Uchiha Seiryu [199-204] (Patreon)

Chapter 199: The Tsuchikage and Raikage Arrive

Faced with Nagato’s question, Uchiha Seiryu took a small sip of tea and then slowly said, “I plan to start a war—a war that will end all conflicts.”

Nagato’s pupils shrank instantly at these words.

“During the Third Shinobi World War, although Konoha was technically the victor, I personally witnessed how Kumogakure used the war as leverage, forcing the Hyūga branch family head to end the dispute through suicide. It was then that I realized: if we don’t solve the root of the problem, war will never end.”

Seiryu continued, “What the ninja world needs is unification. So, I intend to end it all in one decisive battle, to conclude everything in our generation.”

“Including the Land of Rain?” Nagato frowned.

“Of course, including the Land of Rain.” Seiryu met his gaze without hesitation.

“Why are you telling me your plan? Aren’t you afraid I’ll spread word of this throughout the ninja world? At that time, the Land of Fire will become the target of everyone’s anger,” Nagato asked.

“You won’t do that,” Seiryu shook his head.

“You’re so sure?”

“Yes, because among all the leaders, great and small, in the ninja world, you are one of the very few who genuinely desire peace, and have always worked toward it,” Seiryu said. “That’s also why I agreed to your request for a meeting.”

Seiryu refilled Nagato’s empty teacup, then said, “I believe we could be fellow travelers on this path.”

“Fellow travelers?” Nagato murmured, falling into contemplation.

Seiryu wasn’t in a hurry. While Nagato thought, Seiryu looked up at Konan.

“By the way, Lady Angel,” Seiryu said with a smile.

“Lord Hokage, you can just call me Konan,” she replied.

“Alright then, Miss Konan, may I ask—who in your organization is responsible for personnel?” Seiryu inquired.

“That would be me. Is there something you wanted to ask, Lord Hokage?” Konan asked, puzzled.

“Here’s the thing. I have a kid here who, due to some dispute with his family, is currently homeless. For certain reasons, Konoha can’t take him in. So, I was wondering if you and your organization could look after him for a while. Of course, don’t worry about his strength; he’s exceptionally gifted. Even though he graduated from the Academy less than two years ago, his strength is already enough to defeat some of Konoha’s veteran jonin,” Seiryu explained.

“Lord Hokage, you should know what kinds of people Akatsuki is taking in at this stage, yes?” Konan tactfully reminded Seiryu, as their members were all rogue ninja.

“You two don’t need to worry about that. The kid is not a Konoha ninja,” Seiryu shook his head, then continued, “It’s just, the child's hobbies are a bit unusual. If you plan to recruit him, he might cause your organization some trouble.”

“If it’s just unusual hobbies, that’s fine,” Nagato interjected.

Honestly, among Akatsuki’s current members, who doesn’t have some odd quirks? Some are obsessed with money, some dismantle their own bodies for fun, and recently an unstable cultist even joined. As Seiryu said, how much trouble could the hobbies of a kid just out of the Academy really cause?

“Lord Hokage, why don’t you tell us how you want to cooperate with the Land of Rain?” Nagato asked, “Do you want us to join your Konoha Pact?”

“No need for now,” Seiryu replied. “The issue with the Land of Waterfall isn’t completely resolved yet. If the Land of Rain shows any sign of wanting to ally with us, Ōnoki would probably immediately launch an attack on Konoha, and then Kumogakure and Sunagakure wouldn’t pass up the opportunity either. The Fourth Great Ninja War would begin right away.”

“With Konoha’s current strength, plus Akatsuki, our chances of winning such a war are quite high,” Nagato mused.

“Yes, but it’s not the kind of war I want,” Seiryu shook his head.

“With Konoha, the Land of Rain, and a few other allies, I’m confident we could win. But the war would drag on. The longer it lasts, the more civilians suffer. What I want is a swift, decisive war. That’s why I’ve been using various means to harass my opponents and wear down their strength.”

“I see.” Nagato nodded, now truly beginning to believe in Seiryu’s plan for peace. He, too, had experienced firsthand the harm war does to civilians when it drags on. “How much longer do you need, Lord Hokage?”

“Three years, at most,” Seiryu held up three fingers, speaking slowly. “Once Konoha has enough strength, I’ll need just three months to end all wars and unite the ninja world!”

As Seiryu spoke, his tone was filled with conviction, and Nagato was infected by his confidence. He nodded, “Alright, I believe you.”

“But I want to know—how do you plan to handle the Land of Rain after the war?” Nagato asked the crucial question.

“In my plan, for Konoha’s allies, once the ninja world is unified, as long as they’re willing to accept the Fire Country’s leadership, Konoha will allow them a certain degree of autonomy. Also, Konoha will help transform the Land of Rain’s environment, breaking through the mountain range between the Land of Rain and the Lands of Earth and Wind, so that Fire Country’s moist monsoon can pass through instead of being blocked. This will solve the agricultural disaster caused by perpetual rain in your country. Then, your people too can share in the warmth of the sun.”

Seiryu’s words left Nagato stunned. For someone who grew up in the Land of Rain, sunlight was indeed a precious thing.

