"E-even a Hyūga clan jōnin lost?"
"What exactly was that metallic ability just now? Even the Hyūga's Gentle Fist couldn't break through it? That's ridiculous!"
"His taijutsu, his strength, his speed—and those endless underhanded tricks… is this guy really a samurai?"
"He's terrifyingly strong, and his methods are shamelessly dirty. Among the village's jōnin, there probably aren't many who can take him down with certainty."
"Do we have to call in those few? Jiraiya-sama? Orochimaru-sama? Or Tsunade-sama?"
The moment that suggestion appeared, someone immediately shot it down: "Did you forget the mission requirements? Thirty and under! The Sannin are way past that age!"
"Right! There's that age limit too! He must have done it on purpose! He knew he couldn't beat truly experienced peak-level fighters, so he set this condition! Too cunning! Too despicable!"
"What about Hiashi-sama? He's the head of the Hyūga clan—his strength…"
Before he could finish, someone cut him off: "What are you thinking? Precisely because Hiashi-sama is the clan head, he won't step in so easily."
"Then… what about Namikaze Minato? If it's him, he can definitely do it!"
At the mention of that name, hope reignited in many people's eyes.
Namikaze Minato—Konoha's genius jōnin. Rumor had it he had mastered a top-tier Body Flicker Technique, and had even learned the Rasengan last year. He was the perfect counter to brute force and bizarre defenses like this.
But cold water was poured on them just as quickly: "Forget it. Minato left the village two days ago with his team on a long-term escort mission. He won't be back anytime soon."
"What?!"
"Damn it! This guy! He must have investigated beforehand! He timed it knowing Minato wasn't here! Too despicable! Too underhanded!"
"No way…"
"Hmph! Why not? Minato leaves, and he shows up right after—what kind of coincidence is that?"
The discussions grew increasingly chaotic, but anxiety and helplessness spread through the crowd.
As people looked around, they suddenly realized that under the thirty-year age limit, among Konoha's visible forces, there seemed to be very few top-tier fighters who could absolutely suppress the monster standing in the arena.
...
'Why didn't any of you think of me?'
'I'm not even thirty yet.'
Somewhere in the stands, Uchiha Fugaku stood with his arms crossed, silently listening to the noisy discussions around him.
As the head of Konoha's largest clan, he naturally understood the strength of the younger generation within his clan. He also knew that he himself, along with several elite members of the Uchiha, fully met the age requirement. Yet not a single villager had thought of them.
At this moment, Fugaku also keenly noticed that from the high platform, the Third Hokage's seemingly casual gaze had landed more than once—subtly yet unmistakably—on the Uchiha seating area, on him.
Fugaku let out a quiet sigh. He understood the meaning behind it. He also knew this was an opportunity to improve relations between the Uchiha and the village, and to demonstrate their strength.
Even if it wasn't in a way he liked…
With that thought, he slowly released his folded arms and leaned forward slightly, preparing to stand.
Swish!
A figure moved faster than him—like a drifting leaf, descending lightly from the stands, landing steadily in the center of the arena.
Standing opposite Isshin, who was leaning on his blade. Standing at the focal point of countless astonished gazes.
Short black hair swayed gently in the breeze. His face carried its usual warmth, yet there was now a calm sharpness to it.
"Shinichi?!"
"Higashino Shinichi? W-what is he doing down there?"
"He's only a chūnin! Even jōnin lost—he…"
"No way… how old is he?"
The unexpected appearance triggered an even greater uproar than before.
Many people recognized the young man—Konoha's most dazzling genius in recent years. Champion of the Sunagakure Chūnin Exams. Developer of the Rasengan. A special-grade chef. A bestselling manga artist. He carried far too many titles.
But at this moment—after two veteran jōnin had been defeated—his chūnin rank and youthful face made most people's first reaction one of shock and confusion.
After stepping onto the field, Shinichi paid no attention to the surrounding chatter. He walked quickly to Hyūga Hizashi, who was kneeling on one knee, his right arm hanging limp.
He crouched down, and both his hands immediately lit up with a soft, life-filled green medical chakra. He skillfully covered Hizashi's swollen, agonizing arm—checking the damage to the chakra pathways, stopping the bleeding, easing the pain, and guiding the misaligned bone fragments back into place.
