Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Kaen looked at Sasuke practicing his shuriken throwing. The moving logs were covered in steel, with countless shuriken stuck on them. It wasn't even training anymore. Throwing shuriken was like breathing to Sasuke. Kaen could tell something was on Sasuke's mind. Living together over the years and teaching him, he could tell when something bothered Sasuke.

"You know you will have to pick them up," Kaen said and watched in amusement as realization hit Sasuke.

"It's fine," Sasuke replied, straining a smile as he looked at hundreds of shuriken scattered through the training area.

"So, I heard you will participate in the Chunin Exams," Kaen commented as he watched Sasuke pull shuriken from the logs. "Are you worried?"

"I see high chances for me to pass, as long as luck doesn't turn on me," He answered.

"Oh, really, you don't think anyone will be able to beat you?" Kaen asked.

"There might be," Sasuke said. "But I only met one my age that could endanger me."

"Why so?"

"His eyes, there was only murder in them," Sasuke replied with a shudder.

"Let me guess, one of the Sand shinobi?"

"With red hair," Sasuke confirmed.

"He is dangerous, for children that it," Kaen replied. "Think of Itachi's eyes, and you will find the difference between someone dangerous and a monster."

Sasuke closed his eyes for a moment and started to tremble in fear. Kaen knew that Sasuke had to overcome the fear of his brother by himself, but that fear will push Sasuke to be stronger. Kaen had no doubts that Sasuke could overcome it. He was strong-willed and too hard-working for him to fall. And if he did, Kaen would put him back to his feet.

"Itachi's eyes were cold," Sasuke said. "They held no emotion, no hate or anger."

"That's because he could control his emotions," Kaen replied. "While that Sand shinobi can't, he is strong, but he will make many mistakes that your eyes will able to see and your body to use them."

"Then there's nothing for me to worry about," Sasuke smiled.

"Pride is good, but don't become too overconfident," Kaen ruffled Sasuke's hair. "My students might hinder your plans."

"Shino," Sasuke commented. "He is well collected, doesn't hesitate in his movement, but he thinks before he makes an action."

"True, but only halfway," Kaen responded. "He is more than you think, and I wouldn't underestimate my other students either."

"Fine, if you aren't going to help me, stop bothering me," Sasuke complained.

"Just for that, I will teach my students how to counter the Uchiha style taijutsu," Kaen smiled as he watched Sasuke grumble even more.

Still, in the end, he left him be. Kaen dreaded when Sasuke would start noticing girls around him or guys. He wouldn't judge. The emotional rollercoaster that was Sasuke would make his life hell. Just imagining him trying to approach someone he romantically liked made Kaen cringe. At least Kaen was too paranoid and had trust issues to delve into romance soon. At best, he could imagine having a girl to pass down his bloodline. It sounded wrong, but sharingan was too crucial for morals.

…

It was the day before the day of the Chunin Exam started. He and most of the Jonin were in the Hokage's office. Preparations were done, and a few small things were left to decide, like who will oversee the test. For the first test, it was agreed that Ibiki Morino would manage it. He was one of the few men that scared Kaen.

Kaen knew almost nothing of the man. Only that he was head of the interrogation division, Kaen knew how hard it was to crack shinobi to speak. Yet Ibiki could do it, and that scared Kaen. He could only imagine what he had done to the enemy shinobi or spies once they were caught. His imagination ran wild, and it only scared him the more he thought about it.

"The second test will be in the Forest of the Death," Hokage-sama said.

"It is a vast place for one person to oversee," Kaen responded. "And it is the only place our enemies would try to do something and be able to succeed."

"Agreed," Jonin Commander, Shikaku Nara said. "A team must be prepared to cover the Forest of the Death."

Another man who scared Kaen. He knew neither he nor Ibiki could hurt him. But the intelligence that Shikaku possessed was terrifying. He could devise a plan for a team of shinobi to take Kaen down if needed. Someone like him wouldn't depend on luck and would cover all possibilities to take Kaen down. That is why he was cautious of him, as the more Shikaku knew about Kaen, the more chances he had to defeat him.

"I would like to nominate myself," Kaen said, careful not to say anything about what he knew about the future. "Nothing will escape my eyes."

"Very well," The Third Hokage agreed. "You and your old team will cover Forest of the Death."

Kaen was a bit suspicious about the quick acceptance, but in the end, he conceded. There was a limit to his paranoia. There was no reason for the Third Hokage to disagree with Kaen. And his team was well suited for the task too. Anko was very familiar with the Forest of the Death. Yugao was very experienced, and Hana was quite good at tracking. Combine it with Kaen's eyes, and nothing could pass them.

Soon the meeting ended as the leaders of their teams left to prepare their teams for the last time. There wasn't much one could do in one day but rest. So, feeling generous, Kaen left to let his team rest for the day and prepare for tomorrow. He still had to meet with the Yugao and the rest of the girls. He needed to delegate responsibilities to them.

