Chapter 218: As the Hokage, I hereby declare war on you!

"Leaf Village, it's really getting more and more lively!"

Beside the bustling street, inside a small shop with rising hot air, the disguised Changmen sat within, looking at the bustling crowd around, he couldn't help but let out a slight sigh.

"Alright, stop talking about that, hurry up and eat."

Miyan shook his head with an amused smile on the side, then spoke.

"This is the shop with the best-tasting Leaf Village food I found, hurry up and try it."

"The taste is indeed good."

Xiaonan nodded on the side, Leaf Village has many small shops, each with its own flavor.

Miyan's recommendation, Xiaonan naturally would like it, but while eating she couldn't help but look toward the distant building.

"Speaking of which, today seems to be the exam, why aren't you worried at all?"

The Chunin exam has proceeded as scheduled.

After the ninjas from almost all countries, organizations, and ninja villages in the ninja world gathered, the first exam also began instantly.

However, the first stage of the exam remains the same as before, belonging to the written test phase, and the main purpose of this phase is still to eliminate excess personnel.

The number of participants in this Chunin exam organized by Yuzhi is even greater than in the original.

To avoid wasting too much time, clearing out a batch of 'unqualified' people is also quite normal.

As for whether they are truly 'unqualified' or not, that is completely irrelevant.

After all, it can be said of the current Leaf Village that if I think you're unqualified, then you are unqualified!

They won't give you much explanation, and moreover, for most people, participating in this evaluation is just going through the motions.

Miyan naturally also knew these circumstances; hearing Xiaonan's question, he couldn't help but lightly shake his head.

"Don't overthink it; the evaluation right now is not a problem, and even if we thought about it, it wouldn't help—we can't get in, right?"

Moreover, for Gaara and the others, this kind of thing is also not a problem at all, right?

"Indeed."

Hearing Miyan's words, Changmen also simply nodded.

Gaara is still quite good; he knows this in his heart, but he also recalled something.

"This time, Luosha had his son come as well; I don't know what they will encounter."

——

"Really boring; I thought there would be some fun, but didn't expect it to become so formulaic."

On another side of Leaf Village, Madara Uchiha stood on a big tree overlooking the Leaf Village ahead, looking as if he hadn't returned in a long time.

Heijue glanced at Madara from the side, he slightly nodded in his heart, then spoke.

"There's no way; many things become formulaic, Uchiha Haori is no exception, but his strength is indeed quite strong."

"Hmph, whether he's strong or not still needs to be proven by action; I admit he's not bad, but he never has a weakness."

Madara Uchiha, as always, displayed his arrogance; he spoke indifferently.

"He doesn't have a suitable opponent; he doesn't have someone like Senju ZhuZhang to give him pressure, letting him continually advance."

"Even if he is strong now, that is merely a direction obtained from the stone tablet; but without an opponent, he will ultimately not make use of these powers."

"If Madara Uchiha hadn't said that, it would have been fine; but saying this instantly made Heijue's face turn dark."

"Yuzhi grew by relying on the information from the stone tablet; he had thought about this before, and now Madara saying this is like putting on a 'Thought Steel Seal'."

"Just thinking that it was himself who nurtured Yuzhi makes Heijue feel somewhat gloomy."

"Betraying one's side has never been a good thing; becoming a traitor himself really makes him unable to bear it."

"How are Obito and Itachi Uchiha doing now?"

"Madara Uchiha 'doesn't know' the stone tablet has been altered, he continues to ask."

"How are their preparations now, and how about their plans?"

"They have already entered Leaf Village, and Changmen has also entered."

Although Heijue is extremely depressed, he still gave the answer immediately upon hearing the question.

"Baijue has already investigated the situation of the jinchuriki; Obito and Itachi will act opportunistically, assisting Rock Village's side in attacking Leaf Village while also helping Changmen obtain the tailed beast."

"Chakra can also be used."

Madara Uchiha nodded, but after thinking he added a sentence.

"The tailed beast's chakra can also achieve the goal; after all, this is in fighting Leaf Village, if we can make Leaf Village suffer, it's fine if we suffer a little loss."

"After all, we can later take them back one by one!"

"Oh?"

Heijue was somewhat dumbfounded, because he didn't expect Madara Uchiha to be so calm.

But after thinking it over, he could also understand, after all, this time the opponent is not an ordinary one.

