An Unfair Rematch (Part One)

No one present expected that the Chunin Selection Exam Konoha would turn out this way.

There were 161 participants in this Chunin Ninja Exams, with 151 from Konoha itself, forming 51 Genin teams.

Among the participating Genin teams were elites from powerful clans such as Hyūga, Uchiha, Sarutobi, Yamanaka, Akimichi, Nara, Inuzuka, and Aburame. However, the record for the Second Exam was not broken by Konoha Ninja.

Although the Uzumaki Clan is an ally of Konoha, they are ultimately separated from Konoha by a layer of separation.

Kimimaro and Haku both looked to be around eight or nine years old, making them the two youngest candidates among all the test takers. It was initially thought that Shiraha had brought them to the exam just to give them some experience, since Konoha youngest Konoha Genin Uchiha Itachi, was already ten years old this year, while the members of the other Genin teams were generally over twelve years old, and some were even in Genin twenties.

Unfortunately, talent is something that time and age cannot erase.

Now it seems that Shiraha brought Kimimaro and Bai to the exam not to train, but to cause trouble.

In particular, the ninjas who followed closely behind were from a little-known ninja village Star Hidden Village.

After the incident six months ago, all the forces in the Shinobi World have figured out the relationship between Shiraha and the Demon Country.

The Star Hidden Village is located in the Bear Country, and the Bear Country and the Demon Country have formed Mutual Defense Alliance. In reality, this means that the Star Hidden Village is also allied with the Uzumaki Clan and Shiraha.

Such a weak and insignificant ninja village has produced a genius like Meteor. He looks to be only eleven or twelve years old, yet he was able to pass the Death Forest test single-handedly and without a scratch. It seems that the Star Hidden Village is not as simple as people imagine.

At this moment, the Konoha ninjas suddenly realized that even without Konoha as an ally, the Uzumaki Clan seemed to be quite powerful, having already formed alliances with the Demon Country, the Bear Country, the Land of Snow, the Swamp Country, Bird Country.

"Candidates who pass the exam early can rest first. The next round will begin after the last group of candidates passes or gives up the exam. The rest room is at the corner of the corridor on the second floor. Food will be provided to you at mealtimes."

The proctoring Konoha Chunin explained to Kimimaro, Haku, Meteor.

The three expressed their understanding and headed towards the stairwell on the first floor.

Upon reaching the second-floor corridor, the three approached Shiraha and bowed respectfully.

"You all performed very well," Shiraha said with a smile. He did this mainly to embarrass the Konoha High-Level. As for whether he would gain any particularly great benefits, it wouldn't be that much, but he was very happy.

"Lady Natsuhiboshi asked me to convey her greetings to you." Meteor bowed again, appearing somewhat reserved compared to Kimimaro and Haku, his expression unusually respectful. This was because Shiraha had cured the ailments of all the ninjas in Star Hidden Village who practiced the ' Mysterious Peacock Method,' bringing hope to their village.

"Okay, get some rest and prepare for the exam. After the exam, I'll also visit the village." Shiraha nodded.

"Yes!" Meteor replied respectfully, then walked towards the end of the corridor.

"Teacher Shiraha, may we look around here a little longer?"

Kimimaro spoke up, saying he wanted to stay here with Haku a little longer to see if Uchiha Itachi, who was valued by Shiraha, would pass the test today.

Kimimaro was quite disappointed that Uchiha Itachi abandoned the scroll to avoid battle, because even if Uchiha Itachi had resisted, he wouldn't have joined forces with Haku and Meteor to attack Uchiha Itachi. They were indeed following Shiraha's orders to deliberately snipe Uchiha Itachi, and the fact that the three of them met was just a coincidence.

They just didn't expect that Uchiha Itachi, who was about the same age, would be so calm and give up the fight directly. As a result, Kimimaro and the other two couldn't continue to cause trouble for Uchiha Itachi, and couldn't make it too obvious.

