That evening Uchiha Gen hosted a banquet to welcome Pakura and her group. He invited Kushina's family, Anna's family, Neji's family, Hinata's family, and Tsunade.
During the meal Sasuke, Naruto, Neji, and Hinata met Temari, Gaara, and Kankuro. Adults chatted and laughed, the younger ones had their own fun, the whole evening felt pleasantly lively.
When night came, Uchiha Gen naturally stayed in Pakura's quarters. He visited her in Sunagakure from time to time, but having her come to Konoha was different. In his mansion he had prepared a small private courtyard for her; Tsunade had one as well.
Kushina did not. Gen and Kushina had hid so much that even Mikoto, Kushina's close friend, hadn't noticed, so a courtyard for Kushina wasn't appropriate.
Two days remained until the Chunin Exams. That morning the delegations, nobles, and merchants arrived in a constant stream. With so many people, crowds swelled, and incidents were bound to happen. The Police Force was overwhelmed; even Itachi's squad was called in to help. The Anbu joined as well, and only then did Konoha manage to keep public order at the usual level.
With Konoha's masters and heavyweight nin across the village, most people dared not act out.
The most serious quarrel involved shinobi from Hidden Mist and Hidden Cloud; they fought in a hotel, wrecking the place and endangering civilians. Both sides were arrogant, one side backed by Mist's ruthless policies, the other by Cloud's military might. They refused to stop even when the Police Force came, and the Police Force beat them half to death.
Beaten wasn't enough; they paid fines, were jailed by the Police Force, compensated the shop, and covered medical costs for the injured. Afterwards the two delegations united to pressure Konoha's elders.
Hiruzen, slippery as ever, passed the problem on to Uchiha Gen. The two leaders tried to enter the Uchiha compound to complain and were stopped at the gate. Gen's curt, uncompromising stance enraged them, but they had nowhere to go, when under someone else's roof you bow your head.
After that precedent the rest of the delegations behaved much more cautiously.
Nobles and merchants who tried to bully others dwindled after the first troublemakers were dealt with. Smart nobles knew Konoha was not a place to act with impunity. On the third day, all expected parties had arrived and the joint Chunin Exams opened.
The ceremony took place in the plaza beneath the Hokage building.
Garlands and ribbons decorated the area; a grand stage stood before the building with banners and rows of crimson-covered tables. Guests filled the first rows; daimyo and visiting nobles, then Konoha's high-level figures and clan heads, and behind them the delegations from the participating villages, some groups small as three, some as many as thirty-four.
The arrangement reflected relative strength; Konoha centered, with Cloud and Iwa on either side, Sand and Mist nearby, and smaller villages beyond. Takumigakure, small but wealthy for manufacturing tools, drew attention as well.
Konoha's police, Anbu, and regular shinobi formed a human wall around the plaza. As the auspicious hour arrived Hiruzen Sarutobi took the center seat, flanked not by Mitokado and Koharu but by Uchiha Gen and Kushina. After Hiruzen's opening platitudes the exams began.
Teams left for the first test, which was a written exam in rooms, no spectacle there. The second test, held in the Death Forest, wasn't suitable for spectators; the third test would be the public combat portion.
Uchiha Gen had no interest in pretending hospitality at the hotel, so he sent a Shadow Clone to the banquet and went himself to the exam hall for the written test. His real objective all along was the same; seize the chance to catch Uchiha Obito.
The written test finished at ten. Qualified examinees cleaned up and gathered for the move to the Death Forest. Outside the men's restroom, people chatted, completely oblivious to a hidden figure in the corner. Sasuke had just finished when a voice nudged his mind; he found any excuse to step back into the restroom. When he reemerged, a figure leaned quietly in the corner.
"Clan leader Gen, what do you need from me?" Sasuke asked.
"I'll take your place in the second test," Uchiha Gen said with a faint smile.
Sasuke was stunned. Cheating in a written test was one thing; how could someone cheat in the Death Forest? Pride would not allow it.
Gen explained; he had intelligence that the man who killed Fugaku—Sasuke's father—would appear in Konoha and try to attack Naruto. Team 7 wouldn't be enough; the killer was extraordinarily strong and specialized in Space–Time ninjutsu.
If Gen didn't catch him off-guard, he might lose the chance. So Sasuke understood and agreed. Gen had to act.
Gen took Sasuke home briefly, then returned and used the Flying Thunder God Technique to transform into Sasuke. His Transformation Technique was no ordinary disguise; it combined standard Transformation, White Zetsu impersonation, sealcraft, Gen's own understanding, and Sage power.
The result temporarily sealed Gen's true might and matched Sasuke in appearance, chakra quantity, and nature, undetectable by Rinnegan, Sharingan, Byakugan, or most perception jutsu. Even the Nine-Tails' malice-sensing wouldn't detect anything because Gen bore no malice except toward Obito. Only someone who could read souls, like Gen himself, could tell the difference.
Gen arrived late at the gathering point. The other examinees and examiners waited for Sasuke; some displeasure followed, but the Uchiha crest calmed things.
The chief examiner gently told "Sasuke" to rejoin his team. The team moved into the Death Forest, the chief announced rules, and the gate opened. Everyone surged in like wild horses.
Team 7 quickly found themselves boxed between an Amegakure team and two Kirigakure teams. Uchiha Gen stayed in character as Sasuke so Naruto and Sakura noticed nothing. The first day passed quietly, battles, scrolls collected, no sign of Obito.
On the second morning, Gaara and his siblings ran into a crisis. A figure in a black cloak with red clouds and an orange spiral mask, Obito, blocked their path. Seeing that attire, Gaara and his siblings tensed.
"Go! Notify the Konoha ninja, I'll hold him!" Gaara ordered. Temari and Kankuro fled, knowing otherwise they'd be dragged down. Sand shuriken shot from Gaara's gourd and pierced Obito, lodging into a thick trunk. Obito moved as they struck.
Obito darted toward Gaara; hands of sand surged up to protect him and to seize Obito. Before Gaara could crush him, gnarled dragon-like branches pierced the sand and wrapped Gaara tight.
Panic seized Gaara; he tried to call on Shukaku, but the branches lifted his chin and one of his eyes met Obito's supercharged Mangekyo Sharingan.
Gaara fell into a genjutsu instantly.
Compared with the original timeline, Gaara's relationship with Shukaku was better now; the beast tried to help, but Obito's Mangekyo invaded the sealing space and struck Shukaku as well.
Obito's enhanced Mangekyo could not take full control of the Nine-Tails without a summoning contract, but subduing Gaara, an immature One-Tails, was manageable.
Still, keeping control drained his ocular prowess and chakra; binding multiple jinchuriki would quickly exhaust him, which is why in the Fourth Great Ninja War Obito seldom displayed his Rinnegan's full might.
After subduing Gaara Obito activated Kamui. A spatial vortex opened and Gaara was sucked into the Kamui dimension. Obito felt another marker on a Hidden Mist genin's soul, activated Kamui again, and rushed off.
Uchiha Gen purposely didn't clear out the Hidden Mist and Amegakure shinobi who followed; he let them tail Obito. When Obito's soul presence appeared and vanished, Gen smiled inwardly and silently prepared.