Prelude to the Joint Chunin Exams

"That is the bond connecting Konoha and the Uchiha. Once he encounters a problem, the favorable situation you worked so hard to hide will all be reduced to ashes."

"If we truly let him be influenced by Setsuna Uchiha and stand completely on the opposite side of Konoha, the danger will only exceed that of Setsuna Uchiha back in the day."

"And in this era, there is no longer a Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, capable of suppressing Setsuna Uchiha."

"We must win him over to our side."

The Third Hokage's brows knitted together. He picked up the pipe on his desk, took a puff, and only after a long while did he slowly exhale a cloud of smoke.

"This matter truly cannot be left to drift, but from the perspective of a teacher, Setsuna Uchiha is indeed more suitable than you."

Jiraiya rubbed his hands together and asked tentatively:

"I actually think this is an opportunity to show our sincerity. Doesn't the Scroll of Sealing record quite a few techniques? I think..."

"Don't even think about it!"

The Third Hokage shot Jiraiya an annoyed look:

"The forbidden techniques recorded in the Scroll of Sealing are either too harmful to the natural order or cause too much damage to one's own body."

"You wouldn't want Shingen Uchiha to end up as a scourge, or to ruin his future by sustaining lifelong injuries from practicing forbidden techniques, would you?!"

"I recall that Mount Myoboku has secret Sage Art, doesn't it?!"

Jiraiya shook his head and sighed:

"I have only just begun to master the Sage Art of Mount Myoboku myself; there is still danger if I remain in Sage Mode for too long."

"Now is not the time to pass it on to Shingen."

"..."

As the two fell silent, the door to the Hokage's office was kicked open violently once again.

The Third Hokage had become numb to this; he turned his head and saw Orochimaru standing at the doorway, his foot still mid-retraction.

Before the two in the office could speak, Orochimaru took the lead:

"A Hokage of Konoha and one of the Sannin, Jiraiya, renowned throughout the ninja world—yet when gathered together, you don't know what ninjutsu to teach a disciple?!"

"Why not let me try?!"

"I have some interest in that kid!"

"I disagree!"

Jiraiya hurriedly interrupted.

Alarm bells rang in his heart as he realized this was yet another rival trying to snatch the boy away!

What the hell!

That kid used to be ignored by everyone; how did he suddenly become such a hot commodity?

Setsuna Uchiha was one thing, but even Orochimaru, a guy who took no interest in anything other than his research, was volunteering to guide the training of Shingen Uchiha?!

"Well, just a joke, don't be so tense."

Orochimaru gave a playful smile, and seeing that Jiraiya still wore that guarded expression, he immediately stopped pressing the issue.

Nowadays, aside from his research, Orochimaru was also responsible for a portion of diplomatic work.

He stepped forward, handed a document from his coat to the Third Hokage, and said:

"Take a look. This is a dispatch from Kirigakure, stating they wish to resume the previously suspended joint Chunin Exams."

"Joint Chunin Exams?"

Everyone present, save for Orochimaru, was somewhat surprised.

Konoha did indeed have a tradition of inviting ninja villages from neighboring countries to hold joint Chunin Exams.

The purpose was naturally to display national strength and deter the ambitions of surrounding nations.

However, the participants in such joint Chunin Exams were mostly small countries surrounding Konoha; Sunagakure would occasionally attend, but rarely.

For Kirigakure, this was a first in history.

Jiraiya stroked his chin, his expression grave:

"I fear the joint Chunin Exams are a facade, and the real intent is to use the opportunity to probe Konoha. After all, in the current political climate, anyone can see that the outbreak of war is only a matter of time."

"It is hard to say that Kirigakure doesn't have thoughts of using this chance to attack Konoha."

The Third Hokage puffed on his pipe, pondered for a moment, and said:

"Let's put it aside for now."

"We'll see how Kirigakure reacts."

"If there is anything amiss, we will prepare early."

Seeing that the matter was settled, Orochimaru picked up the previous topic:

"I'm serious, Jiraiya. If you aren't confident in your ability to teach that brat well, you might as well let me try."

