Under the eager gazes of the crowd, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally appeared at the exam grounds.
The moment he stepped into view, cheers erupted across the area. Though advanced in age, his popularity in Konoha remained immense.
After all, he loved giving speeches at the Ninja Academy—and he especially enjoyed personally handing out forehead protectors to newly graduated children.
"So it's finally starting…"
Seeing the Third Hokage appear, Uchiha Fugaku straightened slightly. His feelings toward Hiruzen were, truthfully, complicated.
Originally, he had placed great hopes in the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato. Minato's relationship with him had been fairly amicable, and with the Fourth in power, Fugaku believed the relationship between Konoha and the Uchiha could gradually ease—perhaps even truly integrate.
But fate was cruel.
That brilliant Hokage had already fallen.
As for the Third Hokage, while he seemed well-intentioned, the Nine-Tails Incident and everything that followed made it painfully clear that Hiruzen did not trust the Uchiha as much as Minato had.
Still… there will be opportunities, Fugaku thought quietly. Shisui is our hope. And in the future, perhaps Itachi as well…
At that moment, Hiruzen spoke.
"Since everyone is present, we will begin the examination."
The participants were all experienced shinobi, so Hiruzen didn't waste words. He directly announced the rules.
The Chūnin Exam wasn't particularly complicated. The earlier rounds had already eliminated most candidates who needed to be cut.
The final assessment focused primarily on combat ability, and there was considerable flexibility in how that was judged.
Victory wasn't mandatory.
As long as one performed excellently and demonstrated the qualities befitting a chūnin, passing was possible.
Soon, the match order was drawn.
And the very first examinee—
Uchiha Itachi.
"Well, that saves me some trouble."
Standing beside Hiruzen, Ren didn't hesitate at all. He immediately stepped forward and walked into the training field.
"Examinee Uchiha Itachi, please step forward."
However, Ren's appearance instantly stirred murmurs throughout the crowd.
"That's the examiner?"
"He's so young!"
"Hey, was this specially arranged for the Uchiha or something?"
While shinobi strength couldn't be judged by age alone, older shinobi were generally far more experienced.
Even if I can't overpower you, surely my combat experience surpasses yours, right?
"These people really are underestimating Ren…"
Among the spectators, Yūgao frowned slightly. She knew Ren's strength all too well.
"Ren is indeed very strong. It's just that most people don't know it."
Tenzō nodded in agreement. After leaving Root, he had gradually adapted to a new life—and he needed more friends.
To him, Ren, who had also "left Root," was naturally someone he felt close to.
"I've heard that Ren, since he started taking missions, has already killed—"
"Cough, cough!"
Before Tenzō could finish, Kakashi cut him off.
"Details of classified missions don't need to be discussed. We're ANBU—people not knowing is normal."
Kakashi happened to be off-duty that day. To avoid being dragged off by Guy, he'd come along himself.
Now, he was very glad he did. If Tenzō kept talking, who knew what kind of trouble might follow?
"Nii-san! You can do it!"
"Itachi, good luck!"
Seeing that Ren only looked a little older than Itachi, Sasuke and Uchiha Izumi immediately grew excited, shouting encouragement.
Itachi smiled and nodded toward them, then quickly stepped onto the field.
The moment he did, the smile vanished from his face—replaced by a composure utterly mismatched with his age.
"Senior, please guide me."
He bowed deeply, his tone sincere.
Though Ren appeared only slightly older than him, Itachi had no intention of underestimating him.
After all, his beloved elder brother Shisui had repeatedly warned him to take Ren extremely seriously.
Shisui had even said something like, 'Even if it were me, my chances wouldn't necessarily be high.'
Itachi knew exactly how strong Shisui was.
For someone like Ren to be described that way… said everything.
And beyond that—
He had every reason to be serious.
"Oh? You're quite polite."
Ren raised an eyebrow, smiling faintly.
"But your eyes tell me… you want to defeat me, don't you?"
"Yes, Senior."
Itachi didn't deny it. His gaze flicked briefly toward the family cheering for him in the crowd before turning resolute.
"I have reasons I cannot afford to lose. And since this is an examination, I must go all out."
For his younger brother, Itachi believed he could give up everything.
Shisui was watching. Izumi was cheering for him. His parents were here.
He didn't want to disappoint any of them.
Fortunately for him, Ren didn't know what he was thinking. Otherwise, Ren might have asked—
Is this the reason you eventually killed them?
"It seems your family relationships are quite good."
Ren suddenly flashed a mischievous grin. Before Itachi could respond, he nodded lightly.
"An exam does require full effort. Honestly, I'd like to go all out too. But Shisui kept reminding me not to injure you.
"Still, you're just a kid, and I'm the examiner. It's only natural for you to fight with everything you've got."
"..."
Itachi fell briefly silent.
You don't seem that much older than me…
"Examiner and examinee are in position. Match—begin!"
As the Third Hokage's voice rang out, the crowd exploded with cheers.
"Senior, please!"
Itachi's eyes instantly transformed into the Sharingan, crimson pupils spinning with tomoe as he formed the Confrontation Seal.
"Then let's begin."
Ren shrugged casually and drew a kunai.
He already knew exactly how he would complete this mission. It might be troublesome—but it certainly wasn't difficult.
Whoosh—!
In an instant, Ren surged forward.
Like a phantom, he appeared directly in front of Itachi.
"What—?!"
The calm expression on Itachi's face shattered. Shisui had told him Ren was fast.
But fast to the point where his eyes could see, yet his body couldn't react—
That was something he truly hadn't expected.
A punch roared forward.
The violent pressure of the fist alone made Itachi's face sting.
At the last possible moment, he twisted his body sharply to the side, narrowly avoiding a direct hit.
"Nii-san!"
Sasuke cried out, stunned by how dangerous the opening exchange had been.
But in the deafening noise of the crowd, Itachi—fully focused—heard nothing.
Especially as Ren closed in, leaned close to his ear, and whispered a single sentence that echoed relentlessly in his mind.
"Do you remember… the Root shinobi you once defeated?"
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