173. The Third Test: A Duel

Sasuke thought carefully about what was the best option for his current situation. He didn't answer Sakura's question, but turned to Izumi and asked.

"Can you guarantee that I'll get stronger if I follow him? If following him doesn't make me stronger. I'd rather go somewhere else."

"When it comes to whether you can become stronger or not, it depends on your determination. To be sure, if you follow Luffy, your strength will grow faster than here. Didn't you also see how strong Luffy was before?"

Izumi couldn't guarantee how fast Sasuke's development was. What's more, determination to become stronger depended on Sasuke's own hard work. If it was a matter of luck, as long as Luffy was around, Izumi was sure that Luffy's luck would affect the people around him.

Then Izumi heard a slightly annoyed voice after he spoke.

"Hey, so you're saying the ninjas here aren't capable of developing Sasuke's potential?"

It was the voice of a girl, Sakura. He felt that Izumi assumed that the ninja in Konohagakure couldn't teach him well.

"It's not like that, Sakura. The ninjas in Konohagakure are quite good at educating their juniors. Sasuke himself is already fast in learning their teachings."

"Then why did he have to leave?"

"He needs fighting experience in the outside world without being supervised by adults. His growth will be restricted if Sasuke stays here. Anyway, it's not like we're gonna take Sasuke away to be our ninja. You should know that we are allies. Think of it like a ninja exchange." Izumi explained.

Then Izumi said to himself.

"Plus there's still Danzo in Konohagakure. If Sasuke progresses too fast, he will be targeted by Danzo and his fate will end like Shisui's where his Sharingan was taken."

Uchiha and Sharingan could be considered sensitive in Konoha. In the public eye, the Uchiha clan and Sharingan were considered too dangerous. Just like Itachi who was claimed to have killed his entire clan and left Sasuke, the only survivor of the Uchiha clan. In fact, Itachi had been blackmailed by Danzo.

Before the Uchiha clan revolted. Itachi was an Anbu at that moment. He met with Danzo who at that time said to Itachi. "This rebellion is the choice of your own clan. Now what? Should I stop this rebellion and slaughter everyone, including your little brother? Or are you the one who acted to kill all of them in order to save your beloved brother?"

It was a time when Itachi made tough choices, and in the end, he chose to act alone to let Sasuke live.

As a result, all Sasuke had in mind was to become stronger and kill his brother. The image of how Itachi killed his own father and mother was still etched in Sasuke's head.

Sasuke felt Izumi's words were true. It would be better if he did follow Izumi's words by going to the outside world.

"Okay, I agree to go with him."

"Sasuke, you're kidding right?"

"Sasuke-kun, do you have to go?"

Naruto and Sakura didn't seem to believe that Sasuke had agreed to Izumi's offer so easily.

Sasuke looked at the two of them and said.

"Naruto, you know. Honestly, I'm really jealous of your progress. You suddenly grew stronger in a short time after graduating from the academy. Even I recognize and regard you as a rival. But if I stay here, as Izumi said, my progress will slow down, and sooner or later, you will surpass me."

Naruto was taken aback by his words. He didn't think Sasuke regard him as a rival.

Sakura's mouth moved as if she wanted to say something, but no sound came out of her mouth because she didn't know what to say.

Sasuke turned to Izumi as he was curious about what Izumi said earlier.

"But what did you mean by "crew" earlier?"

"Hahaha, what else if not a pirate crew? Luffy is the captain of his pirate ship. You think he's kidding when he said he wanted to be a Pirate King?"

"Well, I thought he was joking. He doesn't look like a pirate."

"Being a pirate doesn't mean he's as bad as you think."

Izumi did not explain that there would be many pirates. It would be better if Sasuke saw it for himself later.

As Izumi talked with Sasuke, Luffy grinned and said.

"Hihihi, me, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, Washi, and you, my pirate ship has 8 members."

"You only have 8 people in your pirate ship? Isn't that too little?"

Sasuke felt that Luffy's members were too few and not suitable to be called pirates. Izumi answered Sasuke.

