Another Encounter with the Saint of Thieves

"Ordinary clothes, brain-dead hair... er..."

"Not carrying many supplies. He must be confident in his ability to pass the exam quickly."

"He's carrying a large ninja tool, but it's only secured to his back with a belt. That means it isn't a heavy ninja tool."

"He easily took out more than a dozen opponents. Most of them were Genin and ordinary Chunin, but he himself didn't suffer so much as a scratch... He might be using a Secret Technique based on restraints."

"In any case, he's a very capable candidate, but I've never heard of him before."

Kakashi was observing Yuhara as well, but his superficial observations led him to several incorrect conclusions. For example, because Yuhara had simply tucked the iron lump on his back beneath his belt as though it were a few blades, Kakashi overlooked its weight.

Yuhara's "Sword Crate" was astonishingly heavy.

Naturally, Kakashi also didn't remember encountering Yuhara at Konoha's gates before.

He also thought Yuhara's hairstyle looked vaguely familiar. Fortunately, Yuhara had neither white hair nor a short sword strapped to the middle of his back, so that detail could be ignored completely.

Kakashi led Yuhara away from the examination grounds and said, "You've passed this exam. Gather at Indoor Training Ground 23 before nine o'clock in the morning seven days from now and prepare for the final assessment."

"Don't I need some sort of certificate?" Yuhara asked.

If the person delivering the notification hadn't been Kakashi, this would be rather questionable.

"...Your passing result has already been recorded. There's no need to worry. Your strength is enough for you to become a Chunin anyway. The examiner isn't blind," Kakashi said.

However, the examiner who supposedly wasn't blind hadn't seen through Yuhara's strength. Even "Kakashi of the Sharingan" hadn't noticed.

Besides, Yuhara had already possessed Chunin-level strength when he fell into Orochimaru's hands. Come to think of it, he could even use a stirring slogan to participate in this Chunin Exam: I waited several months for this opportunity—not to prove that I'm better than everyone else, but to prove that I'll personally reclaim the intermediate title I lost.

Thinking about it that way, the whole thing suddenly became inspirational.

"Then I'll leave these things to you. There's no use in me taking them back... They're public property, technically. Konoha's assets."

As he spoke, Yuhara pulled a large stack of spare coded scrolls from his robes and shoved them all into Kakashi's hands before walking away.

Kakashi: "..."

Would taking them back actually be useful to me?

Yuhara couldn't afford to be so relaxed during the final exam. The Fourth Hokage was very likely to appear then.

For Yuhara, this was an opportunity to enter the higher-ups' field of vision, cast off his ordinary status, and seize a certain degree of authority.

Although some of what he had said earlier was only a joke, the words "prove myself" were absolutely sincere. That was precisely what Yuhara wanted to do.

And since he had passed the second exam ahead of time, Yuhara would spend the remaining days continuing his training and familiarizing himself with his new state and new ninjutsu.

Seven days later, at the indoor venue for the third exam.

Including Yuhara, thirty-six Konoha Ninjas had passed the previous exam. In terms of the pass rate, that was fairly normal.

Early that morning, the Genin candidates had completed their assembly.

Yuhara stood among them without the slightest embarrassment at taking the Chunin Exam despite being "well past his prime." Although some of the participating ninjas were very young, fifteen or sixteen was still the average age of the candidates.

Before the exam began, the Fourth Hokage appeared on the main viewing platform on the second floor. The young Hokage was accompanied by two squads of ANBU, while a plainly dressed old man stood beside him with two of his disciples—Third Hokage, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru.

As the first major event held within the village since the Fourth Hokage's succession, some had come to support their successor, some to support their disciples, and some to watch the excitement while observing Konoha's younger generation.

This lineup was so extravagant that it could almost go head-to-head with the "Rice-Carrying Squad." But with all of you here, what was happening at the front lines?

Well, that wasn't something a minor figure like Yuhara needed to worry about.

Afterward, some idle ninjas also came of their own accord to watch the exam. Perhaps because they wanted to show the new Fourth Hokage some respect, the audience turnout was surprisingly large.

In any case, Yuhara had to perform well in front of these heavyweight guests.

Display his strength, earn their appreciation, seize authority, sit in the high chair, and...

Flip over the table.

Look at that. What a classic villain route blueprint.

