Obito's long awaited showdown with Kakashi never happened, and his chance to make a grand impression in front of the Third Hokage disappeared with it.
Still, he did not walk away empty handed.
At the very least, he managed to receive treatment from Rin Nohara personally.
The frustration on Obito's face vanished instantly. In fact, his only regret now was that Might Guy had not kicked him harder.
"If he had used a little more force, maybe Rin would have stayed by my side even longer."
Might Guy stared at him speechlessly. In all his years, he had never met someone shameless enough to ask for a harder beating just to receive more medical attention from a girl.
After that, the remaining preliminary matches lacked much excitement.
This was only the elimination round, after all. To preserve the spectacle of the finals, many of the truly powerful Genin were intentionally matched against weaker opponents.
The real battles were meant for the final stage, where the strongest participants could fight without holding back.
Among the remaining matches, the most entertaining one was probably Kakashi versus Yashamaru.
Unfortunately for Yashamaru, he ended up facing one of the favorites to win the Chunin Exams.
Still, no Ninja who made it this far would willingly admit inferiority.
Yashamaru displayed impressive skill from the very beginning, summoning three puppets at once.
Unlike Karura, Yashamaru specialized entirely in Puppet Ninjutsu. His arsenal consisted of Crow, Black Ant, and Salamander.
Over the years, Sasori had left behind many puppets within Sunagakure. Although they were considered his earlier creations, each one was crafted with incredible precision and deadly efficiency.
Even Sasori's discarded works were treated as treasures by the Hidden Sand Village, which only proved how terrifying his talent truly was.
Unfortunately, Sasori had already abandoned the village and become a rogue ninja.
Even so, Sunagakure still had not launched a large scale pursuit against him.
Yashamaru's strength was considerable, and with three puppets fighting alongside him, he posed a serious threat.
However, his opponent was Kakashi.
More importantly, Kakashi wielded the White Light Chakra Saber in battle.
Both Sakumo and Hayashi were experts at dismantling puppets through direct force, and Kakashi had inherited the same brutal fighting style.
As for Team One's Asuma, his match ended even faster.
His opponent came from Amegakure.
After Orochimaru's warning, Hayashi had already suspected that Hanzō had encountered trouble. However, to maintain appearances and avoid drawing suspicion from Konoha, Nagato still sent Genin from the Hidden Rain Village to participate in the Chunin Exams.
Unfortunately for the Ame ninja, his strength simply could not compare to Asuma's.
The battle ended swiftly and decisively.
Overall, the results of the preliminary round aligned closely with Hayashi's expectations. Very few surprises occurred, and most of the Genin who advanced to the finals were exactly who he anticipated.
After the preliminaries concluded, the participants were given one week of rest before the finals began.
During that time, the number of visitors entering and leaving Konoha increased dramatically.
By the day before the finals, the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, and the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, officially arrived in Konoha under the Hokage's invitation.
For the first time in years, three Kage had gathered within the same village.
As a result, Konoha's security forces were placed under enormous pressure.
Standing atop a massive banyan tree near the village entrance, Hayashi looked toward Himeji beside him.
"Did you notice anything unusual?"
Himeji gently shook her head.
"Nothing suspicious."
Hayashi narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Any signs of foreign chakra manipulation?"
"None at all," Himeji answered confidently.
Hayashi frowned.
The mere fact that Yagura had agreed to attend the Chunin Exams already felt abnormal.
Hayashi had confirmed through several intelligence channels that Yagura was under Fugaku's control through Genjutsu.
Normally, someone being manipulated like that would avoid public appearances as much as possible, let alone travel all the way to another hidden village.
Inside Kirigakure, Yagura rarely showed himself. Most commands were delivered through subordinates. Since the Hidden Mist Village lacked the Byakugan, it was far easier to conceal signs of manipulation there.
But Konoha was different.
Even Danzō's use of Kotoamatsukami on Mifune had eventually been exposed through Ao's Byakugan. There was no reason Himeji would fail to notice something similar.
Originally, Hayashi intended to remove the Genjutsu from Yagura personally.
