He knew the battle still wasn't over and hurriedly tried to get up, but the next moment, Hizashi Hyuga's body stiffened.
Uchiha Chonhua appeared in front of Hizashi Hyuga, his right hand lightly touching Hizashi's throat.
Hizashi could feel the warmth of that hand. He sighed inwardly and raised both hands in surrender.
Chonhua had now seized him by the throat twice. The difference in their strength was obvious.
Hizashi didn't resist and simply admitted defeat.
Uchiha Chonhua smiled and pulled Hizashi to his feet. "You were holding back, Hizashi."
Hizashi shook his head. "I expected this outcome. I admit defeat."
The only thing he regretted was not getting to use the 128 Palms, but... Chonhua wasn't going to stand there like an idiot and let him finish the whole sequence.
The difference in strength between him and Chonhua was simply too great.
Uchiha Chonhua patted his shoulder and smiled. "Don't sell yourself short, Hizashi. You've gotten a lot stronger."
The two formed the Seal of Reconciliation. Watching them get along so well, the chief examiner announced the result.
"Uchiha Chonhua wins!"
"Since the previous two candidates were both eliminated and did not advance, only Uchiha Chonhua and Mikoto Uchiha remain."
The chief examiner gestured for Hizashi to leave and asked Mikoto to come down to complete the final match of this Chunin Ninja Exam.
"I forfeit!"
Mikoto didn't come down. She raised her right hand and gave up directly.
"...All right." The chief examiner understood Mikoto's decision to forfeit. He looked at Uchiha Chonhua. The boy's strength was terrifying. After watching the fight just now, even the chief examiner felt a little shaken.
"Since Mikoto Uchiha has forfeited, I declare Uchiha Chonhua the winner. This concludes the Chunin Ninja Exams."
After making the announcement, the chief examiner smiled. "Looks like Team Tsunade has swept the top three spots in this Chunin Ninja Exam."
Tsunade came over, beaming. Hearing the examiner's words, she puffed out her chest and laughed proudly. "Oh, I never expected Chonhua and the others to sweep the top three. When I submitted their recommendations, I never thought they'd make it this far."
The chief examiner's mouth twitched. As if he believed that.
Uchiha Chonhua, however, looked worried. He came up beside Tsunade and asked quietly, "Sensei, since we swept the top three, did you win big at the betting house?"
Tsunade nodded cheerfully, her delight plain to see.
Thanks to her good disciples, she'd finally won one!
Hmph, who still dared call her a big sucker? What nonsense. She'd won back everything she'd lost!
Chapter 51: This Time, I Won't Be Unlucky
Only three candidates passed this Chunin Ninja Exam.
After resting for a day, Uchiha Chonhua and the other two went to the Hokage's office.
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at them with approval. After a few words of encouragement, he handed them their Chunin commissions, along with Konoha-made Ninja Flak Jackets.
Uchiha Chonhua felt the green jacket. The material was pretty good: it didn't lose its shape when stretched and was breathable.
Even so, it looked too ordinary. He naturally wasn't going to wear it; it would ruin his good looks.
[Host, congratulations on becoming a Chunin! Would you like to draw a card now?]
With the Chunin commission in hand, Uchiha Chonhua's ninja file had gained a new achievement.
He was now officially a Chunin and could draw cards at the Chunin level.
Uchiha Chonhua's heart surged with excitement. He was looking forward to it, yet also afraid of being disappointed.
[Let's do it when I get home. Card draws are hard to come by, so I should make some preparations...]
The system grumbled: [Host, card draws are random. Preparations won't help. If you're unlucky, you're unlucky.]
[...Shut up! I'm taking this seriously, understand? Life needs a little ceremony. A card draw is a big deal, after all!]
[Host, you just have to tap once. What do you need a ceremony for?]
Uchiha Chonhua ignored the system. He was determined to go through with his preparations!
As soon as he got home, he brought out an incense burner, solemnly lit three sticks of incense, and placed them inside.
Incense smoke curled through the air. Uchiha Chonhua took a deep breath, then pressed his palms together, bowed, and even made crosses from time to time, muttering under his breath.
"Three Pure Ones, Buddha, Allah, Yahweh, help me get a golden card in one draw!"
Uchiha Chonhua opened his eyes, a flash of brilliance passing through them. He looked full of spirit.
He summoned the system, his expression solemn.
"System, I'm ready. Draw the card!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Uchiha Chonhua furrowed his brows, his heart uneasy. He hoped he wouldn't be as unlucky as last time.
He wanted a well-known character from the original story, preferably someone important. Like Uchiha Madara or Senju Hashirama. If not, Naruto or Sasuke would do. Better yet, just give me an Otsutsuki right off the bat. That'd be awesome.
[Host, none of the people you're thinking of have appeared.]
The system's mechanical voice rang out. Uchiha Chonhua's heart jolted. A chill crept up from the soles of his feet and spread through his whole body, as if he'd fallen into an icy cavern.
He asked hoarsely, "So... who is it?"
The system showed Uchiha Chonhua the result of the card draw.
Uchiha Chonhua looked up nervously, then froze.
"It's her!?" Uchiha Chonhua was suddenly overjoyed. She was a pretty good pick!
She was a well-known character, and she even had a fair amount of screen time.
Her bright red hair framed eyes like red jade. Red-rimmed glasses rested on her pert nose.
Her long face held delicate features, her skin was fair, and she wore a revealing outfit that showed off her tall, curvy figure.
"Karin Uzumaki..."
Once his excitement had passed, Uchiha Chonhua calmed down and considered what Karin Uzumaki's Character Card could do for him.
