Chapter 454: Eve of Spending Points
The next day, at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind.
"Dance of the Larch!"
Kimimaro, with bone spurs protruding all over his body, spun and lunged forward, piercing through one veil of sand after another.
"Sand Waterfall Imperial Funeral!"
Sand and soil swept up and flew wildly, obscuring everyone's vision and whipping up a temporary sandstorm.
When the dust settled, Kimimaro stood suspended with a bone spur hovering right in front of Gaara's neck. Flailing sand that had failed to catch up in time was still swirling around Gaara's body.
As the sand finally reached them, Kimimaro withdrew his weapon and fell back.
"In just a single fraction of a second..." In the distance, Temari and Kankuro looked on with profound shock.
Baki, the lead Jonin of the Hidden Sand, stood gnashing his teeth fiercely, endlessly cursing in his mind:
'I already led the three of them back into the territory of the Land of Wind, yet you, Masahiko Uzumaki, still chased us down with three brats just to force a spar between Kimimaro Kaguya and Gaara. Gaara gets instantly defeated, and you, Masahiko Uzumaki, actually put on a look of disappointment? What, is the Land of Whirlpools that incredible? Are you, Masahiko Uzumaki, that incredible? Fine, I can't afford to provoke you, but I can afford to hide from you!'
"Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, let's go!" Baki spoke resentfully: "Senior, we can leave now, right?"
Masahiko waved his hand, the look of disappointment on his face still lingering. He didn't obtain any Witness Points just now!
Does doing it this way not work?
At this moment, his attire was completely different from before. Because his physique had shrunk by quite a few sizes, none of his older clothes fit him anymore. He had specially traveled through the entirety of Konoha early this morning to pick out a handsome set of clothes for himself.
It was exactly the kind of pure-white top worn by Sasuke in the original Shippuden series, while the lower body was paired with blue pants—it was as flashy and extravagant as could be. After making the purchase, he learned that the Sand squad had already left, which was why he hurriedly chased after them with Kimimaro's trio.
"Sigh, if there are none, then there are none." Masahiko let out a sigh, but a smile curled up his face soon after. Karin beside him kept stealing glances at him, which put him in an excellent mood...
"Great Elder, where did you buy those clothes? Kimimaro would definitely look incredibly handsome in them!"
Masahiko's face turned black: "I don't look handsome in them?"
"...Passable, I guess."
Masahiko breathed a sigh of relief. Karin's 'passable' definitely meant incredibly handsome. Contentment brings constant happiness after all...
"The tailor shop at the eastern edge of the village."
"Understood!"
"Lord God, let's head back," Kimimaro said upon returning: "I want to go find Might Guy to spar."
"Go ahead. Take Karin along with you, and be careful not to get injured." Masahiko pondered for a brief moment: "Haku, you help me guide Team 11 for a few days. Their instructing Jonin has been finalized as Kiba Uchiha. But Kiba is currently executing his very last mission as an Anbu..."
"Great Elder, where are you going?"
Masahiko smiled: "Training. We might not see each other again until a few months from now. Let's go, head back!"
Konoha Village.
Masahiko didn't immediately spend his points; he still had a few things he needed to take care of first.
First, inside the spiritual space, that scoundrel Madara stubbornly refused to acknowledge Chiyo as his Second Grandmother...
Masahiko was entirely out of options. Madara belonged to the type who could be bent by might but never broken. However, regarding the transmission of ocular power, he did manage to wring a response out of him.
"Stop dreaming, old monster!"
"Can't you show a bit of a better attitude toward me? Careful or I'll have Hashirama come abuse you!"
"In this place, Hashirama is no match for me!"
Masahiko paused, only now recalling that Madara's Yin attribute was likely considerably higher than Hashirama's...
"Is there really no way to transmit it?"
"Old monster," Madara spoke hesitantly, "get Izuna's soul back from the Pure Land!"
Masahiko smiled; it was good as long as he was willing to state a condition.
"I can't contact the Sage of Six Paths for the time being. Let's wait for Hiruzen to die. You tell me the method first?"
