Upon hearing the name 'Otsutsuki', the always gentle and composed expression on Shisui's face finally showed a visible change.
His arms, crossed over his chest, tightened almost imperceptibly.
Otsutsuki.
This name, the vast majority of people in the Ninja World had never even heard of. Only clans with several hundred years of heritage might still have some legends about the Sage of Six Paths circulating among them.
But for Shisui, the meaning of that name was far weightier.
His thoughts involuntarily drifted back to a night several years ago.
Although he had been saved by Shura back then and didn't die under Danzo's scheme, he still hadn't made a final decision, still painfully wavering between Konoha and his clansmen.
At that time, Shura had invited him to participate in an operation.
He had followed Shura and Hikari on that unimaginable journey to the moon. Joining them on the trip were not only the two talented juniors Kimimaro and Haku, but also the then-hesitant Hizashi.
He still clearly remembered, after they passed through that bizarre, grotesque passage and arrived in the inner space of the moon, seeing that magnificent castle floating within the artificial sun, those numerous and not-to-be-underestimated combat puppets, and...
The last surviving members of the Moon's Otsutsuki Clan, Otsutsuki Shuto and his young son, Otsutsuki Toneri.
In that battle, he had witnessed firsthand what the power of the Otsutsuki Clan truly meant.
It was also after that that he learned the truth behind the thousand-year history of the Ninja World, and fully understood why Shura had been collecting Kekkei Genkai, why he hadn't hesitated to wage war to unify the entire Ninja World!
Shisui turned his head slightly, his gaze passing Kimimaro beside him, landing on the white-haired boy sitting quietly in the front row of the spectator seats.
Otsutsuki Toneri.
This last descendant of the Moon's Otsutsuki Clan, at this moment wearing the blue-gray flak jacket of the Land of Stars, a Star Ninja's forehead protector bound to his brow, his pure white eyes curiously observing the arena below.
Beside him, the baby-faced Ai, showing a gentle smile, was slightly leaning over, as if introducing something to him.
Who would have imagined that this boy, who even looked somewhat shy, carried within him the direct bloodline of the Sage of Six Paths' brother, Otsutsuki Hamura!
And now, what did the intelligence Kimimaro brought mean?
Those Otsutsuki from beyond the stars had set their sights on this planet, on this grand event!
One, or even multiple, enemies powerful enough to stand alongside the Sage of Six Paths!
Shisui took a deep breath. His gaze slowly swept over his companions who had accompanied him to Konoha.
Yukimi, Yusuke, Sato, Ai, Shunji, Neji, Kimimaro, Haku, Chino, and Toneri in the front row.
Every single one was among the best of younger generation in the Land of Stars, the elite of the elite, capable of taking on important responsibilities in any of the Five Great Nations' Ninja Villages.
This was a sharp knife force, capable of tearing through enemy lines on the main battlefield and executing the most difficult missions.
However, what they were about to face might be beings legendary to be on par with the Sage of Six Paths!
Clansmen of Otsutsuki Kaguya, the creator of the Chakra System, revered as the [Rabbit Goddess]!
Against such enemies, their power structures, fighting methods, and weaknesses were completely unknown.
Whether any known tactics, Ninjutsu, or Kekkei Genkai would even be effective against such opponents was also unknown.
A heavy pressure, like an invisible mountain, weighed on Shisui's heart.
But he knew he absolutely could not panic now.
He was the highest commander of this team... any trace of wavering on his part could lead to unforeseen consequences.
Shisui slowly took a deep, long breath. The clamorous, hot air of the Konoha's arena rushed into his lungs, but it could not dispel that chill.
He forced himself to calm down, his brain beginning to work overtime, adjusting strategies.
"Kimimaro." Shisui's voice returned to its usual steadiness, his tone decisive.
"Send the order. The original coordinated actions related to the Konoha Crush Plan will proceed as planned. Orochimaru's actions will create chaos... that is our opportunity. We cannot fall into disarray because of an unknown threat."
