In Naruto with the Flame-Flame Fruit

The final stage of the Chūnin Exams had begun.

At the entrance to the Konoha arena, Kiyosuke turned to his two teammates and asked,

"What the hell have you two been doing these past few days? How did you end up like this?"

Kurenai and Asuma were both covered in scrapes and bandages wrapped around their hands.

Scratching his nose, Asuma said, "You don't get it. Scars are the marks of a true man!"

Kiyosuke rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, but those scars aren't on you—they're on Kurenai. She's going to be a beauty when she grows up. If she ends up with scars now, that's not a good look."

No girl doesn't care about her appearance. As soon as he said that, Kurenai started to worry.Asuma patted his chest and declared,

"Even if Kurenai turns into an ugly hag, I'd still like her!"

You're dead.

"What did you just say?! You're the one who's going to turn into an ugly hag!"

Kurenai's furious punch slammed right into Asuma.

"And that," Kiyosuke said, watching her walk away, "is exactly why you'll never get her."

"Hmph! Girls are just shy. I'm too good-looking—that's why she's too embarrassed to confess."

No, your Sarutobi clan just has way too much body hair. You and the word "handsome" aren't even on the same planet.

Looking at Asuma's overly mature face, Kiyosuke decided to keep that to himself.

Instead, he just said, "At this rate, you're gonna be single for life."

Kurenai ending up with this guy one day felt like a miracle.

Maybe she waited too long to find someone mature and dependable.

Then one look around at her peers, and there's Asuma—sporting a full-grown beard, looking mature and dependable by default.

So she chose him?

That's just tragic.

"No way! I'm too good-looking to stay single forever!"

"Look me in the eye and say that again."

"You bastard! Don't think just because you're good-looking you can do whatever you want!"

"Sorry, but being good-looking really does mean I can do whatever I want."

Kiyosuke laughed and stepped through the gates into Konoha's arena.

...

The spectator stands were already packed.

Besides the Genin participants, many of the jōnin instructors had also arrived to watch.

Yūhi Shinku was already waiting inside.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, made his appearance, flanked by Orochimaru and Jiraiya, each with their students in tow. Even the way he walked carried weight.

As they entered, the noisy arena quieted instantly.

A group of Genin stared up at them—this was Konoha's top military power.

Take them out, and the village would be crippled...

Not that anyone seriously thought they could.

Hiruzen coughed lightly and said,

"Now then, the final round of the exams will begin. The fifteen remaining candidates will all be eligible for promotion to Chūnin. Enough talk—let's begin."

A figure dropped down into the arena.

"Hokage-sama, I'll take it from here."

"I'm counting on you."

Hiruzen took a seat in the best viewing spot, with Orochimaru and Jiraiya beside him.

Jiraiya chuckled.

"Orochimaru, I never thought you'd bother showing up. Finally decided to care about your student?"

Orochimaru replied, "I'm just here to see how much he's grown."

"You say that, but you ran off to do your experiments. That kid came to me for help. You should take your role as a teacher a little more seriously."

"He told me. He said he traded a jutsu for your guidance—it was a fair deal. Jiraiya, what jutsu did he offer, anyway?"

Orochimaru had asked Kiyosuke before, but the boy had dodged the question. He wanted to hear it from Jiraiya.

Jiraiya's face twitched slightly. He coughed and said,

"A very impressive jutsu, let's leave it at that. Orochimaru, your student's a genius, no doubt about it."

"Of course he is."

"With his abilities and his kekkei genkai, there aren't many who could beat him."

"I've told him—he's not to use that special kekkei genkai unless absolutely necessary."

Orochimaru had studied it. Though he hadn't uncovered the full mystery of Kiyosuke's clan, he'd concluded one thing: it wasn't a special elemental jutsu, but rather a unique physical constitution—one that could turn the user into living flame. Extremely rare.

"Why limit his power?"

"To make him grow faster," Orochimaru said airily.

Hiruzen listened to his two students chat with a smile.

"Well, let's just wait and see."

...

Down below, the proctor began explaining the rules.

"Each participant will go through two matches. Opponents will be selected at random. Lethal force and permanent injury are forbidden. Anyone who breaks the rules will be disqualified from the exams for life. Now then, the first match will be..."

The large screen on the wall began shuffling names randomly.

It finally stopped.

"Asakawa Kiyosuke vs. Pakura!"

"Well, well. Looks like the first match is this kid, huh?"

Jiraiya looked amused.

"And it's a kekkei genkai user from Sunagakure. I wonder how their bloodline compares to ours."

"Scorch Release, huh? That's a dangerous one. Can't believe Sunagakure actually let her participate," Orochimaru said.

Kekkei genkai users were precious assets to the major villages.

Once they matured, they were practically guaranteed to become elite jōnin—if they didn't get themselves killed first.

Letting them out to other villages before they'd matured was a serious gamble.

Even though the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire were allied nations, their villages still held grudges and kept each other at arm's length.

If a kekkei genkai user were harmed under foreign care, and things weren't handled properly, it could lead to war.

"Let's just watch for now."

...

"Seriously, I'm first? What kind of luck is this?"

A debut match? Not what he wanted at all.

They should've sent in Kakashi.

During the last war, his dad had practically painted Sunagakure red with blood. They were still shaking.

"Good luck, Kiyosuke!"

"Yeah, go get 'em!"

Kurenai and Asuma cheered him on.

Yūhi Shinku added, "Be careful. Your opponent's a kekkei genkai user from Sunagakure—not an easy fight."

"I know."

Kiyosuke stepped onto the railing and jumped down, landing cleanly on the platform.

Across from him, little Pakura walked up with a serious face.

She was clearly a future beauty—would've grown into a stunning woman.

Too bad she got screwed over in the end.

After confirming their identities, the proctor announced,

"Third Round of the Chūnin Exams—First Match: Asakawa Kiyosuke vs. Pakura. Begin!"

He quickly jumped back, giving them space.

"Come at me, Konoha ninja!"

Pakura was clearly fired up.

She was determined to show the pride of Sunagakure—and the strength of its kunoichi!

"Alright, but before we fight, I've got a question."

"Huh?" Pakura blinked, confused.

"What is it?"

"What kind of guy do you like?"

The entire arena fell silent.

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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