Within one of the Uchiha clan's training grounds, two figures stood catching their breath. They were none other than the clan's geniuses: Shisui of the Body Flicker and Uchiha Itachi.
"How's that! I've got even more wins!" Shisui grinned as he hid his kunai.
The three-tomoe pattern in Itachi's eyes completely faded. "You're right. Guess I lose again."
"Well, if you hadn't been so lost in thought, then it could've ended in a draw. But it would still look bad for me if I were unable to beat a kid like you," Shisui teased.
Itachi smiled. "What a childish reason…"
In his mind, however, Shisui was thinking differently, ' He is already able to keep up with me, I see… Itachi, you truly deserve the title of the most talented Uchiha, even more than me.'
"What's been on your mind? Ever since the start of the day, you have been quieter than usual," Shisui asked calmly.
Itachi remained silent for a while, then said, "Am I that easy to read?"
"Come on, Itachi. How long have I known you? Don't try to change the subject. If it's not something you can share, then that's fine, but if you ever want to discuss it, I am more than willing to listen." Shisui formed the sign of reconciliation with Itachi and stared at him.
"…With the clan's growing tensions, it has become clearer that in order for things to calm down, the most feasible way is to stop the resistance from growing even further… But that would breed even more hatred towards the village, even from the members who didn't bear any hatred towards it in the first place," Itachi stated calmly.
Shisui nodded his head. The two of them frequently met up with both the Hokage and the head of the clan to come up with a solution, but it seemed that the radical faction had no intention of backing down anymore.
"But yesterday, a chance presented itself. Although it might not treat the root of the problem, it would at least give us a bit more time to find a solution." Itachi had hesitated over sharing this piece of information, due to it being a secret that was shared during his ANBU duty. But at the same time, Shisui might have an answer to the question that had plagued his mind ever since.
Shisui remained calm. He had naturally noticed the hesitation in Itachi's eyes and silently recognized the struggle he was dealing with, since he had been in a similar position not long ago.
"…During a meeting with Lord Third, I overheard information that was shared by a Genin of Konoha. It was regarding an S-rank rogue shinobi who had the ability to use the kekkei genkai of shinobi that he turned into puppets willingly. Among the puppets was one with a Sharingan."
Shisui's eyes widened. Similar to the hunter-nin of Kirigakure, Konoha possessed a similar group that handled such. But due to current events, if the Uchiha clan came to know of such information, they would send their own shinobi to track that S-rank shinobi to retrieve or destroy those eyes.
'If the clan learns of this…' Shisui began thinking about the cost it would take to hunt down an S-rank shinobi.
"You said that a Genin reported this information. Has it been verified?" Shisui asked seriously.
"Not officially, but the Jōnin who encountered that S-rank is currently in the hospital being treated. His testimony should clarify the truthfulness of this information."
"…I see. If you want my honest opinion, then I would recommend you go to Lord Third and tell him of your plan before informing your father."
Itachi nodded his head quietly. "Hopefully, this buys us enough time to resolve the problem."
"BROTHER!!" A childish voice shouted from across the other side of the forest.
Shisui smiled at the childish voice of Sasuke. "It looks like this is it for today."
Itachi smiled and remained silent.
On the other side of the village, Kamikaze Shinra had just woken up from his sleep, unaware of the changes that he had already caused.
He quickly made his way over to the Academy in order to scout the participants from the other villages.
'Chūnin Exams on the surface are merely a test for the villages' newer generation. However, in truth, their primary purpose is to allow each nation to demonstrate its military strength in a small-scale mock war. I wonder if there will be participants from major villages, since the war hasn't been over for long', Shinra thought as he stepped foot inside the Academy building.
Upon entering the Academy, he noticed two Chūnin standing guard by the gate. After confirming his identity and participation, Shinra moved to the exam venue, where he noticed a diverse group of shinobi already gathered inside the spacious classroom.
Murmurs and tense whispers filled the air as Konoha's local genin mingled with teams from other allied or rival territories. Shinra scanned the room, instantly picking out foreign headbands and distinct styles of attire, from the practical armor of Sunagakure to the rugged, weather-worn gear of representatives from smaller hidden lands.
'So, Sunagakure really sent delegations this time', Shinra thought, his sharp eyes evaluating the posture and stance of potential competitors. His gaze paused on one of them.
