"The winner of the final match—Guts!"
Orochimaru's voice rang out, a sly chuckle slipping through his lips as he observed the results with interest.
Up in the stands, Namikaze Minato sighed in mild exasperation. He looked down at Kakashi—still unconscious—and gave Guts a half-smile.
"Guts... were you trying to kill Kakashi?"
"Of course not"
Guts replied, casually brushing off his robes.
"I had faith that you'd save him in time, Minato. After all, you have the Flying Thunder God."
Minato gave a wry smile, silently admitting that wasn't entirely wrong.
"With that," Orochimaru stepped forward, his voice cutting through the murmurs.
"The Chūnin Exams are officially concluded."
He summoned the remaining candidates still present to gather.
"Even if you didn't win,"
Orochimaru continued,
"Promotion to Chūnin will depend on your overall performance. Your respective Jōnin leaders will announce your evaluations in the coming days."
Obito, his face still wrapped in gauze, lit up with excitement.
"So even if we lost, we might still get promoted?!"
Yuhi Kurenai and Guts exchanged tired glances, while Kakashi, barely recovered, gave a sharp jab.
"You? You were knocked out with a single move. Don't get your hopes up."
"What did you say, you smug jerk?!"
Obito snapped back, more embarrassed than angry.
Despite the banter, the Chūnin Exams had officially ended. Under the guidance of their Jōnin, the candidates dispersed and left the central tower.
A few days later—
The early morning sun bathed Konoha in warm light. Guts, Kurenai, and Shizune were summoned by Tsunade to the training fields.
On the way, a familiar green blur dashed toward them, crying tears of joy.
"Guts! Guts! I did it!"
Might Guy practically tackled him, waving his newly issued Chūnin vest in the air.
Guts sidestepped, delivering a sharp kick that sent him skidding a few feet back.
"Get off."
But Guy didn't care. He stood up, wiped his nose on his sleeve, and grinned.
"I became a Chūnin! I finally did it!"
"That's amazing, Guy!"
Kurenai clapped her hands in delight.
Shizune smiled warmly as well, impressed by his spirit.
Guts also offered a brief nod with a smile.
"Well done."
To be fair, Guy's intense match with Kakashi during the third round had proven he deserved it.
Guy beamed.
"To celebrate, my father's treating us to barbecue tonight! You have to come!"
It was clear Might Duy planned to spend years of savings on this one proud moment.
As they neared the back mountain, the trio already had a good idea why Tsunade had called them.
Sure enough, once they arrived, Tsunade greeted them with a proud smile and handed Guts a black forehead protector.
"Congratulations, kid," she said, patting his shoulder.
"Starting today, you're a Jōnin."
"Whoa! That's amazing! Guts, you did it!"
Kurenai jumped in joy, as if she herself had earned the rank.
Even Shizune looked stunned.
"Wait... wasn't the Chūnin exam just... an 'interview' for your Jōnin promotion?"
Tsunade chuckled.
"After what he did to Kakashi, do we even need an interview? That display of strength was already beyond Chūnin."
Kurenai and Shizune both recalled the jaw-dropping moment Guts had crushed the stone during the final match.
That alone was enough to silence any doubters.
"If he's not qualified, I'm afraid Konoha's running low on brain," Tsunade added with a smirk.
Then she turned to the two girls, and her expression softened.
"Kurenai, Shizune…"
Both girls immediately straightened up, tension in their faces.
"It's a pity."
Despite Guts's personal training, Kurenai hadn't made the cut this time.
Her strengths lay in genjutsu, not taijutsu, and with Guts being more of a brawler, their training chemistry had its limits.
The girls were briefly disheartened but didn't let it weigh them down.
"It's fine," Kurenai said, regaining her spirit.
"There are still two chances every year."
"Next time," Shizune nodded.
"We'll get it."
Tsunade grinned.
"That's what I like to hear. Now let's go celebrate this guy's promotion with a drink!"
Kurenai whispered awkwardly,
"But... we're underage."
Tsunade waved it off.
"If you don't tell anyone, no one will know."
Shizune frowned.
"Even if we don't say anything, anyone can tell at a glance…"
Guts didn't care. With a grin, he threw his arms around both girls and dragged them along.
"Let's go."
Guts had graduated from the academy at five. Promoted to Chūnin as a child. Now, at eight years old, a full-fledged Jōnin.
His legend as a "genius" was beginning to echo through the Shinobi ranks of Konoha.
More and more began comparing him to Namikaze Minato—another civilian-born prodigy and Jiraiya's star disciple.
Only Might Guy had been promoted to Chūnin in the same exam where Guts had advanced beyond it.
But time moved on.
In the 43rd year of Konoha, when Yuhi Kurenai turned ten, she finally earned her promotion to Chūnin.
"Guts! I did it! I finally did it!"
Kurenai burst into view, waving her new Chūnin vest and nearly tripping over her own feet as she rushed toward him.
Guts caught her mid-run, pulling her into a tight hug.
"Successful, successful, successful!"
She repeated the word like a mantra, her joy bubbling over.
"I heard you the first time,"
Guts chuckled, his voice low.
But the warmth in his chest deepened.
Her ruby-like eyes sparkled with excitement as she looked up at him.
Unable to resist, Guts leaned in, silencing her breathless glee with a kiss.
The Chūnin vest slipped from her hands, forgotten.
Kurenai's control quickly slipped away under the sudden intensity, her face flushed as she gave in.
In that moment, neither of them were prodigies or shinobi.
Just two kids in the middle of a fast-spinning world, clinging to something real.
By the 44th year of Konoha, even Uchiha Obito—once labeled the academy's dead-last—had finally earned his Chūnin vest at age eleven.
Kato Shizune and Nohara Rin, both medical-nin, were promoted shortly after in the second round of evaluations.
The next generation was rising fast.
But among them, the name "Guts" had already become a legend in the making.
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