Akira Sato slowly walked into the training field.
"So cool!"
"Pfft, just a dead-last loser — no way he'll pass the test."
"Really? You sure…?"
"Of course! If the Uchiha hadn't forced him into the academy, he wouldn't even qualify as a ninja. Hmph!"
…
As the famous loser, Akira was immediately recognized.
The final match, huh.
Looks like the higher-ups are dead set on humiliating the Uchiha.
But Akira paid no mind to the whispers.
Hmph, what do you guys know? You have to act like dead weight to safely coast along!
If he really showed off, the Hokage would be knocking on his door within minutes, offering "friendly guidance" (read: brainwashing), and Root would come snooping to "test his abilities."
Who could withstand that?
Well, certainly not Akira.
He had no choice — the world of Naruto was way too ruthless.
He hadn't been given any cheat!
No pay-to-win system, no login bonuses, no blue-screen skill-adding panels — not even the most basic point-adding interface.
In this situation, what choice did he have but to lay low?
Honestly, he was a disgrace among transmigrators.
Other transmigrators: one year, clan leader; two years, village chief; three years, dominating the ninja world — all basic operations.
If it were a certain "Lu" next door, they'd be sweeping the world by chapter 50 and traveling the stars by chapter 100, even counterattacking the Otsutsuki.
But Akira? He'd been practicing ninjutsu for two and a half years and still hadn't even qualified as a ninja trainee.
Truly shameful.
But all he had to do was get through today, and he'd be free.
Once the examiner attacked, he'd collapse on the spot.
Let them witness the full power of his expert-level "dead fish" act.
Better to lose face now than lose his life on the battlefield later.
…Wait. Hold on.
"What's going on?"
Akira frowned as he saw the chunin examiner step aside.
Whoosh!
A small figure appeared in the center of the training field — masked, white spiky hair, short sword on his back.
When Akira saw him, his face changed.
The examiner is a 50-50 opponent — what do I do? Waiting online, urgent!
Because he hadn't expected this opponent at all.
"Kakashi?!"
"You still don't get it? This is an early graduation exam."
"Sakumo Hatake's son is finally stepping up — today we'll witness Konoha's strongest genius!"
"Only a year in the academy and already applying for graduation — no surprise, considering who his father was!"
…
The whispers around the field grew louder.
If it were anyone else, people wouldn't pay so much attention.
But this was Kakashi.
Not just because he was Konoha's super genius,
but because his father was Sakumo Hatake.
A man whose short sword had made the major ninja villages tremble.
Even the legendary Sannin were overshadowed by him.
He was recognized as the Hokage's right hand, the acknowledged next-in-line for the position.
But just recently, he had committed suicide after a failed mission.
Now, his son was applying for early graduation after only a year in the academy — naturally drawing a huge crowd.
On any other day, no one would bother watching.
What most people didn't know, though, was that today's test process had already deviated dramatically from the usual.
But one person definitely knew the standard procedure.
"Danzo!" Sarutobi Hiruzen, standing at the edge of the training field, turned sharply, voice low and tense. "What exactly are you trying to do?"
Only Danzo could have changed the exam format without the Hokage knowing.
"Danzo, now is not the time to mess around!"
Mitokado Homura, a middle-aged man with glasses and grayish-white hair, also spoke up in warning.
The village was already unsettled after Sakumo Hatake's suicide.
If something happened to his only son, the consequences would be disastrous.
"I know." Danzo's face was cold as he retorted, "But Kakashi applied for early graduation — I simply arranged for him to face an Uchiha dead-last. You're not saying you have no confidence, are you?"
Of course, the exam was just a cover.
The real goal was to use Akira Sato's death to strike at the Uchiha clan's reputation.
If it were a true Uchiha, the fallout would be messy.
But a boy who only carried the surname, despised even within his own clan?
The backlash would be minimal.