"But—"
He paused, his gaze like lightning, sweeping over each companion beside him.
"Add a highest-priority directive: once contact with an 'Otsutsuki' is confirmed, or if any strange Chakra or Space-Time Fluctuations beyond our understanding are detected in the arena, all personnel are to immediately abandon their current mission and prioritize self-preservation and safe evacuation as the highest objective!"
"Yes!" Kimimaro did not hesitate for a moment, a stern look in his pure white eyes.
He immediately turned and began operating the communication device he carried, instantly transmitting Shisui's orders in the form of encrypted Chakra Signals to the receiving devices of every Land of Stars' Jonin present.
Almost simultaneously,
Yukimi's cheers paused for a moment, but she soon continued waving her arms, though deep in her eyes, an extra trace of gravity had appeared.
Yusuke lowered his crossed arms, letting them hang seemingly casually at his sides.
Sato withdrew his leaning body, the curiosity in his crimson eyes replaced by vigilance.
Shunji and Hazuki exchanged a glance. Without need for words, years of partner understanding allowed them to immediately adjust their positions, subtly forming a tactical formation that allowed them to both observe their surroundings and provide mutual support at any time.
Neji's half-closed Byakugan suddenly opened wide, veins bulging around his eyes. He activated his Byakugan to maximum power and began to scan the venue unobtrusively.
Kimimaro, Haku, Chino, and others also entered combat readiness.
Taking in everyone's reactions, Shisui felt somewhat reassured.
This is the Ninja of the Land of Stars.
With just one order, they could immediately adjust and enter their optimal combat state.
Then, Shisui's gaze returned to the arena below, to the boy about to begin the first match.
The one who had changed the fate of the Uchiha Clan, changed his own fate, and was even changing the fate of the entire Ninja World!
At this moment, Menma, wearing ordinary black athletic clothes and a Konoha's forehead protector, stood like an unremarkable Konoha's Genin in the center of the arena about to open.
Sunlight shone on him. He tilted his head slightly, as if listening to Naruto excitedly saying something, the corner of his mouth holding a faint, helpless smile.
Around him, the other teams had already lined up. At Hayate's signal, aside from the two teams about to fight the first match, the members of the remaining six teams turned and walked towards the examinee passage, returning to the rest area.
"Menma-nii! Go for it! Beat those guys opposite into the ground!" A passionate voice rang out abruptly from the team that was exiting, particularly eye-catching.
Karin, completely ignoring the strange looks from the other examinees and staff around her, cupped her hands around her mouth. Her fiery red pupils sparkled with fanatical light, her little face flushed. While walking backwards into the passage, she waved her arm vigorously at Menma in the arena.
"Make sure you win!!"
Her infatuated appearance made Kurotsuchi behind her unable to help but slap her own face, letting out a silent wail.
She awkwardly quickened her pace, trying to get as far away from this embarrassing teammate as possible.
Ranmaru just blinked, curiously looking at Karin, then at Menma in the arena, a thoughtful expression appearing on his little face.
Sasuke, following his teammates Sai and Shigaraki, walked silently towards the rest area, but his gaze never left Menma in the arena.
Those eyes were fixedly staring at the black figure he had been chasing, as if trying to see through him.
His right hand, wrapped in bandages, unconsciously clenched and unclenched, unclenched and clenched.
A faint pain radiated from his palm, a side effect from the past few days of special training with Kakashi, as he tried to master the A-rank Lightning Release Ninjutsu called [Chidori] as quickly as possible, overtaxing the Chakra Pathway of his right hand and suffering the backlash erosion of Lightning Release Chakra.
But this pain was nothing compared to the anxiety and longing in his heart.
He needed power!
Power to kill that man!
Power to force the truth from Shisui's mouth!
Power... to stand before his mother and ask her why she abandoned him!
This Chunin Exams would be a good testing ground.
To see just how much he had grown during this time!
