You're entering the Chūnin Exams alone, in your personal capacity—that's something reserved for real monsters!
Hatake Kakashi became a chūnin at the age of six. It's unclear whether he competed individually or as part of a team, but later on, in order to look after his teammates, he accompanied Obito and Rin and took the exam again.
Among the single-person participants Makoto could think of, there was only one confirmed case—and that was the future paragon of filial piety, Uchiha Itachi.
Huh? …Uchiha?
Put that way, the Third Hokage letting him participate individually seemed to carry an impure motive.
He tried asking, "Hokage-sama, could it be that—aside from me—there are others participating in the Chūnin Exams as individuals?"
The expressions with which the three elders of Konoha looked at Makoto carried a hint of surprise. They likely hadn't expected him to identify the issue so quickly.
The Third Hokage let out a long breath of old smoke. "Makoto, you really are quite sharp. That's right—besides you, there is indeed another who is entering the exam alone: Uchiha Shisui."
"I know the two of you are very close friends. So tell me—how do you think you would feel, having a hot-blooded confrontation with your good friend under the witness of the entire village?"
"To be honest, Hokage-sama, I'm actually rather looking forward to it."
Like hell I am. You four old geezers—just how determined are you to suppress the Uchiha clan? It would be one thing if Nara Suzaku, that ironclad Hokage loyalist on the front lines, pulled some strings—but even after returning to the village, you still won't let it go.
People are simply too eager to improve. But when they try to climb higher, they don't have the means—so they came up with the idea that, during the Chūnin Exams, they would use the clan's geniuses to boost their "impression points" in front of national dignitaries and the villagers, and to reinforce the credit for their achievements on the eastern front, so that those achievements wouldn't be downplayed by people with ulterior motives.
But you lot? You didn't just steal the spotlight—you doubled down and took it to the extreme.
Sure enough, an Uchiha who wants to get ahead isn't a good Uchiha—they're only allowed to stay mediocre.
If the ninja world had a list of the top ten unsolved mathematical problems, one of them would definitely be: based on the battle site of Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama at the Valley of the End, solve for the area of the shadow that Uchiha Madara casts in the hearts of Konoha's four old men.
And another would probably be to find the area of the shadow in Senju Tobirama's heart.
…
It seemed that coming here today was mainly for the Third Hokage to explain face-to-face to Makoto about participating in the exam. Just as the four of them were preparing to leave, someone jumped out.
"Higashino Makoto, this old man is Shimura Danzō."
Makoto glanced at the Third Hokage. He introduced him: "Danzō is our Konoha's Hokage Advisor. He has some things he wants to ask you."
"Danzō-sama."
Danzō gave a slight nod, but then said to Kumomi, "Jōnin Kumomi, you may take your two disciples to handle the procedures for chūnin promotion."
Kumomi gave Makoto a look, then left with and Yūgao.
"Higashino Makoto, according to what we know, you developed a set of chakra-defensive ninjutsu on your own. Can you introduce the development process?"
Aside from the sage techniques that belonged exclusively to him and constituted core secrets known to no one, the higher-ups were certainly aware of Makoto's other ninjutsu.
Ninjutsu, once developed, are meant to be used and cannot be kept secret. Whether through reports from the jōnin who led teams at graduation, inquiries directed at Konoha shinobi who had seen them, interrogations of captured prisoners, or extracting intelligence from the minds of the dead, Konoha had no shortage of methods to find out.
Makoto sorted through his thoughts and replied, "It's like this, Danzō-sama. Because my mother is a medical special jōnin, I began reading a large number of books about the human body when I was very young."
"Later, through my father, I learned that during missions, a ninja might lose their life because of a single explosive tag, a kunai, or even a single shuriken."
"At that time, I felt that no matter how powerful our offensive capabilities as ninja might be, our bodies were far too fragile. So I kept thinking about the problem of defense."
"Later on, as my understanding of chakra deepened and my control improved, and combined with the basic sealing knowledge available in the Konoha library, I developed the current defensive system."
Danzō showed no particular reaction and merely said, "Can you demonstrate it?"
"Of course," Makoto said. After speaking, he extended his left hand and condensed, in front of him, an earth-yellow, semi-transparent chakra shield that covered his entire body.
