The process of evolving the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan was both simple and cruel so cruel that if this were any other world, Chinatsu suspected the procedure alone would have killed her already.
Chinatsu admitted she was afraid of pain, but things had already reached this point. There was no turning back now. Was she really supposed to spend the rest of her life as a half-blind kunoichi?
Thus, inside her small room at the Uchiha residence, Chinatsu began fusing the power of her own Mangekyō Sharingan with Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyō. As for how long the process would take, even she didn't know. One thing was certain, however: she would absolutely miss the remaining rounds of the Chūnin Exams.
Naruto and Sasuke had already lost interest in the exams anyway. Ever since seeing Chinatsu's condition worsen yesterday, the two had unanimously decided that protecting their older sister was more important than becoming chūnin.
Unfortunately for them, Kakashi arrived at the Uchiha residence early that morning.
After understanding the situation, Hatake Kakashi immediately chose to replace the two boys as guards so they could continue participating in the tournament.
"You two don't want Chinatsu waking up later and finding out you abandoned the exams halfway through because of her, right?" Kakashi said lazily while scratching his silver hair. "You both know better than I do what kind of expression she'll make if that happens."
"But "
"No buts." Kakashi raised a hand and interrupted Naruto before he could finish. "Leave this to me. I'm a jōnin. If someone really attacks, I'm far more reliable than the two of you. Or what? You think you've already surpassed me?"
Kakashi narrowed his visible eye and lightly patted both boys on the shoulder, urging them toward the arena.
Naruto and Sasuke hesitated for a long moment before finally leaving the Uchiha compound and heading toward the Chūnin Exams venue.
Watching the two disappear down the street, Kakashi silently let out a breath.
Those brats are seriously hard to persuade…
As the leader of Team 7, he knew perfectly well how important this Chūnin Exam was. Naruto, Sasuke, and Gaara had already become the three most shocking "dark horses" of the tournament. If Naruto and Sasuke both withdrew midway, the Chūnin Exams would go from "the most exciting exams in years" to "the biggest disappointment imaginable."
Of course, beyond that reason, Kakashi genuinely wanted to protect Chinatsu as well.
Even now, he still found it difficult to imagine Chinatsu in a weakened state. In his impression, Uchiha Chinatsu was practically synonymous with words like "violent," "energetic," and "completely unreasonable."
Wait… unreasonable?
Kakashi fell into thought for a moment before ultimately deciding not to enter the mansion itself. Instead, he leaned casually beside the entrance gate.
At this distance, with his ANBU experience and combat instincts, he was confident he could detect any suspicious chakra approaching the residence.
Time slowly passed.
Meanwhile, Naruto and Sasuke completely dominated the tournament arena.
Perhaps because the brackets had been intentionally arranged by the proctors, the three monsters Naruto, Sasuke, and Gaara still had not faced each other before the semifinals. This arrangement greatly increased the excitement of the matches, even if most battles ended in one-sided annihilation.
After all, regardless of the era or world, overwhelming strength always attracted people's attention.
Just like reading novels who doesn't enjoy watching protagonists crush their opponents?
Chinatsu (raising hand weakly): I don't like it…
Audience: Stop acting innocent! You're the biggest offender here!
The semifinalists quickly emerged.
Who were the final four?
Naruto Uzumaki.
Sasuke Uchiha.
Gaara of the Desert.
And…
Tenten.
Tenten stared blankly at the semifinal list hanging before her and fell silent for a very long time.
"…I should probably go buy more kunai and shuriken tonight," Tenten muttered numbly. "At least then, losing tomorrow won't look too embarrassing…"
This wasn't self-deprecation. This was a calm and rational analysis.
Against Gaara… could her weapons even penetrate his automatic sand defense?
Against Naruto… could she successfully hit someone using the Flying Thunder God Technique and Shadow Clones together?
Against Sasuke… would his Sharingan and Chidori even give her the opportunity to throw weapons properly?
Waaaaah ꒦ິ^꒦ິ, why is the difficulty this ridiculous?!
Meanwhile, inside the Uchiha residence, Chinatsu's fusion process continued.
Halfway through, Chinatsu deeply regretted one thing.
Not evolving the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
But rather… why she hadn't chosen the basement instead.
Chinatsu bit her lip tightly, desperately suppressing the screams trying to escape her throat. This wasn't because of dignity, but because she was afraid Naruto and Sasuke might hear her and start imagining all sorts of terrible things.
Night gradually descended upon Konoha.
Chinatsu still hadn't emerged from her room.
Naruto and Sasuke, after returning home, had no mood to continue training. Even Kakashi abandoned his plans to return to his own apartment and instead chose to stay awake through the night guarding the residence.
Originally, Kakashi believed his presence here was simply a precaution.
After all, who would be foolish enough to target someone like Chinatsu?
But after the assassination attempt during the Chūnin Exams, Kakashi no longer dared lower his guard.
If there was one assassin, there could be a second.
And if another assassin appeared tonight, Kakashi hoped he could at least stop them before they disturbed Chinatsu.
Late into the night, most of Konoha had already fallen asleep.
With nothing better to do, Kakashi casually pulled out a copy of Make-Out Paradise and began reading under the moonlight. Even in the darkness, his Sharingan allowed him to read perfectly clearly.
Kakashi stretched slightly, feeling the quiet night would probably pass without incident.
Even he was beginning to feel a little sleepy.
But just as Kakashi prepared to close his eyes briefly
Two concealed presences suddenly entered his perception range.
"Someone's here?!"
Kakashi's visible eye snapped open instantly.
The concealment abilities of the approaching figures were extremely skilled. Kakashi was certain these chakra signatures did not belong to any shinobi currently stationed in Konoha.
Experts.
Definitely experts.
He simply didn't know whether they were allies or enemies.
Kakashi silently gripped a kunai and stared toward the darkness ahead.
The two hidden figures also noticed Kakashi almost immediately and halted their movement.
"I already told you we could've just sent a messenger crow," one voice complained quietly. "Why did we have to come to Konoha personally? This place is dangerous."
"What do you know?" another voice replied impatiently. "Some things can't be explained clearly in a letter. Besides, your writing is terrible."
"…Wait, you actually know how to write properly?"
"Shut up. More importantly someone's here."
"…Someone guarding the young lady's house this late at night? Don't tell me this bastard is plotting something against her!"
Although Kakashi couldn't hear every word clearly, he still caught one important phrase.
Young lady.
Immediately afterward
Boom!
A terrifying killing intent erupted from the darkness.
Like a phantom flashing through the night, a massive triple-bladed scythe suddenly slashed straight toward Kakashi at incredible speed.
Kakashi's pupils narrowed instantly.
He leapt backward without hesitation, narrowly avoiding the descending blade.
Clang!
The giant scythe smashed into the ground with tremendous force.
In the darkness, both sides stared at each other cautiously.
Kakashi: What a dangerous assassin…
Hidan: This shameless pretty-boy lurking around the young lady's house actually has some skill!
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