pjbooks Chapter 117 Accountability
Chapter 117 Accountability
Chapter 117 Accountability (Part 2)
"What is that?"
Genma Shiranui looked at the scroll in Naruto's hand and asked a question.
From the moment Naruto extended an olive branch to Neji, the initiative in this exam had long since slipped from Konoha's hands.
For an ordinary person, all he would have needed to do was, as the referee, disqualify them before they could even speak.
But the person in front of him was Naruto Uzumaki, someone who could single-handedly wipe out an entire ninja village, so he dared not act recklessly.
At this moment, it's not advisable for Jiraiya, the Hokage, to interfere, otherwise it would confirm Naruto's statement. The only option is for him, the referee who is present at the scene, to try to extract as much information as possible.
"Orochimaru's forbidden technique, the Reanimation Jutsu, can help people change bodies," Naruto said casually.
"Change bodies? Or rather, steal a body?"
Genma Shiranui narrowed his eyes; he didn't believe that a rogue ninja like Orochimaru could produce anything of value.
"Orochimaru did do it this way originally, and I also think it's very inhumane..."
Naruto's lips twitched, thinking to himself that Genma Shiranui was quite the straight man: "But what if it were an unconscious clone?"
"A clone, huh..."
Genji Shiranui frowned, unsure of what to do.
From Konoha's perspective, he naturally couldn't stand idly by and watch Neji defect.
After thinking about it, he could only look at Neji and give him a warning.
"Although I'm not in a position to give you any advice, I still hope you can think it through... Even a captured bird, if it's smart, will use its beak to peck open the cage door and escape."
Naruto scoffed, "What? Is your bird made of iron? It can peck open a lock?"
Genma Shiranui: "..."
"Besides, this is only the worst possible solution. No matter how much I explain, it's not as good as me proving it to you directly."
Naruto slowly extended his hand: "Even if you don't want to leave with me, we can just reapply the cursed seal. Experiencing freedom for a short time wouldn't be bad, would it?"
These words seemed to touch a nerve in Neji, causing his expression to suddenly turn cold.
He suddenly realized that from the moment Naruto extended the invitation to him, he had no way out!
As a member of the branch family, his brilliance overshadowed the heir of the main family. Moreover, according to Naruto, the Byakugan also has the potential to evolve. So how will the main family treat him in the future?
Would you try to find the possibility of the white eye evolving within yourself?
Surveillance, house arrest...
As a corrupt family with the legacy of the Caged Bird Sequence, Neji dared not gamble on the character of the main branch members.
And what if Naruto really did untie the caged bird?
Do we have to reapply it?
Are you kidding me?!
Thinking of this, Neji took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind, and strode up to Naruto.
"If you can help me untie this, then my life is yours!"
"Then you've only broken the curse seal; the cage is still there."
Naruto chuckled and placed his hand on Neji's head: "Don't worry, I'm not interested in men. You'd better keep your life."
Hungry Ghost Realm, activate!
laugh--
The ghastly green curse mark that had been etched on Neji's head for ten years twisted rapidly and was torn off Neji's body by a powerful suction force.
Naruto removed his hand, revealing Neji's smooth forehead.
In the stands, Hiashi Hyuga suddenly stood up, his gaze fixed on Neji's forehead.
The caged bird's mark has disappeared!
They actually broke free from the cage!
Neji also clearly felt that an invisible shackle in his mind seemed to have dissipated, and he felt a strange sense of ease and clarity.
He looked at Naruto in astonishment: "You succeeded?"
Naruto nodded: "Congratulations."
Is it... really that simple?
"Neji..."
Lee stared blankly at Neji on the field.
He didn't know whether he should be happy or disappointed.
As a friend, Neji was genuinely happy that he was able to escape being a caged bird.
However, this also means that Neji will leave Konoha and become a new rogue ninja.
"Yes! Well done!"
Unlike Xiao Li, she doesn't care about any of that. She throws a punch every day.
Unlike other cockroaches, Tiantian's personality is simple, straightforward, and decisive.
Knowing the darkness within Konoha's upper echelons and the corruption of the Hyuga main family, yet still preventing one's comrades from escaping the mire because of personal feelings, that's not friendship, that's selfishness.
Perhaps because of her privileged family background and the fact that she was well taken care of from a young age, Tian Tian may be a bit naive, but she has a very sound mind and values.
Even when trapped in the Infinite Tsukuyomi, she remained conscious for the longest time until the illusion found a flaw in her ideals, allowing her to regain control.
Although she felt sorry for Neji's betrayal of the village, what could she do when the higher-ups and the main family acted so inhumanely?
"day by day!"
Matt Kai grabbed Tian Tian's shoulder, his face serious.
"Don't celebrate here."
"Okay, I understand..."
Every day, she would giggle and playfully stick out her tongue.
Might Guy smiled and turned to look in Neji's direction.
Although he is rather stubborn, his intuition is always very accurate.
