The Chūnin Exams arrived right on schedule.
However, during the first month, everything consisted of preliminary assessment stages.
Although this Chūnin Exam was an internal evaluation within Konoha, with no shinobi from other villages invited, all the standard procedures were still in place.
That said, none of the early stages were truly critical.
What mattered most was, without question, the final assessment.
This final round attracted quite a few shinobi who had nothing better to do and came purely to watch the excitement.
There was no grand viewing ceremony, nor did they use a massive arena like the official exam stadium. Instead, the exam was held in a training ground protected by barrier techniques.
Even so, people naturally loved excitement, and many had come specifically to cheer for friends and family.
"Niisan, over here!"
In the crowd, Uchiha Sasuke waved enthusiastically toward his older brother Uchiha Itachi, who was waiting in the preparation area.
With his brother competing, Sasuke would come cheer him on no matter what.
And it wasn't just him—quite a few members of the Uchiha family had come as well. Among all the candidates, their family clearly had the largest cheering group.
"Enough, Sasuke. Don't distract your brother."
Uchiha Fugaku glanced at his younger son, then at his eldest, who smiled and nodded calmly in response. Only then did Fugaku speak in his usual expressionless tone.
"He needs to focus now. The upcoming assessment will be severe."
"Yes, Father."
Sasuke pursed his lips and didn't dare argue.
Once his younger son quieted down, Fugaku's gaze shifted toward Shisui, who stood nearby in plain clothes.
"Shisui, you mentioned before that the examiner this time is your friend. What kind of person is he?"
"Your friend?"
Uchiha Izumi looked curiously at Shisui. She had come to cheer for Itachi as well, and this topic immediately caught her interest.
"Yes, he really is a friend."
Shisui nodded, though he couldn't help muttering inwardly—more than that, we're teammates.
"And he's extremely strong. His abilities across the board are terrifying. As for Itachi this time… as long as he performs well, that's enough."
Shisui might be a bit simple-minded at times, but he wasn't clueless about why Fugaku was asking.
The clan head was clearly trying to gauge whether Itachi had a chance of winning.
Indeed, Itachi was outstanding. Years ago, he had even defeated a Root operative.
But this time, he was facing Ren.
As a teammate, Shisui knew better than anyone just how absurd Ren's combat strength was.
That stone dragon alone was something Shisui still remembered vividly.
"Is your friend really that troublesome?"
Fugaku frowned slightly. He understood Shisui's implication perfectly.
"If it were you, how would it turn out?"
"Well…"
Shisui hesitated. Even he couldn't say for certain.
But he felt his own chances would probably be better—especially since he possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan.
"Alright, don't put Shisui on the spot."
At that moment, Uchiha Mikoto stepped in, gently rubbing Sasuke's head as she smiled.
"They're all friends. There's no need to compete over victory. We're here to watch Itachi, aren't we?"
"Yes, yes, I understand."
Fugaku nodded and said no more.
Sasuke, however, still had blind faith in his older brother. He clenched his small fist and said seriously:
"Niisan will definitely win!"
Shisui chuckled at that, but soon looked away, silently thinking to himself:
At least Itachi won't get hurt. I warned Ren countless times—and even treated him to several meals.
Shisui naturally didn't want anything to happen to his little junior brother. Especially since he knew some of Ren's… tendencies all too well.
To avoid accidents, once he learned that Ren would be Itachi's chief examiner, Shisui stepped up his "bribery."
His request wasn't excessive—just don't injure Itachi.
"But still… why is Ren qualified to be an examiner?"
Shisui rubbed his chin, genuinely puzzled.
—
At the examiner's backstage area, the Third Hokage was speaking with Ren.
"Ren, do you know why I agreed to let you serve as an examiner?"
"Uh…"
Ren looked completely confused. The exam was about to start—why was he being pulled aside for this now?
You didn't say a word about this during the past month!
Still, Ren honestly shook his head.
"I don't know, Hokage-sama."
"You're a child who came from Root. Your way of thinking is very different from most people."
Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled and patted Ren's shoulder, his face gentle and kind.
"But you are also a shinobi of Konoha. You carried too much darkness before, and for that, I feel deeply sorry. Now, I hope you can walk toward the light."
"..."
Ren was at a loss for words.
If you really feel sorry, wouldn't shutting down Root be more effective?
Of course, he wasn't stupid enough to say that. Root's existence was necessary—and more importantly, Ren himself had his eyes on Root.
"I know Danzō may have told you many negative things about the Uchiha,"
Hiruzen continued calmly when Ren didn't respond.
"But I want you to understand this: whether it's you or the Uchiha, everyone is a shinobi of Konoha. I hope to see all of you coexist harmoniously.
"Uchiha Itachi is a genius of the village. You and Shisui are teammates as well. That's why I chose you as his chief examiner.
"You are no longer a member of Root. I hope to see a brand-new you—an outstanding Konoha shinobi, free from the influence of dark will.
"Can you promise me that, Ren?"
"..."
Damn it… another one here to 'guide' me.
Ren really hadn't expected the Third Hokage to come personally just to emphasize this, clearly worried he might cause trouble.
Shisui had already been blowing in his ear for ages—this was honestly overkill.
And as if that weren't enough, Danzō had also sent people to pass him messages.
The gist was simple: remember Root's humiliation.
Ren's interface flashed.
New Mission Acquired: Defeat Uchiha Itachi and make him understand Root's humiliation
New Mission Acquired: Ensure Uchiha Itachi is not injured
Looking at the two missions, Ren felt genuinely speechless.
He was now convinced that Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzō Shimura were natural-born opposites.
Their missions couldn't be called similar in the slightest—they were practically polar opposites.
"I understand, Hokage-sama."
Ren had already been through the Sunagakure mission. Handling mutually contradictory objectives was something he was quite experienced at.
"I won't disappoint you."
"That's good."
The wrinkles on Hiruzen's face deepened as his smile grew warmer.
"I look forward to your performance. Go prepare."
He turned and announced—
"The examination begins!"
Read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon -> patreon.com/lucarioTL