Konoha: This Uchiha is going a bit too far.

Chapter 79 Danzo's Plan, A New Side Story (10,000-word chapter)

Yuzhi had actually considered that she would be called "the evil Uchiha brat" in the future.

For example, the Second Hokage might actually say something like that.

But he never expected that he would be insulted by Hikaru, who was also a member of the Uchiha clan.

This left Yuzhi somewhat bewildered; had she said something wrong?

After thinking it over carefully and recalling what she had said, Yuzhi couldn't help but laugh and cry. Could it be that she had said "I like older people"?

Although it's true, it seems a bit inappropriate to say these things in front of a girl.

"Furthermore, I even played the bad guy in front of Hikaru, to Uchiha Mikoto. Could it be..."

Thinking about this, Yuzhi almost couldn't hold back anymore. Couldn't she think of something better?

Why not think about an eighteen-year-old? After all, no matter how old a man is, he likes eighteen-year-olds.

"Forget it, I'll explain it to her when I have time. At least I can't let her think I'm a pervert."

Yuzhi stroked his chin; he hadn't really taken such a small matter to heart.

As for the evil Uchiha brat, he is one, so it's no big deal.

Besides, strictly speaking, Hikaru is still the evil old Uchiha, so there's no need for anyone to laugh at anyone else.

"Is Minato Namikaze the chief examiner for this year's Jonin Exams?"

Inside an underground laboratory in Konoha.

Orochimaru stared at the scroll in his hand, lost in thought. Although being the examiner for the Jonin Exams wasn't a particularly important position...

However, this also takes into account some external factors, such as the fact that we are currently in a crucial period for the election of the Fourth Hokage.

Orochimaru's thoughts about the Hokage were very complex.

As a member of Konoha, almost everyone has a dream of becoming Hokage, and he is no exception.

Moreover, in his view, there was no one in the entire Hidden Leaf Village who could compete with him.

When it comes to the Fourth Hokage, Orochimaru is undoubtedly the only one worthy of the title!

However, the situation has now changed drastically. As rumors continue to spread in Konoha, this dream seems to be drifting further and further away from him.

He was certain that he was now drifting further and further away from becoming Hokage, and the person responsible for all of this was, without a doubt, Danzo.

"I truly underestimated your ambition, Danzo."

Orochimaru's gaze was somewhat gloomy. He really didn't expect that Danzo, with whom he had always cooperated, would actually betray him like this.

But for some reason, he felt a sense of relief deep inside.

He did care about the Hokage, but it was just a childhood dream. In the war, he had witnessed too much life and death.

His inner self had also undergone some subtle changes, and he sometimes asked himself what he was pursuing.

Is it this childhood dream, or something he truly desires in his heart now?

"Perhaps this could be an opportunity for change?"

Orochimaru casually put down the scroll, stood up, looked at the laboratory in front of him, then shook his head and walked outside.

He was exhausted after a night of experiments and wanted to rest for a bit.

At the same time, he was also thinking about what he should do in this Jonin Exam.

After leaving the laboratory, Orochimaru entered the forest outside.

Konoha's laboratories are mostly hidden in this vast forest, where the lush greenery serves as their best cover.

"However, Danzo hasn't returned yet, and he's basically reassigned all the Root members. Is he busy with the Hokage's affairs?"

Orochimaru looked around and saw that there was no one guarding the laboratory, and he couldn't help but ponder.

Although Orochimaru was tricked by Danzo, he didn't harbor much hatred. He understood the principle of "the victor is king, the loser is villain."

If you fail, it's your own responsibility. It's because you didn't take it seriously enough or you weren't skilled enough. There's no need to make excuses to shirk responsibility.

Of course, there's also the possibility that Danzo has the research materials he wants, so there's no need for him to completely fall out with Danzo.

"However, Danzo could never become Hokage. He was only suited to be the 'Root' buried deep underground, but unfortunately, he lacked self-awareness."

Although he didn't hate Danzo, Orochimaru wouldn't have any friendly thoughts towards him.

Such a person will eventually dig his own grave and jump in, so there's no need to argue with him.

"Um?"

A man was walking slowly through the forest when Orochimaru suddenly heard some noises and headed in that direction.

Before long, he suddenly saw a child standing in the forest, and the child seemed to look familiar.

"It seems to be Uchiha Itachi, the son of Uchiha Fugaku?"

