Starting with Naruto, I'll become stronger through my own efforts.

Chapter 182 The Twelve Konoha Genin Assemble

With the Joint Chunin Exams approaching, the Fifth Hokage finally broke free from his intense training regimen after being urged by Education Minister Hakuun in the morning.

Xia Zuo listened attentively to Bai Yun's morning arrangements for the exam, including details such as safety, accommodation, meals, monitoring, and exam schedule.

The Fifth Hokage flipped through the lists of applicants from various ninja villages and clicked his tongue in amazement, saying, "You did a good job this morning. There are so many qualified genin who have applied, making up more than half of all the applicants in the entire ninja world. Not bad, not bad."

Baiyun said respectfully and earnestly in the morning, "This is because the Hokage approved enough funding for me and recruited enough teachers, which is why we have achieved such results."

Xia Zuo laughed and said, "You can't say that. Simply giving money to people won't get you such a good result."

"Minister Baiyun Morning News, it is thanks to your hard work that money and people have played their proper roles, resulting in such impressive achievements."

"Thank you for your contribution."

Baiyun was calm and composed in the morning. He once faced 20 Iwagakure ninjas and was able to calmly use his swordsmanship to maintain the upper hand, ultimately escaping unscathed.

After being appointed Minister of Education, he worked diligently and never complained about the amount or difficulty of the work, nor was he ever pleased by the praise he received.

But upon hearing the Fifth Hokage's praise, the powerful Jonin couldn't help but smile.

This is praise from the Fifth Hokage, Lord Natsume; no Konoha ninja could resist it!

Xia Zuo flipped through the registration section for the five great ninja villages and couldn't help but laugh: "This is really interesting."

"Sunagakure only sent a small team of genin to participate in the exam; their decline is even worse than I expected. Even though I restrained myself last time and didn't kill a single Sunagakure ninja, do they still have no one else to choose from?"

"The Hidden Mist Village can still send out a squad of genin. This village's resources are unexpectedly abundant. After self-destructing for so many years, they can still produce excellent genin. They are as resilient as cockroaches."

"The number of ninja teams sent by Kumogakure and Iwagakure is not large, even less than that of Kusagakure."

Baiyun said in the morning, "Lord Hokage, although the number of genin sent by the five great ninja villages is not large, they are definitely the best talents selected by hand. When we enter the third stage, the ratio of the number of people will definitely be reversed."

Xia Zuo saw the detailed registration list and his mouth twitched. He said with a wry smile, "Haha, you were right this morning. In the end, the genin from the five great ninja villages will definitely win."

Looking at the familiar names on the list, he couldn't help but keep complaining:

[Deidara of Iwagakure, Onoki, you're shameless! This kid already has the strength of an elite Jonin, yet he's signed up for the Chunin Exams?]

[Darui from Kumogakure, I remember that kid will become the Fifth Raikage in a few years. His teammates are Shi and Samui.]

[Very good. Jonin three years from now, no, elite Jonin? Right now they're all Genin?]

The genin of Sunagakure are—ah, it's Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari—

[Good, good, good, another Shadow about to rise to power.]

The Fourth Kazekage still sent all his children, but this time he probably doesn't have any ulterior motives, given how weak the One-Tailed Beast is.

[Is the Hidden Mist Village's genin Haku? Hozuki Suigetsu?]

"Yes, I understand. The Fourth Mizukage died three or four years ago, so Zabuza Momochi and Haku returned to Kirigakure."

[Orochimaru was also trapped in Konoha, and didn't have time to go to Kirigakure to collect materials, which is why Hozuki Suigetsu was able to escape unscathed.]

[The Hidden Mist Village should thank me, otherwise none of you would have been able to participate in the Chunin Exams.]

Noticing Xia Zuo's strange expression, Bai Yun couldn't help but ask in the morning, "Hokage-sama, is there a problem with this registration list?"

Xia Zuo shook his head and said, "No problem, it's just that this list is full of hidden talents, which makes me feel a bit emotional."

Bai Yun's expression changed slightly in the morning: "Does the Hokage mean that there's something wrong with the genin from the four great ninja villages?"

Xia Zuo replied, "It's not really a problem. The genin they sent out were incredibly strong, practically monsters."

"Fortunately, there are monsters among the genin of Konoha, and more than one."

Although Xia Zuo found it acceptable, Bai Yun secretly became more vigilant in the morning.

The Fifth Hokage convened the joint Chunin Exams not only to reaffirm Konoha's authority over the ninja world, but also to demonstrate Konoha's potential.

Xia Zuo wanted the ninja world to understand that Konoha's dominance did not rely on him alone, but on countless excellent Konoha ninjas, and that there would be even more excellent Jonin in the future.

