People in Demon Slayer: The Journey That Began with Demon Slayer

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

Kakashi created a whirlwind, intending to blow out the flames.

However, at the very moment the flames were extinguished, Kakashi was met with a shuriken hidden beneath the flames, aimed at his vital points.

The examiners watching from the sidelines were astonished by Itachi's precise shuriken, which was hidden within the flames.

The shuriken successfully hit Kakashi, making a sound different from the sound of a sharp weapon entering flesh; instead, it made the sound of something hitting a hard object.

Upon closer inspection, Kakashi's figure had vanished, replaced by a wooden stake riddled with shuriken.

Kakashi's emotionless voice came from behind Itachi: "It's over..."

Kakashi's kunai was already pressed tightly against Itachi's neck.

Itachi showed no panic. He turned his head, glanced at Kakashi with his crimson Sharingan, and then his entire body transformed into crows that scattered and reassembled into Itachi's body in the distance.

"Illusion...?"

Itachi's strength exceeded Kakashi's expectations. Kakashi revealed his left eye, which was hidden under his headband, and fought Itachi with his Sharingan as well.

The examiners were amazed by Itachi and Kakashi's battle.

Although Kakashi and Itachi's battle didn't feature any advanced ninjutsu, their strategic maneuvering was incredibly exciting. In fact, the real battle only began now, as they had been testing each other's strength beforehand.

Seeing Kakashi reveal his Sharingan, Itachi slowly drew his katana from his waist.

This time, Kakashi struck first, spinning the kunai to grip it with his backhand before charging at Itachi.

Itachi wielded his katana, constantly parrying Kakashi's attacks, and when he found an opening with his Sharingan, he attacked Kakashi's vital points.

Kakashi was astonished by Itachi's powerful swordsmanship, considering that Kakashi's father was the White Fang of Konoha, and Kakashi had inherited some of his swordsmanship skills.

Although the Uchiha clan also had ninjas who used swordsmanship, Itachi's swordsmanship style was not unique to the Uchiha clan, and there was no swordsmanship in the entire Hidden Leaf Village that could compare with Itachi's at that time.

After exchanging simple physical blows for a while, they tacitly distanced themselves from each other.

Itachi was already panting, while Kakashi looked no different than before the battle.

There's nothing we can do about it; Itachi is only 10 years old now, and his physical abilities haven't reached their peak yet.

If Kakashi used 50% of his strength, then Itachi would need to use 60% or even 70% to defend against it.

With this ebb and flow, Itachi's stamina naturally depleted very quickly.

Itachi knew in his heart that he couldn't get entangled in a fight with Kakashi; the longer the battle dragged on, the lower his chances of winning would become.

Moreover, given the strength he has demonstrated so far, becoming a Chunin is a foregone conclusion.

Having made up his mind, Itachi took a deep breath and exhaled a breath that seemed to be burning with fire.

Kakashi sensed the change in Itachi's aura and was surprised. He couldn't help but wonder, could this really be the aura that a genin who hadn't even become a chunin could exude?

It's worth noting that even Kakashi, who became a Jonin at the age of 12, couldn't exude this kind of aura.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, seated in the main seat of the spectator stands, narrowed his eyes upon seeing Itachi's current state.

"The swordsmanship called Sun Breathing used by that mysterious samurai...?"

Special Jonin Hayate Gekko, although proficient in Konoha-style swordsmanship, was not strong enough to reach the level of a Jonin.

However, after studying under that mysterious samurai for a while, Hayate Gekko's swordsmanship improved significantly, and he has now even reached the level of a Jonin.

Furthermore, his own son, Asuma, was also friends with that mysterious samurai, and learned from him that Hayate Gekko and Itachi had studied under the mysterious samurai.

It now appears that Itachi Uchiha inherited that samurai's swordsmanship.

"Breath of the Sun? Unleashed Form? Scorching Sun!"

Itachi charged toward Kakashi, spinning as he unleashed a fiery slash, instantly evaporating the water stains left from the previous battle on the ground.

"What kind of swordsmanship is this? Is it a forbidden technique?!"

As Kakashi felt the scorching heat of Itachi's katana as he faced Itachi's fiery slash, he was filled with horror.

"Escape? Earth flow wall!"

An earthen wall rose up in front of Kakashi, attempting to block Itachi's slash.

However, this earthen wall only blocked Itachi for a moment before it was shattered by the attack.

Just a moment before Itachi's slash hit Kakashi.

Lightning surged in Kakashi's palm, as if a thousand birds were chirping.

"Rachel!"

The Thunder Cutter and the Scorching Sun collided, instantly illuminating the entire arena and obscuring what was happening inside.

Apart from Hiruzen Sarutobi, who remained calm and composed in the main seat, the other proctors around him were already restless, craning their necks and staring wide-eyed at the situation in the room with great curiosity.

"Who really won?"

Chapter 185 Difficult Situation

The light in the entire arena faded, and Itachi was in a sorry state. His arm, which was holding the sword, was stinging as if it were being pricked by countless needles due to the lightning, and the katana in his hand had fallen to the ground.

Kakashi's situation wasn't much better than Itachi's. His clothes on his arms were burned off by the flames of the Sun Breathing technique, and he suffered burns of varying degrees.

