Under the eagerly anticipating gazes of everyone, Sarutobi Hiruzen finally appeared in the examination arena.
His appearance immediately drew immense cheers. Although he was old, his popularity in Konoha was still very high.
After all, what he liked to do most was give speeches at the Konoha Ninja Academy…
And he especially liked to personally hand out headbands to the graduating youngsters.
"Is it finally starting?"
Uchiha Fugaku's spirits lifted when he saw the Third Hokage appear. To be honest, he had very complicated feelings about the Third Hokage.
He had originally preferred Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato over him. Minato and his relationship were also relatively good.
With Minato there, he believed the relationship between Konoha and Uchiha could be eased, and even become harmonious.
But unfortunately, fate was cruel to the shining genius who eclipsed their generation with his light; the Fourth Hokage had already passed away.
And although the Third Hokage also had intentions, the Nine-Tails Incident and a series of subsequent developments showed that he actually did not trust them as much as the Fourth Hokage.
'But there will always be opportunities. Shisui is our hope, and perhaps in the future, Itachi can also…'
Fugaku thought to himself, and at this moment, Hiruzen also spoke.
"Since everyone is here, let's prepare to begin the assessment."
Those participating in the assessment were basically experienced ninja, so Hiruzen did not waste time but directly announced the examination rules.
The Chūnin Exams were not that complicated; the previous assessments had already eliminated most of those who needed to be.
The final assessment mainly focused on evaluating combat power, and there was a lot of room for maneuver in this combat power evaluation.
It wasn't necessary to win to succeed; as long as one performed excellently and demonstrated the qualities a chūnin should possess, one could pass.
Soon, the order of the assessment by drawing lots was revealed, and the first person to be assessed was Uchiha Itachi!
"That certainly saves me trouble."
Hidezawa, standing beside Hiruzen, did not delay at all. He walked directly into the training ground.
"Examinee Uchiha Itachi, please come forward."
However, his appearance immediately caused quite a bit of controversy.
"This is the examiner?"
"So young?"
"Hey, this isn't specially arranged for the Uchiha, is it?"
Although the ninja profession cannot be judged by age, older ninja are generally more experienced.
Even if they couldn't match one's strength, would their combat experience be worse?
"These guys are underestimating Hidezawa too much, aren't they?"
Yugao, who was also watching in the crowd, immediately felt uncomfortable. She knew Hidezawa's strength too well.
"Hidezawa is indeed very powerful, it's just that people don't know it yet."
Tenzo also echoed from the side. After leaving Root, he gradually adapted to his new life, and he also needed more friends.
Hidezawa, who also 'left Root', was naturally a good friend in his eyes.
"I heard that Hidezawa has…"
"Cough, cough, cough!"
He was interrupted by Kakashi, who was standing nearby, before he could finish his sentence.
"There's no need to talk about such mission details, and we are all Anbu, so it's common knowledge to not spread it."
Kakashi was also off today, and to avoid being harassed by Might Guy, he had voluntarily come over.
He now felt glad he had come on his own, otherwise, if Tenzo spoke so carelessly, who knew what negative consequences it might cause.
"Nii-san! Go for it!"
"Itachi, go for it!"
Sasuke and Uchiha Izumi saw that Hidezawa seemed to be only slightly older than Itachi, and immediately became excited, continuously cheering for him.
Itachi smiled and nodded at them, then quickly walked onto the stage.
After he stepped onto the stage, the smile on his face vanished, replaced by a composure unsuited for his age.
"Senpai, I look forward to our match."
He bowed deeply and spoke earnestly.
Although Hidezawa looked only slightly older than him, he dared not have any thoughts of underestimating Hidezawa.
After all, his good friend, Shisui, whom he viewed as his own older brother, had repeatedly warned him to treat Hidezawa with utmost seriousness.
He had even said something like, 'My chances of winning against Hidezawa might only be average.'
He was quite aware of how strong Shisui's abilities were, and for Hidezawa to be described by Shisui in such a way already indicated his formidable prowess.
Moreover, he also had a very serious reason to fight with everything he has got.
"Oh, quite polite, aren't you?"
Hidezawa raised an eyebrow and said with a smile.
"But your eyes tell me you seem to want to defeat me?"
"Yes, senpai."
Itachi did not deny it. His peripheral vision caught sight of his family cheering him on in the crowd, and then he said seriously.
"I have reasons not to lose, and naturally, one should go all out in an assessment."
For his younger brother, Itachi felt he could give up everything.
And Shisui was also watching, his friend Izumi was cheering for him, and his parents were also here; he didn't want to disappoint any of these people.
Fortunately, Hidezawa didn't know his thoughts, otherwise, he would most likely ask: 'Is that why you killed them?'
"It seems you have a good relationship with your family, huh?"
Hidezawa suddenly revealed a mischievous smile, but without waiting for Itachi to say anything, he nodded and said.
"Assessments indeed require going all out. Actually, I really want to, but Shisui kept telling me not to hurt you.
Never mind, you're just a kid anyway, and I'm the examiner, so it's normal for you to go all out."
"..."
Itachi was silent for a moment. 'You don't seem to be much older than me, do you?'
"Examiner and contestant are in position, then, let the match begin!"
Fortunately, the Third Hokage spoke at this moment, and as his words fell, the entire examination hall erupted in enthusiastic cheers.
"Senpai, please enlighten me."
Itachi's eyes instantly transformed into Sharingan, the tomoe slowly rotating in his crimson eyes, and he formed the 'Seal of Confrontation'.
"Then let's begin."
Hidezawa shrugged. He unhurriedly pulled out a kunai.
He had already figured out how to complete the mission. Although it was troublesome for him, it was truly not difficult.
*Whoosh—*
In an instant, Hidezawa directly rushed out, appearing like a phantom directly in front of Itachi.
"Hmm?!"
Itachi's previously composed expression suddenly changed. Shisui had indeed warned him that Hidezawa's speed was incredibly fast.
But for him to be able to see it with his eyes, yet his body couldn't react, that was something he truly hadn't expected.
A punch was thrown, and the strong wind from the fist made Itachi feel a stinging pain on his face.
However, his reaction was still quick enough. The moment the fist was about to hit him, he sharply moved sideways, just barely avoiding it.
"Nii-san!"
Sasuke obviously didn't expect the battle to be so dangerous right from the start, which made him involuntarily cry out.
Unfortunately, in such a noisy environment, the highly concentrated Itachi couldn't hear him at all.
Especially when Hidezawa pressed close, suddenly whispering something in his ear, which was now echoing in his mind.
"Do you still remember that Root ninja you once defeated?"
*****
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✓ Killed For 100 Years in Hueco Mundo, Aizen Invited Me To Soul Society!
✓ Naruto: Senmei Asahi
✓ Naruto: Uchiha's Intelligence Dealer
✓ Naruto: The Fifth Hokage Is Naruto's Uncle
✓ Naruto: Who Made Him a Ninja?
✓ Bleach: In My Second Reincarnation, I Became The Ninth Kenpachi
✓ To Love-Ru: Spoiler Route [R-18]
✓ Naruto: The Accidental Incubus [R-18]
✓ The Academy's Saint Is Too Popular, But He's Not the Protagonist [R-18]