Malphegor
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HTP: Ch. 06
🕑 Added 2025-05-23 17:24:33 +0000 UTCWhitebeard is also a man who carries the Will of Fire.
In the realm of hyperspace surfing, Hiruzen left this comment under a video of The Summit War.
Ding.
A notification popped up on his list: a user with the ID "Ace" was trying to add him as a friend.
Approved.
---
The moment the examinees received the test paper, almost all of the out-of-village candidates immediately understood: the true purpose of this test was to gather intelligence.
Question 1: What is the Third Hokage's favorite color?
Question 2: What is the Third Hokage's greatest achievement?
Question 3: What are the three core elements of the Will of Fire according to the Third Hokage?
And so on.
The most outrageous part was that there was even an essay question about the Will of Fire.
I'm from another village! How would I know anything about the Will of Fire? Who the hell would know this stuff? Damn you Konoha, stuffing your personal agenda into an official exam!
The out-of-village candidates resorted to all kinds of trickery, each trying their own methods to cheat and find answers. The skilled cheaters got what they needed; the clumsy ones were promptly escorted out.
As for Konoha's local candidates, they were mostly scratching their heads in frustration, shocked that even in a joint exam, they still couldn't escape being tested on the Will of Fire.
Sasuke was practically fuming. He had mastered Chidori and was ready to shine in the Chunin Exams, only to get stuck at the written test stage.
I don't know a single answer! Who the hell knows what the the Third Hokage's favorite color is?! This is ridiculous!
Time to cheat. Sharingan, activated!
He glanced at his teammates. Sakura writing at godspeed was expected. But why was Naruto also writing so quickly? Wasn't this guy supposed to be dead last?
He couldn't understand.
Even the dead last knows the answers, and I still have to cheat? That makes no sense.
He began to hesitate.
Naruto, however, was full of confidence. Although the earlier questions were mostly guesses and luck, no one understood the Will of Fire better than someone who had been ruthlessly trained by Hiruzen, and Jiraiya.
He skipped straight to the essay question and began to write: It's not becoming Hokage that makes people acknowledge you, it's being acknowledged that makes someone a Hokage.
Hinata snuck a glance at Naruto. Originally, she had planned to let him copy her answers. But at that moment, seeing him so focused on writing made him look especially cool. Her cheeks turned slightly red, and she lowered her head to keep working on her own test.
Torn between pride and logic, Sasuke deactivated his Sharingan and began to answer seriously.
There's no way I'll be worse than him!
He wrote his first answer: Question 1: The Third Hokage's favorite color, Red. Because the Will of Fire's fire is red!
Shikamaru was in deep shock. From the beginning, he had realized this exam was all about an intelligence battle. But after a week of observation, only the out-of-village candidates were cheating. Wait… Am I the only Konoha ninja who figured that out?
Could it be that out-of-village examinees are being tested on intelligence gathering, while locals are being tested on their understanding of the Will of Fire?
Naruto, how can you not notice that huge "sand eye" floating above your head? Why are people copying off Naruto, of all people? Are they dumb too? …Wait, could it be the Konoha candidates actually have different test content? Did I zone out when Asuma-sensei explained the test instructions?
---
Hiruzen puffed on his pipe, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Kazekage. Behind them, a group of proctors watched the written portion of the Chunin Exam through a giant crystal screen.
Watching this new generation, he sighed with deep emotion, briefly reminiscing about his youth. Back then, Tobirama was still around, Kagami was still alive, Koharu and Homura weren't so annoying yet, and Danzō hadn't become a fallen ninja.
"Feeling your age?" the Kazekage asked with a hint of teasing in his voice.
Hiruzen smiled faintly, exhaled a smoke ring, and replied slowly, "Time passes swiftly. Seeing these children just makes me feel a bit sentimental."
The Kazekage nodded, his gaze also falling onto the crystal screen, eventually locking onto Sasuke. He continued, "This written test, the questions themselves aren't the real focus. They're all based on the core ideology of your village, the Will of Fire… It's an interesting design. But I wonder if someone consumed by hatred could ever understand it. Such people probably need something more tangible, real power."
Watching the Kazekage in action, Hiruzen lightly tapped his pipe and began to speak, "The Will of Fire can grant a ninja tremendous potential. I once had a student, terrible character, poor learning ability, but he dreamed of becoming Hokage."
"Are you talking about Jiraiya?" the Kazekage wondered.
"No, I'm talking about Orochimaru."
What?!
Hiruzen said, slightly nostalgic, "He was the most talented of them all, smartest too. But because he lacked the Will of Fire, lacked conviction, he ultimately became the weakest of the Sannin. He made contracts with all big three unexplored sage regions and still couldn't master Sage Mode. He was also vulnerable to genjutsu and never had a shot at becoming Hokage. In contrast, Minato was practically the embodiment of the Will of Fire."
Bullshit. Old man, you've chosen the path to death. The Kazekage, twitched violently at the forehead. Originally, after seeing the Third Hokage seemingly regain his peak strength, he was still debating whether the Konoha Crush Plan was viable.
Now, he made up his mind. He was definitely going to make headlines.
Yet on the surface, he remained calm and simply said with a faint smile, "Are you trying to imply something?"
Hiruzen shook his head and smiled. "I'm just expressing my feelings. The power of the Will of Fire is far more important than mere jutsu or strength. Hatred may make someone stronger, but it also makes them lose themselves. Only by understanding the Will of Fire can one truly find their own path."
The Kazekage let out a cold laugh and replied mockingly, "Perhaps the Hokage's Will of Fire is only suited for the naive and idealistic."
At that moment, a sudden stir erupted in the exam hall on the crystal screen, the time was up. They immediately turned their attention back to the display.
They saw Naruto suddenly stand up, raise his test paper high, and shout, "I'm done! The Will of Fire is protecting your comrades and guarding your village! That's my answer!"
The Third Hokage took several puffs from his pipe, nodded in satisfaction, and said, "Naruto truly has the qualities of a Hokage."
---
In the exam room, the other candidates looked up in shock at Naruto.
Are all Konoha ninjas this full of positivity? Are we even in the same kind of story?
Even Sasuke paused, his actions halting, and a thought crept into his mind: Maybe the dead last really has something.
The examiner of the first test, Morino Ibiki, entered the exam room, clapping his hands, and responded to Naruto's declaration:
"Seems like you've really grasped the essence of the Will of Fire, kid."
Next, he began explaining the content and design of the exam.
There was no "Tenth Question: Pass or Fail" this time, Konoha had no say in whether other villages promoted their own candidates, and besides, this might be their last time hosting the exam. Bringing back that old gimmick would just be farcical now.
---
In a prison cell, Danzō unfolded that day's newspaper: "An Appreciation of Candidate Uzumaki Naruto's Perfect Score Essay."
He was not in a good mood today either.
