With the entry of the last team that had collected all the Heaven and Earth Scrolls, the second round of the exam officially came to an end.
Whether it was the battle between Sasuke's group and Kimimaro, or the disappearance of chief examiner Anko, neither caused much disturbance. Naruto could clearly feel that beneath the seemingly peaceful Chunin Exam, undercurrents were surging everywhere.
An ordinary ninja like me would probably get crushed to pieces the moment they got involved!
Then again, I already have strength surpassing the Five Kage, so that's fine. The bigger the storm, the better. Only then can Uzushio Village show its value, and only then can I enjoy an even better show between Konoha and Sunagakure.
After the exam ended, Naruto, Hinata, and the others left the examination grounds one after another. Hinata even invited Naruto to visit her home.
Looking into Hinata's big, pure white eyes, Naruto ultimately chose to refuse and returned to the hotel with Karin and Haku.
After Naruto's figure disappeared into the distance, the remaining Konoha rookies immediately started a heated discussion, all guessing Mianma's true identity.
Ino looked puzzled and said, "Wait, didn't Hinata always like Naruto? So why is she suddenly so close to that guy from Uzushio Village?"
Sakura frowned and made a guess: "Maybe Hinata already forgot about Naruto. He's been missing for five or six years now. Who knows where he's off carrying out missions? Those Anbu ninjas have always been mysterious."
At this time, Kiba suddenly said, "I've been thinking… is there a chance that this Mianma is actually the Naruto we know? Judging from Hinata's personality, there's no way she'd get this close to someone she only met a few times."
"Sasuke, Shikamaru, Choji, don't you think so too?"
Shikamaru stretched lazily, yawned, and said, "Don't overthink it. Naruto works in the Anbu. Why would he leave the village and join some so-called Uzushio Village? That would count as treason."
"What Shikamaru says makes sense, but even if Naruto joined the Anbu, he should've met us at least once over all these years. No Anbu ninja spends years constantly out on missions."
The conversation between Shikamaru and Kiba immediately put Sai on alert.
Although he had never met Naruto personally, more than two years ago Konoha's upper management had undergone a major reshuffle. Even the Anbu and Root had been reorganized, yet he had never heard of Naruto's existence at all.
And as far as he knew, Naruto was still the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. A ninja like that couldn't simply be hidden away.
Sasuke, standing nearby, also fell into deep thought. He already had a vague suspicion in his mind that this Uzushio Village ninja, Mianma, was actually Uzumaki Naruto. Their bad personalities and overwhelming strength were way too similar.
Thinking of this, Sasuke's expression suddenly changed dramatically.
If his memory wasn't wrong, Naruto had disappeared at exactly the same time as the Uchiha clan massacre. Naruto had probably left Konoha together with the surviving Uchiha and joined Uzushio Village.
Uzushio Village... Uzushio Village... wasn't that the ninja village founded by the Uzumaki Clan? And Naruto just so happened to carry the Uzumaki surname.
At that moment, Sasuke's thoughts completely unraveled, and his expression became extremely complicated. So Naruto had left the village that long ago... while he, who should've left together with the others, had been abandoned in Konoha for six whole years.
...
Inside the hotel.
The Shisui staying in the room was merely a Shadow Clone. The real body had already been sent out by Naruto to carry out a mission.
One objective was to recover the Uchiha clan inheritance left behind in the compound. Back then, they had fled too hastily, and many things couldn't be handled in time. Although Konoha had swallowed up plenty over the years, many secret techniques still remained hidden away in overlooked corners.
The second objective was to investigate whether White Zetsu and Obito were lurking within Konoha Village. No matter how far the drama between Konoha and Sunagakure escalated, Naruto had no intention of interfering too much. But Obito's involvement was a completely different matter.
Obito was the mastermind behind the Nine-Tails Incident and the culprit responsible for his parents' deaths.
Behind him stood Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu, the initiators of the Eye of the Moon Plan, people who genuinely wanted him dead.
As for whether Shisui would be killed by Obito during the investigation, there was no need to worry too much. After Naruto returned Kotoamatsukami to Shisui, Shisui had transplanted Hashirama's cells into his body.
The current Shisui's strength was infinitely close to Sasuke during his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan period.
Although he still wasn't Naruto's opponent, his strength had unquestionably reached the upper levels of the Kage tier.
After arranging for Karin and Haku to do their homework, Naruto quietly slipped out of the hotel and walked through the streets of Konoha as a ninja from Uzushio Village, admiring the scenery around him.
The corners of his mouth curled upward when he thought about how these streets would eventually collapse because of Orochimaru's plan.
Back when he was young, the villagers' indifference and constant finger-pointing had never made him want to personally destroy Konoha, but that didn't stop him from happily standing by and watching the upcoming Konoha Crush unfold.
After revisiting old places for a while, Naruto arrived at a remote grove and looked toward the figure standing ahead of him.
The person walking toward him was none other than Kakashi Hatake, the mentor he was originally destined to have in the original timeline. Kakashi looked at him indifferently.
Naruto smiled warmly and greeted him, "It's been many years, Kakashi-senpai."
Kakashi stared closely at Naruto. "We haven't met in years, but didn't we communicate through the Flying Thunder God Technique just last month? I'm more curious about your purpose for coming to Konoha this time."
"My purpose?" Naruto looked puzzled and asked strangely, "Aren't you worried I'll attack Konoha? Are you really okay with colluding with the leaders of other ninja villages?"
"I was only communicating with Minato-sensei. Isn't Minato-sensei here this time?"
"Do you really believe Namikaze Minato is still alive?" Naruto looked directly at Kakashi before saying indifferently, "He died a long time ago. Even the chakra he left inside me disappeared several years back."
"You missed your last chance to see him, but you don't actually miss the Fourth Hokage, do you? You're just dissatisfied with your current life and hiding in old memories, fantasizing that Namikaze Minato is still alive."
"But Namikaze Minato died long ago, and Uzushio Village is not another Konoha. It belongs to me."
After hearing those words, Kakashi's dead-fish eyes became noticeably sharper, though his face still showed no emotion.
"I already knew Minato-sensei was dead," Kakashi said calmly. "But I believed you inherited Minato-sensei's will, which is why I've always trusted you. However, if your existence threatens Konoha, I'll still take action without hesitation."
"Unfortunately, I don't have any plans for Konoha for the time being."
Naruto spoke while slowly walking toward Kakashi.
He wanted to take Kakashi's Kamui Sharingan. Compared to Kotoamatsukami, Kamui was far more valuable.
Kakashi quickly widened the distance between them, then took out a mask from his clothes and said, "I don't want to fight you. You and Shisui have been sneaking around these past few days. You should be looking for this."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks to [lordarcan] And [Radosław]for joining my Patreon page!🎉Your support means the world to me. 🙏
You can visit my Patreon page:
Patreon.com/PhoeniXcel
There are 100+ advanced chapters available for you to read.
Your support would be greatly appreciated.
📢 Check out my new Naruto fanfic!
[Marvel: Living the Laid-Back Life]