Naruto: Forbidden Arts and an Immortal Agenda

From the moment Aozora's kunai left his hand to when it pierced Rong Hyuga's chest, it took less than a second.

The third match lasted exactly thirty seconds — all spent in words, not a single second in actual combat.

Villagers had already grabbed their snacks and drinks, mentally gearing up for some juicy gossip between the two clans, ready to show off their knowledge the moment the battle started.

On another section of the spectator stand, ninjas were shooting the breeze, discussing the future of these two competitors while giving off the vibe of seasoned seniors critiquing younger generations.

Yet in an instant, the match came to a sudden end.

All they saw was Rong Hyuga charging toward Aozora, then bursting out blood from his chest before crashing onto the ground.

The entire stadium fell into complete silence.

Snacks dropped from spectators' hands, and even the ninjas stood speechless.

Members of the Hyuga Clan stared furiously, already building up killing intent.

The Uchiha fixed their glares at the Hyuga, revealing blood-red eyes hidden beneath their eyelids.

Only Kona Aizawa reacted immediately.

She leaped down from the battle platform instantly, knelt beside the fallen Rong Hyuga, and poured warm chakra from her hands into his body.

While healing him, she yelled at Aozora angrily: "You're fighting someone from your own village! Why be so merciless? So cruel?"

Aozora stepped closer, replying coldly: "Didn't hit his heart, just an external wound. Removing the kunai would've sufficed. What you're doing is only increasing his pain."

Hearing this, Kona used her chakra to examine further, and indeed found it to be true.

After pulling out Aozora's kunai and applying healing techniques, color finally returned slightly to Rong's face.

Picking up the kunai, Aozora whispered by Rong's ear: "Going all-out? Can you really handle it?"

With that, he jumped up onto the southern high platform.

At this point, the proctor finally showed up and announced: "Third match winner is… Uchiha Aozora!"

When Aozora landed on the south spectator platform and Rong Hyuga was carried away by medics, the arena slowly regained its noise.

The Hyuga merely grunted coldly before sitting back down.

Seeing this, the Uchiha also returned to their original positions.

Villagers picked their jaws off the floor, grumbling curses under their breath.

"What the hell was that!?"

"Totally nothing!"

"This must be a fix! Did Rong get paid off or somethin'?"

"No way! This is the prestigious Hyuga Clan we're talking about, besides, his opponent was a ninja from the Uchiha Clan!"

"I bet two hundred and fifty gold coins too! How did he lose? Isn't Rong Hyuga supposed to be a Hyuga genius?"

"…"

Despite all the complaints and protests from the audience, the selection tournament continued as scheduled.

Soon enough, scenes full of flying ninja tools and chaotic Ninjutsu quickly caught villagers' attention again.

However, among the present ninja observers, their gazes remained fixed on Aozora.

That single kunai throw just now—was deadly enough to wipe out not only Genin but likely Chunin too, while even Jonin wouldn't dare guarantee escaping unscathed.

Many ninja who had received secret instructions couldn't help but feel uncertain in their hearts.

Are we really going to confront the Uchiha?

If even a twelve-year-old boy is difficult for us to contend with,

Then what about other members of the Uchiha Clan?

This is the very clan that co-founded Konoha together with the Senju of the Forest!

Though somewhat weakened today, the Uchiha still have more than twenty Jonin and over a hundred Chunin within the clan.

This level of strength might not match the Five Great Ninja Villages, but it was certainly enough to destroy villages and annihilate entire nations.

Sarutobi Hiruzen's face darkened with solemnity at this moment.

He'd heard Aozora was good with ninja tools, but not like this good.

The earlier kunai hadn't posed much of a threat to him—but was that already Aozora's full power when throwing kunai?

What if those kunai were replaced with that chakra-conductive metal-made throwing knife?

There was no answer to that question. Perhaps he could still defend and dodge, but he might also get injured—or even die.

Until the throwing knife appears, who could say what the outcome would be?

Under the crowd's piercing stares, Aozora remained completely unreadable.

Jifeng hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward. "Congratulations!"

Aya glared at him, anger flashing in her eyes. "Traitor!" she spat. "Jifeng, how could you betray us…"

Aozora cut in, "Enough! He has his reasons."

Then turning around, he smiled at Jifeng. "Thanks!"

His smile was warm, but it held a distance that couldn't be bridged.

The world had always been this way—everyone bore the weight of family, leaving them no room to live for themselves.

If only there had been no families standing between them—they might have become close friends. But wishes don't change reality.

Jifeng gave a bitter smile and deliberately took a few steps back from Aozora.

Aya wanted to say something else, but finally held her tongue.

All three instinctively turned their gazes back onto the arena, trying to relieve the awkward silence.

At this moment, two ordinary ninja stood in the field.

One was named Senbon, the other Taiseki.

Their names were unremarkable, their appearances equally plain.

Both were around seventeen or eighteen—veteran Genin who seemed to lack potential and thus never advanced further.

Logically, this match should be an evenly-matched duel between two mediocre opponents.

Yet surprisingly, the battle turned out to be completely one-sided.

The guy named Senbon was genuinely skilled at throwing needles.

His senbon needles were extremely thin and long, practically invisible once slightly distant.

Normally, such slender needles should be difficult to throw effectively, possessing minimal destructive power.

Yet in Senbon's hands, every needle packed considerable force, causing Taiseki to cry out in agony repeatedly.

Right from the start of the match, Taiseki became nothing more than a target for Senbon's practice.

Aozora had trained his [Yang Eye] extensively, so even without activating the Sharingan, he could barely track the traces left by the flying needles.

Fast!

Accurate!

Those slender needles seemed to obey his will completely, striking wherever directed.

Each needle fired by Senbon precisely hit acupoints on Taiseki's body, compensating for the weapon's naturally weak offensive capabilities.

Finally, the match ended with Taiseki lying motionless on the ground, covered in needles like a hedgehog.

Just when everyone thought Senbon was the only surprise, another dark horse appeared in what had seemed like an ordinary exam.

This new dark horse was named Kunai. Towering tall with a broad frame hidden under his loose robe, this man possessed immense physical strength, quick speed, and after closing the distance on his opponent, swiftly reduced him to a bloodied mess, with dislocated bones and internal injuries.

Surprisingly, both of these formidable competitors belonged to the same team.

Their outstanding performances and unusual names quickly caught the attention of Sarutobi Hiruzen.

He rubbed his forehead thoughtfully, then turned to Danzo and said, "If I'm not mistaken, weren't they originally members of Root's Third Squad?"

Danzo didn't deny it. "And what if they are?" he shot back.

Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned, his quiet expression carrying natural authority. "This is the *Chunin Exams*!"

"I know," Danzo nodded. "Haven't you always said that roots left buried will only rot?"

"They've labored hard and earned their place. I want to give them a chance to begin anew under the sunlight."

Danzo's voice was calm and low; no one could discern his emotions or intentions from it.

But Hiruzen knew.

They were friends and rivals at the same time. He understood Danzo's character, grasped Danzo's thoughts.

Root was merely his tool—he had no regard for the thoughts or will of such instruments.

Yet this indeed was his suggestion for Danzo.

Hiruzen remained silent for a while, then took a few puffs from his pipe before saying, "Do as you think best."

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