Chapter 54
Shisui checked his equipment one last time, making sure he had everything he needed before leaving. Today was important—maybe the most important day yet. It wasn't just about proving himself to others. He needed to prove, to himself, that he was ready to take the next step on the path he'd chosen.
"About time," Yamato muttered as he and Iruka waited for him by the Uchiha estate.
Shisui could tell Yamato wasn't really annoyed. If anything, he seemed nervous. And with good reason—he had been personally trained by the Third Hokage. That came with expectations. Pressure. He couldn't afford to disappoint, even though almost nobody knew of that. Still, Hokage would be watching, and Yamato wanted him to be proud of what he would see.
Iruka looked calm on the surface, but Shisui could see the concern in his eyes. It was subtle—but it was there. They have been together long enough for Shisui to notice those things. But that also meant that others would notice if something were wrong with him. All three of them were nervous.
So, it fell to Shisui to lead, to move forward with confidence, and to show them that everything was going to be fine.
Even if it wasn't.
Even if he felt like he was about to throw up, as he had never felt so sick in his life.
…
Shisui hadn't realized how many were participating in these Chūnin Exams. He'd thought he had a decent grasp of who was in the village—faces, uniforms, a general sense of skill levels. But this... this was something else. There were so many teams. And every single one of them was an enemy.
Even the ones from Konoha.
Especially the ones from Konoha. Because now, they were all competitors and they knew each other far better than genin from the other villages. Only the best of the best would move forward. And he had to be ready to fight them all if it came to that. Failure wasn't an option.
But before he could get into the right mindset, his stomach twisted in pain. It wasn't nerves. It was something deeper. Sharper. Wrong.
And from the looks of it, he wasn't the only one who felt it.
Yes, the tension in the air was thick—everyone was sizing each other up, scanning for weakness—but around a third of the participants looked visibly ill. They were pale, sweating, and clutching their sides. Yet tried to hide it as best as they could, but even Shisui could hide it for much longer.
"Shisui, are you alright?" Iruka was the first to notice.
"The test..." Shisui forced the words out as he realized what was happening, and wanted to explain it to his teammates.
"The test began the moment you stepped into this village."
The voice cut through the crowd—a calm, authoritative voice that drew every head toward its source. A Konoha jōnin stepped forward—tall, blonde, stern. Shisui recognized him immediately as Inoichi Yamanaka.
"You came to a hostile place. An unfamiliar one. Anyone and anything here could be your enemy. And yet you walked around as if you owned the place—as if nothing could harm you. That was your mistake. And arrogant and ignorant mistake that a shinobi should never make."
A few more collapsed to the ground, clutching their stomachs. The pain was getting worse, but Shisui forced himself to keep his eyes on Inoichi. To listen. He needed to understand what was going on and what he had to do to fix it.
"What kind of bullshit is this?" someone barked—a tall boy from Amegakure, the only one from his team still standing.
"A shinobi is prepared for anything," Inoichi continued, unfazed. "A shinobi does not entrust their safety to others. And yet you did. You trusted strangers. You walked through this village without caution. You ate our food without question."
He paused, letting the silence hang heavy.
"You let your guard down. And now your teammates are paying the price."
"You poisoned us?" a voice growled—one of the Kumo girls, the brash blonde Shisui had noticed earlier. She looked ready to fight.
"Yes," Inoichi said flatly. "We poisoned everyone who ate carelessly within our walls. The poison is not lethal—it will incapacitate you for no more than a week. After that, you'll recover. But now, you must make a choice: abandon those who will hold you back... or stay with them and fail. You have twenty-four hours to decide. Those who wish to continue, step behind me."
And that was it.
No more explanation. No rules. No mercy.
Shisui glanced around. Anger. Fear. Hesitation. But no one moved against Inoichi. They couldn't. Not only because he was powerful, but because the poison had been given to everyone, even Konoha's genin. That made it fair. Brutal, but fair. So, they had nothing to complain about.
One by one, shinobi began stepping forward, leaving their comrades behind as they realized that this was it. He was a proctor for the test, and he didn't even bother to introduce himself. It told everyone that they would not get any answers from him. Inoichi said nothing as the genin walked passed by him. He just watched. Waiting.
"Shisui, what do we do?" Yamato asked, his voice unsteady. He looked more rattled now than Shisui had ever seen him.
What could they do?
The proctor wouldn't say another word. It was on them now. The obvious solution was to move on and abandon the sick... but that felt like a trap. Who knew what awaited them in the next phase? They might need their team to pass. And they were given time, so they needed to use it before they made such a decision so carelessly.
"Do you remember where you ate the past few days?" Iruka asked quickly, already working through a plan and realizing what must be done.
"No," Shisui admitted. "I always eat out. I don't cook like you, and walnuts from Yamato's stash don't count as food. There are just too many places to check. And we only have twenty-four hours. And even if we find them, who knows what it will need to be done to get the antidote from them."
"Sorry to interrupt," a girl said, stepping toward them. "But I might be able to help."
