Waves of the sea swell tirelessly towards the shore, crashing against the reef and rocky mountains, splashing white foam before disappearing without a trace.

Sasuke stood on the edge of the cliff, quietly looking at the sea in front of him, the midday sun was not strong, but it made the originally cool sea breeze mixed with a little warmth, making Sasuke's body warm.

The bangs that drooped on either side of his cheeks danced in the wind, covering his black and white eyes from time to time.

On the undulating distant sea, Sasuke could vaguely see that there was a magical bridge that crossed the sea and connected to the sky.

It was the sea-crossing bridge that the seventh class had protected with the Thunder Light Regiment in the Land of Waves.

This bridge, since the moment it was built, means that the navigation of the country of waves and the country of fire is no longer a problem.

Whether it is cultural exchanges or business exchanges, the people of the two countries have become very convenient.

Looking at the bridge, Sasuke lost his mind for a moment, not knowing what he was thinking.

I don't know how long it took, but it wasn't until there was footsteps behind him that Sasuke withdrew his gaze looking at the sea view, and out of the corner of his eye, he could see several figures walking behind him.

The leader is none other than Chino, the leader of the Thunder Light Regiment.

A 'girl' with a baby's face.

The rest of the people, judging from the extraordinary aura emanating from them, should not be the peripheral and logistical members of the Thunder Light Regiment, but the core members. They stood ten meters away, and designated it as a forbidden area, which was forbidden for idlers to enter by mistake.

"Little Sasuke, it seems that your injuries have all recovered."

Chino's voice always sounded majestic.

Maybe it has something to do with her short stature.

I always feel that speaking in a milky voice does not meet the standards of adults, and it cannot deter the members under my command.

After all, no matter how you say it, she is a real adult.

"I've been bothering you these days, and it's almost time for me to get out of here."

Sasuke refocused his gaze on the bridge over the sea, staring closely.

Soon after, he will cross the bridge and reach Konoha as fast as he can, completing the final step in his revenge plan.

"It's sad."

Chino stroked her blown hair and spoke low.

Maybe Chino's tone was wrong, and Sasuke subconsciously turned his gaze to her.

She looked even more melancholy than before.

"Although Sasuke has been suppressing it these days, avoiding outsiders' notice, I can feel that feeling of being helpless."

Chino's lilac eyes became deep and dark.

"Speaking of which, the fate of me and Sasuke Koo is also somewhat similar. The difference is that the Bloodpool clan from which I was born was wiped out before I became sensible. So, I can probably understand Sasuke's mood a little. ”

"A pool of blood?"

Sasuke groaned slightly.

He had heard that this family had conflicts with his Uchiha clan during the Warring States period.

The Blood Pool Clan, who was once a relative of the Daimyo of the Land of Thunder, a woman in his clan was once the concubine of the Daimyo of the Land of Thunder, but in the end, she died because of the murder of the wife of the Daimyo of the Land of Thunder, and finally implicated the entire Blood Pool Clan.

At that time, it was the Uchiha clan who was hired by the wife of the Daimyo of the Land of Thunder to deal with the Blood Pool clan.

Later, the entire clan was exiled, and after that, the records of the Blood Pool clan were simply cut off.

When news of this clan reappeared, it was that the family had been attacked by unknown persons and the entire clan had been wiped out.

Judging from the information from Orochimaru, this clan has been wiped out for at least more than twenty years since then.

In other words, Chino is likely to be the last holder of the Blood Pool Blood Inheritance Limit.

"The power of the Blood Inheritance Limit is easily coveted by outsiders. I started out on the black market, moving between the big merchants as a slave and fighting different ninjas in the gladiatorial arena. In the end, it was valued by the Chamber of Commerce of the Ghost Country, and was secretly bought and absorbed into the military. ”

"I can't imagine that you have such a tortuous life."

Sasuke sighed.

Even though it was an understatement, Sasuke knew the danger in it.

Black marketeers are not good people.

Circulating in their hands, Chino must have endured all kinds of hardships to survive from the difficult environment.

"Well, these are things of the past, and I don't really want to talk about these bad things. Compared to my side of the matter, the Uchiha clan you belong to seems to have a more complicated relationship with Konoha. ”

Not to mention the intelligence system of the Ghost Country, as the Land of Waves adjacent to the Fire Country, the Thunder Light Regiment has worked here for many years, and knows far more things than outsiders.

Some things can be guessed and guessed, and the truth can be slowly spelled out from fragmentary information.

Although Konoha said to the outside world that the elimination of the Uchiha clan was done by Uchiha Itachi personally.

But anyone with a discerning eye knows that this is not possible.

Even if the Uchiha clan suffered trauma during the Third Ninja World War and its strength was reduced, it is still a wealthy ninja world with many masters in the clan.

