Eight-Tails Jinchuriki

"What a pity."

"No matter how jealous you are, I am simply able to... see you at the Chunin Exams."

Uchiha Ryūha's voice was indifferent, even bordering on bored.

In his heart, these Chunin Exams were merely a formality; the Third Shinobi World War was his true stage.

"Very well." The Kumogakure youth sneered. "My name is Shimoka. Tell me yours."

"Uchiha Ryūha."

The arrival of the Kumogakure delegation made the atmosphere on the streets of Konoha visibly tense and subtle.

The Sunagakure team had arrived two days earlier, staying at the inn in the west of the village.

They were mostly reticent and travel-worn, carrying the dryness and lethality unique to the desert.

Leading them was a young Jonin named Baki, who possessed sharp eyes and kept a low profile.

Aside from necessary ceremonial visits, they rarely appeared in public.

But Kumogakure was different.

These ninjas from the Land of Lightning seemed born without knowing how to spell the word "low-profile."

They stayed at the best inn in the east of the village, swaggering through the streets daily and drawing crowds wherever they went.

Tall, robust builds, dark skin, and unbridled, reckless behavior.

Not to mention those undisguised gazes, scanning everything in Konoha as if evaluating the value of prey.

Especially the youth referred to as "Lord Blue B."

As the jinchuriki of the Eight-Tails, he acted with a certain lawlessness.

Of course, this had a direct connection to him becoming a jinchuriki; the former Blue B had been excellent in every respect.

And his follower, Shimoka, was even more aggressive.

The ninjas of Konoha, especially the hot-blooded Genin, felt a fire burning in their hearts as they watched these outsiders act so flagrantly on their own turf.

But what was even more frustrating was yet to come.

Three days later, registration for the Chunin Exams closed.

Team Seven qualified without a doubt—Matsumoto Ryūichi had submitted the recommendation form to the review office at lightning speed.

Coupled with Uchiha Ryūha's current "fame" in the village, the reviewing Jonin didn't even ask a single question before stamping the approval.

When Haruno Kazuya and Fujiwara Itsuki received their admission tickets with the red seal, their hands were shaking.

The Chunin Exams!

For civilian ninjas like them, this was a chance to leap over the dragon's gate.

Once they passed, they could be promoted to Chunin, gaining higher mission clearance, more generous rewards, and more training resources.

Perhaps even... the possibility of changing their family's destiny.

"Ry, Ryūha-kun..." Haruno Kazuya was so excited he became incoherent.

"Can we really participate? I, I heard the mortality rate in previous years was thirty percent..."

"What are you afraid of!" Fujiwara Itsuki puffed out his chest, though his voice was a bit shaky.

"With Lord Ryūha here, we will definitely make it!"

Matsumoto Ryūichi pinned all his hopes on Uchiha Ryūha, wishing he could enshrine him as an idol these past few days.

Uchiha Ryūha did not care about this.

What he was more concerned about were the outsiders in the village.

On the afternoon after registration, he strolled alone through the commercial district of Konoha.

His Reiatsu perception spread out silently, like an invisible radar, scanning every aura on the street.

The Chakra of the Sunagakure ninjas was mostly cold and dry, like the wind in the desert at night.

The Chakra of the Kumogakure ninjas was violent and scorching, carrying the distinct aura of the lightning attribute.

The Chakra of the native Konoha ninjas was diverse, but generally more "peaceful"—at least on the surface.

As he passed a dango shop, Uchiha Ryūha's footsteps paused slightly.

He "saw" a very peculiar Chakra fluctuation.

It was dark, pure, and filled with immense malice.

The power within it was incredibly heavy, even surpassing that of Hatake Sakumo.

The owner of that Chakra was a young boy with white and green hair and gentle eyes.

"The Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, is it? It seems the Tailed Beast isn't affecting him at this moment."

"This must be one of the members of the future renowned 'AB Duo'."

Uchiha Ryūha withdrew his gaze, turned, and walked away.

Jinchuriki... they really aren't on the same level as ordinary ninja.

Even in their youth, that pure malice stemming from a Tailed Beast is enough to make an ordinary Jonin shudder.

However, it has nothing to do with him for now.

Ryūha turned the corner and headed toward the training grounds.