After the Fourth Hokage delivered a speech that Yuhara didn't hear a word of, the final stage of the Chunin Exam officially began. Yuhara hadn't even heard what counted as an overall pass. It was the standard case of a leader holding a major meeting while he held a minor one of his own.

The format was simple and traditional: one-on-one battles. Supposedly, the two opponents were determined entirely by random draw... Supposedly random.

A character like Yuhara didn't seem important enough to appear last, but he hadn't expected to be the first one called.

The examiner presiding over the exam was named Shiranui Genma. He was only seventeen years old—clearly around Yuhara's age—yet one of them was an examiner while the other was merely a candidate.

"First match, Yuhara. Opponent..."

Shiranui Genma first drew a slip of paper from the box and read Yuhara's name. Then he drew another slip.

"Opponent...

Uchiha Shisui."

Er...

Was this draw random? Was it or wasn't it?

If someone didn't know how Yuhara had performed in the second exam, then this battle was essentially a super-genius from a great clan fighting some nameless weakling from nowhere.

"That young man is really unlucky. Even a spectacular defeat wouldn't completely eliminate his chances of becoming a Chunin. But if he fights the genius of the younger generation of the Uchiha Clan... The battle will probably end in an instant. His opponent won't even have a chance to show himself."

A ninja in the stands said this. Several ninjas from the Uchiha Clan stood beside him, including even a Jonin. They had naturally come to watch Uchiha Shisui's battle and ensure that this genius didn't suffer any accidental harm.

The Uchiha Clan lacked the necessary trust in Konoha.

"Hmph. Of course," the ninja at the head said.

The ninja who had spoken moments earlier looked astonished.

No wonder everyone dislikes the Uchiha Clan. Do they not even know how to hold a normal conversation?

Yuhara hadn't expected to hear Uchiha Shisui's name in a place like this. He hadn't noticed anyone like him during the earlier exam.

But since his name had already been called, Yuhara could only remain in the arena. Uchiha Shisui remained there as well.

Uchiha Shisui's build didn't seem to be in the same league as Yuhara's. He appeared to be only around ten years old (Note).

Yuhara raised a hand toward the referee.

"Yuhara, do you have a question?" Shiranui Genma asked.

"My opponent seems rather young. Isn't this battle somewhat unfair?"

Although Yuhara disliked clan ninjas, and especially disliked the Uchiha, was bullying a child really appropriate?

"Don't worry. Uchiha Shisui is a professional ninja who has been to the battlefield. You don't need to worry about that."

Yuhara's words had carried clearly to the stands, and wave after wave of laughter and discussion broke out. The unnecessary concern of the weak for the strong was indeed comical.

"All right, then. I understand."

Yuhara rubbed the back of his head with a slightly foolish expression.

Since everyone agreed that he should beat up a child, Yuhara would put on a demonstration for them... No matter how strong Uchiha Shisui was at this age, how strong could he really be?

Shiranui Genma then signaled for both sides to retreat a sufficient distance and reminded them to prepare:

"Get ready...

Begin!"

Yuhara took a deep breath. Since this was a battle, there was no reason to hesitate. He was about to display the fruits of his training during this period... the Thirty-Second True Man Technique.

He planned to exhaust all the Chakra in his body within thirty seconds. Using such a technique on the battlefield would be suicide, but an arena was another matter.

The battle would undoubtedly end very quickly, but what would the result be?

Uchiha, Uchiha. Since the Uchiha had taken the stage, Yuhara would allow them to display one of the Uchiha's signature ninjutsu.

What represented the Uchiha? The Sharingan? Genjutsu? Shuriken?

No.

It was Fire Release.

Six Rulers Technique: Release.

Secret Technique: Cursed Seal Mode: Blood Loss Technique.

Secret Technique: Arc Gradual Sevenfold Rhythm: Second Rotation.

Lightning Release: Chidori Stream.

In an instant, the strength of the Chakra around Yuhara's body surged sharply. And it wasn't merely a matter of strength... Jiraiya, seated beside the Fourth Hokage, rose in astonishment, while the ANBU on the viewing platform quickly surrounded the Fourth Hokage.

This level of Chakra didn't look like someone who had come to take the Chunin Exam. It looked like someone who had come to assassinate the Hokage.

Perhaps even...

Two Hokages, assassinated at once.

When the Chakra around Yuhara's body erupted with unimaginable intensity, the iron weapon behind him began climbing over his body under his control.