Once he was dead, not only would Kakashi be pushed irreversibly into darkness, but Danzo could also use the moment to further tarnish the "evil" Uchiha's name.
A total win.
Thinking this, Danzo allowed himself a flicker of satisfaction.
Teacher, don't worry — I'll handle the evil Uchiha for you.
"You'd better," Sarutobi Hiruzen warned, then turned back to watch.
If he'd known what orders Danzo had secretly given Kakashi,
he wouldn't have remained so calm.
Without the Hokage openly speaking up, no one else dared challenge the arrangement.
The exam continued.
Suddenly, four Root ninja appeared around the training field, forming hand seals.
"Four-Symbols Sealing Formation!"
With a low chant, tadpole-like sealing runes spread outward, forming a transparent barrier that enclosed the entire field.
This move drew puzzled looks from the spectators.
If it were a duel between two jonin, sure —
but this was just two academy students!
Even if one was a prodigy, wasn't this a bit much?
"Danzo!"
Sarutobi Hiruzen also sensed something was wrong.
"It's just to prevent the Uchiha from interfering," Danzo replied smoothly. "Besides, it's too late to change anything now, isn't it?"
With the barrier up, there was no way for Akira to surrender and leave the field, nor could the Uchiha clan intervene.
With these preparations, letting the gifted Kakashi eliminate a dead-last opponent was child's play. No risk of surprises.
And once Kakashi was fully pushed into the darkness,
this genius — whose talent rivaled Sakumo Hatake's — would become Root's ultimate weapon.
"…."
Sarutobi Hiruzen was deeply unhappy,
but considering how restless the Uchiha had been lately,
maybe knocking them down a notch wasn't such a bad idea.
So, he continued watching.
On the field!
Akira felt something was off.
There had been no barrier in past exams,
let alone replacing the chunin examiner with Kakashi.
If it were just another first-year student,
he wouldn't worry — even the worst student could exchange a few blows.
But this was Kakashi.
A kid who had just lost his father,
currently in a cold, emotionless state.
If Akira wasn't careful, he could easily get killed — and no one would stand up for him.
Sure, he bore the name Uchiha,
but Akira knew his own worth.
Due to certain circumstances, they hadn't stripped his surname yet,
but they'd have gladly kicked him out of the clan otherwise.
If he really died here,
no way would the Uchiha go to war with the village over it.
At best, they'd take some hush money and act like nothing happened.
Only after crossing into this real, dangerous world did Akira realize how deceptive the anime's rosy filter had been.
Yes, the future Uchiha were victims,
but they weren't innocent little angels either —
there was plenty of dirty business on their hands.
Not the flawless image shown in the anime.
Right now, he had to figure out how to survive this immediate crisis.
"…Is it too late to surrender?"
Looking at the small figure in front of him,
whose icy killing intent stabbed at his skin like needles,
Akira made one last attempt, voicing his question out loud.
Whoosh!
Kakashi silently drew the short sword from his back.
The gleaming, chilling blade made his stance clear.
Damn it!
Akira cursed inwardly.
He could see it now — he was absolutely being used as a pawn.
This whole mess was orchestrated by that sly fox Danzo.
The Third Hokage's schemes wouldn't have been so crude.
Once Kakashi killed him,
there would be no turning back.
Even if you killed countless outsiders, you were still a hero —
but kill just one of your own,
and you'd forever be an outcast.
And Akira's death would also conveniently smear the name of the powerful Uchiha clan.
As for himself?
Sorry — in this world, where human life was worth less than grass,
even if he died, at most the Hokage would scold Danzo,
offer a toast,
and then casually say, "Let's not do that again."
The real-world Third Hokage was nothing like the gentle, kind man portrayed in the anime.
Think about it —
he was the leader of the strongest ninja village,
his daily work involved killing, stealing, sabotage…
there was no way a genuinely kind person could ever rise to that position.
Anime was just anime.
If you treated this world like the show,
you'd already have grass growing tall over your grave.
(End of chapter)