A week later, at Konoha's large training ground—the venue for the official matches of the Chunin Exam.
"Ahhh..."
Shen, sitting in the audience waiting for the competition to begin, yawned out of sheer boredom.
"Brat, can't you show some patience for once!" Kazushi scolded his younger son, frustrated and disappointed.
"Dad, believe me, I can take on ten of them!"
"Believe that? Sure. Taking on ten opponents—why don't you just fly up into the sky?"
"I've already flown into the sky before."
"Well then, walk on the ground!"
"I did walk on the ground, otherwise how could I join the middle—" Shen quickly caught himself mid-sentence, clearly low on energy.
"Hahahaha! You really think you can go anywhere, huh?" Laughing heartily, Kazushi continued mocking him.
"And even if you could fight ten people, so what? You still can't compete today. Wait until you're older before boasting to me, kid!" He added with a smirk.
Can't compete? Wait until I'm older? Not a chance, Shen thought. He was about to pull off Acting No Jutsu right now—"Dad, watch me, I'll be fighting ten guys today!"
Kazushi felt an ominous premonition and immediately tried to stop him. "You better not cause trouble! There are so many important figures from Konoha watching. If you stir things up, even the Sage of Six Paths won't be able to save you!"
Shen scoffed. "Pfft, Dad, go take a nap already. That line's so overused. Can't you come up with something new?"
"You wait right there, after the match, I'll show you something fresh!" But considering all the dignitaries present, Kazushi had no choice but to settle for threats.
A father-son match in front of all these people? Absolutely not—Kazushi was the Uchiha clan head, after all, and he still had some dignity to uphold. He hadn't sunk to shamelessness just yet.
"Nya nya nyah, Dad, I've got secret moves I haven't used yet! Don't expect me to be as easy to catch next time!"
Making faces and sticking his tongue out, Shen infuriated Kazushi beyond words. At this rate, he might need to carry heart medicine around in just a few more years.
"Both of you, can you just be quiet? The match is about to start," Aiko interrupted gently after smiling through their antics.
"You little punk, don't run off after the match!"
"Dad, try chasing me if you can!"
The two bickered back and forth until Aiko finally managed to calm them down.
"I hereby declare the official rounds of the Chunin Exam officially open!"
Standing at the center of the arena, the referee announced, "Match One: Fugaku Uchiha versus Might Duy!"
Upon hearing his older brother's opponent, Shen inwardly exclaimed—Wow! This guy is the one who killed four and crippled three members of the Seven Swords of the Bloody Mist! And now he's here?
He silently mourned for his older brother Fugaku for three seconds; after all, it was a well-known truth that Genin-level shinobi in Konoha were abnormal.
"Wait, this doesn't make sense… there's no way the Chunin Exam would require opening the Eight Gates," Shen pondered carefully, gradually regaining some confidence in Fugaku.
"Something wrong, Shen? You seem unsure about Fugaku's chances?" Aiko beside him seemed to notice something.
Shen immediately responded, "No way. I've always had full confidence in Fugaku-niisan. My lady mother, you're overthinking."
"Alright, Kazushi, don't look at Shen like that. Can he really doubt his own older brother?" After careful consideration, Aiko stopped Kazushi from giving Shen a suspicious glance.
In her opinion, how could her younger son possibly not support the eldest? These two brothers had always gotten along very well. It must have just been her imagination after all.
"Hmph! Who knows what scheme this kid is plotting!"
"Okay okay, Fugaku's already on the battlefield."
Aiko emphasized once again the importance of watching the match, forcing Shen, who wanted to respond, to reluctantly quiet down and focus on the fight.
On the training ground, after exchanging greetings, Fugaku and Duy officially began their match.
Duy, dressed in tight green clothing, charged toward Fugaku first. His big, powerful moves sent shocked gasps rippling through the crowd.
Seeing his opponent charging aggressively, Fugaku didn't dare take it lightly either. This guy looked tough as hell, so he clenched his fist and got ready to throw a straight punch.
"Hmm?"
Upon contact, Fugaku discovered that the force behind the strike wasn't as strong as he'd anticipated.
"Is he also trying to feel me out first? If that's the case, I'll increase my strength then!"
After making this decision in his mind, Fugaku suddenly increased the power in his hand, only to feel as though he were punching empty air without any resistance.
"Did he dodge? Then where is he? How did he fly all the way over there?"
Still keeping his punching posture, Fugaku stood dumbfounded as he watched Duy flying further away until finally "Bang!" Duy slammed against the wall at the edge of the practice field.
"What tremendous momentum! I bet that Uchiha boy will end up flattened against the wall so hard they'll have to scrape him off!"
"Yeah, such fierce attacks—what exactly is going on here?"
The audience's lively chatter died down instantly as if everyone had turned to stone.
"The winner... is Fugaku Uchiha!" The referee, having remained stunned for quite some time, finally announced the result.
"???"
At this moment, everyone within the training arena stood dazed and unable to recover, as if questioning the authenticity of reality itself.
"You're kidding, right? Getting defeated by just one move? That guy wasn't even worth my expectations!"
"Such skills—wanting to become a Chunin? This kid should prepare himself to stay a Genin for ten thousand years!"
"That's right! If the following matches are all like this, I won't bother watching anymore!"
"It seems the Ninja in this village truly get worse with each generation."
Shen listened expressionlessly to the crowd's curses. Right now, he was directly confronting humanity's darker side. Because someone lost with just one hit, people mocked him mercilessly. This atmosphere filled with negativity momentarily overwhelmed him.
"Thank you for the match! I'll definitely take the Chunin Exam again next time!" Amidst the widespread ridicule filling the venue, Duy enthusiastically formed a seal of reconciliation with Fugaku before leaving the battlefield.
His actions seemingly touched several viewers present.
"Tsunade-oneesan, I'll be just like that person—never giving up easily no matter what mockery I face!" With determination, Nawaki declared his vow to Tsunade while watching the green figure disappear into the distance.
"He might not be the strongest, but his mental fortitude outshines everyone here."
Nayou held deep respect for Duy. Though she often came off as cold and aloof, she was still able to see the shining qualities hidden inside others.
"Maybe that's exactly what this world needs most," Shen Uchiha said coolly, watching the audience who continued mocking even after the match ended. The experience at Naka Shrine had shifted his mindset slightly, and right now, he felt like letting off some steam.
After a while, once the noise started to die down, the referee called out the next match: "Iga Kinoto vs..."
Looking surprised by the name on his list, the referee lifted his head toward where the Third Hokage sat. Only after receiving a nod did he continue announcing, "Iga Kinoto vs Shen Uchiha!"
"Hua—"
The audience sat upright instantly. This announcement was even more shocking than watching Duy being knocked away with a single blow.
Shen Uchiha tuned out the whispers around him. As soon as he entered Lightning Nature Chakra Mode, he vanished from his spot.
"Shua—"
A burst of white lightning tore across the Practice Field — and just like that, he materialized in the center of the arena.
"So that's Shen Uchiha?"
Most of the people present were stunned by this display. They believed the upcoming match would definitely be far more exciting than the previous one.
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