Nighttime, deep within the Koharu quarters of the Koharu Clan. Koharu Utatane stood in the courtyard, her brow tightly furrowed. Uchiha Fuga
As the time for the Joint Chūnin Exams approached, ninjas from various villages began arriving one after another.Many tourists also came to Konoha, drawn by the fame of the event.Originally already a bustling village, Konoha became even livelier.But amid the liveliness, the population within the village grew increasingly mixed.Tensions were high, especially since relations between some villages were poor—conflicts could erupt at the slightest provocation.The pressure on the Konoha Military Police Force increased significantly. Even Uchiha Fugaku had to spare time to patrol the streets personally.A group of over thirty people entered Konoha after registration at the village's gate."Which village are they from?""Look at the forehead protectors—they're from Iwagakure."Their arrival quickly drew the attention of both villagers and tourists.Many people looked on with curiosity, whispering among themselves."We'll head to the Hokage's Office to register. You're free to walk around the village for now. Meet up later at the inn Konoha arranged!"The jōnin leading the team instructed, and the thirty-odd ninja dispersed into smaller groups to explore the village together.Iwagakure, surrounded by mountains on all sides, was easy to defend but difficult to access—and quite isolated.Merchants and travelers rarely visited, making it far less prosperous than Konoha.Seeing the flourishing Konoha for the first time, the Iwagakure genin were visibly excited."Iwagakure…"On a rooftop, Uchiha Fugaku observed the newly arrived group from Iwagakure.Since the Third Great Ninja War, relations between Sunagakure and Konoha had grown closer—at least on the surface.However, Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and Kumogakure remained distant from Konoha and rarely participated in events like this Joint Chūnin Exam.That Iwagakure had come to take part this time was a surprise to him."There's a fight breaking out!"Suddenly, noise erupted from a distance. Fugaku's gaze shifted toward the commotion.In a flash, he vanished from the rooftop and darted in that direction.Clang! Clang! Clang!On one of the streets, two young boys were fighting.Their movements flickered as kunai clashed repeatedly.One bore the forehead protector of Sunagakure, the other of Amegakure.Within seconds, Fugaku arrived at the scene.Upon seeing who was involved, he frowned.The three Great Ninja Wars had left deep, unresolved grudges between the villages.Now, with the Joint Chūnin Exams underway, many ninja from those very villages had gathered in Konoha.Bringing together so many opposing forces was a recipe for conflict.This was exactly why Fugaku disliked the Joint Exams.He couldn't allow the two to keep fighting. He prepared to intervene—But at that moment—"No fighting allowed in Konoha!"A girl's voice rang out.She had long black hair tied behind her, and a tear-shaped mole beneath her right eye.She wore clothes bearing the Uchiha clan crest—clearly one of them.Fugaku immediately recognized her—Uchiha Izumi, someone with ties to Uchiha Itachi.Swish—As she spoke, Izumi's eyes revealed two tomoe in each, and she rushed between the two boys.Smack! Smack!She caught both of their kunai-wielding wrists and ended the fight."In Konoha, fighting is forbidden."Her blood-red Sharingan swept over the two boys as she spoke in a cold, composed voice.Under her gaze, both of them felt a chill in their hearts.The girl's strength clearly surpassed theirs—and those eyes exerted immense pressure.Seeing they had been subdued, Izumi let go and turned to leave. Yet her presence had already drawn the attention of many."Who is that girl? She's so strong! Is she also participating in the Chūnin Exams?""What's up with her eyes? They turned red!""That's the Sharingan—she must be from the Uchiha clan!""The Uchiha—the strongest clan in Konoha. Aren't there two Kage-level Uchiha right now?""Yes, that Uchiha clan!"…Around them, both villagers and tourists couldn't help but watch Izumi as she left, their voices filled with admiration.Some praised Izumi herself; others praised the Uchiha clan as a whole.The death of Uchiha Shisui was still under tight secrecy by the Third Hokage.As such, very few knew of it."To awaken two tomoe at the age of twelve… She might even have the potential to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan."Fugaku looked thoughtfully at Izumi as she departed.Even within the Uchiha clan, awakening two tomoe at such a young age was extremely rare. This girl showed great potential."She's worth cultivating."He nodded, deciding to pay more attention to this younger clan member.---That night, the tourists visiting Konoha checked into inns.The participating ninja from various villages were also placed in inns arranged by Konoha.In one of the rooms assigned to Iwagakure, a soundproof barrier had been set up.Inside were three men and two women."Did you see the target?" a middle-aged man asked."I got a glimpse from afar, but ANBU were watching him—I didn't dare get too close," one of the kunoichi replied."Are you sure it's the Nine-Tails jinchūriki?" the man continued."I'm sure. I sensed an extremely dangerous chakra from him—he's definitely a jinchūriki."The kunoichi nodded.She was a sensory-type ninja—that was her role in the team, to confirm whether Naruto Uzumaki was indeed the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki."Good. Now that we've confirmed the target, we'll wait for the right moment during the Chūnin Exams to abduct him."The middle-aged man nodded."With just the few of us, kidnapping the target and escaping Konoha won't be easy," one of the men said with concern."According to the village, there will be some chaos during the exams. That will be our chance," the leader explained."Chaos? Does that mean we're not the only team the village sent?"The kunoichi asked, puzzled."Most likely. But I don't know the full details either," the man replied.After finalizing their plan, the five lifted the sound barrier and left the room separately.None of them noticed the strange pair of eyes embedded in the shadows of the floor.Everything they had just discussed was clearly seen by those eyes.Swish—The eyes sank into the floor and disappeared, as if they had never existed.