“Is joining you the only way to get all this?” Nagato asked.

“No. Once unification is achieved, these are things we will do for everyone. Even if your Akatsuki chooses to oppose Konoha in the future, our plan to transform the Land of Rain will not change,” Seiryu shook his head. “The only difference will be whether you retain autonomy.”

“I understand.” Nagato nodded. “Akatsuki is willing to walk with Konoha.”

After the two sides reached an understanding, Nagato and Seiryu talked late into the night. During their conversation, Nagato was moved by Seiryu’s sincerity and offered to return the Five-Tails—whose jinchūriki had died and whose tailed beast was kept alive with a seal—to Konoha’s tailed beast sanctuary. He also informed Seiryu about the existence of the Gedo Statue.

In return, Seiryu invited Nagato to Konoha after the exams for a full medical checkup to see if they could reduce the burden of the Rinnegan on his body.

But all this would have to wait until after the joint Chunin Exams.

…

In the following days, after the smaller nations’ ninja arrived, the Iwagakure and Kumogakure teams, led by their Kage, also reached Konoha.

As for Sunagakure, who were supposed to participate? They were still in chaos after the Fifth Kazekage debacle. With Gaara and Rasa both out of the picture, there was no suitable candidate for Kazekage. Temari showed interest, but her strength was lacking.

More importantly, without Rasa, Sunagakure’s finances were on the brink of collapse. If not for taking the remainder of Konoha's military reform contracts, their ninja would be eating sand. So they had no time or energy for the Chunin Exams.

Ōnoki and A’s convoys arrived almost simultaneously. For their visit, Konoha pulled out all the stops. Even Sarutobi Hiruzen, who’d been busy spending his pension on restoring the Nanka River ecosystem, put on his Hokage robes and joined Seiryu at the village entrance to greet the two Kage.

After exchanging pleasantries at the gate, the two Kage walked the red carpet into the village.

Seiryu and Hiruzen greeted them with smiles.

“Thank you both for coming such a long way,” Seiryu said, reaching out to Onoki. “It’s been a while, but you’re as spry as ever, Lord Tsuchikage.”

“Haha, you flatter me, Lord Hokage. The recent events in Iwagakure have been a huge headache for this old man,” Onoki replied. “By the way, that rascal Deidara didn’t come to Konoha, did he?”

“Of course not,” Seiryu lied with a straight face. “If he did, I’d detain him immediately and hand him over to you, Lord Tsuchikage.”

“You better,” Onoki nodded, then went to reminisce with Hiruzen.

“Lord Third Hokage, you seem more and more relaxed these days. Retirement suits you,” Onoki said, on the surface exchanging pleasantries but secretly hoping to rekindle Hiruzen’s desire for power to trouble Seiryu.

But Hiruzen wasn’t so easily provoked. He replied with a smile, “Yes, with young talents like Seiryu at the helm, I can enjoy a peaceful retirement. Speaking of which, Lord Tsuchikage, you’re about my age, aren’t you? When will you join me for fishing?”

The two old men bantered, while Seiryu approached A.

Seiryu looked up at the much taller A, who was also sizing him up.

“Fourth Raikage, a pleasure to meet you,” Seiryu said, extending his hand.

“Likewise,” A replied, gripping Seiryu’s hand and squeezing.

Seiryu returned the pressure without changing expression.

Next, lightning chakra crackled between their clasped hands, tiny arcs exploding in the small space. Though both felt the strain, neither showed any sign of discomfort when they let go.

“Fifth Hokage, impressive,” A said, hiding the numbness in his right hand.

“The Fourth Raikage is just as legendary as the stories I heard when I was a genin,” Seiryu replied. Although his Lightning Release was stronger than A’s, he couldn’t match A’s raw strength, so his own hand still hurt from the handshake.

“In any case, welcome to both of you. Before the exams start, feel free to explore Konoha. But please keep your ninja in line—this is my first joint Chunin Exam as Hokage, and I don’t want any trouble between villages. I hope you understand,” Seiryu said, locking eyes with A and exuding a faint killing intent. Onoki was a gentleman and knew better than to cause trouble inside Konoha, but A had a history.

“Haha, you’re joking, Hokage,” A replied, forcing a laugh.

“That’s best,” Seiryu narrowed his eyes. “We’ve prepared a grand welcome banquet. Please.”

“Please,” Onoki said, a bit disappointed the two hadn’t fought.

“Please,” A adjusted his expression and followed Seiryu.

…

At the banquet for the Kage of Earth and Lightning, the Fifth Mizukage, Takagi, also showed up. Onoki at least gave him some face, but A ignored Takagi’s extended hand and walked straight to the center of the banquet.

Chapter 200: The Joint Chunin Exams

After being snubbed by the Raikage, Takagi’s expression twitched. But his greatest strength was adaptability—after being humiliated by A, he simply smiled and withdrew his hand.

As the leaders of the various villages gathered for the exams, Konoha’s genin were also preparing.

At the Hatake residence, Naruto, who knew only one of their trio could pass, was uncharacteristically focused, increasing his training and asking tips.