First and foremost was the Uzumaki Clan's vigorous life force and enormous chakra reserves. Those came standard.
The Uzumaki Clan's bloodline alone would bring Uchiha Chonhua tremendous benefits.
He was descended from the Six Paths through the Uchiha Clan. He had more chakra than most ninja, but he couldn't compare with the chakra reserves of the Senju Clan and the Uzumaki Clan.
But from now on, he was a member of the chakra-ton club too!
Next were the abilities unique to the Uzumaki Clan.
The first was the Mind's Eye of the Kagura. Once activated, it could sense everything within dozens of miles, making it an exceptionally powerful sensory ability. Not only that, the Mind's Eye of the Kagura could also conceal the user's chakra.
Unless the opponent had a seeing-type ability like the Byakugan, they wouldn't be able to sense Uchiha Chonhua when he had the Mind's Eye of the Kagura activated.
The second was the Adamantine Sealing Chains. These golden chains had powerful sealing properties. They could bind enemies and even suppress a Tailed Beast.
Besides binding and suppression, the highly materialized chakra chains were powerful enough to use against enemies on their own. They were sturdy enough to shatter mountains and rocks; one lash from the chains could leave someone dead or seriously injured!
Unfortunately... Uchiha Chonhua suddenly sighed.
He couldn't use either of these Uzumaki Clan abilities yet. The main reason was that Karin Uzumaki was only ten and hadn't learned them.
Karin Uzumaki had learned the Adamantine Sealing Chains during the Fourth Shinobi World War, while she only learned the Mind's Eye of the Kagura after reaching Orochimaru's hideout.
Obviously, if Karin Uzumaki had learned the Mind's Eye of the Kagura back when she was in Kusagakure, she could have concealed her chakra and slipped away long ago. Why would she have endured such inhuman treatment?
Still, just because Karin Uzumaki didn't know how to use them didn't mean Uchiha Chonhua couldn't develop the abilities himself ahead of time.
Uchiha Chonhua inherited everything from Karin Uzumaki's Character Card.
His chakra evolved into chakra-ton. The sudden feeling of fullness made Uchiha Chonhua imagine he'd eaten too much.
Fortunately, the feeling came and went quickly. Feeling the enormous chakra inside him, he smiled with satisfaction.
Another ability came with it.
He raised his hand and looked at his smooth, pale arm, imagining someone biting down and sucking on it... Uchiha Chonhua shuddered, goosebumps rising all over his skin.
It was a little gross, a little nauseating!
Well... if Mikoto or Kushina were the ones biting him, Uchiha Chonhua could reluctantly accept it.
In any case, he'd avoid using this healing ability from Karin Uzumaki's body whenever possible.
What else could ten-year-old Karin Uzumaki do? The answer: nothing.
"Those beasts in Kusagakure didn't teach her a single jutsu."
Uchiha Chonhua spat in disgust.
Now that the Land of Whirlpools had survived thanks to his intervention, most of its people had moved to Konoha.
Uchiha Chonhua sincerely hoped Karin Uzumaki's mother was among them, so she wouldn't have to suffer the cruel fate she'd met in the original story.
Karin Uzumaki herself didn't offer much help, but the assistance her Uzumaki bloodline provided was considerable.
Uchiha Chonhua had been in a good mood these past few days. People who knew him kept asking what had happened, and why he was smiling so much.
But that good mood didn't last long...
Uchiha Chonhua looked solemnly at the old woman lying on the bed. Her breathing was faint, and she was extremely weak.
Her eyes were clouded as she stared blankly at the ceiling. Her voice was hoarse, and her words came out broken and halting.
"Chon... hua."
Uchiha Chonhua hurried to Mito Uzumaki's side.
"I'm here."
Mito Uzumaki didn't look at Uchiha Chonhua. She didn't even have the strength to turn her head.
"Take... good care of Kushina..."
Mito Uzumaki spoke one word at a time. "I'm leaving that child... in your hands."
A knot of sorrow formed in Uchiha Chonhua's chest. He nodded solemnly. "I will, Grandma Mito."
"Grandma Mito!"
Kushina Uzumaki, her eyes brimming with tears, threw herself beside Mito Uzumaki's bed and burst into loud sobs.
Hearing Kushina's cries, Mito Uzumaki felt reluctant to leave. But human strength had its limits, and no one could resist the natural order.
She couldn't hold on any longer.
Hashirama, I'm coming to find you.
Mito Uzumaki smiled faintly. "Begin..."
"Kushi...na, I'm sorry..."
Chapter 52: Farewell, Grandma Mito
To Uchiha Chonhua's surprise, he was asked to stay.
Wait, was it really okay for an Uchiha to be here?
Had Sarutobi Hiruzen's favor toward him reached the point of complete trust? He was letting an Uchiha stay at the place where the Nine-Tails would be sealed...
It seemed that, in Sarutobi Hiruzen's eyes, he'd already become a trusted confidant.
But when he reached the site of the transfer ceremony, he was even more surprised: he wasn't the only one granted this privilege.
There were other Uchiha clan members here too.
They looked solemn, every one of them with their Three-Tomoe Sharingan activated. Their eyes were fixed on the room where the transfer ceremony was taking place, their expressions wary and alert.
Seeing Uchiha Chonhua's surprise, Sarutobi Hiruzen explained, "If something goes wrong with the ceremony and the Nine-Tails is unsealed, they're the ones best suited to suppress it."
"Chonhua, I know what you're thinking. Your ancestor's deeds are well known, so you're wondering why I brought members of the Uchiha Clan here, aren't you?"
Uchiha Chonhua nodded honestly. He was indeed wondering.
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