You Konoha Call This a Genin?

"This year's Chunin Exams are truly lively!" a villager in the stands said to his companion, arms crossed.

"Indeed. The genius of the Hyuga clan, Second Pillar, that demon fox brat, and those from Sunagakure are all quite impressive..."

"Don't forget Uchiha Shinmoku and Shinna, who just returned to the village."

"Hm? Does the Uchiha clan have two such people?"

"Your information is far too outdated," the villager with crossed arms said, raising an arm to point toward the center of the arena. "The two with black hair, a head taller than the others—those are them."

The downside of having keen hearing was becoming apparent... it was so noisy.

Yes, the Chunin Exams were being held as scheduled.

Yesterday, he had told the Hokage the truth—that the intelligence had been obtained half a month ago.

The Hokage had left in a hurry, and Shinmoku didn't know what he went to do; no news had leaked out since, so Shinmoku could only assume the exams would continue, arriving here early this morning.

There were more people than he had imagined. He had just taken a look, and the progress bar for [Return] had loosened, rising to 96%.

Time ticked by second by second, and the contestants arrived one after another. Uzumaki Naruto flew in at the very last second, but Second Pillar had yet to appear.

"Has Sasuke still not been found?" the Hokage asked from the viewing platform.

"We have already sent several Anbu teams to search, but there is still no news. Perhaps he has already been found by Orochimaru..."

Raido Namiashi replied, but just as he wanted to continue, the Hokage interrupted him.

"I understand."

The reason he interrupted was that he saw the Kazekage walking up.

Orochimaru's goal was Sasuke, and striking at Konoha was merely incidental, but that incidental target was the primary objective of Sunagakure.

If Shinmoku's intelligence was wrong, then nothing would happen; if it were true, he had deployed Anbu in the surroundings and was confident he could keep the Kazekage in Konoha forever.

Thinking of this, he revealed a hearty smile:

"Oh my, a rare guest. You must be tired after such a long journey?"

"Not at all," the Kazekage—disguised as Orochimaru—replied. "Fortunately, the venue is in Konoha. Although you are still young, having to attend in person must be exhausting for the Hokage. You really should decide on a successor sooner."

"Hahahaha, don't treat me like an old man. I still intend to work for another five years! ...Now, let us begin."

The Hokage said this to the Kazekage, then stood up and walked to the railing, shouting loudly:

"I express my heartfelt gratitude for the arrival of all our distinguished guests. Ten ninjas have passed the preliminaries, and they will now proceed to the official selection. Please, enjoy the show!"

"It seems one is missing, isn't it?"

The Kazekage's voice came from behind him.

"It is no matter; his match is later."

"The exams begin!"

The Hokage shouted again.

In the center of the arena, Genma Shiranui pulled out the match schedule:

"The rules remain the same: the match ends when one side dies or concedes, or when I judge that the outcome has been decided. The first match: Neji Hyuga versus Uzumaki Naruto. Everyone else, return to the waiting area."

Shinmoku glanced at the schedule. His and Shinna's matches were ranked fourth. Before that were Kankuro versus Shino, and Gaara versus Second Pillar, followed by Temari versus Shikamaru Nara.

By the time he walked up the steps to the waiting area, the match had already begun.

With the Byakugan and Gentle Fist, Naruto was quickly beaten to the ground, but Neji's theory regarding fate successfully enraged him, activating the Nine-Tails' energy within his body and forcing open his chakra points.

Naruto's fighting spirit and combat intelligence were actually quite sharp. When both sides were at their limit, he used a tunnel-digging maneuver to evade Neji's Byakugan, immediately following up with a punch to his chin that rendered him unable to continue fighting.

"That is truly surprising. Where did that terrifying chakra just now come from?"

The one speaking was Temari, not far away.

"Are you asking me?" Shinmoku asked with a smile.

"Can you say?" Temari smiled back.

"If it's you, you should be very clear about it." Shinmoku cast a faint, lingering glance toward Gaara in the distance.

"You..."

At this moment, Neji was carried away on a stretcher, while Naruto came bounding up, looking as if he had already recovered.

"Next match—" Genma Shiranui shouted, "Shino Aburame versus Kankuro!"

"I forfeit—" Kankuro shouted immediately after.

Now, it should have been Second Pillar versus Gaara, but he was late, and the commotion in the stands gradually grew louder.

"Hey! Why isn't it starting yet!"

"I came to watch the matches, not to sit here! If I wanted to rest, I could just lie down at home!"

The Konoha villagers were indeed bold; they even dared to pressure the Hokage.

At the Hokage's platform, the Hokage and Orochimaru were talking about something.

Shinmoku looked at Shinna, "Can we really not just put on a simple performance?"

"No."

"Fine... it's our turn."

After speaking, Shinmoku stood up, braced one hand against the railing, and vaulted over, landing lightly in the center of the arena.

The next moment, Kanna appeared opposite him.

At the same time, Genma Shiranui received a message from Raido Namiashi. He cast a surprised glance at Shinmoku before announcing:

"Next match, Uchiha Shinmoku versus Uchiha Kanna!"

Sharingan, activate!

Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!

The two of them moved in perfect unison, like reflections in a mirror.

Fireballs several meters high collided in the center of the arena, sending rolling heat waves that instantly ignited the crowd's passion.

Kanna was the first to change tactics: Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet.

Water Release: Water Formation Wall.

Shinmoku responded with Water Release as well. After weaving the hand signs, an arched water wall nearly four meters high surged from the ground, causing the Water Dragon Bullet to disperse to both sides.

Lightning Release Chakra Mode!

With his cells activated and surging power flooding his entire body, he charged out from behind the water wall the moment Kanna's technique ended.

Closing the distance in an instant, he threw a straight punch aimed directly at Kanna's face.

Unable to dodge, Kanna chose to take the hit, but at the split second before the fist reached her cheek, she successfully locked eyes with Shinmoku.

Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes.

Kanna flew backward, while Shinmoku was frozen in place by the hard crowd-control effect.

In the world of the illusion, Shinmoku's limbs were pierced by ethereal stakes, his entire body bound to a cross.

The pain was fake, but the sensation was real.

Release!

As the power of Yin Release clashed, Shinmoku broke the illusion, only to be met with—

Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!

Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!

It was another collision of water and fire, but compared to their first exchange, the scale had increased by two orders of magnitude.

The entire arena was filled with their ninjutsu; one half water, the other half fire.

You Konoha people call this a Genin?

The spectators were stunned. They had come for Second Pillar, so where did these two other Uchihas suddenly pop out from, and why were they both so strong?

The battle on the field continued.

With his elemental affinity countered, even if he could hold his own, continuing like this would yield no results.

While breathing out fire, Shinmoku wove hand signs with his free hand.

Lightning Release: Spider Web.