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Time flew, and the final round of the Chūnin Exams began.
Only eight participants remained out of the original nine.
Dosu Kinuta, one of Orochimaru’s subordinates, had challenged Gaara to prove himself but was killed effortlessly.
Dosu challenged Gaara because Gaara was Sasuke Uchiha’s opponent in the final round. Knowing Orochimaru’s focus on Sasuke, Dosu, feeling resentful, planned to defeat Sasuke himself in front of everyone.
To do that, he first needed to eliminate Gaara. Unfortunately, his strength was insufficient; it was a suicide mission. Orochimaru’s subordinates were loyal, but most weren’t very bright.
“Well, Konoha certainly put on a grand show.” Shin observed the meticulously decorated venue. It was Konoha’s face to the world; naturally, they’d put effort into the presentation.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was present. It was the final round; the Hokage had to appear.
Besides Hiruzen, Orochimaru, disguised as Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage, was also there. His disguise was excellent; Shin hadn’t recognized him initially.
Hiashi Hyūga was also present, sitting beside Hiruzen.
Orochimaru glanced at Hiashi, frowning slightly. Hopefully, he won’t interfere with his plan.
“Hiashi, we meet again.” Hiruzen masked his complex feelings with a welcoming smile, as if genuinely happy to see Hiashi.
‘Old fox,’ Hiashi cursed inwardly.
“I hear your daughter is also participating in these Chūnin Exams?”
“Yes. My daughter also needs some training,” Hiashi replied coolly.
“Oh? Isn’t the Mizukage worried his daughter might encounter danger?” Orochimaru, disguised as the Kazekage, spoke with a barbed tone, clearly irritating Hiashi.
“I’m not concerned. My daughter has been trained by Shin Uzumaki. I trust she can handle these exams. Perhaps the Fourth Kazekage should worry more about his own son.” Hiashi sneered back at Orochimaru.
Orochimaru’s eyes narrowed slightly. He discreetly observed Hinata Hyūga.
Trained by Shin Uzumaki? Looks like I need to avoid his daughter during my plan. He didn’t want to incur Shin Uzumaki’s wrath.
Hiruzen Sarutobi’s face darkened slightly. Shin Uzumaki is still in Konoha? The thought made Hiruzen uneasy.
“Where is Sasuke Uchiha? Why isn’t he here? I’m quite interested in this Uchiha genius,” Orochimaru glanced at Hiruzen. Besides executing the Konoha Crush plan, his main focus during these exams was Sasuke Uchiha.
“When the match begins, Sasuke Uchiha will naturally arrive.” Hiruzen smiled faintly.
Honestly, Hiruzen didn’t know what Sasuke was up to either. Originally, Sasuke’s match against Gaara was supposed to be the first. Since Sasuke hadn’t arrived, Hiruzen had to change the schedule temporarily.
Perhaps it’s for the best. Making Sasuke and Gaara’s match the final event would create more anticipation. Many people, including the Daimyo, had come specifically to see Sasuke, the famous Uchiha survivor and genius.
The first match was Hinata versus Naruto Uzumaki. Originally, it should have been Naruto versus Neji Hyūga, but the plot had diverged.
“Hinata, good luck!” Shin patted Hinata’s shoulder.
“Mm, I won’t disappoint Shin-nii.” Hinata said with unwavering determination. She wouldn’t let him down.
Watching Hinata walk down to the arena, Shin smiled faintly.
“You’re not planning to cause trouble, are you?” Kushina asked Shin, noticing his expression. Knowing Shin well, she could usually guess his intentions just by looking at him.
“I just want to add a little difficulty for Hinata. Without a challenge, it wouldn’t be proper training.”
“You’re setting Hinata up? Using Naruto Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki?” Kushina was speechless. But now she likely understood Shin’s plan.
“It’s not setting her up; I’m giving Hinata a real fight.”
Shin wasn’t underestimating Kurama, but against the Tenseigan, even the Nine-Tails didn’t have much of an advantage.
——
“What? My opponent is just a weak girl? They’re totally looking down on me!” Naruto complained upon seeing Hinata.
Suddenly, Naruto, who had been complaining, froze, his expression turning completely blank.
——
Inside Naruto Uzumaki’s inner world, where the Nine-Tails was sealed, Shin’s figure appeared.
“Nine-Tails, time to wake up.” Seeing the sleeping giant fox, Shin released a sliver of his chakra, startling Kurama awake instantly.
“Nine-Tails, could you do me a favor?” Shin’s Sharingan spun, the tomoe spinning slowly, seemingly capable of devouring everything.
“Sharingan?!” Kurama roared furiously, slamming against the bars of its cage.
“Silence.” Shin glared, and Kurama instantly became docile. Three tomoe appeared in its eyes; Shin had controlled it.
“Whether you refuse or agree, you have no choice.”
With that, Shin’s consciousness departed, ignoring the lingering chakra imprint left by Minato Namikaze. Knowing Kurama wouldn’t cooperate, Shin had simply controlled it directly.
“Now, let’s wait for a good show.” Shin watched Naruto Uzumaki, whose body was now beginning to emanate Nine-Tails chakra.
Naruto Uzumaki, the Child of Prophecy, was being used by Shin as a whetstone for Hinata.
“Will she really be okay?” Kushina asked Shin.
“Of course, she won’t be in danger. Trust Hinata’s strength. Besides, with you and me here, could Hinata truly be in danger?” Shin said with a smile.
“True.” Kushina felt she had worried unnecessarily.
The Nine-Tails? She could crush it with one hand. And it wasn’t even the full Nine-Tails, just a fraction of its power. Even less cause for concern.
“Naruto Uzumaki, what’s wrong with you?” The proctor, Genma Shiranui, noticed something amiss with Naruto and immediately questioned him.
Up in the stands, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been wearing a faint smile, abruptly stood up.
Hiashi Hyūga also stood up simultaneously.
Nine-Tails chakra! Hiruzen could sense it. Hiashi, having encountered it before, also recognized the ominous energy.
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