"As far as I know, Lord Third seemed to feel guilty about the damage done to your chakra pathways. He apparently made a request to the two elders of Konoha once—asking them to protect you from falling into Danzo's hands at all costs. Although I suppose part of this may also stem from guilt toward the Uzumaki Clan."
"Is that so?"
"That's right. And with how outstandingly you've performed this time, the two elders might even offer you opportunities to get involved in village affairs. Of course, this is just my analysis. The actual situation? I can't say for sure."
Shiki Uzumaki let out a sigh and said, "Alright then. But right now, I just want some shut-eye. I'll worry about this later."
"Didn't you once say a guy's gotta take responsibility when it matters?" Saying this, Kabuto Yakushi once again turned his gaze outside the window, eyes distant and profound.
It was like a sudden gust of wind blew through, lifting the curtain—then he was gone.
Only Shiki Uzumaki remained, deep in thought about something unknown. To Be Continued.
Chapter 206: Promotion to Chūnin
Kabuto had just left, but his presence seemed to remind Shiki of something. Vaguely, he sensed that this incident might not yet be over.
So instead of collapsing onto his bed like someone drained of all energy, he leaned by the window, silently watching over the Hidden Leaf Village, waiting for something.
Standing there, he realized that many of the original plotlines were now unclear in his mind.
He knew an invasion would erupt during the Chūnin Exams—but what happened afterward?
Would the Hidden Leaf really forget such a major event so easily?
Even though Shiki recalled that the alliance between Konoha and Suna was seemingly renewed shortly after.
But what exactly occurred in the days that followed?
How could there be no conflict at all?
As Shiki was lost in thought, suddenly, he sensed a chakra signature rapidly approaching.
Already near his house. This visitor clearly didn't possess Kabuto's concealment skills—but they were certainly no pushover either.
Considering the war had only just ended, there might still be leftover shinobi lingering nearby. Remaining alert, Shiki's hand slowly reached for his sword hilt.
Clang!
The Clearspring Blade slid sharply from its sheath, carried by a firm determination. The smooth clink of steel sent a chill down one's spine.
"Who's there?"
Shiki demanded sharply.
"Anbu."
The visitor revealed his identity in a calm tone. Yet he was quite surprised—as someone who should still be just a genin, being able to detect his approach was practically impossible.
But then again, the red-haired child before him wasn't a genin anymore. He'd become a chunin, equal in rank to himself.
Though being promoted to chunin at twelve years old certainly proved one's talent, within Konoha's records, such cases weren't particularly rare.
"You're Shiki Uzumaki, right? I've heard of you from Kakashi-senpai."
The newcomer's tone was very gentle, and even seemed to reveal a hint of delight upon seeing Shiki Uzumaki.
At this moment, the last bit of suspicion in Shiki's mind finally disappeared.
Earlier, he had secretly felt some unease about whether the person before him might be one of Danzo's Root members.
However, the way this person spoke so naturally made that possibility seem unlikely. Danzo's subordinates were emotionless people who didn't even have names. Even if they could imitate others' greetings, they would likely sound extremely stiff and unnatural.
This man standing before him, however, showed none of those characteristics.
Having confirmed the man's identity, Shiki slightly furrowed his brow—could it mean that Kabuto Yakushi's judgment had truly been correct?
"Excuse me, what brings you here today?"
"There are two matters. First, because of your outstanding performance during the Chunin Exams and the subsequent war, you will now officially become a chunin of the Hidden Leaf Village."
A chunin?
Shiki showed little surprise at the news. Even though he generally kept a low profile, it was undeniable that his performance—mastering an A-ranked jutsu as a genin—was extraordinary.
After all, how many genin could successfully use an A-ranked jutsu?
Of course, aside from Naruto and Sasuke, there was also that eccentric hermit Jiraiya, who would remain a genin for his entire life.
Therefore, what interested Shiki more was the second matter this person wanted to discuss.
Seeing that the boy remained calm after learning he had just been promoted to chunin, the Anbu couldn't help but think even more highly of the kid.
Perhaps that strange phenomenon which had puzzled him might simply be something trivial from the boy's perspective.
The Land of Wind, known as one of the Five Great Nations with the largest territory, wasn't actually envied by others.
This was primarily because most of its land consisted of deserts.
Such harsh and barren terrain meant the Land of Wind faced inherent economic disadvantages.
Yet villagers still established village after village within oases scattered across the desert.
Sunagakure, in particular, turned these sand-covered lands into ideal places to train ninja.
The Fourth Kazekage's unique [Gold Dust] technique gave both the village and the nation's economy a major boost.
However,
due to the Wind Daimyo repeatedly cutting military funds, Sunagakure's combat capabilities had been continuously declining.
The Wind Daimyo placed far too much trust in the Land of Fire and Konoha. Many missions originally intended for Suna ended up being assigned to Konoha instead.
If this continued, Suna's ability to compete with the other Four Great Nations would become questionable.
After all, back then the Land of Wind had only been second to the Land of Fire.
To resist the constant drifting sands, buildings in the Land of Wind were usually rounded and lacked sharp corners.
Their construction materials typically mixed soil with sand, giving rise to distinctive gray-yellow walls that had become a signature sight throughout the Land of Wind.
Right now, inside a towering building, a man in purple furiously pointed at the people around him.
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