Over the next few days, Makoto did not change his usual daily routine.
While the other squads carried out their regular training and tactical drills, they also had to gather intelligence on their opponents. Makoto did not need to do so. Although Shisui was already far stronger than most people of his age, he was still not absurdly overpowered.
He was not yet the fully realized Shisui who would later cut down the Kiri shinobi to the point of making them doubt their own lives.
Because of his age, his Sharingan was still hovering at the two-tomoe stage. After all, the relationship between the Uchiha clan and the village was still in its usual state and had not yet developed into the later phase where violent rebellion was contemplated.
It could even be said that, because there was hope of competing for the position of the Fourth Hokage, this was the period when the flame of hope burned most fiercely in the hearts of the Uchiha shinobi.
And then, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. The relationship between the two sides deteriorated steadily, until the outbreak of the Nine-Tails incident, when it became irreversibly hostile.
At the same time, Shisui—who cared deeply about the relationship between the clan and the village—would, amid this torment, experience rapid growth in strength.
The cursed eye—this was simply the kind of mentality-warping path its growth entailed.
During these few days, whenever Makoto occasionally wandered around the village, he would often see groups of palanquins accompanied by large numbers of attendants and guards, entering Konohagakure in imposing formations through the main gate.
All of them were powerful nobles of the Land of Fire, invited by the Hokage to observe the third-round team matches of this Chūnin Exam.
People bring consumption with them. Over these past few days, Konohagakure had visibly grown more prosperous; the merchants were all beaming, and it was obvious they had made quite a bit of profit.
Although the fighting in the north had not yet ended, Konohagakure seemed to have already begun recovering from the wartime slump, little by little regaining its vitality.
It seemed that holding this exam had significant positive meaning for the higher-ups—at the very least, it could let everyone quickly shake off that kind of mournful atmosphere, pull themselves together, and get back on their feet.
After all, life always has to go on.
It was just that Makoto felt those powerful nobles—whether Daimyō or aristocrats—were actually still riding in ox carts. Even if the oxen and the carriages were decorated in an imposing, luxurious way, the overall vibe was still unbelievably low-class.
What a strange world.
...
On the 7th, aside from leaving personnel behind for necessary post assignments, Konohagakure gave many departments a one-day holiday, including the Ninja Academy and the hospital.
In the morning, after Makoto happily finished breakfast and rested for a while, he went out together with his mother, Higashino Megumi, heading for the circular arena in the center of Konohagakure.
This arena was not far from the Hokage Tower. It was a landmark building in the village center, and it was also the venue for hosting all kinds of important public events.
In times of peace, Konohagakure had two fixed Chūnin Exams each year—one in early July in midyear, and one in early December at year's end—but only for Chūnin Exams of major significance would the final round of team or individual confrontation be arranged here.
For example, the exam that was restarted after this victory in the war against Kirigakure, used to boost the confidence of the villagers and the powerful nobles of the Land of Fire.
For example, the future Chūnin Exam jointly hosted by Konohagakure and Sunagakure.
Under normal circumstances, Chūnin Exams do not carry any particular political significance, so they do not enjoy such a high level of attention.
There were many seats around the arena, and if Konohagakure residents had the time, they could all come to watch.
Most importantly, there was no admission fee, so no matter whether the matches were exciting or not, it was always worth the price of the ticket.
Bloodthirsty spectators rejoiced.
At the intersection, the three members of Kumomi's team and Uzuki Sakura were waiting for them.
After everyone gathered together, Sakura looked at the villagers heading toward the arena in small groups and sighed with emotion. "The Hokage-sama's decision to hold this exam was really wise. The atmosphere in the village has clearly improved a lot—it feels like things have gone back to how they were before the war broke out."
Megumi was also in a good mood. "It will return to how it used to be. The war is almost over."
Kumomi did not say anything, but inwardly he did not agree with their view.
The war was not over yet, and trouble could flare up again at any moment.