Orochimaru thought to himself, "This brat once asked me about the meaning of life."

He also revealed some of his true feelings, which made him remember this kid.

"Are you training?"

Orochimaru thought to himself, and just then Itachi Uchiha leaped down from the tree.

As he fell, he suddenly shot several kunai into the sky.

These afflictions appeared to fall randomly across the sky, then plummeted straight down.

Uchiha Itachi was right below these kunai, and he was suspended in mid-air with no chance of dodging!

"That kid is too reckless."

Orochimaru frowned upon seeing this, already prepared to make his move.

However, at that moment, Itachi Uchiha's eyes turned incredibly blood red.

His eyes scanned the area quickly, and at the same time he took out the corresponding number of kunai from his ninja tool bag.

Ding, ding, ding

In an instant, all the kunai in his hand flew out and shot rapidly towards the kunai in the sky.

The clanging of metal echoed through the forest, and the kunai that collided with each other flew away in strange arcs.

The moment he landed, the kunai had already struck all the targets placed around him with precision and elegance.

Even the target hidden behind the tree was hit by the refracted Kunushi!

It was all so perfect, like a work of art that captivated the viewer.

Orochimaru stared blankly at the scene, finding it hard to believe that a child could do something like this.

"Is this the Sharingan?"

Looking into Itachi Uchiha's scarlet eyes, Orochimaru had more thoughts in his mind at that moment.

At that moment, his gaze also changed slightly!

Snap, snap, snap—

Suddenly, Orochimaru unconsciously clapped his hands, and the crisp sound immediately brought Itachi Uchiha back to his senses.

In that instant, he even had a chilling feeling of being stared at by a venomous snake!

Looking in the direction of the voice, he paused for a moment before bowing slightly with utmost respect: "Lord Orochimaru."

"You're very good."

Orochimaru kept his eyes fixed on Itachi Uchiha for a while before his gaze returned to a calm state.

A kunai had appeared in his hand without him even noticing; it was the one that Itachi Uchiha had thrown earlier.

"Excellent throwing technique. Many Jonin would feel ashamed to see you throw kunai. You truly are worthy of the Uchiha clan."

"Lord Orochimaru, you flatter me."

Uchiha Itachi remained extremely respectful, but he also felt a sense of unease.

The feeling I just had, as if I were being stared at by a venomous snake, was terrible, and it seemed to have come from the person in front of me.

However, that feeling had disappeared, leaving him somewhat dazed, as if it were an illusion.

"This is no exaggeration. You seem to be even more talented than Uchiha Hagoromo was back then."

Orochimaru chuckled. When Yuu was in the Land of Whirlpools, she was already seven or eight years old, and she didn't awaken her Sharingan as early as this kid in front of her.

Of course, this is just praise. After all, talent is just talent; whether it can be realized is the most crucial thing.

"Speaking of which, have you found the meaning of your life yet?"

"What is the meaning of life?"

Itachi Uchiha pursed his lips, hesitated for a moment, and ultimately said nothing.

"The search continues, Lord Orochimaru."

"Yeah?"

Orochimaru couldn't miss the subtle changes in Itachi Uchiha's emotions, which made Orochimaru feel that something was amiss.

But Orochimaru was one of the Legendary Sannin, so naturally he wouldn't make things difficult for a little kid.

"Then you'd better work hard. Life is inherently confusing, and you'll always be troubled by a lot of things."

Finding meaning in one's own life is incredibly difficult, because sometimes you don't even know if what you're thinking right now is truly what you want.

Perhaps only by stepping outside of a certain circle and looking back can one truly understand what they want.

Orochimaru sighed inwardly as he said this, wondering whether he was speaking to Itachi Uchiha or to himself.

Actually, he wasn't very clear about it either, but it was much better to say it out loud than to keep it to himself.

Orochimaru glanced at Itachi Uchiha one last time, especially at his bloodshot eyes, then turned and silently walked into the forest.

Only Itachi Uchiha remained standing there, seemingly recalling Orochimaru's earlier words.

"Is what I'm thinking now really what I want?"

Uchiha Itachi murmured softly, his mind somewhat dazed at that moment.

He pursed his lips, picked up the kunai on the ground, and prepared to go home. Orochimaru's words had made him lose interest in training.

He walked along the forest toward the Uchiha village, his mind constantly preoccupied with this question.

