Chapter 60: Danzō: Such Evil Power Can Only Be Used for Good When in My Hands
In the fourth classroom, Neji's pen flew across the paper, and he soon had all the answers filled in.
He glanced at Darui and Karui. The three of them were seated far apart.
The proctors hadn't caught him cheating, and their attention was now focused on the other two. Even with the most sophisticated cheating methods, it was impossible to get away with it when a whole group of people were staring at you.
Darui was at his wit's end. He knew he was being targeted, and he was beginning to panic. If even one member of a team failed the first exam, the entire team was eliminated. He was worried that if he was the one to drag them down, and Neji lost the Kohaku no Jōhei as a result, he would be chopped into little pieces.
Karui was equally anxious.
"Damn Konoha..."
"Stop cursing."
Just as she was about to let out a string of silent profanities, a voice suddenly echoed in her head. She jumped, her body trembling slightly.
All the proctors' eyes immediately swiveled to her.
She forced a smile that was uglier than a grimace, picked up her pen, and sat up straight, her mind in a turmoil. The voice had sounded like Neji's, but from the proctors' reactions, they hadn't heard a thing.
Am I so nervous that I'm hearing things?
Just then, the voice came again.
"Karui, don't resist. Don't panic. I'm going to take control of your body and answer the questions now."
??
She had heard every word clearly this time. It definitely wasn't her imagination.
She tried to turn and look at Neji in the back row, but the moment she made a move, the proctors' glares were on her.
"Don't move. I'm starting."
Neji was now controlling her body, her hand flying across the paper as she copied the answers.
"Neji," she thought, her mind reeling, "what is this ability?"
"The Cursed Mandala Sealing Heart," he replied, his voice calm in her head as he simultaneously copied the answers and communicated with her.
She remembered the pale blue chakra sphere he had placed in her and Darui's bodies before they had left the inn that morning.
Was it then? Did you plan for this? Wait, shouldn't my focus be on this jutsu...?
The proctors included several sensory-types. Though they wouldn't use their abilities so blatantly, to be able to fool half of them was a testament to the power of the Cursed Mandala Sealing Heart.
"Does it have any other uses besides controlling the body?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.
"It does," he replied. "But I think it would be best if you never have to experience them."
At his words, a shiver went down her spine. A power even more terrifying than controlling the body? Could it be...?
Soon, all the answers were filled in. Neji immediately switched his focus to Darui and, using the same method, he copied the answers for him as well.
In the Root headquarters.
"The Sharingan... you're an Uchiha?" Danzō's brow furrowed as he looked at the three-tomoe Sharingan in the masked man's right eye. Root had a file on every Uchiha who had awakened the three-tomoe, but he was certain there were no one-eyed Uchiha.
"Who I am is not important," the masked man repeated, his voice a low rasp. "What's important is that I can help you."
He turned his back to Danzō and placed two items on the desk. Then, without another word, he was gone, his body swirling into a spatial vortex.
The strange ability did not put Danzō at ease. His muscles tensed, ready for an ambush.
After a long, silent moment, he was certain the man was gone. He let out a slow breath.
He cautiously approached the desk. On it were a scroll and a glass container. He was wary of a trap.
The Root organization struck fear into the hearts of shinobi from all five great nations. But this mysterious, one-eyed Uchiha... for the first time in a long time, Danzō felt a flicker of fear.
His face darkened. Ever since his cowardice had cost him the position of Hokage, he had thought he had buried that part of himself. To feel it now... it angered him.
He took a deep breath and picked up the glass container. His pupils contracted.
Inside was a three-tomoe Sharingan. A right eye.
Danzō had been collecting them since the Third Great War. He had a small stockpile. This gift did not impress him.
He then picked up the scroll. On it were written the words "Izanagi."
[An ultimate dōjutsu that can only be used with the three-tomoe Sharingan. At the cost of a user's sight, it can turn any undesirable reality into an illusion...]
Danzō's eyes widened in disbelief.
"To be able to do such a thing with just a three-tomoe Sharingan... the one who invented Izanagi was a true genius."
He thought of the number of Uchiha who had awakened the three-tomoe, and a murderous glint appeared in his eye.
"Such evil power can only be used for good when in my hands."
"I have another reason to destroy the Uchiha."
In the fourth classroom, a proctor stood up and pointed at a Rain-nin. "You're eliminated!"
The proctor then took a cheat sheet from the man's pocket and looked at the other two members of his team. "As per the rules, the entire team is eliminated. Your Chunin Exams are over. Please leave."
The elimination of the Rain team cast a heavy shadow over the room. The number of empty seats grew as more and more candidates were caught cheating and disqualified.
Darui and Karui were glad they had Neji.
After the written test, Raidō did not, as in the original story, present them with a final, all-or-nothing question.
Thinking about it, Neji understood. It was one thing to give Naruto, who had turned in a blank paper, a pass. He was a special case, with Kakashi as his sensei and a clear path laid out for him by the village leadership. But to let any other genin who couldn't answer a single question pass... it would be a disservice to them.
After the exam, Neji's group was walking back to their inn when his eyes swept over the remaining candidates. Of the fifty teams, less than half remained.
"The written test was probably the only part that could have eliminated me," Deidara said with a sigh. "And I still have several other cheating methods I didn't even get to use. What a waste."
"Cheating?" Itachi, who had been walking by himself, suddenly stopped. As a top student, he had never understood the need to cheat. "Why would you need to cheat? Was the test hard?" he asked, a genuine look of confusion on his face.
Deidara's mouth twitched. He glared at him. "You're Uchiha Itachi, right? I'll remember you. See you in the second exam."
"Sharingan brat," Guren said, a meaningful look in her eyes as she passed by, "some things are easy for you, but for others, they are as difficult as climbing to the heavens."
Back at the inn, Yugito pulled Neji into a room.
"Neji, I've found the places Hiashi frequently visits. Are you really going to make your move now?"
"Are you worried that killing him will affect the mission?" Neji asked, taking a sip of water.
"Isn't it obvious?" she said, grabbing his arm. "With his status, if he suddenly dies, the village will go on high alert. It will make it much more difficult for us to move."
"Not necessarily," he replied, shaking his head. "The more chaotic the situation, the easier it is to fish in muddy waters. And killing him is how I'm going to make contact with the mole."
Yugito thought for a moment and then understood. The mole had an extreme hatred for the Hyūga. He was either a member of the branch family, or an outsider with a deep grudge. The Hyūga were a reclusive clan; they didn't make enemies. He had to be from the branch family.
"Captain," Neji said, taking out a Konoha-style katana and wiping it with a cloth, "tell our people to be ready. The moment I succeed, they are to send out the contact signal."
"And what if he doesn't come?"
"He will."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because he hates the Hyūga," Neji said. "And from the way he used the Cloud to strike at them two years ago, it's clear he lacks the power to destroy them on his own. Only we can help him."
He was from the branch family. And so was the mole. Though he had broken free, his hatred for the main family had not diminished.
"Neji, I'm worried about you going alone," Yugito said, her hand on his face. "Let me come with you."
"No," he said, pushing her hand away. "This is my own business. No one can interfere."
She came up behind him and wrapped her arms around him, her chin on his shoulder. "Am I still an outsider to you?" she whispered, her warm breath on his neck.
"Captain," he said with a sigh, taking her hands in his, "you are the most important person in my life. But this is something I have to do alone."
"Why?"
"My father's vengeance rests on my shoulders," he said, his voice filled with a steely resolve. "It is a mission I must complete by myself."
"Neji..."
She could feel the stubbornness in his words, and she knew there was nothing she could say to change his mind.