The moment Aoba said this.
The eyes of everyone present became strange.
It was as if they had heard something particularly interesting.
However...
At this time.
No one spoke.
Everyone just stared at Aoba with extremely strange eyes. Shikaku, who was not far away, looked at Aoba with complicated eyes.
"Hahahahaha..."
After hearing Aoba's words, Hiruzen hesitated for a moment. After that, he burst into laughter as if he had heard something extremely funny.
"Aoba."
"Do you know who recommended you to come?"
"Take a guess!"
Hiruzen stared at Aoba and said. There was a smile on his face, and he looked much more relaxed than before.
Actually.
Even Hiruzen himself did not realize it.
Just now, when he saw Aoba walk in, he thought that Aoba was that ninja from the Uzumaki Clan. After all, the shape of these two people gave him an indescribable feeling of deja vu.
This feeling made him unable to control himself from suspecting Aoba.
However.
Aoba's words just now.
It had completely dispelled the worries in his heart.
No matter how you look at it...
Aoba was a ninja who practiced and mastered the Yamanaka clan's secret technique. This kind of ninja could only be cultivated in the Yamanaka clan. He couldn't be an Uzumaki clan ninja who wore Yamanaka's skin.
After all, the energy of a person was limited!
If it was a descendant of the Uzumaki Clan that had been planted in the Yamanaka Clan, then there was absolutely no way to master such a proficient sealing technique and also master the Yamanaka clan's secret techniques so deeply. This was a case that had never happened before.
"I don't know."
Aoba shook his head. How could he not know in his heart that when he said this? When he saw Shikaku come to find him, he had already guessed such a thing. It was just that he was unwilling to say it out loud.
He could see through it, but he couldn't tell it.
This way, he would have more room for himself.
These words.
It was better to leave them to Hiruzen to tell him!
"It's Shikaku!"
Hiruzen did not beat around the bush with Aoba. He directly told Aoba the answer. After he finished speaking, he looked in Shikaku's direction. After that, he quickly turned his attention back to Aoba.
"I originally wanted to find Inoichi."
"Shikaku recommended you to me."
"But I did not expect you to recommend Inoichi to me again."
Hiruzen faintly explained this matter. He did not express his own opinion, nor did he express a clear point of view. It was completely to let Aoba understand it himself.
"How can I be compared to Big Brother Inoichi?"
Aoba directly shook his head. Now was definitely not the time to use chakra. Last time when he went to treat Danzo's injuries, he really did not handle it well, leaving a small problem. If he did not pay attention now, then it was very likely that he would expose his identity.
At that time.
It was not a simple matter of revealing his strength.
It was also not about being afraid of trouble and not wanting to go to the battlefield.
Instead, Hiruzen would directly treat him as a descendant of the Uzumaki Clan. This identity would put him in extreme trouble.
This was something that Aoba absolutely did not want to see.
However...
Hiruzen's reaction provided Aoba with a lot of ideas. He could use the Uzumaki clan ninja identity. It seemed that he could also connect it with the Kirigakure ninja, Satsuma Rentaro. It just so happens that now was an excellent opportunity.
After this operation.
Aoba felt that he could have an identity that he could truly shape.
It was not always about pretending to be someone else.
However...
There was still someone who knew about this!
It was Eaton who had brought him to see Danzo!
'Well...'
Aoba thought silently in his heart.
He felt that it was necessary to find a chance to equip Eaton with a Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal. This way, there would be no problem.
After that, Aoba did not give Shikaku and Hiruzen a chance to speak again. He directly spoke firmly.
"Actually..."
"The first round already made me very tired!"
"Then, during the second round, I analyzed and speculated with Saki where the Scroll of Heaven might be hidden..."
"The moment I arrived at the tower, I was already physically and mentally exhausted and did not want to participate in the later round anymore, so..."
"Sandaime-sama, let Big Brother Inoichi read the memories!"
"I really can't do it!"
Aoba said one sentence at a time. The way he spoke now was different from the way he slowly talked just now. Instead, he increased the speed of his speech, making everyone around him unable to speak. So all they could do was listen to him finish speaking.