'I didn't expect him to be here.' Shinra noticed a face that he hadn't seen since his Academy days: Uchiha Ren. He was the first of their class to graduate, a promotion so sudden that Reigen had placed even more pressure on Shinra to graduate. The last time they had fought, Shinra had ended up abusing his stamina advantage to win.
Next among the gathered shinobi, he noticed his two teammates standing by the edge of the classroom and made his way towards them.
"Good morning," Shinra said lazily.
"You were almost late for the exam," Hyori said with a smile plastered on her face.
"I made it in time, at the end of the day, didn't I?" Shinra smiled at his teammate.
Naturally, this was all an act. They were both still silently assessing the other competitors, hoping they would buy this made-up persona and lower their guard.
'I don't think there should be anyone on Gaara's level among Sunagakure. Although my current taijutsu isn't on the same level as Lee's, with my jutsu arsenal I can deal with most Genin.'
Before he could analyze the room any further, a sharp puff of smoke erupted at the front of the classroom, instantly silencing the restless crowd.
"Alright, settle down, you brats!" a stern-looking proctor barked, adjusting his flak jacket. "Welcome to the first stage of the Chūnin Exams. Take your seats immediately, or you'll be disqualified before the test even begins!"
Shinra found an empty desk near the back, his mind already racing with calculations on how to leverage this arena to his advantage.
As the proctor slammed a stack of heavily bound paper onto the podium, the ominous rustle echoed through the tense silence of the room.
"This is the written test," the proctor announced, a cruel smirk playing on his lips. "Ten questions. Each question is worth ten points, for a total of one hundred. You can cheat, but if you get caught cheating, your entire team will be eliminated. If you attack another participant, you are out. The first twenty teams with the highest total score will pass on; the rest will be eliminated."
A wave of nervous murmurs swept across the room. Several genin instinctively reached for their pens, while others exchanged worried glances.
Shinra stared down at the test sheet as it was placed on his desk. A faint smile touched his lips. 'It's not much different from canon, but the rule about the twenty teams with the highest score is different. There is a total of a hundred and eighty participants in the venue. If only sixty are set to pass the next round, that's two-thirds of the participants eliminated', he thought, scanning the complex, encrypted phrasing of the first problem.
Across the room, shinobi who possessed sharp minds had already begun scribbling down answers, and foreign contestants relying on hidden ninjutsu began making their moves.
Shinra waited for thirty minutes to pass before closing his eyes for a split second and channeling a fraction of his chakra to the smoke bombs hidden in his hands.
'This should be enough time.'
Shinra smiled as he flicked the smoke bombs across different parts of the venue from beneath the desk.
Smoke erupted throughout the venue.
Several genin instinctively stood.
"What the—"
"The smoke!"
The proctors immediately reacted.
"Stay seated!"
"Nobody move!"
Inside the thick cloud, Shinra calmly formed a single seal.
Shadow Clone Jutsu.
Three clones silently emerged.
Instead of attacking, each clone formed a set of hand signs and transformed.
One became a Sand shinobi.
Another became a Grass shinobi.
The third copied the appearance of a Konoha genin.
The clones immediately scattered and began snatching exam papers amidst the confusion.
Some of the Chūnin invigilators began moving into the smoke at the same time to uphold order and catch the perpetrator, whilst others opened the windows of the venue and began forming hand signs.
Wind Release: Great Breakthrough.
The moment the smoke cleared, many of the participants noticed their papers missing. Such an act would warrant an immediate expulsion from the exam, but they hadn't been able to catch the culprits in the act.
One of the Chūnin felt a presence rush past him and jump out of an open window. He looked down but found no one standing at the spot.
"My paper!"
"Who took it?!"
"That's mine!"
"You stole it!"
"I didn't touch your damn paper!"
A Sand shinobi slammed his fist onto a desk. "I saw one of you Grass bastards!"
"The hell are you talking about?!"
The only person who had witnessed the entire incident was sitting in the Hokage building, looking at his crystal sphere. He sighed at the sight shown from his crystal sphere.
Hiruzen pinched the bridge of his nose. "That boy... he certainly likes to start things with a bang."
He had hoped the boy would rest after returning from an S-rank mission. Instead, he was already causing trouble in the first phase of the Chūnin Exams.