As the sun began to set, its warm yellow rays slowly filtered into the room.
Yamanaka Inoichi pinched the bridge of his nose as his temples throbbed. His face had turned pale, and he looked utterly drained. He said weakly, "It's okay, right? Sogetsu?"
Despite his weakened state, he managed to crack a small smile. Uchiha Sogetsu, noticing his weariness, asked with concern, "Mr. Inoichi, are you okay?"
"Uh, I'm fine," Inoichi replied, coughing lightly into his fist. "Just used a bit too much chakra. I'll need a few days to recover."
"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Inoichi," Sogetsu said, his voice sincere. "If it hadn't been for your help, things might not have gone as smoothly."
"No problem," Inoichi replied, but he couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt when he saw the earnestness in Sogetsu's eyes.
What a wonderful kid, he thought. Shikaku and the others are worried for nothing.
During the Chunin Exam, according to Shikaku's plan, Inoichi had secretly used the Mind Transfer Technique to enter Uchiha Sogetsu's mind. Without being noticed, he had carefully explored and examined the surface of the young Uchiha's consciousness. What he found surprised him.
It was pure and transparent! Like a cloudless blue sky, clear, without any impurities. This kid had a heart filled with the Will of Fire.
He was certain of it. So much so that he confidently assured Third Hokage and Shikaku: "Uchiha Sogetsu is a good comrade, through and through."
Inoichi clapped Sogetsu on the shoulder and said earnestly, "Sogetsu, keep up the good work, and Lord Hokage will certainly recognize your value."
"I will, Mr. Inoichi," Sogetsu replied, momentarily taken aback by the praise, but quickly regaining his composure with a warm smile. "It's my honor to serve Konoha."
Such a good boy, Inoichi thought, watching Sogetsu's clear, penetrating eyes.
I have to tell Lord Hokage that Uchiha Sogetsu might be the key to resolving the tension between Konoha and the Uchiha. We can't afford to lose someone with a heart as pure as his.
"Don't worry, leave this matter to me!" Yamanaka Inoichi's eyes blazed with fire as he clenched his fists, full of resolve.
Uchiha Sogetsu was taken aback by this sudden burst of enthusiasm. Where did this come from?
He hadn't used psychological suggestions on Yamanaka Inoichi, so why the sudden change in demeanor?
Watching Yamanaka Inoichi's back as he strode away, Uchiha Sogetsu shrugged, a slight smirk on his lips. "Oh well, our objective is achieved either way."
He shook his head, then rose slowly to his feet. In the square surrounding the tower, a group of genin were slumped on the ground, their faces twisted in discomfort as if trapped in a terrible nightmare. Uchiha Sogetsu raised one hand to form a seal.
"Illusion Release!"
In an instant, the genin who had been under the illusion opened their eyes, blinking in confusion. Uchiha Sogetsu quickly covered his ears, anticipating what was coming next.
"Aaaaaah!"
"No!"
"Help, help!"
"Don't kill me!"
"Save me!"
"Rin—!"
The panicked cries of the genin echoed around the square, rising to a fever pitch as the illusion wore off. It was like a wave of sheer terror, leaving the whole area reverberating with their anguished screams.
The roaring noise nearly blew the roof off the house. The Chunin who had accompanied Uchiha Sogetsu to oversee the exam were caught completely off guard, their heads buzzing from the shockwave.
Looking around, you could mistake it for a disaster scene.
People were crying, fists were flying, bodies were writhing and crawling, and Obito was still screaming 'Rin'.
The mighty "ninja masters" who once seemed untouchable were having a seriously bad day. The air had a pungent smell—someone had definitely wet their pants.
"QUIET!"
The scar-faced chunin couldn't take it anymore. He roared, his voice infused with chakra, bringing the chaotic genin to a halt.
His booming voice drowned out all the other noise, and finally, the genin, who had endured all manner of inhuman torture in the illusion world, returned to reality.
"Wait, it's all fake?"
