Boruto, You Little Rascal (41)

Chapter 41 - He's Serious Now

(This whole situation made her frown deeply.)

Next to the commercial district of the Village Hidden in the Mist, a sports arena about the size of a soccer field had opened. Civilians and ninja from various villages were entering with their tickets.

The exterior of the arena was designed in the shape of a roaring wave, with shades of blue and white highlighting the water-based nature of the Land of Water where the Hidden Mist Village was located. Inside the venue, the audience had mostly found their seats, eagerly discussing this exam open to outsiders and the participating candidates.

Considering the rainy and foggy climate of the Hidden Mist Village, this arena was designed as an enclosed space. Rows of bright lights lined the soaring ceiling above, with numerous LCD screens hanging below. There were twenty-four screens total, arranged facing the four cardinal directions with six screens per side - east, south, west, and north. They were simultaneously playing an introduction to the Hidden Mist Village, with each screen large enough for the audience to clearly see the visuals.

The screens themselves weren't that unusual; it was what lay beneath them that was strange.

There was a massive, pitch-black maze that was impossible to make out clearly.

In the audience seats, Sarada was sitting right next to Boruto. Since he was the son of the Hokage's family, they had been given the best seats for free - at eye level with the large screens and directly in the center.

The blond young boy was clearly impatient, but after anxiously waiting for so long without the exam starting, he had now become listless. He would glance absentmindedly at the contestants' entrance every so often before apathetically surveying his surroundings.

However, the black-haired girl beside him was observing everything around them very seriously, inwardly marveling at the modernization of the Hidden Mist Village. As an avid reader, she was well aware that the Hidden Mist had been quite isolated and backward in the past, only emerging from its dark "Bloody Mist" history starting with the Fifth Mizukage. Yet in just over a decade, they had developed to this extent...

Just as she was pondering these rather grave matters like an adult, the audience began stirring with cheers and applause. Confused, Sarada and Boruto looked up to find that the "Kage" of the various villages had arrived on the high platform across from them.

As the host village, the Mizukage Chōjūrō was naturally seated in the center, flanked on either side by the Hokage Naruto Uzumaki and the Kazekage Gaara. Further out were the Raikage Darui and the Tsuchikage Kurotsuchi. They were currently gesturing to the crowd, and when Sarada saw Naruto wave in their direction, she happily waved back, though not as excitedly as the boisterous cheering from many audience members around them. As for the apathetic, slouching Boruto next to her, she perfectly ignored him.

After the Mizukage gave a rather trite opening speech, the third exam finally began officially. In the open space right in front of the massive circular maze and directly below the Kages, the stern and formidable chief examiner appeared in a puff of white smoke. He first bowed towards the Mizukage above, then turned to face the audience. At his signal, the two doors on opposite sides of the arena slowly opened, and at long last, two groups totaling six young candidates entered under everyone's watchful eyes.

The black-haired girl immediately spotted her brother's figure as the first to emerge from the right side of the arena. The black-haired, black-eyed youth had suffered internal injuries in the second exam, with his right foot even pierced by shark teeth. When Sarada learned of this yesterday from Ruri, who she was close friends with, she absolutely exploded. After using the basic medical techniques she just learned from Sakura to give her brother a terrifyingly thorough examination, the young girl finally nodded in resigned agreement under his calmly amused gaze, allowing him to participate in the third exam.

As the first of the Leaf trio to enter, Chitose's handsome looks and outstanding aura immediately drew the audience's attention. Sarada stared unblinkingly at him until he walked over and stood between his two teammates by the chief examiner's left side, only then reluctantly shifting her gaze away.

—It wasn't that she didn't want to keep watching, but there was something else that concerned her even more now.

She glanced surreptitiously at the blond boy beside her. His leaning forward posture, those bright shining eyes reflecting Chitose's impassive side profile, and the suspicious flush on his cheeks - this whole situation made her frown deeply.

***

"...This third exam—as you've probably guessed—will take place in the maze behind you."

The chief examiner looked at each of the six youths in turn, his stern gaze carrying an intangible weight. The screens above simultaneously broadcast his image, and the portable earpiece he wore projected his voice loudly throughout the audience seating so everyone could hear.

After taking their positions, the candidates were each given an earpiece and a small flare-like device. At the examiner's signal, they put the earpieces on to hear him continue:

"This maze has six entrances total, and you will each draw lots to determine which one you enter from. That's right, this third exam will not proceed in teams - each of you is an independent candidate, with just one objective: survive all the trials within the maze, defeat every opponent who appears before you, and reach the center!"