After Aoba finished speaking.
For a moment.
There was a moment of silence.
"Hahahaha!"
Hiruzen broke the silence here with laughter. Now that Aoba had said it to this point, he also needed to maintain this amiable persona. He could not make things difficult for Aoba in front of so many people.
What's more...
Aoba still had a relatively weak identity compared to the people here.
The people in this room now.
There was the Konohagakure's Hokage.
The chief examiner of the Chunin Exams.
There were the proctors who supervised the Chunin Exams.
These people were all people with status, while Aoba was just a Chunin Exams participant.
Now that this participant said that he was very tired and did not want to participate in these things, then he had no reason to force Aoba!
"Aoba, since you are tired, then go back and rest. You don't need to worry about the things here!"
Hiruzen nodded at Aoba. He never thought of Aoba in the first place, so it was not important whether it was him or not.
At this point in time.
What he was most concerned about was whether the matter of the three Iwagakure ninjas' death had anything to do with the descendant of the Uzumaki Clan.
If it's not...
Then it wasn't a big deal!
After all, if it was just a matter between villages, it could be coordinated through compensation. The worst effect would be to participate in the Third Ninja World War.
However.
The Uzumaki Clan's matter was not that simple.
Although the Uzumaki Clan's extermination was the result of the joint cooperation of various forces in the ninja world, as the initiator of this matter, Hiruzen was very clear that once this matter was exposed, it would be a great risk to his reputation and character setting that he had painstakingly built up over the years.
When Hiruzen saw Aoba just now, his heart still skipped a beat. He was worried that the random person he found was a descendant of the Uzumaki Clan.
Now he was sure that Aoba was just Aoba. There was no other identity. In addition, Aoba emphasized that he was too tired, so there was no need to force Aoba.
"Thank you, Sandaime-sama!"
Aoba immediately thanked Hiruzen. After that, he was ready to leave. Before he turned around, he looked at Shikaku meaningfully.
Immediately after.
Aoba walked out of the room and headed back to the first floor.
After Aoba left.
Hiruzen looked at Shikaku. The smile on his face slowly disappeared, and he became serious.
"Tell Inoichi to read the memories of the three corpses. Be quick. Time is running out. We can't delay any longer."
Hiruzen said in a low voice. Although there was no harsh tone, anyone could feel Hiruzen's dissatisfaction.
Actually.
Through Aoba's words.
Hiruzen had already noticed a lot of information.
For example...
Hiruzen had already realized that Shikaku was using his authority to lure Aoba over, hoping to use this matter to attack Aoba.
But, Hiruzen gave Shikaku face and did not say it clearly.
"Yes!"
Shikaku clearly felt the change in Hiruzen's mood and immediately nodded. He immediately walked out of the room and went to find Inoichi. Things had already come to this point. He knew that he had already lost no matter whether what Aoba said was true or false.
...
The tower's first floor.
In the corner.
Saki and Rin had witnessed Shikaku taking Aoba away just now, but none of them moved at that time. They just stood there.
They didn't greet him.
They didn't ask.
They looked as if they didn't know Aoba.
They put on an extremely cold attitude.
After Aoba left with Shikaku, the participants who had already passed the second round began to discuss.
"What do you think Hokage-sama is looking Aoba for?"
"I think it's about the Chunin Exams. Now that everyone suspected Aoba cheated, it must have already spread to Hokage-sama's ears!"
"I wonder how Hokage-sama will punish Aoba?"
"According to the Chunin Exams' rules, if there is any sign of cheating, the results will be a disqualification. Moreover, you will not be able to participate in the Chunin Exams for three years. I think the chance of Aoba punishment being unable to participate in Chunin Exams for the next three years was high."
"Don't you suspect that it was about the death of the three Iwagakure ninjas?"
"Aoba has always been on the side of the tower. How can he kill the three Iwagakure ninjas?"
"..."
These participants were all talking about each other. Everyone was expressing what they wanted to say, but the topic of everyone's conversation was Aoba.
It could be said that Aoba had provided them with a topic.
Before this topic.
