Chapter 14: The Darkness and the Exam
Watching Akatsurugi leave, Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke. "Kagami, you have taught Akatsurugi well. I believe he is a steadfast inheritor of the Will of Fire."
Uchiha Kagami smiled slightly. "Yes, the child is quite talented."
"Hmm, then continue to guide him carefully. The situation at the border has grown increasingly tense recently. Even Kirigakure has been making moves. I fear another large-scale war may soon break out," Hiruzen said with a sigh.
Uchiha Kagami's expression turned serious. "Shall I go to investigate?"
Hiruzen thought for a moment. "No, I'll send Danzō. You focus on training Akatsurugi for now."
In truth, Hiruzen had initially intended to send Uchiha Kagami on the reconnaissance mission. However, Akatsurugi's emergence had given him other ideas, leading him to temporarily suspend some of Kagami's field duties. Assigning it to Danzō would achieve the same result.
Uchiha Kagami offered no objection. The two then discussed matters concerning the Uchiha clan. The Uchiha of this era were not yet the isolated clan of the Nine-Tails' attack. They held significant power, commanding the Konoha Military Police Force, and their attitude carried a degree of arrogance. The Third Hokage hoped Uchiha Kagami could persuade his clansmen to enforce the law with less personal bias.
Uchiha Kagami agreed to try.
Meanwhile, Akatsurugi, having exited the Hokage Building, unsealed the scroll. He was intensely curious about the genjutsu the Third Hokage had given him. Upon reading the name, however, he froze. What in the world? What was the Third Hokage's intention, giving him this jutsu? This was a deliberate provocation!
The technique was called the "Darkness Genjutsu," an illusion developed by Tobirama Senju specifically to counter the Uchiha clan's Sharingan by robbing the target of their sight.
And the Third Hokage had given it to him? He was Uchiha Kagami's student! Willingly or not, he was now marked with the Uchiha label.
What would people think if they knew he had learned this technique?
Damn it. Akatsurugi felt a headache coming on. He stored the scroll away. Regardless, the technique was powerful. At worst, he just wouldn't use it within the village.
There was no other choice. There were too many fanatics within the Uchiha clan. Who knew if they would brand him a traitor and target him?
If an outsider learned this jutsu, no one would comment. But he, Akatsurugi, was Kagami's disciple. For him to learn this technique… what was he trying to do? Some unhinged Uchiha was bound to get the wrong idea and make trouble for him. Akatsurugi didn't need that kind of trouble. For now, he could only keep it hidden.
Once I've fully mastered the Flame-Flame Fruit and unlocked Ryūjin Jakka, then I won't have to care about their opinions. If they have a problem with it, I'll show them what it means for all creation to turn to ash!
After a long wait, Uchiha Kagami finally emerged. Seeing Akatsurugi, he said, "Let's go. I will train your taijutsu next."
Akatsurugi nodded and followed Uchiha Kagami to a barbecue restaurant. After a satisfying meal—funded, of course, by the wealthy Uchiha—they headed to the training ground. Following a member of the Uchiha clan certainly had its perks; meals with Kosuke rarely involved such luxury.
A full day of training later, Akatsurugi returned home. After washing up, he took out the scroll and began studying it. He still needed to learn the Darkness Genjutsu.
His talent for genjutsu was remarkably high, thanks to his powerful spiritual energy. He excelled both at resisting and casting illusions. According to Uchiha Kagami, Akatsurugi could truly walk the path of a genjutsu specialist.
But Akatsurugi had no desire to be a one-trick pony. He aimed to develop in all areas, leaving no weaknesses.
And so, time passed. Akatsurugi grew up smoothly. While all-out war hadn't yet erupted, the borders were in constant turmoil. Shinobi from Kirigakure, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure were all active, clashing with whoever they encountered.
Only Kumogakure remained relatively quiet. Their Second Raikage had been severely injured in the same ambush that claimed the Second Hokage and was on his deathbed. The village was preoccupied with selecting the Third Raikage and had no time for external conflicts.
Three years flew by. Akatsurugi was now a handsome young man. Throughout these years, Uchiha Kagami had taught him wholeheartedly, even taking him on two A-rank missions, which greatly broadened his horizons.
According to Uchiha Kagami's assessment, Akatsurugi was now more than qualified to be a Tōkubetsu Jōnin. However, Konoha had a strict promotion system, and the first step was becoming a Chūnin.
Today was the day of Akatsurugi's Chūnin Exams. Uchiha Kagami had received a temporary mission to the front lines. Before leaving, he had encouraged Akatsurugi and even prepared a gift for his anticipated promotion.
It was a stack of explosive tags, which delighted Akatsurugi. These were essential shinobi consumables. Being short on funds, Akatsurugi could only rely on Uchiha Kagami's generosity for such luxuries.
The key point was Uchiha Kagami's immense wealth. He gave Akatsurugi a stack of a hundred explosive tags at a time, enough for Akatsurugi to use liberally.
After all, not everyone was a paper-art billionaire like Konan.
Konoha's Chūnin Exams were conducted independently, with no participants from other villages invited. It was wartime; no nation would send their Genin into a rival's territory for exams.
The first stage was a written test. Though seemingly straightforward, Akatsurugi detected its underlying trick: information gathering. He simply used a genjutsu on one of the proctors, compelling the man to covertly relay other candidates' answers to him.
The second stage was even simpler. It involved retrieving Heaven and Earth scrolls within the Forest of Death. Akatsurugi was temporarily grouped with two other Genin whose names he didn't recognize. He assumed they were destined to be cannon fodder, likely to die in the coming war.
He didn't bother with formal introductions, merely stating his name before leading them swiftly through the jungle. His teammates were confused. Shouldn't they be looking for a Heaven Scroll? Their team held an Earth Scroll.
Yet Akatsurugi headed directly for the central tower in the heart of the Forest of Death, showing no intention of searching for another scroll.