Before venturing to the Demon Slayer world, Shinji's goals had been his "Rinnegan Plan" and "Tenseigan Plan." In the shinobi world, possessing a personal Rinnegan or Tenseigan essentially placed one at the pinnacle of power.
Everything else was just a matter of honing experience and techniques.
In the original timeline, after the Fourth Shinobi World War, Naruto and Sasuke's capabilities were roughly at this level.
But after experiencing the might of the Hegemon of Fear in the Demon Slayer world, Shinji realized that this level of power was far from sufficient to confront it.
Thus, he had to elevate his goals to the "Six Paths level," or even the "Bloodline Encompassing" state.
"Should I set my sights on the Ten-Tails?"
Shinji furrowed his brow slightly.
The "Six Paths level" was his own conceptualization, not an officially recognized tier in the shinobi world.
The only individuals confirmed to have reached this level were Obito and Madara Uchiha, who utilized the Ten-Tails during the Fourth Shinobi World War, along with mythical figures like Kaguya Ōtsutsuki and the Sage of the Six Paths.
Even the "God of Shinobi," the First Hokage, was noticeably below this tier.
After much thought, Shinji realized that, aside from becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchūriki, there was no other reliable method to ascend to the Six Paths level.
"If I target the Ten-Tails, I'd be making enemies of the Five Great Shinobi Villages and Nagato's Akatsuki at the same time!" Pausing, Shinji shook his head. "No, it might even draw the attention of the Sage of the Six Paths, who's been lurking in the shadows, observing the shinobi world!"
Rubbing his temples, Shinji temporarily set aside the idea.
One step at a time—panicking over the Hegemon's threat would only throw him into disarray.
His immediate priority was to replicate Karin's success and awaken his own Rinnegan!
For the next few days, Shinji returned to a calm life at the ninja academy.
With Ryūhei Ubuyashiki's invasion resolved, he felt relaxed, the mental and physical fatigue easing.
Others, however, weren't as leisurely.
Sasuke, knocked out by "B" (Karin) during their spar, was carried back to the shinobi world. Upon waking, he viewed the defeat as a grave humiliation and trained frantically, determined to challenge "B" again.
Sasuke wasn't the only one spurred into action.
Karin's words after defeating him, challenging anyone to take her codename, had stirred the others to varying degrees.
Thus, Yakumo, Neji, Kimimaro, and even Shion intensified their training upon returning to the shinobi world.
Ring, ring, ring.
Another morning, as the class bell rang, Iruka entered the classroom with a stack of documents.
Glancing at the eager students below, he smiled. "Looks like you've all heard about the end-of-term exams!"
Inuzuka Kiba raised his hand. "Iruka-sensei, I heard this year's exams are tougher than ever. Is that true?"
All eyes turned to Iruka on the podium.
Iruka nodded slightly. "Yes, this year's exams were set by the Advisory Elder Council. In terms of difficulty, they do surpass previous years."
He glanced at Yakumo, Sasuke, Kimimaro, then at Naruto and Shion.
When the exam rules were first drafted, Iruka had protested to the Third Hokage, as the exams weren't just difficult—they were completely beyond the students' level.
It was clear to anyone that these exams were designed for the rising prodigies of the academy.
Ordinary students weren't even considered supporting players.
As a teacher, Iruka had strongly opposed the plan, but his objections were powerless against the Advisory Elder Council.
The council didn't care about ordinary students; their focus was on prodigies like Yakumo and Sasuke, who could one day shift the village's power dynamics!
Iruka had thought convincing the Third Hokage would cancel the excessive exams, unaware that on this matter, the Third and the council were aligned.
Sigh.
Thinking of this, Iruka let out a helpless sigh.
"Sensei, what exactly will the exams test?"
"We're not going back to that scary Forest of Death, are we?"
"Will it still be in three-man squads?"
The students couldn't hold back, bombarding him with questions.
As the atmosphere grew lively, Yakumo, Sasuke, and Kimimaro, who hadn't cared much about the exams before, began to show some interest.
Yakumo glanced at Sasuke, her expression brimming with confidence.
"Hmph!"
Sasuke responded with a light scoff.
"Quiet down, everyone!" After calming the class, Iruka continued, "This year's exams include a combat component. As students, you're not supposed to face real combat yet, but given the state of the shinobi world, the village decided to test you early."
"Combat?"
The classroom's chatter fell silent.
Except for Kimimaro, all the students were born after the Third Shinobi World War. Most had never experienced real combat, so hearing that the exams involved it sparked both surprise and fear.
Of course, some were thrilled.
Naruto leaped onto his desk, laughing, "Hahaha, it's finally Uzumaki Naruto's time to shine!"
Iruka's face darkened. "Naruto, sit down!"
Sakura apologized to Iruka while pulling Naruto off the desk.
Sasuke glared at Naruto. "Idiot!"
Naruto fumed, shouting. His training with Jiraiya had been effective, and he was eager to prove himself.
Once Naruto settled down, Iruka said, "The exams will still be conducted in three-man squads. The specifics are confidential for now. You have one week to prepare."
After class, the classroom buzzed with tension.
The prospect of combat added both anticipation and anxiety to the exams.
Sasuke glanced at Yakumo and Kimimaro, then turned to Naruto and Sakura. "Naruto, Sakura, let's go!"
They quickly followed.
Sasuke knew that if the exams were in three-man squads, Yakumo's team would have a significant advantage. He needed to use the week to train Naruto and Sakura.
Meanwhile, Shinji, secretly planning his First Hokage cell transplant, learned of the exams and felt a headache coming on.