Upon learning of Shinji's team's points, all the students participating in the exam widened their eyes, their faces filled with disbelief.
This wasn't a gap of one or two hundred points—it was a massive lead, several times higher than Yakumo's team.
In the face of such a disparity, any excuse felt utterly powerless!
Yakumo opened her mouth but ultimately fell silent.
She had many questions in her heart, but as the words reached her lips, she realized that no matter what she asked, it would sound like she was making excuses for her own inadequacy.
Even the usually aloof Kimimaro couldn't hide the astonishment on his face.
He hadn't taken this exam too seriously, but that didn't mean he was unaware of its difficulty. So, when he heard about Shinji's team's points, he was genuinely puzzled.
"Shinji, how did you manage that?"
In the end, it was Shikamaru who voiced the question.
Shinji just smiled.
On the other side, having finished cleaning up the battlefield, Jiraiya and Tsunade conducted a preliminary interrogation of the Root shinobi who had attacked Shinji. From their statements, they pieced together what had happened.
After listening, the two exchanged glances.
During the process of treating the Root shinobi, they had verified their identities, confirming that all the attackers were indeed Root shinobi from the village. They also confirmed that the group matched the intel: a small shinobi army consisting of five jōnin and over a dozen chūnin.
Yet, this very shinobi army had been defeated by three ninja academy students.
Most crucially, they had lost so miserably, so humiliatingly!
After the interrogation, Tsunade frowned and said, "From the Root shinobi's statements, Shinji's performance in this battle was truly remarkable!"
"It reminds me of Minato…"
Jiraiya's face was filled with感慨.
To achieve such a feat as a ninja academy student, the first name that flashed through his mind was his disciple, the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato.
Minato had once, during his academy days, single-handedly rescued Uzumaki Kushina, who had been secretly kidnapped by elite Cloud shinobi infiltrating the village.
Tsunade shook her head. "It's not quite at that level. If they hadn't been ambushed, Yakumo could probably have pulled it off too!"
In the Hidden Leaf, where geniuses abound, an academy student defeating a jōnin wasn't entirely unheard of. The Fourth Hokage aside, Uchiha prodigies like Shisui and Itachi had also displayed jōnin-level strength during their academy days.
Jiraiya chuckled. "True, Uchiha Shinji got lucky this time. The Root shinobi's attack was disrupted by Karin, who was scouting, or the outcome might have been harder to predict!"
Hearing Jiraiya's words, Tsunade picked up the Root shinobi's statements again, studying them closely, her brows gradually furrowing. "Karin may have only taken down one person, but that person seems to have been that genius from the Aburame clan! Even if the enemy underestimated her, could Karin really pull that off with her strength?"
Jiraiya replied, "Karin has Uzumaki blood. If the enemy was careless, it's not impossible for her to have succeeded by chance!"
Tsunade continued, "Haku, like Karin, only took down one person, but that was also a Root jōnin. This…"
This time, Jiraiya didn't offer an explanation, simply stating, "That Haku is strong!"
"Oh?"
Tsunade looked up, shifting her gaze from the statements to Jiraiya.
Jiraiya reminisced, "Once, when I went to check on Karin, she wasn't home. When I found her at a nearby training ground, I happened to see Uchiha Shinji and Haku engaged in taijutsu sparring!"
Intrigued, Tsunade asked, "And the result?"
"Evenly matched!" Jiraiya paused, then, feeling his description wasn't quite accurate, clarified, "Or rather, Haku had a slight edge!"
Tsunade's face showed surprise. "What? Haku's taijutsu can surpass Uchiha Shinji?"
Jiraiya explained, "In that spar, Haku was slightly on the defensive the entire time, but throughout the match, there wasn't the slightest fluctuation in his performance!"
Tsunade fell into thought.
Maintaining a perfectly measured disadvantage from start to finish wasn't something just anyone could do. Even if Jiraiya's speculation was off, it at least showed that Haku's taijutsu was only slightly inferior to Uchiha Shinji's.
"It seems Uchiha Shinji's two teammates aren't simple either!"
Tsunade muttered, shaking her head.
Jiraiya said, "Let's put this aside for now. The priority is figuring out how to deal with Danzō!"
"We've already caught his men—what's there to discuss!" Tsunade's face was cold as she continued, "At such a critical time, wasting the village's precious forces on internal conflict—someone like Danzō doesn't deserve a seat on the advisory council!"
Jiraiya mused, "The old man might not have the resolve to confront Danzō head-on."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "The two of us might not be enough, but what if we add Koharu Utatane? Uchiha Shinji is her disciple. If Danzō's assassination attempt had succeeded, she might have had to swallow it. But now that Danzō has failed, and we've got his operatives in our hands, she won't let this slide easily!"
Jiraiya nodded slightly. "Let's hope this time the old man doesn't go soft!"
Hidden Leaf Village, Root Base.
Boom.
Learning of the mission's failure, Danzō slammed his fist into the wall, blasting a large hole in the sturdy surface!
"Useless! All of them, useless!"
Danzō was furious.
Not only had the mission failed, but all the operatives he sent were captured by Jiraiya and Tsunade. This wasn't just a matter of losing face—it was a real threat to his position in the village.
The few Root shinobi kneeling before him trembled, not daring to wipe the cold sweat from their foreheads.
After venting his anger, Danzō glanced at his subordinates. "How was the intel leaked?"
One Root shinobi hurriedly replied, "It was likely intercepted by the communications team!"
Danzō's cold gaze fixed on the shinobi. "I'm asking which part of the plan went wrong!"
The Root shinobi, bracing himself, said, "My apologies—it's likely we have a traitor within our ranks!"
Danzō gritted his teeth. "Find that traitor!"
"Yes!"
The Root shinobi responded in unison before quickly retreating.
Once his subordinates left, Danzō's angry expression faded, and he muttered to himself, "Sarutobi, was this your doing?"
In the entire Hidden Leaf, only the Third Hokage, as the village leader, could plant a spy in his Root.
Realizing that Sarutobi no longer trusted him, Danzō understood the situation might be slipping from his control. He needed to prepare for the worst.