Chapter 23: A Test Paper's Fallout

Sarutobi Shinnosuke looked at his father in surprise. This was the first time that Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression changed so much after Obito and Kazuki's papers.

"..." Sarutobi Hiruzen narrowed his eyes, and his expression became more and more strange.

A little recognition, dissatisfaction, and even a little anger.

Sarutobi Shinnosuke became more and more curious. Even Uchiha Obito's test paper only made his father serious. Who the hell was this Inada Kojiro to provoke such a reaction from the Hokage?

"I can still understand it a little bit, but he is disrespectful and arrogant. A little kid actually taught me how to be a Hokage, questioned the current village policy, and ordered me to make changes. Who taught this child..."

Sarutobi Hiruzen suppressed his anger and picked up the actual combat report card sent by the ninja school discipline department.

If Inada Kojiro was a genius, then perhaps he could be given some tolerance.

But after seeing Inada Kojiro's very poor actual combat results, Sarutobi Hiruzen exhaled a heavy breath.

A waste who only knows how to talk on paper!

At a young age, he did not seriously learn basic knowledge and basic ninjutsu, but he had to comment on the village's political affairs in a condescending tone, and even hinted at how he could be a truly good Hokage.

If the Second Hokage had told him this in person...

Sarutobi Hiruzen would have humbly said that he still had a lot of shortcomings, thanked his old mentor for his advice, and said he would work harder. Whatever he said would be correct!

But the Second Hokage had never experienced a written exam, so he didn't understand how to go from being the leader of the village to a mere examinee.

Although he had moderated his words, the condescending tone and suggestions in his writing had already made Hiruzen boil with anger.

Criticism, depending on who says it, can have diametrically opposite effects...

"Unacceptable, complete nonsense!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen slapped the table, picked up a red pen, and wrote a severe comment on Inada Kojiro's test paper.

[Arrogant and impatient. The Will of Fire is not a concept you can understand from theory. What you need to learn first is how to be a ninja.]

And he gave him a well-deserved zero.

Sarutobi Shinnosuke shrugged after reading Inada's test paper.

One could only say that this boy was unlucky.

If it was an ordinary teacher marking the papers, he would have been scolded in the end, but it turned out that the Hokage himself had to mark the papers, so there was nothing he could do...

The final test, coupled with Kojiro's critical approach, ended up infuriating the calm Sarutobi Hiruzen.

The author: Sarutobi Asuma.

In the test of the young rebel Asuma, this famous son of a Hokage did not hold back and lashed out, openly criticizing the hypocrisy of the Will of Fire and his father. He claimed that the current Third Hokage did not understand the Will of Fire at all and was only using empty words to deceive people.

In Konoha, there is no other person who is so straightforward and sharp in his words.

Even Shimura Danzo did not dare to criticize him like this!

"Okay, okay, good boy, you treat the test paper I made like this, right!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly opened the drawer of his desk and looked for something inside.

Sarutobi Shinnosuke looked at his father blankly as he picked up the belt, rushed out of the Hokage Residence in a hurry, came to the table and glanced at the test paper, and covered his face.

It's unfortunate for the family.

But soon, Sarutobi Shinnosuke laughed again.

Boy, you like to steal my cigarettes, right?

Sarutobi Shinnosuke leisurely picked up the pipe his father left on the table and smoked it happily.

...

Kazuki and Shisui guided a curious Rin as they walked through the Uchiha clan's territory.

As a determined to become an excellent medical-nin, Nohara Rin cannot resist the temptation to learn the Mystical Palm Technique.

At the same time, Nohara Rin also has the desire to become friends with Kazuki.

"As expected of the Uchiha clan..." Rin looked in awe at the buildings of the Uchiha clan, which reflected the tradition and power of a noble family. She felt like a tourist exploring an exotic place, every corner was fascinating and new to her.

However, this territory, which seemed like a tourist site due to its ancient and picturesque style, was a place that was rarely visited by other Konoha residents.

This has a lot to do with the Uchiha clan being in charge of the Konoha Police Force and its current reputation in Konoha.

Despite being one of the founding clans of the village, to this day, many Konoha shinobi harbored an inexplicable fear of the Uchiha and did not fully understand them.

In a sense, the Uchiha clan's position in Konoha was not so different from Danzo's: both had high status, but their names were not associated with kindness or leadership, but rather with authority and darkness.

"If you like, you can come whenever you want. Normally, it's just Shisui and I at home." Kazuki said, ruffling Shisui's hair with a wistful smile. "Although my house is quite big, it still seems very empty if there are only two people. Don't you think so, Shisui?"