The scene was incomparably silent.
No one spoke.
Everyone remained silent.
But...
At this time.
Because of the matter of Aoba being called away by Hiruzen.
It completely broke the silence here.
It caused the place to become lively.
Saki and Rin watched this situation. Neither of them spoke. Neither of them talked about Aoba, nor did they defend Aoba. They looked like unrelated spectators. It seemed that what happened here had nothing to do with them.
Another period of time passed.
The discussion gradually lessened.
The people here gradually quieted down.
It seemed as if they wanted to return to the previous silence.
Just at this time.
Rin looked at Saki. She had been thinking about such things for a long time. She saw Saki was silent, so she kept quiet, but it didn't mean she wasn't curious.
Her face showed hesitation. Her lips moved slightly for a while and she finally decided to ask.
"Saki, do you think Aoba will be punished?" Rin leaned close to Saki's ear and deliberately lowered her voice. She asked Saki at a volume that only Saki could hear.
"It's obvious!" Saki felt that there was no need to answer such a question. If the person who asked the question was not Rin, she might not even pay attention to it. She sighed and said, "In this situation, if I am not wrong, it should be the matter of whether Aoba cheated or how he cheated. After checking the results, Aoba's exam results will be removed, and he can not participate in Chunin Exams again in three years."
"But didn't Aoba forfeit?" Rin blinked and asked. Her eyes were full of doubt. She asked again, "Doesn't forfeiting mean there is no result?"
"Rin, this is a different concept!"
Saki shook her head. She really didn't expect that Rin didn't even understand this. However, she was idle now. Moreover, she was used to explaining things to Rin. She didn't care about these things at all.
"If it is just forfeiting, then in name, Aoba has already passed the first and second rounds. He just forfeited on the third round."
"But disqualification from the Chunin Exams is another matter..."
"This means that Aoba's first and second rounds results are directly void. It is equivalent to not achieving any results in this year's Chunin Exams!"
Saki patiently explained.
After listening to these words, Rin slowly nodded as if she understood what was going on.
However, she still felt that...
It was still the same.
Wouldn't there be no results if you didn't pass the exam?
Was there any difference?
After that.
The silence between Saki and Rin was restored again.
The entire first floor also gradually quieted down, and it began to change back to how it was before.
...
Ten minutes later.
A rhythmic sound of footsteps rang out.
All of a sudden.
Everyone looked in the direction of the footsteps, their eyes flashing with curiosity.
At this time.
They don't know who was coming here.
But they all knew very well...
No matter who came here, it must have something to do with Aoba, or maybe the result of Aoba's punishment came out, and he specially came to inform them.
Step, step, step, step...
Following the sound of the footsteps.
Aoba's figure suddenly appeared in everyone's sight.
In a split second.
Everyone immediately took a deep breath.
Everyone stared at Aoba with their eyes wide open. None of them had expected Aoba to come back so soon, and there were no proctors around him.
Did the results come out?
Or did they not come out with any results?
Question marks popped up in everyone's heads. They were extremely curious about such a thing, so much so that everyone's gaze fell on Aoba and moved along with him.
Just like this.
Aoba was under everyone's gaze.
Step by step.
He returned to his previous seat.
Aoba did not say anything. He sat down directly and closed his eyes. He appeared to be resting with his eyes closed. It seemed that he did not take these people seriously at all.
Seeing Aoba like this.
This made the question marks on everyone's head increase.
At this time.
Everyone's eyes fell on Aoba. They looked at him curiously, trying to confirm something through his expression.
However...
There was almost no expression on Aoba's face.
They couldn't see anything at all.
"Aoba, why is Hokage-sama looking for you?"
However.
At this moment.
A voice suddenly sounded, breaking the silence here.
The owner of the voice was a young man. He blinked his eyes and stared at Aoba, his eyes flashing with a mischievous light. His purpose in saying all this was simple. He was not really curious about this matter but wanted Aoba to speak personally.
As the saying goes, mention the pot that doesn't boil. (TL notes: Meaning - to touch the sore spot.)
He specifically asked those that Aoba did not like to hear.
