CHAPTER 21
Xiao Nan looked at the delighted Jiraiya with a rare smile on her face.
He's still the same… he never changed.
Xiao Nan saw more than just a question analysis in the fourth round—she saw a deeper truth.
After Master Jiraiya finished training them, he hadn't brought the three of them back to Konoha. Not out of neglect… but out of protection.
Xiao Nan pursed her lips, quickly piecing together the cause and effect.
Konoha... it's not as peaceful as it seems on the surface.
Come to think of it, Jiraiya was likely worried that Nagato would become a target in Konoha because of his eyes.
After all, everyone in the shinobi world knows Konoha houses two of the most powerful clans skilled in dojutsu.
Xiao Nan tilted her head slightly. Was it her imagination, or was someone watching her from within the mist?
It felt like an unseen presence was observing from above—cold, unknown.
She tried to pierce through the thick fog with her perception, but it was no use. The mist just drifted... shifting like layers of hidden truth.
---
"Hiruzen Sarutobi! You actually gave the title of Fifth Hokage to Tsunade?!"
Danzo's face twisted with fury as he glared at Hiruzen.
"I've bled for Konoha, sacrificed more than anyone! That position should've been mine!"
For years, everyone had known about Danzo's ambition. Even fools could see his obsession with becoming Hokage.
But until now, it had remained unspoken—like a fragile layer of paper no one dared tear.
Today, Danzo shattered it completely.
"Danzo, you're out of line!" one of the advisors snapped. "Hiruzen, don't be angry—Danzo didn't mean it."
"Yeah, Hiruzen, he's just talking nonsense. Don't take it seriously."
The two advisors tried to calm the situation, afraid Sarutobi might turn on them in his rage.
But Sarutobi Hiruzen just looked at them strangely.
"…What's wrong?" they asked nervously, shifting uncomfortably under his stare.
Sarutobi turned back to Danzo, whose anger was still simmering.
Hiruzen shook his head, disappointed.
They've lost it… he thought. All three of them—their instincts, their ability to read the room—gone.
Calmly, Hiruzen spoke a sentence that made all three freeze:
"Tell me… under what circumstances would Danzo ever agree to Tsunade becoming Hokage?"
"Heh! Like I'd ever agree to that—!"
Danzo scoffed—then paused.
Suddenly, his face turned pale.
Wait… the requirements for becoming Hokage...
When a new Hokage is appointed, the majority support of the Jonin council is required.
I would never have agreed to anyone else taking the seat…
But Tsunade became Hokage.
That meant—
Danzo's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Hiruzen, his mind reeling.
For a moment, it felt like falling into a freezing abyss.
---
"We've already answered four questions correctly," Kakuzu said, stretching his wrist. Several black tendrils emerged from his sleeve like restless tentacles.
"One more, and we get to see the video."
He was impatient.
He wanted to know how he died.
After all, if Namikaze Minato could be resurrected, so could others. But who had killed him?
Surely it had to be someone powerful—someone worthy.
If it turned out to be some nobody… Kakuzu wouldn't accept that.
"I don't care what the last question is," Hidan grinned, licking his lips. "I just want to spread Lord Jashin's glory!"
He had returned to his usual twisted self, his wounds already recovered.
Orochimaru eyed him from the corner, silent but alert.
"Personally, I'm curious about the art of my death," Deidara muttered with fanatic excitement. "I know what I used… the ultimate technique. Not even Uchiha Itachi could survive that."
He didn't care who the enemy was.
He just wanted to see the grand finale of his art—his last explosion.
If it's not glorious… then what's the point?
Nearby, Kisame bared his shark-like teeth in a chilling smile.
He, too, was curious.
Who had managed to kill and resurrect him? What kind of power was that?
---
At the same time, across the shinobi world, countless eyes were glued to the sky, waiting for the fifth question.
Everyone knew the Akatsuki had gotten four answers right.
Just one more, and they'd unlock the reward from the Exam Space.
People had seen how mysterious and powerful the rewards could be—no one was uninterested now.
"Dad," Shikamaru asked, eyes thoughtful, "what do you think the Exam Space will give them if they get the last one right?"
Nara Shikaku remained silent for a long while before finally answering with a question of his own.
"What do you think, Shikamaru?"
Shikaku had been quiet since returning from the Hokage's meeting. He had spent the whole time contemplating the space's logic.
If the analysis presented was truly accurate, then he could almost guess the real participants—and the true shape—of the Fourth Great Ninja War.
It would explain how that "Zetsu" and a man named Kabuto could hold off an entire shinobi alliance.
Resurrecting the dead…
Not just one or two, but an army of them.
And then… there was Uchiha Madara.
If Obito was part of the plan—if resurrection jutsu was involved—
Then Madara must have been aiming for true resurrection.
Someone like Madara wouldn't accept being revived like an Edo Tensei pawn. He'd want a real, perfect return.
Shikaku stared up at the live broadcast.
He didn't know enough.
There was still so much hidden.
But maybe the next video would provide more clarity.
"I hope they answer the last question correctly," he muttered.
"Huh? What was that?" Shikamaru asked, looking over.
"Ah—nothing," Shikaku replied with a small smile. "I was wondering what kind of answer you'd give me."
Shikamaru scratched his head.
"Well, I figure the reward might be something that boosts their power—or maybe some kind of rare item or artifact we've never seen before."
"What else?" Shikaku asked, testing him.
Shikamaru's eyes lit up.
"A retest pass!"
Shikamaru's voice was sharp with certainty.
It had only been mentioned once, briefly—but he remembered.
If there's a way to retake the exam…
He wanted to know if such an item really existed.