Doing so would not only ruin Fugaku's plans, but also force him to abandon the Hidden Mist Village and begin gathering Tailed Beasts sooner than expected.
Yet after Himeji examined Yagura carefully, there was no trace of external chakra control whatsoever.
That was the strangest part.
Which meant only one possibility remained.
The person currently acting as Yagura was most likely a White Zetsu in disguise.
That way, even if someone investigated him closely, they would discover nothing unusual.
But why would Fugaku go through the trouble of sending a fake Yagura to Konoha just to observe the Chunin Exams?
A dangerous thought immediately surfaced in Hayashi's mind.
A large scale assault on Konoha.
Something similar to Orochimaru's invasion plan from the original timeline.
It was entirely possible.
"Should we inform the Third Hokage?" Himeji asked quietly.
Hayashi shook his head.
"No need."
After Himeji was attacked previously, Hayashi had already hinted that Yagura was likely being manipulated.
The Third Hokage simply did not believe it.
Or perhaps he refused to believe that the Mizukage of Kirigakure could fall under another person's control. Otherwise, he never would have invited Yagura here.
Even if the Hokage believed him now, it would not change much.
The Chunin Exams could not be cancelled at this stage, which meant Konoha would remain crowded with outsiders.
Security throughout the village had already reached its highest possible level.
Even with advance warning, there was little more they could realistically do.
The real problem was not Yagura.
Nor was it Konoha itself.
The true question was when and where Fugaku intended to strike.
"You and Uchiha Mikoto stay close to Uzumaki Kushina," Hayashi said quietly. "Do not let her wander off. I'll speak with Minato Namikaze and Senju Nawaki."
Himeji nodded immediately.
"I understand."
As Hayashi left to discuss countermeasures with Minato and Nawaki, a tall figure wearing a black robe silently appeared within the Uchiha Clan compound.
For years, Fugaku had used a White Zetsu clone to impersonate him inside the clan.
Today, the real Fugaku had finally returned to the village he once called home.
Just as the White Zetsu previously reported, the clan compound had changed significantly over the years.
So much so that even Fugaku found parts of it unfamiliar.
He stepped into the house where he had lived for many years before silently sitting beneath the loquat tree planted long ago by Uchiha Yama.
The White Zetsu reverted to its original appearance nearby.
Fugaku said nothing. He simply waved his hand, signaling for it to stay away.
He wanted to be alone.
As dusk settled over the compound, Fugaku formed a thin wooden rod from his hand and began digging beneath the tree.
Soon, the tip struck something solid.
A buried wine bottle.
It was the wine he had hidden years ago before leaving Konoha.
Back then, he intended to return after completing his mission and drink it in celebration.
He never expected that opportunity would never come.
Fugaku brushed away the dirt covering the bottle and quietly muttered to himself.
"When I was young, you wanted me to become clan head, become the Fourth Hokage, and restore the Uchiha Clan's glory."
"But as I grew older, you regretted everything. You thought my talent was lacking. You thought I could never compare to Hayashi. You believed I would never accomplish anything meaningful."
He lowered his gaze toward the bottle in silence.
"And now?"
"I awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan."
"In the future, I will become the next Sage of Six Paths and bring the Infinite Tsukuyomi into reality."
"You were killed by Hayashi before you could witness any of it."
"So now, I have to avenge you."
Fugaku's voice became quieter.
"I probably cannot kill him yet. But I can destroy everything he values."
"The clan. The Hokage. Those were the things you cared about most."
He stared blankly ahead.
"Father... why won't you answer me? Why won't you appear in my dreams and tell me what I should do?"
After a long silence, Fugaku finally let out a tired sigh.
"Forget it."
"Everything you wanted will exist inside the Infinite Tsukuyomi eventually."
"So I might as well destroy this village now."
"As for the Uchiha Clan... among all those clansmen, I will leave one or two alive."
"At least the bloodline won't disappear completely."
The White Zetsu, which had waited quietly in the distance the entire time, finally approached after Fugaku raised his arm.
Without even turning around, Fugaku gave his order.
"Transform into my appearance."
"Then invite Hayashi over."
"Tell him I'm asking him to share a drink."