Konoha: Uchiha, I get stronger by causing trouble.

Chapter 243 Kushina's Competitive Spirit

Naruto Uzumaki changed the subject, saying to Chiga, "Chiga, have you been away from Konoha lately? I haven't seen you at Ichiraku Ramen in ages!"

Upon hearing this, Chiga subtly tugged at Kushina Uzumaki, who was clearly acting strangely.

Then he said to Naruto, "I just thought Konoha was a good place to settle down, so I went back to the Land of Rain to bring my teacher over!"

"Oh, I see. No wonder!"

Naruto Uzumaki suddenly realized.

At this moment, prompted by Chiga, Kushina, now back to normal, smiled and said, "Naruto, you really like ramen, right? Let's go together then. It's on me, consider it a little gift!"

"Really? Ninth-Rank Big Sister, you're so kind!"

Upon hearing this, Naruto Uzumaki immediately smiled.

"Naruto, Sakura, it's time to go find Kakashi-sensei. We need to ask him about the Chunin Exams!"

Perhaps seeing that Chika and Kushina's attention was all on Naruto, which made Sasuke Uchiha feel neglected, he interrupted.

After saying that, he put his hands in his pockets and walked away with a cold expression.

"That's true, Naruto. The Chunin Exams are more important. Let's go eat ramen with Chiga and the others after that!"

"Qianhe, Ninth Sister, we'll take our leave now!"

Upon seeing Sasuke Uchiha leave, Sakura Haruno bid farewell to Chika and the others, then grabbed Naruto Uzumaki and followed behind Sasuke.

"Ugh, that ninth-rank lady, could you please make a note of this ramen meal? I'll come back another time!"

Naruto wanted to freeload a meal, but he also really wanted to know about the Chunin Exams. After some hesitation, he decided to go and find out about the Chunin Exams first.

Seeing this, Kushina's eyes flashed with disappointment. Although she still wanted to talk to Naruto Uzumaki for a while longer.

But I also know that they have only just met, and I can't force them to stay.

Otherwise, it might arouse suspicion.

He simply waved goodbye to Naruto Uzumaki and said, "Naruto, it's a deal!"

After Naruto Uzumaki disappeared from sight, Kushina was still staring blankly into the distance.

Chika sighed and comforted him, "Teacher Jiupin, we still have two or three months, there's no need to rush."

"I know!"

Kushina snapped out of her daze, suddenly pulled out a small notebook, and started writing in it while muttering to herself.

"His hair is yellow, just like Minato's, so Minato gets a point."

"Blue eyes, just like Minato's, so Minato gets another point!"

"Face shape... Hmm, still looks like Minato, Minato adds another point!"

"Her easygoing personality comes from me, Kushina gets a point!"

"She loves ramen, just like me, Kushina gets another point!"

"What?! 3-2, they actually lost to Minato by one point?"

Kushina, biting the pen tip, discovered that her score was lower than Minato's, and in her dissatisfaction, she bit the pen tip off.

"Why does my child with Minato resemble Minato more?"

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

Kushina turned to Chiga and asked, "Chiga, are you sure Naruto is my child? I suspect Minato is cheating on me!"

"Otherwise, how could I, a pure-blooded member of the Uzumaki clan, considered one of the top bloodlines in the ninja world, be suppressed by Minato?!"

Chiga: "." This damn competitive spirit!

"Kushina-sensei, I'm sure!"

Chiga said speechlessly, "Kushina-sensei, you've only known Naruto for a short time, don't jump to conclusions!"

"You're right!"

Kushina nodded, then asked Chiga, "Speaking of which, that cool kid is from your Uchiha clan, right?"

"Is Uchiha Sasuke Mikoto's second son?"

"And the eldest son, Itachi Uchiha, wiped out the Uchiha clan, leaving only this one younger brother?"

"Um!"

Chiga nodded and said.

"Damn it, how could that unborn child do such a thing? Should I make Misaka abort it?!"

Kushina had already heard about the massacre of the Uchiha clan from Chiga.

Although we knew that things had become irreconcilable by then, there was still more to it than just destruction.

How could that boy commit such a cruel and inhumane act!

"He must be out of his mind. Never mind him, we'll deal with him when we run into him again."

Chiga shrugged and said.

