-(POV: Shikaku Nara)-
Leaning forward, elbows on my knees, I sigh to myself. This situation was truly the work of some god that hated him. Looking to my side were my longtime comrades, Inoichi and Chōza.
"He's the strongest genin I've seen or will ever see. Smarter than Kakashi at that age, and twice as focused. Only Minato had this kind of raw promise… but had to climb without a ladder. Raiden was born halfway up." I say with a frown.
Inoichi narrowed his eyes. "You sound concerned."
"I am," I said. "Because kids like that aren't just aimed for power. They become pivotal. And pivotal people have a habit of shifting the entire game board when they move."
"So what do we do?" Chōza asked.
"We watch. Closely. And we ensure the Ino-Shika-Cho trio never lands on his bad side."
On a different area of the Chunin exam arena...
...
-(POV: Shibi Aburame)-
"He's just showing off, observe his movements. If he wanted to he could have ended this the moment the fight started." I explain my voice rigid.
Watching my son who seemed interested in the fight I nod in approval.
He has progressed well with his studies in his first year, with his tactical mind being very sound at a young age.
Shino tilted his head. "Is he really that strong?"
Raiden was his age, of course, it was only natural the young heir was questioning this.
"Monsters are born different. Never compare yourself to such." I calmly said staring forward with my expression masked. "In his profile, his specialty is speed paired with kenjutsu, was that ever used in the last few battles?"
"No..." The young kid answers looking down in thought.
At a further corner of the venue was the clan head of the Uchiha. With his own heir and his wife next to him, the youngest was nowhere in sight.
...
-(POV: Fugaku Uchiha)-
The silence between Mikoto and me was broken only by the distant calls of Jounin instructors and the gentle hum of the crowd.
"Quite the talent at his age," I finally said. "Very lethal with his ninjutsu."
Mikoto looked at me. "You approve?"
"I respect it," I say remembering the combination jutsu.
It was the specialty of the Third Hokage, the shinobi no kami. According to my information, he's getting private sessions with the professor and is making great use of it.
Advanced intellect, prodigious learning talent, and a work ethic to boot.
Itachi's eyes hadn't left Raiden since the fight.
"What do you see, Itachi?" I ask.
"He doesn't fight to win," Itachi said softly. "Toying with your opponent is shameful."
Looking at my son, my eyes soften.
"A shinobi without sentiment," Fugaku murmured. "Everyone has their hidden agendas Itachi, never forget that."
The prodigy hearing this just narrowed his eyes and kept looking down at the stadium.
"Should we reach out to him?" Mikoto asked.
"No," Fugaku said. "Let's make sure he never sees us as a threat."
...
-(POV: Hiashi)-
Folding my arms, I watch the boy who just flickered back into the stands.
"You've worked with him. Is he as ruthless as the rumours suggest?" I ask my brother next to me.
Hisashi nodded. "Yes. But only to enemies. To comrades… he's decisive and protective. He leads, not just commands."
"And his loyalty?"
"Selective. But strong. He values bonds that prove themselves. Best to not do any weird political maneuvers against him to build resentment. Just stay out of the way..."
I gave a long breath. "Perhaps… realign some of our loyalties."
"It would be wise," Hisashi said. "He doesn't have problems."
...
-(3rd Person's POV)-
The roar of the audience faded into background noise behind the high balcony of Konoha's leadership. From the shadows of the overhang, four of the village's most seasoned minds watched the arena floor with silent intensity.
Hiruzen's pipe rested unlit between his fingers.
His gaze never left the boy.
"A little while ago," he murmured, "Raiden visited me which was just before his graduation. It was routine, or so I thought. He wanted to hear more about the Second Hokage's campaigns and his ambush strategies, his reasoning behind cutting off water routes during the River Conflict."
Danzo raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Hiruzen continued, "But what struck me wasn't his questions. It was his presence. Raw unbridled bloodlust that he's trying to control still settling in his bones.
"Homura frowned. "Bloodlust?"
"Yes," Hiruzen confirmed. "The kind that comes after a real kill. Not sparring. Not drills. Something that lingers. I didn't ask… but I noted it."
Danzo gave a small, dismissive shrug. "He's been active. Circumstances require flexibility. You know that."
"Flexibility," Hiruzen echoed, glancing sidelong. "Or secrecy?"
Danzo's tone was cool. "Both. He's protected. Root watches over him when needed. That's all you need to know."
Koharu interjected, "You should be focusing on the outcome, Hiruzen. You've probably been with him longer than Danzo."
Homura added, "And he's not just strong. He's composed. Cold when needed. But respectful of hierarchy. That's rare."
Hiruzen exhaled slowly. "He reminds me of Itachi."
Danzo blinked narrowing his eyes. "Really?"
"Itachi has the soul of a Hokage," Hiruzen said. "He sees the village through a wide lens. He knows what peace should look like."
He paused. "But Raiden…" The three turned toward him, waiting.
"Raiden has the mind of a Hokage," Hiruzen said at last. "He sees not just the peace, but the mechanisms that keep or destroy it. He understands the roots of war, the cost of silence, the weight of decisions others would flinch from."
"Exactly," Danzo said, pleased. "He isn't distracted by ideals. He operates in reality."
