Night fell, and a furtive figure made his way toward the Hokage Building. The way he walked practically had the words "I'm about to do something bad" written all over his face.
However, Uchiha Shunichi and the others hidden near the Hokage Building did not make the slightest move. Not only them—even some Anbu openly stationed as guards pretended not to see anything.
After a brief commotion, Naruto Uzumaki successfully fled with a forbidden technique scroll almost as large as himself.
"Void, follow him!" Tenzō reminded him softly, then took the lead in following Naruto.
Uchiha Shunichi did not reply. He quietly followed behind Tenzō while secretly watching Naruto's movements.
Naruto, who had "successfully" escaped, was clearly delighted. He went straight into an empty patch of forest, opened the scroll, and began practicing Ninjutsu.
Uchiha Shunichi stayed beside Tenzō without making any move.
Before coming here, Tenzō had already instructed 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 wanted to make a move against Naruto, he had plenty of opportunities on ordinary days.
"Stay hidden!" As soon as Tenzō spoke, dozens of Shadow Clones appeared around Naruto.
However, all of those clones were immersed in joy, and not a single one noticed anything unusual.
In truth, there was no way for them to notice anything unusual. Other than Uchiha Shunichi, the ninjas assigned to monitor Naruto were basically all Jonin-level. Tenzō's warning had only been because he was worried about Uchiha Shunichi, a newcomer.
"Captain, there's no need to worry about me. Since I joined this team, 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 bead of cold sweat ran down Tenzō's forehead.
Just now... he had truly felt as if he were about to die.
With his strength, he had failed to notice Uchiha Shunichi hiding behind him. If he had been an enemy, then even in the best-case scenario, Tenzō would have been seriously injured. Death would not have been impossible either!
"Mm! I've been watching all along. It seems Iruka-sensei has already found this place. What an interesting show..." Uchiha Shunichi's voice carried a hint of mockery.
Tenzō said nothing more. He focused completely on the scene ahead. If something really went wrong...
Uchiha Shunichi looked coldly at 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 in his heart.
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.
"Follow them, and be careful not to get discovered! If Naruto faces a life-threatening danger, act immediately! Void, do not make a move for now. Wait for my order!" Tenzō immediately gave his orders when he saw Mizuki chasing Naruto.
Uchiha Shunichi responded casually, then followed beside Tenzō.
Tonight's little performance was not only meant to test Naruto, the Jinchūriki. It was also meant to use Mizuki to reveal the existence of 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 probably a test for him as well. He just did not know who would be targeting him.
Thinking of that, Uchiha Shunichi instinctively glanced at Tenzō. However, he could see nothing beneath that mask.
The gap between a Chunin and a Genin was not actually that great. Although Mizuki was a Ninja Academy teacher, he had still failed to take down Naruto despite being fully prepared.
That really made one wonder whether Mizuki was the Third's pawn.
If Uchiha Shunichi had not known that Mizuki would eventually die because of Orochimaru's inferior Cursed Seal, he really might have suspected Mizuki's relationship with the Third.
After all, this test aimed at Naruto had gone far too smoothly.
The faraway farce finally came to an end. In his rage, Naruto Uzumaki finally tapped into a trace of the Nine-Tails' power, and his Shadow Clones filled the entire forest.
Shadow Clones were actually quite powerful in battle. Although they disappeared upon taking any damage, their strength remained unchanged until the moment they vanished.
Thus, Mizuki, a Chunin, was easily defeated by Naruto, who had learned Shadow Clone and created hundreds of copies of himself!
In this world, talent truly mattered more than hard work!
"Let's go. Tonight's mission is over!" After seeing the other ninjas arrive, Tenzō left with Uchiha Shunichi.
Meanwhile, Gekko Hayate and Uzuki Yugao remained behind to continue monitoring Naruto.
They called it surveillance, but it was really protection. They were protecting everyone other than Naruto and strictly forbidding anyone else from coming into contact with him.
Only then did Uchiha Shunichi understand. There were not as many ninjas watching Naruto as he had imagined. Only one Jonin was necessary.
"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 feel that Naruto is like a clown," Uchiha Shunichi replied directly after glancing at Tenzō.
Upon hearing that, Tenzō suddenly stopped walking.
"This is something the village has to do. You should understand that." After a short silence, Tenzō spoke.
"I understand, but it still makes me uncomfortable," Uchiha Shunichi replied.
Tenzō said nothing more. 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, right?"
Uchiha Shunichi nodded upon hearing this. "I understand. Someone has to do this kind of thing."
Tenzō said nothing more and instead changed the subject.
"You performed very well tonight. You can take tomorrow off. The day after tomorrow, we'll continue with missions! Oh, and go see Lord Hokage tomorrow. He said he has something to discuss with you."
"Mm, I understand," Uchiha Shunichi replied calmly.
After that, Tenzō introduced Uchiha Shunichi to some of the Anbu's daily routines and miscellaneous matters.
By the time he finished, the sky was already bright.
Before you continue