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***
This Chunin Exam was jointly held by the Five Great Ninja Nations.
After Itachi and the other participants were notified, all the ninja in Konoha gradually learned of it.
This was especially true for the genin who had submitted their applications to the Hokage but were rejected.
While these genin wouldn't represent Konoha in the Hidden Mist Village to take the Chunin Exam, that didn't mean they were ineligible for promotion.
The village leadership then issued an order that after the participants in the joint Chunin Exam had left the village, Konoha would organize a smaller Chunin Exam.
The genin who had been informed of the trip to the Hidden Mist Village to represent Konoha were both surprised and delighted.
While some were delighted, others were dejected.
Those who weren't selected were naturally resentful when they heard that two of the six genin teams representing Konoha consisted of freshmen who had only graduated from the Ninja Academy six months earlier.
However, as ninja, they had no right to question the Hokage's decision.
Moreover, upon closer inspection, they all realized that the Fourth Hokage had a reason for his arrangement.
This meant that these two rookie teams, fresh out of school just six months earlier, were stronger than them!
Minato had invited the allied Sunagakure's participants in the Chunin Exams to join him on a ship to the Hidden Mist Village.
Therefore, before Sunagakure's arrival, the teams led by Shikaku and Shinku were required to meet with the other four Chunin Exam teams.
During this meeting, the four other genin teams surveyed Itachi, Izumi, and their team members with scrutinizing eyes.
Itachi remained calm throughout the entire process, remembering when he joined the ANBU at the age of ten.
The senior members of the ANBU had almost all looked at him in the same light, as if they had witnessed something truly remarkable.
However, Itachi understood that the only way to dispel their doubts was to prove his ability.
Furthermore, the outcome of the Chunin Exams didn't concern him too much.
What truly concerned him was the game behind this exam, the struggle between Konoha and the masked man and others from Akatsuki.
For Itachi, this exam presented enormous risks, but also a rare opportunity.
Uncovering the Fourth Mizukage's true identity, liberating the Hidden Mist Village, and thus weakening the enemy's powerâthis was crucial.
Two days later, the Sunagakure participants in the joint Chunin Exam arrived in Konoha.
As soon as the Sunagakure ninjas arrived, the ANBU, directly under the Hokage, quickly informed Itachi and the others.
On the porch in the backyard of Itachi's Uchiha clan home.
"They arrived so quickly," Itachi muttered upon hearing the news.
The distance from Sunagakure to Konoha was a mere two days for these roughly chunin-level Sunagakure ninja participants, indicating that they had been working tirelessly since receiving the Fourth Hokage's invitation.
"Hokage-sama has ordered all those participating in the joint Chunin Exams to gather at the main gate of Konoha in two hours. They will then join the Sunagakure personnel and proceed to the Fire Country's coastline, where they will board a ship for the Hidden Mist Village," the ANBU member who had delivered the news said to Itachi.
"I understand," Itachi nodded to the ANBU, who, having delivered the message, vanished immediately.
"It's time to leave."
Itachi, sitting in the hallway, stood up, his hands on his thighs.
He had packed his luggage two days prior.
As he stood, his gaze flickered to the side, and his eyes reflected Sasuke, who had been standing behind the door leading to the front yard, staring in his direction.
A gentle expression immediately crossed Itachi's face, and he said,
"Sasuke, I'm going out. This time, it'll take a while, but I'll be back soon."
Sasuke emerged from behind the door and stood before Itachi, his eyes, bright as obsidian, fixed on him.
Then, he clenched his fists, smiled at Itachi, and said, "Brother, you'll definitely achieve the best results in this exam and astonish the ninjas from the other four nations!"
Sasuke had always believed his brother was the greatest ninja in the world.
"Yes, I'll do my best."
Itachi smiled gently, then reached out and ruffled Sasuke's hair.
Fugaku wasn't home, and Itachi didn't go to the security unit to say goodbye to his father.
Fugaku had always said that as his son, passing the Chunin Exam and coming out on top was nothing to be astonished about.
Itachi had always treated his father this way over the years.
It wouldn't be too late to see him again when he returned triumphantly.
As departure time approached, Izumi, carrying a backpack, arrived at Itachi's house.
They stood in front of the main gate.
"Mom, Sasuke, we're leaving," Itachi said goodbye to his mother and brother.