The examiner's booming voice reverberated loudly through the venue as the audience erupted in shock and excitement over this novel, thrilling exam format, scarcely able to contain their enthusiasm. As for the six youths in the arena, they exchanged glances with their teammates before quickly reaching some unspoken consensus. Kagura simultaneously received rather cold looks from Hassaku and Buntan, though he didn't seem surprised, staring straight ahead as if he hadn't noticed their now slightly tense stances.

This was only natural, he thought to himself.

In this enclosed arena, one-on-one confrontations were inevitable. If he were to draw his blade... Who would want to encounter him?

The youth's usually gentle reddish-purple eyes took on a hint of darkness. Suddenly sensing eyes on him from across the way, his heart raced as he instinctively clenched his fists and met that person's gaze.

Chitose looked at him with a calm, steady gaze. When Kagura raised his head, Chitose gave the faintest hint of a smile, there and gone in a flash. By the time Kagura looked again, his expression had returned to its icy demeanor as he glanced up towards the blond man above.

When he noticed that person was also watching him, those black eyes Kagura couldn't see flickered with an extremely bright light, shining with immense admiration for that man and an intense desire to impress him.

Lost in the image of Chitose's stunning, almost breathtaking smile reminiscent of melting snow, it took Kagura a while to blink and come back to his senses, suppressing the smile tugging at his lips.

This can't be right...to receive encouragement from an opponent before the exam has even started...

But still, he was truly, genuinely happy. Could he dare to hope that he and Chitose had become good friends?

While Kagura was buoyed by Chitose's small encouragement, the chief examiner continued his explanation:

"...The flares in your hands can be ignited when you encounter danger. They will launch color-coded signal smoke to guide the roaming examiners to your location and initiate a rescue. However, once you ignite the flare, you immediately forfeit from the third exam and must withdraw from the arena!"

"...From the moment you enter, your performances will be broadcast live on the screens above through special means. I assume many of you understand - your showing in this exam will be directly witnessed by the Kages of the villages, and it is on this basis they will decide whether you become a Chunin! So give it your all and put on a great show!"

In that instant, Yosuke and Ruri flanking Chitose's sides both felt an overwhelming surge of intensity.

They snuck glances at the unfathomable, chilling look in the youth's eyes as he stared at the arena, then exchanged uneasy looks themselves.

—We're doomed! Chitose is really serious now, what should we do?
—Stay calm, don't panic! Maybe we won't encounter him...probably...

The two gave each other halfhearted reassurances before turning to look pleadingly at the Seventh Hokage above, their expressions resigned to their fates.

—The Seventh's presence is especially vexing at times like these.

"You two, draw your lots." That familiar cool voice sounded beside them, and the pair radiating an aura of misery started, only to find the subject of their thoughts already standing before them holding the folded entry papers, regarding them with those inscrutable dark eyes that made one want to shudder.

"I got entry number one. The exam starts in five minutes, so hurry up."

"If we happen to encounter each other, I'm sure you know what to do without me telling you."

"Do your best. Good luck." He looked at them evenly and spoke in an indifferent tone.

The two kids stared blankly at him for a few seconds before snapping out of it and wishing him luck as well. Moving rather stiffly, they headed towards the chief examiner to draw their entrance numbers. Chitose watched them go with a puzzled look before turning his attention back to studying the maze before him.

The walls were quite tall, at least three meters high by his estimate. For some reason, most of the maze interior was shrouded in black fog, leaving the upper areas indistinct. This was likely why the screens were necessary.

The entrance before him had a turn just three or four meters ahead. Aside from the numeral 1 on the ground and charcoal-gray vine-like walls, nothing else could be seen.

—But that's what makes it interesting.

The youth clenched his fist at his side, waiting impatiently, already eager to begin. Suddenly, a familiar yet unfamiliar aura wafted over from the arena, and he glanced up at the dark clouds above, raising an inquisitive eyebrow.

Just as Yosuke and Ruri were about to head to their respective entrances of 3 and 6 after drawing lots, he called out to them softly.

"Yosuke, Ruri."

His teammates stopped and turned around with questioning looks.

The handsome youth stood a short distance away, expressionless, his black eyes deep and indifferent.

Seeing their earnest, trusting gazes fixed unwaveringly on him, he paused briefly before the corners of his lips curved upwards in a faint smile.

"I absolutely won't die, you can count on that."