"Clan Head?"
The chūnin guard glanced toward Uchiha Fugaku, clearly waiting for his decision.
He felt insulted. A kid had actually challenged him—and this six-year-old kid seed to genuinely believe he could win.
It was ridiculous.
Did he really think chūnin were that easy to defeat?
"Zoro, are you certain? The chūnin of the Uchiha clan are not ordinary chūnin."
Uchiha Fugaku gave him a reminder. The chūnin Zoro had challenged had already awakened the Sharingan. Although it was only a single-tomoe Sharingan, his strength was still far above that of an average chūnin.
"It's fine, Clan Head. I have confidence in my strength."
Uchiha Zoro spoke with quiet certainty. He intended to answer every doubt through action.
Gripping the wooden sword at his waist, he lowered his body slightly, sank his breath, and assud a drawing stance. Most of the exhaustion from his earlier strike had already faded.
The chūnin guard's expression darkened.
The Uchiha were a proud clan, yet now, in front of the clan head and elders, he was being challenged by a child.
"In that case, Isshin, don't hold back—but know where to stop."
Uchiha Fugaku gave the chūnin guard a final warning.
A ninja was not an immobile rockery made of greenstone. Even if Zoro's swordsmanship possessed destructive power beyond that of a chūnin—perhaps even beyond what so ordinary jōnin could match—power alone did not equal combat experience.
Whether he could truly defeat an experienced chūnin was still uncertain.
A qualified ninja had access to all kinds of ninjutsu, along with techniques such as the Body Flicker and Substitution.
"Clan Head, then I'll respectfully obey. Young Master Zoro, if I offend you during this exchange, please forgive ."
A relaxed smile appeared on Uchiha Isshin's face. He drew a black kunai and settled into a combat stance.
His pupils gradually turned red, and a single black tomoe slowly erged within each eye.
"Are you ready? This slash may be a little fast."
Uchiha Zoro smiled at Isshin in a friendly manner.
His calm tone made Uchiha Fugaku and the two elders beside him show faint surprise.
Could Zoro's strength still go further?
"Clack."
Only the sound of a wooden sword leaving its sheath could be heard.
In the blink of an eye, Uchiha Zoro appeared directly behind Isshin.
"Young Master, what is this…"
Uchiha Isshin's pupils trembled violently.
Even with his single-tomoe Sharingan activated, he had failed to capture the motion of Zoro drawing his sword.
The only thing left in his vision was the pair of deep footprints where Zoro had originally stood.
"Isshin, you've already lost."
Fugaku's impartial judgnt ca from the side.
"Lost? When did I lose?"
Uchiha Isshin still had not reacted.
He admitted that Young Master Zoro's sudden burst of speed was indeed terrifyingly fast, but he had not felt any attack land on him at all.
Just as he was about to ask the clan head why, he suddenly sensed sothing.
His neck felt warm.
He reached up and touched it.
A tiny wound had appeared there, and crimson blood was slowly spreading from it.
!!!
The corner of Uchiha Isshin's mouth twitched.
Now he understood why the clan head had said he had lost.
His throat had been touched.
At that thought, Uchiha Isshin could not help but shiver.
In other words, if Zoro had carried killing intent just now, he would probably already be lying beneath the earth.
"Young Master Zoro, I apologize. I lost."
After regaining his composure, Uchiha Isshin turned around with a sowhat dejected expression and bowed to Uchiha Zoro.
The Uchiha clan respected strength, and Zoro's strength had undoubtedly convinced him.
At six years old, he had defeated a chūnin with ease.
It was obvious that Uchiha Zoro's future was imasurable.
"None of you are permitted to disclose what happened today. Also, Zoro, rember this: a tall tree catches the wind, and what is too rigid breaks."
Uchiha Fugaku reminded him solemnly.
"Yes, Clan Head."
Uchiha Zoro's heart settled.
He understood what Fugaku ant.
In other words, during his early graduation assessnt, he must not display power that was too monstrous. He had to hold back.
A genius capable of raising the clan's upper limit would undoubtedly make Konoha's higher-ups extrely wary.
And within this seemingly bright and glorious Konoha, assassination and sches were far from unreasonable.
---
That night, Uchiha Muneyoshi ca alone to the room where Zoro lived.
"Grandfather, may I ask why you've co to see so late?"
"Zoro, according to the decision made by the clan and Konoha's higher-ups, you'll be entering the Ninja Academy tomorrow."
"So soon?"
Uchiha Zoro was sowhat surprised.
The Ninja Academy's enrollnt period had already passed. He had thought it would take so ti before he could enter as a transfer student.
"Of course. After all, Konoha's higher-ups also want to see you as soon as possible."
Uchiha Muneyoshi spoke gently, though a cold glint flickered deep within his eyes.
For them to learn so quickly that the clan had produced a swordsmanship genius, there was no need to say more.
There were definitely eyes belonging to Konoha's higher-ups inside the Uchiha clan.
---
"Where the leaves dance, the fire burns."
"Konoha is the village of fire. Like fla, it burns endlessly. Wherever there is fire, there will be a Hokage, lighting the fla within our hearts. So long as the leaves dance, the fire will burn. The shadow of the fire will shine upon the village and allow new leaves to sprout."
"Therefore, only under Lord Hokage's guidance can we truly beco qualified and outstanding ninja."
At the front of the classroom, a middle-aged ninja who had retired from the Anbu was passionately instilling the Will of Fire into the young students below.
The children listened with extre seriousness. As the teacher spoke with animated devotion, admiration and yearning for the Hokage gradually appeared on their faces.
Of course, there was one exception.
Uchiha Zoro, who had already been enrolled for two and a half months.
"Haah…"
Uchiha Zoro let out a bored yawn.
He looked around at his unfamiliar classmates and felt nothing in particular.
Not one of them was a ninja he recognized from his previous life.
In short, these people were almost certainly cannon fodder.
They would either die in the Third Shinobi World War or perish suddenly during the Nine-Tails' attack.
The teacher seed to notice Zoro slacking off at the very back of the classroom, and his expression imdiately turned ugly.
"Zoro! You brat, not listening in class again? Do you really not want to graduate?"
Faced with the teacher's questioning, Zoro sat in the highest seat farthest from the podium, his expression calm. Resting half his face on one hand, he silently signaled for the man to continue his performance.
"This brat…"
On the podium, the teacher looked at Zoro's indifferent attitude. Anger surfaced in his eyes, and he gritted his teeth.
But he did not dare make a move.
Because one month ago, he had secretly exchanged blows with Zoro.
The result was obvious.
He had failed to show him his place and instead ended up humiliating himself.
Silently adding another mark against Zoro in his heart, the teacher decided he would absolutely make him fail the written portion.
Just as the teacher was recording this grudge in his ntal ledger, a group of ninja wearing animal masks suddenly entered the classroom.
As a forr Anbu mber, the teacher naturally knew who these people were.
Under the confused gazes of the young students, the ninja wearing a cat mask at the center announced Hiruzen Sarutobi's verbal order.
"Uchiha Zoro, based on your recent performance, Lord Hokage has approved your early graduation assessnt. Co with us."
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