What does this mean?
Absolute confidence?
Orochimaru, hidden among the candidates, slowly shifted his gaze with Kaito's retreating figure.
Only when Kaito had completely walked out of the classroom did the other candidates react.
"Silence!" Jiraiya shouted.
After the astonishment, he couldn't help but wonder what was going on.
The other proctors whispered one after another: "The Uchiha are as arrogant as ever."
Due to inherent prejudices, combined with Kaito's unusual behavior, even Jiraiya thought Kaito was betting everything on the second stage.
Clearly he could have gotten a good score in the first stage, yet he insisted on handing in a blank paper. Was this to show his absolute confidence in the next stage?
This move.
At the same time, it made all the candidates present firmly remember Kaito.
"What's going on?"
Terumi Mei's beautiful eyes flashed; she felt things might not be that simple.
But no matter how she thought about it, no matter how intelligent she was, even with the aptitude to become Mizukage, she absolutely couldn't guess... that Kaito simply didn't plan to become a Chunin.
"That guy Kaito actually did this."
Uchiha Tekka felt heartbroken.
Uchiha Yo, however, was thoughtful.
"Steady, steady." Asuma nodded continuously, with an "I understand" expression on his face. "Passing by handing in a blank paper to demonstrate absolute confidence, shocking everyone..."
"Could it be..."
Kurenai and Rin thought of the same thing in sync.
Uchiha Kaito... possesses the "Sharingan."
Being so confident, speeding through the first stage with a blank paper and 0 points, was it to display the Sharingan in the next round?
Amidst everyone's speculation and pondering, time slowly passed...
...
Entrance of the Ninja Academy.
Not long after, several Konoha ninja led by Minato Namikaze were walking towards this side.
When they entered the campus and saw Kaito sitting cross-legged in thought, their eyes turned to surprise.
"Someone passed the first round first?"
"Was he eliminated?"
"It's only been a few minutes?"
Minato Namikaze, serving as the chief proctor for the second round, thought for a moment and walked over: "You must be Uchiha Kaito. I am the chief proctor for the second stage..."
"Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze."
Kaito raised his eyes, stood up, and said his name first.
"Obito's Jonin instructor, I know."
According to the official databook Scroll of Formation, after the end of the Second War, in the post-war period, the 14-year-old Minato saved Kushina Uzumaki and was allowed by the higher-ups to view the Scroll of Seals as an exception.
Copying the S-rank Flying Thunder God Technique from it, Minato took flight directly, eventually making the name "Yellow Flash" in the ninja world.
Of course, for Naruto fans, Minato has a more prominent identity.
Kaito's peripheral vision rested on Kushina Uzumaki beside Minato without a trace.
Her beautiful long red hair shone like silk in the sunlight. A cheerful expression and innocent gaze appeared together on that beautiful face.
Truly a... beauty.
In the future, the father and mother of Naruto Uzumaki.
"Hello..."
Minato smiled slightly, making people feel like they were bathed in a spring breeze.
—You can't tell at all that he keeps people a thousand miles away, Kaito thought.
...
Hokage Building, Hokage Office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane, and Danzo Shimura, the four high-level officials, sat in the conference room, waiting for the results of the first stage.
"In this Chunin Exam, who will stand out?"
Hiruzen smoked his pipe, a smile on his face.
Every Chunin Exam witnessed the moment of growth for the next generation; for this, he was always happy.
"Of course, it's that Uchiha Kaito," Danzo took over the conversation.
Oh?
The three high-level officials looked over.
Why do you say that?
Danzo: "Uchiha Kaito stands alongside Hatake Kakashi... no, he is a genius who even surpasses the son of the White Fang."
Hearing Danzo mention the White Fang, Hiruzen's expression dimmed slightly.
Danzo: "For several years, Uchiha Kaito's Jonin instructor deliberately held him back, not letting him participate in the Chunin Exams, causing him to fall behind Hatake Kakashi."
Hearing Danzo slander the sacrificed instructor, Hiruzen couldn't help but frown: "Danzo..."
Before he could continue, Danzo threw out a document.
"Take a look. This is intelligence collected by my subordinates. There is sufficient evidence to prove this point."
Hiruzen immediately picked up the file from the table. As he turned the pages, his face became uglier and uglier.
"Uchiha Kaito's Jonin instructor, in his career leading teams, every time he encountered an excellent Genin, he would deliberately block their promotion path due to jealousy of their talent..."
With such a shady scene appearing under his nose, Hiruzen's face looked extremely ugly.
"Perhaps, due to a desire for revenge, his Jonin instructor was..."
Halfway through Danzo's sentence, Jiraiya walked in from outside: "Old man, the results of the first stage are here."
"Who performed the best this time?" Koharu Utatane asked immediately.
"Probably... Uchiha Kaito."
There was a hint of playfulness in Jiraiya's tone.
As a standard ninja who inherited the Will of Fire, Jiraiya prioritized protecting Konoha in everything he considered.
Jiraiya certainly knew clearly about the matters of the Uchiha clan.
—Including the Second Hokage Senju Tobirama's evaluation of the Uchiha clan.
"That Uchiha kid just handed in a blank paper."
The four high-level officials: "?!"