Fortunately, Sarutobi Hiruzen was an old fox himself. He turned the page without betraying a thing, then glanced at Uchiha Genya.
He awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan so young... Another genius like Shisui?
Seeing Sarutobi Hiruzen look his way, Genya let the outlines of three tomoe emerge in his eyes.
Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately smiled kindly and nodded to Genya.
"In that case... very well. I'll make a special exception and arrange your jonin exam for tomorrow."
Genya wasted no time in replying.
"Thank you, Lord Third."
Seeing how polite Genya was, Sarutobi Hiruzen grew a little less wary, though he still said out of habit:
"Konoha keeps growing stronger because it has Shinobi like you and Shisui."
"Where the leaves of Konoha dance, fire burns on. Its shadow illuminates the village and gives rise to new leaves."
The same old Will of Fire speech. And somehow, people actually bought it.
When Sarutobi Hiruzen waved them away, Yashiro took the hint and led Genya out of the Hokage Office.
On the way back to the clan compound, Yashiro looked at the silent Genya and asked another question.
"What did you make of what just happened?"
The Lord Third had supposedly stepped down, yet he had bypassed Namikaze Minato and arranged Genya's jonin exam himself.
And from the start, Uchiha Yashiro had never asked Namikaze Minato, who was right there, for his opinion.
Clearly, Konoha's upper ranks had all but accepted that the newly appointed Fourth Hokage was merely a puppet.
Genya activated his Sharingan and confirmed that no Hokage Anbu were following them. After a moment's thought, he summed it up.
"That relationship is far from normal. But given that the Fourth Hokage has only just taken office, maybe it's to be expected?"
Yashiro nodded approvingly and did not press him further.
That was a keen observation for someone so young.
"Once you become a jonin, I'll back you at the clan meeting. But if you want a bigger say in the Uchiha Police Force, you'll have to earn it yourself."
Yashiro did not even ask whether Genya was confident he could pass the exam.
Uchiha who awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan were invariably among the finest Shinobi.
If Genya could not pass a jonin exam, it would be an embarrassment to the Uchiha.
That was Uchiha pride. Among ninja of the same rank, no one could match a member of the Uchiha Family whose Sharingan had awakened.
The jonin exam arrived the next day as promised.
Genya put on his gear and headed to one of Konoha's training grounds.
There he saw his opponent: white hair, a Forehead Protector covering his left eye, and a black mask. He looked lazy, as if everything were too much trouble.
It was Hatake Kakashi, the man who possessed a Sharingan, had copied over a thousand jutsu, and was known throughout the Ninja World as the "Copy Ninja."
Kakashi looked just as Genya remembered. A genius who had become a jonin at twelve, he had lost two dear friends in the Battle of Kannabi Bridge and had fallen into a slump.
The moment Genya saw that Sarutobi Hiruzen had chosen Kakashi as his examiner, he understood the man's intent.
You want Kakashi to beat me, a true Uchiha, to build his reputation?
Then today I'll show you what a real Sharingan looks like.
Transplanting a Sharingan doesn't mean you know how to use it.
Sarutobi Hiruzen stood in the spectator area. Seeing that both fighters were ready, he raised his hand.
"Uchiha Genya's jonin exam... begins now."
Almost the instant Sarutobi Hiruzen brought his hand down, Uchiha Genya and Hatake Kakashi vanished from the field at the same time!
Clang! Steel struck steel, and Kakashi sprang back the moment they made contact.
Kakashi used the Body Flicker Technique to evade Genya's attack. He hurled several Shuriken to disrupt Genya's movements while his hands flew through Hand Seals.
"Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!"
Knowing that Genya's talent for ninjutsu was considered unremarkable, Kakashi appeared intent on wearing him down from a distance.
Genya threw several Shuriken of his own, striking Kakashi's precisely in midair. As he closed in with the Body Flicker Technique, his hands formed seals at speed, and he opened his mouth to unleash a torrent of roaring flame.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Genya was only weak at Fire Release compared with other Uchiha of his level. Since his stats had risen to jonin level, the old intelligence on him no longer applied.
The Great Fireball Technique was only a C-rank Fire Release jutsu, but in Genya's hands, its power exceeded that rank.
A jutsu's rank reflected how hard it was to learn, not how powerful it could be.
From the spectator area, Sarutobi Hiruzen narrowed his eyes. Uchiha Genya was holding his own against Kakashi—more than that, he had the upper hand.
Another genius... If only he were an Uchiha who cared about the village like Shisui.
Why does the Uchiha Family produce geniuses so easily?
Facing the onrushing flames, Kakashi slammed a hand against the ground.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
An earthen wall emblazoned with a dog's head surged from the ground and blocked the Great Fireball Technique.
Genya had never understood why Kakashi cared so much about appearances. His chakra reserves were limited to begin with, and the Sharingan drained them constantly.
Yet he still insisted on putting artwork on his Earth Style: Earth Wall.
Genya was not surprised that the Great Fireball Technique had been blocked. He kept closing in on Kakashi.
Just as he neared him, a pair of hands burst from the ground and seized Genya's legs.
"Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu!"
Genya was dragged underground, leaving only his head exposed.
Kakashi emerged a moment later.
At the sight, Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled with satisfaction.
As expected of Kakashi, White Fang's son. He had not disappointed him.
Looking at Genya's unchanged expression, Kakashi said, "It's over."
But Genya, pinned beneath the earth, gave an eerie smile.
"What makes you think the one you caught is the real me?"
"Genya" dissolved into a puff of smoke.
The pupil of Kakashi's uncovered eye contracted sharply.
No—a Shadow Clone!
But when? I never saw Genya form the Hand Seals!
The Shadow Clone Technique was a Clone Technique devised by Second Hokage Tobirama Senju specifically to counter the Sharingan. Even the Sharingan could not see through it.
Kakashi had no time to wonder when Genya had created the Shadow Clone.
His uncovered eye swept his surroundings. Trusting his sharp combat instincts, Kakashi immediately raised his Ninja Blade at an angle behind him.
Sure enough, Genya appeared in an instant, and his short blade collided with Kakashi's Ninja Blade once more.
As Kakashi turned, he saw three blood-red tomoe in Uchiha Genya's eyes.
Not good!
As the Copy Ninja who possessed a Sharingan himself, he knew its power all too well. He knew that when fighting an Uchiha with an awakened Sharingan, he must never meet his opponent's eyes.