Before the Third Hokage could finish speaking, Naruto was already scared half to death. He clutched his head with a twisted expression and let out a miserable wail.
Another exam? There was no way he'd pass it—no way!
"Naruto, quiet down!" Sakura punched him on the head.
"Yes, Sakura…" Naruto replied pitifully.
"Listen to me finish, Naruto," the Third Hokage said, shooting him a sideways glance before continuing to address the jonin. "This Chunin Exam encountered an unexpected incident—one that has already gone beyond what Konoha can control…"
"Then…"
"If you are willing to gamble with your life and continue participating in the remaining stages of the Chunin Exam, sign a life-and-death waiver and proceed directly to the next exam."
Naruto's miserable face instantly turned into a fox-like grin."As expected of Grandpa Hokage!! That's awesome, believe it!!!"
The Second Hokage, the Third Hokage, and the two advisors soon departed one after another.
Under Anbu supervision, the ninja from other villages who had come to Konoha for the exam were escorted back to their lodgings.
Gaara of the Sand was originally unwilling to leave, but after a lot of persuasion—bordering on begging—by Maki and the others, he was finally taken away.
Before leaving, he cast a deep look in Naruto Uzumaki's direction. Unfortunately, Naruto was too busy being excited that he'd advanced despite handing in a blank paper to notice.
"So what's the next stage of the exam?" Sakura asked.
"The details will be announced in due time," the jonin instructor replied. "Dismissed!"
With that command, the jonin instructors in the area all withdrew.
"Aaaaaah—!"
"What are you yelling for, dead last?"
"Kakashi-sensei!!" Naruto jumped up and down. "What happened to Kakashi-sensei, Dattebayo?!"
"Ah! Kakashi-sensei!!" Sakura cried out as well.
Hidden in the shadows, Yamato twitched, a dark line forming across his forehead. Don't act like you just remembered… senpai is way too pitiful.
"Your jonin instructor simply fainted from excessive chakra usage," Yamato said calmly. "I've already sent him back to the jonin dorms. If you want to see him, you can go there."
"Ahh! It's the mask guy who carried Kakashi-sensei away!"
"That's Anbu, idiot dead last."
"You're the idiot, bastard Sasuke!!"
…
Elsewhere, the Third Hokage and the two elders were kneeling obediently on the tatami mats of the Senju residence.
"All right," Tobirama Senju said. "Explain it. What happened with the Uchiha clan's extermination?"
"So you already know…" Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed heavily, clearly exhausted.
"I remember Kagami mediating back then. The village's relationship with the Uchiha wasn't nearly as tense as it was after Madara attacked Konoha," the Second Hokage said with a sigh. "Kagami… when did it happen?"
The Third Hokage lowered his gaze.
"Kagami… after you passed away, he didn't make it back. That was during the First Great Ninja War—it hadn't ended yet…"
"He died on a mission?"
"…," Hiruzen remained silent, tacitly acknowledging it.
Koharu Utatane spoke up. "That mission included Danzo, Kagami, and two other Uchiha. In the end, only Danzo returned. It was said Kagami saved him."
"I see," Tobirama nodded. "I'll ask Danzo about it later. For now, Monkey, tell me what happened after my death. Starting tomorrow, I'll spend some time in the archives reviewing the details."
Having experienced the Fourth Great Ninja War, he knew of Black Zetsu's existence.
That thing had dragged the entire shinobi world into its schemes just to achieve its goal…
Or rather, as it claimed, the entire shinobi world was something it had personally shaped—solely to resurrect Kaguya Otsutsuki.
With that knowledge in mind, reexamining the whole shinobi world…
No—just looking at the rise and fall of major clans like the Senju, Uchiha, and the descendants of Hagoromo already revealed countless suspicious points.
Even events that once seemed perfectly natural now felt strangely off.
…
Night had fallen. The Nara father and son walked home together.
"Hey, Dad," Shikamaru Nara asked lazily from behind, only speaking once they reached a spot with no one around. "Is information about jinchuriki and tailed beasts really that off-limits?"
Shikaku Nara stopped and shot a sharp look at the boy who resembled him in every way—a glance that made it obvious he was his own flesh and blood."Sorry, Shikamaru. Both of those are classified jonin-level intel. Even if you become a chunin in this exam…"
"Hey, Dad," Shikamaru cut in. "Let's make a deal."
"Hm?" Rarely did that 'what a drag, what a drag' brat show this much motivation. Shikaku felt a spark of curiosity.
"If I become a chunin in this exam," Shikamaru said, staring straight at him, "you tell me everything about jinchuriki and tailed beasts."
"Hey, hey…"
"Honestly, it's not intel that only jonin are allowed to know, right?" Shikamaru analyzed calmly. "Otherwise, the Third Hokage wouldn't have let us go so easily, and the Second Hokage definitely wouldn't have just said there are nine tailed beasts and nine jinchuriki."
He looked at his father."There's no doubt that Gaara of the Sand is one of them. Naruto sounds like one too, right? That explains how Naruto's been treated all this time.
The reason Naruto didn't turn out like Gaara is probably because he doesn't have that terrifying level of power—or maybe he just hasn't learned how to use it yet."
"Tch…" Shikaku once again marveled at how troublesome his kid was. "What a drag. Let's talk after you become a chunin."
Shikamaru didn't need to think to know that meant his dad had already agreed.
"But—" Shikaku suddenly added, "there's one more condition."
Shikamaru groaned. "What a drag. What now?"
Konoha jonin captain, notorious wife-fearing husband, Shikaku Nara said solemnly:"You come up with the excuse for why we're late getting home today. The condition is that your mom lets us in—and feeds us dinner."
"..."What a drag. I really want to lie down and watch the clouds.