Deidara, however, didn’t have much advice. His own Chunin Exam was nothing like this joint one, and he’d just blown things up until he won. So he suggested, “Want to take some of my explosives?”

“That won’t work,” Naruto replied, unusually sharp. “Old man Onoki is in the village. If I use your bombs, won’t I expose you?”

“Good point. Then all I can offer is moral support,” Deidara said, patting his junior’s shoulder. “Good luck! Believe in yourself!”

“Right! Beating Sasuke starts with becoming Chunin before him!” Naruto declared, full of confidence.

At the Uchiha residence, after training, Sasuke greeted his mother Mikoto and went to the room with Itachi’s photo. After lighting incense for his brother, he gazed at the picture and whispered, “Brother, in a few days I’ll be a Chunin. Though I didn’t make Jonin as young as you, I’m on the right path. Watch from the Pure Land as I write my own story.”

Leaving the room, Sasuke found Fu leaning against the hallway wall.

“You’re about to take the exam. Haven’t you done any special training?” Fu asked with a grin.

“With my strength, getting promoted will be easy,” Sasuke replied.

“Oh really? If you’re so confident, I guess I won’t tell you what Chomei told me about your teammates,” Fu teased.

“What did your friend say?” Sasuke frowned.

“Call me ‘Big Sister’ and I’ll tell you!” Fu laughed.

“Forget it,” Sasuke shrugged. He already knew what Fu meant—info about Naruto and Kurama, and that tailed beasts could communicate with each other.

“You’re no fun!” Fu pouted, but ended up sharing Chomei’s intel with Sasuke anyway.

“Fine, for Aunt Mikoto’s sake, I’ll tell you. Your teammate has reached an understanding with his tailed beast, so he can use some of Kurama’s power.”

“So what? Our clan’s Sharingan naturally restrains tailed beasts,” Sasuke said. “And my genjutsu was taught by Shisui himself, and—”

He stopped, realizing he’d said too much.

“Were you about to say your genjutsu is better than the Hokage’s?” Fu grinned. “I caught you!”

“No, I wasn’t! Don’t say that!” Sasuke denied, knowing Naruto had suffered for such talk and wanting no part of it.

“Alright, I’ll stop. The Sharingan can restrain jinchūriki, but with only three tomoe you can’t handle perfect hosts. Unless you have Mangekyo, you’ll have a hard time. So be ready for a head-on fight,” Fu warned.

Sasuke took a deep breath, suddenly feeling a headache. He and Naruto were evenly matched in taijutsu and ninjutsu, but now Naruto had an extra power-up. If he wanted to win, he’d have to get creative.

At the Hyūga compound:

Their tradition of endless clan meetings faded, but the Hyūga elders loved gathering to debate the head and branch family heirs. With Neji firmly established as the next heir, they now pushed to put caged bird seals on Hinata and Hanabi.

Regularly, Hiashi and Neji were grilled by these elders, who insisted the seals were protection for the girls.

“Neji, after you become Chunin, it’s time to seal your sisters,” an elder said.

“They aren’t particularly talented. The seal is for their own good,” said another.

“Is it protection or imprisonment? Don’t you think I know?” Neji shot back coldly.

“It’s tradition, Neji. The Hyūga have always done this,” another elder said, but after the last clan purge, everyone knew that the Hokage had the final say.

So, they didn’t push Neji too hard.

“Let me tell you: Hinata is close to Naruto Uzumaki, son of the Fourth Hokage and leader of the Uzumaki clan. Both my uncle and I approve of their match. Do you know what that means?” Neji said.

He didn’t mention Naruto’s jinchūriki status, but the elders caught his drift: try to seal Naruto’s future bride and you’ll be in trouble.

The elders fell silent, but soon shifted their attention to Hiashi. He just snorted coldly, his eyes flashing with killing intent. Take on his younger daughter next? He wasn’t about to let that happen.

“Well, Neji, good luck in the exams,” the elders said, ending the farce.

“Neji, during the exam, protect Hinata if you can,” Hiashi said with a sigh.

“I will,” Neji nodded. “But uncle, you should trust Hinata more. Her Byakugan purity may even surpass mine.”

…

Konoha, Training Field #5.

Lee, Karin, and Sakura, led by Might Guy, entered the training ground as a temporary team.

They were all familiar with each other, so Lee didn’t do any embarrassing public confessions. Sakura, no longer focused on appearances, had dark circles under her eyes and messy pink hair, with bangs covering her hairline as her only act of defiance.

Having been mentored by Tsunade, Sakura had already mastered superhuman strength and started storing chakra for the Yin Seal, making her much stronger than in the original timeline. But this time, she didn’t need to chase anyone.

“I’m Rock Lee. I specialize in taijutsu, and my dream is to become a great ninja using only taijutsu,” Lee announced energetically in his green jumpsuit.

After the whole squad of green jumpsuits running laps around the village, Konoha had become much more tolerant of Guy’s fashion sense.

“We all know each other, so let’s skip the intros. I’m good at taijutsu and medical ninjutsu. Yawn,” Sakura said.

