"Hey, you don't need to close your eyes anymore. Look how scared you are. Remember to thank me, or you'll really be dead if I cut you like this."
Suigetsu put away the Hiramekarei and looked at her opponent, who was closing his eyes and waiting for death.
"I... I'm not dead?"
After the sensation of the Hiramekarei cutting into my body disappeared, a sharp pain followed.
Although he didn't die, he still had a deep scar on his waist.
The feeling of surviving a disaster made him collapse to the ground.
"Thank goodness, thank goodness, I'm not dead yet."
Seeing his ecstatic expression, Suigetsu couldn't help but say:
"Hey, stop being so happy. Did you say thank you?"
"Well?"
"What do you mean 'hey'? You'd be dead by now if it weren't for me. I saved your life, shouldn't you say thank you? Are all the people from Iwagakure so rude?"
Upon hearing Suigetsu's words, the other person's face was filled with shock.
No, buddy, do you want to hear what you're saying?
You saved me?
Who saved me?
Who almost killed me?
This is just an assessment.
"As expected, the adults were right. The other ninja villages are all a bunch of rude and uncivilized people."
Suigetsu stared at him, her face full of disgust.
"You!"
Hearing this, the other party was clearly unable to accept it. Just as he was about to say something, he saw Suigetsu wave the Hiramekarei and immediately changed his words: "Thank you very much for saving me."
"Hmm, that feels better. You were at least polite. You can get lost now."
Suigetsu nodded in satisfaction and then returned to the stands.
This scene made everyone's lips twitch.
Even his teammates, Haku and Kimimaro, couldn't hold back anymore.
Ameyuri patted him on the shoulder with obvious admiration, looking like she was enjoying the drama. "Well done! These uncivilized country bumpkins deserve to be taught a lesson like this. I approve!"
Upon hearing this, they immediately incurred the hostility of everyone present.
What kind of nonsense is this? Defeating someone only to humiliate them, killing them only to destroy their spirit?
The young ninja village glanced at the Forehead Protector symbolizing Kirigakure on their bodies and sighed helplessly.
What could I do? I just had to put up with it!
As for the other major ninja villages, they were all filled with anger, especially the Iwagakure, which had just been insulted.
" Kirigakure, do they really think they can do whatever they want just because they have the support of the Sea Region Academy?"
Although Kumogakure was also dissatisfied, their expression changed instantly when they saw that it was Iwagakure that had been humiliated.
No matter what, as long as Iwagakure is unhappy, they're in a great mood—don't ask why.
Anyway, the bullets haven't hit them yet. We'll see when they do. Besides, they're not weak either. It's still uncertain who will win.
While they were conducting their assessment, Yuzuru had already taken the opportunity to find the entrance to the Root.
As for why he discovered it so quickly, it was all thanks to the ever-busy Root Department head.
"Can't you stay still Chunin Exams? Are you trying to cause trouble?"
After muttering something, Yuzuru opened his Nine Tomoe Sharingan and carved a spacetime anchor point on Danzo's arm.
"Never mind, anyway, it's Hiruzen Sarutobi's got a headache from what's happened."
As soon as she finished speaking, Yuzuru prepared to leave. Since she had already located the location, there was no rush.
Suddenly, he thought of something.
Since his target is Yamato, instead of actively investigating and searching for him, it's better to let him reveal himself.
Putting everything else aside, if the buildings in Konoha were severely damaged, he would at least have to come out and help repair them, right? Otherwise, where would all those people live?
With that thought in mind, Yuzuru immediately had an idea.
Hehehe.
With a strange laugh, Yuzuru said nothing, yet it seemed as if she had said everything.
Since we're already here, and we're going to do something big, let's go big! Perfect timing, we can also take advantage of this to clear out a bunch of obstacles first.
After returning to the Senju Clan, Yuzuru stretched and went straight to Tsunade's former room to sleep.
Meanwhile, Suigetsu and the others were still undergoing assessments.
Kimimaro and Suigetsu had already exhausted their fighting abilities, but Haku still hadn't reacted.
"Isn't it your turn yet? It's so slow."
The people around them started to get a little bored.
"I don't know either, but it is indeed a bit slow."
Bai gently shook his head, looking towards Jonin group of Konoha from Konoha who were responsible for maintaining order.
After waiting patiently for another ten minutes or so, they finally heard Bai's name.
