[Name: Uchiha Shinmoku] [Age: 15] [Height: 173 cm] [Weight: 60 kg] [Affinities: Fire, Lightning, Water, Yin] [Ninjutsu: Three Basic Techniques, Shadow Clone Technique;] [Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique, Great Fireball Technique, Great Dragon Fire Technique, Majestic Destroyer Flame;] [Lightning Release: Spider Web, Lightning Strike, Four Pillar Bind, Lightning Release Chakra Mode, Super Vibration Lightning Blade.] [Genjutsu: Demonic Illusion: Mirror Flower.]
His personal status panel was on the left side of the system interface. On the right were the completed missions, of which there was currently only one.
In the middle, the word [Return] was displayed above a progress bar that was 90% complete.
Shinmoku figured there were two possibilities.
One was that it tracked his progress toward returning to Konoha.
The other had something to do with the Uchiha. After the massacre, only the brothers Itachi and Sasuke were known to the shinobi world. Cloud Hidden knew a little more, but whether it was him or the brothers, all of them had been lying low. So the mission might mean the Uchiha returning to the public eye.
He thought the second possibility was more likely. He'd find out once he returned to Konoha.
The path through the forest grew clearer and clearer, and at last they arrived at Konoha.
The Konoha Gate was just ahead. Shinmoku reminded them:
"Forehead Protectors."
Two long lines stretched from the gate. There were far more people than usual, and they were all from other villages. Security had also been tightened, and guards were checking everyone one by one.
What was going on?
Technically, they shouldn't have to wait in line. But the only person in Konoha who knew who they were was the Third. So they had to queue up, wait for someone to notify him, and then have the Hokage verify their identities.
What a hassle. Shinmoku clicked his tongue.
"Uchiha Shinmoku?"
A surprised voice, tinged with uncertainty, came from behind him just as he was getting impatient.
"Hey!" Shinmoku turned around. "Isn't that Neji?"
"And Kai-senpai, Lee—oh! Tenten, you've gotten prettier."
Shinmoku had become a Genin in his third year at the Academy, when Neji and the others were in their first year.
Neji liked challenging people above his rank, and as for Lee, he was always wrestling with trees, so he was hard to miss. As for Tenten, well, he always paid attention to cute girls.
"You! You're still alive?" Neji blurted out, visibly losing his composure.
"I went on a mission, so..." Shinmoku scratched his hair.
"Uchiha?" Tenten caught the way Neji had addressed him. She looked puzzled, then tilted her head. "Do we know each other?"
"Ah! That hurts!" Shinmoku clutched his chest. "You've already forgotten me?"
"I... I..." Tenten blushed.
"Why are there so many people at the village gate?" Shinmoku asked.
"The Chunin Ninja Exams."
"I knew it."
[Mission: Chunin Ninja Exams] [Take part in the Chunin Ninja Exams. Difficulty: D–A. Rewards will be determined by your performance.] [Uchiha, fifteen years old, and a Genin?]
"..."
I was a Special Jonin in Cloud Hidden!
He wanted to argue with the system, but then remembered it was an idiot and decided against it.
"What's wrong?" Tenten asked, puzzled when Shinmoku suddenly stopped talking.
"I just remembered I'm still a Genin."
"!!!"
Three pairs of eyes instantly snapped toward him.
"What? I'm weak. Don't pay attention to me."
Yeah, right. He was a little older than them to begin with, and he'd been wandering outside the village for years... The title of Konoha's strongest Genin was about to become a contentious one.
"Can you take us into the village?" Shinmoku continued. "I don't want to wait in line."
"Of course."
Once they entered the village, the progress bar didn't change. That meant his second guess was probably right.
They chatted idly as they walked. At the fork in the road, Shinmoku said goodbye to Kai Team and headed toward the Hokage Mansion.
"Knock, knock~"
"Hokage-sama."
"You're back?" The old man smiled kindly, his face creased with wrinkles, as if he'd known they were coming.
"Yeah." Shinmoku wasn't surprised. He took out two scrolls.
His previous intelligence reports had been about particular missions or conflicts, and had focused on what was immediately relevant.
This was his final report. It contained information on every shinobi he'd encountered. Naturally, it wasn't complete. The Raikage rarely fought at full strength, and Killer B had always been kept at Cloud-Thunder Gorge, so Shinmoku had never met him. He only knew that Killer B was a Perfect Jinchuriki.
The other scroll was a battle report.
The Hokage surely had other sources of intelligence, but they wouldn't be very detailed. While on the ship, Shinmoku had considered the matter and ultimately decided to make the report as thorough as possible without revealing too much about himself... He had to prove his loyalty, after all.
After silently reading through the reports, the Third set down the scrolls.
"Thanks for all your effort. Although the mission was cut short, it was a success. You can choose a non-forbidden S-rank ninjutsu, or receive a reward of two million ryo. What would you like?"
"Um... I can really choose a ninjutsu?" Shinmoku asked cautiously.
"Of course."
"Then, could I have Flying Thunder God?"
"You can," the Third confirmed, "but it's an extremely difficult technique. So far, only the Second Generation and the Fourth Generation have mastered it. Are you sure?"
"I want to give it a try."
Space-Time Ninjutsu was extremely rare, and its potential was immense. It could be used to attack or escape, so of course he had to take the chance.
Admittedly, the requirements for learning Flying Thunder God were strict. He would need talent in Space-Time Ninjutsu and sensory abilities, as well as agility and precise chakra control. But he met the talent requirements, so he still had a chance.
"Good." The Third turned to Shinna. "And you?"
"There's nothing I want."
Shinna remained just as cold and distant in front of the Hokage.
"Very well. Elephant."
A masked figure appeared out of nowhere in the room. He wore a gray-and-white vest and was a member of Anbu.
"Take them to collect their reward."
"Yes!"
"Uh... there's one more thing." Seeing that the Third seemed ready to dismiss them, Shinmoku quickly spoke up. "Can we take part in the Chunin Ninja Exams?"
"The Chunin Ninja Exams? Oh... You're still Genin." The Third considered it. "You can, but you'll need a team of three. Those are the rules."
"Understood."
In a hidden room, the Anbu brought out two versions of the Flying Thunder God scroll. "You can only read them here. You can't take them with you. You're welcome to come back whenever you like, until you learn the technique or give up."
"Got it."
While the Anbu took Shinna to collect her reward, Shinmoku activated his Sharingan. He had the ability to copy techniques, so he might as well use it. Running back and forth was a hassle, too.
After leaving the hidden room, he looked at Shinna. "Do you have any friends who are still Genin?"
"No."
"Okay, then... Shadow Clone Technique!"
The clone put on a mask, and they pushed open the office door again.
"Hokage-sama, the team's ready."
"Hm?"
The Third looked confused at first, but a moment later, he smiled knowingly.
"Good. You can take part."
The Chunin Ninja Exams were an opportunity to show the daimyo of each country and the shinobi of neighboring villages their strength. The more powerful participants, the better.