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Inside Konoha village.
"Pat, pat"... The wooden clogs stepped on the floor, and the steady and gentle footsteps echoed outside the Hokage's office door.
At once, it caught the attention of everyone inside the office.
"Whoosh..."
The door opened, revealing the figure of a person with short hair wearing a white kimono.
Danzo calmly glanced at everyone present, and his gaze paused for a moment when he saw Uchiha Kagami. Then, he looked towards the middle, at Hiruzen Sarutobi, without saying a word.
Seeing Danzo's demeanor, Koharu Utatane frowned and said, "Danzo, remember that you're facing the Third Hokage now. Watch your attitude."
Hearing this, Danzo glanced at her with slightly open eyes and hoarsely spoke, "I know. The Third Hokage, the position you took under the approval of all the villagers..."
At this moment, Hiruzen interrupted Danzo's words and looked at him with a serious tone, asking, "Danzo, is there something urgent for you to come here?"
Seeing Hiruzen speaking, Danzo naturally turned to him. His eyes slightly opened, and his face showed neither happiness nor sadness as he replied, "I heard that the attackers during the Chunin Exams have been caught. Who would dare provoke Konoha like this? As the leader of Root, I need to respond to this matter!"
"Otherwise, the face of Konoha will be trampled upon!"
Undoubtedly, what Danzo said in front of the Third Hokage was extremely disrespectful!
However, the high-ranking officials of Konoha present in the room didn't say anything.
They all knew the relationship between Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo Shimura, the trust they had in each other, and how they entrusted each other with their backs.
Hearing Danzo's words, Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep breath of smoke, looked deeply at Danzo, and said in a low voice, "Danzo, we must uncover the truth about this incident."
Hearing this, Danzo's eyes became very gloomy, and he looked at Hiruzen with a gruff voice.
"Uncover the truth!? The enemies have become so brazen. Does Konoha intend to tolerate this? Huh..." Danzo deeply exhaled the smoke and continued, "In the past, when the First Hokage was alive, other ninja villages dared not be so audacious! What was Konoha like back then?"
"And now! You're even tolerating a mere Amegakure!? My teacher trusted you! Entrusting you with the position of Hokage, but Hiruzen, you've disappointed me..."
Danzo's expression became darker, and he stared at Hiruzen with dissatisfaction, trying to read something from his face.
In response, Hiruzen just took a deep drag of his cigarette, not answering Danzo's intense reaction.
At this moment!
Kagami, who was standing aside, spoke up.
"That's enough, Danzo. The Third Hokage has already discussed this matter with Koharu and Homura. Everyone agrees to maintain the current situation, discussing it further is useless."
"However, you do owe an explanation to the Uchiha clan for Root's previous actions!"
Kagami stared at Danzo and coldly snorted.
Indeed, Root's previous actions had undoubtedly offended the Uchiha clan. Although Danzo controlled Root, he couldn't arbitrarily monitor a whole clan without valid reasons. While it was a silent agreement between Danzo and the Third Hokage, this relationship that couldn't be brought to light still required someone to be accountable for it.
Seeing the fiery exchange between Danzo and Kagami, Homura spoke up next.
"Also, the Third Hokage has decided to change the location of the Chunin Exams to be held within the village, making it a big event that will invite daimyo and even allowing commoners to watch the exams!"
Hearing this, Danzo's eyes narrowed slightly, seemingly caught off guard by this news.
Without much time to think about the Uchiha clan's situation, he immediately considered the potential impact of the Third Hokage's sudden decision.
Since Kagami had already spoken, Danzo knew he was unlikely to change Hiruzen's mind today.
However, he couldn't help but think about the exams... daimyo... the village... which reminded him of the "Project"!
With an opportunity like this... it seemed like he could accelerate Sosuke's exposure to the daimyo and the villagers.
The position of Hokage must be in his hands... This Hiruzen... is no longer suitable to lead the village to its peak...
With these thoughts in mind, Danzo squinted his eyes slightly and didn't say much, remaining silent.
Seeing that Danzo didn't speak further, Kagami also remained silent, and the whole room fell into a quiet state. It seemed like everyone had tacitly accepted the situation.
.......
At the Death Forest Tower.
Despite the occasional roars of wild beasts and the cries of various poisonous insects outside, the interior of the tower was quite safe. The spacious area allowed Sosuke and his group to rest and recover after the previous battles. After three days of the exam, more examinees arrived at the tower one after another. It was evident from their exhausted and worn-out appearances that they had faced the challenges of the forest, the rain, and the various traps and ambushes set up by other examinees while trying to obtain their numbered plates.
The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, only the most meticulous can survive.
Considering this, it was apparent how fatigued the examinees who managed to reach the exam location were.
On the open ground of the second floor of the tower:
"Swish!"
A figure from the Anbu Black Ops suddenly appeared here!
This caught the attention of all the ninja present.
It also drew the attention of Sosuke, who was quietly observing the scene!
Though Sosuke maintained a gentle smile on his face, his glasses reflected a glint that concealed his thoughts.
Huh? An Anbu ninja? Has something happened outside the village again? This feeling of lacking information from outside the village is really disappointing...
Sosuke thought to himself, keeping a gentle smile on his lips.
In one corner, Uchiha Sayo was quietly stealing glances at Sosuke.
Every now and then, she would sneak a look, her face gradually turning slightly red...
During one of her stolen glances, it seemed like she almost met Sosuke's gaze. Frightened, Sayo quickly turned away, her face turning pale. Her heart was pounding as she was lost in various thoughts.
"Um... I almost got caught! That was close! Um... would he find out about me? No! It's all because of my brother, he caused trouble for Sosuke before!"
Sayo muttered to herself, and then she noticed Uchiha Shino resting with his eyes closed against a pillar. Out of frustration, she suddenly kicked him.
"Ah!"
"Sayo! Why did you kick me? That hurts... What's gotten into you, you brat!" Shino yelled in pain.
"Hmph! Brother, you're just a big dummy!"
Leaving behind these words, Sayo left angrily.
Leaving behind Shino, who was still soothing his wound, she gazed at Sayo with a bewildered expression.
In the office on the second floor of the tower:
"Mitarashi Kurama, this is the Hokage's order. The originally planned third round of the Chunin Exams will be relocated to the village. I entrust you to organize and arrange the transfer of the examinees to the new location."
After the Anbu member conveyed the message, Mitarashi Kurama seemed somewhat incredulous, but he didn't say anything. He calmly accepted the order and, after confirming that it was from the Third Hokage, he replied in a deep voice, "Thank you for delivering the message. I will arrange for the examinees to return to the village as soon as possible. Please go back and report to the Third Hokage. The situation here is quite stable."