Without further ado, Bai immediately came onto the field.
"So, does this mean we can rest now that this game is over?"
Bai looked at Gekko Hayate and asked.
"Unfortunately, no, there are still too many people, so we need to do another round."
The Hayate answered truthfully.
After hearing this, Bai didn't ask any further questions.
"Let's begin then. My opponent should be here by now."
Soon, a guy who looked like he had a violent temper appeared on the other side, wearing Forehead Protector from the Kusagakure.
"A ninja from Kusagakure? Then stop wasting time and finish this round of selection quickly. There's another round coming up, and I'm losing patience."
" Kirigakure, are all the ninjas from the Five Great Nations this arrogant?"
"Arrogance? Hmm, not really, that's confidence in one's abilities."
"Are you kidding me!"
"I'm not kidding. Think about it yourself. Your little village is ravaged by plague, and the resources for ninjas are extremely limited. It's visibly poor. Ninjas from such a village, well, it's hard not to look down on them, isn't it?"
What Bai said was perfectly normal, but it's easy for some people to feel vulnerable.
There's no way around it; the more you lack something, the more you value it—that's just how it is.
The chaos in the Land of Grass is partly due to Yuzuru's actions, as he killed the daimyo there and added fuel to the fire. However, this is not the root cause.
That's a place where the will to bully is even purer than Konoha's. Most importantly, they don't have much of a brain; they're just pure evil, and killing people in the street is commonplace for them.
That was a chaotic world disguised as a ninja village. The various clans of the Kusagakure were all fiercely competitive and would fight each other the moment they met.
It can only be said that an immature system encountered a group of barbaric robbers.
In a sense, they're quite a good match.
"Don't look down on me."
After being hurt by Bai's honest words, he went to confront him without saying a word.
As for Haku, he felt no emotion whatsoever, since his understanding of the outside world's ninja villages came from occasional field missions.
Kusagakure, a place guarded by a group of brutes and bandits.
Putting everything else aside, the fact that the Uzumaki Clan was only used as blood packs in the original work, and the lowest-grade human blood packs at that, already says it all. That's something no one with a brain would do.
Looking at his opponent's weak Fire Style, anyone who didn't know better would think he was just being coquettish.
The next second, he immediately unleashed his Ice Release, freezing the oncoming flames instantly.
"Another Ice Release? One Minazuki Yuzuru is already enough of a headache."
"Don't worry, there's only one Minazuki Yuzuru."
"Yeah, not everyone's Ice Release is like that guy's."
Bai naturally heard what the people around him were saying, but didn't sense anything was wrong.
In the eyes of everyone in the Land of Water, Lord Yuzuru is the most powerful being. Although they share the same surname, the two are not to be confused.
Right now, he's just slowly moving forward on the path that Lord Yuzuru once walked. As for how far he can go in the future, it's hard to say, but at least he won't be weak.
Because Lord Yuzuru had told him that Ice Release possessed the power to suppress all beings in the Shinobi World, and all they needed to do was to continuously lower the temperature of their Ice Release, nothing more.
Yuzuru's teachings, believing everything Yuzuru said and obeying every order without question.
As it turns out, Yuzuru's development of Ice Release was the right direction and the only way to use this power.
All those ridiculous Ninjutsu our family used to have, except for a few secret techniques and those based on mimicry principles, were completely useless.
"Alright, let's end this childish ninja game here."
Bai raised his hand, creating an ice wall to block the Shuriken thrown by the opponent.
"Foolish and oblivious ninjas from a small country."
As soon as she finished speaking, the ice wall suddenly shattered, transforming into Senbon ice needles that hovered densely in the air.
With a gentle wave of Bai's hand, all the ice Senbon shot directly at the opponent.
The opponent wasn't stupid either, and immediately used Earth Style Wall.
However, the difference in strength between the two was too great. His Earth Style Wall was too fragile and lacked the dog head mark symbolizing its hardness, so it was riddled with holes.
Fortunately, Hayate intervened and blocked many of the ice Senbon for him. Even so, several needles were still stuck in his body, and the extremely low temperature made his body tremble.
Even Hayate wasn't feeling well. He already had a lung disease, and being in close contact with these ice Senbon made his breathing rapid and caused a sharp pain in his lungs.
" Kirigakure, Yuki Haku wins."
After saying that, Hayate left immediately, and Bai returned to the stands.
