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The Chunin Exams arrived as scheduled, but the first month was dedicated to preliminary assessments.
Although it was an internal examination this time, with no participants from other villages, all the usual procedures were still in place.
However, the most crucial part was the final test! This last stage attracted many idle shinobi as spectators.
There was no formal ceremony or large venues like the training grounds used. Instead, the event was held in a training field protected by a barrier.
That didn't stop people from gathering. Many enjoyed the lively atmosphere, while others came to cheer on their friends and family.
"Nii-san, over here!" In the crowd, Sasuke Uchiha waved toward his elder brother, Itachi Uchiha, who was waiting in the examination area.
Since his beloved brother was participating, he had to come and show his support! Not only was he there, but many family members had also arrived, making their group the largest cheering section. "Alright, Sasuke, don't distract your brother." Fugaku Uchiha glanced at his younger son, then at his elder son, who smiled and nodded at him.
Only then did he speak expressionlessly. "He needs to focus now and prepare for the rigorous test ahead."
"Yes, Father." Sasuke pursed his lips, not daring to argue. Seeing his son finally settle down, Fugaku shifted his gaze to Shisui, who stood nearby in casual attire.
"Shisui, I recall you mentioning that the examiner for this test is your friend. What kind of person is he?"
"A friend?" Izumi Uchiha, who had also come to support Itachi, looked curiously at Shisui. She was quite intrigued upon hearing this.
"Yes, we are indeed friends." Shisui nodded, though he couldn't help but mutter to himself—they were teammates, too!
"He's an incredibly strong individual, highly skilled in all areas. As long as Itachi performs well, he'll be fine."
Though Shisui often acted carefree, he knew the real meaning behind Fugaku's question.
The clan head wanted to assess Itachi's chances of victory. It was true that Itachi was talented—he had even defeated a Root operative.
But now, he was facing Shuuzawa. As his teammate, Shisui knew better than anyone how overwhelming Shuuzawa's combat prowess was.
That stone dragon of his was still fresh in Shisui's memory! "Is your friend that formidable?"
Fugaku frowned, easily grasping Shisui's implications. "If you were in his place, how would you fare?"
"Well…" Shisui wasn't entirely sure, though he figured his chances of winning were slightly higher.
Especially since he possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan. "Alright, stop putting Shisui on the spot."
Mikoto Uchiha interrupted their discussion, gently patting Sasuke's head with a smile.
"They're friends. There's no need to dwell on who would win. Besides, we're here to support Itachi, aren't we?"
"Fine, fine, I understand." Seeing this, Fugaku let the matter drop. Meanwhile, Sasuke remained full of confidence in his elder brother.
He clenched his tiny fists and declared firmly, "Nii-san is definitely going to win!"
Shisui chuckled at Sasuke's unwavering faith in Itachi. However, he quickly shifted his focus and silently reassured himself.
"Itachi won't get hurt. I made sure to emphasize that point repeatedly and even treated them to several meals!"
Shisui had no intention of letting anything happen to his little brother, especially knowing his teammate's methods.
To prevent any mishaps, once he learned Shuuzawa would be Itachi's examiner, he put extra effort into 'persuading' him.
His request wasn't unreasonable to ensure Itachi wasn't seriously injured.
"But still, why was Shuuzawa chosen as the examiner?" Shisui rubbed his chin, finding this matter rather curious. Just as he pondered it,
In the examiner's area, the Third Hokage was speaking with Shuuzawa. "Shuuzawa, do you know why I agreed to let you be the examiner?"
"Uh…" Shuuzawa looked confused. The exam was about to begin, so why was the Hokage bringing up something so random now?
He hadn't mentioned anything about this for the past month! Still, Shuuzawa obediently shook his head. "I don't know, Lord Hokage."
"You were raised in the Foundation, and your way of thinking is vastly different from others." Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled as he patted Shuuzawa's shoulder.