"I understand; I will handle this matter well, and doing it this way is even better."

After Heijue finished saying that, he followed Madara Uchiha together to look at the Leaf Village ahead.

Although his heart is still full of worries, no matter what, having come this far, he will continue on no matter what.

"Moreover, now we can finally go and confirm properly, who exactly is that woman."

——

In the silent examination hall, the examinee ninjas looking at the questions on the test paper all furrowed their brows; such professional questions, not to mention them, perhaps many Jonin couldn't answer.

Each of the participating proctor Chunin were constantly patrolling, because the number of examinees was too many, causing Leaf Village to arrange more extra classrooms, which allowed all examinees to enter.

This naturally also requires more Chunin to participate, cooperating with the proctoring task.

As for these examinees, they really feel powerless to complain, watching these guys using methods they think are secret cheating tactics continuously performed in this classroom.

They really can't help but think, should we just arrest everyone?

But in the end they still held back, only catching those who were overly stupid and obvious.

"Tch, so it's about gathering intelligence."

Sasuke had long noticed the actions of the people around him, and he was almost the first to figure out the purpose and meaning of this test.

Although he was indeed the top student, the questions this time were truly perverse; even he couldn't write any reasonable answers.

But Sasuke wasn't scared; his gaze swept left and right, and in an instant he spotted a few guys feverishly scribbling.

"These people must be the ones planted here to provide answers, then…"

Since it's about gathering intelligence, there must naturally be sources; Sasuke isn't stupid, he obviously knows what to do.

He gently closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the blood‑red Three Tomoe had already appeared!

"Copy his movements!"

With the aid of the Sharingan's ocular power, his right hand wrote swiftly, answering each question on the test paper one after another even without knowing the answers.

I have to admit, the Sharingan is sometimes just perfect for cheating.

In stark contrast stood Naruto in the front row; even though he's already outstanding in this world, the answers required this test are completely beyond his reach!

Even if you swapped in a Jonin, after years without consulting any professional books, they might not even be able to write a single line.

"It's over, I can't write any of these questions."

Naruto's expression could only be described as bleak, his inner world nearly collapsing, yet he also noticed others cheating, which made him absentmindedly rub his chin.

"Damn, it seems they want us to cheat; I wanted to write it out with my own ability."

Naruto sighed inwardly, but soon pursed his lips and muttered a shared roar of anger that all the examinees felt.

"Who on earth created such perverse questions!"

——

"I have no idea how those examinees are doing now."

"Probably each of them is cursing their mothers."

In the Hokage's office, Hikari glanced at the distant classroom and muttered softly, while beside her, Yuzhi replied with an embarrassed expression.

Hikari had never taken such an exam, so she barely understood the questions; fortunately she didn't mind, after all she didn't need to be assessed.

But Yuzhi's situation was different; this test was entirely led by him, and he issued an order.

"Since the first round was about gathering intelligence, we must make those kids follow exactly our plan.

If the questions are simple, they can solve them themselves, and then who would gather intelligence?"

"Raise the difficulty; don't give them useless stuff. Make them desperate, forcing them to have to gather intelligence!"

With Yuzhi's 'thought guidance', his subordinates naturally knew what to do, and the result was…

"Even I, the Hokage, can't understand it?"

Yuzhi awkwardly rubbed his nose; this situation was unexpected, though he had always known his theoretical knowledge was poor.

But to this degree of deficiency even he found it astonishing.

"Is it hard?"

Hikari didn't know what Yuzhi was thinking; she gave him a puzzled look, and Yuzhi instinctively gathered the test paper in his hand.

"It's okay, difficult or not it's the same; after all I didn't expect them to write anything, the assessment is just about gathering intelligence, right?"

Hearing Yuzhi's words, Hikari blinked; she always felt there was something unsaid in his speech.

But she didn't care much; after all she wasn't really interested in these matters, and after a moment she asked.

"By the way, I heard from Kakashi that members of the Akatsuki Organization have already entered, and that Obito too has arrived at the Leaf Village?"

"Yes, that's right; they've already come in."

Yuzhi smiled and nodded; Obito thought they were being covert, but in fact every move had long been under Leaf Village's watch.

Whatever they do, it's the same for the Leaf Village.

"According to Nagato, their mission isn't actually to attack us, but to focus on locating the jinchuriki."

