Chūnin Exam venue, first written test.
Uchiha Hikari idly fiddled with the pen in her hand, occasionally frowning as she glanced out the window.
She had already looked up who knows how many times, and now, outside the window, even from a distance, she could clearly see the towering wall of ice reflecting light, stretching across the sky.
Something had happened.
Throwing the pen aside, Uchiha Hikari no longer cared that she was in the middle of the exam. She leapt high, stepping on the head of an unlucky Kirigakure shinobi as she smashed through the window.
"Ah—ah, huh?"
Rubbing her head, Ringo Ameyuri's vision went dark.
Me, the great prodigy of Kirigakure's Lightning Release, one of the most promising candidates for the new generation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen—actually had my head stepped on by some random Konoha girl?!
Exam proctor Morino Ibiki didn't even know what to say. His gaze drifted instead to Hikari's supposed teammates—Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui.
"Sorry. We forfeit."
Itachi made the decision instantly. Standing, he offered a polite apology before hurrying after Hikari.
No one expected, however, that he would choose the exact same method as her.
Just as Ringo Ameyuri was considering how to lash out, her head was stepped on again.
Among the three, only Shisui remained calm. He at least stepped on Ringo Ameyuri's exam paper when vaulting out the window.
"Ko... Ko... Konoha's damned Uchiha—!"
Ringo Ameyuri exploded with fury.
Though she didn't know Uchiha Hikari, the sight of the clan fan crest on Itachi and Shisui's clothing was enough for her to pin all her anger on the Uchiha clan.
Her stomach churned painfully. She needed medicine.
Listening to Ringo Ameyuri grinding her teeth, Morino Ibiki felt a deep sense of confusion during his first ever proctoring experience.
Were all the Uchiha around the Fifth-sama this strange?
Still, stomachache aside, the massive commotion in the direction of the village was impossible to ignore. Yet, trusting in the Hokage's strength and remembering his own duty as an examiner, Ibiki decided not to move.
For him, successfully completing the first exam was the most important mission given to him by the Hokage.
Glancing at Ringo Ameyuri, who looked ready to chase Hikari with her blade but was held back by her teammates, Ibiki's chest tightened.
The exam... the exam will go smoothly... right?
...
"Konoha jōnin's strength really isn't much."
With one hand gripping Umino Ikkaku's throat, Kakuyoku Fubuki hoisted him up, grinning from ear to ear.
Umino Ikkaku's eyes rolled white as he was choked, powerless to resist.
Against an Ice Release shinobi who could conjure ice at will, someone like Umino Ikkaku—who specialized in ninja tools—was at an overwhelming disadvantage.
"Then, let's finish this."
Kakuyoku Fubuki tightened her grip, ready to give the mustached jōnin a swift end—when she noticed a black shadow racing toward them at incredible speed.
"Another one?"
Sensing the newcomer's speed, Kakuyoku Fubuki tossed Umino Ikkaku aside and began forming seals with a savage grin.
"Ice Release: Swallow Snow!"
"Out of my way. Fire Release: Dragon Flame Song Jutsu!"
To Kakuyoku Fubuki's surprise, the figure was a young girl.
Yet the cold sharpness in her eyes was enough to make even an Ice Release shinobi shiver.
That chill didn't last long. Uchiha Hikari's blazing fire swallowed up the ice—and engulfed Kakuyoku Fubuki whole.
A violent explosion erupted. Kakuyoku Fubuki's charred body was hurled from the smoke, crashing heavily onto the ground.
"Nani?!"
Fuyukuma Mizore had just finished off some Konoha shinobi when she turned and saw Kakuyoku Fubuki lying there, blackened and motionless.
The chakra armor she had been so proud of was already reduced to scorched charcoal.
Realizing the newcomer was powerful, Fuyukuma Mizore raised her fists, preparing to activate her chakra armor—only for her vision to be drowned in blood-red light.
Casting her genjutsu, Uchiha Hikari didn't stop. She continued charging straight toward Konoha.
By the time Itachi and Shisui caught up, Fuyukuma Mizore had already taken her own life, kneeling lifeless on the ground.
"Such speed... The two of us couldn't even keep up."
The nonstop dash from Kikyo Fortress had taken a heavy toll on Itachi.
Shisui nodded in agreement. "Yeah. This Hikari-senpai's strength really is formidable. Ah—that's Umino-sensei..."
Just as he was about to sigh in admiration, Shisui noticed Umino Ikkaku still barely alive on the ground. He quickly rushed over to help him up.
...
Konoha, in front of the Hokage's building.
Since Takeshi was holding the frontlines and Minato had been sent to protect Kushina, only ordinary shinobi were left to guard the Hokage building.
This was the opportunity Shinnō had been waiting for. Crushing the skulls of two Konoha shinobi with his chakra armor, he stepped toward the Hokage building to find the coveted Scroll of Seals.
"Move."
Before he could even cross the threshold, a powerful blow sent him flying. His armor shattered, and through the haze he glimpsed a young girl cloaked in a blazing red layer of chakra.
We're all living with everything we have...
As he hit the ground, Shinnō thought he heard a song he had never known before.
"Tch. Where the hell is that brat?"
The one who had struck him flying was, of course, Uchiha Hikari, charging full speed. Since random weaklings kept appearing along her path, she had simply activated her Susanoo's armor, blasting aside anyone foolish enough to block her.
Her eyes spun as she desperately searched for Takeshi's silhouette.
Finally, after cutting through another district, she saw the figure she despised.
But before she could breathe in relief, a volley of gunfire cracked out. Bullets tore through Takeshi's shoulder, then his chest.
"Huh?"
Takeshi clearly hadn't expected such a cross-version attack to hit him. Staring in shock, he turned toward where the bullets had come from.
"Hmph. Rōga Nadare is just a fool. In the end, the one who claims victory will be me!"
The man stood with a multi-barrel machine gun, the barrels slowly spinning as drones hovered around him.
"You bastard!"
Seeing the brutal sight, Uchiha Hikari grit her teeth, ready to crush him on the spot. She didn't even notice Kakashi standing calmly by Takeshi.
"Ever heard of an ice clone? Even one that bleeds?"
Takeshi's voice came from behind. His kunai was poised to stab, but the drones reacted instantly, unleashing another hail of bullets at him.