The Forgemage of Konoha

The Test

Ten days had passed since the frontline troops had returned. During that time, Shirō had been cultivating quietly, awaiting Orochimaru's notification.

The most notable event during this period was Tsunade's departure from the village to travel. From this, Shirō deduced that her proposal for a medical ninja on every team had, just like in the original timeline, been rejected. Personally, Shirō supported Tsunade's idea—having a dedicated medical ninja on a squad significantly improved survival odds.

Unfortunately, personal opinion held little weight. The higher-ups in Konoha had broader considerations. What those were, Shirō couldn't say. All he could do was criticize from the sidelines. If he were actually in charge, Konoha might collapse within two days.

So he didn't dwell on the issue. He merely accompanied Minato and the others to see Tsunade off, and then turned his attention back to more pressing matters—Orochimaru had told him to prepare. The Ryūchi Cave test was about to begin.

Interestingly, this test also doubled as his official Chūnin assessment. Logically speaking, Shirō shouldn't have needed one. His strength and combat experience already met the Chūnin standard, and his squad leader had endorsed him. Normally, that would've been enough.

To clarify: there are three common paths to becoming a Chūnin in Konoha.

Passing the Chūnin Exams – These are either internal (within the village) or joint (between villages). Both are grueling, often designed more to identify elite talents than fairly evaluate average Genin. A prime example is the first Chūnin Exam Naruto took—of all the Konoha Genin, only Shikamaru was promoted, despite their team later defeating a Jōnin from Otogakure.

Battlefield Promotion – Granted based on distinguished service during missions or wartime. It's more common during large-scale conflicts when talent must be recognized quickly.

Squad Leader Recommendation – By far the most common path. A squad leader submits a nomination, and the village arranges an assessment. Many average or civilian-born ninja become Chūnin this way.

Naruto himself might have remained a Genin not due to a lack of strength, but because of the political implications of his status as a Jinchūriki.

In Shirō's case, however, the village made an exception by assigning a formal evaluation—likely symbolic, given his strength and accomplishments. But it still meant something: the higher-ups were finally paying attention again.

Though he'd already drawn attention when he shared Reinforcement Magic with the village, that interest had gradually faded. Now, however, just the fact that he was a Ryūchi Cave contractor made him someone worth cultivating.

---

Shirō arrived at the test location while deep in thought. Orochimaru was already waiting. To his surprise, so were the Third Hokage and Kushina. The presence of the Hokage startled him at first, but seeing Kushina by his side clarified things.

"Hokage-sama, Orochimaru-senpai, I apologize for keeping you waiting," he said respectfully, bowing.

"Shirō! What about me? Minato and I came with the Third Hokage, you know!" Kushina huffed.

"Kushina, don't speak so casually about the Hokage," Minato chided gently. Then, turning to Shirō, he smiled. "Don't worry, we only just arrived. We'll be watching from the sidelines. Good luck."

He bowed to the Hokage and Orochimaru, then tugged Kushina away.

"Hehe, I'll be watching too! Do your best, Shirō—you're one of the village's hopes."

"You flatter me, Hokage-sama."

"Then, Shirō-kun," Orochimaru began, voice soft but expectant, "are you ready?"

"Yes, Orochimaru-senpai. I'm ready."

"Let's begin, then. Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

With a burst of smoke, a giant snake emerged—roughly two stories tall. Though intimidating, it didn't shake Shirō. After all, he had once seen Manda from a distance—this snake was nothing in comparison.

"Senpai, just to confirm—can I use any method to defeat it?"

"As long as you repel it, Shirō-kun, the method doesn't matter."

"Then this will be easy." Shirō grinned confidently.

"You brat! Don't get cocky—die!" the snake hissed, lunging at him with terrifying speed.

Shirō sidestepped fluidly and formed hand seals.

"Eight Gates: Modified, Open!"

Having spent considerable time with Might Dai, Shirō had long since learned of the Eight Inner Gates. But unlike Guy and Dai, he lacked their iron conviction and self-sacrificial drive. Shirō had no plans to cultivate the full technique—in fact, he would never go beyond the Third Gate.

Instead, he had created a modified version of the Eight Gates. Easier to activate, but with amplified drawbacks. Opening one gate was akin to opening four in terms of physical strain. Chakra became unstable—more destructive than useful—and there was no meaningful enhancement to Taijutsu.

Unacceptable.

So he turned to Kushina, who helped him persuade the Third Hokage to assist in stabilizing the technique. The goal was to reduce the side effects to the level of the Second Gate while preserving everything else. Since the technique was tailored to Shirō's physiology—particularly his magic circuits—it wasn't viable for anyone else.

His circuits, originally created by the system, could handle overload stress. And even if damaged, the system could repair them afterward. Besides, the version he gave to Hokage had been altered beyond recognition. No one would trace it back to Dai or Guy.

More importantly, Shirō needed this victory.

Not for Sage Mode, but to prove he could defeat a large Summoning Beast. On the battlefield, such creatures could turn the tide of war. This was a rare opportunity. Even if the cost was high, it was worth it.

Kushina understood that too—why else would she risk pushing the Secret Skill forward, knowing its dangers?

---

Chakra surged violently through his reinforced circuits.

"Projection: Start!"

A flash of white light bloomed in his palm—then hardened into a curved dagger.

"The boy's secret technique?" Both Orochimaru and Hokage thought, intrigued.

The blade in Shirō's hand was none other than Rule Breaker, the Noble Phantasm of Medea, the Witch of Betrayal from Greek myth. A seemingly unimpressive dagger in form, but devastating in function.

> Name: Rule Breaker

Type: Anti-Magic Noble Phantasm

Effect: Cancels magical contracts, nullifies magical constructs, and erases artificial life created through magecraft.

Rank: C

Limitations: Cannot affect Noble Phantasms or natural-born beings.

It was a direct counter to summoned constructs.

Summoning beasts like snakes from Ryūchi Cave were bound by spiritual contracts—a pseudo-mystical link akin to magecraft. That meant Rule Breaker could sever the summoning contract on contact.

One strike. That's all it would take.

This was Shirō's trump card.

As the snake lunged again, Shirō's eyes narrowed. Muscles tensed. Circuits hummed.

He dashed forward, blade poised to cut the contract itself.

He didn't need to kill it.

He just needed to send it back.