Undercurrents

Hyuga Kagami's expression changed at his words, but he quickly returned to normal and answered respectfully, "The examination went smoothly. The Third Hokage has already arranged for me to join the Anbu."

Hyuga Kagami had only just finished the Special Jonin examination, yet Orochimaru had learned of it immediately afterward. This surprised him somewhat. Clearly, Orochimaru had planted more than just him as a spy in the village.

Orochimaru set down his wine cup and stared coldly at Hyuga Kagami. "Kagami, your recent growth has exceeded my expectations. Do you have some secret? Or has your research into the Byakugan yielded results?"

Hyuga Kagami's strength had improved remarkably recently. Those unfamiliar with him might have assumed it was simply the normal awakening of his bloodline. After all, he was at an age when strength grew rapidly. People such as Guy and Asuma had also been advancing at a tremendous pace lately, changing almost by the day.

But Orochimaru was different. He knew Hyuga Kagami very well and knew that he was not one of those naturally gifted ninja. Thus, Hyuga Kagami's recent performance had aroused his suspicions.

Naturally, Hyuga Kagami would not admit anything. He shook his head. "Research into Kekkei Genkai cannot produce results overnight. You should know that better than I do."

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes noncommittally. "Is that so..."

Orochimaru knew that Hyuga Kagami had only been involved in research for a few years. Such a short time made results unlikely. Moreover, he had inspected Hyuga Kagami's laboratory. It contained nothing but the most basic genetic testing data, with no involvement in live-subject experiments whatsoever.

Without even live-subject experiments, there was no point in discussing results.

Of course, Orochimaru did not know that Hyuga Kagami had actually conducted one live-subject experiment, with himself as the subject. Naturally, there was no relevant experimental data.

After a moment, Orochimaru smiled. "It seems I misjudged you before. You possess not only the potential to become a researcher, but also the potential to become an outstanding ninja."

"You flatter me."

As if suddenly recalling something, Orochimaru smiled again. "Recently, I met an interesting fellow. He asked me about you."

"Who?"

"Sasori of the Red Sands." Staring at Hyuga Kagami, Orochimaru asked word by word, "Have you met?"

Hyuga Kagami nodded calmly. "We did cross paths once."

Obviously, Sasori and Orochimaru had joined Akatsuki one after the other during this period. Since Orochimaru was one of Konoha's Three Sannin, it was only natural for Sasori to inquire about Hyuga Kagami through him.

Hyuga Kagami had expected this long ago, so he showed no surprise.

Seeing that Hyuga Kagami's expression remained unchanged, Orochimaru continued, "He seems to want to kill you badly. How did you provoke him?"

Hyuga Kagami believed that, given Sasori's pride, he would not describe in detail how he had suffered a setback at Hyuga Kagami's hands. So, he briefly recounted the operation in which Konoha had purged him, omitting only the matter of unexpectedly obtaining the Third Kazekage Human Puppet.

When he finished, Hyuga Kagami smiled. "Perhaps it embarrassed him that a nobody like me escaped alive from his hands."

At that, Orochimaru burst into rare laughter.

What Hyuga Kagami did not know was that although Orochimaru and Sasori had temporarily formed a two-man team, they did not get along well.

Both were obsessed with immortality. One followed the path of biotechnology, while the other pursued mechanical technology. Both had touched upon the threshold of immortality in their respective fields. It was easy to imagine how sharp their disagreements in scientific philosophy would be.

After laughing for a while, Orochimaru said, "Although I did not tell him anything about you, he surely has other sources of information. So be careful. He is a stubborn fellow. I would hate to see you among the puppets in his collection."

Hyuga Kagami immediately gave a bitter smile. "Being hated by someone that powerful really is not a pleasant experience."

Uchiha Compound.

At the sight of Shisui, Itachi, who had been lingering by the roadside, hurriedly approached him. "Brother Shisui, did the examination go smoothly this time?"

Shisui stroked Itachi's head. "Mm, it went fairly smoothly."

"Then that means you're already a Special Jonin, Brother Shisui?" Itachi's eyes lit up before he quickly asked, "What was the examination like? Tell me about it."

Shisui immediately began recounting some amusing moments from the Special Jonin examination.

Itachi listened attentively for a while before suddenly asking, "Brother Shisui must have defeated every opponent easily, right?"

Shisui's expression stiffened. Then he gently shook his head. "I lost to my opponent in the final round. However, Lord Hokage believed I performed exceptionally well, so he ultimately made an exception and promoted me to Special Jonin."

Itachi exclaimed in shock, "You lost? H-How is that possible?!"

Shisui's title as the Uchiha Clan's greatest genius was not something the Uchiha had simply boasted about behind closed doors. It was backed by an actual record of achievements.

It was also long acknowledged within the Uchiha Clan that Shisui possessed Jonin-level strength. Thus, Itachi never imagined that someone could defeat Shisui in this Special Jonin examination.

"I never expected to lose either." Smiling helplessly, Shisui continued, "You know the person who defeated me too. It was Senior Kagami of the Hyuga Clan."

Itachi suddenly understood. "Senior Kagami..."

From a young age, Itachi had possessed perception far beyond ordinary people. Keenly observant, he could always notice details others overlooked. That was why, when they encountered Kumogakure's Two-Tails Jinchuriki last time, he had sharply sensed that Hyuga Kagami was not particularly afraid of his opponent.

At that moment, he had guessed that Hyuga Kagami was no ordinary Chunin.

Shisui then said seriously, "Itachi, powerful people in the village emerge endlessly. We cannot let the Sharingan's power blind our hearts. We must remain humble at all times."

Itachi seemed to understand only partially, but he still nodded earnestly.

Looking at the clan members passing by in the distance, Shisui asked in a somewhat low mood, "What do you see in them?"

After observing them carefully for a while, Itachi replied, "Pride!"

"Yes, they are proud to have been born into the Uchiha Clan." After a pause, Shisui continued in a grave voice, "But there is too much of that pride—so much that we can scarcely bear it!"

During his previous match against Hyuga Kagami, Shisui had not only refrained from using the Mangekyō Sharingan's abilities, but had even held back with conventional methods.

The reason was not only because he had sensed Konoha's suspicion toward the Uchiha, but also because he could clearly feel the undercurrents within the Uchiha Clan.

Even other ninja villages knew that Konoha had been badly weakened. Naturally, the Uchiha Clan, living within the village itself, knew even more.

The Uchiha Clan had never lacked ambitious people. It was simply that Konoha had previously possessed too many powerful figures—the Sannin, the Fourth Hokage, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and others—so the Uchiha could only lie low.

But now, only Jiraiya remained among the Sannin, and he was away from the village most of the time. The Fourth Hokage and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki had also died in battle. The only people left in the village whom the Uchiha feared were the Third Hokage, Danzo, and that group of old men. Thus, the ambitions of many within the Uchiha Clan had erupted beyond restraint.

Shisui had no ability to extinguish the ambition burning fiercely within his clan. All he could do was try his utmost to contain it. That was why he chose to lose to Hyuga Kagami during the selection: to make his clansmen understand that there were countless experts in the village, and that blind ambition would only utterly destroy the Uchiha Clan...