For a long time to come, Konoha will be invincible in the ninja world, so the four great ninja villages must give up the idea of ​​opposing Konoha.

Xia Zuo suddenly asked, "Who do you think will be the final champion this morning?"

Baiyun shook his head helplessly in the morning and said, "I can't say for sure, but it will definitely be selected from the four squads led by the ninjas personally appointed by you."

He was referring to the Konoha Twelve. To avoid hindering the development of these future powerful ninjas, Xia Zuo personally appointed four ninja teams and their instructors, Jonin.

Team 3: Tenten, Neji Hyuga, Rock Lee, instructed by Jonin Might Guy.

Team 7: Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, instructed by Jonin Kakashi Hatake.

Team 8: Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuya, Shino Aburame, and Jonin Shiki Aburame.

Team 10: Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choji, Yamanaka Ino, instructed by Jonin Sarutobi Asuma.

Overall, there weren't many changes, except that the instructor of Team 8, Jonin, was replaced by Shizuka Aburame, who was exceptionally allowed to take care of his son.

Sarutobi Asuma's appointment was a reward for his cooperation in dismantling the Sarutobi clan.

Historically, the Third Hokage made this arrangement to pave the way for Asuma to become Hokage. However, the Fifth Hokage, Natsumi, made the same arrangement to imply to all Konoha ninja that the Hokage had no intention of annihilating the Sarutobi clan and that the attack on the Sarutobi clan would end there.

Therefore, Kurenai Yuhi, Asuma Sarutobi's girlfriend, did not receive any special treatment and remains a special Jonin.

Not only was she not strong enough, but as a genjutsu ninja, she was also not suitable to instruct the "reconnaissance team" of Konoha Village, so Xia Zuo naturally replaced her.

Xia Zuo hesitated for a long time about whether to continue arranging Haruno Sakura in Team 7.

But after reviewing all the information on this year's graduates, he had to admit that the pink-haired girl was the most suitable third person for Class 7.

Xia Zuo did not consider whether Naruto Uzumaki would accept it.

Having used a "mask" to resist Ashura's chakra corruption and having seen his biological father, Naruto Uzumaki is gradually returning to his original form every day.

In other words, he's becoming more and more like Minato Namikaze every day.

At the age of 12, Naruto Uzumaki was outstanding in appearance, strength, achievements, personality, tolerance, and affability. Xia Zuo believed that he could get along well with any teammate.

Xia Zuo's main concern was the issue of Uchiha Sasuke.

After being driven insane by Itachi Uchiha, this kid became sensitive and suspicious, extremely picky about people and things, and found it difficult to get along with others.

Even among teammates, he only accepts ninjas whose strength and status are comparable to his own.

Hinata Hyuga comes from a noble family and has great potential, but her strength is pathetic and her personality is too cowardly, which cannot be changed in a short time.

Yamanaka Ino comes from a good background, is very talented, and has a cheerful and generous personality, but she is a member of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, and there is no reason to break them up.

Therefore, Sakura Haruno became the only candidate with potential.

Sakura has excellent grades, consistently ranking second in academic subjects, surpassing Sasuke Uchiha.

Although she came from a very humble background and had significant personality problems, both of these could be changed in a short period of time.

Xia Zuo knew that Sakura Haruno's personality problems stemmed from her rare dual-soul constitution.

Hidden within her is another personality: the inner Ying is decisive, resolute, and ruthless, while the outer Ying is insecure, weak, and pretentious. Both personalities are too extreme, likely due to a malfunction in her psychological balance mechanism.

This is an illness, and it can be cured.

Secondly, the problem of being of humble origin can be changed instantly by taking a master.

Xia Zuo handed her over to Yamanaka Inoichi and Tsunade, and through a series of psychological interventions combined with medical treatment, they resolved Haruno Sakura's psychological problems.

Although Sakura Haruno failed to achieve the fusion of her two souls, the outer Sakura gained a firm and decisive quality and richer, more delicate emotions, while the inner Sakura became calm and focused, only interested in training and battle.

This internal and external configuration can be described as perfect.

Moreover, during the treatment, Tsunade noticed that Sakura Haruno had quite good potential. Her dual souls made her mental strength strong, and she was also good at precise control of chakra. She was born to be a medical ninja.

But Tsunade only thought about it and didn't actually consider taking him on as a disciple.

She now has a leisurely job, a high status, and is surrounded by apprentices and followers in the hospital. At work, she is flattered and served, and after get off work, she goes home to drink wine and eat delicious food.

Occasionally, when the elders of the Senju clan urge Tsunade to have children, which annoys her, she can find her lover to play mahjong with to vent her emotions.

Why add a burden to your already comfortable life?

