[Beneath the Forest of Death]
The trees here were extremely tall, and their roots underground were enormous as well.
Many places had been pushed open into hollow spaces.
Black Zetsu was patiently waiting inside one of them.
Not long after, a White Zetsu emerged from underground.
"Lord Black Zetsu, the Chunin written exam has ended. The practical exam is this afternoon."
"Konoha's Chunin Exam schedule hasn't changed. The practical test will still last three days."
"Many areas in the forest have had surveillance installed. It's not favorable for us to make a move."
Although Minato was not in the village right now, he could return at any time with the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Black Zetsu did not dare lower his guard.
He did not have many cards left in his hand.
Only by carrying out this plan before Konoha became alert could he succeed.
Black Zetsu still felt the chances of success were fairly high. After all, nobody had targeted the Hyuga Clan before.
After thinking for a moment, he still felt uneasy and asked, "Have you found Obito?"
White Zetsu shook his head, "There is still no news about Obito."
Black Zetsu felt irritated, 'Did Obito succeed or failed last time?'
They had agreed to go to Konoha together to test things out, but after the fight, he vanished completely.
With Obito around, capturing someone would be much easier.
Now that Obito was absent, attacking someone would be easy enough, but taking them away would probably be difficult.
'Looks like I need to pay more attention to intelligence gathering.'
Black Zetsu thought silently.
———
The morning exam had ended.
All the candidates' papers had been collected.
By the time lunch was over, the papers would already be graded.
Many chunin from smaller villages had come with teammates or teachers.
At this time, they all gathered together and went out for lunch.
The Grass Village had brought eight people in total. Ryuzetsu and Muku were leading six genin to participate in the Chunin Exam.
At this moment, Muku was comforting Ryuzetsu and the others.
"It's okay. It's normal not to pass your first Chunin Exam."
"Most people take it several times before passing."
The six genin, including Ryuzetsu, had just graduated from the ninja academy at twelve years old.
They had completed less than half a year of missions before coming to take their first Chunin Exam.
They failed the first intelligence-gathering stage, and all six were eliminated.
Normally, the Chunin Exam pass rate was not high. A one percent pass rate for first-time participants was already considered good.
Even among the Konoha Twelve, only Shikamaru became a chunin during his first Chunin Exam because of his intelligence. The others were basically just participants.
Not to mention ordinary people without clans or bloodlines.
Passing within three years was already quite good.
Although reality was harsh, as the team leader, Muku still had to comfort these students.
At least so they would not feel too discouraged.
"Since you don't need to take the exam this afternoon, let's spend the next few days enjoying Konoha."
Muku's suggestion immediately brightened everyone's mood. After all, their Grass Village was nowhere near as prosperous as Konoha.
Though both were ninja villages, they felt like two completely different worlds.
However, Ryuzetsu and the other six still looked toward Ryuzetsu.
In reality, Ryuzetsu was the one in charge of their group.
Ryuzetsu waved her hand, looking as though she could not do anything about them.
"Alright, alright. We don't get chances like this often. You can spend the rest of the time however you want."
"We'll head back the day after tomorrow."
The six genin immediately cheered.
"Oh! Awesome!"
"Ryuzetsu-sensei is the best!"
Ryuzetsu raised a finger.
"Remember to return to the inn on time every night. Dismissed."
"Yes!"
The Grass ninjas answered seriously before scattering in all directions.
"Come on, Ryuzetsu. Let's go get something to eat too."
Muku suggested.
There was plenty of good food in Konoha.
Just as Ryuzetsu was about to speak, a voice that felt both unfamiliar and familiar sounded.
"Ryuzetsu, Muku."
The two turned around and saw a man with a blurred face walking toward them.
When he came closer, his face suddenly became clear.
It was Uchiha Rengoku.
"Ah! Ren—mmph..."
Ryuzetsu opened her mouth to speak, but Muku quickly covered it.
Rengoku raised a finger to his lips, signaling them not to shout.
"Lord Rengoku, welcome back."
After seeing that Ryuzetsu had understood, Muku let go of her and bowed while quietly greeting him.
Ryuzetsu was much more straightforward and did not become distant because of Rengoku's status.
"Lord Rengoku, it's been a long time."
"Yeah, it's been a long time."
Rengoku looked the two of them over.
"Come on, let's have a meal."
With that, he started leading the way.
The two felt somewhat flattered. After so many years, Rengoku's status had become almost unreachable.
They had not expected someone like him to still eat with them.
"Thank you, Lord Rengoku."
Muku and Ryuzetsu followed beside him, half a step behind.
Rengoku casually chatted with them about the changes in Grass Village over the years.
Eventually, he brought them to a private room in a restaurant owned by the Uchiha Clan.
Rengoku did not order any dishes and simply told the restaurant to serve whatever they wished.
Now that he was here, he was no longer disguised. Nearly everyone around was an Uchiha clansman.
"I've been away for several years and haven't seen you during that time. Are either of you married yet?"
Seeing that they were a little restrained, Rengoku took the initiative to start a conversation.
Even Ryuzetsu, usually carefree, blushed a little. She glanced at Muku and answered awkwardly, "N-No..."
Muku added from the side, "We're still young. It'll be another couple of years."
Click!
At that moment, the door opened, and Karin's head suddenly appeared by the doorway.
Rengoku beckoned to her, and she skipped over and sat beside him.
"Then you'd better hurry. This is my fiancee. See if you still recognize her."
Muku and Ryuzetsu looked confused at first, but quickly realized who it was.
After all, there was only one red-haired woman they both knew.
"You're Karin?", Ryuzetsu said in surprise.
Karin giggled, "It's me. Long time no see."
Muku and Ryuzetsu were both stunned.
The little girl Rengoku had sent people to take from their village all those years ago had now grown up, and she had even become Rengoku's fiancee.
They were not particularly close with Karin, but she had come from their village after all.
Seeing such a huge change felt unreal to them.
Smiling, Rengoku said to Ryuzetsu, "Ryuzetsu, you're my lifesaver. Karin also came from your side. If you ever need anything in the future, you can come directly to the Uchiha Clan and find me."
Uchiha Rengoku's strength was now the greatest in the ninja world.
And as the Fifth Hokage of Konoha, the strongest ninja village in the world, he lacked neither money nor authority.
His promise carried enormous weight.
"Thank you, Lord Rengoku!"
Ryuzetsu and Muku naturally understood how valuable this gift was and were happy.
Rengoku had many things now and did not mind giving some help to Ryuzetsu, the person who had saved his life.
By this time, the restaurant had already brought in the food.
As they ate and talked, Rengoku also learned that Muku's father, Mui, had quietly changed his political stance and become part of the neutral faction.
However, because his Fire Release: Heavenly Prison was extremely suitable for imprisoning criminals, Mui had still become the lord of Hozuki Castle.
Moreover, since Muku had not died, Mui had not devoted much attention to politics. Instead, he had focused on improving his own strength.
Although Mui had not become one of Grass Village's elders, he had gained many followers through his personal strength.
He had become a force in Grass Village that could not be ignored.