"But it doesn't matter; Madara Uchiha also told me that Obito's current focus is to help Nagato obtain the Ten‑Tails' chakra to activate the Ten‑Tails."

"This way we can lure Obito into snatching the Rinnegan; once he gets the Rinnegan, he can use it to wield the Rinnegan's innate ability, thereby reviving that guy Madara."

Madara didn't conceal any part of his plan, and Yuzhi naturally understood his thinking; it's hardly any different from the original work.

"The difference is that in the original, Madara acted passively; his original target was still Nagato, but Obito beat him to it, so he was forced to use Obito reluctantly."

"Now that Nagato has already knelt, he's considered one of us, so Madara has no need to act against Nagato."

"Obito was meaningless to begin with, so killing him isn't much different!"

"What about Nagato?"

Hikari tried to find a place to sit, but Yuzhi grabbed her into his arms; she rolled her eyes yet still clutched him and kept asking.

"Without the Rinnegan, can he accept that?"

"We don't need to worry about that; the Rinnegan is gone, but there's still the Byakugan."

Yuzhi let out a light laugh; he already had enough ideas about Nagato's future plans.

Madara naturally wants to retrieve the Rinnegan, and Nagato himself knows that, and he truly doesn't intend to use anyone else's eyes.

If Yuzhi hadn't explicitly told him not to destroy the Rinnegan, the guy might really have considered crushing those eyes.

As for giving the Byakugan to Nagato, that's indeed a fairly good choice.

The Byakugan Yuzhi isn't lacking; although those people on the Moon haven't been made to suffer by him, being struck back by the Reincarnation Eye isn't pleasant.

They're basically at the end of their lives now, and many had already died; their eyes have also been collected by Yuzhi.

As a result, Yuzhi now holds a considerable number of Byakugan.

"Moreover, when I dealt with the Uchiha, all the elders' eyes ended up in my hands; it wouldn't be impossible for Nagato to get the Sharingan."

"Back then, when Yuzhi refused to 'linger beneath people' and took a big vote, all those Sharingan were entirely in his possession."

At first his idea was to use it to perform Izanagi, but later he found that he couldn't use it at all.

Now the Sharingan is even more useless to him, because he has already reached this level, and Izanagi may not even be applicable.

Hikari's situation is similar, so taking out some Sharingan isn't impossible.

For example, they could try to give them to Tsunade, or to Changmen, but the quantity still needs strict control.

After all, no one knows if anyone in the clan needs them; the primary supply should naturally go to those within the clan.

"But then again, Itachi Uchiha seems to have also reached the Mangekyou Sharingan level."

Yuzhi, hugging Hikari, suddenly thought of something; he couldn't help but laugh and say something, and Hikari instantly understood his meaning.

"Looks like Sasuke's kid is lucky; this time are you planning to kill that guy you expelled?"

"Things should proceed step by step; no need to rush."

Yuzhi didn't deny the idea; he just smiled before speaking.

"That guy will never escape; his fate is already sealed, but he still needs to do something now."

"Train Sasuke a bit?"

Hikari blinked; she seemed to understand Yuzhi's meaning.

"Whatever, but speaking of it, they seem to have reached the second test, right?"

"Hmm."

Yuzhi nodded, and tilted his head to look toward the forest.

"Indeed, it's already the second round; who knows if there'll be any surprise."

——

"Seriously, you almost got me killed."

"How was I supposed to know this would happen, you bastard!"

Inside the Dead Forest, Sasuke and Naruto started bickering again, mainly because Naruto's performance in the first test was truly terrifying.

This time, there was no so‑called 'Question Ten'; under the Leaf Village proctors' successive 'heavy blows', a large number of participants were swept away.

They were exactly like 'you, kneeling at three‑thirty in the night for ten ranked matches, when a thief happens to break in through the window.'

In a completely 'berserk' state, there was no need for any 'Question Ten' to further clear participants.

Although the number of contestants was still far higher than in the original, it wasn't a big deal; the upcoming rounds would further eliminate them.

Even kill them!

Naruto's performance alone made people a bit impatient; although he knew the test's theme was 'gathering intelligence', his methods were rather crude.

As a result, Wo Ailuo eventually passed the answer to him via sand, and the proctors, one by one, were as blind as 'eyes open but blind', so they didn't see it.