Shisui turned to face her. She wore Suna's headband, and she had red markings on her face. Her expression was cautious but sincere. Behind her were her two sick teammates, clutching their sides and cursing Konoha.
"You know this village better than I do. And I know where my teammates probably got poisoned. If you help me get around, I might be able to confirm the source and even make an antidote. But I can't move alone—not with them like this. So, how about it? We help each other."
"And who are you?" Shisui asked. He wanted to trust her, but couldn't afford to be reckless.
"Maki," she replied. "From Sunagakure. I know poisons."
"Why don't you leave them behind and get on to the next test?" Iruka asked.
"I won't abandon my comrades. Ever."
"That's good enough for me." Yamato nodded.
Even Shisui could feel the honesty in her words. But she sensed something more to her words that she let on. The question was whether they could trust each other. Yet they had little choice, and taking the situation, they had to use this opportunity.
"Alright," he said. "We need to move fast. I can feel myself getting weaker by the second. In an hour, I'll be dead weight. But before we do anything, I need all of you to promise me something."
"What is it?" Iruka asked.
"If we don't find an antidote in time, you leave me behind."
"I—"
"No arguments," Shisui cut them off. "We have a mission. If I hold you down, we fail. And that dishonors not only us, but the Third Hokage's faith in us."
He meant it. He wouldn't let them fall with him.
Too much was riding on their shoulders.
…
Shisui had never realized how slow civilians moved through the village. He'd spent his whole life running, jumping across rooftops, walking fast even when he wasn't in a hurry. But now, he could barely move. Yamato supported him while Maki led the way.
"Are you sure it's okay to leave him?" she asked.
"What, Iruka?" Yamato replied. "Don't underestimate him. And carrying two more people would've slowed us down too much."
"And what about you?" she asked Shisui. "You sure you didn't want to stay and wait for us?"
"I'll be fine," Shisui lied. "You don't know the village, and Yamato's not the best at talking to people. But don't think I trust you. If you lead us into a trap, I will be dangerous. Even like this."
He hoped the threat landed. He couldn't stay behind—if they had to abandon him later, it would be easier if he weren't right in front of them. Iruka wouldn't be able to make that choice otherwise. And in the end, Yamato would probably agree with Iruka. Those guys were too nice for their good.
"If you say so," Maki muttered. She didn't argue—she didn't trust them either. And she might use Shisui if it came to it.
"So kind of you," a new voice called out, mocking. "But your road ends here, tree-huggers."
It was the blonde from the Kumo team. She stood alone in their path. Shisui remembered her teammates—one had definitely been poisoned, and the other was probably off searching or standing guard.
And it seemed she'd realized the same thing they had: there was no rule against harming other participants.
"Idiot," Shisui muttered, stepping away from Yamato. He forced himself to his feet. "You should've waited for the antidote. You could've followed us and stolen it later. Now you've shown your hand. Good to know we're facing the dumb ones early."
"You never know when to shut up, huh? Well, I was gonna teach you a lesson anyway."
She moved fast. Too fast for Shisui's blurry eyes. But not faster than Yamato. He stepped in, blocking her with ease. She vaulted over him like a cat, heading straight for Shisui, only for Yamato to grab her ankle and smash her to the ground. She rolled away and turned to Shisui, but had already moved away to Maki.
Yamato smiled at her, motioning for her to come to him. And she did. Leaping through the air like a cat, her kunai aimed at Yamato's neck, only for her hand to get caught by a cloth. Before she could do anything about it, Maki pulled her and threw her into a building next to them.
"Hey, Kumo bitch, I'm here too," Maki said, retracting her cloth and then turning to Shisui. "What's the plan? We take her out?"
"No," Yamato replied, before Shisui could. "You take Shisui and go. I'll deal with her. We don't have time to waste. And if we ignore her, she might go after Iruka and your teammates. And she doesn't seem like someone who likes to be ignored."
"Heh. You think I'm letting any of you leave?" the Kumo kunoichi sneered as she pulled herself up.
"Nobody asked you," Yamato answered, and punched her in the face before she could regain her footing. And it didn't seem like Yamato was holding back as she crashed into the wall. Hopefully, the Third Hokage won't be mad about the collateral damage to the village. Then again, he probably expected this when designing the test in such a way.
"You're playing with me now. Kumo bitch." Yamato seemed to like the nickname Maki made for the Kumo Kunoichi; Shisui couldn't blame him for that.
Maki didn't hesitate. She grabbed Shisui and moved quickly, leaving Yamato behind once she realized that there was nothing else she could do. She looked uneasy, but Shisui wasn't worried.
Yamato was tough. Tougher than most.
And right now, Shisui couldn't help him anyway. He had just enough strength left for one genjutsu.
And he'd need it for whoever had the antidote.
A.N. As always, thanks for reading and supporting me, so I can continue writing without any concerns, and if you want more, up to seven more chapters, you can support me on pa treon. com \ ironwolf852.