However, he is still young, and his experience, vision, and current knowledge are insufficient to support him in thinking about problems that even Orochimaru cannot figure out.

But he didn't stop. This question seemed really valuable to him, and he longed to get an answer.

"Right now, all I want is to find the real culprit who killed my father, but what will I want in the future?"

He was still agonizing over this problem when he came to a small hill and suddenly stopped.

The arrival of autumn did not make the leaves appear desolate; instead, the sunlight lazily spread across the entire leaf, creating a unique beauty that reflected in his heart.

"What a nice view."

At this moment, Itachi Uchiha's mind went blank, and for some reason, he didn't want to think about anything.

I just wanted to stand there quietly, appreciating everything about the fallen leaves in this autumn day.

"What a strange kid."

Perhaps because he had finally said what was on his mind, Orochimaru was in a much better mood now.

What happens next is a matter for the future. He may already have an answer as to what he is pursuing, but everything depends on what decision his teacher ultimately makes.

He now wants to get back into experimental mode so that he won't think about too many unimportant things.

"However, I'd better go and watch the Jonin Exams, at least to confirm my stance."

Orochimaru muttered to himself, but as he walked back to the laboratory, he suddenly frowned.

"Has anyone been here?"

He quickly glanced around, and when he noticed some inconspicuous insects on the trees in the area, he understood what was going on.

"Are you back?"

Orochimaru thought to himself, and then he walked directly into the laboratory.

Sure enough, when he entered, he soon saw Danzo sitting in a chair and Ryoma Aburame standing next to him!

"What a rare guest."

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed slightly, then he laughed with a hint of mockery.

"Lord Danzo, I am truly flattered by your presence."

"Orochimaru, I don't have time to joke with you."

Danzo's expression was tense. He knew Orochimaru wouldn't give him any pleasantries, but he had to come now. He, Danzo, absolutely could not give up!

"Be more mature. As one of the Legendary Sannin, don't you understand that sometimes you can stop at nothing to achieve your goals?"

"And as a ninja, don't you act the same way when facing enemies? If you hold a grudge against me for something like this, then I'm truly disappointed."

Danzo's words sounded so grand and righteous, but he himself knew that they were completely untenable.

However, he desperately needs to seek a renewed partnership with Orochimaru, and he also needs to regain control!

During his absence from Konoha, something happened in the village that left him utterly astonished.

For example, the complete annihilation of the Uchiha clan's high-ranking members almost made him laugh out loud, as he was still grieving the loss of his Root clan.

"Good riddance!"

Although he couldn't bring himself to laugh, he couldn't help but feel excited inside, and the whole of Konoha already knew about it, and everyone was talking about it.

This must have been Hiruzen's doing, which greatly reduced the buzz surrounding Orochimaru.

This really helped him a lot, and he deserves to be praised as "good riddance"!

An explosive public opinion can only be overshadowed by one or more other explosive public opinion. The Orochimaru incident has now subsided somewhat.

In Danzo's view, Orochimaru was a promising candidate, which rekindled his ambition.

"Speak, do you need something from me?"

Orochimaru could probably guess what Danzo was thinking, but he wasn't interested in it and simply shook his head calmly and asked.

"And what about your root? Only Aburame Ryoma came here, tsk tsk."

"The roots need to be rebuilt. This time we've encountered a guy with very special eyes."

Danzo was on the verge of losing his composure, but he maintained a calm and collected demeanor.

"That guy defeated and even killed Root, Rain Ninja, and even Hanzo in an instant."

Konoha cannot exist without roots, I think you should know that, and since I have lost this time, I will naturally support you.

Orochimaru, don't you want the Hokage position?

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. He was indeed interested in what Danzo had said, but only in the things mentioned at the beginning.

He instantly killed all the Root members, even Hanzo, and he was a person with strange eyes.

Hanzo left a deep impression on him, and the Sharingan he just saw was also unforgettable.

With these two factors combined, it's hard for him not to be interested.

"We can cooperate again, but you can't skimp on the experimental materials I need, and this time I need detailed information about your operation."

"No problem, but I do have a condition."

Danzo nodded directly; that's how decisive and efficient his cooperation with Orochimaru was.

"I need the shadows; the root reconstruction needs fresh blood, and the shadows are the best supplement."

"what ever."

Orochimaru didn't care about such things at all. Any position was just a bargaining chip, and it wasn't a big deal to give it away as long as it met his needs.

