Time passed quietly, and Konoha hadn't been this lively in a long time.
The joint Chūnin Exam thus began.
During the first written exam, Shinji didn't go anywhere. Besides eating and sleeping, he beat up Hidan.
Don't ask why Hidan was beaten; the answer is he was idle, so he was beaten.
As a result, after being beaten, Hidan went to trouble Tobi. Yet, every time, Tobi would cry out miserably, but in reality, Hidan was the one suffering.
This made Hidan very depressed.
So, inexplicably, he went to trouble Mangetsu Hōzuki.
Mangetsu Hōzuki didn't indulge his bad habit, so the two of them had a fierce fight.
One of them possessed immortality, and the other had the Water Release jutsu, so they didn't have to worry about killing each other.
But the problem was the result was the same, while the process was completely different!
Every time after the fight, it ended in a draw. Then Hidan would return covered in blood, while Mangetsu Hōzuki would raise his water cup with a pale face and chug it down.
This made Hidan very speechless.
Why was he always the one getting hurt?
Soon, the results of the first written exam were released.
Half of the 170 participants were eliminated.
"...I originally thought this might be the end. Naruto, who knew nothing, simply submitted a blank paper, but fortunately, the last question tested team cohesion, allowing Naruto, that idiot, to pass by chance."
Sasuke was rambling to Shinji about what happened during the written exam, completely unaware of why he, who was usually aloof, felt a sense of closeness whenever he faced the other person and was willing to share many of his innermost thoughts.
If Shinji were to answer this question, he would definitely say: "It's the Sharingan's spectral soul. I hid the Sharingan's spectral soul on my person."
There was no other way. This was a powerful cursed object condensed from the souls of the entire Uchiha clan.
There must have been some trace of Sasuke's parents' aura within it, so it was normal for him to feel a natural closeness.
Otherwise, given Sasuke's personality, he wouldn't have talked so much, let alone easily trusted a stranger.
It could only be said that it was fate.
If Shinji hadn't gone digging for that treasure map back then, perhaps all these troubles wouldn't have happened today.
"I understand how you feel. When there's an idiot teammate in the group, you always have to find ways to cover up for his stupid mistakes."
As he spoke, Shinji looked up desolately in a certain direction.
Hidan, who was fighting with Mangetsu Hōzuki at that moment, couldn't help but shiver. His attack immediately faltered, allowing Mangetsu Hōzuki to seize the opportunity and smash Hidan's head repeatedly with his twin swords, Hiramekarei!
Meanwhile, another person and Sasuke, due to the resonance they had just experienced, exchanged sympathetic glances.
That's right.
Even though Shinji had thrown Sasuke to the hospital twice, he had never felt sympathy for Sasuke.
But knowing that Sasuke had an idiot teammate who liked to cause trouble, he showed a look of sympathy.
"Alas, to endure suffering beyond what one should at such a young age, you have truly been wronged."
Shinji let out a sigh of empathy because of a certain Hidan.
"Mr. Akagi, you truly understand me."
"Call me Big Brother. 'Mr.' sounds too distant." (It's Big Brother, not 'older brother.' Don't get it wrong.)
"Okay, Shinji... Big Brother."
Shinji suddenly felt that Sasuke had become a little more pleasing to his eyes.
"The next exam is scheduled for the Forest of Death the day after tomorrow, right?" Shinji suddenly remembered something and asked.
Sasuke nodded, not understanding why.
"Since you're calling me Big Brother, I'll give you a heads-up. This Chūnin Exam might not be peaceful. Be careful then, and don't overexert yourself."
Because there were some things he couldn't tell Sasuke yet, Shinji only gave him a subtle hint.
However, Sasuke clearly didn't understand his intention. Instead, he said confidently, "Teacher Kakashi is teaching me an extremely powerful ninjutsu. Once I learn it, I will definitely take first place in this Chūnin Exam."
And then, pass the exam and join Big Brother Shinji's Jashin Cult!
The latter part was what Sasuke truly wanted to say, but it was too early to say it now; it might leave a bad impression.
Shinji smacked his lips. He wanted to say that he didn't mean it that way, but after thinking about it, he decided against it.
Even if he told Sasuke some things, it wouldn't change anything, because Sasuke didn't have the strength for it yet.
After Sasuke left, Shinji remained in place, as if still lost in thought.
After a while, he spoke, "Are you still not coming out? If you don't come out soon, I'm going back."
A figure flashed from behind a tree and appeared in front of Shinji.
"So it's Kakashi Hatake, Konoha's Copy Ninja. Don't you know it's impolite to eavesdrop on other people's conversations from the shadows?" Shinji said slowly as he looked at the person.
"I didn't realize my reputation had spread all the way to Mist Hidden across the sea. Although my methods were indeed somewhat unsavory, I hope Consultant Akagi Shinji can understand a teacher's concern for his disciple."
Although Kakashi's tone was casual, the meaning conveyed was clear.
"I know who you are, and don't even think about plotting against my disciple!"
As for Kakashi's appearance, Shinji wasn't surprised. In fact, he thought Kakashi would have come to find him earlier.
This was Konoha, and Sasuke's whereabouts couldn't be hidden from anyone.
Fortunately, some dangerous conversations had already taken place when no one else was around. Sasuke naturally knew what could and couldn't be said now, so Shinji didn't need to worry.
Actually, Shinji really wanted to tell Kakashi that no one wanted to steal his disciple, but his disciple felt that his teacher was useless!
And even more heartbreaking was the fact that this was true!
Currently, apart from the Chidori, Kakashi didn't have much else worth teaching others.
Of course, excluding basic skills, experience, and so on.
Then look at his three disciples from Team 7.
Sasuke was lured away by Orochimaru.
Naruto went off to gather information with Jiraiya.
Even Sakura, who was closest to the teacher, eventually became Tsunade's student to learn medical ninjutsu.
None of the three disciples were taught by him alone.
This shows that Kakashi's teaching career was indeed difficult to describe.
He was very responsible and didn't hold back his knowledge.
But he just wasn't cut out for it.
"I see. I can understand. However, next time, you can be more open about it. There's nothing shameful, so why be sneaky and furtive?"
Kakashi, having been mocked, wasn't angry. Instead, he played dumb and went along with the conversation. "That would be great. Next time Sasuke comes over, I'll visit together."
"As you wish."
Looking at his open expression, Kakashi became somewhat indecisive.
Did he misunderstand?
What was this guy's intention in approaching Sasuke?
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