“Yeah, and I’m good at sealing jutsu, as you know,” Karin added.

“If the three of us team up, we should make the semi-finals. Lady Tsunade’s goal for me is just the top four,” Sakura said.

“You can hope for that. With my imperfect Adamantine Sealing Chains and Isobu not cooperating, making the top eight is my limit. If I run into Sasuke or my dumb clan leader early, even that’s doubtful,” Karin said.

“Girls, thinking you’ll lose before the exam even starts isn’t youthful!” Guy jumped in, giving a thumbs-up. “Each of you has boundless potential. I believe you’ll shine in this exam!”

“You’re right! I’ll aim for the championship, Guy-sensei!” Lee suddenly got fired up.

“That’s youth, Lee!” Guy instantly teared up.

“Guy-sensei!”

“Lee!”

Karin and Sakura, covered in black lines, wondered if teaming up with these two was really a good idea.

…

Nara residence, late at night.

Shikaku and Shikamaru played shogi. After a tough match, Shikaku shook his head, realizing his 12-year-old son was already surpassing him.

“What’s your goal for the exam?” Shikaku asked.

“None. Ino, Choji, and I agreed that after reaching the third round, we’ll all withdraw. Kakashi-sensei is fine with it,” Shikamaru replied.

“Why? Don’t say you’re just lazy—your mom would kill us both,” Shikaku said.

“It’s not time for the Ino-Shika-Cho trio to return to the spotlight. In other villages’ intel, our clans have been out of power for years. This is a rare chance—a chance to ambush our enemies in the future. This exam isn’t worth revealing our strength,” Shikamaru explained.

“As long as you know what you’re doing. The future is yours, not us old men’s.”

…

Soon, the day of the first exam arrived.

The first exam started directly.

Chapter 201: Flexing

Nearly 300 examinees were led to the Academy and split into 10 classrooms. Soon, the written test was handed out.

Most immediately looked down at the test, then after a while, looked up in confusion.

The first question was normal:

Question 1: Shuriken trajectory analysis. Given a shuriken thrown at initial velocity V₀ = 20 m/s at a 45° angle, with air resistance F = Kv² (k = 0.1), find its landing position.

This was basic physics taught to all ninja; most could solve it easily—except for people like Naruto, who passed by brute force.

But starting with the second question, some began to sweat.

Question 2:

You find a ninja showing symptoms of pupil contraction and muscle spasms, suspected poisoning. Clues:

Time to effect: 5 minutes post-exposure

Environment: Swamp battlefield

Enemy ninja uses biological toxins

Antidote requires:

Corydalis (inhibits neurotoxins)

Centipede grass (neutralizes blood toxins)

Moon dew (stabilizes chakra)

Design a chakra technique to quickly extract the active ingredients in the wild.

Though a medical-nin topic, the difficulty was low. Most villages didn’t teach medical ninjutsu systematically, so only Konoha’s genin could easily answer.

But for others, after solving question one, they struggled.

For some, like Sakura, the first two were easy. But when she read question three, even she was confused:

Question 3:

A prime number is a natural number greater than 1 that has no divisors other than 1 and itself. Prove that every even number greater than 2 can be written as the sum of two primes.

From here, the questions became bizarre and impossible—Sakura, who was a top student, couldn’t even understand what was being asked.

Not just Sakura; many others were stumped. Some with strong family backgrounds tried to think it through.

“Is this exam testing intelligence gathering?” Shikamaru wondered, after realizing he was the only one in his room who could solve the second question.

Just then, he sensed a familiar chakra—Ino’s Yamanaka mind-link.

He dropped his guard and entered the spiritual space, where all the their group members had gathered.

Shikamaru shared intelligence with the group.

“Where’s Naruto?” Kiba asked, noticing everyone but Naruto present.

“You know how my dumb clan leader is in class. He’s probably asleep,” Karin said, looking at the brains of the group: Sasuke, Neji, Shikamaru, Shino, and Sakura.

“From what I can tell, the last eight questions are unsolvable—even Sakura can’t do them. That means they’re impossible for genin,” Shikamaru analyzed. “Neji, can you confirm there’s no examiner planted in the exam room?”

“Yes, none,” Neji confirmed.

“Then, this is testing how ninja respond to problems beyond their knowledge,” Sasuke said. What he’d learned most from Seiryu was to see the essence behind the appearance.

“So what do we do?” Shino asked.

“Stay calm and wait for the exam to end,” Sasuke said.

“That’s it?” Ino asked, incredulous.

“That’s it,” Sasuke nodded. “When faced with the unknown, acting rashly only makes things worse. I bet someone will come soon to pressure us further.”

Sure enough, soon after, the doors opened and the proctors walked in, stressing that if one team member failed, the entire team would be disqualified.

Hearing this, several Kumogakure ninja slammed the tables.

“This is a trick! No Konoha ninja could solve these questions!”

Similar scenes played out across the exam rooms. The proctors said nothing, just escorted those who made a scene out.

Besides small village ninja, most of those removed were from Kumogakure.

“Lord Raikage, your ninja can’t keep calm?” Seiryu smiled in the VIP room.