Of course, Kimimaro believed that since Uchiha Itachi was someone that Shiraha valued, it was impossible for him not to pass the test. He would probably gather the scrolls again soon and come here.

Kimimaro hopes to meet Itachi in the later exams and defeat him in a fair one-on-one duel to prove his worth.

"Of course you can. You don't seem to need much rest, so you can stay here."

Shiraha naturally wouldn't refuse such a small request.

Sarutobi Hiruzen to the side, cursed inwardly upon hearing Kimimaro's address. He had initially thought that Shiraha had Genin to the exam as a symbolic gesture to ease tensions with Konoha, but it turned out that he had sent his carefully trained disciple. And to call him a 'subordinate' was clearly just a deliberate attempt to sabotage the event!

Kimimaro and Haku, despite their young age, possess the aura of powerful individuals, clearly indicating their strength. Meteor took the exam alone, is also exceptional. No wonder Itachi abandoned the scroll upon encountering these three. If a battle had broken out, the three might have tried to kill Itachi.

Thinking about it this way, Sarutobi Hiruzen felt that Shiraha was somewhat sinister, and the nonchalant smile on his face seemed extremely irritating.

What followed was a somewhat formulaic conversation between Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shiraha, with both maintaining awkward yet polite smiles.

As evening approached, another group arrived at the tower, but instead of examinees, they were Konoha ninjas.

Uchiha Fugaku, Shisui, Chiho, three powerful members of the Uchiha, came to watch the Second Exam.

As Itachi's father, Fugaku knew how outstanding his son was. Apart from lacking some experience, Itachi's strength and character surpassed some veteran Chunin. Although he was only 10 years old, he was fully capable of becoming Special Jonin. As for surpassing his father, it was only a matter of time.

Although Fugaku was very strict with Itachi, deep down he always regarded Itachi as his pride.

This Chunin Selection Exam, in particular, is a moment to show the world just how outstanding the Uchiha can be.

At 10 years old, Genin, participating in the Chunin Selection Exam alone, and possessing the Uchiha with Double Tomoe Sharingan —all these factors combined highlight Itachi's talent. Now, all he needs is first place in the Chunin Selection Exam to make his name as a genius even more resounding.

Even if Itachi breaks Kakashi's record of becoming Jōnin at the age of 12, it's only a matter of time.

Especially during this special period, the village's reputation was damaged in the previous incident involving the Kumogakure Delegation, and its relationship with the Hyuga clan deteriorated. This was actually a good thing for Fugaku, because the deterioration of the relationship between the higher-ups and the Hyūga meant that they needed more support from the Uchiha Clan. Fugaku strongly opposed the way some Radical Faction in the clan wanted to express the Uchiha's political demands through violence.

He wanted to resolve the conflict peacefully, such as showing the village the Yamato and depth of the Uchiha Clan, and just how terrifying the geniuses of each new generation of Uchiha were, thus proving the importance of the Uchiha Clan.

Itachi is the key link!

He will elevate the prestige of his clan to new heights amidst the spotlight.

As for Shisui, who accompanied Fugaku, he only came along because he was on good terms with Itachi. He didn't think too much about it, because he was very confident in Itachi's strength. Ordinary Chunin were no match for Itachi, and passing the Chunin Ninja Exams of this difficulty should be very easy for Itachi.

Chiho's purpose was simpler; she came to see Shiraha. If she hadn't wanted to appear too eager, she would have gone to see Shiraha last night.

The three approached Sarutobi Hiruzen, bowed slightly, and said, "Lord Third Hokage."

"Fugaku, Shisui, Chiho." Sarutobi Hiruzen in acknowledgment.

"Lord Shiraha." Fugaku and Shisui looked at Shiraha.

"Shiraha." Chiho came up to Shiraha and greeted him with a smile in her eyes. She looked slightly shy and subconsciously brushed her short hair behind her ear, revealing her fair and delicate ears.