His expression was kind. "But you are also a shinobi of Konoha. You have carried too much darkness, and for that, I am truly sorry. Now, I hope you can step into the light."
Shuuzawa was momentarily speechless. Wouldn't shutting down the Foundation be a better solution than saying all this?
Of course, he wasn't foolish enough to voice that thought. The Foundation's existence was necessary; besides, he was interested in it.
"I know that Danzo has likely fed you many negative perspectives about the Uchiha."
Seeing Shuuzawa remain silent, Hiruzen continued with a gentle smile.
"But I want you to understand that whether it's you or the Uchiha, everyone here is a shinobi of Konoha."
"I hope to see harmony among all. Itachi Uchiha is a prodigy of the village, and you and Shisui are his teammates. That is why I chose you as his examiner."
"You are no longer a part of the Foundation, so I wish to see a new you—one who is not burdened by darkness. Can you promise me that, Shuuzawa?"
Damn, this was just another round of persuasion! Shuuzawa hadn't expected the Third Hokage to come personally, seemingly worried he might cause trouble.
But Shisui had already been trying to convince him for so long—was this necessary now?
On top of that, Danzo had also sent people to deliver his message: "Remember the shame of the Foundation."
[New Mission Acquired: Defeat Itachi Uchiha to remind him of the Foundation's shame.]
[New Mission Acquired: Ensure that Itachi Uchiha remains unharmed.]
Looking at these two contradictory missions, Shuuzawa couldn't help but feel that this was ridiculous.
He truly believed that Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura were destined to be at odds.
Their assigned missions weren't identical, but they were completely contradictory.
"I understand, Lord Hokage." Still, Shuuzawa had been through the Sunagakure mission—he had plenty of experience handling these conflicting orders.
"I won't let you down." "That's good to hear." Hiruzen's wrinkled face lit up with an even warmer smile.
"I look forward to seeing what you do. Now, go and prepare." "The exam begins!"
Under the eager gazes of the crowd, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally appeared at the examination site. His arrival immediately sparked a wave of cheers.
Though he was already advanced, his popularity in Konoha remained high.
After all, he often gave speeches at the Ninja Academy and personally handed out headbands to newly graduated young shinobi.
"So it's finally starting," Fugaku Uchiha muttered as he saw the Third Hokage arrive, feeling a surge of energy.
To be honest, his feelings toward Hiruzen were complicated. He had originally placed his hopes on the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, who had maintained a fairly good relationship with him.
With Minato in power, Fugaku believed the tensions between Konoha and the Uchiha could ease, perhaps even leading to true unity.
However, fate was cruel. The brilliant Fourth Hokage had passed away too soon.
Although the Third Hokage had his considerations, the Nine-Tails incident and the subsequent events proved that he did not trust the Uchiha as much as Minato had.
"But there is still hope. Shisui is our future, and perhaps Itachi as well," Fugaku thought to himself as Hiruzen finally spoke.
"Since everyone is here, let the final examination begin." As most participants experienced shinobi, Hiruzen did not waste time with lengthy speeches.
Instead, he directly announced the rules of the exam. The Chunin Exams were not overly complicated; the previous tests had already eliminated those unqualified.
The final stage evaluated combat ability, though winning was not the sole criterion.
They could pass as long as a participant demonstrated the qualities expected of a chunin. Soon, the matchups were drawn.
The first to fight was none other than Itachi Uchiha! "Well, that saves me the trouble,"
Shigenari Shuuzawa, standing beside Hiruzen, remarked as he strode toward the training grounds without hesitation.
"Candidate Itachi Uchiha, step forward." However, when Shuuzawa appeared, doubt spread among the spectators.
"He's the proctor?"
"He looks so young!"
"Hey, this wasn't arranged to favor the Uchiha, was it?" While strength in the shinobi world wasn't solely determined by age, older shinobi typically had far more experience.
Even if they were weaker in raw power, their battle experience was invaluable.
