The next day, after the Chūnin exam concluded, all the surviving candidates were gathered at the entrance of the forest.
Uchiha Fuhai checked the numbers and nodded.
The casualties for this year were acceptable, not too severe—only about five or six candidates had died.
Among them, of course, was that one.
Uchiha Fuhai's mind briefly flashed with the image of Mo Yu.
He couldn't help but stroke his ninja tool pouch as he remembered the immortality elixir Mo Yu had given him. A smile spread across his face.
His Mangekyō Sharingan had now completely stabilized, and the side effects from using Tsukuyomi had been fully erased—his eyesight was as sharp as ever.
Thinking about returning to the Uchiha clan, revealing his newly awakened Mangekyō Sharingan, and the inevitable promotion that would come with it, Uchiha Fuhai's smile grew even broader.
"Brother, oh brother, this time, I'm ahead of you," he thought smugly.
"Ahem, ahem."
Seeing the strange looks from the other examiners and candidates, Uchiha Fuhai quickly adjusted his expression.
"Now, all candidates, please bring your collected items and line up to count them."
The candidates obeyed, walking up in line, placing the ears of the bandits they had collected onto Uchiha Fuhai's desk.
Nearby, an examiner was recording everything.
When it was Yuko's turn, she opened her bag, and many of the candidates gasped in surprise.
Because the number of ears she had collected was almost enough to match the total amount of all the other candidates combined.
Uchiha Fuhai raised an eyebrow, and in his heart, he knew this was definitely Mo Yu's doing.
Recalling the instructions Mo Yu had given him before he left, Uchiha Fuhai smiled warmly. "Very good, you will undoubtedly be in first place in this exam."
However, Yuko didn't seem happy at all. Her brows were furrowed, and she kept glancing toward the forest behind them.
"Why hasn't he come out yet? Could something have happened?"
Soon, all the candidates' results were counted.
As expected, Yuko took first place, with the total of the second to ninth places not even coming close to her score.
Many of the candidates hung their heads in disappointment—so many men had lost to a single woman, it was truly embarrassing.
Uchiha Fuhai said, "Now I announce, the top ten will be promoted directly. Once we return to the village and complete the registration, you will officially become Chūnin. The eleventh to twentieth-place candidates will go home and wait for further news. After we evaluate your performance in the exam, we will notify you if you will be promoted. As for the rest, you are all eliminated. Try again next year."
"Now, rest for fifteen minutes, and then we will return together."
Yuko anxiously shouted, "Wait!"
Uchiha Fuhai asked, "Is something wrong?"
Yuko said, "There's someone still not out yet. Let's wait a little longer."
Uchiha Fuhai's expression remained unchanged. "All the examiners have already searched the forest. Anyone who hasn't come out is most likely dead. There's no need to wait."
Yuko's eyes reddened. "That's impossible! He's so strong, how could he have died in there? It can't be!"
Uchiha Fuhai's expression hardened. "Are you doubting the abilities of the examiners? I know you're upset, but this is the truth. Please accept it and move on."
"But you need to see the person alive, or the corpse, to confirm their death. Did you find his body?" Yuko refused to give up on the last sliver of hope.
Uchiha Fuhai coldly responded, "There are plenty of tigers and wolves in the forest. Even if there was a body, it was probably devoured completely."
Yuko's body went limp, and she collapsed onto the ground, tears falling from her eyes.
At this moment, something suddenly clicked in Yuko's mind. She recalled the conflict between Mo Yu and the Uchiha clan, the fact that the head examiner was Uchiha Fuhai, and how Mo Yu had intentionally separated from her before the exam. It was like a bolt of lightning that connected all the dots.
"I understand now! It must have been the Uchiha clan—it was him, he killed Mo Yu!"
Yuko suddenly clenched her fists, and an icy aura emanated from her body. The surrounding candidates were startled and quickly stepped back.
The grass around her began to frost over, as if winter had arrived. The green grass turned into sparkling, frozen decorations.
Uchiha Fuhai looked at Yuko in surprise, somewhat confused.