As soon as this was said.
The people here all looked toward Aoba, hoping to get some answers through him. However, it was about the same time that Shikaku called out to him. He still closed his eyes and turned a deaf ear as if he had not heard anything. He directly ignored all of this.
Only.
Such a thing.
It was obviously not the result they wanted to see.
The corners of the young man's mouth slightly curled up, revealing a smile. His reaction to Aoba was not the same as Shikaku's.
After all, Shikaku was the chief examiner.
Aoba ignored Shikaku.
This made Shikaku extremely angry. Especially in front of these people, he felt he had lost face.
But he was different.
He himself did not have that kind of high-ranking thinking. After all, he and Aoba were both participants in this year's Chunin Exams.
And this person's mentality was that he wanted to make fun of Aoba to obtain mental comfort.
"Aoba, why is the Hokage-sama looking for you?"
The smile on the young man's face became even more brilliant. In his opinion, Aoba was not ignoring him at all but did not want to pay attention to him. After all, such a thing could be regarded as opening Aoba's scar.
Everyone's eyes fell on Aoba again. Everyone stared at him curiously, wanting to know if Aoba would speak.
When all their eyes were focused on Aoba.
Aoba seemed to have sensed something.
He slowly opened his eyes.
Regardless of whether it was his expression or his eyes, he was very calm.
"You even dare to ask about the Hokage-sama's matter?" Aoba indifferently said. He originally did not want to pay attention to this person, but he found that this person asked again. There was even no sign of stopping. This was a bit annoying.
According to his experience with Shikaku.
Since this person had already asked for a second time, he would definitely ask for a third time if he ignored him.
"What?"
After hearing Aoba's words, the youth immediately narrowed his eyes slightly. He felt a deep sense of ridicule in Aoba's words.
"You don't dare to say?"
"Or is there something shameful?"
"If that's the case..."
"Then forget it if you don't want to say it!"
This youth's words expressed that if you don't want to say it, then forget it. However, the meaning displayed was not like that but was forcing Aoba to say it.
If Aoba said it...
Then it would definitely cause them to burst into laughter!
But if Aoba did not say it...
Then it would be that Aoba had done something shameful and did not have the face to say it out loud.
It was a double-ended word.
He never intended to give Aoba any chance, and he wanted to hang Aoba on the Chunin Exams' pillar of shame.
"Oh."
Aoba replied indifferently. His expression did not change at all. After hearing this person's words, he had already seen through his meaning. It was just that he was too lazy to argue with this person.
Wasn't it just suspecting that he was cheating?
Cheating or not, it doesn't matter.
He would not continue to stay in these Chunin Exams anyway. Moreover, he had already completed his own task, so there was nothing to worry about.
After that.
Aoba no longer paid any attention to this person.
"???"
None of the people present had expected that Aoba would have such a reaction. This was completely beyond their expectations. It seemed as if he had encountered an extremely ordinary thing. It was as if everything had nothing to do with Aoba.
Not angry.
He also didn't explain.
It looked like he had tacitly agreed.
But he didn't admit it.
What was this?
The participants here no longer knew what exactly Aoba meant.
"Since you feel embarrassed, then don't say it. It doesn't matter; we all understand!" The youth said with a smile.
He had already perfectly displayed his sarcasm in his words.
At least.
Other than Aoba.
Everyone else had already felt a subtle change in their emotions. The way they looked at Aoba had already become mocking.
Because of the rhythm of that person.
The people here all thought that Aoba had done something shameful. That was, he cheated in the Chunin Exams and was later interviewed by the Third Hokage. Perhaps due to some punishment, Aoba did not dare to say it out loud. That was why the situation was like this.
Originally, they were still puzzled.
Did Aoba really cheat in the Chunin Exams?
Now it seems...
Perhaps it was true!
At least, that was what they thought!
"You all understand?"
Just as Aoba was about to close his eyes, he immediately opened them. His gaze looked at everyone present and finally landed on the youth.
"Tell me about it..."
"I want to know what you know."
"I don't quite understand!"
"I believe that no one understands very well either!"
"And..."