Although she has grown from a naive girl into a mature woman, both in appearance and in spirit, she still acts a bit like she did back then in front of her beloved.

"Chiho, you've become even more beautiful."

Shiraha smiled and said that his words were not a compliment.

Kushina is beautiful and considerate, and in terms of appearance alone, she is already top-tier. However, she is still inferior to Chiho, especially since Chiho, despite being quite mature, still exudes a youthful charm and has a unique allure.

Of course, Kushina's significance to Shiraha is unparalleled; she was the woman who supported him and grew up alongside him from his weakest period.

unique.

"Really?" Chiho's cheeks flushed slightly. It was the simplest compliment, but hearing it from Shiraha's mouth gave her a huge sense of satisfaction, which made her even happier than if she had become the Fifth Hokage.

Sarutobi Hiruzen and Uchiha Fugaku frowned slightly as they watched Chiho's incredibly outgoing behavior. She was clearly a top member of the Uchiha Clan and Elite Jonin of Konoha, yet she was a love-struck fool.

What's your stance?

Judging from this, it seems that Shiraha could easily persuade Chiho to betray the Uchiha and Konoha with just a single sentence.

This is terrifying!

"Of course, I don't usually lie," Shiraha said with a smile. His remaining goodwill towards Konoha was only because of his friends Chiho, Hideto, Tsunade, Nawaki, and Oshima Shuichi, as well as Kakashi, the son of his old friend Sakumo.

Noticing the changes in Sarutobi Hiruzen and Uchiha Fugaku's expressions, Shiraha greeted Fugaku politely.

Since the Konoha forces that supported the Uzumaki Clan were not included in this Uchiha Clan Leader's original plan, and his stance was firmly on Konoha's side, there was no need to win him over, so Shiraha naturally wouldn't be very enthusiastic towards him.

As for Shisui, he is a promising talent. Shiraha has already transformed Shisui's worldview through the Wood Spirit Avatar Uchiha Issei, so naturally, he should increase his efforts to make him one of his own.

"Shisui." Shiraha reached out his hand to Shisui.

Shisui was taken aback. The current Shiraha represented the entire Uzumaki Clan and was on par with the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi. However, he did not shake hands with the clan leader but instead shook hands with Shisui, Uchiha Clan and Jōnin of the Konoha Anbu. His intentions were too obvious.

After a slight hesitation, Shisui reached out and shook hands tightly with Shiraha.

Upon Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression became somewhat unnatural, but he quickly regained his composure.

Uchiha Fugaku, on the other hand, had a deep frown on his face.

In the past, Shisui would definitely have avoided suspicion and not shown too much closeness to Shiraha, because he was in the Anbu and knew that the higher-ups were actually very wary of the Uzumaki Clan. Konoha and the Uzumaki Clan were allies on the surface, but their relationship was not actually that close.

However, after spending a lot of time with Issei, Shisui actually developed a fondness for people who were assertive in certain aspects.

Shisui's intention was to send a signal to the Third Hokage that the Uchiha Clan did not only have the option of compromising with the higher-ups.

Within the Uchiha Clan, calls for independence from Konoha are growing louder, and the number of clan members Independent Faction is increasing, representing the most silent form of resistance against the delaying tactics of the Konoha High-Level.

If the higher-ups don't give a clear answer, even Shisui is less willing to help them. Over the years, since joining the Anbu, Shisui has been caught between his family and the village, and he's felt tired.

Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Uchiha Fugaku glanced down at the crowd and quickly changed the subject. "Lord Third Hokage, have no candidates passed the exam yet?"

Although he asked that question, Fugaku's meaning was clear: he was trying to curry favor with the Third Hokage. An afternoon was more than enough time for Itachi to pass the exam. Itachi was Itachi of the Uchiha Clan, and even more so, Itachi of Konoha. As the head of the Uchiha clan, his stance was firmly on the side of Konoha.

