Funan stood in the position intended for the Hokage, calmly observing the shinobi in front of him.
Those genin had managed to cross the Forest of Death and were now gathered there.
"Oh, the number is more than expected." Funan commented, letting out a slight smile.
The Konoha 12 were all present.
In addition, Gaara's group had also arrived.
The most curious thing was that the scene seemed to be taken directly from the original story.
Gaara's team had left the Forest of Death breaking the time record.
Meanwhile, Naruto's team had barely managed to arrive at the last moment.
"Hokage-sama!" A chunin knelt on one knee in front of Funan and respectfully handed him a paper.
Funan took it and looked at it silently.
He had known for some time that there would be an additional selection.
Genin vs genin, one on one combat.
The winner would advance to the next round!
Funan maintained a calm expression, although internally he couldn't help but silently complain after reading the paper.
It's exactly the same as the original story... This is too obvious.
"Let's start!"
"Yes!"
Gekko Hayate appeared. He looked at Funan with a mix of complicated emotions.
It was difficult for him to accept that his childhood love had ended up with someone else, and that someone was none other than the Hokage.
Hayate coughed a few times in anger.
"Hey, are you okay?" Naruto asked, worried at the sight of the sick man, who looked like he was going to die at the next moment.
Hayate gave him a stern look before shouting: "Get into position!"
"Why are you so fierce?" Naruto pouted, but Sakura quickly pulled him back into line.
"Okay, everyone, I've explained the rules to you. I declare that the third exam is officially starting." Hayate coughed violently and said: "Let's start the first round."
"Uchiha Sasuke vs Akado Yoroi!"
"Sasuke!" Sakura looked at Sasuke with obvious concern.
She knew very well that Sasuke and Naruto were seriously injured in the Death Forest.
But Sasuke didn't have Naruto's amazing recovery ability.
He is very weak now.
"Sasuke, are you sure you're okay?" Sakura asked nervously.
"Sasuke, are you okay?" Naruto also looked at him worriedly.
"Relax, this is nothing to me." Sasuke gritted his teeth in silence.
Naruto was almost recovered, but Sasuke could barely stand.
Still, he thought that facing an ordinary genin shouldn't be a problem.
Tailed beasts...
Jinchuriki...
Sasuke clutched his wounded side and walked towards the center of the field.
After this, he promised himself to do more research on tailed beasts and Jinchuriki. Furthermore, he planned to seriously talk to his father and brother about it.
"Sasuke..." Kakashi walked past him and whispered: "Don't use the Sharingan."
"Nonsense, of course I know!" Sasuke looked unhappy.
He knew that his dojutsu was suppressing the cursed seal on his neck. If he used the Sharingan, the seal would be unleashed, and he could not foresee the consequences.
...
In the stands, Itachi watched his brother with concern.
"Funan-aniki..." Itachi lowered his voice as he spoke to Funan. "If Sasuke loses control of the seal, what will we do?"
"Don't worry..." Funan replied with a slight smile. "As long as I'm here, nothing will go wrong."
Itachi relaxed a little.
"And Shisui? How are the preparations going on his side?" Funan asked quietly.
Itachi, adopting the same reserved tone, replied, "Everything is under control. My father has temporarily assumed command of the Police Force to ensure order and stability in the village."
Funan nodded slightly and said: "For now, allow the jonin without missions to move freely around the village. Spread the order: if you spot the enemy, you are to show no mercy. Attack and eliminate them without hesitation!"
"Understood!" Itachi lowered his voice even further. "What shall we do with Sarutobi Hiruzen?"
"Don't worry about him." Funan replied calmly. "If he tries to jump out and cause trouble, we'll deal with that as well."
"Understood..." Itachi hesitated and said: "Should we suspend some high-level missions?"
"No, Konoha will remain the same." Funan refused without thinking.
The more critical the moment, the more Konoha must maintain stability.
As he watched the stage, Funan silently pondered.
No matter what, since Sarutobi Hiruzen has been given so much time, he should be ready.
This time Konoha explodes, Danzo should also come.
It remains to be seen how much firepower Sarutobi Hiruzen can draw.
…
Just like the original story.
During the battle, Sasuke's cursed seal activated. Filled with despair and longing, he managed to suppress its power through sheer willpower alone.
Even Itachi was surprised.
Funan, on the other hand, maintained an impassive expression as she watched Kakashi take Sasuke away.
His Sharingan scanned the crowd. However, he didn't detect anyone leaving the place.
Could it be that…
Orochimaru is not here?
After a brief thought, Funan left a clone in place and slowly retreated.
...
After using a seal to contain Sasuke's curse mark, Kakashi remained on high alert.
