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***
On the Kumo-shinobi ship, the Kumo-shinobi kunoichi with bright yellow short hair was aware of the gazes directed at her from the opposite ship, but she was already accustomed to it.
Standing before the kunoichi was a boy with the same skin and hair color.
Seeing the many obscene glances directed at his sister, the boy's expression suddenly turned unhappy, and he shouted at the Konoha and Sunagakure ninjas,
"What are you looking at!"
This shouting caused the Sunagakure and Konoha boys who had been focusing their gazes on the Kumo-shinobi to avert their gazes in shame, their expressions becoming evasive.
Only then did Shikaku and Baki notice what was happening behind them.
Shikaku looked at the Kumo-shinobi kunoichi and gave an awkward smile.
However, he also noticed that this young kunoichi was likely a jonin from the Kumo-shinobi Village.
She looked barely of adulthood, yet she had already become a jonin and been dispatched by the Fourth Raikage to participate in the Joint Chunin Exams, a testament to her exceptional talent.
While his companions began to look away, Itachi's gaze remained fixed on the men aboard the Kumogakure.
His gaze lingered briefly on the voluptuous Kumogakure kunoichi, before gazing at a man standing beside her, not particularly tall for a Kumogakure ninja.
He wore an eyepatch over his left eye, and his attire was slightly different from the others.
"The head of Kumogakure, is that him?"
Itachi muttered to himself.
The man's name must be Dodai, a veteran of the current Kumogakure, highly respected even during the Third Raikage's lifetime.
Standing beside Itachi, Izumi, like many other girls around her, first glanced at the blonde kunoichi on the Kumogakure ship, whose torso was so voluptuous, especially her bust, which threatened to burst through her clothes.
Then, she glanced down at her own breasts, blushing.
Then, she looked at Itachi, who finally returned his gaze, noticing a strange expression on Izumi's face.
"What's wrong?" Itachi asked.
Izumi shook her head repeatedly, saying, "Nothing."
The two ships were some distance apart on the sea.
Shikaku, Baki, and Dodai simply exchanged glances and nods, without further communication.
They had already entered the Land of Water and would soon reach the mainland, the island home to the Hidden Mist Village.
There was no need for further communication at this moment.
Meanwhile, the Konoha and Suna ships had finished resupplying, and the crew had hoisted anchor, setting sail and departing the island.
The Kumogakure ninjas watched as the Konoha and Suna ships gradually disappeared into the thick fog.
On the ship, a blond boy wearing a Kumo-nin forehead protector curled his lips and said, "So, those guys from Konoha and the Sand Village aren't that great. When the exams begin, I'll take them all out one by one."
"Don't let your guard down, Atsui," the kunoichi behind the boy said sternly, placing a hand on his head.
Then, Dodai, standing beside the kunoichi, looked at her and said,
"Samui, did you notice that boy on the opposite boat who was observing us?"
Samui replied, "He must be Uchiha Itachi, the one Raikage-sama mentioned so specifically."
Dodai nodded and sighed, "It's only been a few years, and Konoha has already seen such a brilliant newcomer."
"As expected of that clan, right?"
After restocking their supplies, the ship carrying Itachi and his companions steamed towards the islands of the Water Country.
Another two days passed.
When the fog thickened to the point where even the ninja's vision was impaired, the ship finally docked and reached its destination.
The Hidden Mist Village is located on the main island of the Land of Water.
The Hidden Mist Village, as seal-making ninjas, naturally welcomed them.
After all, no ninja from any other nation had publicly set foot on this island for over a decade.
A dozen Hidden Mist ninjas fanned out, surrounding the Sunagakure and Konohagakure ninjas, totaling over forty in total.
The seal-making Hidden Mist ninjas interacted minimally with Shikaku and Baki.
Thus, they set off directly for the Hidden Mist Village.
Along the way, these newcomers from Konoha and the Suna felt a sense of unease.
This was not only due to the surroundings, but also because they rarely encountered other people along the way.
Before arriving in the Hidden Mist Village, each village had naturally provided these newcomers with preparatory lessons.