Upon hearing this, Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression darkened slightly. He said, "Currently, two teams have passed the exam. The first to pass were Kimimaro and Haku from the Star Hidden Village Uzumaki Clan, followed by Meteor from Hoshigakure."

Following Sarutobi Hiruzen's gaze, Fugaku looked at Kimimaro were talking while clinging to the railing not far away. It turned out that Itachi wasn't the first to pass the test?

"What about Itachi?" Noticing that Sarutobi Hiruzen's tone was a bit off, Fugaku continued to ask.

"Itachi encountered Kimimaro, Haku, and Meteor during the exam, so he voluntarily gave up the scroll. Now he should be fighting for the scroll again," Sarutobi Hiruzen replied.

Fugaku subconsciously glanced at Shiraha beside him. Kimimaro and Shiro actually possessed such strength? They even managed to make Itachi, who had been carefully trained by him and had awakened his Double Tomoe Sharingan, abandon the scroll.

Seeing this, Shiraha smiled and shrugged, "I can only say that Itachi was unlucky. My two disciples are quite capable."

"Disciple?!" Fugaku was taken aback upon hearing this, but immediately realized that Shiraha had come prepared.

Fugaku was well aware of the level of skill in training disciples in the Hokage lineage. The three disciples of the Third Hokage, Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya, were known as the "Three Ninja," who were renowned throughout the ninja Shinobi World.

The disciples of the Three Ninja were even more remarkable. Shiraha was Orochimaru's disciple, and his Taijutsu was enough to hold its own against the Third Raikage. Minato Namikaze was Jiraiya's disciple, and his name, the Yellow Flash, resounded throughout the Shinobi World. Kushina also studied under Tsunade for a long time, making her practically Tsunade's disciple.

Now that Shiraha has allowed his disciples to participate in the competition, it is conceivable that the strength of these two is far beyond that of their peers, and even on par with Itachi. In this way, it is reasonable for Itachi to give up the pointless battle, but he has already lost face.

As time went by, it soon reached eight o'clock in the evening, and the sky was completely dark. Just as the group was about to leave the tower, another small team appeared outside the tower.

However, it wasn't Itachi who passed the test, but rather the special Genin squad of Inuzuka Hana, Aburame Muta, and Hyuga Takashi, who were the latest pilot projects in Konoha. All three were from the Ninja Clan and possessed special reconnaissance abilities.

This was the first team division system that Sarutobi Hiruzen figured out after the huge losses of the Third Shinobi World War, which allowed outstanding Genin a team, somewhat similar to the traditional Ino-Shika-Cho combination.

Of course, such a system is not very friendly to ordinary people. In order to quickly restore Konoha's strength, Sarutobi Hiruzen had no choice but to abandon some of the lower-class people who had always supported him and compromise with the Ninja Clan.

The proctors who stayed on duty late at night kept an eye on the electronic screen inside the tower until Uchiha Itachi finally arrived at the tower in the early hours of the next day.

The Second Exam lasted five days. By the evening of the third day, most of the candidates who had passed the exam had reached the tower. A significant number of candidates either gave up the exam or died during it.

Besides the threats from humans, the poisonous insects and ferocious beasts in the Death Forest are also deadly to ordinary Genin.

However, according to the rules, the Preliminary Selection of the Third Exam will still be held on the fifth day.

So, for the past two days, Shiraha did not go to the Central Tower of the Death Forest, but instead went to the Shikkotsu Forest with Tsunade to obtain a large number of cells from the Katsuyu Sage.

To extract the bloodline of the Katsuyu Sage, a large number of purified, highly active cells are needed; a small number of Katsuyu clones are not sufficient.

However, with Tsunade's presence, Shiraha managed to obtain enough Katsuyu cells after paying a price.

That same day, just as Shiraha returned to the hotel that was reserved for VIP guests, Kakashi came to his door.

"Kakashi?"