The viewing room inside the Chūnin Exam tower was unusually silent. Sarutobi Hiruzen's brow furrowed as he studied the forest-feed screens.
"Strange," he murmured. "There's clear hostility coming from that Sound ninja. Fugaku, has Itachi ever provoked anyone from the Village Hidden in Sound?"
Uchiha Fugaku folded his arms, his dark eyes narrowing in thought. "Considering Itachi's temperament, he wouldn't start a fight without a reason."
"Exactly," Hiruzen said quietly. "Yet that Sound ninja is cutting straight through the Forest of Death as if Itachi were the only target. That's not normal competition behavior."
Fugaku shook his head, unable to recall any conflict between his son and the Sound. "Even if there were a grudge, a lone Sound shinobi is no match for my son."
Their quiet speculation was interrupted when Utatane Koharu pointed suddenly at another monitor.
"Look there! That Mist kunoichi—she's a rare double bloodline user!"
Hiruzen leaned forward, surprised. "Two kekkei genkai?"
Homura Mitokado exhaled in awe. "Lava Release and Boil Release. If she survives, her future is limitless."
Bloodline limits were rare enough; possessing two was almost unheard of. All eyes fixed on the screen as Mei Terumī inhaled deeply, cheeks flushing.
"Boiling Mist Technique!" she cried.
A scalding, acidic vapor surged outward, hissing as it ate through the Hidden Sand puppets that surrounded her team.
Metallic creaks echoed as twelve puppets collapsed in pieces. Mei's lips curved into a confident smile.
"Children of the Sand, you finally see your weakness."
Up in the trees, Momochi Zabuza dropped like a shadow, sword flashing. The sickening crunch of bone silenced the remaining Sand genin.
"Spread out!" ordered Yura, their leader, but panic already claimed them. The survivors scattered into the dense woods.
Homura shook his head. "Hiruzen, that Mei Terumī is no ordinary genin."
Koharu added, "Nor is that boy with the bandaged face. Zabuza earned the title Demon after slaughtering his entire graduating class. The Mist changed their academy rules because of him."
Several council members exchanged uneasy glances. The Bloody Mist's brutal training bred powerful shinobi, but loyalty was never guaranteed.
---
Far below, another duel blazed through the forest.
The sharp ring of kunai striking crystal blades filled the air—ding, ding, ding!
Uchiha Itachi and Guren moved like phantoms, their speed beyond even most jōnin. Taijutsu blurred with lethal precision, each strike meant to kill.
Neither sensed the silent observer hanging upside-down from a high branch. Hyūga Neji's Byakugan pulsed faintly as he studied the clash.
"So, Guren dances to Orochimaru's tune," he thought. "Testing Itachi's growth, no doubt. But without a cursed seal, she cannot defeat him."
Indeed, Neji could see the purity of Guren's chakra—crystalline and untouched by any seal.
Below, Itachi's fingers blurred.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A roaring sphere of flame seared the night, forcing Guren onto the defensive. But the woman's crimson eyes flashed with ambition. Orochimaru favored Itachi, and that stung. She would prove her worth.
"Crystal Release: Jade Dragon!"
A gleaming dragon of ruby crystal surged upward, carrying her into the sky. Itachi frowned. Flight? Troublesome.
Shards rained like a crimson storm as she unleashed, "Hexagonal Shuriken Wild Dance!"
Itachi vanished into the trees, shuriken whistling harmlessly past. Neji, still hidden, noted the strain in Guren's chakra.
"Impressive momentum," he mused, "but unsustainable."
Minutes later the forest lay in ruin, yet Itachi was nowhere to be seen. Breathing hard, Guren finally dispersed her dragon to conserve energy.
A flicker of motion—Itachi burst upward, shuriken glittering. They changed trajectory mid-air with impossible precision, weaving an inescapable net.
Guren's eyes widened. The Uchiha's control was frightening.
Steel wires snapped tight around her, binding her fast.
"Tell me," Itachi said coolly, "why insist on killing me?"
"Because I have my reasons," she answered, defiant.
Unimpressed, Itachi prepared to take her to the Konoha Military Police when a sudden black flash sliced the wires apart. A chakra-coated blade hummed in the night.
Hyūga Neji landed lightly, intercepting Guren's next charge and pinning her with effortless grace. Itachi's eyes narrowed. He had studied counters for this mysterious Cloud prodigy, yet the boy's motives were unclear.
"Give it up," Neji said calmly. "You can't kill him. And even if you could, I wouldn't allow it."
Guren hesitated, stunned by the quiet authority in his voice.
Moments later her teammates, Gurenmaru and Gyūki, arrived. They froze at the sight of the ruined clearing—and at Neji's knowing gaze.
Leaning close to Gurenmaru, Neji murmured, "Orochimaru hides in the Sound. Konoha hunts him. You wouldn't want that hunt to reach him… would you?"
Gurenmaru's pupils shrank. Only Danzo's Root should know such secrets. How did this boy—
"Gurenmaru, Gyūki, we're leaving," Guren snapped, masking her unease. They vanished into the night.
---
Itachi stepped closer, his expression unreadable. "Why intervene? And why such interest in me?"
Instead of answering, Neji asked softly, "Where is the Uchiha's future?"
Itachi's eyes narrowed. The question pierced deeper than he expected. He had long wrestled with the widening rift between his clan and the village, yet found no solution.
"The Uchiha's fate lies in our own hands," he said at last. "It's none of a Cloud shinobi's concern."
Neji tilted his head. "If that were true, why has the conflict only sharpened these past years?"
Itachi hesitated, wary. "You claim to have a solution?"
"When the second exam ends," Neji replied, "come to the Forest of Death at midnight. Alone. I'll tell you then."
Without waiting for a response, he hefted the unconscious Deidara and departed in a flash of chakra.
Itachi watched him go, uneasy. "Can a six-year-old from the Cloud really see a path we cannot?"
He shook off the thought and secured the still-unconscious Deidara in a hidden hollow before continuing to the central tower unchallenged. Even enemy teams seemed to sense the futility of crossing his path.
---
By the following day, Neji reunited with teammates Darui and Karui at the tower, delivering their Heaven and Earth scrolls. He spoke little of his solitary ordeal, which only deepened Karui's suspicion.
"Neji," she pressed, crimson eyes narrowing, "are we even your teammates? What aren't you telling us?"
Neji merely rubbed his temple, offering no explanation.
As more teams trickled in, it became clear how brutal this exam had been. Of twenty-four squads, only six survived—a staggering seventy-five percent elimination rate.
Head proctor Aoba Yamashiro stepped onto the platform. "The third exam will be held in ten days," he announced. "The Fire Daimyō himself will attend."
A buzz of excitement swept the hall. The Daimyō's presence meant unprecedented stakes.
"To keep the matches exciting," Aoba continued, "only ten candidates may advance. Four preliminary bouts will decide who moves on. Losers may challenge an unassigned candidate by name for a final chance."
Names flickered on the electronic board until they settled:
Gurenmaru vs. Yura.
Itachi's eyes sharpened as he glanced toward the Sound ninja. Across the room, Yura of the Sand grinned, confident.
But when the match began, Gurenmaru calmly raised his hand.
"I forfeit."
The arena fell silent. Yura blinked in disbelief. Even Aoba hesitated before declaring, "Winner: Yura."
Itachi exhaled softly. "Just as I thought. They were never here for the Chūnin title."
One by one, other candidates followed Gurenmaru's lead, conceding without a fight, shaping the bracket for the battles yet to come.
---
End of Chapter 68