"He is the most talented monster the Uchiha have produced in decades, and since Kagami Uchiha, one of the few Uchiha clansmen who is truly pro-Konoha."

"I am curious."

"How exactly does this kid view Konoha, and how does he view the Uchiha?"

Jiraiya curled his lip and said irritably:

"Get lost."

"As a teacher, you are not as good as..."

The words had barely left his mouth when Jiraiya felt a pang of regret.

Orochimaru had, of course, taken on students before.

Tsunade's younger brother, Nawaki, had once been Orochimaru's student.

Nawaki had already died during the Second Shinobi World War, falling right before the eyes of Orochimaru and Tsunade.

He had watched with his own eyes as his once most prized student slowly stopped breathing; that feeling was no different from being sliced to pieces.

Ever since then, Orochimaru had paid less and less attention to those around him, his movements becoming increasingly mysterious, to the point that even Jiraiya, his close friend, could no longer see through him.

"I'm leaving."

Orochimaru's voice turned cold, and he turned to leave immediately.

Seeing this, Jiraiya opened his mouth to say something, but in the end, he didn't manage to speak in time.

Bang!

The office door closed once again.

"Your words just now were a bit much."

There was a rare hint of reprimand in the Third Hokage's tone. Seeing Jiraiya keep his head down in silence, he continued:

"Orochimaru has also had a very difficult time over these years."

"I actually think that if Shingen-kun is willing, we might as well let Orochimaru give it a try."

"The two of us together are surely better than him, Setsuna Uchiha, alone, right?!"

Jiraiya was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly:

"I will find an opportunity to ask Shingen-kun about it later."

"Mm."

Time slipped by, and the night deepened.

Uchiha Shingen's three Shadow Clones finished their training and dissipated into puffs of white smoke.

All the training experience returned to his main body, and even Uchiha Shingen, whose physique had improved during this period, almost couldn't handle it.

He lay flat on his bed, gasping for air.

Within a few breaths, his sweat had soaked the sheets, and he didn't have a shred of strength left in his entire body.

"This won't do."

"The burden of having three Shadow Clones training simultaneously is too heavy; with my current physical fitness, I still can't hold up."

Uchiha Shingen immediately summoned the panel of the Check-in Device.

[Uchiha Shingen]

[Rank - Chunin]

[Position - Konoha Military Police Force South District 4 Third Squad Captain]

[Abilities:

--Three-Tomoe Sharingan (Kekkei Genkai) Level 5

--Chakra Level 5

--Fire Release Mastery Level 3(+)

--Earth Release Mastery Level 2(+)

--Taijutsu Mastery Level 3(+)

--Genjutsu Mastery Level 3(+)

--Ninja Tool Mastery Level 2(+)]

[Ninjutsu: Hazy Moon Secret Sword, Sword Leap Flame, Shadow Clone, Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes, Mirror Heaven and Earth Change, Earth/Fire Release...]

[Evaluation - A: A Jonin with comprehensive abilities and the advantage of a Kekkei Genkai, capable of leading a tactical squad to execute missions.]

[Remaining Attribute Points - 3]

In half a month, Uchiha Shingen had accumulated another two attribute points, bringing his remaining total to three.

And what surprised him even more was that his Taijutsu could actually be improved again?!

Logically speaking, three attribute points should not have been enough to raise Taijutsu Mastery to level three.

But after a moment's thought, Uchiha Shingen understood the reason behind it.

The improvement of abilities does not rely solely on attribute points; they can also be enhanced through one's own arduous training.

During this period of practice, Uchiha Shingen's Taijutsu Mastery had already improved significantly on its own, so the number of attribute points required naturally decreased.

This discovery came as quite a surprise to Uchiha Shingen.

Ever since that night at the Clan Meeting, after witnessing the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan, Uchiha Shingen had intended to hoard his attribute points and unlock the Mangekyō Sharingan in one go.

However, the Shadow Clone Technique made him decide to postpone that plan.

After all, the stronger his body, the more Shadow Clone Technique consumption he could sustain simultaneously, and the faster his own rate of improvement would be!