Naruto: Did i Just Get Reincarnated as Gojo?-Chapter 272: The Legacy of the Black Cloth!

Holding the sun in his palm, all worries seemed to vanish, replaced by tranquility and joy.

A heart of a fierce tiger, yet appreciating the delicate rose.

Itachi Uchiha could almost smell the fragrance emanating from the black cloth, the scent of sun-baked dust mites.

With this thought, Itachi felt his eyes moisten again. He eagerly tied the black cloth around his head.

"Now, turn around, listen to the cries from beyond the arena!" Advisor Gojo's voice pierced through the black cloth, penetrating the barriers around Itachi's heart, reaching his very core.

In that moment, the roar of the hundred thousand spectators, previously a chaotic blend, sharpened into focus.

Itachi heard the passionate shouts from the Land of Fire contingent, the overwhelming Will of Fire surging towards his spiritual sea—

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"Uchiha! Uchiha! Uchiha!"

Gojo Kaigetsu's deep voice resonated once more:

"Itachi Uchiha, at this moment, you are the chosen one, the only one!"

———

The Fire Games continued—

Those lucky enough to be paired against Shinobi from their own village were essentially guaranteed a coveted Chunin certificate. Those less fortunate, facing opponents from other villages, had to fight for their survival.

The thirty-two participating villages were quickly ranked based on their performance in the various events. The top twelve advanced to the final round of the Chunin Exams.

Shinobi from these twelve villages were placed into a lottery pool, randomly paired for one-on-one duels. The victor would receive a precious Chunin certificate.

For most Shinobi, the Fire Games journey ended here.

They had proven their worth.

The subsequent rounds, however, were not merely about distinguishing skill levels. It was more accurate to say they were about distinguishing skill—and determining life and death!

Whether driven by their Shinobi way, or loyalty to their village leaders—they charged forward, vying for the final three medals.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Shinobi who ultimately claimed the medals in this inaugural Fire Games would become prominent figures in their respective villages, possessing the Power to shape the future of the Shinobi World.

The rivalry between the five great villages was particularly intense.

Iwagakure's Stone Will remained unshaken by hardship.

Kirigakure's Genin fought desperately to break free from their village's rigid class structure.

Kumogakure's Shinobi sought to prove the unparalleled might of their muscles.

Sunagakure's Shinobi aimed to win the favor of their ruthless Fifth Kazekage.

Konoha's Shinobi fought for various reasons—their Shinobi way, loyalty, the Will of Fire—a diverse tapestry of motivations.

The smaller villages had their own aspirations.

Otogakure sought to demonstrate its potential, showcasing the spirit and abilities of its Shinobi.

Takigakure, possessing the Seven-Tails, desperately aimed to join the ranks of the "Shinobi World Powers," fighting tooth and nail to defeat Kirigakure and Sunagakure in the final rounds.

They couldn't challenge the established Powers—Konoha, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure. But Sunagakure and Kirigakure had been declining for years—This was Takigakure's chance!

After eliminating those solely focused on obtaining their Chunin certificate, the second elimination round immediately escalated into a brutal frenzy, resembling the meat grinder of a Shinobi War.

After multiple rounds of intense competition, the final eight contenders emerged:

Iwagakure: Deidara vs. Konoha: Izumi Uchiha

Sunagakure: Temari vs. Sunagakure: Tōgo

Otogakure: Kidōmaru vs. Kumogakure: Omoi

Konoha: Itachi Uchiha vs. Kirigakure: Zabuza

Seeing these results, Ao, the acting Mizukage, looked displeased. For this Chunin Exam, he'd demoted several of Kirigakure's hidden Chunin, even Jonin, to participate.

He'd expected a dominant performance, a display of Kirigakure's strength before the entire Shinobi World—But the reality had far exceeded his expectations.

You cheat, I cheat—the Chunin Exams had become a Jonin-level competition.

Kirigakure had sent three Jonin, including Zabuza. But their luck had been abysmal.

In the rounds of 128, 64, and 32, they'd repeatedly encountered Fuu, the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki from Takigakure.

Two Kirigakure Jonin had been effortlessly defeated by Fuu. It wasn't until the round of 16 that Zabuza, wielding the Kubikiribōchō, managed to narrowly subdue Fuu, who hadn't fully unleashed her Power.