“Hmph, so what? I don’t see any value in this type of test,” A replied, his face twitching as he saw half his ninja disqualified.

“Oh, so that’s how you think? No wonder Kumogakure always ranks at the bottom for mission completion rates, even behind Suna and Kiri,” Onoki said. “Your ninja are strong, but their professionalism is lacking.”

“Lord Tsuchikage is right. Our Kirigakure ninja at least analyze a situation before acting. That’s responsible to both ninja and clients, unlike some villages…” Takagi added, seizing the chance to get back at A for the banquet snub.

“What did you say?” A growled, ready to teach Takagi a lesson.

“Now, now, Lord Raikage, calm down. Have some water and keep watching. Your ace is still in the exam,” Seiryu said and pointing to a monitor.

On it, a dark-skinned red-haired girl (future wife of Choji and student of Killer Bee) sat calmly, ignoring the commotion.

In another room, a black-skinned boy with a lollipop held his head and muttered, “I’m doomed. Can’t answer any of this. Looks like I’ll flunk. Hope Lord Raikage won’t be mad…”

A’s face twitched. Kumogakure had embarrassed itself.

After the first round of pressure, the second began. The bell rang, and the loudspeaker announced 20 minutes left.

Those remaining panicked, racking their brains. But with math, if you don’t know it, you can’t just guess your way through.

Next, the announcements came every five minutes, and every minute in the last five. Under this pressure, more people lost their cool and were escorted out.

In the second exam room, the noise finally woke Naruto, who, seeing his empty test, scratched his head.

“What was I doing?” he muttered, then realized it was the Chunin Exam.

“I’m doomed!” But after a moment, he calmed down. He knew he couldn’t answer anything—he, Uzumaki Naruto, was proudly illiterate!

The test ended. Only teams with all three members present advanced: 84 people, 28 teams.

Konoha wasted no time. After collecting the tests, they handed each candidate a wristband from the Konoha Scientific Ninja Tools Lab.

Seeing the confusion, examiner Anko explained the rules:

“You 28 teams will be randomly dropped into a 10-square-kilometer forest in Konoha’s southwest. You’ll survive there for three days. Every three hours, your safe zone will shrink. The last nine teams remaining will pass. Supplies are already in the forest, so you must turn in all ninja tools and food for safekeeping.”

“As for the wristband,” Anko held one up, “it tells you when your safe zone shrinks, but more importantly, it monitors your vitals. If you’re too injured to continue, the summoning jutsu inside will teleport you out for treatment.”

“It also tracks your location. If you stay outside the safe zone too long, the jutsu activates and you’re out.”

The candidates reacted calmly, but Onoki and A looked grim.

“All that in a wristband?” Onoki said, frowning.

“Of course,” Seiryu said with a smile. “It’s our latest research. For the candidates’ safety, we’re using it now. Also, to test its function. I hope none of you mind.”

“Of course not. Lord Hokage’s concern is touching,” Takagi said.

But as he flattered Seiryu, Onoki and A both thought: “But what if this is used on the battlefield?”

Chapter 202: Chunin Exam—Battle Royale in Progress

If this technology were deployed on a large scale, wouldn’t it mean that—unless their opponents could disrupt summoning techniques—Konoha ninja injured on the battlefield could be instantly teleported back to base for treatment? The boost in morale and fighting power this would provide is simply unimaginable.

Ōnoki and A both looked at the temporary medical stations marked on the map. The farthest station from the exam area’s edge was about five kilometers away, which meant the summoning wristband’s range was at least five kilometers.

Of course, neither of them could directly ask Seiryu for a sample, so they could only hope that their genin still in the field would realize the wristband’s strategic value and try to study it, bringing back important intel for their villages.

Luckily, both villages had sharp-minded genin in this year’s exam. The future Fifth Raikage and Fourth Tsuchikage both immediately started examining the wristband upon receiving it.

But when they put it on, they felt a sharp prick on their wrists.

At that moment, Anko’s voice sounded in their ears.

“Don’t panic, the sting is normal. The summoning jutsu in the wristband needs to draw a little blood to create a temporary summoning contract. You can dissolve the contract yourself after the exam.”

Meanwhile, in the VIP lounge, Uchiha Seiryu watched this scene with a blank expression. Thirty kilometers away, in the Konoha Scientific Ninja Tools Research Institute, Katasuke Tōno gathered the wristband data and handed it to a bespectacled man drinking tea in the research institute’s café.

“Mr. Yakushi, as per Hokage’s orders, here is the DNA information for all non-Konoha participants in this year’s Chunin Exam.”

“Thank you, Mr. Tōno. Please send my regards to Lord Hokage.” Kabuto put down his cup, accepted the data, bowed, then performed a summoning jutsu and vanished from the research institute.

Since Seiryu was willing to publicly display this battlefield-changing technology, it wasn’t just about showing off; one goal was to use the summoning contract as a pretext to collect the DNA of all these ninja.

The plan was proceeding perfectly. As it stood, ninja in the world had almost zero awareness of protecting their own DNA—during battle, they often bled all over the place. If Hidan had half a brain, his cult technique alone could destroy the ninja world.

