In the central tower of the Forest of Death,
Uzumaki Raiden was eating melon seeds while watching the various screens on the monitor, looking quite comfortable. Suddenly, the door of the monitoring room opened, and Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui walked in one after another. Their arrival immediately attracted everyone's attention. Uzumaki Raiden turned his head and saw that Shisui and Itachi were neatly dressed. He couldn't help but ask curiously,
"Shisui, Itachi, haven't you encountered any enemies?"
"It seems there was no battle?"
Faced with Uzumaki Raiden's doubts, Shisui stepped forward and reported, "Master, we met him, but we couldn't catch him."
"The other party has the Sharingan and appears to have mastered space-time ninjutsu. Neither I nor Itachi could stop him."
"Space-time ninjutsu!" Uzumaki Raiden tossed the melon seeds onto the table upon hearing those words. He looked at Shisui intently before continuing,
"What did that person do? Did he attack Naruto and Karin?"
"Could it be that Akatsuki is already preparing to collect the Tailed Beasts?" Uzumaki Raiden asked Shisui, but at the same time, he was asking himself. When it came to Akatsuki, Uzumaki Raiden had never let his guard down. When Kakashi and Itachi were sent out to investigate the organization, they hadn't obtained much useful information.
He had long since lost control of Akatsuki. Uzumaki Raiden had also asked Orochimaru about the organization after taking control of him, but the reply he got was unclear. Orochimaru had left Akatsuki years ago, and during his time in the organization, he had only participated in its war missions, never truly touching its core essence.
Therefore, Uzumaki Raiden's impression of Akatsuki remained that of a terrorist organization.
"Their actions were not as you guessed, Master."
"They don't seem to be particularly interested in Naruto and Karin's Jinchūriki status. This time, that person sought out Sasuke."
"And he cast a genjutsu on Sasuke. Although Shisui dispelled it before coming here, genjutsu has a unique ability..."
Uchiha Itachi took over the conversation and explained to Raiden. Though he didn't finish his sentence, Uzumaki Raiden understood what he meant. The biggest difference between genjutsu and ninjutsu was that genjutsu could transmit thoughts, allowing the caster to show the target something and subtly change their way of thinking.
Even though the genjutsu on Sasuke had been lifted, no one could be sure what had been shown to him or whether it would affect his judgment. This was, without a doubt, a hidden danger.
"Sasuke?"
Uzumaki Raiden whispered in surprise, rubbing his chin as he thought. Orochimaru was already under his control, and there were no others eyeing Sasuke's body. So why would someone infiltrate the Chūnin Exams for Sasuke? The intruder was a surviving Uchiha—if they were after higher-quality Sharingan, their target should have been Shisui or Itachi.
Uzumaki Raiden hadn't expected anyone to focus on Sasuke.
"Is this the fate of Asura and Indra? Has Black Zetsu noticed Sasuke? Or is it something else?"
"Is this a plan to drive a wedge between Naruto and Sasuke so that these destined children can't work together to seal Kaguya?"
Uzumaki Raiden knew many of the ninja world's secrets and secretly speculated about why Sasuke had been targeted. Although the Akatsuki members had changed greatly due to his influence, Uzumaki Raiden knew exactly who his final opponent was and that Black Zetsu's ultimate goal was to resurrect Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.
As long as he knew that Black Zetsu was behind everything, he could decipher why things were unfolding this way. The current ninja world was too peaceful—so peaceful that there was no opportunity to unify the Tailed Beasts. Additionally, Konoha had grown too strong, to the point that even Black Zetsu wouldn't dare act recklessly.
If Black Zetsu wanted to achieve his goal, the first step would be to throw the ninja world into chaos. But Akatsuki alone might not be enough at this stage.
"Nagato's Rinnegan is merely Uchiha Madara's deposit with him, and I have already tampered with it. It is no longer a threat."
"Even if Black Zetsu uses Akatsuki to revive Uchiha Madara at his peak, I won't lose to him now."
"Let's see what Black Zetsu, the mastermind behind the chaos in the ninja world, has left to offer."
"Don't keep me waiting—I'm waiting for you to make your move!"