"Don't fret, even though the members are few, it's because Luffy chose them specially. By the way Luffy, you don't count me as your crew?"

"Oh yeah, you're also my pirate crew, I forgot."

Then Luffy chuckled.

Even though Naruto and Sakura didn't want Sasuke to go, they couldn't force Sasuke. What's more, they seemed to want to go with Sasuke.

The following night, after they finished dinner, they talked to each other. Meanwhile, Izumi asked Hiiro to change Karin's hair color because it was too flashy.

When Karin asked the reason why she had to dye her hair, Izumi just said that having hair identical to the Uzumaki clan was too dangerous.

— — — —

Day after day passed unnoticed. Izumi and his group have already separated from Naruto's team. And after that, Izumi quietly teleported to the place he was staying at by using Hiraishin no Jutsu in order to hide Karin.

He explained to Karin that there was no need for her to return to Kusagakure if she was treated as a tool to replenish the chakra of the Kusagakure ninja who had been depleted.

With what Izumi said, Karin remembered how her mother ran out of vitality and died from an overdoing of refilling chakra to other ninjas.

Since Izumi decided to give her a place to live, she immediately agreed not to return to Kusagakure.

And a few days later, the second test of the Chūnin exam finished.

Izumi didn't see or hear any signs of Kabuto getting closer to Naruto's team. Izumi already put a small device in Naruto's clothes. That device is a tool for hearing only. If Kabuto or Orochimaru decided to attack Sasuke, he would know right away. Unfortunately, Kabuto didn't show up as he should have in canon.

Just as Izumi thought. Perhaps because of his actions against Orochimaru and Dosu, Orochimaru told Kabuto not to approach Sasuke for a time being.

There were 8 teams left to take the next exam, 5 teams from Konohagakure, 1 team from Sunagakure, and 2 teams from Kaiyougakure.

Izumi saw that Kabuto looked as if he was distancing himself from Izumi.

All teams head to the match venue. And there was already the Hokage and several Jōnin-level ninjas waiting on the platform. Izumi also saw Warrod, Tabane, and Rori who were with the ninjas from Konohagakure.

"Izumi-chan, don't be too serious okay, or they will all lose. Hehehe." Tabane waved to Izumi and said something that made the other participants furious.

Everyone who didn't know Izumi's strength glanced at him with sharp gazes. Especially Gaara. Gaara looked at Izumi as if he wanted to kill him. As for Kabuto, he was only wary because Orochimaru warned him.

Meanwhile, the Hokage looked interested in the youngster called Izumi due to Hiraishin no Jutsu.

"He is strong, right? You seem to have high regard for his strength."

"Indeed. But, most of the time, he rather hides his abilities. He'll be serious when he finds out that his opponent is strong as well."

The one who answered the Hokage was not Tabane, but Warrod who gave his opinion about Izumi.

The Hokage rubbed his beard while saying to himself.

"Hmmm, so it's very likely that he will qualify for this match, huh? The next match which will be held in a month will be more interesting if he is added."

Then the Hokage turned to Warrod and asked.

"From what you can see apart from your village, who do you think will qualify for the next round?"

"Well, it depends on the match this time. I don't know much about their abilities yet, so I can't say that much. But, I bet a kid called Gaara will qualify for the next round."

The Hokage nodded at Warrod's answer. He also agreed with what he said.

The Hokage looked at the participants and said,

"You've done very well up here. But there's one thing I want to ask. Do any of you want to withdraw from this exam?"

After the Hokage asked, Kabuto raised his hand to resign. As a spy, there was no way he could show his true abilities in front of others.

When Kabuto walked out, he heard a whisper.

"Good luck with your plan!"

Kabuto shuddered which made him turn his head, but he saw no one. Immediately, he stepped out since someone had found out what he was up to.

The examiner of the third test was Hayate, he would announce who would compete in the first match.

"The first…cough… match, is..."

Hayate coughed as if he wasn't feeling well or had a chronic illness. Even his face looked pale. However, the Hokage didn't ask him to stop so he could rest, and the Hokage let him be the examiner in this third test.

A moment later, two names appeared on the digital board.