Uchiha Fugaku shot him a sideways glance and scoffed, "Kids really are kids. You still don't get it?"
He continued, "The Hokage and the other three Kage were whispering just now, probably discussing a sudden change in the exam schedule."
"Maybe the other Kage didn't trust us and wanted to mess with the timing."
Hearing Fugaku call him a kid, Yuki Seisui was a little annoyed. "You're not much older than me, Fugaku."
Fugaku's mouth twitched as he looked at Yuki, who was clearly shorter than him. He had never imagined that, as the heir of the Uchiha clan, he'd one day be called Fugaku by a brat younger than him.
"Hmph. I just hope your skills are as sharp as your mouth," Fugaku muttered before turning and walking off.
His teammates, Yuhi Makoto and Hyuga Hiashi, followed him without a word. Before leaving, Makoto gave Yuki and the others a warm smile.
"What a nice guy," Yuki murmured, seeing the smile. "No wonder he raised such a cool daughter."
He clicked his tongue quietly. In his past life, he'd read plenty of doujins about Yuhi Kurenai. Now, seeing her father in the flesh filled him with an odd sense of reflection and irony.
Uchiha Haru glanced at him with suspicion, she could tell he was thinking something sketchy.
Once the schedule was announced, Sarutobi Hiruzen and the other Kage left the stage.
Minato spoke up at the right moment. "Let's get moving too. I just saw Brother Dai heading out."
"Huh?" Yuki blinked. "Brother Dai passed the first round?"
"Mm," Haru nodded from the side. "Barely, though. They almost didn't make it."
"But in the end, they pulled through."
Yuki clicked his tongue again. He had always suspected that Might Duy had remained a Genin for so long because of written exams. And now he'd actually passed?
He couldn't imagine what it would be like for a wild beast like Dai to be let loose among a bunch of paper tigers.
By the time Yuki, Minato, and Haru arrived at the entrance to the Forest of Death, a large crowd had already gathered.
As they walked up, several nearby teams subtly began to edge closer to them.
To the other teams, it may have seemed discreet, but to Yuki, their intentions couldn't have been more obvious.
"Minato, Haru," Yuki muttered quietly as he glanced around, "you guys ready to cut them down if needed?"
Minato and Haru exchanged a look and nodded in sync.
"I'll make sure they regret underestimating me," Haru said confidently.
In just a month, she had already mastered Chidori.
While the Uchiha were known for their fire chakra, that didn't mean they didn't have other chakra natures, it was just that fire was their specialty.
Minato didn't say anything, but he gripped his two tri-pronged kunai tightly, his eyes serious.
Receiving their team's badge was a simple process. As the team leader, Yuki walked right up to Homura Mitokado and took it directly.
Just as he was about to leave, Homura remembered Hiruzen's instruction and said, "The Hokage said to take it easy."
Yuki paused in his step and glanced back, flashing Homura a radiant smile.
Meanwhile, the nearby Genin from the smaller villages who had been watching Yuki's group exchanged glances.
"Looks like even their Kage have no faith in them," a Rain Village Genin whispered to his five teammates.
Even though the test was taken in three-man squads, most villages had sent more than one team.
Like the Rain Village, six Genin, two teams, but they moved as a single unit.
Same for other smaller villages, groups clustered together.
"Alright. You three take their badge. We'll split off and hit another team," one of them suggested.
"Got it." The six of them quickly came to an agreement.
Badge in hand, Yuki led Minato and Haru straight into the Forest of Death.
The three of them moved swiftly, almost as if they were trying to shake off someone tailing them.
"Heh, those fools are in for a rude awakening," said the young A from the Cloud, smirking at the groups who had set their sights on Yuki's team.
Pakura, standing nearby, also glanced over at them with a cold sneer. "Idiots. Do they really think the Leaf would send out just three kids for something this important?"
The moment they entered the forest, Yuki made a beeline for the central tower.
"This kind of bait will definitely work, right?" Haru asked while running.
"Absolutely," Yuki replied without hesitation.
He'd been in this world long enough to understand the nature of most shinobi.
Besides a rare few, most had no education and no real strength. All they had was arrogance and fragile pride.
Especially those from the smaller villages.
One impulse and they'd follow through without a second thought.
He thought back to the original series, like Karin Uzumaki's mother. A wielder of a powerful bloodline, yet she'd been used like a living blood bag rather than being part of an effort to rebuild the clan.
It was proof of how little foresight people in this world had.
Uchiha Itachi was the same. If he'd gotten a proper nine-year education, maybe he wouldn't have been dumb enough to massacre his own clan.
It all came down to one truth: a village exists to protect a clan, not the other way around.
A clan can protect a village, sure, but only if the village is protecting them in return. Otherwise, it's a complete reversal of purpose.
There's really only one way to sum these people up:
"Ignorance is terrifying."
After running for a bit, Yuki stopped and looked around. "This is a good spot. Let's wait here."
"Mm," both Minato and Haru nodded.
The three of them jumped up onto the branches and concealed themselves, brushing away any signs of their trail.
The trees in the Forest of Death were massive, even the branches could easily hold three people sitting side by side.
"Quick! I found their trail!"
"We have to beat the others there and kill those three brats!"
The first to appear were the three Genin from Grass Village. They looked like they were in a rush, as if they'd miss out on a fortune if they didn't act fast.
"They're here," Yuki whispered with a grin, glancing at Minato and Haru.
"There's more coming," Haru added, closing her eyes briefly to sense movement.
Though she wasn't technically a sensory ninja, she had the best perception of the three.
Sure enough, a moment later, the sound of rustling leaves came from nearby.
"Who's there?!"
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