"These guys are seriously underestimating Shuuzawa," Yuugao muttered unhappily as she watched from the crowd. She was well aware of his capabilities.
"Shuuzawa is incredibly strong. They just don't know it yet." Standing beside her, Yamato nodded in agreement.
Having left Root, he was gradually adjusting to his new life and valued making more allies. As someone who had also "left Root," he naturally considered Shuuzawa a friend.
"I've heard that from the moment Shuuzawa started taking missions, he's already killed—"
"Ahem!" Before Yamato could finish, Kakashi interrupted him.
"Let's not discuss mission details like that. Besides, we're from the ANBU. It's normal for people not to know these things."
Kakashi had also come to watch, mainly to avoid being dragged into another ridiculous challenge by Guy.
Now, he was glad he had come. Who knew what trouble it could cause if Yamato kept talking like this?
"Nii-san, do your best!"
"Itachi, you got this!" Sasuke and Izumi Uchiha cheered excitedly.
Shuuzawa didn't seem much older than Itachi, so they were brimming with enthusiasm. Itachi acknowledged them with a smile before stepping onto the stage.
However, the moment he did, his expression grew serious, replacing his usual warmth with an air of calm maturity that exceeded his years.
"Please guide me, senpai," Itachi said, bowing deeply. Although Shuuzawa appeared slightly older, Itachi did not intend to underestimate him.
His older brother, Shisui, had repeatedly emphasized that he must take Shuuzawa seriously.
Shisui even said, "If I were to fight Shuuzawa, my chances of winning would be uncertain."
Itachi was well aware of his brother's strength, so for him to describe Shuuzawa this way only proved how formidable he was.
Itachi had every reason to take this fight seriously.
"Oh? Pretty polite, aren't you?" Shuuzawa raised an eyebrow and smirked. "But from the look in your eyes, I'd say you want to defeat me?"
"Yes, senpai," Itachi admitted. His gaze flickered toward his family, watching from the stands before he replied with conviction.
"I have my reasons for not wanting to lose. And in an exam, it's only natural to give it my all."
For his younger brother, Itachi was willing to sacrifice everything. His best friend, Shisui, was watching. Izumi and his parents were here, too.
He couldn't afford to let them down. If Shuuzawa knew his thoughts, he might have asked, "Is that also the reason you ended up killing them?"
"Looks like your family gets along pretty well," Shuuzawa remarked with a mischievous grin.
But before Itachi could respond, Shuuzawa continued, "Exams should be taken seriously. I'd like to go all out, but Shisui begged me not to hurt you. Oh well, since you're just a kid and I'm the proctor, I'll allow it. Go all out if you want."
Itachi fell silent for a moment. You're not much older than me…
"Both the proctor and the candidate are in position. Let the match begin!" At Hiruzen's announcement, the entire exam hall erupted in cheers.
"Senpai, please guide me!" Itachi's Sharingan activated instantly, his crimson eyes spinning as the tomoe revolved slowly. He formed the Seal of Confrontation.
"Then let's begin," Shuuzawa replied nonchalantly, shrugging as he lazily pulled out a kunai. He had already decided how to complete this task.
It was troublesome but certainly not difficult. In the blink of an eye, Shuuzawa vanished, reappearing right in front of Itachi like a phantom.
"?!" Itachi's usually composed expression wavered. His brother had warned him that Shuuzawa was extremely fast.
But he hadn't expected this—he could see him move, but his body couldn't react in time!
A punch hurtled toward him, the force of the wind stinging his face. But his reflexes were still sharp.
Just before the fist connected, he twisted his body at the last moment, narrowly avoiding the attack.
"Nii-san!" Sasuke cried out in alarm. He hadn't expected the battle to be this intense right from the start.
But his voice was drowned out by the roaring crowd. Itachi focused entirely on the fight and didn't hear him.
Especially since, at that very moment, Shuuzawa suddenly leaned in close and whispered something in his ear, sending chills down his spine.
"Do you remember the Root ninja you once defeated?"
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