On the bustling streets of Konoha, inside a dango shop.
Anko smiled as she helped treat the bruised and swollen Shisui.
"Shisui, what happened? How did you get beaten up so badly?", Anko wasn't very skilled at treating wounds, and she often pressed on Shisui's bruises, making him shudder in pain.
But he didn't stop her; instead, he felt warmer inside. Compared to the pain on his face, the concern Anko showed made his heart feel even warmer.
Shisui felt like he had been acting strangely lately. Why was he getting emotionally affected by a woman? He was becoming as weird as Senior Obito.
Seeing Anko's large, curious eyes, he instinctively explained gently, "Recently, a strange Uchiha appeared in the clan. He lives in a house that the Second Elder had strictly forbidden anyone from approaching. He always wears a mask and never shows his real face."
"The Second Elder called all of us over to receive his guidance. He's incredibly strong and possesses vast knowledge. Under his instruction, I feel like my own strength has improved significantly."
"But for some reason, ever since I showed him my newly developed Phantom Body Flicker Technique, that weirdo has been obsessed with sparring against me. Every time, he beats me up really badly."
"And after every fight, he always says some weird things like 'Ah, that feels good.' I don't understand what he means at all."
Anko puffed up in anger and raised her fist, "Shisui, how dare he bully you! I definitely can't beat him, since I can't even beat you."
"But do you want me to ask Orochimaru-sensei to deal with him? Orochimaru-sensei would definitely teach him a lesson!"
Shisui had an awkward expression, "Do you think you can really convince Lord Orochimaru to do something like that?"
Anko hesitated, "Actually… I'm not sure. But if it's for you, Shisui, I'll give it a try. Worst case, I'll just get scolded by Orochimaru-sensei again. But his punishments are never too harsh anyway."
Shisui felt warmth in his heart and quickly stopped her, "Forget it. Let's not trouble Lord Orochimaru over such a small matter."
"Besides, even though I get beaten up badly every time, that guy is genuinely guiding me. After each fight, I feel like my combat experience has improved tremendously."
Seeing this, Anko stopped being angry. She patted Shisui's head, "Then he's not too bad of a person. Shisui, getting beaten up now is better than losing your life on the battlefield."
"Orochimaru-sensei told me that he'll be heading to the battlefield soon. When that happens, we might not be able to escape our turn either."
Shisui nodded. Senior Obito had also told him something similar.
'War, huh?'
He still didn't fully understand what war truly meant.
Anko, as if changing the topic on a whim, suddenly pulled out a Chūnin Exam application form, "Of course, before going to war, I want to take this Chūnin Exam!"
"Orochimaru-sensei said that this time, Konoha specially invited Kirigakure to co-host the exam, and they'll be sending two elite teams to participate."
"If I perform well, I'll definitely leave a deep impression on everyone!"
Shisui felt a little regretful. If he had already graduated, he could have participated in the exam with Anko. Unfortunately, his graduation might have to wait until next year.
Then, he suddenly thought of something and said, "Anko, I think Senior Obito is also taking the Chūnin Exam this time?"
Anko was startled, then she remembered, "Oh yeah, even though Obito and Rin-senpai are a year older than me, they didn't participate in last year's exam."
She immediately became discouraged, "Ugh, I have to compete against people who are a year ahead of me, and that freak Obito. I even heard that Kakashi is retaking the exam…"
"My hopes… suddenly feel so slim now."
Seeing this, Shisui couldn't help but pat Anko's head, "It's okay. If it doesn't work out this time, there's always next time."
Anko puffed up her cheeks in annoyance, "Shisui, how can you pat my head? It'll stunt my growth!"
Shisui looked aggrieved, "But you just patted my head first…"
———
The day before the Konoha Chūnin Exam.
The Third Hokage suddenly received a report from Anbu.
The war between Kumogakure and Sunagakure had reached a decisive conclusion.
Kumogakure had fully retreated, and Sunagakure had won.
But after Kumogakure withdrew, they ran into a unit from Iwagakure trying to seize their territory, and the two sides entered a standoff.
Iwagakure had mobilized twenty thousand ninjas this time, forcing the Third Raikage to step onto the battlefield himself.
A large-scale war between Kumo and Iwa was now unavoidable.
Meanwhile, Sunagakure, instead of stopping after their victory, seemed to have some intentions toward Konoha.
The ninja world was growing more chaotic.
Sarutobi Hiruzen felt a headache coming on and called Danzo, "After this Chūnin Exam, Konoha will fully prepare for war. I hope my efforts to ally with Kirigakure will have some critical effect…"
———
The next day, the Chūnin Exam officially began.
Early in the morning, Rin and Kakashi waited inside the academy where the written exam would take place.
Kakashi checked the time. The exam was about to start in ten minutes, but Obito was nowhere to be seen.
He couldn't help but complain, "That idiot Obito better not be late at such a critical moment and cause all of us to fail."
Rin thought about it and grew worried, "He shouldn't be… He has space-time ninjutsu, after all."
Kakashi sighed, "It's because he has space-time ninjutsu that he thinks he can make it at the last second, so he's always late."
"Just like Minato-sensei."
Rin suddenly felt awkward. She thought to herself, Kakashi might have a point…
At that moment—
Whoosh!
Obito suddenly appeared beside Rin.
"Not bad! Another old grandpa on the way slowed me down. Lately, there are just too many old folks needing help."
Kakashi rolled his eyes, "And yet you still had to use Flying Thunder God to make it. If it weren't for that jutsu, you would've definitely been late."
Obito snorted, "I was almost late in my past life. No way I'd let that happen again. Come on, let's go to the exam room."
The three entered the exam hall.
As soon as they stepped inside, besides the Konoha participants, they immediately noticed several foreign ninjas wearing Kirigakure forehead protectors.
They had been assigned to different seats throughout the exam hall.
Aside from two people Obito didn't recognize, he knew the rest, at least to some extent.
Obito murmured, "Kirigakure really sent a lot of powerful people this time. This didn't happen in my past life."
Kakashi and Rin both looked at him.
Kakashi leaned in and whispered, "Who are they? Are they famous in the future?"
Obito looked at a brown-haired girl and whispered back.
"That girl is Mei Terumi, the future Fifth Mizukage. She possesses both Lava Release and Boil Release. I wonder how far she's developed her abilities by now."
Then he glanced at a white-haired boy.
"That's Mangetsu Hozuki. See the big sword on his back? That's Hiramekarei, one of the Seven Ninja Swords of the Mist. He was the most talented member of the Seven Swordsmen but died young."
Rin and Kakashi were both shocked. They hadn't expected to be taking the exam alongside a future Mizukage and the Seven Swordsmen.
Rin whispered, "Anyone else?"
Obito nodded and looked at a bandaged boy, "That's Zabuza Momochi, the Demon of the Hidden Mist. In the future, he attempted to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage."
Then Obito paused and looked at Kakashi.
"In the end, he was defeated by none other than you, the famous 'Sharingan Kakashi.'"
Kakashi narrowed his eyes at Zabuza.
'So these people will all become big names in the ninja world, shaping its future…'
'What a strange feeling.'
Obito then turned to a shark-like man, his eyes filled with nostalgia, "It's been a long time, Kisame…"
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