Izumi, beside him, also said, "Aunt Mikoto, Sasuke, goodbye."
With that, the two turned and headed for the assembly point at the main gate of Konoha.
At this moment, at the corner of the street where Itachi's family lived, two figures, one large and one small, suddenly turned and ran toward them quickly.
"Wait."
Kushina's voice came out with a bit of urgency, and at the end of her words, there was a strange ending.
"Auntie Kushina, Naruto?"
Izumi, Itachi, Mikoto, and Sasuke all looked in the direction where Kushina and Naruto were running.
The running posture of the mother and son was almost identical.
Kushina and Naruto quickly ran to the position in front of Itachi and the other three and stopped.
The former's bright red hair fluttering in the wind gradually fell down.
"Kushina, why are you here?"
Mikoto asked with a slight glare.
Kushina quickly replied, "Is there any need to ask? Of course we are here to see Itachi and Izumi off."
After that, she and Naruto beside her looked at Itachi and Izumi.
"Itachi, Izumi, you must do your best. But the exam isn't the most important thing. You must ensure your own safety first, and don't push yourself too hard," Kushina warned.
Itachi and Izumi were both children she had watched grow up.
Nearby, Naruto curled his lips and said, "Mom, you're being rather discouraging. Itachi and Izumi are incredibly strong. No one can hurt them."
Bang!
Naruto's words were barely finished when Kushina delivered a slap to his head.
Ouch!
Naruto cried, clutching his head in pain.
Kushina retracted her fist and lectured him, "What do you know? In the eyes of parents, no matter how powerful their children are, they're bound to worry if they leave their side!"
"Oh," Naruto replied.
He was still too young to understand what Kushina was saying.
But Itachi and Izumi exchanged a glance, then bowed to Mikoto and Kushina.
"Aunt Mikoto, Aunt Kushina, don't worry. We'll be careful," Izumi said.
Mikoto and Kushina smiled and nodded.
Itachi's brows relaxed slightly, and he glanced at Izumi beside him.
"I will pass the Chunin Exams smoothly, and I won't let anyone harm my fellow Konoha members."
Hearing this, Naruto gave Itachi a thumbs-up and said with a hearty laugh, "Brother Itachi, you're so cool."
"I believe you can do it!"
Itachi looked at Naruto's smile, a smile spreading across his face as he simply replied,
"Of course."
...
"Then let's go!"
Itachi and Izumi bid farewell to Mikoto, Kushina, Naruto, and Sasuke, turning and leaping, disappearing down the street in a flash.
"Since you're here, why don't you stay home for lunch? Otherwise, it'd be boring just Sasuke and me."
After they left, Mikoto glanced at Kushina beside her and smiled.
"Okay,"
Kushina replied with a smile.
Minato usually didn't return home until the evening.
"Itachi-nii is off to represent the village in the competition, so we can't let up, right?"
Naruto said sternly, looking at Sasuke beside Mikoto.
"Ah.."
Sasuke met Naruto's eyes, his expression equally resolute.
"Then, before lunchtime, run three laps around the village. No shortcuts allowed."
Swish!
Naruto shot out, his golden hair gleaming in the light.
As he broke into a run, Sasuke dashed out almost immediately.
The two walked side by side, neither willing to give way.
"Then Mikoto and I will prepare dinner and wait for you," Kushina called out, gazing after Naruto and Sasuke.
"I understand."
Naruto's voice echoed from afar, and the two disappeared around the corner.
"Haha, let's go," Kushina turned back, her face filled with joy.
Mikoto smiled back and nodded.
The main gate of Konoha.
When Itachi and Izumi arrived, quite a crowd had already gathered.
After all, the Uchiha clan lived on the outskirts of the village, and the two had come from quite a distance.
Gathered at the gate were not only Konoha ninjas, but also a dozen or so ninjas from other nations, their attire clearly distinguishable from Konoha's.
"Are those from the Sand Village?"
Izumi had never seen a ninja from the village before. She took a quick look and muttered, "Three teams of nine?"
The older Sand ninjas were all wearing the gray-brown Sand Chunin vests.
Itachi's gaze fell directly on a tall man with slightly sallow skin among the Sand Ninja.
He looked a little older than his age. Itachi knew him.