But Seiryu himself was very careful about this. He hadn’t faced an opponent who could make him bleed in ages, but during the last shinobi war, he always made sure to dispose of any blood containing his DNA. He’d taught this awareness to his three disciples as well.

Now, the contestants brought by the Kage of each major village were undoubtedly their village’s key prospects and the backbone of future wars. With the DNA of all these geniuses collected, only someone like Orochimaru—besides Hidan—could truly make use of it.

That’s why Kabuto was at the research institute.

Of all Orochimaru’s staff, Kabuto was the most loyal to Uchiha Seiryu. After Seiryu killed Danzo—the one responsible for Kabuto’s tragic past—Kabuto developed a deep loyalty, even though they had never met in person.

When Kabuto returned with the DNA samples, the 28 teams were being led by proctors to their starting points.

“Alright! Time to show what I can do!” Naruto stretched and grinned after being dropped at their start point.

“Idiot, let’s gather supplies first!” Sasuke said coldly. “All our ninja tools and food have been confiscated. Neji and I need to find weapons before we can fight at full strength. We can’t starve for three days like you.”

“Fine.” Naruto calmed down.

“There’s a supply cache in a tree hollow 200 meters west,” Neji said, having already scanned the area with his Byakugan.

Soon, they found their first cache: enough food pills for one person for a day, a kunai, and three shuriken.

“Resources are scarce here. Finding a sword that can handle your chakra output will be hard,” Neji said, handing the weapons to Sasuke.

“We’re on the edge of the exam area. The resource-rich zones are all in the center. Should we head there?” Neji asked.

“Why look ourselves when we can let others find stuff for us?” Sasuke smiled.

“Funny, I was thinking the same.” Neji grinned. With a plan set, the three made for the center of the map.

Similar scenes played out throughout the forest—teams confident in their strength rushed toward the resource-rich center, while others played it safe.

Shikamaru’s team was among the cautious ones. They quickly searched three wild points, gathering enough supplies and standard weapons to last the first day.

“So, what now? Keep searching?” Ino asked.

“We’re good. Let’s rest and wait for the first zone shrink,” Shikamaru replied.

“We could probably handle a fight at a resource point, right?” Ino pressed.

“Those places will see fierce fighting. Even if you get resources, you’ll burn a lot, and you might get hurt. Without a medical ninja, early fighting isn’t smart. We just need to be among the last nine teams. No need to fight more than necessary. Let’s stick to the edge and move with the shrinking zone,” Shikamaru explained.

Shino, on another team, made a similar plan, restraining the impulsive Kiba and waiting for the zone to shrink.

Meanwhile, in the VIP lounge, Ōnoki and A were still thinking about how to counter the summoning wristband if war broke out with Konoha.

Just then, Seiryu clapped his hands, and the attendants brought drinks and snacks tailored to each guest’s home country.

As everyone ate, the monitors showed the first clash between teams: Sakura’s team from Konoha and a Kumogakure genin team.

The two teams had started near each other, so a collision was inevitable. Karin had sensed the enemy and tried to avoid them, but the other team had their own tracking skills and stuck to them.

“They’re still following us,” Karin said to Sakura, annoyed.

“Guess they think we’re easy prey,” Sakura said, rolling her eyes. “Let’s settle this.”

“Told you! Why are we running?” Lee grinned, stopping to prepare for battle.

“They’re coming!” Karin shouted, retreating behind her teammates and preparing to use sealing jutsu.

Three lightning flashes streaked through the air. Lee’s bandages tightened, and he instantly opened the First Gate of the Eight Gates, his body glowing green.

“Konoha Whirlwind!”

His spinning kick knocked down the incoming shuriken, which exploded in the pine needles, leaving scorched craters.

“Not running, huh?” Three dark-skinned Kumogakure ninja burst from the trees, surrounding Sakura’s team.

“You haven’t even found enough supplies for today. Aren’t you afraid of starving if you fight us now?” Sakura asked, studying the power of their shuriken—these were no ordinary genin.

“If we take you out, we get your supplies,” one of the Kumogakure ninja said.

“You’re that sure you can beat us?” Sakura took a deep breath. Though she wasn’t eager for battle, Tsunade’s teachings were clear: sometimes, taking down enemies threatening your teammates is a medical ninja’s duty.

In the VIP lounge, the village leaders leaned forward with interest.

“First clash already? Konoha vs. Kumogakure,” Onoki remarked. “How do you two see this fight?”

“Kamuya’s team are idiots—starting a fight before securing supplies. The only reason I let them team up is their taijutsu teamwork. Not one of them can analyze a situation,” A said, though he was clearly boasting about their strength.

Given the look of Sakura’s team—a girl with dark circles and messy hair, a green-suited oddball, and a frail-looking red-haired girl—they did look unimpressive.

“Seems Lord Raikage is confident in his ninja,” Onoki said. “What about you, Lord Hokage?”

“Our team can’t compare to Kumogakure’s elites. It’s just a temporary team: a medical ninja, a taijutsu specialist, and a sealing jutsu user,” Seiryu replied.