"I don't think everyone is someone who doesn't understand but pretends to understand!"
Aoba said slowly. His speed could be said to be very slow, enough for everyone present to hear clearly.
For a moment.
Everyone present was speechless.
Everyone here already has speculations, but if they explain it but get it wrong, they will become the person Aoba said they don't understand and pretend to understand.
Thinking of this.
These people couldn't help but look at the youth.
After all, it was the youth who started the provocation first. They were just watching the show. Since they were watching the show, then they might as well not say anything.
"You know what you have done!" This youth did not expect that Aoba would actually dare to refute him. However, he saw none of the people present speak up for him. Moreover, he actually just wanted to make Aoba lose face and not argue with Aoba.
And.
There was no hatred between him and Aoba.
He just wanted to make fun of Aoba in this way.
"I know very well what I have done, but I am curious that you seem to know it very well!" Aoba's tone gradually became cold. He found that the more he did not speak, the more the people here followed the rhythm. Although he did not care about this rhythm, he still hoped that he could spend the last few hours here silently. After he left the tower and if these people want to talk about it. It had nothing to do with him at all.
"Hehehe, if you didn't do anything bad, why would the Hokage-sama look for you at this time? It's already like this, don't say these vague words, and don't treat us like a fool!" This youth suddenly became flustered and exasperated. Originally, he was not very sure whether Aoba had really cheated. He just wanted to test it out and then make fun of Aoba. However, he never thought that after Aoba said this, he found that his confidence had weakened, so he directly confirmed this matter.
"Oh?"
Aoba looked at this youth with deep meaning. He suddenly felt that it was quite interesting to argue with this person, and he was idle anyway.
"Don't tell me that in your opinion..."
"Is it because I did wrong that Hokage-sama called me over?"
"Your logic isn't right!"
"Also..."
"Whether everyone is a fool or not is not up to me, nor is it up to you. It is up to them to decide."
Aoba shook his head. How could he know if the people here were fools? Whether it was in the modern world or the ninja world, there would never be a lack of fools!
"Hahahahaha..."
After hearing Aoba's words, the youth directly laughed out loud. This feeling was as if he had heard something particularly funny. He laughed so hard that tears came out.
Only...
He was the only one laughing.
The people around him all stared at him strangely.
"Aoba..."
"Are you trying to make me laugh to death?"
"Hokage-sama is looking for you at this time..."
"If it wasn't to condemn you..."
"Are they looking for help?"
This youth spoke of an important point of logic here. This point was also something that everyone present realized and tacitly agreed on.
That was, there was only one reason why the Hokage found Aoba.
That was to condemn him!
Otherwise, there was no need to look for Aoba!
After all, this was the Chunin Exams venue. It was definitely not the place to issue missions, and there was no urgent mission that needed to be issued to Aoba at this time...
Then...
There were only two reasons for the Hokage to find Aoba.
One was because of Chunin Exams cheating.
The other was the death of the three Iwagakure ninjas.
It must be one of these two things.
There was no other possibility.
However, in their minds, the second possibility had already been eliminated. After all, Aoba had been near the tower since he came. He had no time to commit the crime, and he might not even have the motivation to do it.
This youth's words.
Although the people present did not say any words of support in their voices, in their minds, they still approved of it. They just did not jump out to stand on the opposite side of Aoba. After all, what Aoba had done was only cheating. Moreover, he would be punished accordingly. It was not a big problem that involved the village. There was no need to offend Aoba because of such a matter.
However...
Even though they did not say it out loud.
However, it did not prevent them from despising Aoba.
"You are right."
At this time, Aoba slowly spoke. His tone was very light and indifferent, but he just said something that shocked everyone at the scene.
"Hokage-sama is looking for me because he wanted my help."
When Aoba said this.
Everyone was stunned.
Almost at this moment, everyone recalled the stern look on Shikaku's face when he came to find Aoba. No matter how they looked at it, Aoba was going to be punished. There was no sign that the Hokage wanted to ask Aoba for help.
"Aoba, what you said is outrageous!"
"There's no need! There's really no need!"
"To be honest, this is a bit exaggerated!"
