Uchiha Itachi

Sarutobi Hiruzen was shocked.

Danzo Shimura was shocked; he stood up, no longer able to maintain his composure.

If the words Uchiha Itachi had just spoken made him feel tempted, unable to resist the urge to take Uchiha Itachi under his wing, then the words spoken by Uchiha Gray were different.

It was as if he were the most loyal subordinate, one already tempered by the Will of Fire of Konoha.

For any person in power, he was the most perfect subordinate!

Especially with his immense talent; once he awakened the Sharingan and grew into a Three-Tomoe Sharingan user, becoming an elite jonin would only be a matter of time.

To have such a powerful ninja who was also loyal to the village—if he didn't take him under his wing, it would be a loss!

A sinister light flickered in Danzo Shimura's eyes!

So Uchiha Gray actually possesses such a resilient will? Uchiha Itachi's mouth hung open, his eyes filled with shock.

He stared at Uchiha Gray with an incredulous gaze, and gradually, his expression softened, replaced by a sense of reverence.

He had always felt confused by the warlike and radical behavior of the Uchiha clan.

That was why he had begun to develop ideas completely different from those of his clan.

But these thoughts of his had always remained in a budding state, not yet fully developed, as if separated by a veil of darkness, unable to grasp the full truth.

But today, Uchiha Gray's words were like moonlight piercing that dark veil, allowing him to instantly clarify the hazy thoughts in his mind and turn them into reality!

How amazing. Uchiha Gray looks forward to peace in Konoha just like I do, and he doesn't agree with the Uchiha clan's radical ideas either, which is why he has been hiding his talent all this time!

Uchiha Gray was waiting for this very day, to meet with the Third Hokage, so that he could embark on a path completely different from the Uchiha clan!

Uchiha Itachi looked at Uchiha Gray with a face full of admiration.

Uchiha Gray: "..."

Uchiha Itachi's pure gaze held no pretense, which made him feel a bit panicked.

He had clearly intended to stay away from Uchiha Itachi, so why did it seem like he was getting closer and closer to him instead?

"Now, let the battle begin. The first match: Uchiha Itachi versus Akano Ryofu!"

The referee announced the start of the fight.

Sarutobi Hiruzen and Danzo Shimura kept their burning gazes fixed on Uchiha Itachi, while also looking forward to Uchiha Gray's battle later.

These two were the hope for controlling the Uchiha clan in Konoha!

In order to fully test the strength of Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Gray, they had sent out two ninjas who, while nominally genin, actually possessed the strength of chunin.

"Heh! A brat from the Uchiha clan!" Akano Ryofu's expression was contemptuous, his eyes filled with jealousy.

"Being a ninja isn't a game of house for you lot. Don't be arrogant here; I'll show you what a real ninja is!"

Uchiha Itachi's expression remained indifferent; he didn't care.

There were no shortage of people like this ninja before him who were full of jealousy toward the Uchiha clan.

He was long since accustomed to it.

"All ninjas grow from being weak; no one is born strong. Let's begin."

Akano Ryofu's face stiffened.

Watching the show from the sidelines, Uchiha Gray couldn't help but grin. Second Pillar could already be called the King of Pretension, but Uchiha Itachi was on an even higher level than Second Pillar.

He was the King of Kings of Pretension!

He was just a chunin, and even if he was a few years older than Uchiha Itachi, how could he possibly out-talk him?

Not only did he fail to mock Uchiha Itachi, but he was instead mocked by Uchiha Itachi, who exploited the loopholes in his own words.

Sure enough, Akano Ryofu's face turned ugly.

He attacked in a rage!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The sound of air being torn apart rang out as Akano Ryofu suddenly threw several shuriken.

Immediately following, his figure lunged toward Uchiha Itachi, trailing behind the shuriken.

Uchiha Itachi's eyes were fixed on Akano Ryofu as he stepped backward to dodge the shuriken.

A sharp glint flashed in Akano Ryofu's eyes as he shouted, "I've been waiting for this moment!"

The instant Uchiha Itachi retreated, Akano Ryofu shifted his trajectory, his massive fist slamming toward Uchiha Itachi's cheek.

He wanted to use the simplest, most brutal method to strike a heavy blow to Uchiha Itachi's pride.

However, at that very moment, Uchiha Itachi seemed to have predicted his move, and his hands suddenly flicked out four shuriken.

"Haha, hahahaha! Is the genius of the Uchiha clan really this pathetic? You can't even throw a shuriken straight!" Akano Ryofu laughed wildly.

The four shuriken flew past his side, failing to harm him in the slightest!

And his fist was about to strike Uchiha Itachi's cheek!

Whoosh!

The sound of air being torn apart rang out.

A ninja wearing a fox mask gripped her hand tightly, as immovable as a boulder.

"You lost," he said indifferently.

Akano Ryofu's eyes widened, and he turned his head back in disbelief.

How is this possible? I was just about to take down this arrogant brat from the Uchiha clan!

Suddenly, his pupils dilated.

He saw that the fox-masked ninja was holding a shuriken in his other hand.

And that shuriken was a mere ten centimeters away from his own head!

In other words, if he had continued his attack, his fist might have landed on Uchiha Itachi's face.

But the shuriken that followed would have pierced his skull!

If this had been a real battlefield, he would already be dead!

How on earth did Uchiha Itachi pull that off? He stared at Uchiha Itachi with wide, incredulous eyes.

Finally, Akano Ryofu lowered his head in dejection and retreated from the arena.

His face was filled with shame; as a ninja on the verge of becoming a Chunin, he had actually lost to a mere kid!

Uchiha Gray, watching from the sidelines, took it all in, and even he couldn't help but marvel.

Uchiha Itachi's talent was simply too high. Those four shuriken hadn't been thrown off-target at all; instead, he had used an incredibly advanced throwing technique to make them collide with one another.

By doing so, he changed their trajectories, causing them to ricochet from the ninja's blind spot.

This wasn't just genius; this was monstrous!

Of course, the other ninja had been guilty of underestimating his opponent, but regardless, Uchiha Itachi's excellence could not be denied.

Composed, calm, and collected—from the very beginning, he had controlled the rhythm of the entire fight.

Until he secured his victory!

"Beautifully done!" Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't help but exclaim.

Uchiha Itachi possessed immense combat talent and even the intuition to see through people's hearts.

In that brief moment, he had actually felt as if he were facing Namikaze Minato—both were just as sharp and agile!

And a Chunin hadn't even managed to test the limits of Uchiha Itachi's strength!

"A guy like this must never be left to Sarutobi Hiruzen!" Danzo Shimura's gaze was locked onto Uchiha Itachi, his eyes filled with greed.

"Second match: Uchiha Gray versus Murakami Kaze!"

Everyone's eyes turned toward Uchiha Gray. Now that Uchiha Itachi had passed the test, if Uchiha Gray could also pass the exam successfully, the next match would be between Uchiha Gray and Uchiha Itachi!

Uchiha Itachi already possessed the strength equivalent to a Chunin; what kind of strength would Uchiha Gray display?