In this war, the number of shinobi Konohagakure had lost had nearly reached the combined total of the previous two wars. For the village to recover to its prewar prosperity, it would probably take at least ten or twenty years.
He was a rational shinobi. Unlike some people in the village, he was not blindly optimistic, and he was always mentally prepared for sudden changes in the situation.
Yūgao could not be bothered with any of that. Right now, she felt quite regretful. "If I'd known, I wouldn't have directly been promoted to chūnin. I also wanted to take part in the exam under the eyes of so many people."
Hayate felt the same way. Everyone was only around ten years old—who wouldn't want to stand out in front of all of Konohagakure?
But when he thought of what his father had said to him at home—the Hokage's reason for letting Makoto participate in the exam alone—he knew that many things had been deliberately arranged by those above. Even if he wanted to take part, he would not have the opportunity.
After arriving at the arena, Megumi and the others went straight to the spectator stands, while Makoto headed to the waiting room for the participating teams.
Here, all four Konoha genin squads had already arrived. The atmosphere among them was fairly relaxed—after all, they were all shinobi from the same village, and quite a few of them were even classmates.
Yes, the members of these four squads were not very old, around thirteen or fourteen years of age. As for the older teams that had entered this Chūnin Exam, they had all been eliminated.
This was simply how the ninja world worked. If you lacked talent, then no matter how long you trained, you would still not measure up to students who had only graduated a few years ago.
In fact, these squads were still considered middle-to-lower tier among their peers. Those with truly good talent had long since become chūnin or even jōnin.
When this squad saw Makoto enter, they all looked over with curious gazes. After all, at this point, Makoto could be considered something of a minor celebrity among the Konoha shinobi.
Before long, Shisui arrived as well. After nodding to everyone in greeting, he sat down beside Makoto without saying anything.
His expression, however, could not hide his excitement and a trace of nervousness. He seemed brimming with fighting spirit.
Uchiha, after all—battle truly flowed in their blood.
...
The time reached around 8:50 a.m.
A flash of yellow light appeared, and the chief examiner of the third round of the Chūnin Exams materialized in the arena. The surrounding spectators immediately erupted into enthusiastic cheers.
From time to time, people shouted titles like "Yellow Flash" and "Hero of Konoha."
Even the squads waiting in the waiting room crowded toward the windows to catch a glimpse of the hero, their faces flushed with excitement.
Makoto was also stunned for a moment. He had not expected the person presiding over the third round of the exam to be Namikaze Minato. The Third Hokage really knew how to pick his timing.
On second thought, it made sense. With the northern front at a stalemate, having Jiraiya oversee things was sufficient, while Namikaze Minato frequently traveled between the village and the front lines.
And opportunities like today—appearing in front of the villagers and the high-ranking nobles of the Land of Fire—were something Sarutobi Hiruzen would naturally never pass up as a chance to showcase Konoha's "little sun" and war hero.
It seemed that, in his mind, the choice for the next Hokage had long since been decided.
Orochimaru, Fugaku: "…"
Damn it—this reeks of backstage manipulation!
Namikaze Minato: "…"
Perhaps, in this little sun's heart, coming back to spend time with his girlfriend was what mattered most. Building up impression points in front of the villagers and the nation's upper echelons? That was just a bonus.
After accepting the villagers' cheers, Minato, wearing a flawless, sunny smile, beckoned to the participating teams.
Makoto and the others leapt down, arriving at his side.
Minato looked at them and said, "Well then, today you're all the protagonists. Come on—introduce yourselves to everyone and say hello."
Like the others, Makoto raised both hands to gesture toward the surroundings, but what he was thinking was: Brother, you're the real protagonist!
Didn't you see that the moment you showed up, we all turned into roadside extras?
Jiraiya was right—Namikaze Minato was a perfect ninja. Compared to him, any other ninja would pale by comparison.
Makoto felt that this assessment was accurate. In terms of strength, he might surpass him in the future, but in his heart, he would never be able to be as radiant as he was.
This was someone who killed without hesitation, who walked in darkness, yet would never be tainted by that darkness.
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