Naruto: Faint Smile.

Author Note: We are back to the normal order, sorry for the previous mistake.

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I'm currently updating the novel 1 or 2 chapter a day in patreeeeon. On chapter 104 right now.

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Enjoy you sexy bastards.

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 [Sarutobi Hiruzen - POV.]

I had faced many challenges in my time as Hokage—wars, political intrigue, even the occasional attempt on my life from both enemies and friends—but never had I encountered a problem quite like this one. I stood behind the podium, where… if things had gone the way they were supposed to, I would've announced the beginning of phase three of the exams. Instead, I found myself looking out at the crowd gathered in the Chunin Exams' arena.

My gaze swept over the shinobi from various villages, their faces a mix of confusion, disbelief, and, in some cases, barely suppressed anger.

Foreign Jonin, Konoha's own elite shinobi, and a small army of civilians who had bought tickets to watch the fights all stared back at me. Their expressions were as varied as the different villages they hailed from. But one thing was clear: they were all waiting for me to explain how, exactly, we had reached this absurd conclusion.

If only I had the answer…

I sighed, glancing down at the scroll in my hand. The results were plain as day, but that didn't make this any easier. In the center of the arena, three genin stood calmly. Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Shisui, and Arata Takeshi—each of them looking completely unfazed by the uproar they had caused. In fact, I was almost certain they were amused…

This was not how the Chunin Exams were supposed to go. Not even when geniuses were in the mix… this was unprecedented, in every conceivable way. They had created a record that, by all means, should've never existed.

The exams were meant to be a rigorous test, an event that would weed out all but the most capable shinobi. And while it was true the occasional genius would… change how things worked here and there, we were still supposed to see the best of the best fight for their promotions in the final phase.

But how could there be a final phase when these three young prodigies had, quite literally, eliminated the competition?

And I do mean that literally. They had made sure no team could pass by collecting almost every scroll, leaving no chance for the others to pass. And that was without considering the fact that young Takeshi had killed quite… a lot of participants, which, even though hadn't been without reason, and the exams had that risk… well, it would be a pain to explain to the other villages.

Taking a deep breath, I cleared my throat, trying to find the right words, but my mind was still reeling. How had things gone so wrong? If I had known these three were going to do that, I would've just promoted them without the need for taking the exam… it would've certainly saved me the headache—soon to be migraine—I had right now.

I should've seen it coming… but then again, how could I have predicted this? It had started off normally enough—teams from all over the Shinobi world had gathered in Konoha, ready to test their skills and represent their villages. Everything had been going according to plan until... well, until it wasn't.

Everything had been going well until these three had gone through the forest like a plague, decimating every team that stood in their way. From what the reports said—and I still had trouble believing them—it wasn't just that they had won every encounter; it was that they had done so with almost casual ease.

"Lord Third, perhaps you should start," one of my aides whispered urgently, glancing nervously at the increasingly impatient crowd. I shot him a look that clearly said: Do you want to try this?—but of course, he just stepped back, leaving me to face this mess alone.

I sighed again. There was no way around it; what's done is done, and all that is left is learning from my mistakes. "Thank you all for your patience," I began, my voice carrying over the murmurs of the crowd. "I understand that the outcome of this year's Chunin Exams has been... unconventional, to say the least."

Unconventional was one word for it. Disaster was another.

"So… due to the unique circumstances of this exam, there will be no third phase," I continued, watching as the crowd of civilians began booing at me. "As you are all aware, the objective of the second phase was to eliminate teams until only the strongest remained. It seems we have succeeded... perhaps too well."

A few snickers came from the crowd, but they were quickly silenced by glares from the Jonin. Oh, they weren't happy. Not one bit. I could see the frustration in their eyes—especially within the foreign Jonin whose teams had been humiliated by these three. The fact that these prodigies were only children seemed to add insult to injury.

The youngest group... yet the only ones to pass.

"There is, of course, the matter of how to proceed," I said, trying to maintain my composure. "With only one team left standing, the usual tournament format is no longer viable."

The murmurs and booing grew louder, and I could see some of the foreign Jonin exchanging uneasy glances. I couldn't blame them… really, after all, this was supposed to be an exam that tested and displayed the skills of shinobi from different villages—a chance for them to earn respect and recognition, and… jobs down the line. But with only three participants remaining... well, the whole thing was starting to feel like a farce.

I sighed, smiling at the crowd. "Therefore, after careful consideration, and knowing what I know, I have decided to declare Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Shisui, and Arata Takeshi as the winners of this year's Chunin Exams. They have earned their promotions."

More like their little game had forced me to promote them. Not to say they weren't ready to be Chunins… but this little display of skill they had shown had basically forced the promotions. I mean, if you think the other villages will be mad after this turn of events… you can't conceive just how mad they will be when the ones that humiliated them were deemed unworthy of being promoted.

There was a moment of stunned silence, and then the crowd erupted. Some cheered, some booed, and others simply looked too shocked to react. I could hear the outraged protests from the foreign Jonin, demanding explanations, possibly thinking there was some foul play at hand, claiming that the exams had been unfair, that their teams hadn't stood a chance due to our trickery.

If only that was the reason... that would've been easier to explain.

I held up a hand, calling for silence. "I understand your concerns," I said, my voice firm. "But the fact remains that these three shinobi have proven themselves beyond a doubt. They have demonstrated the skills, intelligence, and determination required of a Chunin. As such, I have no reservations in promoting them to that rank."

I did have my reservations, especially about the way they went about this. But that was for me to know, and for the others to never find out.

As the noise died down, I glanced back at the three young shinobi standing in the arena. Shisui was grinning like a fox who had just raided the chicken coop, Itachi remained calm and stoic as ever, and Takeshi... well, Takeshi simply looked… bored.

He was bored… He had passed the Chunin Exams in a way no one had ever done before, giving me the biggest headache of my career in the process, and he was bored? Oh no… I can't believe I didn't see it sooner… he's just like Sensei… Kami have mercy on us.

"Congratulations," I said, my voice carrying across the arena. "You three are now officially Chunins of Konoha."

And just like that, it was done. But I had a feeling this was only the beginning of the headaches these three were going to cause me in the future. I really needed to retire. Maybe if I begged Jiraiya hard enough, he would take this damned cursed hat from me.