Third Hokage, Raikage, Super-Kage Level

The final showdown of the Chunin Exams concluded in a near-absurd silence.

Uchiha Ryūha stood in the center of the arena, his feet planted beside his seventh opponent to voluntarily concede—a Genin from Kusagakure renowned for his genjutsu.

The moment Uchiha Ryūha looked at him, this genjutsu prodigy turned deathly pale and raised his hands in surrender, lacking even the courage to attempt a technique.

The referee announced the victory mechanically, and the applause from the stands was sparse—not for lack of enthusiasm, but out of sheer numbness.

Since the third preliminary round, every one of Uchiha Ryūha's battles had been so clean and efficient it was suffocating.

Puppet master? Finished in three seconds.

Taijutsu expert? Taken down in one move.

Ninjutsu prodigy? Defeated without a single hand seal.

Genjutsu master? Defeated upon eye contact.

By the final few matches, some opponents had even resorted to forfeiting outright.

It wasn't that they didn't want to fight; it was that they couldn't.

That absolute disparity in strength, that bottomless sense of oppression.

It made everyone standing opposite Uchiha Ryūha feel a sense of powerlessness from the depths of their souls.

It was as if they weren't facing a Genin of the same age, but a towering mountain they could only look up to.

"The final winner of this year's Chunin Exams is—"

Akimichi Choza's voice echoed across the arena through an amplification jutsu, carrying an irrepressible excitement:

"Konoha, Team Seven, Uchiha Ryūha!"

Thunderous applause erupted.

But Uchiha Ryūha's face remained expressionless; he simply accepted the scroll symbolizing victory with calm, bowed slightly, and walked off the stage.

In the stands, Namikaze Minato clapped with a smile, his eyes filled with sincere admiration.

Kushina waved her arms excitedly, her red hair dancing like flames.

They had only participated in these Chunin Exams as a formality.

By this time, Namikaze Minato had long since been secretly promoted to a Special Jonin.

Had the situation not been so tense, the upper echelons of Konoha would never have made such a choice.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, took a deep drag of his pipe and exhaled slowly.

Uchiha Fugaku remained expressionless, though a flicker of complex emotion passed through his Sharingan.

Meanwhile, in the guest seating area for Kumogakure, Yotsuki Hayato's face was so dark it could drip water.

He stared at Uchiha Ryūha's back, his fists clenched beneath the table, his nails digging deep into his palms.

"A master of seal-less ninjutsu... a genius comparable to the First Hokage..."

He whispered the evaluation that had been quietly circulating among Konoha's leadership and the various village team leaders over the past few days, cold light flickering in his eyes.

That night, an encrypted urgent dispatch was sent from Konoha to Kumogakure.

Written by Yotsuki Hayato himself, it detailed every ability Uchiha Ryūha had displayed during the Chunin Exams.

Seal-less execution of multi-element ninjutsu, suspected beyond-standard sensory capabilities, terrifying mental fortitude, and precision in Chakra control...

Three days later, Kumogakure, the Raikage's office.

The Third Raikage, A, looked at the intelligence scroll in his hand, his rugged face devoid of expression.

But the temperature in the office seemed to drop by ten degrees.

"Seal-less execution... multiple elements..." he muttered to himself, his voice rolling in his chest like muffled thunder.

"Chakra control precision exceeding a Jonin... suspected possession of an unknown Kekkei Genkai..."

He set the scroll down and looked out the window at the rolling Thundercloud Mountains of Kumogakure.

"Konoha... has produced another monster."

"And it's an Uchiha."

He stood up slowly, his two-meter frame making the office seem cramped.

His muscular upper body was draped only in a white cape, his exposed chest and arms covered in scars from past battles.

Each one told of the glorious achievements of this "Strongest Spear" and "Strongest Shield."

"That Namikaze Minato from last year was trouble enough, and now there's another one..."

He walked to the wall, where a map of the ninja world hung.

His gaze landed on the Land of Fire and the location of Konoha, a flash of resolve in his eyes.

"Pass the order: I am going to Konoha myself."