“A sealing jutsu user? Uzumaki clan?” Onoki noticed Karin’s red hair. “Is this the girl you brought back from the Land of Grass?”

“That’s right,” Seiryu nodded.

A’s eyes flashed at this—once again tempted by the bloodlines of other villages.

As the two teams clashed, one Kumogakure genin used Lightning Release: Thunder Fang Thrust, aiming his kunai at Karin. Lee blocked it, his weighted arm sparking as it met the kunai.

Chapter 203: Sasuke vs. Omoi

“Third Gate—Life Gate, open!” Lee’s skin turned red, and he launched himself forward at blinding speed. His whip kick shattered the enemy’s kunai and sent the Kumogakure ninja flying through several trees, blood at his lips—badly hurt.

While Lee held off one, the other two targeted Sakura, throwing shuriken at tricky angles. Sakura instantly calculated their trajectories and dodged, but a lightning-charged figure dropped from above, swinging a short blade at her.

Sakura barely dodged, losing a few strands of hair to the blade.

“Damn, these borrowed blades are so awkward. If I had my own, you’d be dead,” the Kumogakure ninja muttered.

Sakura’s expression darkened; veins popped on her forehead. “You… cut my hair?! Do you know how hard I work to protect it?!”

With a roar, she charged, her fists cracking the earth as she moved. The Kumogakure ninja barely escaped, realizing that if that punch had landed, he’d be dead.

But Sakura gave him no time to recover—she kept attacking, her monstrous strength overwhelming even a taijutsu expert.

In the VIP lounge, the village leaders were shocked.

“Hokage, you call that a medical ninja?” Onoki exclaimed.

“Of course. Tsunade’s personal apprentice. Her medical skills rival many veteran doctors at Konoha Hospital,” Seiryu replied.

“No wonder. Tsunade’s apprentice…” A could barely get the words out, having just been shown up after bragging.

Their prized Lightning Release taijutsu was useless against Konoha’s specialists.

The last Kumogakure ninja moved to help his teammate, realizing that if he didn’t, the guy would be pounded by Sakura’s rage.

Onoki shook his head. Clearly, these youngsters had never seen the true terror of the Uzumaki clan. In his shoes, he’d have trusted his teammate to hold out and never let an Uzumaki freely set up a sealing jutsu.

Sure enough, in moments, sealing formulas began appearing around Karin. The Kumogakure ninja tried to leap clear, but the runes clung to him, immobilizing his chakra. Lee’s kick finished him off, and the wristband’s summoning jutsu teleported him away, leaving his supplies on the ground.

With their chakra sealed, the other two were quickly knocked out by Sakura’s strength, and teleported away as well. The one who angered Sakura even got another punch as he vanished.

The medic who received him in the hospital was shocked: “With injuries like this, the wristband should have activated much sooner…”

In the science institute, Tōno noted: “Looks like we need to add more protection to the wristband to ensure users’ safety between activation and teleport.”

“Sealing jutsu…” A muttered, watching Karin end the fight almost single-handedly. The power of a sealing master in battle was clear—now he understood how the Uzumaki clan could once defend an entire nation.

But before he could worry further, the monitors showed three elite teams—Konoha, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure—converging on a resource-rich area.

At the center was a chakra-forged ninja blade, clearly the best weapon in the exam. Sasuke and Omoi both eyed it, knowing it could tip future battles in their favor.

Iwagakure’s Kurotsuchi’s team didn’t care about the blade—they were there for the chaos and maybe to scavenge.

If it were just Kumogakure, Sasuke would have gone for the blade immediately. But with Kurotsuchi’s team nearby, he hesitated—if he couldn’t win quickly, Iwagakure might benefit.

Kurotsuchi, being Tsuchikage’s granddaughter and with Deidara as a reference, was no pushover.

“No one else nearby,” Neji said, scanning the area. “There’s a top-grade alloy shuriken set in a box 170 meters northwest. Want to use that info to lure Iwagakure away?”

As Sasuke and Neji strategized, Naruto, ever the extrovert, waved at Kurotsuchi.

“Kurotsuchi, long time no see!” Even though they’d only met once, he greeted her.

“Hey, Naruto-kun,” Kurotsuchi smiled. “It has been a while.”

“Naruto, ask if she wants to team up?” Sasuke whispered, seeing another option besides fighting.

Naruto nodded. “Kurotsuchi, want to team up and take out Kumogakure?”

“Team up?” Kurotsuchi grinned. “Sure, but first—where’s that idiot Deidara?”

“Ah? Deidara? I don’t know!” Naruto scratched his head, faking ignorance.

Just then, Omoi’s team made their move, Omoi darting for the blade in a flash of lightning.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan, instantly tracking Omoi’s movements. He threw three shuriken, guiding them with wires to block all of Omoi’s angles, forcing him to abandon the sword and defend.

Clang!

The kunai and shuriken clashed. Omoi retreated, reassessing his opponent.

“As expected of the Uchiha—your shuriken skills are like art. But…”

Omoi looked troubled. “No matter what, I have to get that blade for the battles ahead.”