In front of him was an unfamiliar face, but the eyes were eerily familiar.
When the stranger spoke, Kakashi instantly recognized him: Orochimaru!
"Orochimaru, you are so brave?" Kakashi stared at Orochimaru coldly. "Do you know how many elite shinobi are gathered here? As soon as there is a slight movement, a large number of them will rush in and tear you to pieces."
"Them?" Orochimaru laughed. "Yes, there are many, including some children, common shinobi, and civilians. But if we really start fighting..."
[Bang!]
A kick interrupted Orochimaru, sending him rolling across the ground until he crashed violently into a column.
The corner of Kakashi's mouth twitched.
"Who the hell are you trying to bully? Do you think I'm going to let you scare me?" Funan shouted as he walked in, cursing.
Looking at Funan who looked like a gangster, Kakashi felt mixed emotions.
When he faced Orochimaru alone just now, he was obviously a little scared, but now he felt a little sympathetic to him.
Orochimaru covered his head, stood up with difficulty, and stared at Funan.
"What are you looking at?" Funan snorted and said: "If you look at me like that again or continue with your nonsense, I swear I'll tear you to pieces."
Orochimaru put aside his fierce gaze and, with an eerie smile, replied: "Funan-kun, what has you in such a bad mood? What has you so upset?"
Kakashi's mouth twitched again.
"Of course I'm upset!" Funan exclaimed, straight to the point. "Orochimaru, I want you to bring your real body here! That would make me happy."
"Clone?" Kakashi was startled and frowned at Orochimaru. No wonder Funan just kicked him and didn't twist his head off directly.
"Haha!" Orochimaru laughed and said: "Do you want to see my real body? That's easy. Don't worry, Funan-kun. You'll see it soon, and I won't come empty-handed. I have a special gift for you; I'm sure you'll love it."
With the last sentence, Orochimaru finally stopped hiding his murderous intent.
Kakashi couldn't help but frown.
Orochimaru's body lost its breath and fell to the ground.
"Humph!" Funan snorted coldly and turned away.
Kakashi scooped up an unconscious Sasuke and took two quick steps to catch up with Funan. "Hokage-sama, is Orochimaru planning to attack during the chunin exams?"
"It should be, that's the best opportunity." Funan said indifferently: "The only question is how many Kage will ally with him."
Kakashi's expression turned serious.
"Should we continue with the chunin exams?"
"Of course!" Funan sneered and said: "I want to see where these guys get their confidence from. Let them all show themselves! Moths to the flame, seeking their own destruction."
...
The third round of the chunin selection exam progressed as a series of consecutive matches, with little change from the original events.
The main difference was the absence of Kabuto.
When Gaara faced Rock Lee, he clearly held back. Although Lee ended up seriously injured, the situation was not that dire. With a couple of months in the hospital, he would be able to go on missions again.
Furthermore, Hinata was quickly defeated by Neji, without the emotional dilemmas and controversies over family separation.
The reason is very simple.
The secondary branch of the Hyuga clan began to align itself with Funan.
Funan had even intervened directly by prohibiting the activation of the caged bird by the main branch.
It seemed that the next step would be to permanently abolish it and free those who already carried it.
This open intervention in the internal affairs of the shinobi clans had provoked the fury of the Hyuga and sowed unrest among other clans of Konoha.
But who was Funan?
As the most authoritarian Hokage in Konoha's history, did he care about that in the slightest?
Of course, Funan knew that his actions were distancing him further and further from the shinobi clans, and that the rift between the two sides was growing ever deeper.
The clans' discontent with him grew day by day, and when the time was right, conflict would inevitably break out.
There were already signs of this in the attitudes of many.
But was Funan afraid of these reactions?
Some traditions must be eradicated, no matter how deep-rooted they are.
If it doesn't work, then make it work!
They can prolong it, but can the injured parties wait any longer?
Should I learn from Naruto and promise Neji so well, but what was the result?
In the end, Konoha was destroyed and Naruto failed to keep his word.
He, on the other hand, married the main heiress of the Hyuga clan and had two children.
Shinobi clans have long formed the habit that their own rules are untouchable, and not even the Hokage has the right to intervene.
Therefore, in order to confront them, Funan had to use forceful and rapid methods. Giving them time to prepare would only complicate things.
Every time he thought about it, Funan found himself thinking of one person.
If that person were still alive, they would probably be his greatest ally.
The two of them joined forces to bring real changes to the shinobi world.
Senju Tobirama!
What a pity!
However, Funan also understood that even if Tobirama was still alive, because he is an Uchiha, the two might not be able to join forces.
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