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Two days later.
"Flap, flap!"
In the silent forest, a bird standing on a branch suddenly flapped its wings and flew away.
"Pat, pat!"
In the dense woods, the sound of footsteps could be heard one after another. Not far away, dozens of people guarded several luxurious carriages as they advanced along the road outside the forest.
Upon closer inspection, one would notice familiar faces from Konoha among the guards. Some of them had sharp eyes and a piece of cloth with the symbol of fire tied around their waists, signifying their identity as the "Twelve Guardian"
In the front carriage of the convoy, a very luxurious one, sat the current daimyo of the Fire Country and one of the six reigning daimyos, Shiji Yoshino. He was no longer the amiable and friendly old man from the previous meetings with Sosuke. Now, he sat upright in the carriage, his brow slightly furrowed, and an aura of awe-inspiring solemnity emanating from his eyes as he contemplated silently.
The fact that the Third Hokage intended to hold the Chunin Exams within Konoha and invited all the daimyos to attend this grand event had caught his attention. Could he have discovered something from the last time we met...? No, that couldn't be... If that were the case...
Danzo couldn't have received no news from his side... Regardless, we need to be more cautious this time... It's time to discuss with the Mitokado clan about forming an alliance...
In the carriage behind, one seemed rather plain. Upon closer inspection, the people outside the carriage appeared nervous and frightened, seemingly afraid of the person inside!
Inside the carriage, however, a beautiful and elegant young girl sat with a gentle smile on her face. Her slender hand caressed the slender blade resting on her lap.
Suddenly, she seemed to think of something and carefully took out what appeared to be an ordinary scroll from her kimono.
As her gaze fell upon the scroll, she seemed to see a certain figure in it, and the smile on her lips grew even more pronounced.
"Aizen, I'm coming to Konoha. When we meet, I'll surely surprise you!"
.....
Inside Konoha village.
The sunlight was bright and warm, casting its warmth upon Sosuke's bed. He slightly opened his eyes and helplessly moved a slender, white arm that was resting on him.
He pulled the blanket off, got up, and put on his clothes.
He didn't even spare a glance at the beautiful and pure body lying on the bed.
This action seemed to have provoked the girl who pretended to sleep, causing her to slyly open one eye to steal a glimpse of him.
"Bam!" The girl's small fist clenched tightly.
For some reason, her face reddened slightly, and with a huff, she leaped out of the blanket.
"Sosuke!"
During this process, her previously pristine figure was now draped in a layer of thick floral kimono.
The girl rushed over to Sosuke, who was busy with something, and looked up at him angrily, resembling a little dog glaring at its owner.
"Sosuke! How can you treat a girl with such disrespect?! Your behavior is extremely rude, do you know that?"
The girl puffed up her slightly bulging chest, glaring at Sosuke with anger.
At this moment, Sosuke finally gave her a brief glance, revealing a somewhat insincere smile, and chuckled softly.
"Isn't this Suigetsu? When did you show up?"
"Oh, it's been a while. You seem to have become even cuter," Sosuke said playfully.
Hearing this, Suigetsu's face turned bright red, and she shouted loudly, "Sosuke! You, you jerk! I'm never coming to see you again!"
With that, Suigetsu turned her head and vanished into thin air, leaving Sosuke to stare at the spot where she disappeared. He gently adjusted his glasses and smiled helplessly.
"Hmm.... What a spirit"
"Crack..." a sound rang out.
Then, Sosuke squinted slightly and looked down at his hand, which held a water cup with cracks all over it. After sensing the explosive power within, he gently curved a smile at the corner of his mouth and thought to himself.
Sure enough, with the help of Hōgyoku, my body has fully unlocked the Fourth Gate of the Eight Gates.
However, as the gates are opened in higher sequence, the surging power within the body becomes stronger.
Even though I have prepared fully for this, it's still a bit difficult to control such explosive growth of power...
But it's good. There are two days left until the exam, and with such abundant chakra in my body, it's time to try using that move....
With that thought, Sosuke's lips formed a mysterious smile.
....
It's been two days since Sosuke and the other candidates left the tower.
Because of the change in the location of the Chunin Exams ordered by the Third Hokage, the exam needed a few more days to wait for the daimyos to arrive.
This presented an opportunity for both Konoha and the other ninja villages to rest and recover from the injuries sustained in the Death Forest.
This was also the Third Hokage's intention. Since this Chunin Exams would showcase the best of the Fire Country's ninja to the daimyos and the people of all villages, every candidate was putting their best efforts into preparing for the upcoming battles.
On top of a rooftop in Konoha Village, Inuzuka Fuji lay lazily, holding a piece of wild grass in his mouth, basking in the sun. His dog companion, Kakero, was wagging its tail beside him, looking like a loyal dog.
Suddenly, a teenage boy with sunglasses appeared beside Fuji.
Fuji glanced at him lightly without moving, still gazing at the sky. The boy spoke with a voice that seemed mature beyond his age.
"What's up, Fuji? The exams are about to begin, and here you are, not training, but daydreaming."
Casually spitting out the grass, Fuji remained motionless, lying there and gazing at the sky, saying lightly, "Whether I train or not, it doesn't matter. No matter how much effort I put in, I can't catch up..."
He paused there, not continuing his words, recalling the monstrous figure in the Death Forest, not knowing what to say.
At this moment, the boy with sunglasses next to him spoke in a deep voice.
"Is that your reason for giving up on yourself...? When did Inuzuka Fuji lose so much confidence!? Are you willing to give up even the chance to catch up with him, even if it's just behind him?"
Hearing this, Fuji's expression froze, and a flicker of flame seemed to flash in his eyes before fading away.
The two of them faced each other on the rooftop.
Meanwhile, Kakero, the dog, tilted its head, occasionally glancing at the two arguing friends, not knowing whom to side with.