https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-417-The-Intimidating-Power-of-the-Sharingan/12558543/
Chapter 418: The Determination to Win
Chapter 418: The Determination to Win
"So, Itachi is participating in this Chunin Exam." Anko Mitarashi's voice held a hint of surprise upon hearing the referee's announcement.
Having not seen Itachi since his graduation, Anko was unaware that he had signed up for the ongoing Chunin Exam.
"It's astonishing how people from the same graduating class can differ so greatly," Tenzou sighed softly. "While some revel in their minor achievements from the practical exam, others are already on the cusp of becoming a Chunin."
Anko's inner radar for troublemakers twitched, and her gaze shifted from the center of the arena to the sidelines where Tenzou sat. She suspected there was a hidden message in his words.
"You're right, Tenzou. I shouldn't be proud just because I ranked in the top four in the practical exam. Itachi is the role model we should all aspire to," Izumo Kamizuki replied, as if Tenzou's words were directed at him.
A fleeting sense of guilt crossed Anko's face as she wondered if she had been too harsh on her teammates. Perhaps she should have been kinder to them.
Unseen by Anko, Tenzou gave a thumbs-up to Izumo, acknowledging their seamless coordination—a true combination technique.
Izumo returned Tenzou's smile before turning his attention back to the center of the arena, where Itachi and Uchiha Tetsu stood facing each other, having completed their hand seals. The battle was about to commence.
Facing the calm and composed Itachi, Uchiha Tetsu felt an unexpected sense of tranquility within himself.
Even before the fight began, Uchiha Tetsu already knew the outcome.
Undoubtedly, the winner would be Itachi, not him.
The gap between their strengths was simply too vast, and Uchiha Tetsu couldn't fathom a way to victory.
Unlike Obito, Uchiha Tetsu had met Itachi when the latter was already renowned as a genius of the Uchiha clan. Therefore, losing to Itachi didn't weigh heavily on his mind, as he had never beaten Itachi in all their encounters since childhood.
"Begin!" The referee stepped back after ensuring both participants were ready.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
Uchiha Tetsu swiftly formed the necessary hand seals, channeling his chakra to launch a fireball at Itachi.
Even in a battle with a predictable outcome, Uchiha Tetsu knew he had to give it his all. It was the pride of a Uchiha to never hold back.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
Itachi, too, favored the Fireball Jutsu as his opening move, and he immediately unleashed it after the referee's signal.
While the jutsu was the same, its execution varied between individuals. Numerous factors influenced the final power of a jutsu, including the amount of chakra used, the skill in nature transformation, and the practitioner's proficiency with the technique.
Itachi, with his three-tomoe Sharingan and exceptional mastery of Fire Style, easily outclassed Uchiha Tetsu in every aspect. Uchiha Tetsu could only struggle to dodge as his fireball was devoured by Itachi's.
Capitalizing on his advantage, Itachi didn't give Uchiha Tetsu any respite. He swiftly threw a handful of ninja tools, aiming for his opponent.
Shhhuuu!
Several shuriken, thrown at tricky angles, successfully left their marks on Uchiha Tetsu's body.
"As expected of Itachi, dominating in every aspect," Uchiha Inabi praised.
Although Uchiha Tetsu was in a sorry state, Uchiha Inabi knew it wasn't due to any lack of skill on his part. Itachi was simply too formidable. Even if he, a Chunin, were to face Itachi, the outcome would be the same.
In Uchiha Inabi's estimation, Itachi's current strength might even rival that of the Uchiha clan's Jonin.
Under Itachi's relentless assault, Uchiha Tetsu could barely last a minute before collapsing in defeat.
"The winner is Uchiha Itachi," the referee announced, signaling the end of the match.
The audience burst into a flurry of excited chatter.
Within the Uchiha clan, Itachi was known as a genius, and in the Ninja Academy, he was acknowledged as an exceptional prodigy among his peers. However, when it came to the entirety of Konoha, Itachi wasn't particularly famous.
After all, Uchiha ninjas rarely boasted about their clan's talents to outsiders, and the influence of the Ninja Academy was limited; few paid attention to its students unless they had a unique background.
But that changed after the first match. Those with a discerning eye could tell that Itachi's abilities were no ordinary.
However, due to the vast disparity in their opponents' strengths, they couldn't gauge whether Itachi's prowess reached the level of Kakashi or Obito.
"First, there was Uchiha Obito, and now Uchiha Itachi. The Uchiha clan truly deserves its reputation as Konoha's foremost powerhouse," a ninja commented in awe.
It was incredibly rare for a genius of Itachi's caliber to emerge from the civilian ninja population—a true one-in-a-thousand talent. And yet, the Uchiha clan had produced two such prodigies in succession.
Hearing the praises for Itachi from those around him, Uchiha Fugaku wore a faint smile. These were the future hopes of their clan.
"Remember, the most important thing for a ninja is strength. Once you become strong enough, everything else will fall into place," Uchiha Fugaku advised, his voice carrying the weight of experience.
In his eyes, the Uchiha clan's predicament could be easily resolved by producing a strong leader who would become the Hokage.
Uchiha Fugaku himself didn't harbor much hope in that regard, as he was already nearing thirty, and his potential for further growth was limited.
