Orochimaru had gone out of his way to apologize for his reckless behavior the night before — but Takayama Haru never showed up.
"How ridiculous, these young people!" Orochimaru's eyes flashed dangerously, an urge rising in him to capture Haru immediately and dissect him for experimentation.
Uzumaki Mito cast a sharp glance at Orochimaru, her tone cold as she said, "Hiruzen, I know you once used all of Konoha's resources trying to revive the lost Mokuton techniques. But that path was proven to be wrong — and forbidden. I don't want to see what happened last night ever happen again."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded earnestly. "Yes, Lady Mito. I've already warned Orochimaru, and he understands the seriousness of his mistake. It won't happen again."
Orochimaru forced a smile and said sarcastically, "Lady Mito, I promise I won't do anything like that again."
Next time, he thought darkly, I'll simply use my full strength and capture Haru instantly, not giving him the slightest chance to resist!
But right now, there was a more pressing issue: they needed to get Haru out of Konoha.
A golden opportunity had presented itself — Kumogakure needed a powerful and reliable operative to infiltrate them.
If he could recommend Haru for the mission, Orochimaru's path would be clear.
"Maybe he just forgot about the meeting?" Orochimaru suggested.
"Hmph! Let's not waste time. Kushina, let's go!" Mito snorted coldly.
Hiruzen's expression grew serious. "Lady Mito, let's go find out what's going on."
Takayama Haru never expected that after standing up Sarutobi's summons, the Third Hokage himself would come knocking.
"Huh?" Haru shot up from his bed, peering out the window at the group approaching — Lady Mito Uzumaki, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, the scientist Orochimaru, and Kushina Uzumaki.
Just moments ago, he had been lying in bed, mentally training his ninjutsu.
He had been experimenting with different methods and discovered that being lazy was surprisingly effective — lying flat on his bed while practicing focus and chakra control boosted his skills the most.
So to them, it probably just looked like he was lazily sleeping in.
Hiruzen frowned and said, "Good morning... But wasting time sleeping instead of training and improving your skills? That's inexcusable!"
Lady Mito snorted. "Maybe he exhausted himself last night and needed the rest."
Orochimaru just chuckled quietly, saying nothing.
Kushina waved energetically at Haru, motioning for him to come over.
Takayama Haru casually leapt out the window.
"Good morning, Lady Mito, Lord Hokage, Kushina-san, Orochimaru-kun," Haru said, yawning broadly.
As he did, he glanced at his Senju Hashirama Character Card Fusion progress — 5.3% now!
His Flying Thunder God Technique and Dust Rebirth had both reached level two, and his sensory abilities had noticeably improved.
At this point, Haru might very well be the most proficient in these forbidden techniques — after all, the Second Hokage, the original creator of Flying Thunder God, was long gone, and Minato hadn't even mastered it yet.
As for Dust Rebirth, seeing Orochimaru behaving like a loyal puppy around Hiruzen told him that Orochimaru hadn't yet started his insane human experiments.
Meaning, Haru might even surpass Orochimaru in this forbidden art.
Seeing that his teacher remained silent, Orochimaru snorted and said coldly, "Haru, don't ignore the Hokage's summons. We told you to be at the Hokage's office at nine this morning. Do you know what time it is now?"
Before Haru could answer, Lady Mito stepped in, her voice soft. "Haru, dear, are you feeling unwell?"
"Lady Mito, I slept very well last night. I just didn't notice the time while lying around training... It passed so quickly."
Then Haru looked at the Third Hokage and asked bluntly, "Lord Hokage, is there something you needed? If not, I'd like to go back to sleep."
Sarutobi's mouth twitched. This kid... Such overwhelming talent, yet completely wasting it with his laziness.
And more than that — he didn't even show the slightest respect!
Hiruzen cleared his throat and said, "Ahem, Orochimaru, apologize to Haru first."
Orochimaru shot Haru a glance, then stepped forward, bowed slightly, and said, "Takayama Haru, I'm sorry for the trouble I caused you last night."
Haru waved it off lazily. "No big deal."
Seeing Haru so casually forgive him, Hiruzen's opinion of him improved a little. At least the boy is generous.
"Haru, here's the situation," Hiruzen began. "After an internal review of your outstanding performance during last night's rescue, we've decided to promote you directly — no Chunin Exams needed. From now on, you are officially a Chunin!"
In his mind, Hiruzen pictured Haru smiling brightly and gratefully accepting the promotion.
Instead, Takayama Haru said bluntly:
"I refuse! I'm fine staying a Genin. I, Takayama Haru, will never accept a Chunin promotion!"
Everyone was stunned speechless.
At that moment, a system interface popped up in Haru's mind again:
[Given the current situation, the system offers three options:]
[Option 1: Accept the Chunin title happily and become Konoha's rising star!]Reward: C-rank Ninjutsu — Triple Blade Windmill Control Technique.
[Option 2: Refuse the promotion but agree to participate in the official Chunin Exams!]Reward: B-rank Taijutsu — Human Bullet Needle Tank.
[Option 3: Completely reject the Chunin title, stay a Genin forever!]Reward: 10x Fusion Speed for Senju Hashirama Character Card + A-rank Lightning Release Ninjutsu — Chidori!
Takayama Haru's eyes lit up instantly.
Was there even a choice to be made here?