"It's fine if you get eliminated alone; at worst you'll go back and get beaten by your dad, but if you get eliminated it drags the whole team down, you idiot!"

Sasuke was furious; if he got eliminated because of Naruto, he could go home and hang himself.

Such a disgrace was absolutely unacceptable to him!

Of course, if that actually happened, he would definitely choose to go down with Naruto.

"Alright, it's no big deal; at least we both passed, right?"

Wo Ailuo, acting as a mediator, looked at the two with a slightly amused expression and said.

"After all, Shikamaru once said, both your fathers are Hokage, so…"

"Bastard, I rely on myself, unlike that idiot!"

Sasuke suddenly lost his composure; he was purely being dragged down.

Strictly speaking, if Naruto were captured he'd be doomed too, but Naruto is the Fourth Hokage's son, which doesn't concern him.

Naruto, however, wore a grimace; his face flushed as he shouted loudly.

"Damn it, I'll prove myself elsewhere; don't get too cocky, Sasuke!"

Watching these two who wouldn't yield to each other, Wo Ailuo let out a slight sigh.

Sometimes he thought the two were truly childish, turning such matters into this mess, but in the end he was too lazy to say more.

Anyway, as long as everyone's fine, that's all that matters.

"Prepare yourselves; we have more important tasks ahead."

Wo Ailuo spoke again, cutting off the two; after glancing around, he whispered.

"Don't forget, we still need to get other people's scrolls, and I already feel someone has set their sights on us."

"Of course, that's good for us; finishing the assessment early and aiming for first place will prove ourselves even more, right?"

Wo Ailuo's words made Naruto and Sasuke pause, then they exchanged a tacit nod.

Especially Naruto, whose eyes now burned with battle intent; after a less‑than‑ideal first test, he'll perform well in the second.

"I must never let anyone think I got here because of that Ding Ji guy's 'abusing authority'!"

——

The Chunin Exam is proceeding smoothly, and the Dead Forest test has already concluded.

Sasuke's squad successfully completed the assessment and even took first place.

That also served as proof to Naruto that he didn't get this far by 'abusing authority'; he truly has skill.

As for the subsequent contests, Yuzhi didn't pay much attention; he didn't even need to appear.

As Hokage, and not the battle‑scarred, disgraced Leaf Hokage of the original, Yuzhi has many matters he doesn't need to handle personally.

One could even say his appearing would be a sign of his 'coolness' dropping.

With so many subordinates, they can easily take care of these tasks for him; he doesn't need to waste effort.

"Still, Naruto and Sasuke's performance was quite good."

Even though he didn't watch, he still knew the contest results.

Especially the Naruto‑Sasuke squad, Yuzhi gave them a certain amount of attention.

Sasuke this kid's fighting style is also vastly different from the original, and he is a perfect typical Uchiha representative.

Taijutsu, ninjutsu, hidden weapons, combined with the use of the Sharingan, allow him to calmly face all kinds of enemies.

Especially his Lightning Release; the level at which he performs makes Yuzhi involuntarily nod.

"But this kid is still influenced by me; he seems to prefer using Fire Release."

In fact, the earlier Yuzhi didn't have such high demands for techniques; the reason he liked Fire Release was that back then his resources made Fire Release the easiest to obtain.

As for the later part, it's because he had become accustomed to his fighting style and was too lazy to change; if given a chance, he would have liked to start with Lightning Release or the like.

As for whether he was influenced by Madara Uchiha, he would never admit that!

Naruto this kid may have lost the Nine‑Tails, but his control over chakra has become especially good, and his taijutsu ability is strong, especially his speed, which leaves people gaping.

Rapid dashes combined with Rasengan usage make it hard for any opponent to endure.

Moreover, Yuzhi also heard that Minato seems to intend to teach him the Flying Thunder God; in that case—

"Immortal Technique, Flying Thunder God, plus Rasengan—does this kid become a new and stronger Minato?"

Yuzhi stroked his chin and thought silently, but just as he was pondering, the office door was suddenly knocked.

"Please come in."

Yuzhi snapped back to reality, spoke directly, and soon Kakashi entered together with Lin.

"Yo, isn't this our Anbu leader? So, finally back after completing the mission?"

"You guy."

Kakashi, hearing Yuzhi's somewhat sarcastic remark, was for a moment both exasperated and amused.