Moreover, based on what he said during his previous meeting with Itachi Uchiha, some of his thoughts are becoming clearer and clearer!

"Okay, it's a pleasure to work with you."

Danzo nodded in satisfaction; now it was up to him to perform.

However, he still had some doubts at this time, because he had been away from Konoha and had limited information.

"Orochimaru, what happened to the Uchiha clan? How come Fugaku Uchiha, Setsuna Uchiha, and the others are all dead?"

"How would I know? I'm not interested."

Orochimaru shook his head, then suddenly he thought of something and couldn't help but laugh.

"But speaking of which, I did meet a very interesting kid, who is currently very confused."

"What do you mean?"

"Itachi Uchiha, Fugaku Uchiha's son, seems to be going through a period of confusion right now. Perhaps you could give it a try, however..."

"Uchiha? Hmph, fine, but what do you want?"

"I want the Sharingan, I know. You have plenty of material for that."

-

Danzo's return was kept very secret; very few people in Konoha knew anything about him.

The same goes for Hagoromo, but even if he knew, he probably wouldn't feel any concern about Danzo now.

Without the Root, Danzo is like a stray dog ​​with its teeth broken. It might still bark wildly because of its status as the "Hokage's assistant," but it's unlikely to cause any real damage.

Besides, this guy is probably thinking about how to cooperate with Orochimaru again right now, and he doesn't have the time, energy, or ability to cause trouble.

"Hurry up! If I remember correctly, it's today. Do you want to be late?"

At Yuri's house, Hikaru, who was already dressed, looked at Yuri, who was still slowly brushing her teeth with a toothbrush hanging from her arm, and couldn't help but shake her head and say something.

Light's aura always comes and goes quickly, even though he had previously cursed Yuri as an evil Uchiha brat.

But after a few days, she gradually recovered, although she still had some emotional outbursts at times.

"Okay, almost there."

Upon hearing Hikaru's words, Hagoromo quickened his pace, and soon after he finished washing up, the two set off together.

This Jonin Exam is very important for Konoha, perhaps because there are a lot of participants, or perhaps to boost Konoha's morale.

The assessment adopts an open spectator approach, which means that everyone can watch this competition.

Yuri even heard that the Third Daimyo seemed to intend to invite the Daimyo to watch the match, but whether that was true or not was unknown.

"If it's true, this is probably Minato Namikaze's platform too..."

Yuri thought to herself, after all, Minato Namikaze was the chief examiner this time, the most conspicuous person besides the contestants.

The daimyo could clearly see him upon arriving, which was of unimaginable benefit to Minato Namikaze's dream of becoming Hokage.

However, none of this concerns him. He has said everything he needed to say, and the rest will unfold as he remembers it, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Moreover, his most important matters now are his family and, naturally, his own experiments.

"What are you thinking about? Are you worried about the upcoming assessment?"

Walking down the street, Hikaru noticed that Yuki looked absent-minded and asked her curiously.

"No, the assessment shouldn't be too difficult."

Upon hearing this, Yuzhi casually offered an excuse to explain.

"I'm thinking about our experiment. The Divine Tianjin technique is very useful, but the intervals are too long and the consumption is also quite high."

I'm starting to worry that my pupil strength won't hold up before I even figure out the right solution.

The Divine Heaven technique is indeed excellent, but its cooldown and cost make it difficult for the Feathered Robe to keep up.

Although he has been using the ability to "predict the future by customizing preconditions", this ability consumes relatively little resources and has a slightly faster cooldown.

However, even the shortest cooldown takes three to five days, and the resource consumption is tied to the number of simulated fragments, which is not very user-friendly.

Is it difficult?

Upon hearing that it was about an experiment, they immediately became slightly serious.

"If the energy expenditure is too high, I suggest you stop now or take a more gradual approach."

You can't risk damaging your eyes over something so far-fetched; that would be a huge loss.

"Don't worry, I've actually accumulated a lot of experience from all those simulations."

Yuzhi nodded and smiled as he spoke.

"You've seen the simulations; hasn't the situation been getting better with each iteration?"

"Even so, I still hope you can be more mindful."

These experimental haori were always done together with Hikari, so she naturally witnessed the progress in the simulated fragments time and time again.

But she was still worried that something might happen to Yuzhi's eyes, and she didn't really believe in the technique.