In addition, it is also located in Konoha Village, and if you want to solve the huge family silently, in addition to Uchiha Itachi, there must be a helping hand.

And who is this helper, it is very likely that he is an insider of Konoha and is in a high position, so he can cooperate with the outside and do this impossible thing of exterminating the clan overnight.

Sasuke was slightly silent, his reaction had already acquiesced in the correctness of Chino's words.

Getting Itachi's memory, with the help of Itachi's perspective, before and after the extinction of the Konoha Uchiha clan, he understood it clearly, without the slightest mistake.

"So, don't die. Also, be careful, I don't want to hear that you're dying in Konoha one day, little Sasuke. ”

Chino smiled slightly, turned around and left the cliff with the ninjas of the Thunder Light Regiment.

Sasuke, who was left behind, watched Chino and the others leave.

It wasn't until he couldn't see their backs that he turned his gaze back and swept in one direction.

- Konoha.

"It's almost time to go......"

◎

On the eve of the joint Zhongnin exam.

The last regular meeting is taking place.

It's already dark outside, and the person presiding over the meeting is an experienced Konoha Kaminobi.

Shikamaru, who is one of the chief examiners, and Temari from Sunagakure, all meet here to participate in the meeting.

Tomorrow is the start time of the first exam of the joint Zhongnin exam, and according to statistics, the number of participants in the joint Zhongninja exam this time has reached two hundred and twenty.

Although the number of people has decreased compared to four years ago, so many shinobi gathered together, it will still be very lively.

"But...... Let Naruto take that guy in the middle ninja exam, are you Konoha serious? ”

After the meeting, Temari did not leave first, but scanned an extremely familiar name on the list of candidates, as well as the familiar face on the photo behind the name, and the corners of his mouth twitched.

Shikamaru put his hands behind his head, leaned back against his seat and smiled, "It's nothing to make a fuss about, after all, Naruto is a real shinobi." Isn't it? ”

"Such a shinobi, please give our village a bunch."

Temari couldn't help but complain.

Although she knew that what Shikamaru said was the truth, she still felt that it was a bit too outrageous to let Naruto participate in such a playful exam.

Is Konoha planning to let the rest of the candidates be wiped out?

If the other party is serious, he can definitely do it in the second exam.

At that time, it is likely that there will be no need for a third exam.

A shinobi who can defeat the Red Sand Scorpion to take this kind of exam is really too bullying.

For a ninja of his strength, the battle of the middle ninja exam is no different from that of the playing family.

"Rest assured, what you feared won't happen."

Shikamaru knew what Temari was worried about.

"Really?"

Temari was a little unconvinced.

"Actually, we've already communicated with Naruto in advance, so that he can focus on the first exam. The second and third exams are not included in the scope of the review. In other words, as long as he passes both the score and the process performance in the first written test, even if he abstains from the subsequent exam, it will not affect him to become a middle ninja. ”

Shikamaru explained.

The middle ninja is a test of the comprehensive quality of the ninja, and it is not just a simple judgment of the strength of the ninja.

Therefore, this time Konoha licensed Naruto did not need to take the second and third exams seriously, only the first exam.

Because if Naruto is also serious in the second and third exams, it is likely that uncontrollable accidents will occur, and it will also block the promotion path of the rest of the shinobi.

"That's right."

Temari quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

In this way, it is a relief.

For this joint ninja exam, Sand Yin sent a lot of elites in the lower ninja to show the strength of Sand Yin Village today. She didn't want to be ostracized before she could show it.

"Alright, the meeting is over, and it's time for us to leave. Tomorrow, I have to get up early and deal with so many candidates at once, and it's not good to rest. ”

Shikamaru stretched and got up from his seat.

"Hmph, I don't have to worry about it at all, but you look decadent, and I'm worried that it will be transmitted to the candidates who take the exam tomorrow. As a middle ninja, at least give an example to it. ”

Temari smiled teasingly.

"Uh...... We'll talk about that later. I still have some problems, so I'll take my leave. ”

Shikamaru hurriedly dropped this sentence and fled in embarrassment.

Sure enough, he was still not good at dealing with women.

"He's a troublesome guy."

I don't know what I remembered, Temari looked at Shikamaru's back, the corners of his mouth hooked, and the smile on his face became even worse.

……

Shikamaru, who left the conference room, did not go home directly, but wandered around the commercial street of Konoha.

Perhaps because there were a lot of people from other countries during the Shinobi exam, this already prosperous commercial street became more atmospheric, as if some important celebration was being held.

Everyone's face showed a happy smile, doing their own thing seriously, so that Shikamaru, who was full of exhaustion, couldn't help but be infected by such a smile, and the pressure that had accumulated on his body suddenly dissipated.