They would have learned in ninja academy that before the outbreak of the Third Shinobi World War, the Hidden Mist Village had already become isolated, with little contact with other nations.
Today, the Hidden Mist Village is known as the Land of the Blood Mist.
Izumi surveyed the surrounding Kirigakure ninjas, seemingly guarding them.
Their faces were almost expressionless.
The Kirigakure ninjas didn't interact with them either.
Itachi observed them.
He had dealt with Kirigakure ninjas before.
His partner in the Akatsuki organization was Hoshigaki Kisame, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Kirigakure, who had defected after the Fourth Mizukage's plot was exposed.
Unlike most members of the organization manipulated by the masked man, Kisame knew the true mastermind behind Akatsuki's actions.
He even understood the masked man's true purpose better than even leader Pain.
The masked man assigned Kisame to operate with Itachi as a two-man team, essentially sending Kisame to monitor him.
Itachi also had some understanding of Kisame's beliefs.
He was also a victim of the blood mist policy implemented by the Fourth Mizukage.
However, upon learning that the Mizukage was being manipulated, he joined the masked man's side.
Itachi and Kisame's relationship was undoubtedly hostile, but in some ways, they shared similarities, making them friends.
When working with him, Kisame retained some of his old habits from Kirigakure, much like the other Kirigakure ninjas around him.
The current Kirigakure ninja-training methods have all but eliminated individual thought.
This approach is like the root of Danzo.
However, Danzo was under the control of the Hokage, so the methods he employed were not as cruel and ruthless as those of the Hidden Mist Village.
With continuous progress, everyone quickly approached the location of the Hidden Mist Village.
Half a day later, a burst of dense footsteps suddenly sounded directly ahead of Itachi and his group.
Catching these footsteps, the leading Hidden Mist ninja stopped.
Because of the fog, the two groups facing each other could not see each other clearly.
A Hidden Mist ninja flew over to the other side to confirm the situation.
"Hey, how long will it take to reach your village?"
"This place is really unpleasant!"
A disgruntled young man's voice rang out from the fog.
In the crowd, when Izumi heard the voice, her eyebrows raised, and she looked at Itachi beside her, and said in surprise:
"This voice is from the Iwagakure Shinobi."
...
"Hmm."
Itachi nodded gently, saying, "That should be him."
Izumi paused, puzzled. "I remember the little girl he went on a mission with last time was already wearing an Iwagakure chunin vest. Couldn't he still be a chunin?"
"Just because you're very strong doesn't guarantee you'll pass the Chunin Exams," Itachi replied.
Meanwhile, behind the mist, facing Itachi and his companions were the Iwagakure entrants.
At the front of the Iwa team, a young man with blond hair stood with his arms folded, looking displeased.
Suddenly, a young-looking Iwa jonin beside him patted his shoulder. It was Haitsu.
"What's up?"
Deidara glanced at Haitsu.
Haitsu smiled, raised his gaze, and said, "The guy you're looking for this time is just across the way."
"Has he arrived yet?"
Deidara's expression suddenly changed, his face tense for a moment.
Beside him stood a chubby, honest-looking young man.
Seeing Deidara's reaction, he asked curiously, "Who are you talking about? He could possibly make Deidara do that?"
"Akatsuchi, stop talking!"
Deidara gritted his teeth, interrupting Akatsuchi.
Even as he spoke, his eyes were fixed on the group of people looming in the mist ahead.
Soon, the two teams lifted their security and merged.
"Shikaku-senpai, long time no see."
Shikaku nodded politely upon seeing him. "Yes."
Then he looked at the most muscular of the Iwagakure ninjas.
His features appeared unassuming, yet his broad frame seemed as solid and immovable as the earth.
Baki and Shikaku's expressions grew solemn upon seeing him.
This burly man was the leader of the Iwagakure Village this time.
He was the son of the Third Tsuchikage, named Kitsuchi.
As commander-in-chief during the Third Shinobi World War, he had clashed with Jiraiya, one of Konoha's Three Great Ninjas.
Kitsuchi also greeted them.
Behind him, in the Iwagakure team, Deidara stared intently at Itachi.
