The Third Hokage's Dirty Trick

Even so, Shiro occasionally felt like giving up. Barrier Magecraft was just a little too difficult.

Barrier Magecraft was somewhat hard to explain. Simply put, it was similar to the formations used in cultivation. Powerful ones could sever the world itself, while a Reality Marble, regardless of its effects or power, was in itself Magecraft closest to True Magic.

A Reality Marble was the manifestation of a mage's inner landscape, an ability that eroded reality. It was similar to the Mangekyo Sharingan; different people possessed different Reality Marbles. But Reality Marbles were far more powerful than the Mangekyo Sharingan.

A Reality Marble was a type of Barrier Magecraft. Though it was among the most advanced kinds, that alone showed just how difficult Barrier Magecraft was.

Besides, as far as Shiro knew, quite a few barrier spells could temporarily erode and divide the real world as well. They simply could not compare to a Reality Marble.

That was also why Shiro worked so hard to learn Barrier Magecraft. He was still looking forward to the power of a Reality Marble.

Still, Shiro's progress was quite encouraging. At present, he could not even set up the simplest Alarm Barrier.

He was, however, extremely proficient in Reinforcement Magecraft and Projection Magecraft. He could be considered a competent mage.

Still, Shiro had begun to get the hang of it. Once he learned a few more basic barrier spells, he could consider finding a place to initially build a Magecraft Workshop. After all, some things were inconvenient to do in the village. (A Magecraft Workshop could be roughly understood as a mage's tower in fantasy novels. Magecraft was enhanced inside, but it generally could not be moved.)

Leaving Root aside, before Shiro truly took off, the Pot King would not be interested in him. What Shiro worried about was the Third Hokage. With the help of Konoha's barrier, that old man's Telescope Technique could see nearly every corner of Konoha.

If he discovered certain secrets then, it would be troublesome. For instance, Shiro was about to carry out a long-awaited Attribute Enhancement, which involved Tailed Beast Chakra.

Though the Third Hokage would not openly act against Shiro because of Konoha's secret-technique clans, he could order Danzo to do it. Shiro believed that the Third Hokage was absolutely capable of such a thing!

After all, the Third Hokage was not as good as he appeared. Politicians were black-hearted and dirty-handed. Otherwise, Orochimaru would not have escaped so easily in the original story. By then, Orochimaru had already begun experimenting on people from the village.

And Naruto, Minato's child, the child of a hero who had sacrificed himself for the village, actually lived that kind of life. Though Danzo had certainly been secretly fanning the flames behind it.

But could the Third Hokage, the mighty Hokage, really have been unable to stop Danzo? Whether others believed it or not, Shiro certainly did not. A renowned Shinobi Hero could not possibly fail to look after even one child.

Therefore, Shiro felt it was better to make plans for certain things early.

So no matter how difficult it was, Shiro had to persist. For Shiro, who had once been a shut-in, persistence meant growth! It meant progress!

Thus, Shiro put down the scroll and lay down. He felt that being a couch potato once in a while was not so bad.

Well, after lying there for a while, Shiro got back up and continued studying. It was not that his couch-potato spirit had died; it was mainly because everyone around him was working hard. It felt a little awkward for Shiro to be resting.

Along the way, Shiro and the others returned to the village according to this routine.

Because they had completed quite a few missions, and because their last mission had been assigned personally by the Third Hokage, Shiro and the others could not have their captain turn in the mission as before.

This time, they all had to meet the Third Hokage.

Inside the Hokage's office.

As Nakamura handed over a scroll, he said, "Hokage-sama, this is the report on the mission. I believe they have more than enough strength to handle this exam!"

"An exam?" Shiro and the others looked confused.

After all, they were already Chunin. They had never heard of an exam for promotion to Special Jonin or Jonin, so hearing that they had to take an exam left them rather baffled.

At that moment, the Third Hokage saw their confused expressions and smiled. "Oh, I forgot to tell you. In a few days, you will be heading to Sunagakure to take part in the Chunin Exams."

"Huh?? Um, Hokage-sama, aren't we already Chunin?"

"Oh, that. Sorry, Shiro, I forgot to fill out your paperwork, so you're still a Genin."

Even if I didn't study much, I know that a mere Chunin's paperwork wouldn't require the Hokage to fill it out personally. Shiro looked at the Third Hokage speechlessly.

But Shiro only dared to joke about it in his heart. After all, he was an old man.

"But something's not right. Taichi and Shikaki became Chunin long ago. They were officially registered."

"Oh, them? Failing even a simple mission shows that you still need more training, so you have been demoted to Genin." The Third Hokage said with narrowed eyes.

... x3

Just as Shiro and the others were left speechless, the Hokage's office door was kicked open with a Bang! There was no need to ask; Kushina was the only one who would do something like that.

"Third Hokage, tell me! Why did you demote Minato to Genin?!"

Before Shiro could even greet Kushina, he heard that and immediately looked at the Third Hokage in disbelief.

He had no principles at all just to win! He had even demoted Minato to Genin and was sending him to the exam!

That was Minato! He was a genius who, not long after graduating, could already trade blows with Jonin from Cloud Village! With the growth of the past few years, he was absolutely no weaker than a veteran Chunin!

If Minato had already learned the Flying Thunder God, then he would unquestionably be a Special Jonin. He could even instantly defeat some Jonin.

And one could imagine that Minato, Taichi, and the others were definitely not the only ones demoted. There was probably a whole batch of them.

Shiro had not expected the Third Hokage to do something like this just to win.

But the Third Hokage had been forced into it. The war had just ended, and the village's geniuses had basically all been promoted to Chunin. At a time like this, Konoha truly could not find suitable candidates.

And Konoha could not perform too poorly, so they had no choice but to resort to this. Since they had already started down this road, they might as well go all the way and strive for a good result.

But that was not what Kushina cared about. She only knew that her boyfriend had been wronged, and she wanted to get even for him!

"Calm down, Kushina. There is a reason for this. Calm down first, and I'll explain it to you later. Besides, I heard Minato has already mastered that technique, right?"

"Mm, he only mastered it recently." Kushina had calmed down as well. In truth, she understood that the village had its own plans. She was only doing this to secure more compensation for Minato.

"Mm. What we mean is to have Minato use it during this exam. First, to test his training, and second, to intimidate the other villages."

"Old man, you really have no shame. You could even think of a method like this." Kushina looked at the Third Hokage with utter disdain.

Hearing that, the Third Hokage's face completely darkened.

He decided to ignore Kushina for the moment. He was tired.

"So, in a few days, you will head to Sunagakure for the exam. Do you have any other questions?"

"No, Hokage-sama." x4

What else could Shiro and the others do besides accept the Hokage's decision? It was not as if he were sending them to their deaths. As for demanding benefits like Kushina... well, Shiro had not lived long enough yet.

"Mm, then you may leave first."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Shiro, wait downstairs for a moment. I need to discuss something with you."

"Yes, Boss."