The crowd erupted into a frenzy, sensing that something historic was about to unfold.
In the center of the arena, Shimura Danzō felt his back pressed against the wall, yet deep inside, he allowed himself a small, cruel smirk.
"Uchiha brat," he thought with satisfaction, eyes narrowing on Uchiha Shigure. "You've been fighting continuously. Your chakra reserves are running on fumes. If you insist on dragging yourself into this fight… then don't blame me for what happens next."
He let those dark thoughts harden in his heart, already preparing the excuse. When shinobi clash, casualties were inevitable. No one could condemn him if a reckless child got burned by overreaching.
"Well then," Danzō said aloud, shrugging off the heavy cloak he wore. Beneath it, he fastened tight a dark battle uniform and the bracer strapped on his arm. "I shall 'test' the next generation of Konoha."
Uchiha Shigure's lips curved faintly. He had skillfully lured Danzō into making his move, and now the elder had taken the bait. Both men, however, thought the very same thing as they measured each other: What a fool, this opponent is.
The Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, raised his hand, his long pipe put aside for once. He was to act as referee. He glanced between the two combatants and murmured, half to himself, half to the wind:
"Don't take it too far…"
Whether he was cautioning Danzō, the schemer, or Shigure, the talent ablaze with youthful fire, was impossible to say.
"Begin!"
At the Hokage's signal, the two shinobi surged forward in a blur of motion.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Bullet!" Danzō barked, spitting compressed blasts of air.
But Shigure was already gone.
"The Body Flicker Technique!?" Danzō's brows twitched. His hand seals were not slow, but compared to the boy's speed, he seemed like a sloth. By the time the vacuum blast roared across the ground, Shigure had vanished from sight.
No—he hadn't vanished. He had moved.
"Impossible…" Danzō hissed. "Such mastery of the Body Flicker… Only Namikaze Minato rivals this…"
A flicker behind him. Shigure appeared at his back, closing in like a phantom. Danzō reacted quickly, whipping a concealed kunai from his sleeve, the blade arcing backward in a vicious stab.
But Shigure's hand snared his wrist before the strike could land.
"Fast reflexes," Shigure admitted coolly.
Danzō exhaled sharply, chakra rushing into the blade in his other hand. Shuriken, infused with the slicing edge of his wind nature. In a seamless motion, he cast it wide. The shuriken curved unnaturally, looping around in midair—then spinning back to aim at Shigure's unguarded angle.
Shigure smirked. "Clever shuriken control. But unfortunately for you, Danzō…"
His fingers pulsed with chakra. It was subtle, but for Shigure, every touch left an invisible mark. Anyone he laid his hand upon would be branded with his Flying Thunder God seal.
"…you've already lost."
Danzō snarled, unwilling to concede. "Don't underestimate me, boy!" He bit his thumb and slapped the ground. "Summoning Jutsu!"
A burst of smoke exploded, and a monstrous tapir-like beast emerged with a guttural trumpeting roar. Its trunk inhaled massively, sucking everything around it with gale-force vacuum winds.
Shigure's stance shifted as the pull dragged against his frame. He had no moment to teleport, only quick reflexes.
"Summoning a baku, here!?" Hiruzen's brows furrowed, but his eyes burned steady with calm. He had faith in his disciple's strength. Still, he raised his hand sharply at the barrier corps. "Reinforce the seals! Shield the spectators!"
Layers of chakra barriers shimmered into being.
In the arena, the tapir's voidlike inhale wrenched at Shigure's balance. With his fingers flashing, he formed seals.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
Flames billowed like a miniature sun. The monstrous beast greedily inhaled—only to choke, bellow, and burst into smoke, dismissed at once from the sheer backlash of such dense fire chakra.
But even as Shigure forced a breath of relief, two whirling, razor-sharp wind shuriken screamed through the air toward him.
"So that summons was just bait…" Shigure narrowed his eyes.
The Dragon Fang Blade sang as it rang against the slicing discs, knocking them into the dirt with a metallic crash. The moment he parried, though—
Danzō himself crashed down at his back.
"That shuriken was only bait, too," Shigure murmured coldly, pivoting.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Wave!" Danzō spat, unleashing a swirling blade of air.
