If they succeeded, then the future of their little village would shine bright.
And even if they stayed in the Nation of Gods, it would still be a blessing.
"Yes, father. I won't let you down," Risa said with a smile.
"Come, I've packed your things. We'll set out for the Nation of Gods and the Chunin Exams."
"Alright!"
After gathering her belongings and receiving advice from the village elders, Risa departed with her father and another child from the same village. The boy was an orphan—his parents had died in the war—but the villagers had raised him with care.
The three of them carried the same dream: to grow stronger and find the power to protect themselves and their people.
On the road, they laughed and talked, their hearts full of hope for the exams ahead. By nightfall, they only needed one more day's journey to reach their destination.
After dinner, everyone settled down to rest.
But in the middle of the night—
Risa heard her father's urgent voice and felt herself being shaken awake.
"Run! Run!"
"What—?"
Before she could understand what was happening, a spray of hot liquid splattered across her face. Looking up, she saw her father collapse to the ground, a kunai piercing his chest.
"No, Father!"
She tried to rush to him, but hands seized her, holding her back. In the next instant, steel pierced her as well. She fell into her father's blood, her life fading.
Her last sight was of the orphan boy cut down beside her, his small body crumpling lifelessly.
"Hide the bodies. I'll disguise myself as someone from this village to enter the Chunin Exams. Quickly—make sure no one finds out," said Yamanaka Kazuma.
"Yes."
His men immediately obeyed, erasing every trace of the massacre.
Soon after, reinforcements arrived—bringing with them Uchiha Sasuke.
But Sasuke no longer looked like himself. His clan's clothes were gone. His black hair had been dyed gray. Even his facial features were altered. Unless one belonged to ANBU, no one would recognize this boy as Sasuke.
"Sasuke, now is your chance to prove yourself," Kazuma ordered. "Disguise yourself as an exam participant. No matter what, even if you die trying, you must reach the top ten. Only then will you be close enough to Kaede."
"When you see him, you'll help us open the gates from the inside. Our army will pour in, and Kaede will die. Then your parents' souls can finally rest."
"I understand. Don't worry—I'll finish this," Sasuke answered, his eyes burning with bloodlust.
That man had destroyed everything. His father, his mother—gone. His entire family branded as traitors.
The years of training under Danzo had been brutal, merciless. But Sasuke had endured it all, clinging to his hatred, waiting for this very day.
"Move out."
Kazuma and several operatives disguised themselves as villagers and left with Sasuke.
Elsewhere, similar tragedies unfolded. Root and ANBU agents ambushed travelers heading for the exams, murdered them, and took their places. Their mission: infiltrate the Nation of Gods, sow chaos during the Chunin Exams, and assassinate Kaede.
Their plan was unfolding smoothly.
With over three thousand shinobi under Kaede's command gathering in Uzushiogakure, confusion was inevitable.
But Kaede wasn't worried.
Even if Danzo and Akatsuki managed to infiltrate, so what? He had planned for this. Just as they wanted to use the exams as an opportunity to strike, he wanted to use it to drag them out of hiding and crush them all at once.
After all, vermin always hid in the darkest sewers. To root them out by force was troublesome. But if they came to him willingly—perfect.
He even ordered Tsunade and Mei: even if they discovered infiltrators, they were not to expose them. Only by allowing the enemy to believe their plan was working could they lure them into the open.
Tsunade frowned but obeyed. Instead of stopping them, she assigned shinobi from the Nation of Gods to secretly shadow them.
Her gaze lingered on one boy in particular.
Even disguised, she recognized him immediately—Uchiha Sasuke.
The transformation was skillful, every obvious trait hidden. But Root had overlooked one fatal flaw: Sasuke was still just a twelve-year-old boy. No disguise could hide the hatred burning in his heart.
Even if he masked his fury, any experienced jonin could sense it. That killing intent alone would betray him.
And so, Tsunade let him pass.
After all, Kaede had decreed that no one over fifteen would be allowed in the exams. He wanted talent, not weaklings who couldn't reach chunin before adulthood.
Root's operatives were all too old. Sasuke was their only viable pawn. And though young, his strength was real—the legacy of the Uchiha.
(End of Chapter)
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