Right now, the cheers from the audience were extremely grating to Shen.
"Why is it that those who truly put in effort cannot receive proper respect?" Shen's words thundered across the Audience Seats, silencing the crowd's celebration.
"Why do you all get to mock those who take this competition more seriously than yourselves?"
"Why has this world become what it is today?"
Faced with his three consecutive questions, some audience members wore expressions of disdain, others showed indifference, and a few looked pensive, yet not a single person stood up to directly answer these questions.
Then Shen raised his right hand, pointing toward the sky and loudly declared his answer: "[I want a heaven that cannot blind my eyes anymore!]"
He then pointed downward at the earth: "[I want an earth that cannot bury my soul anymore!]"
Finally, he swept his finger across the audience stands, concluding this famous monologue: "[I want all beings to feel my will!]"
Silence filled the stadium.
Nayou hugged herself tightly, trembling—not from fear, but from sheer, uncontrollable excitement. In her mind, only one thought echoed: "Shen Uchiha might actually be able to change the shinobi world!"
Gradually, Little Iceberg Uchiha's gaze toward Shen below grew increasingly bright.
"What a show-off," Nawaki Senju thought to himself, though his tightly clenched fists revealed what he truly felt inside: "This is the kind of opponent worthy of Senju Nawaki! With rivals like him, I definitely can't afford to stay stagnant!"
Orochimaru had just stepped out of his underground lab for some fresh air, but even he couldn't help feeling stirred by Shen's words. Though a mad scientist at heart, his identity as a ninja made him feel that same fire rising within too.
"So, Shen, how exactly will you change the shinobi world?" It seemed as if he already looked forward to the future with anticipation.
Kazushi Uchiha and Aiko Uchiha watched their youngest son on stage proudly—nothing brings greater joy to parents than watching their children grow.
"Shen has really grown up," Aiko sighed softly.
Although Kazushi felt touched, he muttered anyway, "This brat still has a long way to go. Let's see when he actually fulfills what he said."
"Honey, truthfully, the two of you are actually quite alike," Aiko suddenly interrupted with an odd comment.
"Well...if only he weren't so mischievous."
They shared a knowing glance before bursting into laughter.
Fugaku had just returned to the competitors' stand and was now watching his little brother with pride. Previously, he had merely wished for Shen to live a healthy and happy life. Yet over the past several months, everything his brother had done kept astonishing him repeatedly.
At the Konoha leadership level:
"Menian, Koharu, what do you think of this child?"
"He speaks boldly like Madara, but there's real conviction in his words."
"Koharu, it's the Will of Fire that should truly be passed down by Konoha!"
"Just look at everyone else's reactions—they've been inspired by this kid. You're far too rigid, Menian."
The Third Hokage simply observed quietly after asking his question while the two senior advisors argued, curious about where their debate would end.
"I think we should wait until he grows up further. The Uchiha remain difficult to trust completely!"
"But what about Senju Kagami then?"
Even someone as naturally suspicious as the Second Hokage had complete faith in him. If not for his Uchiha heritage, he would have surely become Hokage one day. Such outdated thinking shouldn't persist into this era!"
When Koharu Utatane brought up Kagami once more, the Third Hokage's expression darkened instantly. The memory of his comrade's death had nearly become a personal torment.
"Koharu, Menma as well—let's put this matter on hold for now," he shifted the topic toward his two advisors. "I need some time to properly reflect on your comments."
"Yes, Lord Hokage." x2
The Third Hokage truly didn't want them mentioning that fallen comrade. Deep down, he already knew with certainty that the incident was 100% connected to Danzō—but how much longer could he keep pretending everything was fine?
He turned his gaze toward a patch of Konoha's soil while secretly hoping for something.
At the training grounds,
Shen, seeing his opponent hadn't appeared for so long, made another shocking declaration: "Are all the ninja taking part in the Chunin Exams really this pathetic?"
He pointed his finger toward the contestant bench, raising an eyebrow as he boldly declared, "I'll take on ten of you!"
"..."
"I'm taking back what I just said," Aiko awkwardly retracted her words upon watching Kazushi's reaction.
"Can't that brat ever speak normally? I bet he'll be driven off with kicks from more than ten people later!" Though Kazushi spoke like this, his upright posture clearly signaled that he was ready to dash onto the field at any moment.
"My dear, you're so cute," Aiko giggled beside him, covering her mouth with her hand.
Nawaki scoffed after hearing Shen's remark: "Still as detestable as ever, huh?"
"Now you're speaking my language! All Uchihas are just so annoying!" Tsunade standing beside him chimed in enthusiastically.
Though whether she meant exactly the same thing as Nawaki did remained quite intriguing—after all, she was someone who'd never won a single game at the Uchiha Casino.
"This kid and that old man are cut from the same cloth; no wonder they're father and son."
Nayou couldn't help twitching the corner of her mouth upon hearing Hiashi's words. Just now, she had clearly seen that the other party got excited by Shen's earlier remarks. It seemed her father was indeed a tsundere.
"Dear sister, why don't you introduce this kid to me sometime? I think we might actually have lots to talk about," Hiashi, who had always taken a keen interest in Shen, playfully interrupted.
"What kind of topics could you possibly share with that boy?! And Nisai, don't you start acting as recklessly as Hiashi does."
"But Father, weren't you quite impressed with him just now?"
"No, I wasn't! You must've misread it!"
Nayou's facial muscles began involuntarily trembling as she listened to their bickering—the usual icy image she maintained cracked more with each tremor, as though shards of ice were falling from her beautiful face.
Meanwhile, the upper echelons of Konoha inwardly exclaimed, *Well played!*
"Hatsuo-sama's vision truly knows no equal! My respect for you grows by the second—"
The Third Hokage, already feeling rather embarrassed, hadn't expected Shen to suddenly do something like this. He had barely finished saying how he'd properly cultivate the youth when he grew up, yet now one brown-nosing higher-up was making him flush red-faced. After all, wasn't Shen's action here directly contradicting what he had previously claimed?
"Ahem... That's quite enough. It seems we finally have a volunteer stepping forward."
The Third Hokage, who had no intention of stepping in to halt the match, snapped at the high-ranking official to shut up immediately. He said he was easily embarrassed—nothing like that shameless white-haired creep who could probably lift mountains without breaking a sweat.
Shen lifted his chin, watching as exactly ten contestants lined up before him—neither more nor fewer than expected.
"Hmph!"
He let out a sharp, mocking laugh—finally, an outlet for the frustration boiling inside him. With fierce determination, he flicked a single finger at the ten before him.
"Don't waste time! Come at me all together!"
His commanding words once again sent shockwaves through everyone present.
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