An hour later, the Hokage and the Sannin arrived one after another. Upon seeing the six unconscious examinees who had been eliminated inside the tower, the Third Hokage was both shocked and furious. He hurriedly had Tsunade treat them personally, then strode out of the tower with a grim expression to find the culprit—Uchiha Katsuo!
Seeing the Third Hokage's grim face, Tsunade quickly signaled Jiraiya and Orochimaru with her eyes, telling them to follow along. She herself remained behind to examine Yamanaka Inoichi's injuries!
The Third Hokage had originally been full of rage, but when he saw Katsuo's miserable state, half his body covered in blood, he ultimately felt a trace of pity. Suppressing his anger, he sighed helplessly.
"Why did you do this?"
"No particular reason. I just wanted to tell everyone that even if someone only knows taijutsu, relying solely on taijutsu doesn't necessarily mean they can't become Chunin, or even jonin..."
"Then you've already proven yourself. Why haven't you entered the tower?"
The Third Hokage asked with a headache. Clearly, he now understood why Katsuo had done this. He was standing up for that Genin who only knew taijutsu...
"Proving it is one thing. Entering the tower is another!"
Katsuo grinned, and his words left Jiraiya and Orochimaru baffled.
Wasn't he just being hot-blooded and trying to prove himself?
The Third Hokage's expression darkened at those words, and he sternly demanded,
"What do you mean by that?"
"Nothing else. If my brother has a path to take, then others will have one too. If you block my brother's path to promotion, then I'll block everyone else's path!"
Katsuo stood before the Third Hokage, his expression grave as he laid everything out plainly.
"Who do you think you are? In your condition, how many more can you stop?"