Uzumaki Raiden tapped the table lightly, a confident smile on his face. Seeing Itachi's worried expression, he reassured him,
"Itachi, don't worry about Sasuke."
"Just keep an eye on your brother when you have free time. The other party won't act again so soon."
"A short-term genjutsu can't change the essence of a person. Sasuke is a kind child—he won't go astray."
Raiden's words gave Itachi some comfort. Hearing them, Itachi felt slightly more at ease.
The appearance of the Uchiha remnants did not affect the progress of the third stage of the Chūnin Exams. Before long, the first team to collect both the "Heaven" and "Earth" scrolls arrived at the tower. Unsurprisingly, the first team to pass was Gaara's team from Sunagakure.
They had arrived very quickly, to the point that the examiners were shocked. They even retrieved the surveillance footage of Gaara's team and handed it to Raiden. However, Raiden didn't bother to watch. What might seem unbelievable to others was simply routine to him.
As time passed, more teams arrived one after another. Naruto's team also arrived just in time, successfully reaching the central tower. Everyone in Team 7 had dirt-streaked bodies, torn clothes, and various wounds on their exposed hands.
On their journey, Team 7 had encountered several battles. Naruto and Karin were in good spirits, curiously looking around the tower, proud of having passed this stage of the exam. However, Sasuke Uchiha, walking at the back, had a somber expression and a heavy heart.
Upon their arrival, Uchiha Itachi saw Sasuke's expression through the surveillance screen. Seeing Sasuke deep in thought, Itachi's brows furrowed.
"This stage of the assessment is over, Itachi. Shisui, let's go to the training ground."
"Let's see how these students who passed perform in actual combat!"
Uzumaki Raiden glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. Seeing that the assessment had ended, he got up from his seat and left the monitoring room.
In the Training Field of the Central Tower
Nine groups, totaling 27 people who had successfully passed the assessment, walked through the corridor one after another and gathered in the training field. The pass rate of the Forest of Death assessment was not high—most participants had failed, and some had even lost their lives.
When the Genin arrived at the training ground, they found that all the Chūnin and Jōnin who had taken part in the exam were already gathered. Even the instructors of the teams that had passed were present.
Not only them, but also the Hokage of Konoha, Namikaze Minato, was there, quietly waiting for the arrival of the ninja. Beside Namikaze Minato, Uzumaki Raiden, with a long blade at his waist, walked into the field behind Uchiha Sasuke, his gaze landing on him carefully.
"Without the presence of foreign chakra, the genjutsu has indeed been dispelled." Uzumaki Raiden sensed it briefly, nodded to himself, then shifted his attention elsewhere.
Several teams from Konoha had successfully passed the exam this time. The well-known Konoha Twelve had all advanced. Among the crowd, Uzumaki Raiden spotted a pink-haired girl, and he couldn't help but be surprised.
"Haruno Sakura also passed the exam? This girl is quite lucky to make it this far."
Uzumaki Raiden hadn't expected to see Haruno Sakura among the successful candidates. Originally, she was supposed to be part of Team 7 alongside Naruto and Sasuke, but due to Karin's inclusion, she had been reassigned. Raiden had assumed this ordinary civilian girl would fade into obscurity, yet here she was, still progressing.
Most of the Konoha participants who had made it this far were from ninja clans. Meanwhile, in other villages, apart from the Sand shinobi, most of the Genin were in their late twenties or thirties. For Sakura to break through and reach this stage, it was indeed remarkable.
"I'm so hungry!" Chōji groaned, patting his belly in the queue of Genin.
Beside him, Shikamaru scanned the crowded field and sighed. "Why are there so many people? How troublesome."
Their team's success in passing the exam had been 70% luck. In terms of raw strength, they were at a disadvantage compared to many of the others present.
As the Genin observed their competition, the Chūnin and Jōnin standing behind Minato also assessed the examinees.
Might Guy noticed Team 7 in the crowd and glanced at Kakashi beside him. He couldn't help but say,
"Kakashi, your team sure is lucky, but as long as my team is here, don't expect an easy victory."