Whether he could catch up to or even surpass Menma, who had always been one step ahead of him?!
Just as Sasuke was staring fixedly at Menma, a figure unhurriedly walked to his side, walking alongside him.
Sasuke frowned slightly and turned his head.
What met his eyes was Gaara, carrying his giant gourd.
Those pale green eyes calmly looked straight ahead, as if the surrounding clamor and attention had nothing to do with him.
"Don't worry," Gaara suddenly spoke, his voice flat. "Those guys from the Iwagakure are no match for him."
Sasuke's frown deepened.
'What did that mean?'
'His tone... sounded like he knew Menma well?'
Sasuke's gaze again swept towards Menma in the arena, a strange, indescribable feeling rising in his heart.
"The second match," But soon, Sasuke withdrew his gaze, looking coldly at Gaara, activating his crimson Three-Tomoe Sharingan, his fighting spirit rising. "I will make you talk!"
The Three-Tomoe Sharingan shimmered with an eerie light, and combined with his cold, confident tone, it did carry a certain sense of oppressiveness.
After these few days of special training, Sasuke had regained confidence in his abilities.
The newly learned Lightning Release: Chidori, combined with the power of the Three-Tomoe Sharingan… Even against an Elite Jonin, he felt confident he could fight!
Let alone a fellow Genin?
But Gaara didn't even look at Sasuke. He simply raised his head slightly, his pale blue eyes looking up at the cloudless, clear sky.
'The sunlight was dazzling...' He narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Hmph."
A faint, meaningless grunt came from Gaara's nose.
Then, he left Sasuke with his back, carrying the large gourd.
Sasuke stood frozen in place, the three tomoes in his eyes trembling slightly with anger.
'This guy...'
'This attitude...'
'So infuriating!'
"Damn it!" Sasuke swore under his breath, clenching his fists.
He would definitely, in the second match, personally trample this arrogant guy underfoot!
On the other side of the rest area.
Shikamaru stood with his hands in his pockets, his shoulders drooping, radiating an air of utter despair.
Ino and Choji followed behind him, their expressions not looking good either.
"Kirigakure... Hozuki Suigetsu... two members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen... the Hydrification Technique... and a Sensor-type Ninja from the Uzumaki Clan..." Shikamaru muttered to himself. With each word, the fatigue on his face increased. "No matter how you look at it, they're the most troublesome opponents... why did it have to be us..."
Ino had been about to say something encouraging, but thinking of the intelligence she had gathered on Suigetsu, the Long Sword Nuibari, said to be able to extend and retract infinitely and pierce anything, and the Blunt Sword Kabutowari in the hands of that guy named Chojuro, her pretty face also became somewhat tense.
Choji's chip-eating even slowed down, his chubby face full of distress: "Shikamaru... can we win?"
Shikamaru looked up to the sky and let out a long sigh, not answering.
Because he himself didn't know the answer.
Somewhere in the middle level of the arena's circular stands.
A number of Konoha's Genin who had been eliminated in the second exam were gathered here.
Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino, Haruno Sakura, Rock Lee, Tenten, and Kurama Yakumo sat together.
Sakura still had a small piece of gauze stuck to her forehead, a mark from when she was injured by the Otogakure's Ninja, Kin. But it didn't stop her from looking around, anxiously searching for a certain figure among the flow of people exiting and entering below.
"Huh? Which match is Sasuke-kun in? Why didn't I hear clearly?" Sakura hit her own head in frustration.
Beside her, Tenten, whose leg injury seemed to have improved somewhat, leaned on a simple crutch and answered: "He's in the second match, against that red-haired kid called Gaara from the Land of Stars. The first match is Menma's team against Iwagakure's team."
"Oh! Right! I see!" Sakura sighed in relief, then clenched her fists, her face flushing. "Sasuke-kun will definitely win! He's a genius who awakened the Sharingan!"