"That's not true!" Shisui protested, puffing out his cheeks. "I love being alone with you, we don't need anyone else!"

"Ouch, brother, you hit me..."

"You have to learn to make friends, Shisui, brother can't accompany you forever." Kazuki said with a smile.

Nohara Rin covered her mouth and chuckled. As the only daughter in the family, she found the interaction between Kazuki and Shisui very interesting. "You brothers have a really good relationship..."

Shisui just snorted, not convinced by Kazuki's words.

The three of them continued to discuss animatedly as they walked. From a distance, anyone could have mistaken them for a happy family.

However, at that very moment, three pairs of eyes from different directions were watching Kazuki and his companions.

On one side, there were Uchiha Yashiro, Uchiha Inoka and Uchiha Tetsuka.

The three of them were responsible for protecting the clan's territory. Seeing Rin, a foreigner, they carefully assessed her.

"Brother Yashiro, that troublesome brat has brought an outsider over. Let's use this as an excuse to teach him a lesson. It can be considered as a way to vent your anger..." Said Uchiha Tetsuka, one of the most radical members of the clan.

After receiving a lesson from Kazuki, Yashiro had returned to report his mission, suppressed his embarrassment and vaguely said that he defeated Kazuki, but still suffered a small loss. In short, the mission was completed satisfactorily.

Among his friends, he could not help but express his admiration for Kazuki, leading Inoka and Tetsuka to mistakenly believe that Kazuki had caused him great difficulties, although he would not admit it due to pride.

Since Kazuki became famous in the Uchiha clan for his mastery of Water Release, the more radical members of the clan began to view him with disdain, especially Uchiha Setsuna, who led the criticism.

Tetsuka and Inoka exchanged knowing glances and smirked at each other, ready to act.

But Yashiro, seeing the expression on their faces, changed his expression and quickly held their shoulders firmly.

"Tetsuka, Inoka, can I trust you?" Yashiro said in a very serious voice.

"What are you saying, Yashiro? My and Inoka's parents died when we were children, and you helped us get by. To us, you're like an older brother." Tetsuka replied, puzzled by Yashiro's attitude.

Inoka nodded. "That's it, Brother Yashiro."

"Well, then listen to this: you must not make Kazuki feel that the Uchiha clan is hostile towards him." Yashiro said, squeezing their shoulders even tighter. "I will explain everything to you at my house tonight, but for now, just remember one thing: if Kazuki ever feels discontent towards the clan, both you and I will be considered unforgivable traitors."

At the end, Uchiha Yashiro's eyes even showed a trace of murderous intent!

Tetsuka and Inoka were both shocked, but looking at the tomoe spinning in Yashiro's eyes, they swallowed their saliva and nodded hurriedly.

On the other hand.

On the other hand, Uchiha Obito, who was training with Uchiha Setsuna, watched Rin's silhouette in the distance with his face covered in sweat.

"Rin..." Obito whispered, staring intently at her back, hoping in vain for her to turn around. However, Rin continued walking happily alongside Kazuki and Shisui, not even noticing Obito's presence.

Uchiha Setsuna, seeing the scene, smiled and began to speak, as if he was thinking out loud, although his words seemed to be directed at Obito.

"The shinobi world is such a world. Shinobi without strength can only watch what they want being taken away."

"The position of Hokage is like this, the woman you like is like this, everything is like this..."

"If you beat Uchiha Kazuki that day, would you be the one walking with her now?"

"So, practice hard, Obito, when your shoulders can carry the clan, you will naturally get what you want."

Uchiha Obito looked fierce and nodded silently. "Setsuna clan elder, continue to practice, I will take back everything that belongs to me!"

But Uchiha Obito forgot.

The young Nohara Rin is just an ordinary enthusiastic girl. She helps Uchiha Obito because she wants to encourage every classmate to the best of her ability.

Her feelings for Uchiha Obito are far from love.

However, for Obito, who was encouraged by her, that small token of kindness was not enough. He wanted to appropriate all of Rin's kindness, forgetting that he had no right to do so.

Finally, the third gaze that fell upon Kazuki and his companions was that of Black Zetsu, or rather, 'Uchiha Rin'.

"How interesting... This Kazuki boy, is he another stranger like Uchiha Kagami, or is he a monster hiding behind a mask?"

"Uchiha Obito is indeed a good seedling to be a chess piece, but Uchiha Setsuna is a waste, how can such poor words give birth to the real darkness in his heart?"

"First let him feel the beauty of the world, and then tear it apart in the most brutal way, so that he can feel despair..."

Uchiha Rin said cruel words but smiled sweetly.

From the perspective of an observer, her smile is more beautiful than Nohara Rin...

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