But Shigure had already marked his seal. "Flying Thunder God Technique!"
His form twisted, disappearing at once—only to reappear an instant later, directly in front of Danzō's exposed chest. His palm thrust sharply forward, striking Danzō square at a chakra node.
"What!?" Danzō's eyes went wide. He stumbled back, unable to summon his chakra. "Flying Thunder God!? That's… Tobirama-sensei's jutsu!"
He tried to breathe, to force chakra into his lungs, only for it to fizzle, burning uselessly in his tenketsu. "My chakra flow… is blocked!? Could it be… the Hyūga clan's Gentle Fist?"
Shigure didn't answer. His Sharingan glared fiercely as another fist rocketed into Danzō's stomach.
"Urgh!" The elder gagged, spitting bile. His knees buckled under the impact, shame and rage twisting his features.
"You—!" he gasped, clutching his abdomen. He gathered to unleash one of his hidden arts, desperation trembling in his fingers—
"Enough!" The Third Hokage's voice cracked like a thunderclap. Sarutobi stepped forward, hand raised in final judgment. "If this continues, it will spiral beyond control."
Hiruzen's tone brooked no argument. Danzō's jaw worked furiously, but he lowered his hands, fury clogging his throat.
"Lord Danzō—thank you for your guidance." Shigure stepped back, bowing with polite words…but the irrepressible pride on his face made the sting sharper than any insult.
The audience, however, exploded in awe.
"Incredible! Even Danzō-sama was defeated!"
"That boy—he's only five!"
"Genius! He's not human!"
Hiruzen's eyes half-closed, but a faint, satisfied smile touched his lips. "You see for yourselves. This one already carries strength at least level with Danzō. To make him a jōnin… is no exaggeration at all."
The councilors present exchanged glances, then nodded solemnly. Records could be broken. And Shigure—against every reasonable expectation—had broken them all.
Danzō's face was iron gray with fury, yet he swallowed his words. The animosity between him and Shigure had already been cemented back in the joint team competition. Someday, he would have his chance. But not here. Not against Hiruzen's will.
Cheers rolled like thunder across the field. For the first time in history, the title was pronounced:
Uchiha Shigure, the youngest jōnin in the entire shinobi world.
The Chūnin Exam ended in a blaze of triumph. Many excellent genin were promoted, among them Hyūga Akane and Hatake Kusuo. The two of them, however, spent the day in Konoha Hospital, their bandages fresh and stories still raw.
"Akane," Kusuo asked quietly, "your Hyūga clan handles its own promotions, right? Why would you stay with us… instead of climbing your family's rank as one of them?"
Akane lowered her lashes. She opened her mouth, then closed it again. The truth was simple—when she pictured her answer, Shigure's face rose unbidden in her mind.
Kusuo exhaled softly, a knowing smile touching his lips. "I see… makes sense."
Still, his gaze drifted toward the window where sunlight poured in. "Shigure's a jōnin already… I wonder how long it will take for us to catch up."
Akane's lips tightened, but she nodded. "For now, we should heal. Our team's only as strong as the missions we can finish together."
"And we have been growing," Kusuo admitted. "In just a few months, from rookies to chūnin. That's not nothing."
Akane's eyes softened with quiet resolution. Slowly… I am catching up. Step by step, walking his path…
Meanwhile, Shigure stepped out of the crowded arena, a different warmth tugging at his heart. He went straight to the Academy gates, where a familiar cheerful voice rang.
"Brother! You're here!"
Hoshiko sprinted toward him, her eyes sparkling like stars.
"You were incredible!" she beamed. "They showed all the fights on the crystal display—I saw everything!"
Shigure's proud, fierce battle-hardened aura melted at once into gentleness. He rested a hand on her head.
"When I grow up," Hoshiko declared, fists balled tight with determination, "I want to be a great ninja, just like you!"
Shigure's eyes softened. For her sake—for this bond—he would never waver.
And yet, even as Konoha roared in celebration, dark eyes in the shadows watched, lips twisting silently.
The more brightly a flame burns… the more hungrily the darkness waits to snuff it out.
--
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