Lee sat on Sakura's other side. Although being eliminated in this exam had discouraged him a bit, hearing Sakura's words, he immediately ignited his fighting spirit. He spun around, gave Sakura a thumbs-up, revealed his shiny teeth, and said loudly with boiling passion: "Sakura! This time, I admit Sasuke's strength is temporarily above mine! But! Youth never gives up!"
"At the next Chunin Exams, I will definitely train twice as hard and pass the assessment fair and square! Then, I hope you will look at me with new eyes!"
"This is the vow of Youth!"
His sudden, so direct it was almost a confession, this 'hot-blooded declaration', made Sakura's forehead instantly pop several clear veins. She turned her head and snorted unceremoniously: "I don't want that! You, an idiot with nothing but muscles in your head, stay away from me!"
Kiba watched from the side, chuckling, and Akamaru on his head barked 'Woof woof' twice, either in agreement or mocking Lee.
Shino pushed up his sunglasses, silently looking below, his thoughts unclear.
Tenten watched the interaction between Sakura and Lee, smiled helplessly, and then, as if remembering something, asked Sakura: "Hey, Sakura, I heard that Menma was the top student of your year and always had the best grades?"
Sakura's attention was pulled back. She nodded, cupping her face in her hands, her elbows on her knees, a hint of longing in her eyes: "Mm! According to Iruka-sensei, in all the years since the Ninja Academy was founded, Menma is the second student to be unanimously recognized by all the teachers as a 'genius civilian'! Theory, Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, tactics... almost all perfect scores!"
"Second?" Tenten tilted her head curiously. "Then who was the first?"
"I know that!" Kiba immediately leaned in, eager to answer, a little smugness on his face. "The first was the Fourth Hokage-sama! Iruka-sensei mentioned it in class, that the Fourth Hokage-sama also graduated from the Ninja Academy with perfect scores in all subjects. He was a true genius!"
"Woof!" Akamaru barked too.
Not far behind them, by the railing along the aisle, several Konoha's Jonin were casually leaning against the wall or railing.
Asuma had a half-smoked cigarette in his mouth. Listening to the kids' chattering discussion, when he heard 'Fourth Hokage', he instinctively turned his head to look at a silver-haired Jonin next to him, who was leaning against the wall, his head bobbing as if dozing off… Hatake Kakashi.
The Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato, was not only the hero of Konoha but also Kakashi's beloved teacher.
Asuma sighed inwardly and looked away.
Just then, a fragrant breeze wafted over, and Yuhi Kurenai walked over with a stern face.
Asuma's heart skipped a beat. He fumbled to remove the remaining stub of his cigarette from his mouth, flicked it with his finger, and the butt arced out of the stands with precision.
"Kurenai, what brings you here?" Asuma laughed sheepishly.
He and Kurenai were in the throes of a passionate relationship, but Kurenai's Team 8… Kiba, Shino, and Sakura, had been unfortunately eliminated in the second exam, while his own Team 10… Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji, had successfully advanced.
Kurenai's mood had clearly been off these past few days, and Asuma didn't want to be on the receiving end of her bad temper.
Kurenai ignored his little maneuver. She swept her gaze around and asked, "Hey? Where's Might Guy? Isn't he with you guys?"
Asuma pointed to the other edge of the stands.
Kurenai looked in that direction and saw a figure in a green jumpsuit with a bowl cut performing a one-handed handstand on a narrow railing, his body perfectly straight, his other hand on his waist, as if performing some solemn ritual.
It was Guy.
The corner of Kurenai's mouth couldn't help but twitch slightly. She held her forehead and sighed: "This guy... still so energetic."
Or rather, still such a hot-blooded idiot.
However, just then—
"Ooooh—!!!"
"It's starting! It's starting!"
"Go for it! Konoha kids!"
A cheer and shout even more fierce and fanatical than during the entrance suddenly erupted from the stands!
The sound waves swept across the entire arena like a tsunami, buzzing in people's ears, the stands beneath their feet seemingly trembling slightly.
