Konoha: I have a clone in One Piece.

In the time that followed.

Uchiha Sasuke woke up early every day as before and asked his older brother, Uchiha Itachi, if he could train with him, but to his disappointment, he always received a negative answer.

Until one day...

"Sasuke, dinner's ready."

Itachi Uchiha was shouting loudly in the kitchen.

"They're here."

Sasuke Uchiha calmly entered the kitchen, sat down at the table, and silently ate his breakfast with his head down.

"???"

Itachi Uchiha had some doubts in his heart.

Why didn't Sasuke ask him if he wanted to train together?

However, despite his confusion, Itachi Uchiha didn't take it seriously. Instead, he gently tapped his younger brother Sasuke's forehead and whispered:

"My brother is gone."

"Oh~"

Sasuke Uchiha buried his head in his breakfast and gave a perfunctory answer.

Upon seeing this, Itachi Uchiha was taken aback.

In the past, when he was about to leave, his younger brother would always look at him with a pitiful and reluctant look. But what's going on today?

Itachi Uchiha asked with concern:

"Sasuke, did you not like breakfast today? Or are you feeling unwell?"

"No." Sasuke Uchiha shook his head, then calmly looked up at his brother Itachi Uchiha and urged, "Aren't you going to train with Kakashi? Hurry up and go."

"..."

The more indifferent Sasuke seemed, the less Itachi was in a hurry to leave.

Anyway, Kakashi Hatake is always late, but he usually arrives at the training ground early and warms up by himself for a while.

But today, my younger brother is more important.

Itachi Uchiha stood to the side, quietly watching his younger brother eat for a while, then slowly walked to the table, casually pulled up a chair and sat down next to Sasuke Uchiha, asking gently:

"Sasuke, did something happen that upset you, brother?"

"If this is about breaking our promises during this period, then I sincerely apologize to you again!"

"But there's nothing we can do about it. You should understand how important this Chunin Exams are to the village. But don't worry, after the exams are over, your brother will definitely train with you properly."

"elder brother……"

Looking into Itachi Uchiha's sincere and remorseful eyes, Sasuke Uchiha's pent-up resentment disappeared considerably.

He shook his head, a bright smile spreading across his face, and comforted her:

"No, I know my brother is busy."

"Besides, it's not like I'm training alone. There's a really nice guy named Luo Oni-chan at the lakeside training ground. He's been training with me these past few days. Luo Oni-chan is amazing!"

"..."

Seeing the look of admiration in his younger brother's eyes, Itachi Uchiha's heart skipped a beat.

Luo Ouni-chan? Who's that??

How did my adorable little brother suddenly end up with a strange older brother?

Uchiha Itachi hurriedly pressed for an answer:

"Sasuke, who is that Law? When did you two meet? Have you been training with him these past few days?"

"Um……"

Uchiha Sasuke held the bowl, his face contorted in confusion for a moment, but he quickly nodded and told the truth:

"I met Rooni-chan at the lakeside training ground last week, he..."

Uchiha Sasuke slowly recounted his encounter and acquaintance with that "Luo".

Uchiha Itachi sat to the side, listening attentively.

Hearing his adorable younger brother call him "Rooni-chan" repeatedly, and seeing the almost uncontrollable adoration in his brother's eyes, Itachi Uchiha's expression remained calm, but his hands under the table were already clenched into fists, tightly gripped!

"Not only is Rooni-chan cool, but he's also incredibly serious and meticulous when he's teaching..."

Sasuke Uchiha forgot all about his meal, his face filled with excitement as he kept praising Madara Uchiha.

No wonder...no wonder!

No wonder Sasuke has been ignoring me these past few days; turns out he's run into a 'vixen'!

Itachi Uchiha gritted his teeth secretly, instantly labeling Madara Uchiha in his heart.

Unaware of the envy and jealousy in his older brother's heart, Sasuke excitedly rattled off a long list of praises for Madara Uchiha.

Finally, remembering that he needed to hurry to the lake after dinner, he added:

"Brother, you should hurry up and go. I need to go find Luo Oni-chan after I finish eating."

After saying that, Uchiha Sasuke quickly lowered his head and started eating his breakfast.

