Chapter 302: Uchiha Madara's Understanding of Obito
"Why choose Uchiha Obito? Uchiha Shisui looks more talented," Black Zetsu asked, sounding genuinely puzzled in the dim cave.
Shisui was two years younger than Obito, yet he had always been ahead in raw strength.
"That's because you don't understand the Uchiha," Madara said, a self satisfied smile tugging at the wrinkles on his aged face. "You only see the surface difference in talent. What you failed to notice is the love in their hearts. Obito is a very special Uchiha.
"Most Uchiha bury their love deep inside. Obito's love is so abundant it spills over. He has enough to share with anyone who needs help. And once that vast love is pushed to the limit, it will awaken power equal to it."
Madara believed an Uchiha who truly awakened love was a real Uchiha. In his eyes, a fully realized Obito would never be inferior to Shisui.
"Besides, Obito's personality is easier to mold." That was another reason Madara had chosen him. Someone who believed whatever he was told was simply easier to manipulate.
"As expected of Lord Madara," Black Zetsu said, a faintly sarcastic curve on his face.
Madara didn't bother reacting. Zetsu's face barely looked capable of honest expressions anyway. He moved on and began discussing the plan with him.
…
"Obito and his teammates are very strong in taijutsu," Hiruzen commented while watching the three of them swiftly turn the tide on the monitor.
This was the first time the Chunin Exams were being held jointly with Kirigakure. Hiruzen placed enormous importance on it. The Hidden Mist rarely interfered with the affairs of the Four Great Villages on the continent. If Konoha could pull them closer as allies, the Leaf would gain far more leverage in the current chaotic situation.
"They're usually very diligent in training. At that age, I wasn't as good as them," Minato sighed from beside him in the monitoring room.
Obito and Kakashi gave him the same impression: talented, and hardworking.
Obito had already awakened the Sharingan young, reaching two tomoe. Kakashi used ninjutsu with remarkable precision and possessed extraordinary speed.
Rin was considered an excellent student, yet beside those two, she felt much more ordinary.
"Being able to teach students who surpass you is proof of your teaching ability," Hiruzen chuckled. "Minato, it shows real potential."
"If anything, Mugetsu taught them well," Minato said, shaking his head.
He knew their current strength was tied to his guidance, but even more so to Mugetsu's. During the bell test, Obito and the others had already shown the ability to bring down a Jonin together.
"Minato, no need to be so modest. Obito and the others praise you to me all the time," Mugetsu replied with a smile, returning the courtesy.
"Both of you contributed," Hiruzen said, stroking his small beard. Then his gaze returned to the monitors, and his eyes narrowed with interest. "This Mist squad is bold. Do they want to lure every team nearby?"
Mugetsu followed his line of sight. The screen showed Zabuza and Kisame's unit. They had found a wide clearing, stacked trees into a pile, and set them ablaze. A raging fire roared upward, thick black smoke rising like a signal flare.
Mugetsu wasn't surprised. Earlier, Kurosawa had openly announced their scroll in front of everyone, practically begging to be targeted. Doing something like this inside the Death Forest was a natural extension of that arrogance.
Their overall combat power was terrifying. Kisame alone had seven thousand chakra. Zabuza and Kurosawa were also far beyond ordinary Chunin in stats. One glance was enough for Mugetsu to tell this was a special team Kirigakure had sent specifically to cause trouble. Zabuza was young, but Kisame and Kurosawa clearly should not have been genin.
"With Kakashi holding Kisame back, and Obito taking Zabuza or Kurosawa, their odds are very high," Mugetsu said, noticing how close the two squads had drawn. He quickly weighed the matchup.
In a true one on one, neither Obito nor Kakashi would likely beat Kisame cleanly. Obito's Fire Release was countered by Kisame's Water Release, and Kakashi lacked raw power. Rin wasn't the deciding factor. She simply needed to stall one opponent.
As a unit, Minato's team was the strongest in this exam. Might Guy and Kisame were both monstrous, but their teammates were not on the same level. And while Obito could beat Kakashi, the gap between them was not huge, and Rin was a healer who could also fight.