That's all he has to guard.

No one will be allowed to destroy it.

Sasuke ...... Shikamaru muttered this familiar and unfamiliar name in his heart.

Just as he was about to walk forward, a figure out of place interspersed with the crowd, turned around and disappeared.

Shikamaru saw this scene, and his heart sank slightly.

Then he sighed, and instead of scratching his head as usual, he tried to remain as calm as possible, put his hands in his trouser pockets, and followed the instructions given by the figure.

The destination is a long-established meatball shop.

Due to the dilapidated storefront, business is not very good, and in the commercial street with such a large number of people, there are no more than ten customers here.

Come and sit down in a secluded corner of the store, just enough to isolate yourself from the rest of the customers.

But when Shikamaru glanced at the guests, he realized that something was wrong.

While eating meatballs, they used the corner of their eyes to inadvertently monitor the entire store, not letting go of any corner.

And they were in such a position that they just surrounded that secluded seat, intentionally or unintentionally.

Obviously, the identity of these guests is questionable.

Be careful. Shikamaru said in his heart and sat down on the opposite seat in a secluded corner.

"My name is Leopard, and I'm Sakai's boss."

He has black hair, a slightly slender face, and a medium-to-high appearance, and is very young, about twenty years old.

The moment Shikamaru sat down, the young man opposite introduced himself like this.

Shikamaru nodded, indicating that he understood.

Seeing that Shikamaru didn't take the lead in speaking, the young man who called himself 'Leopard' didn't care, but just asked himself while eating the balls:

"Before I explain the mission, I would like to ask, when do you think Sasuke Uchiha will choose to attack Konoha?"

It's more like testing Shikamaru's ability than asking.

"Tomorrow, there was a problem with the security of the patrol force a few days ago, and it was obviously intentional, not an accidental incident. If it were me, I would also take advantage of the opportunity of the Shinobi exam to launch a surprise attack. ”

Shikamaru said calmly.

He wasn't 100% sure, he just put himself in his shoes and gave the most likely answer.

Sasuke is a very patient man, but when it comes to something that has to be done, his patience may not be enough.

Especially when he has gained great strength and has the ability to take revenge, his heart will no longer be as calm as before, but surging, and he can't wait for a moment.

"As Danzo-sama said, you have a good mind and are very good at analysis. There is no need to estimate, Sasuke Uchiha will definitely come and attack tomorrow. I think you know the movement of the forest country, and there is a battle in the Uchiha stronghold there...... The black flame that appeared in the field was caused by Uchiha Itachi's kaleidoscope writing wheel eye pupil technique, named Amaterasu. Where the eye is focused, an unquenchable flame burns and incinerates the enemy to death...... In the ninja world, only Uchiha Itachi has this ability. ”

The leopard gives this crucial message.

As the Uchiha Itachi's superior agency, the root is very familiar with most of the abilities on his body.

In particular, the double pupil technique is one of the top secrets of the root.

"I see, have their brothers already met?"

Shikamaru's voice deepened.

"Ah, and, it seems, their brothers don't get along very well. Of course, the most terrifying thing is not this incident, the most terrifying thing is that after defeating Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Sasuke may have awakened new powers. And this new power, we don't know anything about it at the moment. ”

Leopard said solemnly.

The Writing Wheel Eye is the eye of the soul portrayal, and the awakened pupil technique will also awaken different pupil techniques according to the holder's mental journey.

And the power of every pupil technique can be called terrifying, and it is absolutely impossible for people to resist.

"It sounds like it's going to be a tough fight."

Shikamaru looked at the pill in front of him and didn't move.

"The power of the writing wheel eye is so troublesome. In short, all success or failure depends on tomorrow. There is another point, we have to guard against the roots of the country of ghosts, so the power given to you will not be too much, otherwise there will be no way to prevent the ninjas of the country of ghosts. If you can't do anything, it's okay to retreat directly. ”

The leopard has already opened his mouth on the premise of Shikamaru's failure.

No matter how good the resourcefulness is, in the face of the absolute difference in strength, these cleverness are only small cleverness, and the impact on victory or defeat is minimal.

Even if Shikamaru's strength is no longer weaker than that of the upper ninja, the opponent is very likely to be a person with a kaleidoscope writing wheel, even if he adds a upper ninja, it is really a bit risky.

As he spoke, Leopard took out a document from his bosom and placed it in front of Shikamaru.

"This is the operative staff assigned to you by Lord Danzang, and their identity information, including abilities and characteristics, is all written on it. Well, good luck and bye-bye. ”

The leopard gestured, and the figure disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The customers in the shop also disappeared into light smoke, leaving Shikamaru alone to sit quietly in the Maruko shop.