"You don't have to go all out, do you?"
"Your ability to brainwash yourself is too terrifying!"
"..."
At this time, everyone could no longer hold it in. They started to complain to Aoba one after another. The purpose of these words was not to target Aoba, but they really couldn't listen to it anymore.
You can't brag too much!
Such an obvious and clumsy braggart!
Even they couldn't stand it anymore!
...
At this moment.
Saki and Rin stood at the corner, staring at what was happening at Aoba's side. From when Aoba returned, their gazes were on Aoba the entire time. They had never left him and were even more focused on such a thing.
However...
The two of them did not move or interrupt or speak. They were like outsiders, silently watching the show.
After all...
If the matter of Aoba cheating was confirmed!
Then Aoba's results would definitely be removed!
Right now, they just hoped that the matter of Aoba would not implicate them. This way, they could continue participating in the third round of Chunin Exams. Even if the record of the first two rounds were voided, there would be no problem. They did not care about this thing in the first place.
However...
After Aoba replied with a few words.
The situation became anxious.
In the end, when Aoba said that the Hokage needed his help with something, it directly broke Saki's defense.
"I have never seen such a shameless person!"
Saki rolled her eyes at Aoba, who was not far away. She did not even have the most basic good impression of Aoba now. She completely looked down on Aoba. She was also afraid of being implicated by Aoba. All kinds of complicated emotions were intertwined together.
If she was not afraid that things would get out of hand and they would be implicated and could not continue to complete the Chunin Exams, she would want to go against Aoba now.
What the hell was this?
The Hokage asked you for help?
Why are you so arrogant?
How dare you say such things!
"I'm speechless!"
There were a lot of complaints in Saki's stomach, but when these words reached her mouth, she could not say a word. She now felt that even if she said one more word to Aoba, it would be a waste of her saliva.
Rin watched the things that happened over there with relish. She preferred to watch such a lively scene. Most of the time, she was too lazy to think about it and did not realize the specific content of what happened here.
"Is what Aoba said wrong?"
After hearing Saki's words, Rin was full of doubts. She looked at Saki foolishly and asked, "Can you lie about such a thing?"
"Aoba is a liar. It is not surprising to lie about such a thing. Rin, don't think too well of him!" Saki said in a bad mood. Her impression of Aoba now was negative, and it could even be said that she hated Aoba a little.
"Oh~," Rin nodded. After that, she turned her attention back to Aoba. Her eyes were extremely confused, and she was very curious about what would happen next.
...
After hearing the crowd's words, the youth who had been provoking Aoba suddenly felt that his whole body was full of strength as if the whole world was standing behind him and could follow him to deal with the stubborn Aoba in front of him.
"Aoba, you really are something. You can even say that Hokage-sama asks you for help. I don't even know what to say about you!"
This youth took a step and walked toward Aoba until he was closer to Aoba.
The situation now.
Aoba sat on the ground.
This youth was standing with his head lowered, looking down at Aoba.
It gave him a sense of superiority, filling his heart with confidence.
"Since you said that the Hokage-sama wants you to help..."
"Then why don't you tell me..."
"What does the Hokage-sama want you to do?"
The youth coldly said. From his tone, he had already identified Aoba as a big liar. Now he said this just to make Aoba embarrassed.
With this sentence.
Everyone looked at Aoba with a playful look.
If Aoba did not answer, everyone was ready to ridicule him.
"You should ask Hokage-sama about this thing, not me here. I can't tell you directly, just like a mission you received; you can't tell others the content of your mission." Aoba said coldly. He felt that he had said enough. He did not like to argue. Now that he had said it to this point, it did not matter whether he believed it.
"You..."
Just as the youth was about to say something, he heard footsteps from the entrance.
After that.
He retracted the words he was about to say and looked toward the entrance.
The people at the scene also noticed that someone had come over. They all looked toward the entrance.
All of a sudden.
Almost everyone looked at the entrance in anticipation.
As the footsteps got closer and closer.
A figure appeared in everyone's line of sight.
It was the first round's chief examiner.
Nara Shikaku!