Sasuke didn’t give him time to think. He rushed forward, punching at Omoi’s face.

Omoi dodged and slashed at Sasuke’s waist, but Sasuke parried, sparks flying.

Their taijutsu exchange was lightning-fast—over ten moves in seconds.

Sasuke realized this lazy-looking Kumogakure ninja was no joke—he could match Sasuke’s speed, and with his own Lightning Release taijutsu, Sasuke couldn’t break through his defense.

Genjutsu wouldn’t work either—against another taijutsu user, their chakra was surging too wildly for ordinary illusions. And Omoi even avoided looking Sasuke in the eyes during close combat.

But under the threat of the Sharingan, Omoi gradually fell behind. Knowing he couldn’t drag this out, he suddenly pulled back and formed hand seals.

“Lightning Release: Ground Walk!”

Blue lightning shot from Omoi’s feet toward Sasuke.

Sasuke grinned. “Want to compete in ninjutsu? Fine by me.”

He clamped a kunai in his mouth and rapidly formed hand seals.

“Lightning Release: Thunder Ball!”

Four deep purple balls of lightning formed in front of Sasuke, their power obvious even at a glance.

This was a basic C-rank jutsu, common knowledge in the Land of Lightning—Omoi and his team had all learned it as their first Lightning Release.

But these four glowing, almost sentient spheres, with plasma rippling on their surface, were on another level. Was this really a C-rank jutsu?

More shocking: two of the spheres sank to the ground, intercepting Omoi’s lightning. The lightning was instantly absorbed.

But Omoi had no time to marvel—two more spheres shot toward him, with the other two blocking his escape.

“Such precise Lightning Release control… Looks like among your three disciples, this Uchiha is your true successor, Lord Hokage,” Onoki praised in the VIP lounge.

Chapter 204: Cooperation

While Onoki praised Sasuke, A’s face darkened. Omoi’s team was the best of Kumogakure’s new generation, but they’d been utterly beaten—and with Lightning Release, no less.

During the Third Shinobi World War, Kumogakure had always believed themselves to be the true masters of Lightning Release. But now, their elite were losing to Konoha’s Uchiha.

Still, Onoki and A only admired Sasuke’s skills—they weren’t worried. As Kage-level ninja, unless an Uchiha awakened the legendary Mangekyo Sharingan, they were just a slightly tougher opponent.

As for the possibility of Sasuke awakening Mangekyo—if it were that easy, the Uchiha would have united the ninja world by now. Only two pairs existed, after all.

Back in the field, Omoi’s teammates rushed to help, all three using defensive ninjutsu to block the lightning balls.

When the smoke cleared, Omoi’s team had vanished.

“They ran northwest. Should we chase them?” Neji, with his Byakugan, tracked them easily.

“No need. Let’s grab the blade first,” Sasuke said, picking up the chakra-forged short sword and spinning it before looking at Kurotsuchi’s team.

“Our goal isn’t the sword,” Kurotsuchi said, shrugging.

“Then why stick around? Not much left to find here,” Sasuke replied.

“Don’t be so serious. Konoha and Iwa are allies now,” Kurotsuchi smiled. “Plus, with our connection through Deidara, why not team up?”

“Team up?” Sasuke sheathed the sword and raised an eyebrow.

“Yes—a total of nine teams, so 27 people, make it to the finals. If our two teams cooperate, we could decide who gets those spots, don’t you think?”

“True.” Sasuke nodded. “So, how do you want to split the nine spots?”

“You’re the hosts—your call. We only want three spots,” Kurotsuchi said.

“Three isn’t unreasonable,” Sasuke nodded. “So, we’ll take four, and give one each to Kirigakure and Amegakure. They came all this way—it wouldn’t be right to send them home empty-handed.”

“Deal?” Kurotsuchi confirmed.

“Deal. But, as a show of sincerity, shouldn’t Iwa offer something?” Sasuke looked at the ninja carrying a metal staff.

“You want this?” Kurotsuchi nodded to her teammate, who handed over the staff—a high-quality weapon they’d found earlier but couldn’t use.

Neji caught the staff and nodded at Sasuke.

“Since you’re so sincere, the ninja tools 170 meters northwest are our sign of good faith,” Sasuke grinned.

Kurotsuchi sent her teammate to fetch them, and soon they returned.

“So, happy cooperation?” Kurotsuchi asked.

“Happy cooperation,” Sasuke agreed.

In the VIP lounge, the leaders watched the teams brazenly collude, showing different reactions.

“Haha, sorry to make you laugh, Hokage. My granddaughter has always been cunning,” Onoki said.

“You flatter us, Tsuchikage,” Seiryu smiled. “If they can pull off their alliance, that’s a sign of capability. The Chunin Exam values more than just fighting skill. Your granddaughter will be an excellent ninja.”

“Hmph, Konoha and Iwa, always resorting to tricks,” A grumbled. “In the end, only absolute strength matters in battle.”

“Oh? Confident your ninja can break their alliance?” Seiryu asked, unfazed.

“But just now, I saw your elite team running from the Uchiha genius,” Takagi cut in, seizing the chance to jab at A, and to praise Sasuke.