The secretary standing behind him turned pale with shock: "Lord Raikage! That is too dangerous! If you infiltrate Konoha personally and are discovered—"

"Discovered?" The Third Hokage turned around, grinning to reveal teeth white as bone. "Then let's beat it out of them."

He rolled his neck, his joints popping like crackling beans.

"Just as well. I've been wanting to see if that Uchiha brat is truly as miraculous as the reports claim."

"Besides..."

His gaze deepened.

"The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Uzumaki Kushina... is also in Konoha."

The secretary gasped. "Are you planning to—"

"A genius, and a Jinchuriki." The Third Hokage's voice was calm, yet carried an unquestionable dominance. "I want them both."

Last year, a few Jonin failed to abduct the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki; this time, he would handle it himself.

Five days later, night.

Konoha was still basking in the afterglow of the celebration—the Chunin Exams had concluded successfully, and a new generation of geniuses had emerged.

In particular, the sudden rise of Uchiha Ryūha had the entire village brimming with a sense of reflected pride.

Villagers were still returning home on the streets, and the sounds of laughter drifted from the izakayas.

No one noticed a figure like a bolt of lightning.

Moving at an incredible speed, he bypassed the layers of Konoha's barriers and slipped into the village without a sound.

The Third Hokage, A.

He had suppressed his Lightning Release Chakra Mode to the absolute limit, with only a thin, nearly imperceptible layer of lightning covering his skin, minimizing his presence to the lowest possible level.

Yet, that vast vitality and Chakra, reminiscent of an ancient beast, remained as bright as a torch in the dark, vivid to any sensory ninja.

However, none of the sensory ninja on duty in Konoha tonight sounded the alarm.

Because in the world they "perceived," the village's barrier remained intact, with no abnormal Chakra intrusion detected.

Kyōka Suigetsu.

The moment the Third Hokage stepped into the range of Konoha's barrier, Uchiha Ryūha's Reiatsu perception had captured that sudden, scorching, and violent source of Chakra, burning like a sun.

It wasn't just Kage-level.

It was a terrifying existence that surpassed Kage-level, reaching the tier of a "humanoid Tailed Beast"!

It was the Third Hokage!

He was capable of fighting the rampaging Eight-Tails Gyūki to a standstill.

In the future Third Shinobi World War, he would stand alone against ten thousand Iwagakure ninja, fighting for three days and three nights before finally exhausting himself to death.

Uchiha Ryūha woke instantly from his sleep, pushed open the window, and leaped out. Kyōka Suigetsu unfolded silently, blanketing Konoha's entire sensory barrier.

Facing a powerhouse like this, being perceived by the village would only be a disaster.

It was the perfect opportunity to test the character card he had just drawn.

In the "cognition" of all the sensory ninja, the night remained calm and peaceful.

But in reality, the Third Hokage had entered as if there were no one there, heading straight in one direction—

The residence of Uzumaki Kushina.

His goal was clear: abduct the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and, while he was at it, "take away" that Uchiha genius.

If possible, he wanted to wreak havoc in Konoha to weigh the true caliber of this "strongest hidden village."

But he had underestimated Namikaze Minato.

Or rather, he had underestimated how much the future "Yellow Flash" valued his wife.

The area around Kushina's residence had long been secretly marked with Flying Thunder God formulas by Namikaze Minato.

The moment the Third Hokage smashed through the window and struck Kushina unconscious with a palm, the formula was triggered—

A flash of gold.

Namikaze Minato appeared out of thin air, his kunai thrusting straight at the Third Hokage's heart!

"Oh?" The Third Hokage didn't even turn his head, grabbing backward.

Clang!

The kunai struck his palm, emitting the sound of clashing metal, not even breaking the skin.

Namikaze Minato's pupils shrank. Without hesitation, he utilized the Flying Thunder God: Second Step, appearing at the Third Hokage's flank.

A Rasengan had already condensed in his hand, slamming toward the man's ribs!

"Child's play."

The Third Hokage did not even dodge.

BOOM--!

The fledgling Rasengan slammed solidly into his ribs, the violent Chakra spinning frantically, tearing—

And then, it extinguished.

It didn't even break the skin of the Third Hokage.