Seeing this, many spectators suddenly understood, and let out a sigh of relief.
"Oh, so he's just treating Hizashi-jōnin. That scared me."
"I knew it—Shinichi's a genius, sure, but he's still too young. Give him a few more years and he'll definitely be able to…"
"His medical ninjutsu is impressive too. No wonder so many doctors at Konoha Hospital praise him as a prodigy."
Feeling the warmth in his arm and the easing of pain, Hizashi lifted his pale face and looked at the focused young man.
"Thank you, Shinichi-kun."
Though he had heard of Shinichi's reputation before, this was their first direct interaction.
This act—stepping forward without hesitation after the battle to treat a comrade, despite them not knowing each other—gave him a more tangible impression of the rumors that Shinichi valued his comrades and had a gentle nature.
"No need to be polite, senpai," Shinichi replied, his hands never stopping. "The damage to your arm's chakra pathways and bones is quite severe—especially the finger bones and elbow joint. For the next month, you must avoid high-intensity chakra circulation and taijutsu with your right hand. Go for regular check-ups at the hospital, follow medication and therapy. Once the bones and pathways heal, it shouldn't leave any lasting impact on the precision or power of your Gentle Fist."
Hizashi nodded, committing the advice to memory.
Once the initial treatment was complete, Shinichi withdrew his medical chakra and slowly stood up.
He did not leave the field.
Instead, he looked at the bored-looking, blade-leaning samurai in front of him—Isshin.
Then he turned around, facing the high platform. Taking a deep breath, his clear and resolute voice rang out across the arena: "Third Hokage-sama! Konoha chūnin, Higashino Shinichi—requests permission to fight!"
Boom!!!
After a brief moment of silence, an even more explosive wave of noise erupted!
"What?!"
"He's requesting to fight?! He's really going to do it?!"
"Are you kidding? That opponent just defeated two jōnin!"
"Shinichi! Don't be reckless! You're still young!"
"Even if he's a genius, this is too much!"
"The Hokage won't approve this, right?"
Shock, confusion, concern—and even accusations of youthful arrogance and overestimation—came crashing in from all directions.
Even those few who had felt a bit of expectation wavered. Between a chūnin and that monstrous samurai, there seemed to be an insurmountable gap.
Uchiha Fugaku sat back down, the scrutiny in his eyes deepening.
Hizashi also looked up sharply, staring at the young man who had just treated him—and who now stood tall, challenging a powerful samurai. His pale face was filled with shock and disbelief.
At Team Ten's position, Yūhi Kurenai clenched her fists nervously. Tsunade also frowned.
Even though that brat's strength was solid, and his talent had shocked her time and again, based on the strength that samurai had just displayed—he had almost no chance of winning.
But standing between them, Shizune's expression was completely different.
After her initial shock faded, a strange look—mixed with memory and firm conviction—gradually replaced her concern.
Looking at the boy's back on the field, she couldn't help but recall a scene from years ago—the final practical exam at the Academy.
Back then too, when almost no one believed in him, Shinichi had crushed the so-called genius Kakashi with overwhelming dominance.
"If it's Shinichi… he'll definitely win!"
Shizune suddenly said, repeating the same words she had spoken four years ago.
"Hm?"
Tsunade and Kurenai both turned to look at her in surprise, unable to understand where such sudden, almost blind confidence came from.
"Shinichi… really…?" Kurenai asked softly.
Even though this teammate had shattered her understanding time and again, and was recognized as a top-tier genius—
The opponent standing there had just defeated her powerful father and a Hyūga jōnin.
"…will he win?"
"He will."
Shizune nodded firmly.
...
On the high platform, advisor Utatane Koharu's brows were already tightly furrowed, as if she could no longer hold back from reprimanding this reckless behavior.
Mitokado Homura also showed disapproval, glancing toward the Third Hokage.
Amid this overwhelming tide of doubt, Higashino Shinichi remained unmoved.
He simply looked calmly at the Third Hokage, waiting for an answer.
"Approved."
After a moment, a single word—
Yet it landed with undeniable force.
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