…

To say that the Forest of Death was vast would be an understatement of a century. Kaen stood on top of the tallest tree overlooking the forest. Even with his sharingan, he barely could see anything under the thick mass of trees that covered the ground. He looked up at the tower in the middle of the forest and began working.

Unsealing a scroll of sealing that he made himself, he looked at it. The massive scroll was as tall as him and as thick as the average tree. In there, he had all the seals he knew and created. Taking a moment to find what he was looking for, Kaen unsealed hundreds of paper seals from the scroll. The paper seals were alarms that reacted to the chakra, but the chakra had to be massive, something that no ordinary chunin could even possess.

When Kaen dropped to the ground, Yugao and the rest waited for him. He looked over them before forming a plan. He couldn't say that Orochimaru would infiltrate the forest, as it would bring too many questions. Kaen knew how suspicious it would sound and how paranoid Shinobi could be. He didn't want a hit team going after him, knowing well it would be Shikaku who sent them this time. And he didn't want to visit Ibiki or Yamanaka. He still didn't know which option scared him more.

"We will split into four directions," Kaen said. "Once the test starts, I will go to the north, Yugao to the south, Anko to the east, and Hana to the west. Cover your parts with these seals. They will alarm me if someone is using chakra beyond chunin level."

"You are expecting someone?" Anko asked.

"This time, we have one of the last of Uchiha, the Nine-tails jinchuriki, plenty of clan heirs, and three children of Fourth Kazekage participating," Kaen stated. "I would be surprised if there aren't any shinobi from other villages trying to infiltrate by pretending to be a genin and trying to assassinate someone."

"It is part of the training," Anko dismissed Kaen's worries.

"It would be if the shinobi were only on the chunin level. The teams would be expected to deal with it," Kaen said. "But if someone beyond their level tries to do it, it is our responsibility to act and protect the future of our village."

"Let's get over this," Hana said, taking Kaen's seals. "I will spread them around my part. If you are right, I will need a night's rest to prepare for the next week."

"It wouldn't hurt anyone if we were careful, and it was a long time since so many important kids were participating in the Chunin Exams," Yugao agreed. "And the Forest of Death is a perfect place for someone to do something."

"Fine, give me these seals," Anko took the seals too.

Kaen smiled. Yugao didn't know how spot-on she was in her deduction. The Forest of Death was a perfect place to plan an assassination on the participants or the infiltrators. Too bad, Kaen didn't know when or where Orochimaru would try to strike, only that it was the perfect time to kill the slimy snake once and for all.

Kaen wished he was a sensor, but knowing his limitations, he prepared these alarm seals. Kaen knew that Orochimaru was good at hiding and that these seals probably won't pick up his destination. Still, a specific teammate of Sasuke couldn't conceal his chakra, especially if he were in danger or angered. The blonde will act as an indicator of Orochimaru's attack.

Kaen sighed. He wished he could make many traps and spread them all over the forest. But tomorrow, genin will walk in the forest, and he didn't like the idea of them setting them off. It would be a nightmare to explain why he did so, and the paperwork he would have to fill out was something he didn't want to experience, and killing innocent people, especially kids, didn't sit well with Kaen.

Kaen looked around, finding his friends have long since left to do what he told them. He was alone with his thoughts. Once again, he climbed the tallest tree and looked over the forest. He didn't like how unprepared he felt. Facing someone like Orochimaru was dangerous. Any mistake could lead to death, and even though Kaen believed he could win against Orochimaru, he knew how slimy the snake was. One mistake, and he will run away.

Orochimaru had to die for Sasuke's safety. Another reason was that the snake knew Edo Tensei jutsu. A jutsu that shouldn't exist. Reviving dead shinobi and controlling them was too much power for anyone. Kaen couldn't let someone like Orochimaru possess such power. It would only bring disaster, and he didn't need to know the future to know that.

He was finishing with the seals just when the sun started to set. He took one last look over the forest before he decided to rest. Taking out a different paper, he channeled his chakra into it. Soon symbols appeared on the paper. The symbols indicated the alarm seals. If they were set off, the paper would tell where. It was the best he could think of to find where Orochimaru would strike.

After testing if the seals worked, he left for home. He needed to rest and be in top condition. He visited Sasuke one last time for the day and saw him meditating. He, too, was trying to prepare for the test the next day. Leaving him, Kaen went and fed his cat and started to play with him. He calmed down while he played with Ash and finally went to sleep.

Even though nightmares of the future wouldn't let him sleep much, he didn't mind it. He knew what his failure would bring to his home, family, and friends. The pressure was weighing heavily on his shoulders. But Kaen accepted it. He had to deal with the stress if he wanted to become the Fifth Hokage. Of course, it didn't help that he had to deal with Danzo and Akatsuki afterward. There was no rest for the wicked.