章節 189: Chapter 188: Reunion
The Forest of Death.
The Chunin were dumbfounded.
Itsuki emerged, along with Temari and Anko, the three of them swaying slightly as they walked out.
"We're not late, are we?"
Itsuki asked with a smile.
"N-no, you're not..."
The Chunin nodded stiffly, then looked at Itsuki with envy.
Although Anko could be a bit quirky, no one could deny her looks. She had a youthful face, and she looked tough!
Temari, who had carried a bit of a tomboyish air before entering the Forest of Death, now gave off a delicate, almost traditionally feminine vibe that drew everyone's attention.
Two women and one man, spending so much time in the Forest of Death, and you're telling me nothing happened? Look at those two women—do you believe that?
Anko, usually so bold, couldn't even bring herself to look at the crowd. She kept her head down and hurried past. Temari's gaze lingered on Itsuki, practically glowing with affection as she ignored everyone else around them.
And to top it off, the three of them were carrying roasted meat and wine!
The two women even had flowers in their hands, wore flower-woven hats, and had cloaks made of woven grass.
What the heck!
The crowd looked at Itsuki, more and more suspicious.
Were you on vacation? Do you have any idea how many people die here every year? This is just too much!
"Since we're not late, we'll be going. See you later, and good luck finding yourselves a wife!"
The Chunin: "..."
Itsuki smiled and said to the two women, "It's time for the third exam preliminaries."
"Yeah!"
Anko nodded but then smiled bitterly. "What am I going to do?"
Thanks to Orochimaru, her position in the Leaf Village was already awkward. Now, being connected with Uchiha Itsuki? That made it even worse.
By the end of today, there'd probably be countless people wanting her dead.
And there'd likely be no shortage of those actually making attempts.
The Hokage and the others would probably turn a blind eye as well.
After all, she was just an unstable Special Jonin.
As for what Itsuki had done to her, she wasn't particularly bothered. Having worked under Orochimaru, she'd long since gotten used to the law of the jungle—survival of the fittest. Itsuki was strong. So, no matter what he did, it just seemed natural. An abnormal person taught by another abnormal person—that was Anko.
Itsuki glanced at her and said, "Come with me. What else are you going to do? Stick around and try to become Hokage?"
Anko: "..."
Hokage? That wasn't even a possibility in this lifetime.
It wasn't about strength. She just couldn't pass the political checks.
Sigh.
Anko let out a deep sigh and started adjusting her mindset. At this point, did she even have a choice? She could only move forward. Though... she still wondered what her teacher would think.
The three of them left, chatting and laughing as they went. When they finally arrived at the grand hall, the Third Hokage had just finished saying something that shook the Genin to their cores.
They had never imagined that a Chunin exam could involve so much. It was almost like a mini version of the wars between the ninja villages.
In this condensed war, the Leaf Village held an absolute advantage. No wonder the Hokage and Jonin looked so pleased.
Still, some observant individuals were puzzled. Apart from the Sand and the Leaf, it didn't seem like other ninja villages had sent any participants. Three of the Five Great Ninja Villages were absent, along with several smaller but strategically important villages.
Did those obscure little villages even count?
If they did, then the Leaf Village's standards were pretty low, just looking to dominate among the weaker competitors?
Up on the high platform stood numerous Jonin, with the Third Hokage at the center.
Down below were the Genin, including Naruto Uzumaki.
Itsuki glanced casually at the group.
The people who passed were almost the same as in the original story.
The only difference was that Kurenai had been lured to the Fire Shadow Village by Itsuki, so her role was now taken by Shiranui Genma, who was the proctor for the third exam.
Since Gekko Hayate had also been whisked away by Itsuki, Genma, who was originally a reserve proctor, had moved up.
Itsuki naturally blended into the group of Genin, looking up at the platform with his head held high.
"..."
Are you really planning to continue this fight?
Several of the Jonin had odd expressions on their faces. At the same time, they were secretly wary.
This was Uchiha Itsuki—the man who had caused the Leaf Village so much trouble in recent years.
It was because of him that the Uchiha Clan had split from the Leaf.
If not for him, even if the Uchiha were destroyed, they would never have come up with the idea of seceding.
Splitting off and founding a new village?
Who could even think of such a thing?
Itsuki looked up, locking eyes with them, giving special attention to the Third Hokage. He made no effort to hide the confrontation.
The tension between them grew thick.
It was as if sparks were flying in the air.
Suddenly, Itsuki stuck his tongue out at Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others.
"Bleh~"
Third Hokage: "..."
The Jonin: "..."
Orochimaru: "..."
You've got to be kidding me. Are you a three-year-old child?
Making faces...
In such a serious situation?
Ridiculous! Completely ridiculous!
The Third Hokage took a deep breath, gritting his teeth. "Genma, let's get started."
He couldn't take it anymore.
Just seeing Uchiha Itsuki's face made his blood pressure rise.
Making faces?
You little... right now, I want to tear you to pieces.
I want to grind your bones to dust.
No, I need to step down for a bit, cool off.
If I keep facing off with Itsuki, I might lose control.
What if I start a fight?
I'm not even sure I can beat him.
How pathetic!
With a dark expression, the Third Hokage stepped down from the platform.
Only then did Itsuki shift his gaze, letting out a small snort.
A stare-down?
I've never been afraid of anyone.
The preliminaries began, and they were almost identical to the original story.
Sasuke used his willpower to suppress the curse mark, then defeated his opponent with his Lion Combo attack.
But Sasuke himself was different from the original.
In the original, Sasuke was consumed by revenge, a pure avenger.
Now, he was completely changed.
He was following in Itachi's footsteps.
And ahead of Itachi stood the pinnacle of the ninja world, Uchiha Itsuki.
According to Itachi, Uchiha Itsuki's power was unmatched, even across the entire ninja world.
Itachi had nothing but the highest praise for Itsuki.
Hearing this over and over again, Sasuke had come to form a belief:
Uchiha Itsuki was a ninja as great as Hashirama Senju or Madara Uchiha.
And when it came to the Uchiha, Itsuki even surpassed them, as he had truly liberated the clan.
So now, Sasuke was not driven by revenge.
He was driven by the desire to catch up.
He followed in Itachi's shadow, knowing that even farther ahead was Itsuki's.
He couldn't stand the idea of not even being able to see their shadows.
Uchiha emotions ran deep, and Sasuke was no exception.
This obsession became the source of his strength.
"Hehehe... hahaha!"
In the shadows, Orochimaru couldn't hold back his laughter.
What a surprise—what an incredible surprise.
Uchiha Sasuke, his final choice after so much retreating and compromise, had turned out to be such a delightful surprise.
This kid's potential was no less than his brother's.
With the right training, he could even surpass Itachi and Shisui.
He might even surpass Uchiha Itsuki—a true prodigy!
Perfect. Absolutely perfect.
(End of Chapter)
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