The Chunin Exams are divided into three rounds.
The first round is a written exam.
The content of the exam is knowledge related to ninjas.
Natsume, Kabuto Yakushi, and Hana Inuzuka are not ninjas with a strong bias in certain subjects, so they had no problem with the written exam at all.
They didn't need to show off their tricks to cheat like Sasuke Uchiha and the others in the original story.
"The exam time is over. Please hand in your papers, candidates."
Jiraiya's voice came from the broadcast.
Natsume thought there would be a last question like in the original story, but there wasn't.
The test papers were collected.
The candidates left one after another.
The second round takes place in the Death Forest, a scroll competition.
The time is eight o'clock tomorrow morning.
Because time is needed for the examiners to grade the papers.
"Natsume."
Tsunade waved at him under a tree not far away.
The sunlight scattered on her body, making her smile even brighter.
"Sister, have you been waiting for me?"
Natsume was a little surprised and also a little touched.
"Not really."
Tsunade rolled her eyes and said, "I'm waiting for my three apprentices."
After saying that, she waved at Kabuto Yakushi and Hana Inuzuka again.
Tsk, such a stubborn woman.
Natsume didn't expose her.
The ways home for Kabuto Yakushi and Hana Inuzuka were different from theirs.
Why did Tsunade wait for them?
At the school gate, the group went their separate ways.
Natsume took the initiative to hold Tsunade's hand, and the warm and delicate touch was transmitted back.
He secretly sighed that the Yin Seal was really amazing.
It could keep a person young forever, not only in appearance but also physically.
Tsunade originally wanted to shake off his hand, but when she saw his cute and handsome appearance, she couldn't bear to, so she just let him hold it.
"Get out of the way! The Uchiha Police Force is on a mission!"
While the two were strolling leisurely on the street, a group of Uchiha ninjas passed by in a hurry.
The villagers on both sides quickly got out of the way.
It was similar to how they avoided Naruto Uzumaki.
The Uchiha clan had such a bad reputation, and a lot of it was due to the Konoha Police Force.
Because they did things too roughly.
They simply didn't understand that being a Hokage was not just about fighting, but also about human relationships.
This led to the villagers having a poor impression of them.
The Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, giving the Konoha Police Force to the Uchiha clan was actually a well - calculated strategy.
If the Uchiha clan could integrate into Konoha, it would be fine.
But if not, the Konoha Police Force would be the fuse.
"Is something going on?"
Natsume couldn't help asking.
Their behavior just now could be described as reckless.
No one without a Hokage - related background would dare to act like this. Only the Uchiha clan does.
Relying on their strength, they didn't care about offending people at all.
"I don't know."
Tsunade frowned.
She had been in Konoha and was clear about the situation of the Uchiha clan in recent years. They were becoming more and more restless.
Even Fugaku Uchiha couldn't restrain them.
And the strategy adopted by the Konoha high - ups was not very wise.
They simply included Shisui Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha in the Hokage's faction, attempting to use them as a bridge to ease the conflict between the two parties.
But obviously, this was impossible.
It only treated the symptoms, not the root cause.
"Let's go to the Hokage Building."
After thinking for a while, Tsunade decided to check the situation.
If something happens to the Uchiha clan, it will inevitably affect Konoha and disrupt the peaceful lives of her and Natsume.
Natsume nodded.
At this moment, he was already thinking if it was Orochimaru or Tanzo Shimura who was causing trouble.
When they arrived at the Hokage Building, the atmosphere grew even tenser.
Tsunade casually grabbed a staff member and asked about the situation.
Natsume couldn't help exclaiming, "Sasuke Uchiha is missing?"
Most likely it was Orochimaru, trying to use Sasuke to blackmail Itachi Uchiha and ultimately threaten Shisui Uchiha.
The two of them have a friendship like that of Guan Zhong and Bao Shuya (two good friends in Chinese history). If one got into trouble, the other would surely step in.
But when and where would the fight happen?
Were there other people involved?
Orochimaru's strength must have grown stronger than three years ago, but Shisui Uchiha had also made progress. Everything was uncertain.
In the Hokage's office.
"The Konoha Police Force is an institution of Konoha, not the private armed force of the Uchiha clan. Over a little brat, they've got everyone on edge. What on earth are they trying to do?!"
"I think Tanzo's right," Homura Mitokado, the Hokage advisor, immediately chimed in. "The Uchiha clan has really gone too far. They should have at least informed us first."
"Well, this matter is somewhat excusable," Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice rang out. "What I'm more worried about is how Sasuke Uchiha went missing. To be able to take the clan leader's son from the Uchiha clan, that person's strength must be terrifying."
"Maybe they staged this whole thing themselves just to show their dissatisfaction," Tanzo finally revealed his true intentions.
"Fugaku wouldn't do such a thing," Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head and said. "Especially using his own son."
"What Hiruzen said does make sense," Homura Mitokado tried to smooth things over again.
"Send both the Anbu and Root to find the boy," Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff of his cigarette and said slowly. "Whether it's real or fake, once we find Sasuke, we'll naturally know."
Tanzo was overjoyed but managed to keep a straight face.
This was exactly the power he wanted.
Many things could be set in motion because of this.
Hiruzen, Hiruzen, this time I've won.
Tsunade and Natsume didn't go to see Hiruzen Sarutobi. Instead, they went home.
They left the job of finding Sasuke to the professionals.
But Tsunade wasn't idle either.
She invited Mikoto Uchiha over to help ease her worries.
The lady no longer had her usual gentleness and calmness. She looked extremely haggard.
Oh!
Shizune kept sending back news, but it wasn't good.
In their search for Sasuke, the Uchiha clan had actually intensified their usual conflicts.
They even wanted to enter the Hyuga clan's territory for a search.
Thankfully, Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived in time.
But soon, even he couldn't hold it together because they wanted to search the Sarutobi clan.
Natsume couldn't help thinking, 'If they don't get into trouble, who will?'
He guessed that Fugaku had lost control of the Uchiha clan.
Otherwise, with his personality, he wouldn't have been so reckless.
Even if they wanted to investigate, he would have discussed it properly with Hiruzen Sarutobi and asked for his help.
Judging from the situation, it was probably the radical faction causing trouble.
Due to Fugaku's inaction, the radical faction had grown to a size that couldn't be ignored.
In two years, the famous scene of coercing the clan leader into rebellion will play out.
It's simply absurd for a clan leader to try to be a double - dealer.
Natsume wondered if this incident would cause the clan's extermination to happen earlier.
It was possible, but not certain.
It all depended on Hiruzen Sarutobi's decision.
Konoha had just had a few months of rest, and Hiruzen Sarutobi definitely wouldn't want another rebellion.
Moreover, in the original story, it was Itachi Uchiha and Obito Uchiha who carried out the massacre on the night of the clan's extermination.
But now, Itachi didn't have the Mangekyo Sharingan, and Shisui Uchiha was still alive.
The probability of the clan reaching the point of extermination was relatively low.
Thinking of this, Natsume knew what he had to do.
Itachi Uchiha, Shisui Uchiha, Orochimaru, or Tanzo Shimura.
As long as he knew the whereabouts of any one of these four individuals.
Natsume didn't track them down himself. Instead, he spent ten destiny values.
At this time, he couldn't afford to be stingy.
As the saying goes, 'When the mantis preys on the cicada, the oriole is behind' (meaning someone is waiting to take advantage of the situation).
Natsume also wanted to take this opportunity to target Shisui Uchiha.
With the destiny values in hand, Orochimaru and Tanzo Shimura would only be doing the work for him.
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