Chapter: 68
In the monitoring room.
"Strange," Hiruzen murmured, his brow furrowed. "That Sound-nin... there's a sharp hatred in her eyes. Fugaku, has Itachi ever had any dealings with the Sound?"
"With Itachi's personality," Fugaku said, shaking his head, "he would never provoke an outsider for no reason."
"That Sound-nin... she crossed half the Forest of Death, seemingly heading straight for Itachi. It doesn't make any sense."
Fugaku couldn't think of any reason for a conflict between them. "It is strange," he said, his voice filled with a cold pride. "But a mere Sound-nin is no match for Itachi."
Koharu, annoyed that the conversation was so focused on Itachi, pointed to another screen. "Look! That girl from the Hidden Mist is a rare user of two Kekkei Genkai!"
"Is that so?" Hiruzen said, a look of surprise on his face.
"Lava Release and Boil Release," Homura said with a sigh. "Her future is limitless."
A double Kekkei Genkai user was an incredibly rare sight.
"Boil Release: Skilled Mist Technique!"
Mei's lips parted, and she exhaled a cloud of boiling, highly acidic mist. It was corrosive enough to melt even a Susanoo. Against the Sand's puppets, it was more than enough.
Twelve puppets, all in various animal-like and human-like forms, creaked and groaned as their joints dissolved, and they collapsed to the ground.
"Well, you little brats from the Sand," Mei said with a sweet smile, "do you realize how weak you are now?"
The two Sand teams, six members in total, had twelve puppets between them. Their numerical advantage had given Mei's team some trouble at first. But with her second Kekkei Genkai, the tide had instantly turned.
Zabuza, who had been perched on a branch, descended from the sky, his massive blade flashing.
One of the Suna-nin was cut down, his body covered in deep gashes that revealed the bone beneath.
"Damn it! Two Kekkei Genkai... she's too strong!"
"Split up and retreat!" Yura, the Suna team leader, commanded.
The five remaining Sand-nin scattered.
Zabuza was about to give chase when Mei called out, "That's enough, Zabuza. Don't pursue a routed enemy."
He hesitated, then grumbled, "Understood."
"That Mei... she's no ordinary genin," Homura murmured.
"And that boy with the bandages on his face," Koharu added, "that's Zabuza, the 'Demon of the Hidden Mist.' He killed all of his classmates in his graduation exam. The Mist had to change their rules because of him."
In the Forest of Death.
"Was it you?!" Itachi looked at the figure who had just dropped from the sky.
"So I found you after all," Deidara said with a sneer. "Looks like my luck is good."
Itachi had no desire to fight him now. He wanted to wait for the third exam, to defeat him in front of the Hokage and all the nobles. But a retreat now would not look good for the Uchiha.
"I've changed my mind," he said.
"Uchiha Itachi," Deidara declared, "behold my magnificent art! It will blow you away!"
But the battle had already begun.
"I would have liked to have a proper duel with you," Itachi said, his three-tomoe Sharingan spinning, "but I need to conserve my strength for the third exam. So I'll have to end this quickly."
Deidara, who had no experience fighting the Sharingan, looked straight into his eyes, and the genjutsu took hold. He was trapped in an endless cycle of his own gruesome death, over and over, until his spirit was broken.
He collapsed to the ground, unable to move.
In the monitoring room.
"As expected of my son," Fugaku murmured.
"So this is the power of the Uchiha," Yugito thought.
"How wonderful," Hiruzen said with a sincere smile. "Fugaku, I envy you. In Itachi, I see a hint of Kagami."
"Look there!" Homura suddenly said.
A team from the Sound Village had appeared near Itachi.
"And not just them," Koharu said. "The Cloud's Byakugan is also there."
Hiruzen's face stiffened.
"I hope to meet you again in the third exam," Itachi said, stepping over Deidara's fallen body.
Just then, he heard hurried footsteps. A woman appeared in front of him, her chest heaving, her eyes cold and sharp.
"You?!"
It was Guren.
"Uchiha Itachi," she said, her voice flat, "I'm glad you didn't die at his hands..."
"What do you want?"
A pale red crystal blade formed in her hand. "I want to kill you myself," she said, pointing it at him. "Lord Orochimaru's gaze can only be for me," she thought.
From a distance, Neji, who was carrying an unconscious Deidara on his shoulder, watched. "Guren is here on Orochimaru's orders," he thought. "He's still obsessed with the Sharingan. But he's underestimating Itachi. Guren can't kill him, not without the curse mark."
Guren's chakra was pure Crystal Release. Orochimaru hadn't given her the curse mark, perhaps because, like Suigetsu, her body was not compatible with it.
The two of them clashed, a blur of motion in the dim forest light.
Guren, who had expected an easy victory, was shocked to find that Itachi was her superior in every way: speed, strength, and skill.
"Crystal Release: Crystal Dragon Jutsu!"
A massive dragon of crystal formed at her feet and carried her into the sky.
"Crystal Release: Hexagonal Shuriken Wild Dance!"