But Itachi and the others were different. They possessed even greater ninja talents than Uchiha Izuna. If Sasuke also demonstrated similar potential, then decades later, one of the three of them would undoubtedly become the Hokage.
Even in the second round of the exams, Shisui effortlessly dispatched his opponents, his fights filled with ease and leisure.
"The talents exhibited by Uchiha Obito and Uchiha Shisui have already surpassed Mirror," thought Hiruzen Sarutobi as he watched the fights, stroking his goatee. "But with Minato and Mu Yue guiding them, they should be fine."
Unlike Danzo Shimura, Hiruzen wasn't overly paranoid about the Uchiha clan, but he remained cautious.
After all, the Uchiha had a history of rebellion. During the Second Hokage's reign, a hawkish Uchiha named Uchiha Setsuna had attempted a coup but was swiftly suppressed by the hidden leaf village's forces. This incident had led to the Uchiha clan being placed under constant surveillance by the hidden leaf village's forces.
Over time, as the Uchiha clan displayed relative docility, the intensity of the surveillance had lessened, and usually, only one or two hidden leaf village's forces members would be assigned to monitor them.
If not for the fact that Mu Yue was their teacher, Hiruzen would have selected one of them to be cultivated by the hidden leaf village's forces.
There was no ill intent; it was purely to strengthen the Will of Fire education. But with Mu Yue's presence, Hiruzen felt somewhat reassured.
Round after round of battles deepened the audience's understanding of Shisui's strength.
When it came to dominance in combat, Shisui's performance exceeded that of Obito and Kakashi. In the previous Chunin Exam, even the eventual winner, Kakashi, had faced significant challenges in the third round.
Unlike Shisui, who remained composed and calm even after defeating his final opponent, Kakashi had struggled and barely scraped by.
Of course, even an ordinary person could discern the reason. In the previous exam, there had been too many strong participants, and by the third round, the gaps in their skills had narrowed, resulting in closely contested fights.
This time, however, it was different. While there were other impressive genin besides Shisui, none of them came close to the level of Obito and Might Guy.
"Damn it, I shouldn't have been an examiner. I should have entered the Chunin Exam again," Obito muttered enviously, watching Shisui standing in the arena, accepting the cheers of the crowd.
In the previous Chunin Exam, Obito hadn't even made it to the finals, eliminated in the top four by Kakashi.
In this exam, Obito thought to himself that if it weren't for Shisui, he could have made it to the finals without breaking a sweat.
"You, a Chunin, want to participate in the Chunin Exam?" Kakashi retorted in disbelief.
"You're the last person who should be talking about this," Obito said indignantly. "Last year, you participated in the exam even though you'd been a Chunin for several years."
If not for Kakashi standing in his way, he would have at least made it to the top two.
Kakashi twitched, "That was Minato-sensei's arrangement; I didn't want to participate."
To be fair, Kakashi had been a bit dumbfounded when he was notified that he had to take the Chunin Exam again, even though he was already a seasoned Chunin.
However, after the exam, Kakashi understood. It was the hidden leaf village's forces' precautionary measure to prevent a fiasco in the Chunin Exam and allow the Village Hidden in the Mist to dominate.
The hidden leaf village's forces didn't co-host the Chunin Exam to give the Village Hidden in the Mist a platform to shine but to showcase their own strength and attract commissions. The performance of the participants was a form of competition between the hidden leaf village's forces and the Village Hidden in the Mist.
As it turned out, the hidden leaf village's forces' concerns were not unfounded. The Village Hidden in the Mist displayed even less regard for martial ethics, and Kakashi suspected that several of their ninja were not genin at all, especially the squad with the shark-faced ninja.
"No, next time I have to ask Mu Yue-sensei," Obito said, determined to win first place in the Chunin Exam.
Kakashi's expression became strained. He didn't think Mu Yue would agree with such a chaotic idea.
If the genin who didn't become Chunin in this exam decided to participate again in the next one and then found out that one of the examiners from the previous exam was now taking the exam alongside them, he could only imagine the psychological trauma they would suffer.
"Instead of worrying about that, you should be more concerned about the impending civil war. Haven't you noticed that the three-month deadline is almost here?" Kakashi reminded him.
To be honest, Kakashi hadn't paid much attention to it either. Time flew by when one was immersed in cultivation.
However, recently, Might Guy had been constantly challenging Kakashi, hoping to break through the Eight Inner Gates with the pressure of their battles. It was then that Kakashi remembered and used it as an excuse to stall for time.
"My aura is almost there, but I don't know if I'll make it in time," Kakashi said anxiously.
The consequences of losing were simply too dire, and even he didn't want to experience that again.
Hearing Kakashi's words, Obito's expression turned grim. He, too, had had enough of those torturous days of studying.
"This time, I will never underestimate my opponent again," Obito vowed to himself.
The lessons of their failure were painfully clear, and now, Obito was determined to do whatever it took to win.
"Shisui, don't underestimate my determination to avoid taking the exam again!" Obito thought confidently.
He had studied Shisui thoroughly, and with his own exceptional strength, he was certain he would emerge victorious this time.
(End of Chapter)
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