This Sand Ninja's name was Baki, and he was a close confidant of the Fourth Kazekage.
Baki was young, now in his early twenties, but he had already become an elite Jonin of the Sand Village.
Obviously, he was the person in charge of the Sand Village this time.
Izumi's eyes turned away from the Sand Ninja.
Next to Shikaku stood two men, one fat and one thin.
The fat man had two most notable features.
One was that there was a big "food" character on the ninja uniform he was wearing.
The other was that he squinted his eyes, but he looked quite kind.
The other man had beautiful golden hair and was quite handsome.
He looked very calm and indifferent, not at all like a ninja.
"Are those the two gentlemen, Akimichi Choza and Yamanaka Inoichi?"
Izumi raised an eyebrow.
The history lessons at the ninja academy also recorded the glorious exploits of the contemporary Ino-Shika-cho during the Third Shinobi World War.
Choza and Inoichi were also core members of Konoha's jonin squad.
Shikaku, in the crowd, noticed their arrival and turned his gaze.
"Teachers, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting," Izumi said to Shikaku, Choza, Inoichi, and the other jonin standing beside them, including Shinku.
"It's okay, just in time," Shikaku smiled, his gaze lingering on Itachi before glancing back at the Konoha side.
After Itachi and Izumi arrived, only the final two genin taking the Chunin Exams had yet to arrive.
"Sorry, we're late!" Two or three minutes later, the final two genin arrived.
Swish!
When everyone had arrived, Minato suddenly appeared before their eyes.
Minato smiled at Shikaku and Inoichi, who were standing in front of the Konoha and Sand Ninja teams, and said, "Everyone, be careful on your journey. I wish you all the best in your exams."
Everyone nodded to Minato.
Itachi and Minato exchanged glances in the crowd, the former slightly tilting his gaze.
At this moment, Shisui suddenly appeared beside Minato.
Itachi exchanged glances with Shisui again.
Then, everyone turned and looked outside the Konoha gate.
"Let's go!"
"Let's go!"
Baki and Shikaku each said something.
"Swish, swish, swish!"
Immediately, over thirty members of both Konoha and Sunagaku rushed out of the Konoha gates.
They left Konoha and headed eastward, toward the coastline bordering the Land of Fire.
The route was lined with extensive forests.
However, this terrain proved particularly advantageous for ninjas with exceptional leaping abilities.
Dozens of ninjas continuously darted through the trees, keeping even wild beasts at bay.
At first, the jonin at the front of the group advanced slowly.
"Swish, swish!"
But once they entered the dense forest, Baki and several other jonin quickened their pace.
Shikaku, Choza, Inoichi, Shinku, and several other Konoha jonin exchanged glances, then quickened their pace as well.
"Is this the start?"
Itachi muttered to himself.
While Konoha and Sunagaku were allies, they were also competitors in this joint Chunin Exam.
The battle between the two sides had already begun, even before they reached the Hidden Mist Village.
The jonin quickened their pace.
The nine Sunagakure genin glanced toward the Konoha ninja, their eyes filled with a competitive spirit.
Immediately, they increased their speed and caught up.
Swish!
At the same moment, the twelve Konoha genin, alongside the six newcomersâItachi, Izumi, Hattori Shinichi, Kido Daisukeâalso sped up, overtaking them.
"Hurry up and catch up! Don't fall behind!"
One of the six genin who had surpassed them glanced back and winked at Itachi and the others.
"Tsk, what's so great about that!"
Kido Daisuke landed on a tree trunk, stomped his foot hard, and used the momentum to launch himself forward like a cannonball, surpassing the girl who had preceded him.
"Alas, there's nothing I can do about it."
Hattori Shinichi adjusted his glasses.
However, in this battle between the Konoha and Sunagakure ninja newcomers, they couldn't afford to lose.
Immediately, everyone's pace quickened.
At the front of the team, the speed of the jonin from both Konoha and Sand Ninja was getting faster and faster.
These jonin were selected by their respective villages to go to Kirigakure to participate in the Chunin Exam, so of course they were all quite strong.
However, they were naturally not comparable to the jonin.
So as Shikaku and the others sped up, the breathing and pace of the jonin behind them all started to become a little disordered.
In this situation, there were only five jonin from Konoha and Sand Ninja who could keep up.
.....
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