Fate is unpredictable. If you create a precondition to simulate the future, who knows if something will happen along the way?

Fugaku Uchiha was the owner of this eye technique, but in the end, wasn't he still killed by them?

"Haori, Hibari, over here, over here!"

The two walked briskly towards the training ground for the assessment. Just as they reached the gate, Lin waved to them from afar.

Good morning.

Yuzhi walked over and said with a smile, while Ying nodded slightly to everyone.

"Why are you two taking so long? We're almost at the back of the field to get ready."

Asuma asked the two, Haori and the others, with curiosity. They almost got late for something like this. These two really didn't take this assessment seriously.

"He's too slow, I've been waiting for him."

Hikaru glanced at Haori beside him, who shrugged speechlessly.

"You two live so close together, that's really convenient."

When Akai heard this, he laughed and said, "Living so close to Yuzhi means we can spar often!"

The person he most wants to challenge right now is Yuzhi, even though he knows he has no chance of being her match.

But Yuzhi told him that he inherited his father's will, and wasn't his father fearless and tireless?

"Ha, it's alright."

Yuzhi smiled, but thought to herself: How could it not be close? She lives in my house.

"I'm really envious of you. I think you two will probably get engaged someday."

Asuma pursed his lips, thinking to himself that he also wanted to live so close to Kurenai.

His words caused Haori and Hikaru to exchange a glance before quickly looking away.

If Uchiha Setsuna and the others were still alive, such a thing might be possible, since Hagoromo is already quite old.

But now that everyone's dead, who among the remaining people would dare to arrange an engagement for Yuzhi?

"Who knows what the future holds? We're all still young," Yuri shrugged and replied.

"Tch, you bastard."

Asuma looked at Haori's face, resisting the urge to punch him twice, and then said in a low voice.

"By the way, Yuzhi, I heard from the old man that he plans to give you the reward for your battle achievements this time."

"Battle merit rewards?"

Yu Zhi was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, and then he realized that he hadn't received Konoha's reward yet!

Since the end of the war, he has been dealing with problems within his clan, while in Konoha, the war is not yet completely over and the village is preparing for the Fourth Hokage.

Everyone was extremely busy, so the matter remained at the stage where Konoha was promoting him wildly, but the actual reward had not yet been issued.

Yuzhi was also a little curious about what kind of reward Konoha would give her.

After thinking it over, he figured that all he might have were some money and secret techniques.

After all, he is an Uchiha, and even if Konoha wanted to give him some official rewards, his family's connections with the police department would basically cut off those opportunities.

Thinking of this, Yuzhi lost interest. Although having something was better than not having it, it was of little use to him.

However, while he thought this way, others were extremely envious.

What ninjas pursue naturally is strength and fame, and the rewards for war heroes are certainly not bad; those secret techniques can definitely help people improve again.

For a while, they kept congratulating Yuzhi, but no one was jealous.

After all, Yuzhi's achievements are all genuine!

Just as they were chatting, a member of the secret service came to inform them that they could enter and make preparations.

"Speaking of which, the exam was randomly drawn, so I wonder if we'll be drawn together."

Asuma muttered something under his breath, glanced at Yuki, and said with a headache.

"Let's make this clear first, if you get picked, don't go too far. Hong should be watching from the stands, don't embarrass me too much."

"I don't think the third generation will let you draw mine."

Haori shrugged and replied with a smile, but her words made Asuma's face darken.

He hadn't wanted to draw the haori before, but that time in the Land of Grass had really left a deep impression on him, and he knew he was no match for it.

But now he'd rather draw the haori; at least that would prove there was no cheating.

"This Uchiha Itachi is quite interesting."

Inside the Root Base, Danzo stared at the documents in his hand, lost in thought.

The base was so desolate at this moment, with no fighting force to speak of except for some clerical staff and reserve personnel.

However, Danzo had already calmed down by then, and after returning, he had already met with the Third Hokage.

Although he was severely reprimanded, he ultimately achieved his goal—his roots were preserved.

Danzo often felt that his old friend was too weak, so he had to handle many things himself.

But now he thinks it's better for his old friend to be a little weak sometimes.

The roots were preserved, but it will take time for them to regain their fighting strength.

High-caliber talent wouldn't come here, and the powerful families have a very bad impression of him, so he has to take over the Dark Division!