After finishing his meal, he waved goodbye to Uchiha Itachi and hurriedly ran towards the lakeside training ground on the edge of Konoha like a gust of wind.

"..."

Uchiha Itachi sat blankly on the stool.

His younger brother's hurried and expectant little face felt like a knife was being cut into his heart, causing him to bleed with pain!

My adorable little brother has been kidnapped by a vixen?

In that instant.

Uchiha Itachi felt himself plunged into an unprecedented desolation!

A gentle breeze drifted into the kitchen, and the morning sunlight shone on the table.

"call……"

Itachi Uchiha exhaled deeply, then stood up stiffly with a blank expression.

"Time to get ready for the Chunin Exams training!"

"Law...when the time comes, Sasuke will see you in such a sorry state, and he'll know who the truly powerful Onii-chan is!"

Itachi Uchiha's eyes were filled with determination.

He clenched his fists and walked resolutely toward the Death Forest training ground like a warrior facing death.

However, that desolate figure inexplicably revealed a hint of loneliness.

……

……

Konoha Village, Death Forest Training Grounds.

Bang! ! !

The raging flames ravaged the surrounding trees with tremendous ferocity, leaving them in ruins.

The sound of bombing continued.

Kakashi Hatake used the Body Flicker Technique to dodge back and forth.

Kakashi Hatake was filled with confusion as he watched Itachi Uchiha, who was usually calm and used various tactics to attack, now appear frantic and not conserving any chakra.

So, after dodging a powerful fireball by tilting his head, he hurriedly shouted:

"stop!"

But Itachi Uchiha's attack continued.

Bang! ! !

The fireball exploded less than a meter in front of Kakashi Hatake, startling him so much that he jumped back a few steps and shouted again:

"Itachi!"

"Stop! Training is temporarily suspended!"

"..."

Uchiha Itachi was stunned for a moment.

He quickly realized what he had done, bowed deeply, and said in a tone full of remorse:

"Sorry, Kakashi-senpai!"

"fine."

Kakashi Hatake waved his hand, then stared seriously into Itachi Uchiha's eyes and asked:

"You seem a bit off today. Is something wrong?"

No...no.

Uchiha Itachi shook his head, then gave a bitter smile and sighed:

"I don't know how to say it."

"Anyway, now I have someone I absolutely must defeat in the Chunin Exams!"

"With your strength, the Chunin Exams are a piece of cake, aren't they? Who could possibly put pressure on you?"

Kakashi Hatake looked puzzled.

Itachi Uchiha replied somewhat awkwardly:

"Uh... I'm not too sure about his strength either, but I imagine he's not weak."

"...Alright then."

Kakashi Hatake stared intently at Itachi Uchiha for a while. Seeing that Itachi's eyes didn't seem to be lying, he didn't press the matter further, but still offered a word of caution:

"Keep training! Remember, a ninja must remain calm in battle!"

"yes!"

Uchiha Itachi bowed deeply once again.

……

……

Time passed.

Soon, the day before the Chunin Exams were to be held arrived.

On this day, the sky was clear and the summer breeze was gentle.

Konoha Village welcomed many ninja villages and forces that came to participate in the Chunin Exams.

For a time, the streets were bustling with traffic.

The red and green signs were flashing, and the crowds were more crowded than ever before due to the arrival of tourists, with shouts and laughter filling the air.

"Konoha's signature grilled meat is half price! Come and try it..."

Wow, half-price barbecue!

Akimichi Ichizoku's barbecue restaurant is offering special discounts to warmly welcome guests from afar.

Many of the noble tourists who had arrived in Konoha Village several days in advance to watch the Chunin Exams were drawn inside.

"Niraku Ramen is having a huge price reduction! Buy one get one free today..."

"Erle Ramen?"

"No, don't be fooled. The best ramen in Konoha is Ichiraku Ramen. Look, you'll see it after you turn that corner."

Niraku Ramen, which once imitated Ichiraku Ramen, has fallen out of favor with the villagers over the years for various reasons. Even the tourists who came from afar were reminded by the villagers to go to Ichiraku Ramen instead.

"Have you heard? Apparently, a lot of ninja villages are coming to Konoha!"

"Yes, the Hokage was waiting for us at the village entrance early this morning."

People were talking about this rare and important event with great joy.

On the other side...