Before he even got close, he heard a noisy commotion coming from that direction, mixed with angry rebukes and arrogant laughter.

He didn't stop, walking to the edge of the training ground and leaning against a tree to watch the situation in the center quietly.

In the middle of the training ground, three Konoha Genin lay on the ground.

Judging by the style of their headbands, they were likely newcomers who had just graduated this year, around the same age as Ryūha.

At this moment, they were bruised and swollen; one of them was clutching his arm with blood streaming from his forehead, clearly injured quite severely.

Standing before them was a Kumogakure ninja, nearly two meters tall, with dark skin and bulging muscles.

He looked to be in his early twenties, his short hair standing up like steel needles, a necklace of beast teeth hanging around his neck, and his bare upper body covered in scars.

He stood with his arms crossed, chin slightly raised, his eyes filled with undisguised contempt and mockery.

A crowd of Konoha ninja had already gathered, all wearing angry expressions, but they seemed to be wary of something and did not step forward.

"Is this the level of Konoha's new generation?"

The Kumogakure ninja stepped on the head of one of the fallen Genin, grinding down with force, his voice loud and arrogant:

"You're not even worth a warm-up for me! I heard you call Konoha the 'strongest ninja village'?

What a joke! Trash like this wouldn't even qualify to be Genin in Kumogakure!"

The pinned Genin struggled in humiliation but couldn't move at all, only able to let out muffled groans of pain.

"Yotsuki Kagura! You've gone too far!" A Konoha Chunin couldn't help but step forward.

"This was just a spar, why are you using such heavy hands?!"

"A spar?" The Kumogakure youth named Yotsuki Kagura sneered, "I hadn't even used any strength and they already fell; you call this a spar?

It was clearly a one-sided beating!"

He scanned his surroundings, his gaze sweeping over the angry Konoha ninja, his smile growing even more rampant:

"What? Not convinced? If you're not convinced, come on up! Let me see if Konoha has anyone who can actually fight besides these losers!"

He paused, his voice suddenly rising, filled with provocation:

"Where is the Uchiha clan? I heard you are Konoha's strongest noble clan?

Is the Sharingan very impressive? Why is not a single one of you daring to show your face? Are you all just a bunch of cowards?!"

As soon as these words were spoken, several Uchiha youths among the onlookers instantly turned their eyes red.

"You're courting death!"

One Uchiha Genin couldn't help but want to rush forward, but he was held back tightly by his clansmen.

"Don't be impulsive! He is part of the Kumogakure delegation; fighting him will trigger a diplomatic incident!"

"Are we just going to let him insult our Uchiha like this?!"

"The Clan Head has ordered no private brawls! Everything must wait until the Chunin Exams!"

Several Uchiha youths clenched their fists until they creaked, but they could only suppress their rage.

Yotsuki Kagura watched this scene and laughed even more wildly.

He applied pressure with his foot, and the pinned Genin let out a painful scream.

"Trash is trash! You don't even dare to stand up, and you talk about protecting the village?

Konoha... is nothing more than this!"

The words fell.

The training ground fell into a dead silence.

Only Yotsuki Kagura's arrogant laughter and the Genin's painful groans remained.

Every Konoha ninja felt a deep sense of humiliation.

To be insulted like this at their own doorstep, yet unable to act because of "diplomacy"...

This stifling feeling was even harder to bear than being beaten directly.

Just then—

"Oh?"

A calm, even slightly puzzled voice drifted from the edge of the training ground.

The voice was not loud, yet it reached everyone's ears with perfect clarity.

Every gaze instantly shifted toward the source of the sound.

Leaning against a tree, the black-haired youth adjusted his glasses, his eyes behind the lenses watching Yotsuki Kagura in the center of the field with calm indifference.

"Kumogakure's... Yotsuki Kagura, right?"

Liuyu slowly straightened his posture, hands tucked into his pockets, his demeanor as leisurely as if he were out for a stroll.

"You just said that the Uchiha clan are all spineless cowards?"

He walked toward the center of the training ground, step by step.

His footsteps were light, landing without a sound.

Yet every step seemed to fall in time with some hidden rhythm, causing the surrounding air to tremble ever so slightly.