"This exam looks like it's going to be troublesome."
Beside Itachi, Izumi suddenly felt a headache.
She hadn't forgotten the power of Deidara's explosive clay.
While Itachi's strength was enough to subdue him, the Chunin Exam was mostly a team-based battle.
Furthermore, the combat space was limited, making Deidara's ninjutsu undoubtedly very troublesome and dangerous.
However, this was a joint Chunin Exam for the Five Nations, so Deidara wouldn't dare act too recklessly, Izumi thought.
Besides Deidara, the other jonin of the Iwagakure were observing Itachi.
Hattori Shinichi walked up behind Itachi, adjusted his glasses, and said, "Itachi, these guys seem to be paying extra attention to you."
Itachi turned to look at Hattori and whispered, "Shinichi, I know you've been wondering what's going on, but there are some things I can't tell you. You should understand, right?"
When Shikaku had taken Itachi on the Land of Stone mission, he had kept it a secret from Shinichi and Daisuke, and to this day, they still didn't know the truth.
But Hattori's observation skills were far superior to those of his classmates.
He could tell from the look in the Iwagakure's eyes that this wasn't their first encounter.
Hearing Itachi's words, Hattori paused for a moment, then nodded.
He had already roughly guessed what was going on.
After a brief conversation between Baki, Shikaku, and Kitsuchi, their teams merged and headed for the Hidden Mist Village.
Along the way, Deidara spent most of his time observing Itachi.
Itachi ignored him.
He had long known that the leaders of various nations would, like the elders of Konoha, be paying attention to his intelligence.
But now it seemed that Itachi was receiving "special attention" from all nations.
This wasn't a good sign for the upcoming Chunin Exams.
However, Itachi hadn't taken the exam itself seriously from the outset.
He knew the real attention would only begin once he entered the Hidden Mist Village.
Nestled amidst a mountain range, the area was even more foggy than the outside world.
Led by the Hidden Mist ninja, the ninjas of Konoha, Suna, and Iwa entered the village via the mountainous path.
Within the village, the fog lingered, curling around the buildings, making visibility extremely low.
Unlike the grandeur of Konoha, the buildings within the Hidden Mist were simple, with many roofs covered in thick moss.
This was normal, given the humid air of Kirigakure.
Walking through the streets of Kiri, the group looked around.
Plenty of people roamed the streets, but their expressions were all solemn and cautious.
Seeing the massive shinobi approaching, they quickly moved aside, giving them a respectful distance.
This atmosphere was an awkward one for the ninjas from Konoha, Suna, and Iwa.
While different nations' behavior and practices varied due to geography, customs, and philosophies, there was no doubt that ninjas were deeply beloved by their fellow villagers in every village.
Thanks to the ninja, the people of these great nations could survive and enjoy protection in a world where strength reigned supreme.
However, Kiri's attitude toward their own ninjas, while not quite enemies, was clearly filled with fear.
Long ago, Kirigakure wasn't like this.
Its current state was entirely due to the manipulation of the masked man.
The Hidden Mist Village had remained in this state for over a decade, perhaps even decades, leading Itachi to wonder about the masked man's true identity.
The ability to manipulate the Fourth Mizukage, a perfect Jinchūriki, was simply beyond the reach of ordinary MangekyŠeyes, and the Fourth Hokage had completely denied that this man was Uchiha Madara.
As far as Itachi knew, no one in Uchiha history, other than Madara, had ever been able to achieve such a feat.
He surveyed the present-day Hidden Mist Village, having walked a long way.
As one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, Kiri rivaled Konoha in size.
Gradually, a cylindrical building, vastly larger and taller than the surrounding structures, emerged before their eyes. Atop the building, a large "Water" character adorned its summit.
The Mizukage Building.
Of the Five Great Ninja Villages, Konoha possessed the Hokage Building, and the other four villages had similar structures.
Of course, these were all inspired by Konoha's example.
Itachi's gaze fell on the Mizukage Building, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Because who knows, somewhere in that building right now, the mastermind behind the joint Chunin Exams, a cover for eliminating Itachi, was watching.
.....
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