Seeing that Chiga didn't want to talk about it, Kushina didn't say anything more, and then asked, "By the way, why is that guy named Haku so afraid of you? You even went to Kirigakure last time you came here?"

"Here's what happened."

Chiga briefly recounted what happened during his last visit, and Kushina gave him a speechless look.

With such strong abilities, why do you still have such a playful heart? It makes her want to play like that too.

"But this means my identity might be exposed!"

Chiga said that it was indeed unexpected that Zabuza and Haku would come to Konoha to participate in this Chunin Exam.

Chiga did not hide her true identity from Haku and Zabuza.

Although Zabuza wouldn't leak his information to Konoha, if that mediocre Zabuza were to clash with Kakashi Hatake again, it would be immediately apparent that their strengths were on completely different levels.

Given Kakashi's shrewdness, he would probably be able to discover that Zabuza was an imposter back then.

However, Chiga didn't care. At most, he would just have to reveal his identity.

"Alright, let's walk around some more. I've already given Bai a hint; he should be coming to see us tonight."

Meanwhile, everyone had already arrived at the Hokage Building's conference room.

The aged Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat upright above, reciting a set of Will of Fire.

After a long while, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally finished rambling and then asked the Jonin leading the team below to recommend their subordinates to participate in the Chunin Exams.

Just like in the original work, Kakashi Hatake, Kurenai Yuhi, and Asuma Sarutobi each solemnly recommended the little guy in their class.

This year's graduates are certainly not just these few; it's just that many Jonin instructors are playing it safe and will allow newcomers to continue for another year before taking the exam.

Kakashi Hatake and his two companions could be described as arrogant and proud.

He is a person who cares about his reputation, and he is considered a key figure in Konoha.

The students they recruited were all top performers, so for a series of reasons, they didn't have many concerns.

After finishing discussing the registration process, Hiruzen Sarutobi continued:

"In addition to the Land of Sand and other surrounding small countries, this Chunin Exams are also being held."

"Just a few days ago, I received a letter from the Fifth Mizukage of the Land of Water. The letter said that in order to establish friendly relations with Konoha, Kirigakure will also send genin to participate in this Chunin Exams!"

"They have already arrived at Konoha Village!"

After speaking, Hiruzen Sarutobi smoked his pipe, giving the ninja below time to discuss.

"What?! The Land of Water is involved too?"

"For so many years, Kirigakure has never made any move to communicate with Konoha."

"Wait a minute, hasn't the position of Mizukage been vacant in Kirigakure since the Fourth Mizukage died? Has the election been held? Who is it?"

"At this time, the Fifth Mizukage has appeared in Kirigakure, and he even wants to participate in our village's Chunin Exams. It seems like he's up to no good!"

The Konoha ninja below were also somewhat puzzled after hearing this information.

The Sand Country's participation can be attributed to an invitation from Konoha, but the Water Country's arrival seems somewhat uninvited.

One of them turned to Hiruzen Sarutobi and asked, "Third Hokage, although the Land of Water has ended its policy of isolationism for many years, is there some hidden secret behind their sudden participation in our Chunin Exams? Has any information been leaked from over there?"

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded and said, "Before I came here, I had already met the Kirigakure Jonin who came to participate in the Chunin Exams."

"He brought a letter from the Fifth Mizukage. According to the letter, Kirigakure seems to be interested in establishing a cooperative relationship with our Konoha."

"As for the specifics of the cooperation, they didn't go into details. We'll probably only find out when the Fifth Mizukage arrives in person."

"I have also dispatched ANBU ninjas to investigate whether anything has happened in Kirigakure. I should know soon."

As Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke, he glanced at Kakashi Hatake and continued, "By the way, the Jonin from Kirigakure who came this time is Zabuza Momochi, a former rogue ninja from Kirigakure. He was pardoned by the Fifth Mizukage of Kirigakure and rejoined the village."

"What?! Zabuza Momochi has actually come to Konoha Village?"

"Third Hokage, Zabuza Momochi is a dangerous individual. We must dispatch a team of Anbu to monitor him at all times—no, at least two teams!"

Upon hearing this, Kakashi Hatake was startled and instinctively touched his chest, which seemed to be a little sore.

Before Hiruzen Sarutobi could reply, Asuma Sarutobi looked at Kakashi Hatake with a puzzled expression and asked, "Kakashi, is Zabuza really that strong? Does he need to be treated with such high regard?"