Back then, when Yuzhi asked him if he wanted to become the 'Child of Shadow' teacher, he left the Leaf Village outright and only returned recently.

Yuzhi kept harping on the matter, which made him somewhat helpless, but facing his 'boss', he had no temper and just smiled and said.

"Such a grand event—if I didn't come back, you'd probably be hunting me everywhere, let alone this time's matter is so important."

"If I don't even help with such matters, I'd truly be unworthy of being called a Leaf ninja."

At this point, Kakashi's expression turned considerably serious, while Lin blinked beside him, though she said nothing.

As a member of the Shadow Guard, she knows very well what they will face this time, yet her mindset has shifted somewhat.

Although she knows war is dangerous, facing this situation she still feels confident.

This is what Yuzhi gave them; she believes there will be absolutely no problem this time.

"Moreover, Leaf Village now isn't what it used to be."

Lin glanced at Yuzhi, who was sitting in the Hokage chair chatting with Kakashi, and her smile grew even brighter.

Leaf Village now is not the past; now they are terrifyingly strong!

There are not only the Third and Fourth Hokage, but also some 'hidden' characters; besides that, even two of the Legendary Sannin have remained in Leaf Village.

This high‑level strength, combined with those who have once faced war and grown.

What else is there for them to worry about?

"Now, just wait for everything to begin, and all troubles can be resolved."

Lin withdrew her gaze and gently looked at Yuzhi.

"When that time comes, the world will truly be at peace!"

——

Leaf Village, at the village entrance.

Da Ye Mu, the Fourth Raikage, Luo Sha, and Yuan Shi—four people—arrived here almost simultaneously.

Looking at the bustling Leaf Village and the towering Hokage Rock in the distance, three of them fell silent, while Yuan Shi wore a playful expression.

Luo Sha felt uneasy simply because of the village's prosperity, whereas for Da Ye Mu and the Fourth Raikage—

standing in this damned place brings forth memories they refuse to recall.

Those bitter years, that miserable past of being pressed into a prison, truly are a lifelong disgrace!

Only Yuan Shi didn't dwell on it; to him, it's all just a game.

"Has the day finally arrived?"

Da Ye Mu spoke coldly, and the Fourth Raikage nodded in response.

"Yes, this day has finally come; I've been impatient for a long time."

"Everyone, we still need to keep a low profile for now."

Luo Sha looked at the two before him, shook his head slightly, then spoke.

"This place is Leaf Village's territory; walls have ears, so we should be a bit more careful."

"Hmph, our sensory ninja has been watching constantly; no need to worry."

The Fourth Raikage remained very bold, let out a cold snort, then said.

"Moreover, our troops have already been deployed; now we only need to wait for a suitable moment to act!"

All that preparation was for today; no matter how anxious, now they must make themselves confident.

The battle hasn't even started, and people are already scared—what's the point of fighting?

Moreover, they truly have made all sorts of preparations now, such as their large force having already scouted various routes.

Thus they can silently enter the Land of Fire, for example by using Cloud Village's 'Heavenly Delivery Technique' to transport key personnel.

For instance, to counter Susanoo combined with Wood Release: Great Buddha, and the meteors falling from the sky, they have devoted effort to study and counter them.

With such preparation, it is the source of their confidence and the foundation for daring to face Leaf Village!

"Alright, stop talking."

At that moment, Da Ye Mu suddenly spoke.

"Sarutobi Nichizan, that monkey, has come—keep it down!"

"Hmph, they actually had the Third Hokage come to receive us?"

The Fourth Raikage also saw the Third Hokage coming over with the reception staff, and his expression instantly turned ugly.

"Uchiha Haori is really going too far, he actually dares to bully us like this?"

Having the previous generation's Kage receive these contemporary Kage is improper no matter how you look at it, after all diplomacy always stresses the principle of equality.

If Haori doesn't come, at least let the Fourth come; sending a Third who's long been obsolete and nobody asks about—what does that even mean?

But no matter how grim their faces, they now lack the strength to rebut, after all they're facing a Leaf Village comparable to that of fifty or sixty years ago!

"This time, we will surely crush you; even if we can't, we must at least hinder your development—why do you have everything while we have nothing?"

——

Bright sunshine fell on Leaf Village, and today most of the villagers got up early.

