The following days passed in relative calm.
After the funeral, most shinobi remained in the village. Aside from being slightly livelier than usual, nothing particularly noteworthy occurred.
Apart from the frequent visits to the Hokage's office by many shinobi, there were no major disturbances.
Kin went to the Hokage's office to confirm whether his name was on the list of candidates for the Jonin Exam.
His name was indeed registered.
Just as he had expected.
It was undoubtedly White Fang who had submitted his application.
"But why didn't they say anything beyond confirming the registration?"
The person handling the records had only mentioned that his name was registered, providing no additional information.
Utterly irresponsible.
Details like the exam's time and location weren't mentioned at all.
Now, he had no idea where to go for the Jonin Exam.
All he knew was that Orochimaru was the chief examiner. Beyond that, he was completely in the dark.
Returning home, Kin continued to grumble under his breath.
These days, even the staff at the Hokage's office were slacking off.
Glancing at his two pets playing a game of patty-cake with their tails and paws, Kin sighed helplessly.
How did he end up with such foolish summoning creatures?
"Xiao Miao, come here for a second."
"Meow?" Xiao Miao tilted its head in confusion, staring at Kin. Normally, Kin wouldn't call for it.
It hadn't caused any trouble recently—well, aside from stealing a bit of the dumb snake's food.
Still, it didn't dare disobey and obediently trotted over to Kin's feet.
Kin picked Xiao Miao up, and the cat adjusted itself into a comfortable position in his arms.
As the undisputed top pet in the household, Xiao Miao truly didn't dare provoke its owner.
"That dumb snake is hopeless. I can only count on you now."
Kin shot a glare at Xiao Bai. The last time he summoned it, the snake had embarrassed him, so he hadn't called on it since.
Xiao Bai drooped its head in dejection. Snakes weren't immune to electricity—what could it do?
Xiao Miao looked utterly baffled, completely unaware of what was about to happen.
That is, until Kin placed his hand on its back.
As chakra steadily flowed into its body, layers of seals rapidly formed inside Xiao Miao.
"Chakra Internal Energy Sealing Technique!"
"Seal!"
Multicolored light surged into Xiao Miao's body, eventually condensing into an inconspicuous black rune on its belly—the external manifestation of the seal.
"Meow?"
Xiao Miao stood up unsteadily in Kin's arms, wobbled for a moment, and then tumbled to the ground.
By the time Kin grabbed it by the scruff of the neck, the cat was already fast asleep.
But this was to be expected.
Kin casually tossed Xiao Miao onto the tatami and warned Xiao Bai,
"Keep an eye on it. If anything happens to it, I'll turn you into snakeskin shoes."
Xiao Bai shrank back in fear, its beady eyes trembling as it nodded frantically.
The snake was aggrieved, but the snake dared not complain.
With that settled, Kin returned to his study to continue his training. He still needed to accumulate more chakra.
Night fell, and the moon hung high.
The Root surveillance team of three watched as a shadowy figure suddenly slipped into the house.
The trio exchanged glances.
Two of them nodded to the middle one, who picked up a pebble and hurled it at the window.
Crash!
The window shattered loudly, and the three sighed in relief before resuming their surveillance.
Such a loud noise was more than enough to rouse any shinobi from sleep.
Inside the house, the intruder crept forward cautiously—only to step on something long and slender.
"Huh?"
He looked down at what he'd stepped on, but before he could identify it, he felt a warm breath on the top of his head.
Turning slowly, he found himself face-to-face with a giant cat nearly two meters tall.
Following the length of the thing he'd stepped on, his gaze traced it all the way to the cat's tail.
Gulp.
He swallowed hard and stared at the cat.
"Uh… this is a misunderstanding. Believe me?"
From behind the cat, a basketball-sized head emerged, its pitch-black eyes fixed on him.
Xiao Miao unsheathed its claws, the sharp tips glinting ominously.
"Beat him up!!"
All the intruder heard was an earsplitting yowl before the cat and snake pounced on him, and the three quickly became a tangled mess.
Just as the battle reached its peak—
Click.
The living room lights flicked on, illuminating the entire space.
Kin stared blankly at the ANBU-clad shinobi wrestling with his cat and snake.
The fight paused. Xiao Bai was coiled around the intruder's neck, Xiao Miao had its arms wrapped around his torso, and the ANBU member was desperately pushing against the cat's paws.
From the looks of it, he was losing.
What kind of joke ANBU is this? Are their standards this low now?
"Alright, let him go."
Kin waved his hand, and the cat and snake reluctantly released their prey. Xiao Miao continued to mutter under its breath, its insults growing increasingly vulgar.
Luckily, the ANBU member couldn't understand cat language.
As for why Kin immediately identified him as ANBU—
Root's entry requirements were far stricter. A ninja like this would never make the cut.
Ahem.
The ANBU member cleared his throat, straightened his attire, and tried to salvage his dignity.
"So, what brings the ANBU to my doorstep in the middle of the night?"
Kin asked curiously.
This didn't seem like a hostile visit—troublemakers wouldn't come alone.
"I'm here to deliver your Jonin Exam notice."
The ANBU member forced his voice into a cold, professional tone, but given his earlier humiliation at the paws of a cat and snake, his image was beyond repair.
"Uchiha Kin, this is your Jonin Exam notice."
He pulled a letter from his pocket and handed it to Kin.
The letter was supposed to be placed quietly on Kin's bedside, but between the shattered window and the feline-reptile ambush, stealth had become impossible.
Glancing warily at the still-hostile cat and snake—who looked ready to attack again—the ANBU member kept his gaze fixed straight ahead.
"And this is?"
Kin waved the letter questioningly.
"I'll take my leave now."
Without waiting for further questions, the ANBU member quickly formed hand seals and vanished in a puff of smoke.
"Ran away like his tail was on fire," Kin muttered, opening the letter.
Inside was a single blank sheet of paper with a leaf stuck to it—nothing else.
"Seriously? I have to figure this out myself?"
Kin sighed and held the paper up to the light.
Still no hidden messages.
Checking the clock—it was already past midnight—he pieced together part of the puzzle.
"The leaf points to the time."
"Six o'clock."
The blank paper likely represented daytime.
As for the leaf—
Kin rubbed it between his fingers. This type of leaf was rare, found only in Konoha's Forest of Death.
So, the details were:
Six in the morning. Forest of Death.
"Way too obvious."
...
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(End of Chapter)