“Do you have any suspects?” Hiruzen lit his pipe and asked in a low voice.
Danzo spoke gravely, “I had suspected you.
But on second thought, you have always bathed yourself in the light, so you would never do such a thing.” “Then there is only one possibility.” Hiruzen immediately pressed, “Who?” Danzo sat back down, his expression grim.
“Do you remember the person who controlled the Nine-Tails and attacked Konoha all those years ago?” “Him?” Hiruzen realized with a start.
Danzo said heavily, “To possess that level of Body Flicker, besides the late Second Hokage and the Fourth, as well as the Fourth Raikage of the Cloud Village, no one else could pull that off.
Even Shisui couldn’t.
It could only be that Uchiha thief who controlled the Nine-Tails.” Danzo spoke the words “Uchiha thief” with heavy, deliberate emphasis.
Hiruzen remained silent for a long time before replying, “I understand.
But the village has just stabilized; let this matter end here.
Do not interfere further.
I will have people investigate this.” Danzo countered, “Is it Uchiha Itachi again?
He was the last person to see Uchiha Shisui.
Shisui’s left eye was very likely entrusted to him, but he never mentioned it to you.
Uchiha Itachi is no longer trustworthy.” “No, it’s not him.” As he spoke, Hiruzen revealed that he had sent Fujiwara Chiya undercover.
“You’re a fool…” Danzo fumed.
“Hiruzen, how do you know that boy won’t be bought off by the Uchiha clan instead?” “What if he leaks our intelligence to the Uchiha?” Hiruzen replied, “Danzo, you are too suspicious.
Chiya is the child of the Fujiwara family; his parents both sacrificed themselves to protect the village, and he has inherited their will, vowing to protect Konoha.
He is just a civilian, not the Uchiha you fear so much.” “That’s not guaranteed.
The moment he marries a girl from the Uchiha family, he becomes one of them.
It would be better if I…” Danzo made a sinister throat-slitting gesture.
“Enough, Danzo.
I am the Hokage.” Hiruzen stood up, slammed his hand on the table, and rebuked him sharply.
“Hiruzen, you will regret this.” Danzo gritted his teeth, struck the table, and swept out of the room.
His resolve to become the Hokage only grew stronger.
…
The next day, Chiya arrived at the training ground on time, per his agreement with Kurenai.
During the initial period of a team’s formation, there is a bonding phase, so there were no missions for the first three days.
During this time, the team leader not only gauges the strength of each member for tactical planning but can also provide guidance on ninjutsu.
Since both Airi Akizuki and Akimichi Panci had clans to rely on, Kurenai didn’t need to worry about their training.
After confirming they lacked aptitude for genjutsu, she gave them brief pointers and sent them off to train.
When it came to Chiya, she formed hand seals and cast Genjutsu: Three Absolute Cherry Blossoms upon him.
“Chiya, you have excellent aptitude for genjutsu.
This is Genjutsu: Three Absolute Cherry Blossoms.
It allows the enemy to see petals, creating confusion to facilitate a surprise attack.
If you master it to a high degree, you might even be able to have the petals cover the enemy, restricting their movement, or perhaps even cause suffocation.” “The hand seals and the principle behind the technique are…” As she spoke, Kurenai’s form suddenly turned into petals and vanished in Chiya’s eyes.
“Did you understand?” Kurenai’s voice sounded by his ear as the petals reconverged, and her graceful figure appeared before him once more.
Chiya nodded.
Having devoured Shisui’s lineage and possessing Kyōka Suigetsu, his genjutsu talent was maxed out.
He followed Kurenai’s instructions and quickly formed the hand seals.
In an instant, his entire body transformed into petals and disappeared from Kurenai’s sight.
“This…
this is…” Standing in a sea of cherry blossoms, Kurenai gasped in shock, watching everything before her in disbelief, her eyes shimmering with excitement and thrill.
“Teacher Kurenai, does this count as having learned it?” Chiya’s voice came from every direction, as if every petal were his true form, making it impossible to discern the truth.
The petals converged quickly, and Chiya reappeared.
At this moment, Kurenai saw the shadow of his father, Yuhi Shinku, in Chiya.
Her gaze turned vacant for a moment.
She only snapped out of it when Chiya reminded her, praising him: “You are truly startling!
Chiya, you will definitely surpass me in the future…
no…
you will become a genjutsu ninja who surpasses the Uchiha clan.” Chiya smiled calmly, not denying it.
…
Six months passed in the blink of an eye.
The new Chunin Exams were approaching.
Chiya was nearly twelve and had completed many missions, both big and small, with Kurenai.
During this time, he encountered all sorts of opponents, even a Jōnin, all of whom were resolved by Chiya’s exquisite genjutsu.
Because of his high mission success rate, Chiya had become somewhat famous among the Konoha ninja.
In the Hokage’s office in Konoha, the team leaders had gathered to recommend their students for the Chunin Exams to the “Konoha F4.” Kurenai was among them.
When it was her turn, she respectfully submitted the dossiers for Chiya and his two teammates.
“Hokage-sama, honorable advisors, Lord Danzo, these are the nominations for the Chunin Exams.” Hiruzen skimmed through Airi and Panci’s files symbolically before passing them to Danzo and the others.
While looking at Chiya’s file, he remarked, “Kurenai, I hear that boy Chiya has been quite active in his missions lately.” “Yes, Hokage-sama.
He is a genjutsu genius in every sense of the word.
He also has extraordinary talent in ninjutsu and taijutsu.
I have nothing left to teach him,” Kurenai answered respectfully.
As soon as these words left her lips, not only Hiruzen, but the other three members of the “Konoha F4” and the other team leaders present all turned to look at her.
The vast Hokage office fell into a dead silence.
The praise Kurenai had given Chiya was so high, it was beyond words.
She had all but said that Chiya already possessed Jōnin-level strength.
The last time this had happened was with Uchiha Itachi.
Danzo shot a complicated look at Hiruzen.
After a long while, he was the first to break the silence.
“Jōnin Kurenai, should I interpret this as meaning Chiya already possesses the strength of a Jōnin, or perhaps even surpasses you?” “Yes, Lord Danzo,” Kurenai replied, unhesitatingly.
Only those who had spent time with Chiya could understand his terrifying ninja talent.
Even though they had only spent half a year together, Chiya’s strength had grown at a visible pace.
By now, Chiya had mastered all her genjutsu, and his ninjutsu and taijutsu had surpassed her own.
She truly had nothing left to teach him.
Perhaps this was what people called a “genius.” 🔥 Want More Chapters?
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