……

"Captain, is it really okay to leave things to such a little ghost?"

The members of the Roots, who followed, and the masked leopard, galloped through the uninhabited alleyways.

The leopard, who led the team in front, said calmly: "This kind of thing is known, if it can succeed the best, it really can't work, and then we will take action to solve Uchiha Sasuke." Konoha here, it's not the people of the Oni Country who have the final say. Not surprisingly, tomorrow in the hands of Lord Tuanzang, there will be an extra pair of spare kaleidoscope writing wheels. ”

There was confidence in his tone.

It is also a trust in the group.

The rest of the team nodded their heads.

At this moment, the leopard suddenly let out a soft 'ah'.

"Uh, what's wrong, Captain?"

Hearing the leopard's unknown cry, the members of the root group tightened their hearts, thinking that something had happened.

"No, the ......" Leopard said embarrassedly, covering his masked face with one hand, "I seem to have forgotten to pay just now." ”

“……”

The members of the root who followed looked at each other and became speechless.

The leopard sighed helplessly.

"Forget it, when the dust settles tomorrow, I'll return the food money to him."

◎

July 10th, the day of the joint Zhongnin exam.

Seven o'clock in the morning.

In a Konoha apartment, Red Bean wakes up from a nightmare.

Perhaps the content of the dream was too terrifying, causing her to sit up directly from the bed, sweating profusely on her face and body, as if she had done an intense exercise and wet her pajamas.

As one of Konoha's special shinobi, he shouldn't have been scared to this extent by a nightmare, but when he recalled the things in the dream, Red Bean couldn't help but shiver.

"Really, it's clear that Orochimaru bastard is dead, and I still can't get rid of his influence, is it because of the curse mark?"

Hongdou subconsciously touched the curse mark on the back of his neck and smiled bitterly.

A month ago, when she heard the news of Orochimaru's death, she was saddened by the death of her former teacher, and on the other hand, she was also very glad that she was finally free from Orochimaru's control and no longer had to worry about the curse seal.

Perhaps because of Orochimaru's death, the curse marks on her body have been very stable lately, and there is no sign of going berserk.

Other than having some dreams about Orochimaru, there are no other anomalies.

This may be due to the fact that I 'missed' the other person too much in the past.

Every time, she could dream that she was standing in the boundless darkness, and the sarcoma surging from the ground, as if it was the stomach of some carnivorous creature, slowly squeezed towards her.

And every time I turned around, I could see Orochimaru standing behind him abruptly, smiling at himself with an inexplicable smile.

The content of the dream ends here every time.

"Maybe I should go to the hospital and get some calming medicine......"

Azuki shook her head.

It's not okay to go on like this, you must get rid of this dream as soon as possible and let your spirit recover, otherwise you won't even be able to do the task well.

Lifted the quilt, stepped out of bed, and was about to take off her wet pajamas when something suddenly hit her shoulder, startling her.

"Who!?"

She is Konoha's special ninja, and her strength far exceeds that of the middle ninja, even if it is a ninja, it is impossible to get close to her silently.

When she turned her head, her body stiffened.

The bright red light of her eyes shone in her eyes.

For a while, sleepiness struck, and without the slightest resistance, he collapsed by the window and fell asleep.

The person who hypnotized it was wearing a black hooded trench coat and a mask based on black patterns on his face, and a pair of bright red eyes were exposed.

Writing wheels.

He looked at the red bean who had been hypnotized by himself with illusion and fell asleep, and directly reached out to grab the red bean's neck.

After further uncovering the pajamas, he took out a charm from his pocket and attached it to the spell mark around the neck of the red bean.

A serpentine spiritual shock suddenly rushed into his brain, roaring wildly at him, full of struggle and panic.

"Humph!"

On the bright red right eye, the three magatama were suddenly connected, forming a kaleidoscope writing wheel eye with a more complex pattern.

The snake-like spiritual energy suddenly disappeared from his brain without a trace, and there was not a single residue left.

In his heyday, the Great Snake Pill was not afraid of himself, not to mention that now it was just a residual spiritual shock?

This kind of mental impact may be effective for ordinary ninjas, but in front of his writing wheels, such a spiritual attack is simply an axe.

took away the charm on the neck of the red bean, and saw that the skin of the red bean's neck was white, and the black lines of the curse mark disappeared.

"In this way, the spell marks that were scattered outside at the end were also successfully recovered."

As he spoke, he cast his eyes out of the window, and his bright red eyes were full of gloom.

"Next, it's up to this junior to see how far he can go......

The air twisted, and the air in the room was quiet, leaving only the red bean sleeping peacefully.

(End of chapter)