Watching the Match

Time flew by, and the day of the Uchiha clan tournament arrived. Mikoto had fought her way into the finals, relying on her Great Fireball Technique all the way.

Shen Ye, having nothing better to do, happened to pass by the Uchiha compound. Looking toward the entrance, he saw Mikoto and Uchiha Fugaku locked in battle.

At this very moment, only the two of them remained, vying for the final victory.

Fugaku clearly did not want to fight Mikoto; his movements betrayed his intention to throw the match, but that thought was nipped in the bud by a sharp glare from the Uchiha Clan Head.

"Mikoto, I'm sorry, but I cannot let you win this match."

"The Uchiha clan has always been a world for men, but today, I will show all of you the true power of a female ninja."

"Well said. One should be exactly that arrogant."

Shen Ye clapped his hands as he walked toward the arena, eventually stopping at the edge to watch in silence.

Fugaku's mouth twitched, and the urge to strike rose within him, but he knew he couldn't act recklessly during such an important tournament.

"Carry on. I'm just here to be a quiet spectator and see how the genius ninja Uchiha Fugaku falls at the hands of Mikoto."

The Uchiha Clan Head frowned but said nothing; after all, he was a man of status, and it would be humiliating to bicker with a child.

Shen Ye's appearance did not disrupt Mikoto's focus, but Uchiha Fugaku was not so lucky.

Every time he tried to circulate his chakra, Shen Ye's figure would surface in his mind, and his voice would echo in his ears.

"Damn it, this guy's presence is completely ruining my rhythm."

"Fugaku, don't get distracted during a fight. Fire Style, Great Fireball Technique!"

Seeing a flaw in Fugaku's movement, Mikoto quickly formed hand seals, gathering the majority of her chakra in her mouth.

If this strike landed, it would end the match immediately; conversely, if Fugaku dodged it, Mikoto would not have enough remaining chakra to continue the fight.

Shen Ye stood below with a faint smile on his lips; the outcome had already played out in his mind.

Under normal circumstances, Mikoto would never be a match for Fugaku. Regardless of anything else, the forehead protector Fugaku wore indicated that he was already a genin.

How could a little girl who hadn't even graduated from the Ninja Academy possibly be a match for a genin?

But what happened next caused everyone's jaws to drop—everyone, that is, except for Shen Ye.

A small flame landed on Fugaku at an incredible angle; even the Clan Head had not expected such a result.

"It seems today's match has reached its conclusion. There's no point in watching any further."

Shen Ye shrugged and turned to walk away.

The reason he had come to watch the match at this time was, on one hand, to put some mental pressure on Fugaku, and on the other, to see the expressions on these people's faces when they saw the result.

Shock and disbelief were written on everyone's faces.

Feeling the glare of the sun outside, Shen Ye instinctively raised his hand to shield his face.

"Shen Ye, so you came to observe the Uchiha clan's tournament as well."

"It's already over. You're late, Minato."

"Even though I tried my best to hurry over, I still missed it in the end. How did the match turn out?"

"Mikoto won, of course. You have to realize that she went through my devilish training before this!"

A look of relief appeared on Minato's face. The battle between Mikoto and Fugaku reflected, from a different perspective, the gap between the little ones at the Ninja Academy and a genin.

Moreover, Fugaku was a famous genius ninja not just within the Uchiha clan, but in the entire village.

"To celebrate this outcome, let's go eat at Ichiraku Ramen!"

"Forget the ramen. I have other things to do; today's mission isn't finished yet."

"Mission? What mission?"

Minato leaned in toward Shen Ye, acting cheeky, assuming it was some important task assigned to him by the village.

Shen Ye, of course, wouldn't tell him it was to Steal Skill from ninjas, so he made up a random excuse to brush him off and turned to leave.

Watching his retreating back, Minato shook his head helplessly.

He knew there must be some secret about Shen Ye, but as his good friend, he would respect him and not ask prying questions.

After parting ways with Minato, Shen Ye wandered aimlessly through the village streets, searching for his target for the day.

However, looking at the passing crowds, Shen Ye couldn't find anyone worth stealing from.

The ninjas seemed to have collectively vanished from the village today; all he could see were ordinary people and children, and even using Steal Skill on them would be useless.

After thinking it over, a target solidified in Shen Ye's mind.

Even if the old man, Sarutobi Hiruzen, left the village, that guy would never leave; he would only stay firmly in his position, coveting the Hokage's throne.

Heading toward the Hokage Office, Shen Ye didn't stop for a moment and walked straight into the location of the Anbu.

Danzo was currently taking a nap, looking as if he didn't care about anything outside his own affairs, and the entire Anbu was now left with only him.

"Danzo, you're quite leisurely here all by yourself."

Opening his hazy eyes, Danzo carefully scrutinized the guy standing before him.

"Shen Ye? You've actually grown this tall? It's only been a single day since I last saw you."

Danzo was utterly astonished; to reach the height of several years of growth in just a few days, what kind of monster was Shen Ye exactly? Even his chakra reserves had surged to an unfathomable degree.

However, the shock was only fleeting, and Danzo quickly regained his composure.

"How did you suddenly appear here? You should know that even the Third Hokage wouldn't just walk in here so casually."

The expression on Danzo's face grew increasingly sinister, and he began to contemplate striking Shen Ye down the moment he said the wrong thing.

If he died here, no one would ever know; the Anbu was the most mysterious organization in the entire village, and neither Tsunade nor the Third Hokage had the authority to interfere with operations here.

Shen Ye sensed the killing intent, yet he continued to approach Danzo slowly, his expression remaining unruffled.

"I just missed you, Brother Danzo, so I came to pay you a visit."

As he spoke, Shen Ye placed a hand on his shoulder, and Danzo could not detect a single hint of anything amiss.

Unable to find a suitable excuse, Danzo could not lash out directly, so he forced a smile to greet Shen Ye in return.

"Coming from a brat like you, those words always sound insincere. If you have something to say, just spit it out."

"There is indeed one matter that requires your help, and in this entire village, only you are suited for it."

Danzo rolled his eyes at Shen Ye, knowing full well that this guy was never that simple.