Faced with Mangetsu Hozuki's inquiry, Zabuza let out a cold grunt and remained silent.
Mangetsu, feeling slighted, muttered under his breath, "What a cold-hearted guy."
Mei, who had been closely observing the exchange, couldn't help frowning with concern.
Recently, the atmosphere within Kirigakure had been deteriorating. When Zabuza graduated from the Ninja Academy, he slaughtered all of his classmates—but instead of being punished, he was praised by the Mizukage for supporting the Bloody Mist Policy.
The Kaguya Clan had been annihilated, while the Fourth Mizukage constantly clashed with the other ninja clans.
Most concerning was that, for some unknown reason, the Mizukage had begun keeping an unusually low profile.
Aside from the Anbu who delivered orders, almost no one could get an audience with the Mizukage.
If things continued like this, what fate awaited Kirigakure?
Thinking about what Mirai Uchiha had said the last time they met, Mei couldn't shake off a sense of foreboding.
Was Kirigakure truly destined to fall into darkness?
—
After ninja from Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure arrived in Konoha, shinobi from smaller hidden villages began arriving one after another.
Moreover, upon hearing about the scale of this year's Chunin Exams, daimyos from various countries traveled here in luxurious carriages, eager to witness this grand event in person.
Although they regarded ninja as nothing more than despised tools, these ninja battles were infinitely more exciting than ordinary samurai duels.
A large number of merchants also flocked in droves upon hearing the news.
Previously, Konoha had imposed strict restrictions on merchant movements, but now that everything had finally opened up, they were determined to make a fortune while the getting was good.
One day before the start of the exams, shinobi from Sunagakure also arrived at Konoha.
Looking around at the prosperous Hidden Leaf Village, the Sand shinobi looked around with envious eyes.
Compared to Konoha, Sunagakure seemed like nothing more than a desolate wasteland—completely unworthy of comparison.
If only we could live here...
One Sand ninja couldn't help glancing toward Pakura, their team leader.
"Pakura-sama, why hasn't the Kazekage arrived yet?"
"Yeah, since fighting Orochimaru last time, the Kazekage has always been acting alone."
"I wonder what impression the Kazekage will have seeing Konoha like this."
"Seriously, why do the people of Konoha get to live in such a great place?"
Upon hearing this, Pakura cut the conversation short and snapped, "Don't spread rumors about the Kazekage. Behave yourselves, all of you."
Although Mirai Uchiha hadn't shared the full plan with Pakura, she knew that Rasa was most likely already dead, and that the current Kazekage was an impostor in disguise.
Still, gazing at Konoha's bustling streets, Pakura felt a surge of excitement.
According to Mirai Uchiha's plan, maybe one day the villagers of Sunagakure could live lives just as prosperous as these.
For this goal, what did it matter if she had to eat dumplings every single day?
————
The Chunin Exams proceeded as scheduled.
Mirai Uchiha made no changes to the exam format.
The first test remained a theoretical ninja examination.
The chief proctor for this round was Ibiki Morino, who had recently joined the Interrogation Unit.
Compared to his future self—whose face would be marred by scars and hardened features—this younger Ibiki was still a refined young man with neat features and a calm demeanor.
Just like in the original story, after distributing the exam papers, Ibiki began putting on his act.
He warned them about consequences: anyone caught cheating would be banned from future exams forever; if one member of a team failed, the whole squad would be eliminated; voluntarily withdrawing merely canceled one's own qualification without affecting teammates...
He recited numerous rules, only to discover that beyond the Konoha ninja, few others truly paid attention.
After all, shinobi from other villages clearly understood whether they could become chunin wasn't ultimately decided by Leaf Village.
This left Ibiki feeling frustrated.
These were rules he'd spent considerable time crafting, fully expecting them to make an impression during the exam—yet here they were, largely ignored.
In the end, the only ones genuinely anxious over his rules were the Konoha shinobi themselves...
Inside the surveillance room, A couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Hokage, you guys in Konoha just love complicating things. It's just a theory exam, yet you attach so many unnecessary rules. Seems like you've got nothing better to do."
Hiruzen Sarutobi stayed silent.
He didn't really have the mood to deal with the Chunin Exams right now.
If it weren't for Mirai Uchiha forcing him to make an appearance, he wouldn't waste his time here at all.
After retaking the position of Hokage, Hiruzen finally realized how firmly Mirai Uchiha controlled Hidden Leaf.
He had long given up ambitions of seizing power himself—now, his top priority was figuring out how to prevent the annihilation of the Sarutobi clan.
Seeing that Hiruzen refused to reply, A muttered grumpily, "Stubborn old man."
During the previous negotiations when Yayue Sheng visited Konoha, he had successfully negotiated major concessions from the Hokage.
And he brought back a crucial piece of information...
The various ninja clans within Konoha had been competing fiercely behind closed doors, maintaining only superficial harmony while secretly divided.
Recently, the Shimura Clan, Utatane Clan, and Mito Gate Clan had even been completely eradicated.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had disappeared for some time, has once again taken control of Konoha from Mirai Uchiha...
All signs pointed to Konoha facing internal issues. It seemed that the village had suffered severe damage, hence their intention to showcase the strength of their new generation through the upcoming Chunin Exams and intimidate other villages.
Unfortunately for them, he had already figured everything out.
The earlier provocation was only meant to confirm his suspicions.
Now, it seemed, his assumptions were perfectly accurate.
Looking at the smug A, Onoki couldn't help but scoff silently in disdain.
What an idiot.
Just like his father, the Third Raikage—nothing more than a brawny idiot with no brains.
As long as Mirai Uchiha remained alive, Konoha possessed absolute power strong enough to crush any other ninja village.
That much was beyond doubt.
He understood the true power of the Mangekyō Sharingan better than anyone else...
And precisely because of this, his decision to personally come to Konoha this time was simply to see once again those eyes buried deep in his memories. Eyes that still filled him with dread whenever he recalled them.
Seated beside him, Master Genjo, roughly the same age as Onoki, sat silently with his eyes closed.
Were it not for Mirai Uchiha's letter threatening them directly, his village wouldn't have come at all.
Only Rasa, wearing the Kazekage's hat, fixed his eyes on Hiruzen Sarutobi. "Teacher," he murmured inwardly, "this time, I will personally send you on your final journey."
"To ensure this performance ends perfectly, I've dedicated much time to refining that forbidden technique to its peak."
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