Although the battle appeared to end in a draw, Itachi knew clearly in his heart that he no longer had the strength to fight.

Hiruzen Sarutobi clapped his hands on the stage: "Very good, I hereby announce that Itachi Uchiha has now been promoted to Chunin!"

Witnessing Itachi's strength greatly pleased Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Although Konoha is currently the number one ninja village in the ninja world, this "number one" status is only barely maintained thanks to its geographical location and the blessings of its ancestors.

In terms of overall combat strength, the Hidden Cloud Village, which values ​​power, is number one.

The top fighting force in Konoha is currently facing a shortage of capable successors.

The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, died in battle; Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin, defected; Jiraiya traveled abroad; and Tsunade left home.

There were also a large number of ninjas who died in the Nine-Tails' rampage.

This situation brought Konoha to its lowest level of strength in history.

Hiruzen Sarutobi believed that Kakashi had the potential to become a top-tier fighter, but his mindset became an obstacle to Kakashi's achievement.

Although Minato Namikaze had Kakashi join the Anbu while he was still alive in order to help him get out of this situation, Kakashi never recovered and instead showed signs of becoming a heartless executioner.

In the Anbu, Kakashi's colleagues called him "Cold-blooded Kakashi".

Now that Hiruzen Sarutobi has seen hope in Itachi, it's only a matter of time before Itachi, who has fully embraced the Will of Fire, becomes one of Konoha's top fighters.

However... the only problem is that Itachi's surname is Uchiha...

Seeing that the exam was over, Kakashi pulled down his headband to cover his Sharingan and then used the Body Flicker Technique to leave the field.

After taking a puff of his pipe, Hiruzen Sarutobi said to Itachi, "Itachi, go treat your wounds and then come to the Hokage Building to see me."

"Yes!"

...

As soon as Itachi returned to the Uchiha clan's territory, he was summoned to Fugaku Uchiha's room.

"Did you pass the Chunin Exams?"

Itachi nodded and said, "It's approved."

"I heard that the Third Hokage personally observed your Chunin Exams this time. What was his attitude after you passed?"

When asked by his father, Itachi answered truthfully, "The Third Hokage seems to value me highly. He told me to go to the Hokage Building to see him after I finished bandaging my wounds."

Fugaku Uchiha instructed, "Very good. Try your best to get yourself into the Third Hokage's field of vision. The Uchiha clan's connection with the Konoha leadership has been completely severed. We urgently need a link to allow the Uchiha and Konoha leadership to communicate again. This task is best left to you, Itachi!"

"I understand!"

Itachi respectfully left the room.

Fugaku Uchiha, now alone in his room, sighed softly.

He has been under immense pressure lately, not only from outside the clan but also from within it.

Because of the Nine-Tails' attack, the Konoha leadership became suspicious, and rumors spread throughout the village, causing the villagers to harbor misunderstandings and resentment towards the Uchiha clan.

As for the Uchiha clan's territory, the Konoha leadership reorganized the village's various clans, relocating the Uchiha clan to a peripheral area.

It sounds nice to call it a restructuring, but in reality, it puts the Uchiha clan in a position where they are checked and monitored by the major clans.

The subsequent series of oppressive and exclusionary policies have filled most of the Uchiha clan members with discontent. Now, a large number of Uchiha clan members have petitioned Fugaku, hoping that Fugaku will lead the Uchiha clan to seize control of Konoha and restore the Uchiha name.

However, these petitions were forcibly suppressed by Fugaku Uchiha. It would be extremely foolish to make an enemy of the entire Hidden Leaf Village unless absolutely necessary, as it could lead to utter ruin. Fugaku Uchiha dared not gamble with the entire Uchiha clan.

Several times, Fugaku Uchiha wanted to see Hiruzen Sarutobi and tell him that the Uchiha clan belonged to Konoha and had no ulterior motives, but he was stopped each time.

Now that Itachi has entered Hiruzen Sarutobi's field of vision, it is the only opportunity for Fugaku Uchiha to speak with Hiruzen Sarutobi.

...

"Brother, are you hurt?"

While Itachi was bandaging his wounds, young Sasuke, with his short legs, suddenly hugged Itachi.

Itachi only smiled when he saw Sasuke, saying affectionately, "Brother, you're not hurt."

"You're lying! My brother is clearly injured."

Itachi changed the subject, asking, "Did anything interesting happen today?"

Sasuke's attention was successfully diverted by Itachi: "Izumi-neechan came to see you yesterday, but you weren't home, so she stayed with me for a while to train before leaving."

Uchiha Izumi was Itachi's classmate at the Ninja Academy and one of Itachi's few close friends.

"Also, these past few days I've kept seeing a blond kid about my age by the river, and he looks like he's very lonely."

Itachi smiled and asked, "Did Sasuke try to become friends with him? If you're friends, you can train together."

"No way, I have my brother, that's enough. Brother, teach me how to train!" Sasuke pleaded with Itachi.

Itachi pointed a finger at Sasuke's forehead: "Sorry, Sasuke, I have something to do. I'll teach you how to train next time."

Itachi appeared in front of the Hokage Building and, led by the guarding ninja, successfully entered Hiruzen Sarutobi's office.

"You're here, Itachi. Are you alright?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked Itachi kindly about his injuries.