Facing the rapidly descending blade of chakra-infused light, Fenghuo calmly formed a seal with practiced speed.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive fireball erupted from his mouth, engulfing the incoming saber of light with searing heat and barreling toward the airborne enemy ninja.
"Damn it!"
The enemy ninja hadn't expected Fenghuo's hand seal speed to be so fast. Alarmed, he substituted away with the Body Replacement Technique, barely avoiding being incinerated.
"How did someone like that pass the Chūnin Exams?"
A cold voice whispered behind him.
"Leaf Whirlwind!"
Panicked, the ninja turned around—only to see a shadow enlarge before his eyes.
Boom!
Sawdust exploded as the ninja was kicked into the trunk of a massive tree and knocked unconscious.
"Bastard!"
A female ninja rushed in with a kunai, but she was no match for Fenghuo. Her strikes were fast, but his movements were faster; her strength fierce, but his was overwhelming. She was thoroughly outmatched.
"Tch!" The kunoichi bit her lip until it bled, fury in her eyes. "Damn you...!"
Fenghuo clapped his hands nonchalantly and gave her a relaxed smile.
"Ahh... for some reason, I'm feeling much better now."
He glanced at the unconscious ninja and grinned.
"So next time, try not to act so high and mighty, got it?"
The kunoichi trembled with frustration, but forced herself to bow her head.
"...I understand."
"Great! Then, good luck!" Fenghuo turned and leapt away with a carefree wave.
"Hope that killer's long gone by now. Bye!"
The female ninja froze. Wait... if Fenghuo didn't kill the ninja hiding in the tree hole… then who did?
Her blood ran cold.
Gritting her teeth, she staggered toward the injured male ninja. But just as she reached out—
Fwsssh—!
A sudden gust of wind struck from behind. She had no time to react before everything went dark.
"A woman's mercy leads to disaster… Uchiha Fenghuo."
Beside her now-lifeless body, a handsome youth wiped the blood from his kunai. His voice was chillingly calm, devoid of emotion.
Without pause, he turned toward the giant tree nearby.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu."
Boom!
The treehole exploded into flames. The male ninja within was burned alive, and the youth strolled away without looking back.
Half an hour later, the leaf of a towering tree nearby rustled slightly—Fenghuo emerged from within.
His body was tense. He was shaking.
"That was… brutal."
Even during the earlier fight, Fenghuo had sensed someone watching from the shadows. His exit had been a ruse—to lure the observer into action.
"Uchiha Tenizumi…"
Yes, it was him—the overly friendly boy who had greeted Fenghuo at the Academy. Always smiling like a spring breeze…
But beneath the surface was a cold-blooded monster.
The contrast was jarring.
Even if the exam was competitive, they were still from the same village. To kill so mercilessly… that wasn't normal. That was psychotic.
And worse—Tenizumi was strong. Strong enough to rival a Chūnin already. His taijutsu was refined. His assassination technique precise. And as the son of Uchiha Yamano, captain of the Konoha Police Force, there was no way he hadn't awakened his Sharingan. If he claimed he hadn't…
Fenghuo didn't buy it.
"A dangerous enemy..."
Fenghuo squinted, calculating. Could this guy be one of Danzo's dogs?
Maybe I should strike preemptively...
After all, if he saw Fenghuo's Two-Tomoe Sharingan, he'd definitely be jealous—crying inside at the unfairness of the world! Not to mention, Fenghuo's unparalleled charm...
The more he thought about it, the more certain he became: Tenizumi had to die.
Fenghuo left silently, heading toward the heart of the Forest of Death.
Days passed. More and more genin were dying.
At one point, Fenghuo even saw a wild beast wagging its tail joyfully as it gnawed on a ninja corpse.
Fenghuo was horrified—and tore the beast apart.
The closer he got to the center, the heavier his heart felt.
From what he had gathered, Uchiha Tenizumi truly intended to wipe out nearly all the competition—possibly sparing only one or two—to guarantee his dominance in the exam.
Maybe leave eighteen corpses, then escort the last survivor to the tower and "just happen" to arrive as the second person…
Fenghuo reviewed the remaining participants. Other than himself and Kakashi, the rest were background characters—no match for Tenizumi.
But wait—didn't Kakashi already become a Chūnin at age six in the manga?
…So Tenizumi would still lose?
Fenghuo wasn't so sure anymore. His presence had clearly altered the plot. For one, Orochimaru was never supposed to be an examiner this early on. This entire exam was deviating from canon.
"So can Kakashi still pass and become the youngest Chūnin in Konoha history?"
Uncertain.
Eventually, the fifth day arrived—the final day of the exam!
Fenghuo reached the central zone of the Forest of Death. The tall spire of the central tower loomed ahead.
"I wonder if anyone's made it inside yet…"
He could walk in now, but if the number of survivors was odd, someone might get eliminated just by default…
And who knew how many more Tenizumi had killed?
Fenghuo created a Shadow Clone and sent it off to bait out any hidden foes.
Around the central tower, several genin were still hiding, just like him—hesitant to be the first to step inside.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Tenizumi stood boldly on the branch of a giant tree, eyes half-closed in thought.
'Twenty entered. I've killed eleven. Excluding myself, there are eight left. I see one to my left, two to my right... fighting them all would be risky.'
He frowned.
If only Kakashi had agreed to cooperate yesterday. Together, they could've controlled the entire exam. What a waste.
Then another name surfaced in his mind.
Uchiha Fenghuo…
He could team up with him—but no.
The memory of Fenghuo's Two-Tomoe Sharingan ignited something in Tenizumi.
He was the son of the captain of the Police Force. He knew secrets about the Sharingan that even most Uchiha didn't. He knew that beyond the Three-Tomoe Sharingan lay higher evolutions.
A child like Fenghuo, with a Two-Tomoe Sharingan already?
He must be eliminated. No exceptions.
At that moment, from the corner of his eye, Tenizumi spotted a figure leaping across the treetops.
"Uchiha Fenghuo…!"
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