In the blink of an eye, a fierce black armored demon warrior, its surface gleaming with metal, covered Yuhara from head to toe:

Secret Technique: Art of the Holding Magnet: Eightfold Yamabuki.

The armor had two horns on its head and a Hannya mask over its face. Even Yuhara's eyes were completely covered... This was a precaution against genjutsu.

No one present could feel the intensity of the Chakra erupting from Yuhara more clearly than Uchiha Shisui, who stood in the arena. Thus, the moment Yuhara finished his technique, Uchiha Shisui finished his as well.

Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!

The scorching fireball slammed into the black armor and suddenly exploded with a tremendous roar that seemed capable of tearing eardrums apart.

Yet such an attack was completely insignificant against Yuhara, who had activated "absolute defense." The bricks beneath his feet cracked apart one after another. In the blink of an eye, his figure vanished from where he stood and appeared directly in front of Uchiha Shisui.

His speed easily surpassed Body Flicker Shisui.

The Three-Tomoe Sharingan appeared instantly. Uchiha Shisui barely turned aside and dodged Yuhara's punch. He then extended both hands and met Yuhara's kick with extraordinary gentleness, borrowing Yuhara's strength to retreat slightly and evade that attack as well.

Yuhara then slammed his left foot into the ground. The earth exploded instantly. Using the recoil, he shot upward at high speed and finally struck Uchiha Shisui with a knee, sending him flying... This showed that he truly knew nothing about taijutsu. If he could properly utilize his speed and strength, the first blow would have been enough to knock down a Body Flicker Shisui at his current level.

The genius of the younger generation of the Uchiha Clan flew backward like an arrow released from its bow, then crashed violently into the opposite wall and became embedded in it.

The battle really had ended in an instant.

The Uchiha ninjas waiting for a show in the stands could no longer sit still. They suspected that Konoha had deliberately arranged this match in order to eliminate an Uchiha genius in a supposedly reasonable manner.

"Hey! Shisui!"

The Uchiha ninja charged straight down from the stands without a word and rushed into the arena.

However...

As if he had anticipated this, an iron arrow appeared in front of that Uchiha ninja.

Bang!

The panicked Uchiha ninja was struck violently in the torso. The iron arrow carried his entire body backward at high speed, then pinned him to the wall on the other side.

See? What was the point of bullying a child? If you wanted to fight, you should fight the bastard parents who raised him.

Yuhara turned around and raised his right hand high.

At the same time, the iron armor covering his right hand began to disintegrate, revealing his palm wrapped in dark-red patterns and brilliant blue lightning.

Yuhara was a special ninja capable of controlling the separation and aggregation of his Chakra. That allowed him to use certain special ninjutsu through special methods.

The key points of the technique that followed were as follows:

First, output a mass of high-density, high-quality Chakra at the center of the palm and compress it as much as possible into a single point.

The user could decide the nature of this mass of Chakra, such as the Wind attribute.

Second, freely scatter several additional Chakra points around this high-density Chakra point. These outer points had no special requirements.

Third, apply a rotational force to the outer Chakra points. As they spun at high speed, the traction would cause the highly concentrated Chakra at the center to disperse in an orderly manner and spin along with them.

Fourth, once these Chakra points had spun at high speed into a sphere of light, scatter more Chakra over a larger area around the sphere and apply another rotational force in the same direction...

Accompanied by an especially piercing, rhythmic high-frequency hum, a special form of Wind Release Ninjutsu took shape in Yuhara's hand:

False Sage Art: True Wind Release: Spiraling Shuriken!

Then Yuhara hurled the "shuriken" at the Uchiha ninja!

The other party had suddenly disrupted the exam and threatened a candidate's life. Yuhara's actions were reasonable, justified, and legal.

This time, the person who could no longer sit still was the Fourth Hokage.

Question: How could an "ordinary ninja" prove his talent?

Answer: Surpass the Fourth Hokage.

The method was simple and direct.

And using an advanced version of the Rasengan—one that even the Hokage himself had yet to complete—in front of the Fourth Hokage... Wasn't that another form of NTR?

However, Yuhara had still overestimated himself somewhat.

In the end, his total Chakra didn't last even thirty seconds.

(Note: In this story's setting, Uchiha Shisui is five years older than Uchiha Itachi, making him ten to eleven years old at present.)

PS:

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