A Match Against Pakura

The Chunin Ninja Exams selection venue.

The vast arena was enclosed by towering walls. The nobles and dignitaries sat in the highest section to watch, while villagers and ninjas crowded into the stands on either side.

"Next, Uchiha Shimizu of the Hidden Leaf Village versus Pakura of Sunagakure!"

The examiner called out the names and gestured for the two of them to step forward.

"That's a descendant of the Uchiha Clan. He looks like the genius people say he is."

"But I heard he excels in medical ninjutsu. I wonder how good he is in a fight. Has he awakened the Sharingan?"

"Uchiha Shimizu's opponent is Pakura of the Sand Village. They say she's a rare genius from Sunagakure, and she has Scorch Release."

Uchiha Shimizu's entrance stirred a flurry of whispers.

The first round a few days ago had only eliminated some of the most ordinary ninjas. The skilled ones hadn't shown their true abilities.

Now that half the contestants were gone, the selection matches were naturally much more intense—and much more exciting to watch.

The Uchiha Clan was renowned far and wide for its Kekkei Genkai, the Sharingan. Meanwhile, Sunagakure had produced someone with the formidable Scorch Release.

The clash between two Kekkei Genkai drew even the attention of the nobles who had been watching carelessly.

But Shimizu was the most eye-catching of all. He had a striking appearance, and seemed to stand out from the crowd wherever he went.

"Shimizu's up."

Asuma Sarutobi spoke to Kurenai Yuhi, who was sitting to his right in the stands.

Kurenai gave a faint nod. She also wanted to use this chance to see how strong Shimizu was now.

"We meet again. So your name is Uchiha Shimizu."

Pakura's half-gold, half-green hair was pinned up at the back of her head with a hairpin, gleaming in the sunlight as she waited for the examiner to signal the start.

"Begin!"

At the examiner's command, both figures vanished from where they stood.

They clashed across the vast open arena. Pakura swept out one hand, and four fireballs appeared, circling behind her. Whenever Shimizu tried to attack, the fireballs darted out to block him.

Seeing this, Shimizu opened his mouth and spat out, "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

A massive fireball surged from Shimizu's mouth, sweeping forward with a terrifying wave of heat.

"Uchiha Fire Release..."

Pakura's gaze sharpened. She brought her hands together, merging the four fireballs into one enormous sphere, its might surpassing even the Great Fireball.

"Scorch Release: Extremely Steam Murder!"

Boom!

The two fireballs collided. Shimizu's Great Fireball burst into sparks and vanished into the air, while the fireball created by Pakura's Scorch Release continued onward with overwhelming force.

"Scorch Release is hotter than Fire Release?"

Shimizu stood in place, his long black hair fluttering in the wind driven by the fireball.

Scorch Release was formed by combining Fire Release chakra with Wind Release chakra, creating a new chakra nature transformation—in other words, a Kekkei Genkai.

Kekkei Genkai created by combining the ordinary five nature transformations generally came with special effects.

The heat of Shimizu's ordinary Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique couldn't compare to it.

"Fire Body Flicker."

Shimizu thought for only an instant before crouching slightly. Flames rapidly spread up his legs.

A flash of fire, and Shimizu was behind Pakura, trailing a long streak of flame. He opened his mouth and spat out a fresh fireball toward her pale, lotus-root-like back.

From Pakura's perspective, Shimizu, who should have been engulfed by the fireball, suddenly vanished from sight. A moment later, a wave of heat hit her from behind.

Instinctively, she used a Wind Release Ninjutsu, blowing the Great Fireball off course.

Thud.

The ground was blasted into a charred crater. Before Pakura could catch her breath, a Kunai, swept along by the wind, grazed past her neck.

Pakura hurriedly retreated, struggling to keep up.

"Uchiha Shimizu is too fast. I can't even use Scorch Release!"

Pakura felt utterly frustrated. Scorch Release: Extremely Steam Murder required her to make contact with her opponent's body. Only then could she evaporate the moisture inside them, turning them into a dried corpse.

Shimizu darted left and right, his dazzling flames blooming like a lotus. Pakura's eyes were nearly bloodshot from straining to follow his movements, but she still couldn't see his trajectory.

If Pakura's Kekkei Genkai had been the Byakugan, she might have easily seen through Shimizu's movements. Unfortunately, she had Scorch Release.

In the highest section, Shimura Danzō stood in the shadows behind Hiruzen Sarutobi, looking down at the battle.

His eyes were dark and uncertain. This was nothing like the information Yakushi Nonō had given him.

According to Yakushi Nonō, Shimizu excelled only in medical ninjutsu. In other areas, he was merely a relatively talented Uchiha—good enough to be called a genius, at best.

But from the result of Shimizu's fight with Pakura, Shimura Danzō could clearly see that Shimizu's abilities far surpassed the level of a Chunin.

"How did those fools manage to keep watch on the Uchiha?"

Shimura Danzō cursed Root for its incompetence. In truth, Root was being unfairly blamed.

Shimizu had never revealed his true abilities before. Every time he fought within the clan, he had held back.

Only today had he revealed far more of his strength than usual. Even so, it still wasn't everything.

"Hiruzen, that Uchiha needs to be watched carefully. Put him in Root."

Shimura Danzō stepped beside Hiruzen Sarutobi, his face dark.

Shimizu's strength showed signs of slipping beyond their control. They had to mark him with their seal.

The Uchiha Clan were descendants of Madara, who had been a madman. Even after his death, he had left a mental imprint within the Uchiha.

Some Hawk Faction Uchiha still worshipped Uchiha Madara. If Uchiha Shimizu joined their ranks, he would become a potential enemy of the village.

"Danzō, there are many talented ninjas in the Uchiha Clan. If we decide their futures on a whim, how can we expect the Uchiha to open their hearts to Konoha?"

"Hmph, Hiruzen. See for yourself!"

Shimura Danzō pulled a stack of papers from his sleeve. They were covered with Shimizu's movements and assessments of his abilities.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had been about to reprimand Danzō for disobeying his orders and secretly monitoring the Uchiha.

Then he saw the comparison between Uchiha Shimizu's previous abilities and his current ones. The result was clear: Shimizu had been hiding his strength.

No one could say just how much he had concealed, since Shimizu had hardly ever fought outsiders. The only exception had been Hyuga Tetsu of the Hyuga Clan.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's lips parted, but for a moment he said nothing. His gaze flickered.

As the saying went, age brought wisdom. Having lived for half a lifetime, he knew all too well what this meant.

Shimizu might have hidden his strength without any ill intent. Perhaps he simply didn't want to attract attention.

But Hiruzen had to prepare for the worst. The Uchiha Clan had produced no shortage of traitors.

At most, Hiruzen Sarutobi could promise not to discriminate against the Uchiha. But he couldn't stop being wary of them.

The ideas Tobirama Senju had left behind had influenced them too deeply, gradually and subtly shaping their thinking.

Shimura Danzō belonged to the Extremist Faction, while Hiruzen belonged to the Peace Faction.

But if the village's safety were threatened, Hiruzen could become an extremist too.

"I've met that boy. His beliefs don't stray from the Will of Fire. I'll have Minato take him in."

Hiruzen Sarutobi set down the report and looked toward the arena below.

Uchiha Shimizu happened to lack teammates, so Minato Namikaze could serve as his team leader and guide him.

Anyone, given enough time, would reveal their true nature.

If there was nothing wrong with Shimizu, Minato Namikaze could guide him along the path of Kagami Uchiha.

If not...