After all, today is the final day of this Leaf Village Chunin exam, and also the most important day of this exam.

After undergoing layer upon layer of screening and a series of battles, today we will finally face this ultimate test.

The essence of this Leaf Village Chunin exam is clear even to those unaware of the truth: it's an opportunity for all the major ninja villages to display their strength.

The ninja world has been peaceful for too long; everyone wishes this peace could continue, but everyone knows it's actually unlikely.

The threat of war continues to spread, yet the younger generation has in fact truly strayed from the flames of war.

To awaken their sense of crisis, only through some necessary exams can they, to some extent, perceive it.

"Born in worry, die in ease"—this saying applies in any world.

"Hello, everyone, it's really been a long time."

On the highest platform at the center of the arena, this is where the village's Jonin, high-ranking officials, and even the Kage are positioned.

Just before the match was about to begin, Yuzhi brought Hikari up onto the stands, and his appearance instantly triggered a tsunami-like roar from the entire venue.

Yuzhi was already accustomed to such cheers; although a bit embarrassed, he still enjoyed it.

In this Chunin exam, he basically didn't show up at all, after all, to him the previous exams had no spectator value.

As for this final match, he couldn't avoid it, and besides he didn't want to hide, because he himself was quite curious about this match.

In his memory, he himself had once participated in a similar evaluation, though that time it was more like a mere formality.

The Third wanted to boost Namikaze's reputation, but coincidentally Yuzhi stole the spotlight; although this was somewhat unfair to Namikaze, overall nobody lost out.

Now, as he himself watches the juniors' matches as a Kage, it gives him a sense of how time flies.

Of course, the most important thing right now are these guys; only saw Yuzhi grinning as he sized up Ōnoki and the Fourth Raikage, then he tilted his head and said.

"It's only been a few years since we last met, how have you two become so old? If you're tired, just step down from your duties—that would be good for you; just look at the Third and you'll know."

"Hmph, Hokage, are you overstepping?"

Yuzhi's words instantly darkened the faces of Ōnoki and the Fourth Raikage, although they admitted the Third Hokage indeed looked much younger.

But that's not a reason for Yuzhi to meddle in their village affairs, and besides, what authority does he have to intervene?

"That's right, each village has its own decisions; the Hokage just needs to manage Leaf Village well. Do you really think that if I say the Hokage is too young, you'd just hand over the position to someone more suitable?"

Ōnoki's words were also laced with barbs, but Yuzhi merely gave a faint smile.

"If someone could succeed me, I'd naturally be happy, after all I'm not greedy for this position, but unfortunately I can't decide to step down."

The Kage is chosen by the village, not through inheritance—just like when a father dies and passes it to his son, or a grandfather dies and passes it to his grandson.

"The Leaf Village's Hokage exists to serve everyone, after all the Hokage is the Leaf Village's Hokage, and Leaf Village belongs to everyone."

Yuzhi's remarks naturally reached all the Jonin nearby, and this immediately sparked another round of cheers.

Although his words were so 'yin-yang weird', that last sentence actually embodies the true essence of Leaf Village's 'Hokage'!

This gave everyone present a sense of superiority—look, our Kage is chosen, while yours is inherited.

"This guy"

But among the crowd, the Third could hardly contain himself; fortunately, saying this now is fine—how could he have said it before?

Likewise, the Second found it hard to hold back, feeling that Yuzhi was scolding him.

This made him especially vexed; seeing that he was about to strike, you're still cursing your own people?

"Alright, everyone, the village has its own circumstances; saying all this is pointless."

Rōsa saw that both the Fourth Raikage and Ōnoki couldn't hold back, and he immediately stepped in to smooth things over.

"We all have our own choices; there's no need to impose others' will upon us—this is an immoral practice, right?"

Rōsa's words made Yuzhi raise an eyebrow; he could tell exactly what this guy meant.

Isn't this just criticizing Yuzhi for cultural export, disgusting everyone?

However, Yuzhi didn't care; he merely gave a light chuckle and then spoke earnestly.

"Actually, sometimes we still need to listen to everyone's voices, after all who knows if this is what everyone wants?"

By this point, Yuzhi had no time to waste talking with them, for inside the arena, Minato Namikaze, the chief examiner of the Chunin exam, had already walked to the center.

"Everyone, I suppose you've been waiting a while?"