"Oh my god, I'm still alive."
"Rin!"
"Damn, it was all just an illusion!"
After learning that it was just a genjutsu, the genin had different reactions.
Some started fighting, their friendships collapsing right then and there. Obito grabbed Rin and burst into tears, relieved to be alive.
But one thing was consistent—everyone was glaring at the examiners on stage, their eyes filled with hatred.
If looks could kill, Uchiha Sogetsu would've been sliced into a thousand pieces.
"As you can see, it was all an illusion," Uchiha Sogetsu said, stepping forward with a friendly smile.
"The main purpose of the second round of the Chunin Exam is to test how each of you reacts in a desperate situation. Your performance will be judged on four dimensions: survival, evasion, resistance, and escape."
"What kind of joke is this?" A burly genin from Iwagakure stood up, glaring angrily. "Is this how you do things in Konoha? This is completely unfair! I suspect foul play!"
"That's right! You heard me!"
Ninjas in the other village joined in with boos and jeers: "You're hiding something shady in Konoha, aren't you? Using illusions to cheat in a competition? So shameless!"
"Oh?" Uchiha Sogetsu adjusted his glasses and looked at the rowdy genin who'd just thrown a challenge his way. "So, you're saying you don't believe us? Is that it?"
"Yeah, that's right! I'm not buying it, and I'm going to report you!" The burly Iwa ninja stood his ground, not backing down, pointing directly at Kosuke and Might Guy.
"Using genjutsu is suspicious enough, but there's two of them. And you want me to believe they're really genin? C'mon!"
Maruboshi Kosuke just shrugged, seeming a bit resigned to the whole thing. Might Guy scratched his head and replied, "But I really am a genin."
"That's bullshit!"
The Iwa ninja spat out his words, pointing accusingly at the two Konoha ninjas. "Old man, what kind of genin is proficient in Water Release, Fire Release, and Earth Release? And you, Watermelon Head, you kicked a boulder and turned it into powder! And you expect us to believe you're just a genin?"
He then turned to the other Konoha genin, glaring at them. "Do you really believe they're genin?"
The Konoha genin looked down, embarrassed, mumbling to themselves, "What's wrong with genin being strong? Can't we be powerful genin?"
"Konoha is just too shameless!"
The burly Iwa ninja was seething with anger, his fingers trembling as he pointed at the examiner. "This whole test is rigged! We Iwa ninja demand a retest, and I'm going to report you!"
"Report me?" Uchiha Sogetsu laughed, his eyes gleaming behind his glasses. "Are you sure you want to go down that road? Out of humanitarianism, let me ask you again: Are you sure?"
Here it comes, the familiar devilish smile.
The Sand Ninja from the neighboring village couldn't help but twitch at the corners of their mouths. They were all too familiar with this guy. The moment they saw that smile, a chill ran down their spines.
"Uh, Sunagakure ninjas, any comments?"
Although the big man looked simple and straightforward, he was actually quite clever. He wanted to involve the Suna Ninja, hoping to deflect attention from himself.
"No, no, we don't have any objections!"
Shimizu quickly shook her head and waved her hands in a panic. "We, at Sunagakure, have nothing to report, and we're totally fine with the exam process and its results."
"???"
The burly Iwa Ninja's eyelids twitched in disbelief. These cowards, he thought to himself. But he couldn't back down now, so he forced himself to speak, "I just wanted to—"
Before he could finish saying 'report,' he was sent flying like a cannonball.
Boom!
Boom!
Everyone gasped and quickly turned to see what had happened.
The burly man was now pinned against the wall by Uchiha Sogetsu, his neck gripped tightly. His body was pressed deep into the wall, his eyes rolling back, and foam bubbling from his mouth.
"What are you doing?!"
One of the Iwa Ninja's companions was shocked and outraged. "How dare you attack us like this?"
"I'm sorry."
Uchiha Sogetsu flashed a slight smile and said, "This is how we do things. If you don't like it, tough luck."
********
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