"You…"
Sai's body stiffened, turning his head in horror.
When did this guy get behind him?
Sai's whole body tensed up.
"Gaara…"
Cold sweat started to form on Kankuro's forehead as his fearful eyes darted around. He instinctively took two steps forward and stammered, "S-sorry, I-I…"
"Shut up!"
Gaara's eyes were cold, devoid of any emotion.
"Or I'll kill you!"
"Stop~"
A voice suddenly appeared beside Temari, whispering softly in her ear, "Whoever disobeys gets their butt kicked!"
"Ahhh!!!"
Temari screamed and leaped to the side in terror.
Someone had appeared next to her without her noticing. If they had launched an attack…
Cold sweat ran down her back as she dared not think further.
Even Gaara was left speechless.
He had just tried to act tough but was completely overshadowed.
Even he hadn't noticed this person's presence.
It was as if this person had always been there.
But just a moment ago, they hadn't been!
In other words, in the blink of an eye, this person had appeared.
What kind of speed is that?
If this person had attacked him, he could've been gravely injured in the first round.
Could his sand defense block it?
The answer made him uneasy.
He knew his ultimate defense all too well.
Gaara stared coldly at the man and said in a chilling voice, "Are you a ninja from the Fire Village?"
Fire Village?
The other ninjas present had varying reactions.
Naruto shouted even louder, "You're from the Fire Village! Where's Sasuke? Hand him over now!"
The man smiled calmly at everyone present.
"That's right. I'm from the Fire Village!"
With that, he took out a headband and placed it on his forehead.
The Konoha ninja's faces twitched.
Even though some of them were only genin or not even ninjas, they had all heard about it.
The Fire Village was formed by the Uchiha clan, which had split from Konoha.
And recently, the Fire Village had been in constant conflict with Konoha, resulting in several clashes. Many Konoha ninjas had died at the hands of the Fire Village.
Leaving everything else aside, just the name of that village alone was something Konoha couldn't let slide.
Even young Konohamaru's eyes were filled with hatred.
The same went for the Sand Village ninjas.
Their village had been thrown into chaos by this man.
Pakura!
The hero of the Sand Village!
Why didn't she die?
And what's more, she claimed to have been betrayed by the Sand Village, which is why she began seeking revenge.
As a hero of the Sand Village, Pakura had her supporters within the village.
Originally, if she had died, that would have been the end of it, but now she was alive and openly accusing the higher-ups of the Sand Village.
This was a big deal!
Especially after so many people in the Sand Village had been killed, the situation had only worsened.
Although the Kazekage and Chiyo had intervened several times to stabilize the situation…
Still!
No one knew what might happen next.
The entire Sand Village was like a volcano, ready to erupt at any moment.
The people at the bottom had started to question those at the top.
And that's why!
The Sand Village was filled with hatred for Nishiki as well.
Because Pakura was now in the Fire Village.
The Fire Village had been helping Pakura in her revenge against the Sand Village.
When everyone saw the headband, they were momentarily stunned.
Nishiki had spent quite some time thinking about the design for the Fire Village headband.
He had initially designed a giant figure.
This represented Susano'o.
An Uchiha, with the Mangekyō Sharingan, without Susano'o? That wouldn't make sense, right?
Then.
As the founder of the Fire Village, it made sense to add a personal touch to the design, right?
So, he added Sage Mode!
Not many people could use it!
At present, it seemed only Jiraiya could, and combining that with Susano'o made it his unique mark.
And so!
He added tattoos to the giant figure.
Finally, what is the most iconic thing for the Uchiha clan?
The Sharingan!
He added two eyes to the figure, each with three tomoe.
In the end!
Although the Fire Village was mainly composed of Uchiha, there were other clans as well.
Konoha might not acknowledge them, but Nishiki thought it was important to include them.
So.
He added a few small stars around the figure, representing the other clans of the Fire Village.
But!
This made the design too busy and chaotic.
Just looking at it gave Nishiki a headache.
But!
By this point, it was impossible to decide what to keep and what to remove!
Using just a flame symbol felt too simple.
The Uchiha crest alone didn't feel significant enough.
After a few more days of thought, Nishiki got frustrated and just drew an "X"!
And with that!
The Fire Village symbol was born.
Decades ago, Madara Uchiha had gazed at the leaves drifting by and named the village Konoha!
Today, Nishiki Uchiha had added flair to the Fire Village's symbol!
An "X"!
God knows!
Itachi's fists clenched in frustration.
You're even more nonchalant than Madara Uchiha!
Do you even take this seriously?
If Itachi was like that, it was easy to imagine how the others felt.
At the very least, at this moment, everyone was staring at the "X" on Nishiki's headband, their eyes twitching uncontrollably.
A wave of disrespectful energy hit them!
Gaara coldly stared at the ninja, "You from the Fire Village, state your name."
The man smirked arrogantly, "Uchiha Nishiki."
Nishiki?!
Everyone's expressions shifted.
"What's your relation to Uchiha Itsuki?"
Nishiki replied in surprise, "You figured it out? Impressive, I'm his younger brother."
Younger brother?
"Liar!"
Naruto shouted, pointing at him, "Uchiha Itsuki only has one older brother, Uchiha Shisui! Where'd this younger brother come from?"
Nishiki arrogantly replied, "There's a lot you don't know."
Everyone fell silent again.
There was something odd about all of this.
Temari couldn't hold back her anger, "You jerk! What did you do just now?"
Nishiki gracefully smiled, "Beautiful lady, you're so stunning I couldn't help myself. Please forgive me."
Temari's lips twitched, and she said no more.
This guy is strong!
And also...
Kind of handsome!
At this moment.
Inside the Hokage's office.
The crystal ball showed everything that had transpired.
Mitokado Homura's expression was strange, "Nishiki? Uchiha Itsuki has a younger brother?"
Everyone looked at him like he was an idiot.
You seriously believe that?
What did you grow up eating?
This guy, from any angle, is clearly Uchiha Itsuki!
Though there are slight differences from what they remembered of Uchiha Itsuki.
But.
Don't forget.
Uchiha Itsuki left the village when he was only 15.
In two years, it was normal for him to grow taller and change slightly in appearance.
"This bastard."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's face darkened as he coldly said, "He didn't even bother to disguise himself."
Shimura Danzo remained calm, "That's because he thinks we can't hurt him. He doesn't care about exposing his identity."
Sarutobi sneered, "The dignified leader of the Fire Village, coming to take the Chunin Exams in Konoha, doesn't he fear being mocked?"
Danzo sneered as well, "If he cared about such things, he wouldn't have led the Uchiha to defect two years ago."
What could be worse than the title of rogue ninja?
Indeed.
The Third Hokage didn't dwell on that and instead asked, "So, what do we do now?"
Danzo's eyes gleamed with malice as he stared at the crystal ball and said through gritted teeth, "Wait. Wait for the other village leaders and experts to arrive and ambush him. Destroy him completely."
"Until then, let him do as he pleases."
After all, they couldn't stop him.
Everyone was ready to give up!
But!
With the leader of the Fire Village participating in the Chunin Exams, what kind of chaos would this bring to the exams this time?
Just thinking about it gave everyone a headache!
(End of Chapter)