Chapter 72: An Enemy Requiring Full Strength

That very night, the Third Hokage delivered a vague explanation to the other villages, stating that the blonde's actions during the Chūnin Exams had nothing to do with Konoha. He emphasized that those actions were entirely the individual conduct of the ninja in question.

"If anyone has an issue," he declared, "they are welcome to seek justice directly from the blonde in question. I, Hiruzen Sarutobi, will not stand in your way."

It was a bold, thinly veiled way of saying that Konoha was protecting the boy. But at least the Hokage left the other villages a small window to reclaim their dignity, so they could not complain too much.

Once they left the Hokage's office, the jōnin from the other villages began gathering intel on this troublesome blonde. Rumor had it that the boy, known as Uzumaki Stark, was Konoha's only puppet master. His impressive strength came entirely from the armored puppet technique he used, while his actual power was negligible. As long as they could destroy the puppet, they could easily deal with the boy.

As for the gang of criminals led by Konoha's infamous blonde...

The Third Hokage, still unable to trust Naruto with the forbidden technique Impure World Reincarnation, decided it was best not to hand over such a dangerous jutsu. Naruto had already caused enough trouble with the living; if he were given the ability to resurrect the dead, the Hokage feared for the safety of everyone—himself included. In fact, he worried that after his own death, Naruto might bring him back just to torment him further.

Reluctantly, the Third Hokage gave in, leaving Konohamaru in Naruto's care, hoping it would at least bring some peace to the village for the time being. There was no stopping the two boys from getting into mischief anyway, so Sarutobi simply surrendered. He even promised Naruto that if he refrained from causing any further trouble during the Chūnin Exams, he would allow him to learn a jutsu from the Sealing Scroll—though he firmly excluded both the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags and Impure World Reincarnation.

Naruto, trying to suppress a smirk, accepted the Third Hokage's offer with a complex expression. This play of "entrusting the future of the village" had landed squarely on the shoulders of Uzumaki Zhuge Liang.

The next morning, the Seventh Team arrived at the second exam location—the outskirts of the Forest of Death. Unlike in the original timeline, the atmosphere here was rather sparse. There weren't many competitors in the forest, but a number of ninja were gathered around the edges, staring at the Seventh Team with envy.

Only ten teams had advanced to the second stage. Four squads were from Konoha, and Naruto had decided not to report the teams associated with Kakashi out of respect for his teacher. However, Sasuke had taken a page from Naruto's book and reported Team Three, showing a clear dislike for Tenten. Despite his attempts, though, Sasuke hadn't quite mastered the art of false accusations, so Tenten's team remained in the competition.

From other villages, there were six remaining teams, including the Sand Village's trio, two teams from the Sound Village, and one from the Grass Village...

Naruto, still wearing his Iron Man-inspired weighted armor from the previous day, couldn't take his eyes off the Sound Village team.

"I have a feeling... those guys must be your handiwork, right?" Shikamaru said lazily, chewing on a toothpick as he approached Naruto.

It wasn't just the current competitors who were eyeing Naruto with hostility—those who had already been eliminated were glaring at him too, itching for a chance to strike once the exam was over.

"There's no way!" Naruto waved his hand in denial, acting as if the mere suggestion was absurd. "That was all Uzumaki Stark's doing—it has nothing to do with me, Uzumaki Naruto!"

The conviction in his voice was so strong that even Sasuke couldn't help but glance over, wondering how Naruto could make such a claim with a straight face.

Dude, are you forgetting that you're probably the only Uzumaki in the entire ninja world right now?

"If we end up facing you guys in the exam..." Shikamaru added with a sigh, "could you... not go for the face?"

"Hahaha, what are you talking about, Shikamaru?" Naruto chuckled, his face full of mock innocence. "We're from the same village—how could we go that far?"

Shikamaru: ...

You might want to take a look at those Konoha jōnin and genin staring at you right now... The hate on their faces isn't any less than what the foreign ninjas feel.

Shikamaru sighed, said his goodbyes to Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke, and headed off to the entrance of the Forest of Death.

"Alright! The second exam begins now!" Anko Mitarashi, the proctor, shouted. As soon as her words fell, all the competitors rushed into the forest with their scrolls in hand—except for the Seventh Team, who waited until everyone had entered before leisurely collecting theirs.

Naruto approached Anko, his eyes scanning the slim and trim proctor from head to toe. He still couldn't quite reconcile the current, healthy version of Anko with the future version that was... less fortunate.

"Hey, proctor, you should probably cut back on the dango."

"Tch. Mind your own business, kid," Anko said dismissively, taking a bite of her last dango skewer. The very sight of Naruto made her twitch with irritation—after hearing about his antics in the first exam, she could only hope he wouldn't cause any more trouble while under her watch.

With the proctor unwilling to listen to his advice, Naruto could only shake his head. Well, Anko-sensei, you're doomed to that future weight gain...

After confirming that Sakura had the scroll, Naruto led his team in the direction of the Sound Village trio. For them, this exam was more of a formality—the real challenge would be dealing with Orochimaru.

Naruto and Sasuke moved swiftly through the forest, so much so that Sakura, unable to keep up, was forced to cling to Sasuke's back. Sasuke, focused on their destination, even handed over his beloved weighted sword, the Guillotine Blade, to Naruto.

"Sakura, stop squirming," Sasuke said flatly. "You're hurting me."

"I—" Sakura was utterly crushed by his comment. Ever since she'd climbed onto his back, she hadn't stopped fidgeting. He had finally spoken up, but not in the way she'd hoped.

Pffft— Naruto, running ahead, couldn't hold back his laughter. Sasuke's brutal honesty nearly had him doubling over.

"Hahaha... you two sure are having fun, aren't you?" a voice interrupted.

The Sound Village's three-man team had appeared, blocking their path. The leader of the group stood front and center, his arrogance practically radiating off him.

Naruto's eyes locked onto the ninja wearing the "Death" kanji on his chest—Zaku Abumi. Naruto remembered him clearly. The guy had been powerful, capable of shattering rocks with his air blasts.

This is serious, Naruto thought, suddenly halting in his tracks. He tossed the Guillotine Blade back to Sasuke, then pulled out his "White Dragon Horse" iron door. For the first time in this exam, he was taking an opponent seriously.

Sakura and Sasuke stared, dumbfounded.

How strong could these guys be? they both wondered. Naruto actually pulled out his door shield for this?!

"Are they that strong?" Sasuke asked, gripping his sword as he prepared for battle, but Naruto held him back.

"They're incredibly strong. Don't interfere—this is personal," Naruto said, narrowing his eyes, memories of Tobi flashing through his mind.

As for Zaku's true strength... Naruto had heard enough to know. This guy could easily shatter boulders with his wind jutsu. And if boulders could kill Tobi...

By that logic... Zaku's power must rival Tobi's or surpass it.

And if you round it all up—anyone who has ties to the Uchiha Tobi is automatically Naruto Uzumaki's sworn enemy!

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