"The next stage will be a test of real strength."
"Ah~ Youth is sometimes sour and sometimes severe! Kakashi!"
Might Guy had always viewed Kakashi as a rival, and this rivalry extended to their students. He genuinely hoped that his students would surpass those taught by Kakashi.
"Huh? What did you say?" Kakashi turned his head, picking his ear with his pinky, a blank look on his face. He completely ignored Guy's competitive remarks.
"Ugh—" Guy's expression stiffened. Then, clenching his fists, he thought to himself:
"Not bad! My rival Kakashi, you always have this infuriatingly cool attitude. So frustrating!!!"
Instead of getting angry, Guy found Kakashi's indifference admirable—it was precisely this kind of cool demeanor that made Kakashi a worthy opponent. Lately, Guy had felt at a disadvantage in their rivalry, but this only fueled his fighting spirit.
"Hey, what's going on in Guy's head?"
Uzumaki Raiden, noticing the wild fluctuations in Guy's emotions, glanced back at him and Kakashi. Seeing Raiden's gaze, Guy immediately stiffened and stood obediently, lowering his head.
"Hey, is that Teacher Guy's eternal rival? It looks like Teacher Guy completely lost this time!"
"Lord Raiden's aura is so overwhelming—just one look, and even Teacher Guy didn't dare to move."
In the Genin lineup, Tenten also noticed the interaction between Guy and Kakashi, curiously observing Kakashi. His indifferent and aloof demeanor left a strong impression on her. At the same time, she noticed Uzumaki Raiden, the Fourth Hokage of Konoha, standing out prominently among the crowd.
"Konoha's Fifth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, and the Fourth Hokage, Uzumaki Raiden… With such powerful figures guarding this village, is Father's plan really going to work?"
Kankurō's attention was focused on Minato and Raiden. The two Hokage exuded completely different temperaments—one as bright as the sun, and the other as deep as the night. But no one knew how much danger lurked beneath Raiden's calm demeanor.
Kankurō knew that this was what true strength looked like.
A truly strong person exuded confidence, and confidence led to a composed and firm demeanor. Conversely, those who bared their fangs too quickly were often the weakest.
"Heheheheheh…"
"I want to kill all of them!"
Gaara trembled slightly—perhaps out of excitement. He covered his forehead with one hand, his gaze locked onto Sasuke Uchiha from the corner of his eye, brimming with killing intent. Even the chakra of Shukaku, the One-Tailed Beast, began to leak out in response to his emotions.
"Hmm?" Uzumaki Raiden, ever perceptive, focused his gaze on Gaara and let out a quiet sigh. Then, an immense chakra pressure enveloped Gaara.
Raiden's suppression was highly targeted—only Gaara was affected, while those around him remained unaware.
Gaara, caught under this crushing force, lowered his hand in shock and looked directly at Uzumaki Raiden, his eyes filled with surprise.
At that moment, Gaara could feel a foreign chakra seeping into him, reinforcing his seal. The once-loose containment on Shukaku had been subtly tightened. However, Gaara sensed that if he truly willed it, he could still break the seal.
Yet now, Shukaku's chakra would no longer leak uncontrollably whenever Gaara's emotions fluctuated. It wasn't just a reinforcement of the seal—it was a complete perfection of it.
Realizing this, Gaara's expression in Uzumaki Raiden's eyes became even more astonished.
In response, Uzumaki Raiden simply smiled—a rare, gentle expression.
Since the death of his uncle, it was the first time someone had looked at him with such warmth.
Raiden's smile carried an indescribable appeal, instantly calming Gaara's emotions.
"Next, Lord Minato will explain the rules of this stage. I hope everyone listens carefully!"
The Genin lineup, previously noisy, fell into silence. Anko stepped forward, spoke in a loud voice, and then stepped aside to make way for Minato.
Namikaze Minato took a few steps forward, standing before the gathered ninja. He cleared his throat and said,
"Before I officially explain the rules of this stage—"
"I want to tell you all one thing first: the true purpose of the Chūnin Exams! Why do we collaborate with our allies?"
(End of Chapter)