Elder's Office.
Koharu Utatane asked Shinji, "Are you really going to persist?"
Shinji replied calmly, "Why not?"
Koharu pressed, "The Third is already displeased with you, and the village's other leaders are resentful. Is it worth stirring up so much anger just for the right to choose your subordinates?"
From her perspective, the more isolated Shinji became in the village, the more he'd need to rely on her, which worked in her favor.
But she knew the Uchiha's ways. If she didn't clarify the stakes upfront, she risked getting burned.
Shinji countered, "You should be asking the Third if it's worth it. The village doesn't seem to grasp my importance. Right now, it's not me who needs the village—it's the village that needs me!"
Koharu frowned slightly. "Shinji, watch your words!"
"I'm just stating a fact." Smiling faintly, Shinji added, "The Third should relearn how to ask for help!"
Koharu shook her head. "Earning the Third's hostility won't do you any good!"
She wanted Shinji isolated, not making too many enemies, lest it spark conflict between her and the Third.
Shinji stood. "If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
"Go ahead."
Koharu sighed.
She had always thought Shinji didn't act like a typical Uchiha, so she'd been wary of him. Now that he was increasingly embodying the Uchiha spirit, she found him harder to control.
At the door, Shinji paused. "I'd rather the Third see me as an enemy than look down on me. Farewell!"
Leaving the elder's office, Shinji headed toward his apartment.
Even he hadn't anticipated that Chino would defeat Yakumo. Her loss caught the village's leadership off guard, clearly throwing them into disarray.
Yet, even at this point, the Third refused to yield, instead trying to force Shinji to bow under the guise of upholding the village's honor.
Fortunately, the Uchiha clan's defiance gave him a perfect excuse.
As an Uchiha, no matter what Shinji decided, it wouldn't surprise the leadership too much. It gave him a kind of 'villain's privilege'—no one could hold a kunai to his head and expect compliance.
So, Shinji leaned into the Uchiha persona, meeting authority with arrogance!
Strolling through the village streets, he could feel that Yakumo's defeat had emboldened the already restless shinobi from other villages, making them even more brazen.
At that moment, a group of Hidden Sound Village shinobi blocked his path.
One with a broom-like hairstyle stepped forward. "Hey, you're Uchiha Shinji, the First Chair of Hidden Leaf's ninja academy, right? I'm Sakon from Hidden Sound Village, and I'm officially challenging—"
Shinji didn't break his stride, brushing past Sakon.
"How dare you ignore me!"
Enraged, Sakon swung a fist at Shinji.
Shinji sidestepped, casually catching Sakon's fist. With a swift hand-chop, he struck Sakon's carotid artery, knocking him out cold.
The two other Hidden Sound shinobi, Kin and Dosu, were stunned. They attacked Shinji from both sides.
Dropping the unconscious Sakon, Shinji reached out, moving faster than their strikes. He grabbed Kin and Dosu by the throats, applied slight pressure, and knocked them out as well.
Casually setting down the two unconscious shinobi, Shinji continued toward his apartment without pause.
"What!?"
"It's over?"
"As expected of Uchiha Shinji!"
The surrounding villagers stood dumbfounded.
Hidden Sound Village hadn't been well-known before, but their recent victories over Hidden Leaf shinobi had earned them some attention.
When the villagers saw Hidden Soundchallenge Shinji, they expected a fierce battle. No one imagined Shinji would dispatch three Sound shinobi without even stopping, as if it were effortless.
The fight ended so quickly that few spectators gathered, and even the Anbu tasked with maintaining order in the district had only just noticed the commotion.
Back at his apartment, Shinji analyzed the village's current situation. "Besides Hidden Grass, something's off about the Sound Four…"
He had quietly observed the Sound Four participating in the Chunin Exam and noticed their chakra levels seemed abnormal. He suspected Orochimaru had conducted some bizarre experiments on them.
"And those Hidden Snow shinobi—are they wearing chakra armor? It doesn't seem particularly impressive."
"That small vial hanging on the Hidden Waterfall shinobi… it has a strong chakra signature. Could it be their village's 'Hero Water'?"
After analyzing the situation, Shinji realized these smaller shinobi villages weren't content to stay in the shadows. They were bringing out their best techniques.
Clearly, everyone—including Shinji himself—had underestimated the significance of this Chunin Exam. For smaller villages, opportunities to make a name for themselves in the shinobi world were rare. A standout performance in this highly visible exam could be worth a decade of missions in terms of reputation.
Thinking of Hidden Leaf's side, Shinji couldn't help but smirk.
Hidden Leaf's poor showing this time was, in truth, partly his doing.
Due to Shinji's butterfly effect, this timeline's Hidden Leaf had plenty of talented shinobi. Besides Shinji himself, Yakumo, Sasuke, Neji, and Kimimaro were all top-tier.
However, because of the Rinnegan situation, Neji and Kimimaro couldn't show their faces. Sasuke, having awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan too early due to Shinji's provocation, wasn't growing stronger but was instead weakened by excessive dojutsu strain.
That left Yakumo as the only viable fighter.
But Yakumo's Koryugan had been taken back by Shinji prematurely. Plus, at a critical moment, Shinji had used Wazunagi to funnel chakra to Chino, leading to Yakumo's defeat.
Now, Sasuke and Yakumo were injured and needed at least a week to recover. Neji had deliberately injured himself, and Kimimaro was feigning illness, leaving neither able to fight.
In the vast Hidden Leaf Village, Shinji was the only one left who could step up.
...
Hidden Sound Village Base.
Looking at the still-unconscious Sakon, Dosu, and Kin, returned by Hidden Leaf's Anbu, Kidomaru and the rest of the Sound Four had grim expressions.
Kidomaru said, "Those three may be useless, but I can't swallow this insult!"
Tayuya asked, "What's your plan?"
Kidomaru sneered, "The one who hurt them is Hidden Leaf's ninja academy First Chair, Uchiha Shinji. So, we'll return the favor!"
Jirobo frowned. "But Uchiha Shinji isn't participating in the Chunin Exam. According to the rules agreed upon by the villages, he's outside our challenge range."
Kidomaru smirked. "That's simple. We'll challenge other Hidden Leaf shinobi and force Uchiha Shinji to step up! I refuse to believe Hidden Leaf will just sit back and do nothing!"
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