However, the heavy look in his eyes wasn't out of fear.
Even though he had fallen for the genjutsu, he had still won the fight inside the illusion.
Of course, Shikage knew perfectly well that Itachi had been holding back. He hadn't used his Mangekyō Sharingan or any real genjutsu attacks—just basic Fire Style and taijutsu.
But then again, Shikage hadn't gone all out either.
Twenty shadow soldiers had been hiding in the darkness the entire time, waiting for his command.
Still, bravado aside, Shikage knew that trying to actually kill Itachi right now was unrealistic.
The spar had been a wake-up call. His combat style was way too one-dimensional.
At the very least, he needed a respectable taijutsu technique to fall back on.
Thinking back to his past life's memories, the Eight Inner Gates or the Leaf Dragon God seemed like solid choices.
As for his apparent lack of genjutsu resistance? Shikage wasn't worried in the slightest.
He could already feel [Absolute Adaptability] kicking in.
In gamer terms: every time someone hit him with a genjutsu, his [Genjutsu Resistance] stat permanently went up by +1.
As long as he kept stacking that stat, eventually, even the Infinite Tsukuyomi would just look like a pretty full moon to him.
Pushing those thoughts aside, Shikage focused on his Anbu entrance mission.
The Chunin Exams were still a week away. While he doubted anyone taking the test could actually threaten him, there was no such thing as being too strong.
"I'll use this week to grind my ninjutsu proficiency," he decided.
"And level up the shadow soldiers while I'm at it."
...
Time flew by.
A week later, the joint Chunin Exams hosted by Konoha and Sunagakure kicked off right on schedule.
Because the Third Great Ninja War had only ended a few years ago, this year's exams were incredibly lively.
The entire village was buzzing with a festive energy—a massive psychological rebound from years of wartime depression.
But beneath that bustling, prosperous surface lay plenty of dirty, hidden darkness.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood on the roof of the Hokage Building. He looked down at the celebrating village, but his face held zero joy.
The civilians might not understand the current geopolitical climate, but he did.
He had sent invitations to all the Great Five villages and numerous minor ones. Yet, only Suna and a handful of lesser villages—ones that hadn't taken much damage in the war—actually showed up.
Back when Hashirama Senju ran the village, all four of the other Great Villages would trip over themselves to attend Konoha's exams. Being late was considered an insult.
Now? Konoha's past glory was clearly fading.
Hiruzen sighed helplessly, pushing the nostalgic thoughts aside to face reality.
Three years ago, Kumogakure had tried to kidnap the Hyūga heiress. When they were caught, they immediately threatened war.
Hiruzen had chosen a policy of appeasement to defuse the situation. Clearly, that had only made Kumo look down on Konoha even more. They hadn't sent a single genin to this exam.
Iwagakure had lost over ten thousand shinobi in the Third War. They were currently turtling in the Earth Country, licking their wounds and watching out for Kumo. Hiruzen could understand why they didn't come.
Kirigakure's relationship with Konoha had been deteriorating for years. Even if they had wanted to send candidates, Hiruzen wouldn't have allowed it.
Sunagakure, however, was the real surprise.
The Wind Daimyō had outsourced ninety percent of their country's missions to Konoha, leaving Suna practically eating sand to survive.
Under those humiliating conditions, they had still agreed to Konoha's request to co-host the exams, willingly playing the supporting role.
It gave Hiruzen a whole new perspective on the Fourth Kazekage.
The man was either a terrifyingly patient mastermind, or a complete political idiot.
Thinking about the minor villages that did show up, Hiruzen shook his head.
It was a shame they couldn't gather the Five Great Villages, but he couldn't afford to let his guard down.
"This Chunin Exam must showcase Konoha's absolute power. We have to deter any factions waiting in the dark to strike!"
At that thought, his head started throbbing again.
Danzo... I hope that fool knows where the line is. But his headache quickly eased as another thought surfaced.
According to Itachi, Shikage is even more exceptional than I imagined. I wonder how he'll perform in this exam... He was genuinely looking forward to Shikage giving him a massive surprise.
So, what was the boy Hiruzen couldn't stop thinking about currently doing?
He was nervously staring at his system panel. Taking a deep breath, he opened his daily random box.
His gacha luck had been absolute garbage for a long time.
But a few days ago, he had rolled a temporary "Minor Luck" buff. It only lasted three seconds.
He had saved it specifically for the morning of the Chunin Exams, hoping to catch a good omen.
As a brilliant purple light burst from the box, Shikage's eyes widened in ecstatic surprise.
"Finally! Something actually useful!"
"Hell yes!"
He immediately opened his system inventory. His eyes locked onto a weapon glowing with a rich, purple aura.
[Item: Kasaka's Venom Fang] [Type: Weapon • Kunai] [Attribute: Attack Power +20] [Effect 1: Bleed (Inflicts damage equal to 1% of target's current health per second. Lasts 30 seconds.)] [Effect 2: Weaken (5% chance to reduce enemy stats by 20%.)] Shikage couldn't wait. He immediately pulled [Kasaka's Venom Fang] out.
He spun the dark green kunai around his fingers, a glint of deep appreciation in his eyes.
Twenty points of Attack Power! That was the equivalent of leveling up multiple times, or a full week's worth of daily quest attribute rewards!
The two passive effects were even more insane. Percentage-based true damage and a stat-crippling debuff? This thing would give him a massive edge in any fight!
If he remembered correctly, [Kasaka's Venom Fang] was originally supposed to be a dagger.
The system must have adapted it into a kunai to fit his Ninja class.
Honestly? A fantastic change.
He loved fighting with kunai.
More importantly, it was a system item. Because he could instantly store and summon it from his inventory at will, he could pull off some incredibly nasty tricks with it.
Satisfied, he tucked [Kasaka's Venom Fang] back into his inventory and headed over to Shikaku's study.
His father seemed to know exactly why he was there. Before Shikage could even ask, Shikaku pulled out a massive, thick stack of bills.
"Here. Already prepped it for you."
Shikaku rolled his eyes and pushed the mountain of cash across the desk.
This was nearly a third of the total profits from the Deer Management Bureau and the Nara Research Institute over the past period.
Shikage completely ignored his dad's attitude, happily sweeping the cash into his pockets with a massive grin.
"Happy prospering!"
"Yeah, yeah. Just get ready for the exam," Shikaku sighed, patting his son's shoulder. His expression turned serious.
"Lord Hokage is placing a lot of importance on this event. Given the Nara clan's current position, as long as you don't mess this up, our grand plan..."
Shikage knew exactly what his father meant. He flashed a confident, unshakable smile.
"Relax. I've got this."
---