Suzuki sat on the roof of his house, calmly watching the scene at the entrance of Konoha Village in the distance.

There, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, stood at the village entrance with the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had retired to the background, and a group of Konoha village leaders, welcoming important figures from other ninja villages.

The first to arrive was Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure.

The young Kazekage, along with his wife and children, and some contestants, slowly landed at the entrance of Konoha Village on flying iron sand.

"Lord Fengying, Lady Fengying..."

Minato Namikaze greeted the group of Sunagakure leaders with a smile, and the other Konoha leaders also warmly welcomed him.

Soon, after a brief chat...

Looking at Karura standing next to the Fourth Kazekage Rasa, and the three children Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara with their curious and reserved expressions, Minato Namikaze waved to his bodyguard Shin'i Nagayama, who was not far away.

After the guard came to his side, he smiled and said to the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa:

"Lord Fengying, I didn't expect you to bring your wife and children along as well."

"Haha, perfect! My child Naruto is about the same age as yours. How about Naruto takes them on a tour of Konoha Village?"

"Alright! We, the Sand Village, are allies of Konoha, and it's certainly time for the younger generation to get to know each other."

The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, nodded with a smile without hesitation.

Karura had already consumed a rather good secret treasure when Gaara was having a difficult childbirth, so Rasa wasn't worried that Konoha Village would resort to any underhanded tactics.

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Minato Namikaze laughed heartily, then gave instructions to Shin'i Nagayama:

"Nagayama, please take Lady Kazekage and Lord Kazekage's three children to Kushina."

"Yes, Hokage-sama!"

Suzuki's former captain, Shin'i Nagayama, answered respectfully with a serious expression.

Soon after Karura and Gaara left,

Minato Namikaze looked at the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, and smiled:

"As for you, Lord Kazekage, there's still some time before the Chunin Exams."

"How about Orochimaru-senpai shows you around Konoha? I still have to greet the other Kage here, so I'm really sorry."

"It's okay."

The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, glanced at Orochimaru, who was beaming with joy, and praised him:

"It's my honor to have the renowned Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha, as my guide, hahaha..."

Not long after.

Amidst the peaceful atmosphere, the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, was led by Orochimaru into Konoha Village.

A few minutes later.

Following closely behind was A, the Fourth Raikage from Kumogakure.

However, unlike the large groups from Sunagakure, this equally young Raikage brought very few people with him.

Accompanying him were only Raikage's secretary, Tsuchidai, and two or three participating ninjas from Kumogakure.

However, Minato Namikaze still greeted his old rival from the three previous World Wars with a beaming smile.

Not long after.

The Fourth Raikage, A, and his group were led into Konoha Village by Tsunade, one of the Legendary Sannin.

Judging by their direction, it seemed they were heading towards the casino...

After leaving Kumogakure, another ten minutes or so passed.

The Fourth Mizukage of Kirigakure, Yagura, arrived at the gates of Konoha with a large troop of ninja.

Judging by the number of people alone, there are probably over a hundred!

"..."

Minato Namikaze and Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage beside him, exchanged a glance, both of them somewhat bewildered.

It's just a Chunin Exam, why would Kirigakure bring so many ninjas?

and……

After warmly greeting the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, Minato Namikaze glanced strangely at Mei Terumi, Zabuza, and the other Hidden Mist ninja, and couldn't help but ask:

"Lord Mizukage, are they your guards?"

"No, they're all here to participate in the Chunin Exams."

The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, shook his head and answered calmly.

"..."

Minato Namikaze was stunned for a moment, then was speechless.

Is Kirigakure really going to play these games?

It's just a Chunin Exam, yet they brought so many ninjas who clearly graduated a long time ago to participate.

"Alright." Minato Namikaze smiled awkwardly, then said, "Lord Mizukage, I still have to greet other guests. Would you please accompany Shikaku to tour Konoha Village first?"

The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, glanced at Minato Namikaze with a strange look in his eyes, then calmly nodded and said:

"Yes, thank you for your help, Lord Shikaku."

You're too kind.

Nara Shikaku responded modestly.

Subsequently, this Konoha strategist quickly led a large army of nearly a hundred people, known as the "Hidden Mist Army," into Konoha Village. (End of Chapter)