By this point, it was clear to everyone that this was no longer a battle between Genin.

Tailed Beasts, Seven Shinobi Swordsmen...

Having cheated himself, Ao couldn't very well complain to the organizing committee about a Jinchuriki participating in the Chunin Exams.

But the audience didn't care about cheating. Witnessing a Jonin versus Jinchuriki showdown—was worth the price of admission, even if it meant dying afterwards!

Ao glanced towards the Hokage's section with his Byakugan.

The third round pairings had been determined entirely by Gojo Kaigetsu. Though Ao had watched closely with his Byakugan—for Kirigakure to face the strongest competitor, the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, three times in a row—was it really just bad luck?

Ao shook his head. Regardless, the Byakugan's Power was absolute.

He hadn't detected any manipulation from Gojo Kaigetsu. Therefore—it must have been luck.

But it didn't matter!

Since the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki hadn't eliminated all of Kirigakure's Shinobi, victory was assured!

Setting aside everything else, Zabuza was fifteen, his opponent, Itachi Uchiha, was five—a ten-year age difference!

Itachi was a genius, but Zabuza was also a genius of Kirigakure! Even if Itachi had started training in the womb, could he compare to Zabuza, forged in the crucible of the Bloody Mist Village?

How dare you think your ten years of study can compare to my three generations of business acumen?

It was the same principle.

Therefore, Ao, the acting Mizukage, was confident. After Zabuza defeated Itachi, none of the remaining opponents posed a threat!

The only point of concern was that, starting from the quarterfinals, there would be no rest time between matches.

After defeating an opponent, the victor would immediately await their next match—The amount of rest depended entirely on how quickly they could dispatch their opponent.

But this likely wouldn't be an issue for Zabuza.

Zabuza Momochi was a seasoned Shinobi, known within Kirigakure as the "Demon of the Hidden Mist." He would undoubtedly understand how to exploit the rules, winning the match while securing maximum rest time for himself.

For instance, after disabling Itachi Uchiha, forcing him to kneel, he could use his Hiding in Mist Jutsu, rest among the trees, and only deliver the final blow once fully recovered.

The quarterfinals began!

First up: five-year-old Izumi Uchiha versus four-year-old Deidara.

Their combined age likely didn't even reach their opponents' shoe sizes. This was the youngest pairing in the third elimination round.

Four-year-old Deidara, with his deep golden hair—his left eye obscured by bangs, a topknot holding the rest—could almost be considered—cute, if not for his flamboyant hairstyle.

Deidara reached into his pockets, the small mouths on his palms chewing his chakra, creating explosive clay bombs, which he hurled towards Izumi.

Each clay bomb packed the punch of an exploding tag.

Astounding!

Deidara was only four. At an age when other children were playing with firecrackers, Deidara already possessed the ability to create exploding tags by hand.

When he grew older, he would surely become a prominent figure in Iwagakure!

Izumi activated her one-tomoe Sharingan, tracking Deidara's movements, deftly dodging while closing the distance.

A flicker of regret crossed her eyes. Such a talent—If he can't be recruited to Konoha, it would be best to—"accidentally" eliminate him during the Chunin Exams, preventing him from becoming an obstacle for the advisor in the future!

Unfortunately—killing him was forbidden.

Killing another village's genius during the Chunin Exams would violate the Fire Games' spirit of "Friendship First, Competition Second."

The fragile peace they'd painstakingly maintained would likely shatter, triggering the Fourth Shinobi World War.

Besides, before the match, the advisor had specifically instructed her—those words...

Izumi, recalling the advisor's instructions, continued to evade Deidara's clay bombs.

Dodging and weaving...

Relying on her Sharingan's insight, Izumi avoided several explosions.

Defeating Deidara was relatively simple. She just needed to wait for his chakra to deplete, or close the distance and engage him directly.

Four-year-old Deidara could only rely on his kekkei genkai to create basic clay bombs. More advanced applications, even the three basic jutsu, were beyond his grasp.

Seeing Izumi closing in, Deidara grew impatient.

He recklessly unleashed a barrage of clay bombs, ignoring the chakra cost. But Shinobi battles weren't won by shouting the loudest or displaying the most aggression.

Calculation, courage, wisdom—none could be lacking.

Victory in a Shinobi battle depended 99% on calculation and intelligence—and that final, crucial 1%—on cheats!

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