Yuko quickly suppressed her energy, knowing her emotions had gotten out of control. She refrained from looking up to avoid letting him see the hatred in her eyes.
Now she understood why Mo Yu had deliberately separated from her. He had been trying to protect her from getting involved.
"Mo Yu!"
Yuko almost wanted to shout out and expose the truth right then and there, but she knew that doing so wouldn't avenge Mo Yu, and it would only endanger herself. The power of the Uchiha clan in Konoha was something she knew all too well.
The only thing she could do now was endure, grow stronger, and bide her time.
"One day, I will kill every single Uchiha in the name of revenge!" Yuko swore silently in her heart.
Fifteen minutes later, everyone returned to Konoha.
Yuko had wiped away her tears and concealed her emotions. Her face was like ice, and her eyes were hollow, as though she had become a completely different person.
No one dared to approach her, because anyone who came too close could feel the chilling aura around her, as if they had entered the frozen lands of the Snow Country.
As the exam group arrived in Konoha, news of the Chūnin exam quickly spread.
"Did you hear? That trash, Mo Yu, is dead."
"What? I heard just a few days ago that he suddenly became a ninja and killed several Chūnin. How could he have died?"
"Who knows? Anyway, he died in the Chūnin exam. The chief examiner himself confirmed it. What a shame, just when he was getting rid of the 'trash' label, he dies so soon."
"Who cares? It's not like it has anything to do with us. Drink up, drink up!"
"Right, let's go! Cheers!"
At Ichi Ramen, when Yuko told Ichi about the news, the bowl of ramen Ichi was holding spilled everywhere. Scalding broth poured onto his hands, but he didn't even seem to notice.
Meanwhile, at the Uchiha clan's compound, a continuous, wild laughter echoed from one of the houses.
...
Mo Yu was dead.
His death was so quiet and uneventful that it barely caused a ripple.
Aside from his friends Yuko and Ichi, who mourned his loss, and Uchiha Fugaku's triumphant laughter, no one else cared.
At most, some random passerby might mention it while eating, but soon after, they would forget all about it.
Every year, many ninjas die in battle, and a small-time ninja like him wouldn't be remembered by anyone.
However, this day, he would certainly be remembered for another reason.
Two days after the Chūnin exam ended.
It was high noon when a figure appeared at the gates of Konoha.
Before the person even arrived, his silver hair was waving fiercely, like a wild beast. From a distance, one could already feel the thick killing intent emanating from him.
"What... what's going on?"
One of the gatekeepers, terrified, weakly said, "Is it an enemy attack? We should notify the higher-ups…"
"You fool! Open your eyes and see clearly, that's Hatake Sakyun! Enemy attacks my foot!"
His companion slapped him on the back of the head.
"Move, quickly! Don't cause trouble!"
"Oh, oh!"
The two quickly stepped aside, not daring to speak another word.
Hatake Sakyun slowly walked from the gates of Konoha to the Uchiha clan's compound.
He didn't say a word, didn't even blink, and was like an ancient ice mountain.
Anyone who saw him knew that beneath this cold exterior, a boiling rage was about to spill out!
"Stop right there!!"
Two Uchiha ninjas guarding the gate shouted as they stepped forward.
Hatake Sakyun didn't even glance at them. He simply raised his hand and reached for the sword on his back.
Shing!Shing!
Two flashes of white light flashed, and the two Uchiha middle-ranking ninjas' heads dropped to the ground, rolling down the steps.
The Konoha villagers and ninjas who had gathered to watch were stunned, gasping in fear.
This…
Someone openly killing Uchiha ninjas in their own territory? This was going to cause a huge mess!!
A few quick-witted people had already rushed to the Hokage's office to report it.
Hatake Sakyun took one step into the Uchiha family's gate, and with a boom, the ground exploded and the door collapsed.
He stood there, his eyes blood-red, and the suppressed killing intent could no longer be contained. With a hoarse roar, it exploded out of him.
"Uchiha Fugaku!!! Get out of here!!!"