He explained, "This is the defensive ninjutsu I developed—Earth Release: One-Horn Great Wall. By controlling my own chakra to rapidly transform it into a shield, I use simple sealing principles to constrain its shape, while infusing it with the hardness and heaviness of the earth attribute to strengthen its defensive capability."
"It can effectively withstand damage from metal blades and heavy impacts. If the area is expanded, it can also protect more companions."
Danzō casually tossed out a kunai. It struck the chakra shield with a sharp clang, failed to penetrate it, and fell to the floor.
"Mm. The defensive capability is quite good."
Danzō voiced his approval, because he had added something extra to the kunai—wrapping it in Wind-attribute chakra.
Makoto altered his ninjutsu. The shield reshaped into a hemispherical, pale-blue form, completely enveloping his body.
"This is the defensive ninjutsu I developed—Water Release: One-Horn Tranquility. The principle is the same, but what's infused into it is the fluidity and flexibility of the Water attribute. It's used to defend against large-scale ninjutsu damage. Likewise, by expanding the defensive area, it can include nearby companions and protect them from ninjutsu attacks."
"These two ninjutsu can both have their size and shape adjusted temporarily as needed. At present, I'm experimenting with the possibility of adding the Wind attribute. In the future, I'll also consider developing other chakra attributes and incorporating them to enrich this series of ninjutsu."
The expressions of the four elders of Konoha were all quite positive. Look at this child—when developing ninjutsu, all he thinks about is protecting Konoha's companions. The Will of Fire is burning so fiercely that you'd practically need sunglasses to look at it directly.
At this moment, the Third Hokage spoke up. "Alright, Makoto. We've already gained an understanding of your ninjutsu. For certain reasons, we made you reveal the secrets of your ninjutsu. For that, I'm very sorry."
"It's fine, Hokage-sama," Makoto said. "Do you need me to organize these ninjutsu? Or if there's anyone in the village who wants to learn them, they can come directly to me."
Makoto didn't mind the two of them playing the routine of one acting tough and the other playing the conciliator. He could even contribute the ninjutsu outright—if you've got the ability, go ahead and learn them. Guaranteed: learn one, and you won't be saying a word.
"Alright, alright. But as for the development approach and principles behind the ninjutsu, we already understand them—there's no need for you to organize anything."
"As compensation, Makoto, if there's any ninjutsu you want to learn, you can tell me. I can satisfy all of them."
Makoto curled his lips inward. I want Impure World Reincarnation. I want the Dead Demon Consuming Seal. The question is—would you dare give them to me?
You didn't even mention the Scroll of Seals.
So what—if you're not part of the Hokage's direct line, you're not qualified to see it?
In fact, aside from curiosity about soul-related ninjutsu, Makoto didn't have much interest in conventional techniques. They didn't suit his combat style, and if he really wanted to, he could develop similar ninjutsu himself.
Put plainly, ninjutsu are just about the control and application of chakra—and that was precisely his forte.
For example, he had already figured out most of the advanced forbidden technique derived from the Shadow Clone Jutsu—the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique. He simply hadn't used it, considering its dangers.
The path he followed was one of extreme precision in attack, not Naruto's crude style of burying opponents under sheer numbers.
That said, if there were benefits to be had, why refuse them? After thinking over the gaps in his own knowledge system, Makoto said, "Hokage-sama, I'd like to learn more about sealing techniques. Would that be possible?"
"Oh, ho, ho, of course," the Third Hokage replied. "Let's end things here for today. Thank you for your trouble, Makoto. I'll have someone deliver the sealing-related materials to you."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama—and thank you to the three advisors as well. Goodbye!"
After Makoto left, the four elders of Konoha each fell silent, as if pondering something.
In the end, Koharu was the first to break the silence. "That child's defensive ninjutsu—especially Earth Release: One-Horn Great Wall—does look remarkably similar to Sunagakure's Chiyo's Mechanical Light Shield Seal."
"Do you think it could be…"
Shield-type defensive ninjutsu formed from chakra were extremely rare in Konoha—or even in the entire ninja world. The most famous practitioner was Chiyo of Sunagakure.
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