"Brags again," Tenten said with a disbelieving look on her face. Yet inside, she couldn't help but feel a spark of anticipation at Shiki's words. Shiki could act pretty laid-back at times, but the fact that he had picked up the sword meant his Sword Training must have become an effective asset.
But considering Shiki was already strong to begin with, just how powerful had his sword techniques become?
"Oh right, Shiki, are you participating in this year's Chunin Exams?" Lee asked curiously.
Shiki nodded. "Yes, I will. I suppose you'll be joining as well?"
"Of course! And I've got a great strategy—we'll pretend to be weak before the exam so everyone overlooks us." Lee spoke excitedly.
Seeing Lee so enthusiastic, Shiki didn't want to spoil his mood.
In his mind, he recalled scenes from the manga—how upon meeting Sakura, Lee completely abandoned his original plans. Just to impress her, he even defeated Sasuke.
Putting on such a show? That's so different from how he is now.
Such a dramatic contrast left a deep impression on Shiki's memory.
It was almost like Jiraiya's youthful days—peeping into the women's bath, being scolded by the Third, and then blushing while vowing that next time, he'd bring the Third along with him.
Shiki could only shake his head helplessly again. This Chunin Exam would definitely attract some really strange people.
Suddenly, another image popped into his mind—that boy carrying a gourd, where coldness and madness coexisted within such a young body.
Shiki couldn't help but mutter, "Gaara might just take the cake for being the weirdest guy around right now."
Should he try to meet him first?
Chapter 111: The Eve of the Exam
Back in Konoha, due to the upcoming Chunin Exams, Hayate Gekko stopped assigning Class C missions to Team 9. Instead, they received several easier Class D tasks that could be completed within the Village.
Still, Shiki preferred days like these—he enjoyed quietly cultivating day by day, watching himself gradually grow stronger, chatting with his friends, and whenever feeling down, lying on the grass staring blankly at the drifting white clouds across the sky.
However, people couldn't live comfortably forever, nor could they avoid responsibilities they needed to face.
Lately though, every afternoon, Shiki found himself walking down a certain road bordered by rows of wooden fences.
Near a three-way fork surrounded by those wooden walls stood a tree—not particularly lush, yet full of life.
Shiki Uzumaki leaned against this tree with his eyes closed, lost in thought.
"It's been quite a while already. Considering the timing, the Chunin Exam should be starting soon too. Gaara should arrive by now," Shiki murmured, a hint of helplessness on his face.
The reason he came here every day was because he wanted to meet Gaara ahead of time.
In the Naruto world, few people had left such a deep impression on Shiki—and Gaara was among them.
Since birth, Gaara bore the burden of hosting a tailed beast. Even his father, the Fourth Kazekage, had wanted him killed for the village's stability.
Unlike the Uzumaki clan, who had the natural talent for sealing beasts, Gaara had never been able to sleep peacefully.
Throughout his life, he had only ever struggled painfully against the Nine-Tails.
As for emotions—ever since the deaths of those two people—he had completely forgotten them.
Even his own family were nothing more than people he could kill on a whim.
Gaara had become a terrifying presence—someone who inspired fear in everyone who crossed his path. During the Chunin Exams, anyone who witnessed his battle would go out of their way to avoid him.
The [Sand Waterfall Funeral] had practically become everyone's nightmare.
Yet Shiki still wanted to meet this dangerously volatile person.
"I guess he won't show up today either," Shiki sighed slightly and turned to leave.
But then a lone figure suddenly approached, causing Shiki to stop in his tracks.
"Probably today is the day," he murmured.
"Hey Sasuke, done with today's mission already, huh?" Shiki greeted loudly with great enthusiasm—it was actually his usual way of greeting anyone.
Under those icy eyes, a spark of fire flared up inside Sasuke.
If someone else had called out to him like that, he probably would have ignored them and walked past.
But this man in front of him was different—he seemed to be Sasuke's destined nemesis, always effortlessly superior.
Even after Sasuke was injured and lost nearly all of his talents, this person still stood firmly above him.
Yet despite being such an individual, he lacked that sharp, extraordinary aura typical of other prodigies. Instead, he carried himself with gentle warmth, drawing everyone close to him.
Even though Shiki had once said the burden on his back was no lighter than Sasuke's, how could someone carrying such heavy responsibilities possibly smile so easily?
In truth, he was just another self-righteous fool.
He had absolutely no idea just how heavy the burden on his shoulders truly was. His entire reason for living was to kill that man.
"You're here again, tangled up in the whirlpool of interpersonal relationships. Are you waiting for Naruto or Sakura?" There was an involuntary chill in Sasuke's voice.
Shiki chuckled. "Actually, getting caught up in relationships isn't bad. At least I found out you gave your first kiss to Naruto. And not too long ago, when Naruto was in trouble, you jumped in without thinking and took the blow for him."
He paused deliberately before continuing in an exaggerated tone, imitating Sasuke's voice: "But my body just moved on its own."
That was something Sasuke had said back in the Land of Rain when Naruto had asked him why he risked his life to save him, even though he claimed to hate him.
Then Shiki added, "Now that I think about it... maybe you actually like Naruto, don't you?"
Tch! Unbelievable!
Sasuke hadn't expected someone could so casually mock him right to his face.
After all, wasn't it the privilege of geniuses to look down on others? Weren't the weak the ones who should be laughed at?
Shiki stepped forward and patted Sasuke's shoulder. "Just kidding. You didn't take it seriously, did you?"
"Tch." Sasuke turned away and walked off, raising his voice slightly as he spoke with his back toward Shiki, "If you don't want me to defeat you so easily, train harder."
Shiki completely ignored Sasuke's words and instead fell into thought.
It feels pretty good messing with those self-proclaimed geniuses like this.
Those high-and-mighty "geniuses" all seem to put on the same poker face—like they're above everyone else and deserve instant admiration.
Like Naruto once said, "That's just hot air." As if they can ignore everyone's feelings and expect total obedience.
"This kind of kid really needs a proper lesson."
Letting out a soft sigh, Shiki turned his gaze elsewhere.
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