At noon the next day, inside the Hokage Tower office, the Third Hokage—his eyes shadowed with fatigue—was buried in routine paperwork.
Letting out a loud yawn, he seemed exhausted.
"I shouldn't have partied with the young ones last night. I never thought they'd dance all the way till dawn."
Indeed, the usually kind and gentle Third Hokage had spent the entire night dancing with villagers from Konoha. Now severely sleep-deprived, he deeply regretted it.
"This kid is getting more unruly by the day. I should think of a foolproof way to keep an eye on him so he doesn't cause any more chaos."
Uncomfortable with the idea of sending people to follow him, the Third decided instead to develop a new ninja technique for remote monitoring of the main troublemaker behind recent major incidents in Konoha. After all, if someone was already secretly protecting him, then observing him wouldn't be as intrusive. Otherwise, once discovered, Kazushi would surely throw a tantrum and storm into his office.
"Koharu and Mū, those two are always so serious yet joined in the nonsense too, saying something about making up for lost youth. If I remember right, we were pretty happy playing in the mud when we were younger..."
Grumbling nonstop, the Third clearly held some resentment toward these two high-level advisors. If not for his former teammates stopping Clan Leader Kazushi from having father-son time together, things wouldn't have escalated to partying until sunrise. He insisted—he was a respectable man—and refused to admit he himself had wanted to join the dance party.
"Hmm? This is Xiang's report? It's earlier than expected. Has something unexpected happened in Amegakure?"
He quickly opened the report, his eyes sharpening with every line, completely gone was his previous drowsiness.
"Numerous shinobi from Amegakure village are carrying out secret missions, suspected contact with other villages."
After reading the report, he stood silently before the shinobi world map hanging on the wall in his office. After a long while, he sighed heavily, "Sigh... Is Hanzo plotting war with another nation? Or planning to raid civilians somewhere?"
Of course, the Third had no idea what the enemy truly intended. In his mind, not even the so-called 'Half-God' Hanzo could match the First Hokage—the universally recognized 'God of Ninja Techniques'. And compared to his own teacher, the Second Hokage, who also earned the title 'God of Ninja Techniques', Hanzo was nothing.
"Let's hope Hanzo isn't targeting Konoha. There aren't many rising stars among this new generation."
Thinking of how every previous Hokage bore impressive titles, he began worrying deeply about Konoha's future. Though his own title, "Professor of Ninjutsu," might not sound as fearsome as the last two, he'd still mastered over a thousand ninja techniques firsthand.
"The Chunin Exams are coming soon. Maybe I'll move them forward as an early session."
Determined to hold an early exam, the Third immediately started drafting the regulations. However, as this was just his initial idea, he still needed discussions with the village's higher-ups regarding advancing the schedule. Unlike Danzo—who made unilateral decisions—he believed in listening to others' opinions.
"Huh? Why do I keep getting the feeling that something huge is going to happen during this Chunin Exam?"
"Looks like recent events have made me a bit too nervous."
The Third Hokage couldn't quite find the right words to describe that strange feeling just now, but he didn't think much of it either. After all, what kind of trouble could possibly happen during the Chunin Exams? Surely not something bad enough to destroy the entire exam venue?
Above the Uchiha Commercial Street, two figures darted rapidly between the shops.
"Old man, you're being unfair! You ambushed me while I was eating skewers!"
"Brat, that wasn't an ambush! I haven't even gotten you back for yesterday's mess. If it weren't for several village elders protecting you, your butt would've been sore many times over by now!"
"If you've got guts, don't chase me!"
"If you've got guts, don't run!"
As soon as the Uchiha clan members heard the conversation, they knew exactly what was happening.
What else could the Uchiha clan head and his son possibly be doing?
Their adorable and charming Second Young Master must've angered the clan leader again. This half year had long accustomed them to witnessing father-and-son confrontations at any moment.
A curious visitor from another clan asked a staff member curiously, "What's going on here? Why is the Uchiha clan leader chasing DJ Shen across rooftops? Could it be their father-son relationship isn't good?"
After last night's night-long raving session, many villagers had fallen in love with this kind of wild celebration where they could release all worries. They were totally amazed by DJ Shen's high-energy beats. Some enthusiastic fans had even added the respectful title "sama" to his catchphrase "This is real adult music," showing their deep admiration.
The staff member twitched his mouth slightly before politely responding, "Dear guest, it's really nothing serious. Our Second Young Master might have misbehaved and offended the clan leader somehow. But this is how they always interact — I believe their relationship should actually be quite good. We sincerely apologize for disturbing everyone's pleasant mood."
"Not at all! Who'd have thought DJ Shen would be this lively even outside the booth!"
"That's right, right? Who'd have thought DJ Shen wouldn't only crack jokes while DJing, but also manage to be cheeky while being chased by his father? Seems like he's just playing on a whole different level we can't even fathom. Personally, I certainly couldn't pull off such moves."
At this very moment, conversations occurring throughout the commercial street mostly revolved around today's Uchiha father-son showdown, with people unanimously exclaiming how incredibly audacious Master DJ Shen was.
What? You think that's not bold enough? How about that palm-deep crater at the entrance turned into a tourist hotspot now? Or the completely renovated Ninja Academy building — wasn't that audacious enough?
Meanwhile at the Uchiha Casino, Tsunade of the Senju clan was being dragged out unwillingly by her younger brother Nawaki.
"Nawaki, quickly let go of me! I'm still full of energy! If you're sleepy, there are hotels nearby for you to rest!"
"Sister! You've been losing nonstop for a whole day and night! Not a single win at all! Do you know what it means to lose continuously for a full day and night without winning once? We usually call people like you 'easy marks'!" Nawaki became increasingly excited, convinced in his heart that this casino must be rigged.
Tsunade, dissatisfied with her losses, immediately retorted, "But why can that old man next to me keep winning so much? Surely my gambling luck isn't worse than some random old man's?"
"That guy's obviously a plant," someone muttered. "The Uchiha must be conspiring against us Senju!"
At first, Tsunade agreed with Nawaki, but after thinking it over, she raised a question, "But why did even that Akimichi kid next to Uncle win?"
"That kid's Shen Uchiha's little follower! They definitely colluded and staged this whole show for our benefit!"
Nawaki was determined to pin all the blame on Shen Uchiha. If they kept gambling like this, the Senju Clan might soon have to sell the family silver to cover their gambling debts.
"No way! I still can't let it go. I'll bankrupt the Uchiha if it's the last thing I do!" Tsunade broke free from Nawaki's grip, grabbed him by the head, and sprinted toward the casino with him tucked under her arm.
"Sister, I—" Nawaki's words were smothered as his face got compressed.
Thus, the Konoha Scapegoat's casino streak wasn't stopped by her younger brother's meddling. The entire Uchiha clan couldn't help but marvel at the magnanimity of the Senju heiress.
Oh right—the previous night, the hotpot feast at the Akimichi house was cut short, so Heiji entered the casino hoping to get some of his losses back before immediately leaving. After all, his father, the head of the Akimichi Clan, had clearly stated that any unfinished meals would come out of his own pocket.
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