"...What method?"
"...Holy crap! You're trying to empty-handed hoodwink the Great Ancestor right here? Take my sandbag-sized fist!"
"Bastard!"
This trip yielded no rewards, but Madara did remind Masahiko that the one most likely to know the method for replenishing the ocular power of the Sharingan was the Sage of Six Paths.
"When Hiruzen dies, I'll try to pull the Sage of Six Paths in one more time. Though heaven knows when Hiruzen will actually drop dead..."
Pondering for a long while, Masahiko flickered over to the Hokage Office. The Witness Points for the Chunin Exams hadn't been collected yet, and right now, it should just be down to the very last step.
Inside the Hokage Office.
"Hiruzen, why on earth are you here? Where is Obito?" Masahiko had a face full of bewilderment, mixed with a tiny shred of a guilty conscience.
Hiruzen failed to notice anything unusual, hurriedly rising to greet him. He spoke with a bitter smile: "Shisui only just woke up, so Obito went to look after him. This old framework of mine has to toil away for a few more days. You've arrived right on cue..."
"Your body is still holding together alright?"
Hiruzen paused, then smiled: "Thank you for your concern. I can still hang on for a couple of years. Though no matter what, I can't compare to you..."
Masahiko curled his lip inwardly. Why did everyone say 'can't compare to you' when they got old? Every single one of them carried a rather regretful tone; it seemed they hadn't completely made peace with mortality.
"Oh my, the Great Ancestor accidentally rejuvenated back to eleven years old, so at the very least, I can live for another 120 years..."
"Cough cough cough cough...!"
"Didn't you say your body was still alright?"
Hiruzen: "..."
After a long silence, he let out a wistful sigh: "Let's get down to business, Elder Masahiko. I am currently fretting over the matters of the Chunin Exams."
Masahiko smiled: "What's the dilemma?"
"The ones currently finalized to become Chunin are Tenten, Neji Hyuga, Shikamaru Nara, Sasuke Uchiha, and Hoshino Uchiha—a total of five people. However, because the exam was abruptly interrupted halfway through, Toneri Otsutsuki and Naruto Uzumaki, including Sai, who originally possessed the capability to become Chunin, didn't get the opportunity to display their full strength. They..."
Masahiko pondered for a brief moment. Letting that brat Naruto acquire the title of Chunin always felt a bit awkward...
"It's not like there won't be a next exam. Let them wait a bit, no need to rush."
Hiruzen nodded: "I'll defer to your judgment."
With those words, he lowered his head to sign his name on the document on the desk, representing the official finalization of the Chunin Exam results. If Naruto learned the truth, his tears would probably flood the room.
*Witnessed and significantly altered the Naruto world main plot: Chunin Exams, obtained 50 (8) Witness Points.
Masahiko nearly failed to suppress the wild ecstasy in his heart to burst out laughing. 400 points? What a massive harvest! The Chunin Exams truly are a major main plotline!
Right at this moment, Hiruzen hesitantly spoke up once more: "There is one more thing. Regarding the wager you set up at the casino previously—because the Chunin Exams were interrupted, many Konoha civilians are demanding a refund of their betting capital..."
"They dare!" Masahiko glared, the Rinnegan giving Hiruzen quite a start. "Money won based on sheer capability, why on earth should the Great Ancestor issue a refund?!"
Based on capability? Hiruzen grew increasingly certain that Orochimaru had been brought in by Masahiko...
After a brief silence, Masahiko spoke once more: "Actually, the money won this time isn't all going straight into my own pockets. Half of it will be given to the civilians of Konoha's western residential district, and a portion of the remaining half has to be given to that silly cat. You handle the arrangements. Refunding the money is completely impossible, impossible for the rest of this life! I have some matters to attend to, and I might not return for two or three months. Have Kushina keep the money safe for me. If I return and don't see the money, I'll hold you solely responsible!"
"You want me to..."
Midway through his sentence, Hiruzen looked at the completely empty Hokage Office, letting out another helpless, bitter smile.
"This is going to shave years off my life!"
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