In his memory, Zabuza Momochi was just so-so, so how could he have surprised Kakashi Hatake like this?

"Ah, I encountered him during a C-rank mission, and I was defeated by him instantly!"

"If he hadn't been a rogue ninja from Kirigakure at the time, being hunted down by Kirigakure's ANBU, I probably wouldn't be back!"

Kakashi Hatake didn't feel ashamed, after all, the difference in strength was too great.

"Oh? He actually managed to defeat Kakashi. It seems I need to take this Kirigakure Jonin seriously!"

Upon hearing Kakashi Hatake's words, Might Guy's eyes blazed with fury, as if he wanted to immediately engage in a fight with Zabuza Momochi.

After all, he and Kakashi Hatake had fought for many years, and he was well aware of his old rival's strength.

And the opponent was able to defeat Kakashi Hatake so easily.

And they made Kakashi Hatake, who had been known as a genius ninja since childhood, admit in front of them that he was inferior.

It's easy to see that Zabuza Momochi's strength had made Kakashi Hatake lose all hope of pursuing him.

Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent.

In fact, Kakashi Hatake had already reported this matter after returning from the Land of Waves, and had also mentioned another name.

Thousand feathers.

The Hidden Mist Anbu is even more terrifying than Zabuza!

He sent many secret agents to gather information on this Mist Shadow secret agent, but they found no clues and it seemed that this person had never existed.

But Kakashi Hatake had witnessed it firsthand. This Kirigakure ANBU member was able to frighten Zabuza Momochi to the point of losing his will to fight. Based on this alone, one could tell that his strength must be at the Kage level.

"Kakashi, you make the arrangements. Select two teams of ANBU to monitor Zabuza Momochi. If there are any unusual movements, be sure to report to me!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi finally made a decision: such a powerful ninja must be kept under constant surveillance in his territory.

"With the participation of the Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Water—three major nations—this joint Chunin Exam is unprecedented in scale. Everyone must perform their duties diligently and strengthen the village's defenses. We must ensure that no mishaps occur!"

At the end of the meeting, Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke in a deep voice.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed inwardly. He had a feeling that this Chunin Exams was a test and a purge for Konoha.

"yes!"

The Jonin responded in unison and then left the meeting room.

The sky gradually darkened.

Chiga and Kushina wandered around for a while, but finding it uninteresting, they returned to their lodgings.

Sarutobi Asuma and the other two haven't returned yet. These three are probably having a rare chance to relax, and being in this familiar yet unfamiliar Konoha Village, their excitement is definitely still going strong. Chiga is just like them.

Anyway, if they really encounter danger, all three of them have special kunai left by Chiga in their ninja tool bags, so there is no problem with their safety.

As night deepened, Chiga and Kushina finally saw Zabuza Momochi and Haku.

"Zabuza, you've kept me waiting for so long!"

Chiga said with dissatisfaction.

"Then you'll have to ask me. I was under the surveillance of two squads of Konoha ANBU ninja during my time in Konoha. It's not so easy to fool them!"

"Your actions back then greatly boosted my abilities!"

Compared to Chiga's dissatisfaction, Zabuza was filled with even more resentment.

Bai also secretly smiled.

Upon hearing this explanation, Chiga could only give an awkward laugh before getting to the point.

"I'm curious, why did your Hidden Mist Village participate in this Chunin Exams?"

As Chiga spoke, he opened his Sharingan, seemingly sensing that Zabuza was deceiving him. He would then use genjutsu to control Zabuza.

Having learned his lesson from the Sharingan, Zabuza immediately lowered his head and avoided meeting Chiga's gaze.

Then he said, "Lord Phantom Raven, we've come here to forge a cooperation agreement with Konoha!"

"Oh? How do we cooperate?"

Chiga asked curiously.

"After receiving the information from you, I headed to Kirigakure."

"The master of Kirigakure believed what I said and sent ninjas to investigate the organization you mentioned."

"But that organization is very well hidden, and the Land of Rain is like an impregnable fortress; our people can't get in at all."

"However, we still managed to gather some useful information from within the ninja world."

"That's because Kisame Hoshigaki, a rogue ninja from Kirigakure, and Itachi Uchiha, a rogue ninja from Konoha, were in the same team in the Akatsuki!"

Zabuza Momochi explained.

(End of this chapter)