"Naruto, come here," Seiryu beckoned, and Naruto obediently went to his side.
"What happened?" Seiryu asked Naruto.
"Uh…" Naruto tried to explain, but the misunderstanding between him and his new big brother was too much for one night.
"Hey, Hokage-uncle, don't blame my little bro! I did it all!" Deidara interrupted.
Seiryu grinned, "You're pretty loyal, kid."
"Enough!" Ōnoki, veins bulging on his forehead, his face glowing red from his nose to his cheeks, struggled to keep his composure. "Hokage, please take your disciple back. Don't let him wander around the village again—if anything happens, neither of us wants that, right?"
"Of course," Seiryu replied, not one to push the clearly irate old man further. He took Naruto and prepared to leave. "It's my lack of discipline that caused you trouble. Naruto, apologize to the Tsuchikage."
"Sorry," Naruto said, bowing to Ōnoki.
After Seiryu took Naruto away, they soon heard loud arguments and then Deidara's anguished yells echoing from the Tsuchikage's office.
Naruto shrank his neck as he heard the cries, glancing nervously at Seiryu. Seeing Seiryu wasn't planning to pursue it, he relaxed a bit.
…
For the next few days, Naruto, knowing he was in trouble, stayed quietly at the inn until the joint Chūnin Exams officially began.
In the three-day survival test, the two teams Seiryu brought fought hard. Only two Uchiha and one civilian made it to the final round, but fortunately, none of Seiryu's six genin died—though three were severely injured. Their injuries, however, helped the two Uchiha each awaken a pair of double tomoe Sharingan and a pair of single tomoe Sharingan.
The situation was dire: Konoha's teams were ganged up on by Iwa's genin squads. Desperate to preserve their teammates, the civilian ninja bravely protected the Uchiha. After three were gravely wounded, the mental shock triggered the Uchiha's evolution, allowing them to turn the tables and defeat their attackers—leaving everyone hoping to see Konoha embarrassed in shock.
In the VIP section, Seiryu's expression was unchanged. Ōnoki commented, "It seems congratulations are in order, Hokage. Your village has gained two more geniuses."
"They still have far to go," Seiryu said calmly. "Shingetsu is promising, but Masato is still below the Uchiha standard for chūnin. In Konoha, they're hardly considered geniuses."
Ōnoki was left speechless—how was he supposed to respond to that? Was Konoha's talent pool really that deep?
After the survival test, Seiryu praised the four civilian ninja who had fought bravely but rebuked the two Uchiha who had awakened their Sharingan.
"What, you think your victory was glorious?" Seiryu scolded the two, who had been celebrating. "Don't forget how you got your Sharingan!"
The two, reminded of their teammates' sacrifice, hung their heads in shame.
After Seiryu left with Naruto and the others, the civilian police ninja came over to comfort the Uchiha:
"Don't take it too hard. Hokage is strict for your own good," one said.
"Yeah, you two are more talented than us. You made it to the next round—you can better protect the village's honor," said another, his head still bandaged.
"If you really feel bad, do your best in the next round—for yourselves and for us."
These civilian ninja owed much of their current skill to the Uchiha instructors in the police force and naturally cared for the younger Uchiha.
"Thank you, everyone," Shingetsu said quietly.
"No thanks needed," another said, waving a hand. "Just do your best in the next match."
"Yes!" Masato nodded vigorously.
Ōnoki, who'd watched all this at the training ground gate, could only sigh deeply.
He had learned a lot about the Uchiha's former predicament in Konoha through his spies, but since Seiryu took power and rooted them all out, he hadn't been able to keep up. He never expected the Uchiha to integrate so seamlessly in such a short time.
"This Fifth Hokage's methods are truly remarkable," Ōnoki couldn't help but marvel.
Soon, it was the day of the final matches.
Not only had the leaders of neighboring ninja villages arrived, but even some of the daimyō of various countries had come to Iwagakure to witness the event.
As the only two Kage present, Seiryu and Ōnoki wore their full formal attire, and seated at the arena's main stage.
At that moment, a rather oblivious visitor approached Seiryu.
The newcomer was overweight, greasy, and wore a luxurious silk robe that did nothing to mask his foolishness.
He marched up to Seiryu and demanded, "Are you Uchiha Seiryu, the Fifth Hokage of the Land of Fire?"
"And you are?" Seiryu frowned. Ever since becoming Grand Minister of Fire, no one had dared speak to him like this.
"Hmph! I am the Daimyō of the Land of Grass. Why do you not bow when you see me?" the man snapped. Not long ago, after receiving a reply from the Fire Daimyō—penned by Miura Kazuo, whose eloquence had left him ranting for a day in his chambers—and facing a massive compensation bill from Grass, he was furious.
Learning that Seiryu would attend the joint Chūnin Exams, he'd made a point of coming, even though Grass had no ninja competing, just to berate Seiryu in person.
In his mind, Seiryu was just a lowly ninja who took money for work—even if he was a Kage of a great nation, he shouldn't show him disrespect. Didn't Ōnoki bow when they met?
"So it's an arrogant fool who doesn't know his place," Seiryu replied lightly.
"You—!" The Grass Daimyō was furious. "Didn't the Fire Daimyō teach you any respect?"
"I know only one thing," Seiryu said coldly. "The minister of a superior country does not bow to the lord of an inferior one. You want me to bow? Are you qualified?"