"Which is dangerous," Hiruzen retorts. "Because if he walks too far into that reality… he may lose his empathy."
"Empathy is a liability. But even so, his subordinates keep him grounded." Danzo countered.
These words softened his stance a little acknowledging the harmonious interactions between Raiden and his entourage.
While a bit chaotic, there were some genuine laughs.
"Empathy," Hiruzen replied, "Is what makes a Hokage more than a weapon."
"Let's not pretend," Koharu said, "That this boy will not be beyond ordinary. He's the son of your bloodline, Danzo and is a prodigy. He will carve out his own path without our input."
Homura gave a knowing nod. "And now the village sees him. The clans will adjust. Even the Uchiha are watching with care."
"Let them," Danzo said. "He will outgrow their irrelevance. According to my statistics, shinobi clans will be outgrown by civilian shinobi over time in the future. Shinobi clan's presence will wane."
They returned their attention to the arena. Konoha's leaders waited to see the boy become Konoha's protector.
...
-(POV: Raiden Shimura)-
"Begin!" The instructor calls out as he uses the [Body Flicker].
Immediately after he said announced the start of the battle, I made space between myself and Fuyuna and unsealed my ninjato.
Fuyuna not having the same thoughts though, off the bat threw four shurikens in my direction. Not wanting to get hit, I deflect all four hits with my ninjato.
*Ting* *Ting* *Ting* *Ting*
After deflecting the shurikens, I made a ram seal and used [Fire Release: Great Fire Wall Technique].
*Roar!* The roaring wall of flames, crackled its way towards Fuyuna who was currently making hand seals. Not wanting to just spectate, I make another ram seal and use [Earth Style: Earth Wall] shortly after.
Before I could make the earth wall though I heard water starting to flush.
She uses [Water Release: Wild Water Wave] as she concentrates chakra in her mouth. Soon after she uses the ninjutsu, I make a [Earth Style: Earth Wall] and make two [Shadow Clones].
Both of them already knew what their job was, they left my position without Fuyuna noticing.
*Hiss*
Now with my Clones off to make a trap, I sense Fuyuna recovering from the attack and readying herself. Knowing that she has seen my previous fight, she might think I'm a [Shadow Clone].
This can be an advantage as she will always be on guard and trying to watch out for others. Running to the right side of my wall, I wait for the smoke from both of our ninjutsu to dissipate before engaging Fuyuna.
*Schwing*
Fuyuna using a kunai, tries her best to parry my hits but to no avail. She wasn't able to keep up with my speed and combat experience, so I was able to get quite a few cuts out of our short exchange.
Near the end of this exchange though I purposelessly let her cut me to indicate I'm not a [Shadow Clone].
"What?" She murmurs with widened eyes.
Now that she knew that I was not a fake, I ran towards the forest part of the battlefield. I had a plan and I planned on sticking to the plan I made.
With Fuyuna hot on my track, she throws another four shurikens.
*Swish*
Not bothering to deflect them with my katana, I dodge two and let the other two hit me to further bait her into my trap.
'Tch.' Gritting my teeth at the pain, I persisted and kept on running.
Running past two trees that are a decent chunk of space wide, Fuyuna suddenly stops to see the metal wire on the ground.
"You seriously think this would work!" She says in a provocative tone. Not bothering to respond I wait on the other side of the metal wire with a smirk.
"Tch." Clicking her tongue, she jumped over the metal wire just to trip over a different metal wire made her get trapped by a Genjutsu.
Unknown to her I had a second clone to setup a different type of painted metal wire to blend in with the area. And with this instance she got baited pretty hard, my acting was pretty good was it not?
"Winner, Raiden Shimura!" The instructor announces making the crowd go wild after seeing my performance.
"That was amazing kid!"
"Honey we should hire him as a bodyguard."
"Let's go Raiden!"
Looking into the crowd with a similar smile from before, I spot a certain Hokage giving me a nod.
Facing his direction I give a bow to him and the village elders.
…
"I'll head out with Bird," I tell Asashi as he nods at me. With Bird now "following" me, I start to head outside the compound. It's been a day since the Chunin exams and I'm pretty sure the results will announced by the end of the week.
I'm heading off to the park after sensing someone I've wanted to speak to for a while now.
Sakura…
A person who was inherently very "useless". I would almost always agree as Naruto fan, but as a Boruto watcher this is not the case. It's fortunate to say but I've read her very own light novel and know just a little bit of stuff.
For example, after the war. She trained for 2-3 years on her physical prowess and guess what? Her base form without any chakra enhancing her is as strong as 8th gate Guy.
Not only is that pure fuckery but it's also even more bullshit seeing how it tells us that she would probably be the most talented shinobi without plot armour to exist.
In the Naruto series her special move was the move called [Naruto! Sasuke!] while in Boruto it's called [Catch these hands] which coincidentally are not the same moves.
Crazy right?
The main reason I hated her was because of how she insulted an orphan about being an orphan in front of an orphan in the anime.
That was awkward as hell.
If you actually didn't hate her, then you would know how thankful we have to be she didn't learn useless genjutsu. Even with her feats like breaking out of a genjutsu Naruto couldn't against Toneri, it's a bit much.