BOOOOM—!!!
The deafening blast shook the entire Training Ground Three.
A terrifying column of fire surged into the sky, blooming into a small mushroom cloud. A scorching shockwave—mixed with the stench of burned insect corpses and splintered stone—exploded outward in every direction.
The crowd screamed in panic and stumbled back instinctively. The shinobi immediately moved to shield the civilians in front of them, shock written across their faces.
"You've got to be kidding! Using that many explosive tags in an exam?!"
"This is attempted murder!"
"They've lost their minds!"
On the viewing platform, Hiruzen shot to his feet. His pipe clattered to the ground with a sharp clack.
He stared at the center of the field—swallowed by fire and smoke—his face turning livid.
"Minato!"
He didn't need to call twice.
Minato had already flashed into a streak of gold, appearing at the edge of the blast zone and cutting off the shockwave before it could roll into the stands.
His expression had never been so severe. Those blue eyes that usually carried a gentle warmth were now ice-cold.
He glanced back at Kakashi, whose shoulder was still seeping blood, and spoke low and fast.
"Kakashi—stay here. Be on guard."
Then, without another word, he vanished again—reappearing directly before the panel of jōnin overseeing the exam.
The record-keeping jōnin were pale as paper. The sudden turn of events had clearly rattled them too.
"This is no longer an exam," Minato said, his voice utterly devoid of warmth.
"This is murder."
---
Inside the smoke, Ryūma stood quietly, letting the hot air tug at his coat.
Eyes closed, he focused on the epicenter of the explosion.
That faint chakra presence—like a candle guttering in the wind—was gone.
Gone completely.
Dead.
Mission accomplished.
Beneath the high collar hiding his mouth, the corner of his lips lifted—so slightly it was almost imperceptible.
Danzō-sama should be satisfied.
As the haze slowly cleared, it revealed a charred crater of devastation.
Ryūma turned, ready to report the prepared line:
"Candidate Sakuya Chigen unfortunately perished in an accident during the exam."
But the moment he pivoted—
his steps froze.
A figure emerged from the thinning smoke, walking forward slowly… one step at a time.
A cane.
A bandage over the right eye.
And the left eye—exposed and gleaming with a familiar, sinister chill.
Each step felt like it was stomping on Ryūma's heart.
…Shimura Danzō?
Ryūma's mind went blank.
Danzō-sama?
Why would he appear here in person?
To confirm the result?
Or…
That thought made the heart he'd trained into a machine-like coldness begin to pound violently.
His body tried to bow out of reflex, but sheer shock and confusion locked him in place.
In the fraction of a second he lost—
that "Danzō" was already standing right in front of him.
"You did well," the "Danzō" said, his voice hoarse and cold—exactly like the real thing.
Ryūma tried to respond—
Poof.
The "Danzō" exploded into white smoke.
And in his place stood Chigen—his face dust-streaked, his expression so cold it barely looked human.
"But it wasn't enough," Chigen said, his voice like something crawling up from the underworld.
In his hand, the long, narrow tachi was already drawn. The tip flashed with a chilling gleam as it stabbed at a vicious angle—straight toward Ryūma's unguarded heart!
In that instant, time seemed to slow to a crawl.
The gasps from the stands. Kakashi's shrinking pupils. Minato's changing expression.
Everything became nothing more than scenery for that killing thrust.
Die.
In Chigen's eyes, there was only the heart he was about to pierce.
CLANG—!!!
A metallic impact—sharp enough to make teeth hurt—exploded at Ryūma's chest.
Chigen's blade tip had been stopped dead.
A special three-pronged kunai had appeared out of nowhere, locking the tachi in place.
The blade's tip hovered less than an inch from Ryūma's skin.
A golden flash condensed beside Chigen.
Minato.
One hand clamped onto Chigen's wrist. The other held the three-pronged kunai steady, blocking the killing blow with absolute precision.
"That's enough, Chigen," Minato said, voice controlled—eyes razor-sharp.
"I know you're furious. But if you kill a Konoha jōnin here, no matter the reason… you'll be branded a rogue ninja."
Chigen's chest heaved. Bloodshot fury burned in his eyes.
He glared at Ryūma—still shaking behind Minato's protection. Veins stood out on Chigen's hand as he tightened his grip, trying to force his blade through Minato's restraint.
"He tried to kill me," Chigen forced out through clenched teeth.
"I know," Minato said, increasing the pressure on his grip.
"That's why I've already alerted the Konoha Military Police Force. He will face judgment—but not from you."
Ryūma finally snapped back from the edge of death.
Failure.
Exposure.
His eyes went dead, and his chakra began surging in a bizarre, violent pattern.
"Secret Jutsu: Insect Cocoon—"
He was going to kill himself.
Or make one last attempt.
"Too late!" Minato's eyes flashed cold.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Pop!
A shadow clone appeared behind Ryūma instantly. Before Ryūma could react, a hand slammed onto his back.
"Rasengan!"
BOOM!
Violent chakra erupted—but Minato's control was surgical. The force poured into Ryūma's body, disrupting the chakra he was gathering without delivering a lethal strike.
Ryūma vomited a mouthful of blood mixed with black insects and collapsed limp to the ground.
Minato released Chigen's wrist, stepped to Ryūma's side, and looked down at him.
"Aburame Ryūma—I know who you are. You're one of the elites of the Aburame clan. Your clan takes pride in loyalty and honor."
"Are you really going to let some shadowy order stain you—and drag your clan through the mud with you?"
Ryūma lay there, his body twitching violently.
He looked at Minato… then at the strange, condemning stares of the jōnin and villagers around him.
The madness and deadness in his eyes slowly ebbed—leaving only hollow defeat.
He struggled to speak, but only a rasping, choking sound came out.
Minato frowned, reached down, and seized his jaw—forcing his mouth open.
Every jōnin present saw it clearly.
A strange black curse mark—etched deep at the root of his tongue.
"This is…"
A Hyūga jōnin sucked in a sharp breath.
"The Tongue Curse Eradication Seal."
"Root…"
The air froze.
If until now this had been "an examiner abusing authority" or "a murder attempt," then the appearance of this seal dragged the entire incident into a completely different abyss—one far darker.
This wasn't just attempted murder.
This was Konoha's own shadows, in broad daylight, trying to execute—before the eyes of the entire village—a shinobi whose exam had been ordered by the Hokage himself.
One by one, eyes lifted toward the viewing platform—
to the man whose face had darkened enough to drip water.
Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Minato rose to his feet. He glanced at Ryūma—now restrained by several jōnin—then at Sakuya Chigen, who stood where he was, slowly sheathing his blade, his expression unreadable.
Minato drew a deep breath and spoke in a low, heavy voice to the jōnin beside him:
"The Hokage will handle this."