The Hokage's summons

Madara Uchiha advanced to the finals without trouble. His opponent was Lingchuan Ling of Kumogakure.

"Lingchuan Ling, from Kumogakure. Please go easy on me. After all, one of our people has already died at your hands."

Lingchuan Ling had defeated Kazeya Fūya of Sunagakure to reach the finals. Although he had won, the two were evenly matched, and the fight had taken a tremendous toll on him. Madara Uchiha, meanwhile, had easily dispatched Takuma Iwakawa, who was on Lingchuan Ling's level. So, proud as Lingchuan Ling was, he sensibly swallowed his pride before Madara Uchiha.

"I have nothing against Kumogakure. You can rest easy."

What powerful man would hold a grudge against weaklings he barely even noticed? Madara Uchiha had only killed Sandō Raikō because the man had practically begged for death.

Without wasting any more words, Madara Uchiha signaled that the match could begin.

Seeing that both Madara Uchiha and Lingchuan Ling were ready, Arakawa Kiba immediately announced the start of the match.

"Lightning Release!"

As soon as the match began, Lingchuan Ling started forming hand seals. He wanted to seize the initiative with swift Lightning Release Ninjutsu, but Madara Uchiha would not let him have his way so easily.

The moment Lingchuan Ling appeared before him, Madara Uchiha knew the man had barely any chakra left. To avoid killing him with ninjutsu, Madara Uchiha closed in just as Lingchuan Ling was about to unleash his technique and knocked him to the ground with a punch. Then he drew the short sword Shisui had given him and drove it straight into the ground before Lingchuan Ling's eyes.

Madara Uchiha's movements flowed seamlessly, and with his speed, Lingchuan Ling was defeated before he even had time to react. In the stands, Takuma Iwakawa had only just recovered. Seeing that Madara Uchiha could move even faster, he patted his belly in lingering fear. If he ever encountered Madara Uchiha on a mission, he would run without looking back.

"I surrender! I surrender!"

Feeling the chill of Madara Uchiha's short sword, Lingchuan Ling immediately raised his hands in surrender.

"Uchiha Itachi really is far too exceptional!"

Madara Uchiha had settled the eagerly anticipated final match with such ease that even the Fourth Kazekage could not help praising him as he watched. At the same time, he deeply envied the Third Hokage's good fortune.

Konoha had clearly lost most of its high-level fighting strength, so how had another Uchiha Clan genius suddenly emerged? If only his own village had someone so talented.

With the Chunin Ninja Exams over, Madara Uchiha, Hayato Hyuga, and Sōsuke Aburame were officially promoted to chunin by the Third Hokage. Yet unlike the eager anticipation he had felt before the exams, Hayato Hyuga found that looking at his chunin credentials did not make him as happy as he had imagined.

Counting from their departure, the Chunin Ninja Exams had taken no more than two months. Yet those two months had given Hayato Hyuga more extraordinary experiences than he could ever have imagined.

Lord Hokage's absurd orders, his teammates inexplicably holding back—but what left the deepest impression on Hayato Hyuga was Madara Uchiha's instruction.

After a month of learning from Madara Uchiha, Hayato Hyuga looked back on his studies in the Hyuga Clan and suddenly felt that everything they had taught him was crap.

Even if, as a member of the Branch Family, he could not learn the Main Family's secret techniques, Lord Hizashi Hyuga was still so weak. Was there really any point in learning what that supposedly distinguished Main Family had to offer?

If the Main Family's secret techniques were so useless, there seemed to be no need to rush to become a jōnin and earn their recognition. Besides, even if he did become a jōnin, the Main Family might not teach him anything anyway.

"Teacher Itachi, can I keep learning from you? Can we still go on missions together?"

Right in front of Kazuhiko, Hayato Hyuga knelt before Madara Uchiha and formally paid his respects as a student to his teacher. Over the past month, Madara Uchiha's vast knowledge and strength had thoroughly won over this young genius of the Hyuga Branch Family.

"As long as you don't hold me back, of course."

Madara Uchiha reached out and helped the kneeling Hayato Hyuga to his feet. Although becoming a chunin meant he could now undertake missions independently, his assessment of the Third Hokage and the others told him that the Third Hokage would not easily let him out of his sight. Besides, he had always intended to plant Hayato Hyuga within the Hyuga Clan as his agent. Now that Hayato had willingly pledged himself to him, Madara Uchiha gladly accepted.

After the long journey, Madara Uchiha and the others returned to Konoha. When he arrived home, Sasuke Uchiha, who had not seen him in so long, burst into tears of joy. Watching Sasuke Uchiha bury his head in his chest, Madara Uchiha felt his heart soften, though it had remained unmoved for so long.

"Lord Fugaku, Team One has an urgent matter that requires Itachi. Please let him come with me. I'll bring him back before this evening."

It was only the second day after his return to Konoha. Madara Uchiha was holding Sasuke and telling him and his parents, who sat opposite him, about his experiences in the Chunin Ninja Exams when an urgent knock sounded at the door. Kazuhiko Sarutobi had come to find him, even though their agreement entitled Madara Uchiha to a week's leave after the exams.

"Father, I'll go with Teacher Kazuhiko. Sasuke, wait until I get back tonight, and I'll tell you the rest of the story."

Holding two fingers together, Madara Uchiha gently tapped the pouting Sasuke's forehead and gave him an apologetic smile. Then he left with Kazuhiko Sarutobi.

"Itachi, I'm sorry I lied to you. This isn't actually about Team One. Lord Third Hokage has summoned you."

They had only just left the Uchiha Clan's grounds when Kazuhiko Sarutobi, walking ahead, revealed the true reason for their outing.

Although Kazuhiko belonged to the same Sarutobi Clan, he did not know why Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to meet Madara Uchiha alone. Remembering the Hokage's earlier order to keep a close watch on Madara Uchiha, Kazuhiko decided it would be better to tell him about the meeting in advance.

"Thank you for letting me know, Teacher. Lord Hokage has summoned me? Does he have some secret mission for me?"

Though he sounded deeply surprised at the Hokage's summons, Madara Uchiha had long been prepared for such a move.

After returning from the Chunin Ninja Exams, Madara Uchiha had known the Hokage would inevitably seek him out. He simply had not expected the Hokage to be so impatient that he would summon him on his second day back in the village.

Under Kazuhiko Sarutobi's guidance, Madara Uchiha did not head to the Hokage Office. After leaving the Uchiha Clan's grounds, Kazuhiko led him on a stroll through the village. They walked for quite a while, and once Kazuhiko was certain no one was following them, he changed direction and broke into a run with Madara. Eventually, he brought Madara to a clearing on the outskirts of Konoha, where Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi stood in his Hokage attire, looking as though he had been waiting for some time.