However, no matter how much Tsunade resisted taking on a disciple, she couldn't refuse the Fifth Hokage Natsume's request and could only reluctantly accept Sakura Haruno as her disciple.

There's nothing we can do about it; after all, Tsunade is the woman who became the Fifth Hokage.

If Lady Tsunade angers the Fifth Hokage, she will suffer a great loss tonight.

The saying "There are only oxen that die from exhaustion, not fields that are ruined by plowing" holds true in the world of ordinary people, but it doesn't apply to the extraordinary world of the ninja world.

After all, the Fifth Hokage possessed the Swift Release technique, which he had painstakingly trained, and had also developed the "Emperor Engine"—that wasn't given to him for nothing!

As Tsunade's apprentice, Sakura Haruno's background is on par with Sasuke Uchiha, since Sasuke is also an apprentice of Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin.

After becoming Tsunade's apprentice, Sakura Haruno displayed talent in medicine and superhuman strength. Under Tsunade's guidance, she developed the talent of having two souls in one body, which is completely different from the cowardly and incompetent green tea in the original work.

Even the proud and arrogant Uchiha Sasuke had nothing to say when faced with Haruno Sakura, who was his equal in every way and whose personality had changed drastically. He tacitly accepted her as his teammate.

Sakura Haruno's strength has greatly improved, but the gap between her and Sasuke Uchiha is still quite large.

Sasuke Uchiha became Orochimaru's apprentice earlier, and under Orochimaru's tutelage, Sasuke was able to build a solid foundation and master various Orochimaru-style secret techniques.

As a member of the Uchiha clan, Sasuke Uchiha naturally participated when the Fifth Hokage experimented with bloodline limits within the Uchiha clan.

With his talent in Lightning Release and Fire Release, he successfully fused the Flame Release Kekkei Genkai, and even induced his Sharingan to awaken the double tomoe, resulting in a sudden and significant increase in his strength.

Uchiha Sasuke, who graduated this year, bears no resemblance to the Sasuke in the original history whose entire family was wiped out. His clan members did not die out, he was mentally ill but not insane, and his strength was ridiculously powerful.

To be precise, the current Uchiha Sasuke only needs one finger to kill that "top student" Sasuke.

But even with this, Sasuke Uchiha was second in his grade, and he wholeheartedly admitted that he was inferior to Naruto Uzumaki in every aspect.

Because of the Fifth Hokage's will, Naruto Uzumaki did not become Jiraiya's apprentice, but he was the apprentice of the Fifth Hokage, Natsume, who was of a significantly higher status.

His only disciple.

Xia Zuo valued Naruto Uzumaki highly, and even amidst his busy training, he took time to personally guide him through the basics, teaching him all the ninjutsu of Wind Release and Lightning Release.

After overthrowing the Third Hokage, Xia Zuo, in the process of purging the Sarutobi clan, found the Uzumaki clan's sealing technique inheritance scroll and information.

These legacies belonging to Kushina Uzumaki were all returned to Naruto Uzumaki by Xia Zuo, who simply used his position as a teacher to read and study them, and to teach Naruto sealing techniques.

After Naruto Uzumaki mastered the Adamantine Sealing Technique through his bloodline power, the Nine-Tails Kurama within him suddenly became exceptionally easy to talk to and particularly willing to communicate with Naruto.

Then, Xia Zuo understood why everyone said that Naruto Uzumaki's talk-no-jutsu was invincible.

Within just a few months of starting to communicate, the proud Kurama was won over by Naruto Uzumaki and wholeheartedly recognized Naruto as his friend.

The conquered Kurama became exceptionally considerate, not only willingly providing chakra to Naruto, but also earnestly helping Naruto control his own chakra.

With the help of Kurama (the Nine-Tails), Naruto Uzumaki was able to don the Tailed Beast Cloak with nine tails, activate half-Tailed Beast transformation, and even attempted full Tailed Beast transformation.

Of course, that time wasn't for a battle, but to let the Nine-Tailed Kurama get some fresh air and experience the feeling of freedom.

From that day on, the "perfect Jinchūriki," Naruto Uzumaki, was born.

Although Sasuke Uchiha had never witnessed the Tailed Beast Cloak, Half-Tailed Beast Transformation, or Full-Tailed Beast Transformation, he had experienced Naruto Uzumaki's Wind Release and Lightning Release in actual combat, as well as his massive chakra and the Nine-Tails' chakra.

After repeated failures, Sasuke Uchiha, though his fighting spirit never waned, accepted the fact that Naruto Uzumaki was stronger than him.

Sasuke became even more diligent as a result. He pestered Orochimaru for guidance, voluntarily increased his training time, and tried his best to catch up.