Naruto: Forbidden Arts and an Immortal Agenda

Before he knew it, Aozora's two-week sick leave had ended.

Throwing on a clan robe over some soft armor and sporting dark circles under his eyes, Aozora stepped out of his house.

After leaving the Uchiha Compound, Aozora noticed many people along the way pointing at him and whispering behind their hands.

When he saw several men glance at him then start whispering secretly, Aozora realized something was off.

Though he was used to getting attention, he never expected to catch the eyes of groups of full-grown men.

Aozora quickened his pace, slipping out of their view before transforming into an ordinary-looking middle-aged man and doubling back to listen in.

With Aozora gone, these people began gossiping shamelessly, their eyes filled with jealousy, hatred, and disgust.

"He became a ninja at such a young age—I guess he hasn't committed too many evil acts yet..."

"I heard their entire clan are demons reincarnated—by doing evil deeds they gain power..."

"Yeah, their eyes alone are proof. Those aren't normal human eyes; they're pure demon eyes..."

"Last year's Nine-Tails attack must have been their doing too..."

"Forget that—did you hear the Hokage had a big fight with his younger son?"

"Really? Tell me more..."

"..."

Listening to these absurd rumors, Aozora remained silent.

The authorities moved fast—the smear campaign hadn't even ended long ago, yet someone was already slandering the Uchiha in secret.

Though ridiculous, this kind of talk actually found fertile ground among civilians.

While ordinary ninjas were powerful, their appearance differed little from regular people. However, the Sharingan truly did look menacing. Combined with the Uchiha's already terrible reputation, these rumors packed tremendous damage.

In Mist, clans like the Kaguya and the Yuki were also eliminated using similar methods.

First came the rumors and defamation to isolate them, then provocation to incite anger, and finally a trap.

Although civilian opinions couldn't physically harm individual Uchihas, they could influence how other ninja clans perceived them—no one wanted to stand against the people.

Aozora felt a pang of worry—would he grow strong enough to stop the massacre in time?

If the nest falls, can the eggs remain unbroken?

Given current events, maybe the Uchiha massacre wouldn't necessarily happen four or five years later.

Should he intervene in the conflict between the clan and Konoha to delay the timing of their destruction?

If he joined in, what could he do? What actions might the clan take?

Walking toward the Hokage Tower, Aozora's thoughts swirled chaotically.

Suddenly, a lively voice cut through the air.

"Aozora! Long time no see!"

Aozora temporarily pushed aside his thoughts, forcing a smile. "Morning, Aya."

Aya ran over. "Haha, good morning to you too!"

Seeing Aozora's exhausted appearance, she asked in confusion, "Why do you look like this after resting at home?"

Then suddenly remembering those strange sounds she'd heard when visiting him, she immediately stepped back and kept her distance. "Ew~"

Though puzzled, Aozora didn't feel like playing with this golden retriever today—he ignored her reaction.

Side by side but not together, the pair soon arrived at the Mission Hall.

Seeing the deliberate distance between the two, Shibi Aburame and Jifeng felt slightly surprised but didn't dwell on it, heading straight toward the mission office to pick up their next assignment.

Though the Hidden Cloud ninjas who caused trouble had already left the Land of Fire, the bandit menace remained unresolved. Thus, C-rank missions still mainly consisted of bandit-eradication tasks.

Shibi Aburame said, "Bandit eradication—any objections?"

As the three had grown stronger, he now preferred consulting them more often regarding mission choices.

Aozora and the others naturally had no objections.

On the mission list, aside from escort duties, nearly every C-rank assignment was related to bandit eradication. Compared to the sluggish pace of guarding missions, eliminating bandits was far more appealing for the trio.

The mission passed without any incident—or rather, over the following half month, none of Team Three's missions encountered significant problems.

By late September, Team Three had swept across the Land of Fire, leaving a trail of blood and ash in their wake.

There's no need to mention Aozora—he was born for this kind of work.

With special training from Shibi Aburame, both Aya and Jifeng had become much more decisive and efficient in combat.

A team composed of three ninja collectively surpassing Chunin-level strength, supported by an elite Jonin, was unlikely to face any real difficulty.

In just fifteen days, Team Three completed four C-rank bandit-eradication missions—this was despite losing considerable time traveling.

Due to their young age and unusually high mission-completion rate, Team Three once again became the go-to unit for high-priority missions in the village.

Had they had more time and completed more C-rank missions, they might've already been called the "C-Rank Mission Cleanup Machine."

After another successful mission submission, Shibi stopped the three when they turned to leave, handing each a Chunin Selection Application Form.

"Because of the war, the village is short-staffed," Shibi explained flatly. "There will be a Chunin selection exam held next week."

"The rank of Chunin represents greater capability and, simultaneously, heavier responsibility. Please consider your decision carefully."

The three accepted the forms, clearly delighted, signing their names without hesitation.

Over the past half month, all three had realized that being Genin restricted their growth; ordinary C-rank missions could no longer offer effective training.

Even though Aozora kept gaining Gongde with each mission, he'd grown somewhat weary of this blood-soaked lifestyle.

Taking back the signed applications, Shibi pushed up his shades and said, "Well then, rest well these next couple days and prepare yourself properly for the Chunin Exam."

He made no effort to let them scramble for last-minute prep.

Given their abilities, even under standard Chunin Examination conditions they would stand a good chance of passing—let alone in an exam designed mainly to weed out cannon fodder.

Konoha had suffered from Orochimaru's betrayal and the Nine-Tails' attack, and now the Hidden Cloud had tied up too many Konoha ninja, resulting in a serious shortage of experienced mid-level shinobi within the village.

At times like this, even those barely competent enough to complete C-rank missions alone could get promoted to Chunin.

After two days of rest, Aozora adjusted himself accordingly and arrived promptly at the examination site—the First Training Ground.

The First Training Ground was Konoha's traditional venue for the Chunin Exams and had generated substantial revenue for the village.

Surrounded by towering walls on all sides, the arena took the form of a Western-style colosseum, with spectator stands built along the four perimeter walls and a central battlefield area designed specifically for ninja battles.

Walking up to the southern terrace, Aozora noticed quite a few familiar faces had already arrived. 

Besides Aya and Jifeng, the three members of Team One from their graduating year were also participating in this Chunin selection exam. 

Other than them, everyone else was unfamiliar. 

From afar, Aya shouted, "Aozora! Over here, over here!" 

Aozora approached them with the intention of greeting his classmates and showing them a different side of an Uchiha. 

But unexpectedly, except for Aya and Jifeng, the rest of Team One turned away and left immediately. Even Jifeng took an imperceptible step back. 

Seeing them leave, Aya pouted and muttered, "Hmph, a bunch of cowards. It's just because their families told them not to associate with the Uchiha..." 

Aozora's eyes flickered slightly as he asked, "Aya, what did you say just now?" 

"They're a bunch of cowards." 

"The next part." 

"They said their families don't want them to associate with the Uchiha..." 

Before Aya could finish, she quickly explained, "My dad doesn't hate you or anything. He's never even met you before—he assumes all Uchiha are bad people..." 

"She still thinks I'm a kid! I can make my own friends..." 

Watching Aya struggle to explain, Aozora reached out and gently ruffled her hair, saying softly, "I know." 

Aozora then turned his head to look at Jifeng. 

Jifeng remained silent for a moment before finally speaking, "You're definitely a trustworthy comrade, but..." 

Aozora softly cut him off, "No need to say more. Anyway, Team Three was always meant to be disbanded after this exam!"

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