"Reflections?" Kin stared at White Fang, seeing a rare expression of sorrow on the man's face for the first time.
Unlike usual, when he was always scheming to trick him.
"Do you want me to write a thousand-word essay on my feelings? Are you a ninja academy instructor now?"
Kin sneered at White Fang.
Even the academy teachers didn't make such demands.
Faced with Kin's aggressive words, White Fang unusually didn't retort. Instead, his gaze drifted toward Konoha behind them.
"Every person buried here sacrificed themselves for the village."
"They gave everything for the village, without a single complaint."
"Because of their sacrifices, the village remains safe."
"So what?"
Kin often couldn't understand what White Fang was trying to convey.
Everyone was just playing the game of superficial camaraderie, waiting for the moment to tear that thin veil apart.
So why bother with all these convoluted riddles?
Kin hated riddles the most—because he wasn't the one setting them.
"So, do you have any thoughts about their selfless devotion to protecting the village?"
White Fang's expression was melancholic as he turned to look at Kin, revealing a rare moment of vulnerability.
But Kin didn't understand why this was directed at him.
He wasn't the type to offer comfort.
"No thoughts."
Kin shook his head. He wanted to say these people were fools, but with so many passersby around, he feared being beaten.
After all, many here had loved ones buried in these graves.
The so-called village was just a grand, empty ideal, making everyone bleed and fight for it.
In reality, no one would remember their names or stories.
"I see." White Fang's face showed clear disappointment as he sighed and shook his head.
"But you must understand, you grew up in this village too. The village protected you as you grew, and you have a duty to protect it in return."
Without waiting for Kin's response, White Fang turned and walked into the rain, his clothes already soaked.
"So, what was he really trying to say?"
Kin still couldn't grasp White Fang's meaning.
The rain above him was suddenly blocked.
"Kin-kun." Orochimaru stood beside him, holding an umbrella.
He too watched White Fang's lonely figure disappearing into the rain.
"That man might be the one who loves this village the most."
"Is that so?"
Kin neither agreed nor disagreed.
He couldn't deny it.
But the truth was, he disliked White Fang.
From the very beginning.
"Orochimaru-sensei, no missions lately?"
Kin changed the subject, looking at Orochimaru.
After all, figures like White Fang and Orochimaru were the village's top-tier forces, key players in mission assignments nowadays.
"Because of the funeral, we're temporarily on hold."
The funeral had brought all of Konoha to a standstill. This ceremony had been pushed through by the Third Hokage against much opposition.
In truth, many hadn't supported it—Orochimaru himself, for instance, as well as Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu.
Surprisingly, Danzō had been the one to support it this time.
With both the village's overt and covert leaders in agreement, no one could stop it.
That was how this funeral came to be.
"However, I'll be the proctor for the upcoming Jōnin exams."
Orochimaru added.
Kin hadn't expected the Jōnin exams to become such a grand affair this year. In the past, they'd just been held in a small classroom, testing only the essentials before wrapping up.
After all, in previous years, there were only a handful of ninjas with Jōnin-level strength—at most, never more than twenty.
But this year, the number was nearing a thousand. How many ninjas did Konoha even have? Almost half of them were becoming Jōnin. Even the First Hokage's era hadn't been this absurd.
"Then—"
Kin leaned closer to Orochimaru and whispered,
"Orochimaru-sensei, can you give me a hint? Just so I can prepare."
He was asking for Kushina's sake. She'd been stressing over the Jōnin exams lately.
Orochimaru gave Kin a deadpan look.
"I don't think so."
The Jōnin exams weren't like the Chūnin exams. The test itself wasn't particularly difficult—if you had the skill and confidence, you could pass.
The Jōnin exams assessed overall competence, and this year's version was especially challenging.
A single mistake could mean failure.
"Still, I'd advise you to hit the books, Kin-kun. Your theoretical knowledge is lacking." Orochimaru suggested.
From what he knew, Kin had zero interest in non-combat subjects, often dozing off during those lessons.
This time, aside from combat skills, theoretical knowledge was crucial.
Kin brushed it off.
"By the way, Kin-kun, where are my Hashirama cells?"
Orochimaru smiled as he asked.
Kin's eyes darted away, and he laughed awkwardly.
"I wouldn't know."
Orochimaru licked his lips, his gaze playful, but he didn't press further. He already had Hashirama cells in his possession.
Besides, Danzō had some too. Getting them from Danzō would be easier.
Lately, Danzō had even extended a collaboration offer to him.
"I hope you're making good use of them, Kin-kun."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
Orochimaru chuckled softly, then noticed two children watching them from a distance. He handed the umbrella to Kin and left, stepping back into the rain.
Once Orochimaru was gone, Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina finally approached.
"Did Orochimaru-sama say anything about the exam?"
Kushina asked urgently.
Minato also looked eager to hear the answer.
"You already knew Orochimaru was the proctor?"
"What? Orochimaru-sama is— Mmph!" Kushina nearly shouted, but Minato quickly covered her mouth.
Only when she calmed down did he let go.
"You didn't know?"
"There are only so many who can proctor the Jōnin exams."
Tsunade, White Fang, Orochimaru, the Hokage, and the two Hokage advisors.
It wasn't hard to guess.
"Then how did you know I'd ask?"
Kin asked curiously.
"We know you too well." Kushina scoffed, giving him a disdainful look.
Cutting corners was his specialty. The worst part was that he never included her.
Minato scratched his cheek awkwardly.
You two are cut from the same cloth, he thought, too embarrassed to say it aloud.
Kin clicked his tongue. "Orochimaru didn't say anything."
Even if he had, he wouldn't tell them.
"Ugh, seriously?" Kushina looked devastated. The closer the Jōnin exam got, the more anxious she became.
"Cross the bridge when you come to it. Why stress? Becoming a Jōnin is inevitable anyway."
Kin just didn't want to give Shimura Danzō any more leverage, hence the need for the Jōnin title.
"You don't get it."
Kushina looked at Kin with sorrow. She wasn't afraid of failing.
She was afraid that Minato and Kin would pass while she didn't.
Especially Kin—this guy would absolutely mock her for it.
She'd rather die than be laughed at by Kin.
Though she'd already been mocked by him plenty of times.
Maybe she could ask Tsunade-nee to make Uchiha Kin lose his memory.
"Sigh."
Kushina let out a heavy sigh.
Damn Uchiha.
So hateful.
...
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(End of chapter)