"I will remain rooted deep in the earth, serving Konoha—something these shallow people will never understand!"

Danzo thought to himself, of course he could also use the most forceful means to force those powerful families to hand over their people.

He has full confidence in the Dark Division, which is why he hasn't done so yet, but now he can start selecting talent for himself in advance.

Itachi Uchiha was recommended by Orochimaru. Although he looked down on Orochimaru, he still believed in the mutual respect between geniuses.

He knew about Itachi Uchiha's situation; the kid seemed to be a genius, having already been on the battlefield at a young age.

Moreover, his situation now seems dire; his father is dead, and a brutal power struggle has begun within the Uchiha clan.

After all, the position of clan leader was not inherited, so after Fugaku Uchiha died, Itachi Uchiha did not have enough power, so naturally no one paid attention to him.

"Furthermore, the deaths of Fugaku Uchiha, Setsuna Uchiha, and others were shrouded in mystery. Was it an internal coup?"

Danzo was very perceptive. Although the Uchiha were a bunch of lunatics, he didn't believe the outside narrative.

He prefers to believe that this was premeditated and an action aimed at securing family power!

"Orochimaru said this kid is confused, which probably means he's feeling uneasy. This is a good opportunity."

Danzo put down the documents in his hand and quickly began to think about what to do.

Itachi Uchiha's unease and confusion are the best outcome, so that he can appear and tell this brat that he can teach him, help him find the murderer, and take revenge.

As for who the murderer is, that's not important. It doesn't matter who it is. Whoever seems more important in the Uchiha clan, then that person can be the murderer.

"And he's even asking Orochimaru about something as profound as 'the meaning of life,' but I can help him define one."

Everything is for Konoha. Doing things for me is for Konoha. Being loyal to me is being loyal to Konoha!

Danzo already had a complete picture in his mind. Although he despised the Uchiha, he also knew about their power.

Danzo would be more than happy to recruit such a genius from the Uchiha clan and thoroughly cultivate him into one of his own!

"Furthermore, he has awakened the Sharingan, so his future achievements will at least be no less than that Uchiha Haori's, especially compared to me."

Danzo loathed Haori, the war hero, even though he acknowledged everything Haori had done.

However, any Uchiha who is not under his control and whom he would not trust at all could potentially become the next Madara Uchiha!

However, he also knew in his heart that becoming Uchiha Madara was a concept, that he inherited Uchiha Madara's ideas, not his strength.

Even if all the Uchiha clans in Konoha combined, they couldn't reach the level of Madara Uchiha.

After all, they don't even have a pair of kaleidoscopes right now!

"Although Uchiha Haori is a genius, the current chaos in his clan will probably hinder his progress, so it's better this way."

Danzo thought to himself that he didn't know if Haori would have a chance to activate the Kaleidoscope, but even if she did, he was too worried.

The Second Hokage left behind many ways to deal with the Uchiha clan, and even the Mangekyou Sharingan, as a precaution against this clan.

If Itachi Uchiha came to him, he could try to awaken his Mangekyou Sharingan, which would be equivalent to him mastering the power of the Mangekyou Sharingan!

"Ryuma." With that thought, Danzo said in a low voice, "Go and monitor Uchiha Itachi. I need all his movements."

"Yes, sir!" Aburame Ryoma nodded, then disappeared into the darkness.

"Uchiha Itachi," Danzo murmured softly, "I hope you won't disappoint me."

-

"There are so many people?"

Standing at the entrance to the training ground for participants, one can see the densely packed crowd inside the training ground.

Below, in several separate areas, people were fighting hard for advancement. She couldn't help but mutter something under her breath.

It's still just a selection process; there are just too many participants, so we have to weed out some of them.

Even though it was just a selection process, so many people came to watch, which she didn't quite understand.

Especially since most of the spectators are ordinary people or those who are not very strong, do they really understand ninja battles?

"Of course there are more people, after all, this is a way to boost morale."

Despite the noise, Yuzhi still heard her voice and explained with a smile.

"The war was too brutal, and there is still one village that has not signed a ceasefire agreement."

Konoha itself has also suffered heavy losses, so it needs to use various means to consolidate its strength and boost morale.

This Jonin Exam is clearly the same; whether others can understand it or not is not important.

All they need to see is their village's ninjas displaying formidable fighting prowess; that's enough.

