On the arena stage, Hidemi's eyes were filled with bewilderment. He knew his defeat lay in the hand seals required by his ninja sword technique.
But he couldn't understand why he had been frozen for a moment!
Whether it was normal immobilization or Genjutsu-induced, with his Sharingan active, he should have been fully aware of what had happened.
Suddenly, he recalled that last kunai. He turned around to look.
A seemingly ordinary kunai was embedded in the ground behind him. He vaguely recalled detecting a significant amount of chakra on it, though now there was no trace left.
"First match: Junping Uchiha is victorious!"
Before Hidemi could fully process everything, the referee had already announced the result.
Hearing this, Hidemi sighed and, after forming a reconciliation seal with Junping, exited the arena platform under everyone's gaze.
The arena had been thoroughly cleaned. Spectators enthusiastically discussed the previous match, while the large screen attracted many viewers.
Yet Aozora still stared at a hole on the battlefield, whispering, "There's something wrong with that kunai!"
"It must be related to that kunai. Hidemi wouldn't suddenly slow down reflexively. At that moment, Junping's chakra remained stable without any sign of performing ninjutsu or genjutsu..."
Shisui affirmed Aozora's suspicion but scratched his head, saying, "Still, I can't figure out exactly how Junping managed to freeze Hidemi."
Straining to recall memories from his past life, Aozora suddenly thought of a certain move—one usually belonging to the Nara clan.
Remembering Junping's earlier [Kunai Shadow Clone Jutsu], Aozora felt this guess might just be correct.
Pushing his suspicions aside for now, Aozora snapped back to reality just in time to see the second-round match list appear.
"Junpei Uchiha VS Yoken Uchiha!"
Seeing those two names flash across the screen, Aozora involuntarily twitched the corner of his eye.
Although he had suspected the matches were rigged before, he hadn't expected the manipulation to be this obvious.
Most spectators probably thought it was just lucky coincidence—how fortunate that Junpei and Yoken, two of the weakest fighters, ended up facing each other.
However, Aozora knew it reflected how spots had been allocated.
Junping and Hidemi represented the disciplined training faction, while Junpei and Yoken stood as elite representatives of the police force.
A bit curious now, Aozora wondered: would the next spots be evenly divided between department chief and deputy? Or become an arena for rivalry?
Kintai looked at the names displayed on the giant screen, greatly surprised. Initially hearing these facilities came from the Chunin Exams, he'd assumed fairness in the matches.
Never had he expected cheating within the Chunin Exam setup itself!
Gently shaking his head, Kintai said nothing further.
No matter how many tricks are involved, in the end, everyone must step onto the arena.
And once there, he didn't believe his two guards would fall short.
Even if Fugaku secured one of the instructor positions through deception, the Chief Instructor role would never fall into anyone else's hands.
Watching the intense battle unfold before them, Aozora suddenly asked Shisui, "Brother, what do you think of today's matches?"
After thinking briefly, Shisui replied, "Our clan thrives, with many powerful individuals."
Nodding slightly, then shaking his head again, Aozora asked another question, "Have you ever considered why so many high-ranking clan members are drawn to just one instructor position?"
"Perhaps because instructors enjoy more freedom?"
Shisui caught snippets of the surrounding clan members' discussions.
Aozora interjected, "Wouldn't staying at home be even more freeing? The instructor's salary isn't that great anyway."
Shisui was silent for a moment before replying, "It's about giving back to the clan."
Aozora nodded and said, "Sort of, but not entirely right!"
Under Shisui's questioning gaze, Aozora continued, "They certainly have such thoughts, but more importantly, it's about showing off—to win honor!"
Then Aozora explained, "Except for Ryoichi and Shin Uchiha, none of the participating clan members hold a Jonin title. Even Junpei, who's as strong as they come, is only a Tokubetsu Jonin. To put it simply, outside of battle, they're just your average Chunin or Genin you'd see anywhere in Konoha. Other villagers don't even need to address them with 'sir'!"
Shisui remained quiet. The Uchiha didn't lack for anything else—there were plenty of them holding titles like Chunin and Jonin. He himself had once been one of them.
Aozora then said earnestly, "Brother, aren't you part of the Shadow Guard Team now? Can you suggest something to Lord Hokage?"
"What kind of suggestion?" Shisui asked.
"Right now the village is short-handed. When missions pile up, it damages the village's reputation, leading clients to seek help from other ninja villages instead.
Meanwhile, without proper guidance for these newly graduated Genin, the village's future generations will collapse, leaving the village without a future.
And yet we Uchiha have so many idle ninja. I believe all of them would willingly serve our village and contribute to Konoha.
In the past, Danzo suppressed our clan, deliberately blocking many from promotion. Now that Danzo has defected, it's time for the village to set things right."
At this point, Aozora grabbed Shisui's shoulders and continued, "I'll persuade the Clan Leader to convince everyone to abandon their pursuit of those lost merits from before, encouraging them instead to actively take on village missions. But I also hope you can convince Lord Hokage to treat the Uchiha fairly from now on.
One of us talks to the Clan Leader, while the other convinces Lord Hokage.
If we brothers work together with one heart, we can surely make our clan stronger and our village greater!"
As Aozora spoke, Shisui felt something seemed slightly off—but logically, there wasn't really anything wrong!
Previously, it was Danzo who oppressed the Uchiha, and now that he had defected, the Uchiha indeed deserved fair treatment.
If Lord Hokage agreed, it would benefit both Konoha and the clan without any downside!
Would Lord Hokage accept this?
While Aozora and Shisui spoke in hushed tones, the match ongoing inside the arena was drawing to a close.
Junpei and Yoken were evenly matched, both possessing strength comparable to Tokubetsu Jonin-level ninjas. Wanting victory, neither held back anymore. As fierce moves flew between them, no mercy was shown until finally the bout ended—one suffering serious injuries, the other minor.
After being helped down from the stage, the third match name flickered onto the large screen.
Aozora was naturally curious—who were the remaining contestants?
There were four left—himself and Shin Uchiha were aligned with the Clan Leader, while Ryoichi and Shinki belonged to Kintai's faction.
Was it about securing an instructor position—or competing against Kintai's side for both spots?
Before Aozora could think further, the results quickly appeared on the large screen!
"Uchiha Shin vs Uchiha Ryoichi!"
Seeing the list on the large screen, Kintai's eyes flickered with surprise. Then he smiled at Fugaku beside him and said with admiration, "No wonder you're our clan leader — your judgment is truly fair and impartial!"
Fugaku replied calmly, "Of course."
Kintai chuckled and asked, "But what if both Shin and Aozora end up losing?"
"They're all clan disciples. Isn't it better to let the stronger ones become instructors?"
After a brief pause, Fugaku continued, "Besides, what makes you so sure that Ryoichi and Shinki will win?"
Kintai grinned confidently, "Because they've bled and survived alongside me in hellish battlefields! Because they've held the Front Line for six straight months!"
Fugaku shook his head and calmly replied, "Not enough! Shin has faced death himself, and as for Aozora... he's endured just as many brutal trials as Ryoichi and Shinki."
Kintai was about to speak again, but by then Shin and Ryoichi had already begun fighting on the arena stage, so he shut his mouth and turned his full attention to the duel taking place on the arena.
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