"The winner has been decided!"
The entire arena fell silent.
Faced with this incomprehensible situation, it seemed that everyone had fallen into confusion...
"..."
Uchiha Itachi felt the pain spreading from his cheeks.
The sensation of being struck was far less intense than the shock and disappointment in his heart.
Originally...
Itachi had wanted to make Izumi feel fear.
Ninjas were the originators of conflict in this world.
If there were no more ninjas, the Fire Seed of conflict would be extinguished.
Without a doubt.
What he wanted to do was crush Izumi's confidence.
Make her give up on becoming a ninja.
Then...
Make the spectators from all the countries present feel his power.
The more people who held such thoughts, the less likely Konoha would be dragged into war.
Making use of the Sharingan was another part of it.
If the Sharingan could be used effectively, it would be possible to plunge most people in this world into the Genjutsu known as suggestion.
Everything Itachi had done... had been solely to eliminate conflict from this world.
Itachi felt grateful from the bottom of his heart to the Konoha High Command for allowing him to participate in the Chunin Exams.
But.
He had disappointed them.
A loser.
Itachi silently raised his head and saw a face in the arena whose right cheek was wrapped in bandages.
Shimura Danzō...
A dark, twisted smile stretched across his face.
Before long.
Thunderous applause erupted.
Everyone was celebrating the victor, Uchiha Izumi.
As for Itachi, the loser... no one cared.
A half-blood Uchiha raised by Hyuga Sho, a Branch Family Member.
He had defeated the eldest son of Fugaku of the Fierce Eyes.
Such a thing.
It overturned everyone's understanding of the world.
A subtle influence planted a seed in their hearts.
*I can