Neji's choice was neither right nor wrong, but he believed his disciple would not go astray.
"Eye roll!"
Neji activated his Byakugan, clearly perceiving the scenery in that once-blind spot that was previously impossible to observe due to the presence of the Caged Bird Seal.
He could clearly see Hiashi Hyuga in the stands, the complex expression on his face, and Jiraiya's helpless expression.
"So... you've made up your mind?" Naruto asked with a smile.
Neji nodded slightly: "Please take care of me in the future."
"And the referee?"
Naruto looked at Genma Shiranui: "Does Konoha intend to arrest this Konoha rogue ninja now, or continue the exams?"
Genma Shiranui's face darkened.
Why are you asking me?
Do you think I can make that decision?
Thinking of this, he turned to Jiraiya in the stands and cast a pleading look his way.
Jiraiya's lips twitched; he really couldn't stand being Hokage for even a day longer!
However, now that he was faced with this mess, he had no choice but to deal with it, so he immediately stood up.
"The death of Hyuga Hizashi was indeed due to mishandling by the Konoha leadership. Therefore, to express our apology, Konoha will respect whatever choice Hyuga Neji makes and will not label him a rogue ninja."
"Tch, that's easy for you to say. You're just afraid the adults will mess up Konoha!"
Karin curled her lip in disdain, making no attempt to hide her contempt.
"That's right! They drove someone's father to his death, and then act all magnanimous! Hmm!"
Deidara laughed heartily, seemingly eager to stir up trouble.
"Don't talk nonsense, you brat!"
In the stands, the Konoha ninjas were making a ruckus.
"The Hokage hadn't taken office yet at that time, so this matter had nothing to do with him!"
"Exactly! This is clearly a legacy issue from the previous generation of high-ranking officials! Don't compare Jiraiya-sama to the Third Hokage, you bastard!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi: "..."
I'm so happy that you support the Hokage...
But could you please not drag me into this next time?
"You brat from Iwagakure, if you spout any more nonsense, I'll sew all three of your mouths shut!"
"What did you say?"
Deidara flew into a rage: "Damn it! If you're so tough, go and yell at that red-haired woman! Those cowards of Konoha are all bark and no bite! Humph!"
"You ￥%*@#…"
Jiraiya's eye twitched. These two brats are so annoying!
Ignoring the commotion from the audience, Jiraiya cleared his throat as if he couldn't hear it and waved his hand, "The match continues."
Genma Shiranui looked at Neji: "So, are you going to admit defeat?"
"I surrender."
Neji nodded. Since he had chosen to follow Naruto, he had no reason to fight Naruto anymore.
Naruto smiled slightly and led Neji to the audience seats.
The second match began with Temari facing off against Jirobo.
Temari unleashed a flurry of fan attacks, and with two powerful strikes from the Great Kamaitachi, Jirobo was defeated.
Feeling the pain from his wounds, Jirobo frowned.
She glanced at Temari, then at Naruto, and then at the referee.
"I surrender."
"What the hell do you mean?!"
Temari's face darkened: "Are you looking down on me, you bastard?!"
"No, your abilities are more of a counter to mine."
Jirobo shook his head: "Although I also have a trump card, if I use it, it might seriously injure you."
Temari sneered, "Pretty confident, huh? Someone as big as you won't be able to hurt me easily."
Jirobo said with an honest and simple expression, "But it would be very easy for Lord Naruto to kill me."
"I'm not some weakling who relies on men, you bastard!"
Temari was furious and grabbed her fan to start a fight, but Genma Shiranui grabbed the fan and held it down.
"Jirobo concedes defeat, the winner is Temari."
"The third match is Gaara versus Deidara."
Gaara landed on the yellow sand as he stepped onto the field, while Deidara leaped off the stands.
"The match begins!"
boom--
A massive, overwhelming sandstorm erupted and rushed towards Deidara.
Deidara leaped into the air, soaring high above on a clay bird.
"Hehe... I was prepared for this!"
Deidara stood on the clay bird's back, laughing triumphantly.
Suddenly, the yellow sand below spun sharply and flew into the sky.
Deidara flicked his hand, and several clay explosion insects scattered, blasting the yellow sand into pieces.
One of them could fly, and the other had a huge amount of chakra; they fought for half an hour straight.
Deidara only surrendered when he had used up all the clay and run out of chakra.
In terms of their current strength, Deidara is actually slightly stronger, and if he goes all out, he can blow up the entire venue.
However, since it wasn't a life-or-death battle, there was no need for the two of them to fight to the death over a single match.
Naruto could clearly see Gaara's unhappiness from his gloomy expression.
Deidara's fighting style is indeed a bit disgusting for people who can't fly.
Although Gaara won, he also expended a lot of chakra, which might put him at a disadvantage in his upcoming battle against Sasuke.
Soon after, as Genma Shiranui announced the start of the fourth match, Sasuke used his Lightning Release Chakra Mode and Sharingan to instantly defeat Shino.
