and there has never been any mention of a bloodline limit.

That leaves only one possibility: Kakashi Hatake's Lightning Release level is extremely high!

"He is a genius no less than Uchiha Haneda, so your defeat is not unjust," Yekura comforted her.

She planned to report this matter to the higher-ups of Sunagakure after she returned.

In the future battle between Sunagakure and Konoha, we must target Uchiha Haneda and Hatake Kakashi!

We absolutely cannot let these two grow up!!

The next goal is to record the performances of Uchiha Haneda and Hatake Kakashi in individual matches.

…………

Five days passed in the blink of an eye.

Only eight teams, totaling twenty-four people, passed the second exam.

Some were eliminated due to different scrolls, while others were forced to be eliminated because their teammates were injured.

On the third day, Asuma and Red from Class 9 intercepted a small team and used the traps they had set up to complete the scroll.

For five days, Haneda spent practicing the nature and form transformations of Lightning Release chakra.

After the extreme survival challenge, it's time for the individual competition.

The third generation also made an appearance at this time.

"The purpose of holding the Chunin Exams is to showcase the strength of each ninja nation."

"To deter other countries and prevent the outbreak of war."

"The third exam will feature important figures from various countries, but it will only last half a day."

"That means eight teams and twenty-four people is too many."

"A preliminary round will be held here temporarily, one-on-one, with twelve people advancing."

"The top four in the individual competition will be promoted to Chunin."

The third generation paused for a moment, then continued:

"The following is the match roster."

"Uchiha Haneda versus Shiranui Genma."

Hearing the Third Generation name him first, Haneda walked up with his hands in his pockets.

He glanced at Genma Shiranui, who still had a thousand needles dangling from the corner of his mouth, and the other was immediately trapped in an illusion, causing him to admit defeat.

By the time Genma Shiranui realized what was happening, the Third Hokage had already announced the result.

Genma Shiranui looked completely bewildered, having no idea what had happened.

This terrifying instant kill shocked everyone else.

They recalled the scene where Haneda, the examinee, used his three-tomoe Sharingan to control the examiner.

This time, he controlled a ninja with roughly Chunin-level strength without even using his Sharingan!

"You've been controlled by Haneda's illusion, Genma!" Kai warned from the side.

He watched Haneda's retreating figure and thought to himself:

"As expected of my lifelong rival! Even Genma could be defeated with just one illusion technique."

"Yosh! Challenging Haneda, that's definitely my youth!"

Thinking about challenging Haneda, Kai subconsciously looked at Kakashi, whose face was half covered.

His eyes couldn't help but burn with passion.

Only by defeating Kakashi can I challenge Haneda, my destined rival!

…………