"Tsk, that guy's pretty strong, he can block your Senbon."
Suigetsu looked at Hayate, who had quickly adjusted, and said.
"His swordsmanship is indeed remarkable, but his physical condition is too poor. Just breathing in the cold air was enough to strain his lungs, and his breathing became noticeably rapid."
"Ugh, he's so sick, and Konoha still made him Jonin to carry out missions. Aren't they afraid he'll just suddenly die somewhere one day?"
Suigetsu's words were extremely sharp.
"I've already told you, don't judge other villages by our moral standards. Besides, do you think this is just a problem in Konoha? I used to be like that too."
Ameyuri tapped Suigetsu's head and said.
"In fact, my illness is more serious than his."
Upon hearing this, Suigetsu fell silent.
"In short, you are a generation that grew up in a new era. There are many things you don't understand or haven't seen, but I hope you never have to."
Ameyuri looked at them.
Why? Shouldn't we know ourselves and our enemy?
Kimimaro countered with a question.
"Because we are human."
Ameyuri gave the most surprising answer, which was also the simplest.
"Look at these people, including the Third Hokage. Apart from being human like us, what about their morals, values, and lifestyles? Have they ever lived a life that is truly human?"
"It's either intelligence gathering or killing. Even if they're terminally ill, they still have to continue fulfilling their mission as ninjas. In their hearts, being a good person comes after being a ninja, the mission, and the village."
"I used to be like them, but now I don't want to live that kind of life anymore. Ninjas are no different from livestock. The key is that livestock live better than humans; at least they don't have to worry about dying one day. Ninjas, on the other hand, can truly die silently."
Ameyuri pouted.
Zabuza, who was standing to the side, did not speak, but he agreed with what Ameyuri said.
He also lived through two eras of Kirigakure.
Having experienced the Third Shinobi World War and witnessed firsthand how Minazuki Yuzuru transformed the Land of Water into its present state, thus ending the ninja era of the Land of Water.
Having personally experienced two eras, Zabuza's loyalty to the current Sea Capital and the Land of Water is Zabuza.
As for the ninjas, Zabuza expressed sympathy because they never lived a day like human beings. However, sympathy aside, they still had to be killed, since ninjas and the ninjas were destined to be rivals.
After the second round of assessments, all that remained was to wait for the final ninja assessment a month later.
At that time, many merchants and nobles will come to watch, which will be a good opportunity for Konoha to make money and show its strength.
He wasn't surprised at all when he told Yuzuru the news.
Even though many things have changed, it seems the outcome of the Chunin Exams remains the same: make money and become famous.
The plan was well-thought-out, and this time Orochimaru wouldn't be involved in any Konoha Crush Plan.
However, Yuzuru joined the group.
After tidying himself up, he suddenly appeared on the streets of Konoha, strolling around like an ordinary tourist.
" Lord Yuzuru, you just show up like this, without any restraint?"
Seeing Yuzuru on the street, Yuki Haku expressed their incomprehension.
"Hey, don't worry about it. He's way more capable than us. If he's doing this, he must have his reasons. Our orders are to stay put, so let's just wait and see."
Ameyuri remained remarkably calm. She trusted Yuzuru's every decision and knew just how powerful this person was. Since they hadn't been allowed to interfere, she could finally rest easy.
Soon, someone noticed Yuzuru and reported it to the Hokage.
In less than five minutes, Yuzuru was surrounded by Anbu and a large number of ninjas.
At the same time, Konoha's protective barrier was activated to search for other suspicious individuals.
" Minazuki Yuzuru! How dare you come to Konoha alone?"
At that moment, someone immediately identified him.
Looking at the Anbu uniforms opposite her, Yuzuru put down the wooden carving in her hand and stretched. "I thought you weren't coming. I didn't hide my identity, so why did it take you so long to find out?"
"Also, bring Hiruzen Sarutobi to see me. You're not qualified."
Yuzuru looked at the ninjas around him and said.
"Arrogant!"
"We are here to arrest you!"
"Oh? Can you do that?"
Yuzuru smiled, and the surrounding temperature began to drop.
The Anbu immediately sprang into action, shouting, "Ninja Art: Four Violet Flames Formation!"
First, a huge purple magic circle surrounded Yuzuru, and the surrounding temperature also rose significantly.
"Hmm, there's something, but not much."