A Clown Being Played With!

Night fell, and a furtive figure headed toward the Hokage Building. The way he walked practically had the words "I'm going to do something bad" written all over his face.

However, Uchiha Shunichi and the others hiding near the Hokage Building made no move whatsoever. Not only them—even some Anbu stationed openly as guards pretended not to see anything.

After a brief commotion, Naruto Uzumaki successfully escaped with a forbidden jutsu scroll nearly as large as himself.

"Void, follow him!" Tenzō reminded him in a low voice, then took the lead in following Naruto.

Uchiha Shunichi did not respond. He silently followed behind Tenzō while secretly watching Naruto's movements.

Naruto, having "successfully" escaped, was clearly delighted. He headed straight into an empty stretch of woods, opened the scroll, and began practicing the jutsu.

Uchiha Shunichi stayed beside Tenzō without making any move.

Before coming here, Tenzō had warned him that all actions tonight were to follow his orders, and that he was not to do anything else.

Naturally, Uchiha Shunichi would not do anything now. If he had wanted to make a move against Naruto, he had plenty of chances under normal circumstances.

"Stay hidden!" The moment Tenzō finished speaking, dozens of Shadow Clones appeared around Naruto.

However, all the clones were immersed in their joy, and none of them noticed anything unusual.

In truth, there was no way they could have noticed anything. Aside from Uchiha Shunichi, the ninja assigned to monitor Naruto were basically all Jonin-level. Tenzō's warning just now had only been out of concern for the inexperienced Uchiha Shunichi.

"Captain, there's no need to worry about me. Since I joined this squad, you should know my strength well enough." Uchiha Shunichi's voice came from behind Tenzō, startling him so badly that he nearly gave himself away.

"Don't do such pointless things. Focus on the target!" A trace of cold sweat ran down Tenzō's forehead.

Just now... he had truly felt as though he were about to die.

With his strength, he had actually failed to notice Uchiha Shunichi hiding behind him. If it had been an enemy, he would at the very least have been seriously injured by now. Death was not impossible either!

"Mm! I've been watching the whole time. It seems Iruka-sensei has already found this place too. What a fine show this is..." Uchiha Shunichi's voice carried a hint of mockery.

Tenzō said nothing more. He watched the distant scene with full concentration. If something really went wrong...

Uchiha Shunichi coldly watched Naruto in the distance, feeling that the boy was like a clown, manipulated at the whim of others.

For no reason at all, Uchiha Shunichi hated that feeling. It had nothing to do with him, yet a sense of disgust rose within him.

What Uchiha Shunichi did not notice was that Uzuki Yugao beside him was watching his expression closely, as though the mask on his face did not exist at all.

"Follow them and make sure you aren't discovered! If Naruto faces a life-or-death crisis, intervene immediately! Void, don't act for now. Wait for my orders!" Seeing Mizuki pursuing Naruto, Tenzō immediately gave his instructions.

Uchiha Shunichi casually acknowledged him and followed at Tenzō's side.

Tonight's little performance was not merely meant to test Naruto, the Jinchūriki. They also intended to use Mizuki to reveal the truth about the Nine-Tails to Naruto.

If Naruto passed the test, then he would naturally be a good ninja of Konoha! If he did not...

Of course, that was not all. Tonight was likely a test for him as well. He just did not know who was targeting him.

Thinking of this, Uchiha Shunichi instinctively glanced at Tenzō. But beneath that mask, he could see nothing.

The difference between Chunin and Genin was not actually that great. Though Mizuki was a Ninja Academy teacher, he still failed to take down Naruto despite being fully prepared.

That sight truly made one wonder whether Mizuki was a piece on the Third Hokage's board.

If Uchiha Shunichi had not known that Mizuki would eventually die because of Orochimaru's inferior Cursed Seal, he really might have suspected a connection between him and the Third Hokage.

After all, this test aimed at Naruto had gone far too smoothly.

The farce in the distance finally came to an end. In his rage, Naruto Uzumaki finally drew upon a trace of the Nine-Tails' power, and his Shadow Clones filled the entire forest.

Shadow Clones were actually quite powerful in battle. Though they vanished after taking any damage, their strength remained unchanged until that moment.

Thus, Mizuki, a Chunin, was easily defeated by Naruto, who had learned the Shadow Clone technique and created hundreds of clones!

In this world, talent truly mattered more than hard work!

"Let's go. Tonight's mission is over!" Once Tenzō saw the other ninja arrive, he left with Uchiha Shunichi.

Meanwhile, Gekko Hayate and Uzuki Yugao remained behind to continue monitoring Naruto.

They called it monitoring, but it was actually protection. They were protecting everyone other than Naruto, while strictly forbidding anyone else from coming into contact with him.

Only then did Uchiha Shunichi understand. There were not nearly as many ninja monitoring Naruto as he had imagined. Only one Jonin was required.

"What do you think about tonight's mission?" Tenzō asked Uchiha Shunichi on the way back.

"I don't have any particular thoughts. I just think Naruto looked like a clown." Uchiha Shunichi glanced at Tenzō and stated his thoughts directly.

Upon hearing that, Tenzō suddenly stopped.

"This is something the village has to do. You should understand that." After a brief silence, Tenzō spoke.

"I understand, but it still feels unpleasant." Uchiha Shunichi replied.

Tenzō said nothing further. He continued onward, only speaking again after they reached the Anbu equipment room. "Feeling uncomfortable is normal. This is our mission. Though it is difficult, it is indispensable!"

"I think you understand that, don't you?"

Uchiha Shunichi nodded at those words. "I understand. Someone has to do this sort of thing."

Tenzō said nothing more and changed the subject instead.

"You performed excellently tonight. You can rest tomorrow. We'll continue with missions the day after tomorrow! Oh, and go see Lord Hokage tomorrow. He said he has something to discuss with you."

"Mm, I understand." Uchiha Shunichi's tone remained calm.

Afterward, Tenzō introduced Uchiha Shunichi to some of the Anbu's daily routines and miscellaneous matters.

By the time he finished explaining everything, dawn had already broken.