After scanning the waiting genin, he smiled, waved his hand, and said loudly.

"Well then, let's begin—bring out your enthusiasm and properly display your abilities!"

"Then the first match: Sasuke Uchiha versus Kankuro, get ready to start; the other groups should go prepare."

As soon as Minato Namikaze's words fell, another wave of cheers surged through the arena.

Sasuke is Yuzhi's adopted son, something everyone already knew, and everyone also knew that Yuzhi treats Sasuke as if he were his own child.

His cultivation of Sasuke has been thorough; nowadays many say that in young Sasuke you can see Yuzhi's shadow.

Such talk spreads widely in Leaf Village, and naturally who knows how many people want to see Sasuke fight.

But while the audience had a blast, Rōsa's face beside them looked off—after all, Kankuro is his son!

Right off the bat, they have Sasuke Uchiha, this Hokage-like figure, go up against his own son, staging a 'Shadow's Child' battle?

This is to viciously slap his face, right?

Yuzhi's displayed combat power is already this strong, while Sasuke this kid, although for now his reputation is still not notable.

But Luo Sha is even more willing to believe that under a great reputation there are no frauds; if he were to launch a heavy strike against his own son, that wouldn't be good!

"Damn bastard, damn mastermind!"

Luo Sha won't believe this is some 'accident'; in his view it's deliberate, causing his gaze to shift slightly.

He took a deep breath, then glanced covertly at Da Ye Mu and the Fourth Raikage, and they also exchanged a look with Luo Sha.

In the next moment, they nodded to each other, and Ma Ji, standing behind them, quickly headed for an empty spot.

At that moment, Luo Sha darkened his face and spoke.

"Hokage, going too far?"

"Too much?"

Yuzhi tilted his head, looking at the two ready below, and gave a light chuckle.

"Then I want to ask everyone, are your actions excessive?"

Yuzhi's words made Da Ye Mu and the others frown; for a moment they felt a hint of unease, making them tense up.

"You've been covert, using the border troops' rotation to send forces to Bear Country, training there for so long—what's the purpose?"

"You've infiltrated Leaf Village, sending so many spies to investigate every detail—what's the purpose?"

"Moreover, you've brought so many people this time—among those disguised as Chunin, Genin, and the ceremonial squad's secret unit, how many are there, and what's the purpose?"

Having said that, Yuzhi paused, then glanced obliquely at the three whose expressions had changed slightly and spoke softly.

"Do you really think I don't know what you've done? And do you really think you can do anything?"

Having said that, Yuzhi stopped, then turned to look toward Yuan Shi, who seemed to be watching the spectacle.

Yuan Shi had not participated in Da Ye Mu's group's discussion, for he naturally knew what these people wanted, and talking more with them would be pointless.

So he either stayed silent or just casually echoed a few words; seeing Yuzhi's gaze, he smiled and stood up.

In Da Ye Mu and the others' astonished gaze, he walked behind Yuzhi and then sighed.

"The game's over, everyone; actually I don't want to play with you anymore."

"You"

Da Ye Mu was furious, but he still struggled to steady his emotions.

"You think you've secured victory?"

"I don't know if you've secured victory, but I want to tell you:"

Yuzhi tilted his head and spoke calmly.

"You have no morality, gathering troops to invade our village—then"

"As Hokage, I can only do one thing: from this moment on, Leaf Village formally declares war on all of you."

With Yuzhi's words falling, smoke bombs shot up everywhere in the village at once, and at that moment, floating feathers appeared throughout the training ground.

"Has it begun?"

On the hill, overlooking everything, Madara Uchiha gave a cold chuckle, then stepped forward.

"Come on, the exciting part is coming!"

"Really fast—has it started already?"

In the exam hall, watching the battle inside were Sasuke and Kan Jiu Lang; Zhang Men shook his head slightly.

Then he turned to look at Mi Yan, who regretted not seeing Wo Ai Luo's performance but worried about how things would develop, and nodded.

"I'm taking action—stay safe."

"You too—be careful."

Mi Yan earnestly nodded to Zhang Men, while Xiao Nan followed Zhang Men as they quickly left.

"It's begun."

On the other side, watching Sasuke's battle were Itachi Uchiha and Obito, who also noticed something was off; Obito then snorted coldly.

"Great, this moment has finally arrived—I've waited long enough."