"What do you mean Chūnin Exams?!" Nozomi blurted out, eyes wide in disbelief.
Aizen just gave her a long look and rolled his eyes like, Seriously? You didn't know?
He didn't say it aloud, but the look said enough.
Honestly, Aizen didn't buy his surprise for a second. There was no way Nozomi or even Miyuki hadn't heard something already. These things aren't just decided on a whim. It's not like someone wakes up and says, "Let's throw a village-wide exam tomorrow."
Decisions like these come from the top. Councils, elders, clan heads—everyone gets a say. Especially with something this big. Especially when the war's still simmering on the borders.
And let's be real. Both his teammates were from well-known clans. Between relatives and clan meetings, word travels fast. No way it slipped past them. If anything, they were probably just hoping no one would bring it up yet.
Kaito, ever the calm one, just nodded and kept things moving.
"Yeah. It's happening," he confirmed, tone steady. "But since the war started, they're only doing it once a year now. Not the usual two times."
He didn't need to say more.
But even as he spoke, his eyes drifted toward Aizen.
He'd seen the kid train. Seen how hard Aizen had pushed himself over the past year. No shortcuts. No excuses. Just quiet grit. Honestly, if Kaito hadn't watched it himself, he wouldn't have believed it. Aizen was supposed to be the so-called prodigy, right? But he never acted like he had anything guaranteed. Never let the title do the work for him.
In a weird way, it reminded him of how some people treat fate.
You're born with something, sure—talent, a name, a clan—but what matters is what you do when no one's watching. That's when you see who's actually serious about walking the path.
Kaito believed his team was ready. Not perfect, but solid. Battle-tested. But it wasn't his choice anymore. It came down to them. And looking at their faces, reading the energy between them, he already knew what they'd decide.
"Alright. You've got a week to decide," Kaito said, his voice calm but clear. "Talk it out, think it through, then let me know."
With that, he vanished. No dramatic flair, just the quiet professionalism of a jōnin who still had a dozen things waiting on his list.
Aizen turned toward his teammates, gave them a polite nod. "Later," he said simply, then started walking.
He wasn't in a rush. Just headed home. Streets were familiar, a little dusty from the afternoon breeze, the kind of quiet that came between missions.
As he walked, his thoughts drifted to the Chūnin Exams.
"There shouldn't be any real danger… right?" he muttered under his breath.
If it was just Konoha genin participating, the risk level should be low. The war was still going on. No other villages would be crazy enough to send their genin here right now. Even the smaller allied villages in the Land of Fire had likely backed off.
This wasn't going to be some grand, international spectacle.
Just internal promotion. Konoha testing its own.
Still, getting the Chūnin title at six?
He couldn't help it. Aizen grinned.
It was ridiculous. And kind of awesome.
Alongside Kakashi, no less.
Fame.
Sure, power could open doors. But fame made sure those doors stayed open. It made people notice. Respect. Hesitate.
And in the ninja world, sometimes a single moment of hesitation from your enemy was all you needed.
Of course, fame also painted a target on your back. The more talented someone was, the more eyes locked onto them. Curious ones. Envious ones. Deadly ones.
But Aizen wasn't naive.
That came with the game.
Besides, recognition from Konoha was step one. If he wanted his future plans to work, really work, he needed to be seen as someone worth betting on. Not just strong, but reliable. Sharp. Present.
A shinobi the village needed.
He barely had time to finish the thought before someone called his name.
"Aizen!!"
He blinked, pulled out of his mental spiral, and turned toward the voice. "Huh? Obito?"
His reaction looked genuine. Eyebrows raised, mild surprise on his face. But honestly, he'd already known who it was. The smell gave it away.
The Daredevil Assimilation wasn't fully complete yet, but it had come with enough sensory perks to make a difference. His sense of smell, especially when combined with Tanjiro's super sense of smell, was sharp enough to pick up unique scents.
So no, he wasn't actually surprised.
But hey, playing along never hurt.
"Let's battle!" Obito declared the moment he came into view, eyes lit up like always.
Aizen gave a small laugh and shook his head. "Sorry, Obito. Not today. I've got stuff to handle at home."
He didn't usually turn Obito down. In fact, every now and then, he made sure to spar with him just to keep their bond steady. But today?
Today was different.
He had something big lined up.
For the past few months, ever since the Daredevil templates started merging through Assimilation, he'd avoided using the Gacha. He kept telling himself he'd wait until the process was complete.
But patience had limits.
And honestly, he couldn't resist anymore.
Even if he couldn't add a new template into Assimilation right away, the itch to spin had been eating at him for months. Today, he was giving in.
"Well then, do it another time," Obito mumbled, clearly disappointed.
Aizen could tell right away what was up. Obito wanted to prove himself, simple as that. He was aiming to climb the ladder early, get noticed, make a name. And what better way than taking down someone like him or Kakashi?
Since all three of them were from the same clan, it made sense he'd come at Aizen instead of trying his luck with Kakashi. Dude was way colder.
And Obito wasn't the only one doing this either. Lately, more and more schoolmates were eyeing him or Kakashi like stepping stones.
Most of the time, he and Kakashi just dipped from that kind of drama. Between missions and training, they barely had time for random sparring matches. But when they did get pulled into it?
Yeah. They beat the shit out of whoever thought they had a shot.
As they walked, Aizen glanced sideways.
"You still can't do the transformation jutsu?"
Obito sighed, shoulders slumping. "Yeah… no luck. I dunno, maybe I just suck at ninjutsu."
Aizen snorted lightly. "Bro, come on. You already pulled off substitution, right? That's not easy for most."
Obito didn't answer, just kept walking. His mood dipped even lower.
Aizen rubbed the back of his neck, thinking. It was kinda weird. Obito could do other stuff just fine, so why was the transformation technique giving him hell?
Didn't add up.
He looked at Obito again. Yeah, no matter what people thought, this kid wasn't some useless tagalong. People forgot how hard it was just to get into Section A. Only the cream of the crop made it in, or the ones with serious political pull.
And Obito? He didn't have that kind of backing.
Sure, they were both Uchiha, but their standing in the clan was worlds apart. Aizen's grandfather was a clan elder. Even If Aizen had zero talent, he'd still land in Section A just off that name alone. But Obito? His grandma used to be a jōnin. Now retired, all banged up from missions.
No special treatment there. If Obito made it in, it was because he earned it.
Even the whole getting picked for Minato's squad thing—that wasn't just about politics. Yeah, they needed a bridge between the Uchiha and the village, but no one was throwing dead weight at Minato.
Future Hokage. Future husband of the Nine-Tails jinchūriki. Student of Jiraiya the Sannin. The dude didn't have time to waste on someone useless.
No. Obito had skills.
Maybe not a prodigy like Kakashi, but enough to get noticed. Enough for someone like Hiruzen to keep an eye on.
And maybe, just maybe, to twist into something useful for their own goals.
Aizen didn't say all that out loud though. He just walked beside him and added, casually,
"You'll figure it out. Not all talent shows up the same way."
************
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