The worst thing was when everything suddenly went quiet. The Hokage's office had been silent for a long time, so silent that the Anbu standing guard outside were nearly unable to resist pushing the door open to check whether the two old geezers inside had kicked the bucket.
When Danzo came to see the Hokage, the Anbu were never allowed to get close.
"What do we do?!"
Inside the Hokage's office, the image in the crystal ball had vanished. Hiruzen Sarutobi leaned back in his chair, taking long drags from his pipe. Smoke filled the entire office, making it look like a fairyland.
"What else can we do? Cancel the second round of the Chunin Ninja Exams. The only one who passed was Uchiha Suifeng!" Hiruzen Sarutobi said. "Also, make sure those three subordinates of yours are dealt with cleanly, so the Uchiha Clan won't come after us!"
"Hiruzen, you're indulging the Uchiha Clan too much!"
"If you hadn't just caused this mess, the Uchiha Clan wouldn't have had a reason to make trouble."
Hiruzen Sarutobi was already furious with Danzo for acting on his own. Without those three members of Root, this Chunin Ninja Exam would merely have had a lower pass rate. Suifeng's actions had been outrageous, but they were still within the rules. He hadn't broken any rules or even killed a single opponent. Within the rules, his actions were legal and compliant, which meant there was room to negotiate.
The three Root ninja, on the other hand, had broken the rules outright. They'd attacked as soon as they appeared. If you're going to use underhanded methods, at least be thorough and kill the target! Instead, they'd been beaten senseless by an eight-year-old child, and after all that, they were still alive, lying there paralyzed. Weren't they just asking for trouble?
The Chunin Ninja Exams were a solemn affair. The rules had been established when Konoha was founded and had never changed. No one had ever been able to change them. Except for a candidate withdrawing voluntarily or an enemy invasion, no one inside Konoha was permitted to interfere.
Now three members of Root had appeared and been beaten by Suifeng in front of nearly all the candidates. How was he supposed to explain that?
He was the Hokage, not the emperor of Konoha.
The Hokage's faction held great power in Konoha, but there were many ninja clans and ninja besides them. Those people obeyed Konoha's rules, not the Hokage's rules.
Three Root ninja had barged into the exam grounds and fought the candidates, dressed exactly like the Anbu. Anyone with even a little knowledge of Konoha's inner workings could guess who they were.
The major ninja clans and the jounin in particular knew about Danzo and Root, and they knew how Root operated. There was no way they could hide who the intruders were from him. If Suifeng had killed them on the spot, pinning the blame on spies from another village would have been one way to handle it. But Suifeng hadn't killed them. He'd simply kicked their bones to pieces one by one, leaving them paralyzed, and that was that.
Then, in the end, he'd even called the Anbu over to take them away. Once they reached the Anbu, there was no way to hide that they were members of Root. That left him with a thorny problem.
Did Danzo think Suifeng passing the Chunin Ninja Exams would put an end to this?
Would the Uchiha Clan stand by and watch Root jounin attack a Uchiha prodigy?
Impossible.
This was a mess, and one he'd have to clean up himself.
"I don't agree with Uchiha Suifeng becoming a Chunin. He may already have the strength of one, but he acts arrogantly and completely goes against the way of the ninja—!"
"Enough!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi cut him off and glared at him. "The relevant punishments for this matter will be decided soon. Be ready. For the time being, don't show your face!"
"Hiruzen, you'll regret this!" (Why did writing this line always feel so satisfying?)
Danzo stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
This was a small auditorium not far from the Forest of Death. The place was rather shabby, but it was packed with candidates and examiners from this Chunin Ninja Exam.
Not a single important figure had attended. They didn't have the time.
Until now, no one had imagined that Suifeng would single-handedly take down all the Genin and bring the exam to an end.
No one else had passed besides him. Kakashi had been eliminated, too.
Once everything was over, everyone was gradually brought to the small auditorium. The chief examiner announced the results of the Chunin Ninja Exam: there was one passer, Uchiha Suifeng. Then the Third Hokage appeared before all the candidates and examiners and handed Suifeng the vest and Forehead Protector that marked him as a Chunin.
"From this day forward, you're a Chunin—the youngest in Konoha's history. I hope you'll continue to work hard, take on your responsibilities, and protect Konoha!"
"Thank you, Lord Hokage!" Suifeng accepted the Forehead Protector and vest, then gave him a calm, courteous smile. "Lord Hokage, who were the people who attacked me outside the Forest of Death today? They were wearing Anbu uniforms. Don't the Anbu know the rules of the Chunin Ninja Exams?!"
"They weren't Anbu," the Third Hokage said. "The Anbu would never break the rules of the Chunin Ninja Exams, either. Don't worry. This won't happen again."
"Yes, Lord Hokage!" Suifeng didn't press the matter any further. He wasn't the one who'd suffered, after all, and even if he didn't pursue it, the Uchiha Clan certainly would.
What a joke. Root jounin had attacked a Uchiha prodigy during the Chunin Ninja Exams. If this matter wasn't properly addressed, the Third Hokage wouldn't be able to keep his seat.
This wasn't an exaggeration. It wasn't just an issue for the Uchiha Clan; it concerned every ninja clan and every ninja in Konoha. If the rules of the Chunin Ninja Exams could be broken, then today you could kill a Uchiha prodigy, tomorrow a Hyuga prodigy, and the day after that, Ino-Shika-Cho could be in danger. Besides, today Suifeng had been the one to hold off three Root ninja. Who knew whether they'd really been targeting the Uchiha Clan? What if they'd been after the candidates in the Forest of Death? What if Suifeng hadn't been there today? What would the consequences have been?
Don't tell me it couldn't happen. From the moment Danzo broke the rules, anything was possible.
Who would believe Danzo's word?
As an eight-year-old Chunin, Suifeng only needed to focus on his own affairs. He didn't need to meddle in anything else. At most, he could jot it all down in a little notebook.
He was exceptionally gifted. Though still very young, he had the combat power of a jounin—an undisputed genius. Such geniuses were rare in the Ninja World, but not unheard of. The Uchiha Clan was delighted to have produced a prodigy, but it wasn't something that would shake the world. But if this eight-year-old also showed that he could see through every scheme and understand everything happening within Konoha, then he wouldn't be a genius. He'd be a monster. How could they let a monster like that grow up? By then, even the Third Hokage might not be able to hide his killing intent. At that point, Suifeng's situation would truly become difficult.
He'd stepped onto the ninja stage and shown what he could do so that he'd be valued and protected, gain resources ordinary people couldn't get, and earn a reputation as the strongest of his generation. That was all.
It was far too soon for him to enter the political arena.
So for now, he played dumb and knew when to advance or retreat.
Seeing that Suifeng wasn't pressing the matter, the Third Hokage secretly breathed a sigh of relief, chiding himself for overthinking things. He was only an eight-year-old child—what could he possibly understand? Still, the strength and potential this eight-year-old had shown were impossible to ignore. He was young, with plenty of room to grow, and he'd been raised in Konoha from the start. Perhaps there was still a chance to bring him over!
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