Thus, not a single Konoha genin survived the Chunin Exams, which were hosted by Konoha.
Karin, who had a bye, forfeited her match against Sasuke.
In the second round of the competition, Naruto faced Temari, but Temari forfeited.
Gaara, after assessing their respective strengths and his own chakra depletion, decisively forfeited his fight against Sasuke.
"What's going on? Why did everyone abstain?"
"Could this be a cover-up?"
"Whether it's rigged or not... that's Naruto Uzumaki, even if the opponent didn't forfeit, the result wouldn't have been any different, right?"
The audience was buzzing with discussion.
Rasa didn't have any objections to this. Even if he himself went up against Naruto, let alone Temari, he would probably still be no match for him.
When that kid was young, he would walk a dog like a Buddha, with dumplings in his hand, and scatter the grass ninjas clean.
Now, with the added benefit of the Rinnegan, let alone him, even if Hashirama Senju were resurrected, he would still get slapped twice.
Why didn't Jiraiya pursue Neji's betrayal of the village?
Is it because Neji is easy to talk to?
Genma Shiranui looked in Naruto's direction: "So, in the finals... Naruto Uzumaki versus Sasuke Uchiha."
"I abstain."
Sasuke crossed his arms and said calmly.
He doesn't have a penchant for being abused in front of so many people.
Naruto had already corrected Sunny Pillar's bad habit over the years through training.
Although Sasuke is still arrogant, he is the kind of player who strategically despises his enemy but tactically takes them seriously; otherwise, he wouldn't be interested in Kurotsuchi's act of sprinkling lime.
"What the hell?! Everyone's abstaining, what's the point of watching?!"
"Geneva! Refund!"
In the stands, the audience finally couldn't sit still any longer.
Some of the nobles who had come from afar also looked displeased.
"I haven't even seen Naruto's true strength yet!"
A female fan shouted from the stands.
"Yeah, how about we have Naruto put on a concert?"
Holding a concert?
Are you kidding me!
Jiraiya, standing above the stands, was in a real bind.
Although the outcome of the competition was never in doubt, it was indeed inappropriate for everyone to forfeit.
However, those who withdrew were all contestants from other villages, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing for Konoha, who were eliminated in the first round. After all, Konoha had completely lost face in this Chunin Exam.
"Alright, given that Sasuke Uchiha has conceded defeat, then the winner is Naruto Uzumaki."
Genma Shiranui calmly announced the final winner of this Chunin Exam.
Meanwhile, in the stands, Jiraiya stood up, ready to bring the Chunin Exams to a close.
"Well then... that concludes the Chunin Exams. Thank you all very much..."
"Wait!"
A sudden voice interrupted Jiraiya, who took a deep breath and felt utterly exhausted.
Sure enough, there's been another one of these antics...
Following the sound, Sasuke stepped forward, his gaze cold and sharp.
"What brings you here, Cloud Village contestant?"
"Seven years ago, Danzo Shimura betrayed the Uchiha clan, attempting to exchange the lives of the Uchiha clan leader and other geniuses from Kumogakure for the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."
"As it turned out, that fool underestimated my master's status in Kumogakure, and Kumogakure handed the information over to the Uchiha, which led to the Uchiha's escape to Kumogakure. Surely the Hokage hasn't forgotten about that, has he?"
As Sasuke finished speaking, the audience, who had been dissatisfied with the hasty end of the Chunin Exams, fell silent once again.
Upon further listening, it was Danzo Shimura again?
"Now, I won't be surprised no matter what that guy named Danzo does..."
Temari stood beside Naruto, holding up her iron fan, her tone teasing.
"You may not know, but that guy loves to use the guise of the village to satisfy his own desires. His only dream in life is to become Hokage, but you may not know why he wants to be Hokage."
Naruto chuckled and added, "That guy was a member of the Second Hokage's Shadow Guard. When the Second Hokage went to Kumogakure to sign the treaty, the Kinkaku and Ginkaku brothers staged a coup."
"During the retreat, the Second Hokage suggested that someone needed to cover the rear, but that guy was too cowardly to speak up. As a result, the Third Hokage offered to stay behind to cover the rear, which is why the Second Hokage chose him as his successor."
"The one left to cover the rear was naturally the Second Hokage, but unfortunately, that guy didn't have a good eye for people. His disciples were all good-for-nothings, their strength far outweighed by their lust for power."
"The only one whose abilities in every aspect were no less than those of the Third Hokage, Uchiha Kagami, who is rumored to have died saving Danzo, ha..."
Naruto crossed his arms and casually dumped another huge accusation on this group.
"Interestingly, Orochimaru once transplanted Hashirama cells into Danzo's severed hand, and the only thing in the world that can balance Hashirama cells is the Sharingan."
"That's right... Danzo's right eye happens to be a Sharingan."
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(End of this chapter)