Kakashi, leaning against the wall and dozing, was awakened by this sudden, tremendous wave of sound. He yawned lazily, his right eye half-open, casually glancing down at the arena below.
In the center of the venue, Hayate confirmed that all non-participating personnel had exited. He cleared his throat and, in his weak, breathy voice, began to read out the rules for the first match.
"Cough... Cough... The match will be a 3v3 team tournament. There is no time limit. It will continue until one team has completely lost the ability to fight, voluntarily concedes, or is judged by me to be unable to continue..."
"The use of lethal forbidden techniques is prohibited, as is intentionally killing the opponent... Cough, that's about it."
"Then—"
Hayate's gaze swept across the six young men and women on his left and right.
On his left was Konoha Village's Menma team.
Menma's expression was calm, his hands hanging naturally at his sides, showing no sign of nervousness.
Naruto's azure blue eyes burned with fighting spirit, his eager look evident, constantly flexing his wrists and ankles.
Hinata's long hair hung to her shoulders, her cheeks slightly flushed. Her pure white eyes occasionally looked at Menma, and whenever they met his gaze, she would quickly look away, her heartbeat accelerating.
On his right was the Iwagakure's Deidara team.
Deidara's blue-green eyes were full of excitement. He played with a few small white spider-shaped clay creations in his hand, a playful smile on his lips, his gaze repeatedly sweeping over Menma and Hinata, lingering a few extra seconds on Hinata's Byakugan in particular.
Ku was silent, expressionless, his empty eyes sizing up the Konoha's Ninja opposite, his thoughts unclear.
Kirara was equally expressionless. On her doll-like delicate face, her purple pupils were fixed solely on Hinata.
"Both teams, are you ready?"
Hayate asked finally.
Menma nodded slightly.
Deidara tossed the clay spiders in his hand, grinning: "Of course! Been waiting for this, Mmm!"
"Then..."
Hayate raised his right hand, then swung it down sharply!
"First match, begin!!"
The instant the words fell, the cheers of tens of thousands of spectators in the entire arena exploded like an ignited powder keg!
"Ooooh—!!!"
The sound waves swept over everything!
And amidst this deafening cheer, the smile on Deidara's face grew even brighter. To perform his art under the eyes of tens of thousands of spectators… how exciting!
"To have my, Deidara's, true art witnessed under such a gaze of tens of thousands—" He was just about to say a few opening lines to showcase his demeanor as a seasoned artist.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"
Opposite him, Naruto, who had been impatiently waiting for too long, had no interest in listening to his opponent's rambling. He formed hand seals rapidly before his chest and let out a great shout!
Bang—!!!
A series of white smoke clouds rose like explosions around Naruto!
As the smoke cleared, the arena was now densely packed with... Narutos!
Countless orange figures almost filled the half of the arena behind Naruto!
The tens of thousands of spectators in the stands instantly burst into even greater exclamations!
"Waaah!!"
"What is this?!"
"Shadow Clone Technique?! Why are there so many?!"
How could ordinary spectators have ever seen such an exaggerated number of clones?
Even some Ninjas were inwardly shocked that this Genin's Chakra Reserves were terrifying!
On the arena floor, every shadow clone struck the same starting pose, every shadow clone had the same excited, almost manic grin!
"Go!!"
"Oooh! Charge!!"
"Beat that blond guy!"
Hundreds of Naruto's shadow clones let out chaotic yet impressively powerful roars, like a breached orange flood, howling as they rushed en masse towards Deidara and his team!
The sound of footsteps and roars converged, also creating quite a commotion, dust flying up.
Deidara, who had been about to deliver an impassioned speech, hadn't even finished saying 'art'. The smug smile on his face instantly froze, his blue-green pupils suddenly contracting to pinprick size!
Even he, with his self-proclaimed genius, was momentarily stunned by the sight of over a hundred shadow clones!
'What the hell kind of Chakra Reserves?!'
'Is this bastard a Jinchuriki?!'