A special thank you to all my patrons.
The List of The "ANBU" Member:
-Terrell Y
-Lord_Clamiral
-Cain
-Shahzaam
-Goha21
-Sabo
-Jacob Mooe
-HADES
-CanSerBero_1
-Nathan king
-Varun Madhu
-Sombra Rey
-Ruzzzy
-Notraa
-Sarabjeet Seehra
-heavenascendance
-sean collins
You can read 30 chapters ahead of everyone on p@treon.
P@TREON - [email protected]/lessaservantofcosmos
(just replace the "@" with "a")
ps: Please support me on P@treon. I can really use your help!
-------------------------------------------------------------
On the large screen, Shisui easily dispatched Tsuchiwa Dō, who had attacked him.
The entire battle lasted no more than ten seconds.
As the screen displayed Shisui tying Tsuchiwa Dō up and hanging him from a tree, the representative from the Hidden Stone Village turned red with anger and embarrassment.
"Ahem."
Chiyo's expression was odd as she remarked,
"Looks like your village's genius does have some skill. Uchiha Shisui must have used genjutsu to control him."
Cut the sarcasm!
The Stone Village representative clenched his teeth and shot Chiyo a glare. But then his expression suddenly changed—his eyes lit up, and his anger vanished. Folding his arms confidently, he smirked:
"Oh my, Chiyo, what was that you just said? Look, your village's so-called genius isn't so special either."
"Hahahaha!"
Chiyo: "..."
'Maki, can't you be more competent?!'
'I was just mocking someone, and now I'm getting slapped in the face right after. What the hell are you doing?!'
The representatives of both the Stone and Sand Villages had suffered humiliating blows, and A couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Even the Mist Village representative chuckled.
The irony was too good—one tried to brag about their village's strength, only to get humiliated before finishing their sentence.
Then another mocked their opponent, only to be humiliated immediately after.
---
In the first test zone, Kazuki was calmly making his way toward the second area.
However, he soon encountered an uninvited guest.
To be precise, the person had been "waiting" for Kazuki's arrival.
"I've been expecting you, Kazuki."
Maki stood on a tree branch, arms crossed, looking down at Kazuki as he approached.
Kazuki: '"????"'
Who the hell gave you the courage to wait for me here?
I wasn't even looking for you, and yet you delivered yourself to me?
This guy must have lost his mind.
"Not that I particularly care, but can I ask something?
Konoha and the Sand Village are supposed to be allies right now. So why is it that your people seem to hold such strong hostility toward me?"
"..."
Maki had expected the fight to start immediately and had already prepared for battle.
Instead, Kazuki hit him with a question about village relations.
Hearing this, Maki was immediately displeased.
"So what if we're allies? If it weren't for Konoha, would the Sand Village be in this state?!
It's because of you that we were abandoned by the Daimyo, forced to downsize, and had to adopt an elite ninja system!"
'Typical.'
A wolf you can never tame.
Konoha at least considered the Sand an ally—even if only on paper—but the Sand certainly didn't return the sentiment.
Instead, they blamed Konoha for their downfall.
In their eyes, it was Konoha's victory in the war that caused the Sand Village's current decline—lack of funds, dwindling manpower.
Did they ever consider the real reasons behind their situation?
Of course not.
The higher-ups in the Sand Village had likely brainwashed their lower-ranked shinobi into believing it was all Konoha's fault.
Glossing over the details, they pushed the blame entirely onto Konoha.
Did the Sand Village backstab Konoha first?
Did they initiate the war themselves?
Who cares? Just sweep that under the rug.
'Never doubt Rasa's ruthlessness.'
Compared to him, even Chiyo was more bound by honor.
Just look at Rasa's track record—his cunning and brutality spoke volumes about his nature.
To solidify his power, he deliberately manipulated public sentiment within his village.
To secure his position as Kazekage, he lured his greatest political rival into a trap, sending him to his death.
For the sake of the village's interests, he constantly shifted allegiances, treating credibility and promises as disposable.
He even went so far as to use his wife and children as political tools, manipulating even his own brother-in-law.
Among the Five Kage, if there were a ranking for cold-blooded leaders, Rasa would undoubtedly be in the top three.
For someone like him, slandering an ally was just "basic practice."
Many believed Chiyo's retirement after the war was to take the fall.
But in reality, it was likely her way of staying "alive".
With Rasa's level of scheming, if Chiyo hadn't stepped back, she could very well have been his next target.
If he could sacrifice the "only" two renowned powerhouses of the Sand Village, would he hesitate to throw an aging Chiyo under the bus?
"I see," Kazuki said, nodding. "I appreciate your honest answer."
"Enough talk! Today, I will— urk..."
Maki's words were cut off as he looked down at his chest in shock.
Kazuki's arm was buried in his torso.
Blood dribbled from his mouth as he stared at Kazuki, now standing right in front of him.
"Wh-When did you...?"
Kazuki calmly squeezed, crushing Maki's heart, then pulled his hand back. Grabbing Maki by the throat, he looked at him coldly.
"You know something?
To me, you're nothing more than an annoying insect.
No, even less than that—at least an insect can bite me.
But you? You're nothing. Killing you is easier than squashing a bug."
"Not just you, but your comrades, your village's ninjas—even your so-called Kazekage—you're all just a bunch of self-important little pests, desperate to be noticed."
Is this what the Sand Village considers a qualified jōnin for their exams? Is Konoha really taking this seriously?
As Maki's vision blurred, his mind was filled with a single question:
'How?'
He had no idea when Kazuki had even moved.
One moment, he was standing there. The next, his chest was pierced.
Aside from his own carelessness, this also meant that Kazuki's "Body Flicker" was at such a terrifying speed that Maki couldn't even perceive it.
He had closed the distance in an instant. He had pierced Maki's chest just as easily.
He had crushed his heart like it was nothing.
---
"Someone's dead."
Shisui's battle had already been shocking enough, erupting within the first five minutes of the exam.
But Kazuki didn't just fight—he went straight for the kill.
He didn't regard the Sand Village ninjas as anything worth sparing.
Allies?
Kazuki didn't care.
If the Sand Village wanted to be Konoha's ally, they had to act like it.
This wasn't child's play. Even chūnin exams involved deaths, let alone a jōnin exam.
Had Maki been smarter—had he kept his distance and not picked a fight—Kazuki might have let him live.
But since Maki had delivered himself to death's door, no one else was to blame.
---
"That was an incredible Body Flicker," A muttered. He narrowed his eyes and stared at the screen before turning to Chiyo, whose expression was already dark.
"Chiyo, your village's jōnin are... unimpressive."
'Damn it!'
How is this Kazuki so strong?!
And Konoha actually sent him to take the jōnin exam?
What a joke.
'Tsunade, you're really something else.'
The Cloud Village had intended to flex their strength by hosting this exam.
But Tsunade, newly appointed Hokage, had her own way of making an entrance.
And she certainly wasn't holding back.