Because Chunin Exams in the original story often spiraled into unexpected chaos, the cautious Mugetsu had used his Appraisal Technique earlier while explaining the rules, checking every examinee's stats to ensure no hidden monsters had slipped in. That meant he already knew the skill level of everyone in the forest.
Mugetsu kept watching.
A Grass team and a Konoha team approached the Mist squad in quick succession.
"How lucky. It's the team with the Earth Scroll. If we beat them, we pass," the Grass shinobi said, their faces lighting up after recognizing the group that had exposed their scroll earlier.
Kurosawa looked disappointed instead.
"Grass shinobi, huh? That won't prove anything about our strength," he sighed.
The blatant disrespect made the Grass team's expressions snap with anger.
"Bastard, don't look down on the Land of Grass. Compared to your great villages, we just lack a handful of top level monsters!" their leader shouted, yanking out his tools.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
The three Grass shinobi hurled shuriken at Kurosawa with full force.
Kurosawa had already read their intent. He dodged smoothly, letting the weapons carve air, then flicked shuriken back at them in retaliation.
"If that's all you've got, don't blame people for looking down on you," Zabuza growled, drawing the long sword from his back as he surged forward.
Slash.
His timing was merciless. One Grass shinobi who fumbled mid dodge had his arm severed cleanly.
"Yoshimura!" the other two roared, eyes bloodshot.
They barely had time to react.
Kisame's chakra burst through his legs and he slammed into them head on.
"What kind of strength is this? Is he even human?" the two Grass shinobi gasped as their fists and feet collided with his.
Even two on one, Kisame overpowered them in taijutsu. At the same time, Kurosawa stabbed one of them with a short blade.
The shinobi who had lost an arm was no match for Zabuza. He fell within a few exchanges.
Less than three minutes after the fight began, the Grass squad was wiped out.
"They're insanely strong. Good thing you insisted we watch first, Shiosui," Inuzuka Midori muttered, clicking her tongue as she watched the Mist shinobi slaughter the Grass team like they were cutting vegetables.
"Anyone arrogant enough to do that has to be capable," Nara Shiosui answered evenly. "The ones who act arrogant without strength usually don't live long."
They carried a Heaven Scroll too, so Midori had wanted to seize their Earth Scroll. Shiosui had stopped her.
"Let's detour and withdraw. The first day just started, there's no need to rush. We have intel from Nao, so we don't need to gamble our lives," Shiosui decided.
Aburame Nao had planted insects inside the scroll distribution hut, letting them gather information on most teams' scrolls.
"Only hiding in the shadows and peeking?" Zabuza's voice suddenly cut toward their hiding spot. "You're worse than those Grass shinobi. At least they had the guts to step out."
"Damn it, we've been found," Shiosui frowned immediately, eyeing Kisame's squad.
After the battle, Kisame and the others had quietly shifted, blocking several escape routes. Shiosui had assumed they were just searching for new prey. Now it was clear they had already noticed him while still fighting.
"Retreat!" Shiosui hissed.
He flashed backward at once.
"Since you're here, don't rush to leave," Kurosawa said lightly, throwing a spread of kunai. He burst forward in pursuit.
Kisame and Zabuza also moved, closing from both sides, sealing off Shiosui's retreat.
Shiosui wasn't fast to begin with. He knew they would catch him if he kept running. He stopped in a thickly shaded patch of trees.
"You already have both Heaven and Earth Scrolls. You can go to the central tower and clear the stage. Fighting us is meaningless," Shiosui said solemnly. "Are you sure you want to risk yourselves for nothing?"
He was ready to fight, but avoiding it was better. He had no confidence against them.
"Exactly. Midori isn't a pushover either. If you keep chasing, I'll have Baimaru bite you," Midori warned.
"Woof woof!" The small white dog on her shoulder barked fiercely.
Nao said nothing, but quietly released his insects, showing that he was prepared to battle.
"How is it meaningless?" Kurosawa replied with a cruel grin. "The exam is about proving you're better than others. If we beat all of you, then we're the best, aren't we?"
Shiosui's logic was fine for a normal exam, but they weren't here to take this exam normally at all.
"Konoha shinobi," Zabuza said, leveling his blood stained blade at Shiosui, "you should be stronger than those Grass shinobi, right?"
Shiosui understood immediately. There was no way out of this fight.
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