The Sannin

The assessments in all the competition areas had ended, and the list of sixteen outstanding contestants who had emerged from the four areas was prominently posted on the noticeboard.

The names of Lin Ze, Genma Shiranui, Asuma, and Ibiki Morino stood out on the list, representing the strongest fighters from the third competition area.

Lin Ze looked at the list, his gaze passing over several unfamiliar names.

Anyone who had made it this far was undoubtedly among the elite of this year's students. Tomorrow's finals were bound to be tough.

"Lin Ze!" Kurenai Yuhi jogged over, a trace of worry on her face. Although she had failed to advance, she had been following the competition closely. "Have you seen the list?"

"Yeah, just finished looking." Lin Ze nodded.

"There's someone you need to watch out for." Kurenai lowered her voice and pointed to the first name listed under the Fourth Competition Area. "Hikaru Hyūga, the top contestant from the Fourth Competition Area. He's... he's really strong, and he's especially ruthless."

"Oh? How did you find that out, Kurenai?" Lin Ze paid little mind to the Hikaru Hyūga she had mentioned. Instead, he was somewhat surprised that she had learned all this.

After all, he had spent almost the entire day with Kurenai in the first competition area. They had been inseparable, and he had not seen her ask anyone for information.

Kurenai Yuhi's cheeks flushed slightly as she said quietly, "Asuma told me."

Asuma? That explains it.

Seeing that Lin Ze paid little attention to this, Kurenai continued.

"Hikaru Hyūga is from the Hyuga Branch Family. He looks gentle and refined, and he speaks softly, but he's especially vicious when he fights!"

"I heard his opponents all got beaten badly. One of them apparently even suffered damage to his chakra pathways. He was still coughing up blood when the Medical Team carried him away!"

"Hikaru Hyūga?" Lin Ze searched his memory for the name. There did not seem to have been anyone by that name in the original story.

But that was hardly surprising. The Hyuga Branch Family had many members, so it was normal for a few powerful figures to have gone unmentioned in the original story. Besides, in the brutal shinobi world, countless geniuses died before their time.

Moreover, the branch family of the Hyuga Clan bore the "Caged Bird Seal" cursed seal and suffered a tragic fate. Such repression and despair could indeed easily give rise to extreme personalities.

They either became exceptionally timid and submissive, or exceptionally vicious within whatever sphere they could control, tormenting others to vent their inner pain or prove their worth.

This Hikaru Hyūga was clearly the latter.

"Yes!" Kurenai nodded emphatically. "His Gentle Fist is incredibly powerful, and he's fast, too. A lot of people had their chakra points struck before they could even react. And he seems especially fond of attacking his opponents' chakra points, causing them terrible pain."

"Got it. Thanks for the information, Kurenai." Lin Ze thanked her earnestly. This was indeed important information.

The Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist could be called the bane of taijutsu, specifically damaging internal organs and chakra pathways. Even with Lin Ze's formidable physique, having his key chakra points sealed would be troublesome.

Still, Lin Ze was not overly worried. An enormous gulf already separated his strength from that of most students in his year. His real concern was how to defeat the best among his peers while holding back his strength.

After all, battles between shinobi came down to information. Lin Ze had no desire to expose his full strength in front of such a large crowd.

On the way home, Lin Ze mentally reviewed the day's events.

In truth, he had carefully thought through his brutal beating of Ryota Uchiha.

First, he had not struck to kill. Though the injuries looked appalling, they were actually all superficial wounds, hardly worth mentioning in the shinobi profession.

Second, when all was said and done, Lin Ze was still a child under seven.

Even if Ryota Uchiha's elders wanted to stand up for him, they could not bring themselves to stoop so low-they could hardly pick a fight with a little kid. Besides, the current Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi was no mere figurehead. If things really escalated, even the Uchiha would have to think twice.

At most, Uchiha Onibi, with his extreme fixation on his younger brother, might come looking for him. But the current Lin Ze no longer feared someone merely at Chunin level like Uchiha Onibi.

Unless... Uchiha Onibi awakened the Mangekyō in a surge of emotion. But that was practically impossible.

Moreover, once this assessment ended, Hiruzen Sarutobi would most likely declare Lin Ze a graduate and have him enter the ANBU.

Once he joined the ANBU, it would not be so easy for the Uchiha or Danzo's lot to make a move against him.

Of course, there would still be some risk when he left the village on missions, but that risk could only come from Danzo. Whatever else might be said about them, the Uchiha Clan had their pride and would not lower themselves to launching sneak attacks.

Just as when they later planned to rebel against the village, all they could think about was a head-on confrontation.

The next day, at the Ninja Academy's largest central training ground-the Fifth Battle Ground.

The atmosphere here was far more grand and formal than at yesterday's competition areas.

The stands were packed, not only with students and teachers from other years, but also with quite a few Konoha ninja who had come after hearing the news.

Konoha flags bearing flame designs lined the grounds, snapping in the gentle breeze.

At the top of the main stand, Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi wore his Hokage Robes and conical hat, smiling as he watched the sixteen finalists assembled below.

Several advisers from the Konoha High Command, along with the heads or representatives of the major clans, sat beside and behind him.

Most striking of all, the legendary Sannin had all come!

Jiraiya sat casually not far from Hiruzen Sarutobi, his eyes darting about, clearly checking out beautiful women.

Tsunade stood beside Jiraiya with a look of disgust, veins bulging at her temple. She was clearly suppressing the urge to punch him.

Orochimaru sat a little farther away, his figure shrouded in shadow. A cold menace lurked in his snake-like eyes as he repeatedly surveyed Lin Ze and the others below.

Standing in the contestants' waiting area, Lin Ze could distinctly feel the gazes of the important figures in the stands. Hiruzen Sarutobi's and Orochimaru's scrutiny in particular made him feel as though he were being scanned by X-rays.

All three Sannin actually came. They should all be at elite jōnin level by now, right? Lin Ze thought back over what he knew.

Orochimaru and the other two had made their names in the Second Shinobi World War, and that same war had completely changed the courses of their lives.

Orochimaru had witnessed too much life and death on the battlefield, coming to feel deeply how fragile and fleeting life was. From then on, he had plunged into forbidden technique research, single-mindedly pursuing immortality.

Thus, aside from Danzo, Orochimaru posed the greatest threat to Lin Ze in Konoha.

Lin Ze knew very well that once his Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon abilities were exposed, whether Orochimaru regarded them as a special bloodline limit or an unknown power, he would inevitably end up as a guinea pig on the man's operating table.

So, with such an enormous gap between their strengths, Lin Ze's choice was clear: avoid meeting him whenever possible, and stay as far away as he could.

Tsunade, meanwhile, had lost her younger brother Nawaki and her lover Dan to gruesome deaths in the war, one after the other. Unable to bear the successive blows of losing those closest to her, she had developed severe hemophobia, trembling all over at even the sight of blood.

At the highest point of the stands.

"That's Lin Ze?" Tsunade glanced at Lin Ze and said to Hiruzen Sarutobi, "I heard he's good at taijutsu and can use Fire Release, too?"

"He's a promising prospect. His chakra reserves are just a little low," Hiruzen Sarutobi said, taking a puff from his pipe.

Jiraiya rubbed his chin, turned toward Orochimaru in the shadows, and grinned. "Anyone who can make an Uchiha suffer that badly must have something going for him. I bet he'll make the top three."

Hearing this from his seat farther away, Orochimaru licked his lips without joining the conversation, rather living up to his title of "the cold lord."