The head of Nara and his allies were among the first to arrive, but I was here a few hours before the crowd began to arrive, working on the visible seals and more hidden ones.
As the only active seal master in Konohagakure no Sato, Anbu had no other options for who to bring in to do the work, regardless of which political camp I belonged to.
Having finished setting up the barriers an hour before the event was scheduled to begin, I didn't want to go anywhere, especially since I'd dressed up beforehand in appropriate clothing with the clan hamon embroidered on my chest, and my wife's thick locks of hair had been braided into a tight braid the morning before, so I looked two hundred percent.
Luckily, Orochimaru had shown up early and had switched chairs and sat next to me, allowing us to talk to each other until the head of the Sarutobi clan arrived. Naturally, the shinobi and kunoichi were able to hear us, even with their muffled voices, but only Tsunade, who was educated enough to know what we were talking about, was interested.
By the way, I was a little surprised by the composition of S-rank fighters, when almost all the chairs were occupied and waited only for the high guest with his entourage - the heads of the clans who had reached this level sat with the rest of the clans, the three sannin were expected, but the unfamiliar face Uchiha middle-aged, but with a very recognizable chakra, also joined our composition, was a complete surprise.
And judging by the looks on many faces, it wasn't just for me. The Uchiha decided to attract their mangyoko sharingan wielder by withdrawing Anbu from the structure? Quite a strong move, especially at this time.
Also, it confirms my findings that during the jonin exam, old fart Sarutobi sought to reduce the chances of passing to zero by fielding the strongest opponent available under his command, but not an outright S-rank.
Exchanging glances with Shenesu, we gave an almost friendly grin. I wondered what the monkey had offered the red-eyed man, who had a very negative attitude toward the students of the First-Second and was part of the coalition of clans to overthrow the Third and Ko, that Todoroki-san could not refuse.
Well, it proved to me once again that the other clans had their own interests at heart, despite their close cooperation on specific issues and the need to keep their ears to the ground even when dealing with those whose loyalty seemed assured.
- Aruyama Uchiha," the shinobi introduced himself with a nod, catching my interested gaze.
- Nice to meet you in person, Examinator-san," I bowed my head with a small chuckle, "I think you know my name.
- Оoo? So you recognize me? - The Uchiha raised his eyebrow slightly, reacting calmly despite his aggressive behavior at the end of the jonin exam.
- Sharingan, physique, chakra volumes, rank, and strength demonstrated during the fight - he listed all the points - another such fighter the Uchiha would definitely have heard of, unlike an Anbu employee.
- Our last fight was over too quickly, so now that I don't need to hide behind my mask, I wouldn't mind a full training session with no time limit.
For a moment, the activated sharingan flashed red, giving his suggestion a very threatening note. Ugh, Uchiha and their pride!
- Who would have thought the Uchiha would hide their S-class fighter in Anbu," Tsunade snorted arrogantly, but the slight tension in her hitherto relaxed posture betrayed her wariness.
She had every reason to be wary - the rival clan also possessed an S-ranked fighter, and given her presumably long service in Anbu, as well as my fight with him, she had far more combat experience than the slug summoner, who had lost her form over the years.
Given the rivalry between the clans, Senju had something to worry about, and Toka-san's stare at the Uchiha head, who was looking smug at the moment, showed it.
It was certain that the people in the room had realized the change in the balance of power and would draw the appropriate conclusions, and the influence of the dojutsu wielders would increase with the disclosure of such a significant trump card, and with the election of the fourth Hokage, the Uchiha would be able to claim significant preferential treatment for themselves over those that had been promised before.
But it's not even the change in the balance of power that's most important - now the Red-Eyes will be able to compete for the position of Anbu Ne commander, and that's already very significant. I wonder what would be most beneficial to Nara?
Politics, my ass.
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