She seemed to understand what Yuzhi was saying. Yuzhi's words were simple and easy to understand, so she naturally understood them.

But after hearing these words, she had a very strange feeling.

Why do your words remind me of when I used to watch animals hunt in the forest?

"Uh, you mean the monkeys in the zoo?"

"A zoo? What's that? A place for people to watch animals?"

"Yes, that's right."

Yuri realized that she hadn't actually taken Hikaru to the zoo, but strictly speaking, she herself hadn't been since she traveled to this point.

But there's nothing wrong with that statement itself; it's just that it sounds rather unpleasant, but it's also the truth.

"Never mind, I don't really understand what you guys are thinking, but do you think we might draw the same number?"

Hikaru seemed too lazy to think about the topic anymore, and instead looked at Hagoromo with amusement and asked.

"Although my memory is a bit hazy, you remember how disheveled you looked when you first rescued me."

"You have the nerve to say that? I rescued you, and you almost killed me instead."

It would have been better if we hadn't talked about it, because Yuzhi felt a bit depressed when this topic came up, because he was in real danger back then!

"Who knows who you really are? All I know is that you use the Sharingan, that's all."

Guang Guang shrugged while looking at the haori, then spoke seriously.

"This time, let's have a real competition. No need for the kaleidoscope; I want to see what this so-called hero is really like."

"Of course we can't use that, but I think I can win."

When Hao heard Hikaru's words, he couldn't help but laugh. He had never really fought Hikaru properly before.

"You're really confident."

Guang gently shook her head, and after thinking for a moment, she spoke.

"Okay, if I win, you'll be in charge of washing the dishes from now on; if I lose, you're in charge of the rest."

"Then I'll win. You can cook, and I'll do the dishes."

Although Yuzhi really wanted to say, "Will you still live with me after we move?", he didn't dare to say it out loud.

Moreover, considering that I seem to have misallocated my skill points, it seems nice to have someone cook for me.

[A new side quest has been obtained]

Just as Yuzhi was pondering this, the system in his mind suddenly refreshed.

This startled Yuzhi for a moment, and then he looked curiously at his mission interface.

[1. Defeat Uchiha Hikaru and complete the assessment with a perfect record]

[2. Intentionally lose to Uchiha Hikaru in order to pass the test]

[Task rewards unknown]

Upon seeing these two task options, Yuzhi's lips twitched involuntarily. This damn system really does give him two contradictory options all the time.

However, Yuzhi was still very happy to receive the side quest. His last side quest was when he met that kid Shisui.

Now, finally, another side quest has appeared, and it's about dealing with light, which means he can now exploit light!

The sheer power of the Light Eye Technique had completely won her over. If she could get anything from it, it would be a huge windfall for Yuzhi.

"It seems I'm determined to win this time."

While losing to Hikaru is acceptable, the key issue is that if he deliberately loses, Hikaru will likely get angry.

Like other Uchiha, she has a certain pride. She can accept defeat, but she probably doesn't like to win by letting others win.

This assessment was nothing to her, especially since she possessed the Sharingan and could see the details of the haori.

"Most importantly, aside from not revealing too much about my eye technique abilities, I shared everything else with her."

Thinking about this, Yuzhi was basically certain that he really needed to fight seriously.

"What are you thinking about? It's your turn."

Yuzhi made a decision in his heart, but Hikaru suddenly nudged him to remind him.

Just then, cheers suddenly erupted throughout the entire training ground, the huge sound even stopping those actually fighting in other areas.

"So fast?"

Upon hearing the enthusiastic cheers, Yui couldn't help but smile slightly before speaking to Hikaru.

"I'm thinking about what to eat tonight."

"You talk like you've got me figured out."

Guang rolled his eyes before urging him on.

"Hurry up, don't keep people waiting."

"Um."

Yuzhi nodded, then seemed to have thought of something and whispered.

"By the way, you actually misunderstood me last time."

"What misunderstanding?"

"I like people older than me, but I'm not even engaged yet, so how could I possibly be interested in someone with children? Don't get me wrong."

After saying that, Yuzhi walked towards the arena without looking back.

And as he appeared, the cheers became even more enthusiastic, while Hikaru stood blankly in the stands.

Recalling Yuzhi's words, her face suddenly flushed after a while, but also showed a hint of confusion.

"well?"

Thank you so much, Arctic Storm EX, for the generous donation!

(End of this chapter)