Shisui walked out of the alley, and Asuma approached from the other side. The moment they saw each other, their expressions were less than friendly as they narrowed their eyes.
Even though the road was fairly wide, Shisui and Asuma ended up walking in a straight line towards each other, neither intending to yield.
The eyes of the ninja from the other villages collectively lit up!
Shisui was wearing the clan attire, indicating he was from the Uchiha Clan...
As for Asuma's identity, the Jonin leaders among them were well aware—he was the Son of the Hokage...
The relationship between the Uchiha Clan and Konoha was a prime example of Konoha's current state and an extremely intriguing piece of information.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd.
Shisui and Asuma walked up to each other without backing down, meeting each other's gaze!
Asuma narrowed his eyes, thinking about Shisui's attitude when competing for Hokage Assistant, brewing with emotion, anger rising uncontrollably. He spoke in a very unfriendly tone:
"What are you looking at?"
Shisui, on the other hand, thought about how Asuma always approached Aomi with a lack of boundaries, shamelessly proclaiming he was Aomi's most capable future assistant. His eyes instantly turned dangerous:
"Why shouldn't I look at you?"
Asuma snorted coldly, pointing at Shisui: "Try looking again!"
Shisui was equally unyielding, pointing at Asuma: "Let's see what happens!"
Asuma and Shisui seemed to forget they were acting; both were deeply immersed, as if rehearsed countless times.
"Step aside, I'll say it one last time!"
"Who do you think you are? I'm the Son of the Hokage!"
"And I'm an Uchiha!"
Shisui drew his Tachi from its sheath, while Asuma formed a Seal.
These two friends, who usually sparred together, even in acting, were now expressing genuine anger and killing intent!
In their everyday life, Asuma and Shisui often fought with real intensity, requiring Aomi to heal them.
For them, acting out this scene was just a public display of their daily lives...
The ninjas from the other villages watched with smiles, enjoying the scene.
It seemed that they didn't even need to wait for the joint Chunin Exam; the stiff relationship between the Son of the Hokage and the Uchiha kid already revealed much about Konoha's internal issues...
When the war breaks out, Konoha might not only face external pressure but also increasingly intense internal conflicts.
Under such circumstances, how could there be any chance of winning?
At this moment, the ninjas from various Hidden Villages couldn't help but recall Konoha's strong response...
One had to admit, Konoha might have some tricks up its sleeve in terms of intelligence, revealing the true shortcomings of their village...
But so what?
With their internal affairs in such disarray, they still attempt to intimidate the entire Ninja World with intelligence?
They must be dreaming!
Seeing such a scene upon arriving at Konoha, the ninjas from the other villages nearly burst into laughter.
Joy!
"Lord Aomi, Uchiha Fugaku is heading towards Shisui and Asuma's direction; should we disperse them?"
Yamanaka Fuu's voice sounded in Aomi's ear.
"No need, let him join in; after all, they're amateurs with genuine emotions." Aomi smiled and gave the instruction.
A moment later, the passing Uchiha Fugaku saw Asuma and Shisui, both red-faced, and was stunned.
But then, a genuine smile appeared on his face.
Indeed!
Destiny was not with Uchiha Aomi, who couldn't even mediate the conflict between his brother and the Son of the Hokage...
Despite the heated situation, Uchiha Aomi's control over his power was so imprecise. How could this last long?
In that instant, Uchiha Fugaku recalled the critical information that Aomi's presence was not part of the prophecy...
Perhaps, the bomb Uchiha Aomi laid for himself was the key reason for his demise!
Uchiha Fugaku dropped the act, watching the arguing Asuma and Aomi with ease.
The more he thought about it, the happier he felt, and the more he appreciated the Mangekyo Dojutsu's prophecy. Suddenly, he burst into loud laughter:
"Hahahahaha!"
This hearty laughter left Asuma and Shisui dumbfounded.
Not only Asuma and Shisui but also the other ninjas from outside the village were bewildered.
From their perspective, seeing the Uchiha Clan Leader walk over, witnessing his clansman argue with the Son of the Hokage, not only did he not even pretend to intervene, but he watched with a face full of delight and excitement, eventually laughing outright?
What in the world was this?
Had the relationship between the Uchiha Clan and the upper echelons of Konoha grown this tense?
This small theater piece, elevated to a new level by the improvisation of amateur actor Uchiha Fugaku.
Veteran actor Uchiha Fugaku's laughter allowed these outside village spectators to experience the madness of the Uchiha Clan...
As the Clan Leader of the Uchiha Clan, if he were like this, how good could the other Uchihas be?
Could they fight devotedly for Konoha?
In their hearts, they already had the answer, which was impossible.
Among the Hidden Mist squad, Kaguya Kimijiro was already excited: "Yes, yes, just like this..."
"As a Kekkeigenkai Ninja Clan, this is how we should act!"
"The Kaguya Clan's style is not firm enough, we should learn from the Uchiha Clan!"
In the Hidden Mist, the relationship between the Kaguya Clan and the Mizukage's high ranks was very similar to that of Konoha and the Uchiha.
The scene playing out before Kaguya Kimijiro felt even more relatable to him.
All along the way, him, a Kaguya clansman, and Suikazan Fuguki, a trusted confidant of the Mizukage, were spewing words tinged with gunpowder, although not to the extent of such significant friction.
Kaguya Kimijiro's words reached the ears of every ninja present.
With the appraisal of this Hidden Mist "Uchiha," it provided these outsiders an accurate assessment of Konoha's internal state.
Konoha's Uchiha had already reached the point of openly opposing the Hokage, making even the near-rebellious Kaguya clansman of the Hidden Mist think they should learn from the Uchiha...
Suikazan Fuguki sneered and ignored Kaguya Kimijiro.
He was already strategizing to ensure that this rebellious genius kid would die within Konoha!
If not, he'd eventually become a significant threat to the Hidden Mist...
Kisame sighed heavily, gazing at the sky in a moment of inexplicable melancholy.
It seemed that no matter which village, there were countless conflicts and contradictions...
#
Hokage Building.
"Aomi, is everything going according to plan?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen asked, frowning while observing the seemingly wandering but in fact spying ninjas from other villages using the Telescope Jutsu:
"Shouldn't we make some adjustments?"
Aomi nodded slowly:
"They're seeing exactly what I want them to see..."
"The official exam can begin, but to prevent excessive casualties, I will participate in the second stage melee."
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Aomi in puzzlement; did he hear that right?
Aomi was going to participate in the Chunin Exam?
To Sarutobi Hiruzen, it was like hearing his teacher Senju Tobirama was going to take the Will of Fire exam...
"I am indeed still a Genin..."
Aomi smiled:
"I've never participated in the Chunin Exam; in my records, I should still hold the rank of Genin."
"Participating in this Chunin Exam, although I'm the leader of Root, is still in compliance with the rules and regulations."
Sarutobi Hiruzen awkwardly smiled.
The words "rules and regulations," when spoken by Aomi, used to fill Sarutobi Hiruzen with reassurance—a good child well-versed in the Will of Fire, with such an orderly mindset.
But since witnessing Senju Tobirama within Aomi last time, Sarutobi Hiruzen's perspective subtly shifted.
Combined with Aomi's recent signs of possessing accelerated possession progress and the jaw-dropping experiments by Root, Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted to joke but swallowed back the words.
"Whatever makes you happy, Aomi..."
"Hiruzen, you're the Hokage..."