A shower of crystal shuriken rained down on Itachi. He disappeared into the forest, using the trees as cover.
Guren, frustrated, sent her dragon crashing through the forest, but she couldn't find him. Her chakra was running low. She dispelled the dragon and fell to the ground.
Swoosh!
Itachi leaped from the trees, a flurry of shuriken in his hands.
Guren, who had underestimated the Uchiha's skill with shurikenjutsu, was caught in a web of wires and bound tightly.
"Tell me," Itachi said, his voice cold, "why are you so determined to kill me?"
"I have my reasons," she replied, her gaze defiant.
Just then, a flash of black light shot between them, and the wires were cut.
Neji appeared and blocked Guren's renewed attack.
"Give it up," he said. "You can't kill him. And even if you could, I would stop you."
Guren's other two teammates, Gen'yūmaru and Gozu, appeared, their eyes fixed on Itachi.
Neji noticed that all the surveillance cameras in the area had been destroyed by Guren's crystal dragon.
He leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Guren, Orochimaru is a rogue ninja wanted by Konoha. He's hiding in the Sound Village. You don't want him to be hunted down, do you?"
Her eyes widened in shock. Only Danzō in all of Konoha knew of their origins. How could he possibly know?
"Gen'yūmaru, Gozu," she said, gritting her teeth, "we're leaving."
After they had gone, Neji turned to Itachi.
"Why did you save her?" Itachi asked. "And why are you so interested in me?"
"Where is the future of the Uchiha?" Neji replied, his voice a low whisper.
Itachi was stunned into silence. He had long been aware of the conflict between his clan and the village, but he had been unable to find a solution.
"The future of the Uchiha is in our own hands," he said, his voice cold. "It has nothing to do with a ninja from the Cloud."
"If you truly held your future in your own hands," Neji said, shaking his head, "why has the conflict with the village only grown worse?"
"Are you saying you have a solution?"
"After the second exam," Neji said with a smile, "tonight, at midnight, come to the Forest of Death alone, and I will tell you."
Neji easily made his way to the central tower and rejoined his team.
"Neji," Karui said, her eyes red, "Darui and I are your teammates. Why won't you tell us what's going on? Or do you not consider us your teammates at all?"
Neji just sighed. She couldn't help him. It was better for her not to know.
In the following days, more and more teams arrived at the tower.
After Neji's team, the first to arrive was Itachi, followed by Deidara, and then, at the last minute, Mei's team, who had eliminated several other teams along the way.
Only six of the twenty-four teams had passed.
The third exam was to be held in ten days. To narrow the field down to ten participants, four preliminary matches were to be held immediately.
The first match was Guren vs. Yura.
But as soon as she entered the arena, Guren raised her hand. "I forfeit."
Yura was bewildered.
"This one... she's not here for the exams," Itachi murmured to himself.
The other preliminary matches were similarly anticlimactic, with both Gen'yūmaru and Gozu forfeiting their matches against Neji and Itachi, respectively.
The final ten were Itachi, Deidara, Neji, Mei, Darui, Yura, Inuzuka Hana, Akimichi Shinichi, Yamanaka Kaizen, and Nara Kumo.
"Itachi, how were the exams?" Shisui asked, appearing beside him in a Body Flicker.
"They were fine. I didn't disgrace the village."
"I heard you defeated the Third Tsuchikage's student."
"He was too confident. I gave him a lesson he won't forget."
"Itachi," Shisui said, his expression grave, "what do you see in the faces of our clansmen?"
"Pride," Itachi replied after a moment's thought.
"Yes, pride," Shisui said with a sigh. "And it is a pride the Uchiha cannot afford."
Hiruzen had chosen Itachi to be Konoha's champion in these exams. And he had not disappointed, bringing great honor to the village. But his victory had also stirred up the restless spirits of the Uchiha.
"What is the future of our clan, Shisui-niisan?"
"If the Uchiha do not learn to bow their heads, to let go of their pride... I don't know if we have a future."
Itachi lowered his eyes and clenched his fists. He would go to the meeting tonight.
In the Root headquarters, Danzō was in a rage. "Useless! Three Jōnin, and you couldn't even take care of one genin!"
"Lord Danzō," the Root ninja in the leopard mask said, kneeling before him, "we were about to succeed, but we were discovered by the ANBU patrol. We had to retreat to avoid exposure."
"Then tell me," Danzō snarled, "how did the other two die?"
"They... were killed by traps set by another team..."
Danzō was speechless.
"From now on," he said, his voice cold, "the training will be doubled."
"Yes, sir."
After the ninja had left, Danzō's brow furrowed. He had thought it would be so easy. And now, he had lost his chance.
Suddenly, a searing pain shot through his right arm. He tore off his robes. The Wood Release arm was bound in chains and covered in two layers of sealing jutsu. But even that was not enough to completely suppress the First Hokage's cells.
He touched the three-tomoe in his right eye. "Two uses of Izanagi... it's not enough. I need more Sharingan."