UWTBK-Ch-31 The Kazekage's Hint

A few minutes ago during the competition, Uchiha Itachi and his team discovered a flag.

"Wow, we found the flag so quickly!" exclaimed Anko with excitement.

Kabuto turned to Itachi, his face reflecting the uncertainty in his mind. "As we've already found the flag, Itachi, do you think it would be wise for us to continue competing against other teams and engage in battles, or should we focus on making our way to the tower and completing the race? What's your opinion on this matter?" he asked, hoping to hear Itachi's thoughts and strategy for the next course of action.

"I believe that instead of wasting time, we should focus on finishing the race," stated Itachi firmly. He then turned to the rest of the team and asked, "What are your thoughts on the matter?"

"Okay, since you suggest we head to the tower and finish the race, Itachi, let's do just that," replied Kabuto in agreement. Anko also chimed in, nodding her head in agreement with the decision made.

As the three of them were about to leave, a group of three Sunagakure ninjas appeared out of nowhere and spotted the flag in Itachi's hand. Upon seeing the flag, their eyes lit up with excitement and anticipation.

"Hand over the flag, kid, and we'll let you go," said one of the Genins, his tone laced with a hint of menace.

In Itachi's team, Anko was the eldest member, at around 16 years old. On the other hand, Itachi and Kabuto were considerably younger, at 9 and 11 years old, respectively.

"You should leave. You are not our opponents," asserted Uchiha Itachi calmly.

"It appears that you're not willing to hand over the flag, so we'll have to take it by force," replied the Genin with a menacing tone. As a response, all the Genins taking out their Kunai and charged towards Itachi and his team. Despite the sudden attack, Itachi remained calm and composed, taking out his Shuriken and hurling it towards them.

At first, it seemed as if all three Shurikens would miss their target. However, at a critical moment, the three Shurikens collided and passed through the cheeks of all three Genins, leaving small cuts. Despite the gravity of the situation, Itachi's face remained impassive and devoid of any emotion.

"This serves as a warning. Next time, I won't show any mercy," Itachi declared coldly. Having made his point, he turned and began walking in the direction of the tower. Anko and Kabuto quickly followed suit, their eyes fixed on Itachi as they made their way towards the final destination.

______

After a few hours had passed, several teams carrying their respective flags entered the tower. Out of all of them, eight teams from River Country, one team from Sunagakure, and one team from Konoha successfully made it to the third round. However, the two teams from River Country were disqualified because of their bad luck - they were unable to find the flag and had started to ambush the only path leading to the tower. Meanwhile, Itachi's team and one team from Sunagakure had already reached the tower and qualified, causing the two River Country teams to miss two flags and ultimately become disqualified.

The two teams hailing from River country approached Emiko and expressed regret for their inability to qualify.

Shaking her head, Emiko remarked, "It's not your fault; luck simply wasn't in your favor."

Emiko suggested, "Why don't we go and listen to the Kazekage's speech?" Following her lead, the entire team moved towards a platform where the Kazekage was scheduled to deliver his address.

Accompanied by a few Elite Jonins, the Kazekage ascended the high platform and began his address, "Congratulations to all those who have qualified for the third round. The competition will be held day after tomorrow and the rules are simple: a one-on-one fight between each contestant. I urge you to do your best and strive for victory in the competition."

Emiko inquired with interest, "By the way Kazekage, I don't see any dignitaries from the Fire Country, Wind Country, or other participating countries. This is unusual for a Chunin Exam where contestants from different countries take part. Normally, even the Daimyo himself would attend. Did you not extend an invitation to the Daimyo of River Country?"

The Kazekage, with a stoic expression, stated that the current climate in Sunagakure was extremely severe. As a result, they did not wish for any foreign dignitaries to experience any discomfort. Additionally, the village will face bigger challenges on the day of final round , and inviting guests would only compound the issue.

With raised eyebrows and a smile, Emiko expressed her gratitude to the Kazekage by saying, "Thank you, Kazekage-sama, for resolving my doubts."

Rosa nodded at Emiko before departing, prompting everyone else to follow suit and return to their residences. Emiko and her team also took their leave and headed towards their dwellings.

.........

Upon arriving at their residence, Emiko and her companions gathered together.

Matsuda remarked, "It was quite surprising when the Kazekage indirectly hinted that they might launch an attack against us."

Hiroshi expressed her disbelief, "How foolish of the Kazekage to think so low of us. Does he truly believe that we are nothing but fools?"

Emiko chimed in, "On the contrary, the Kazekage is quite astute. He understands that we might suspect Sunagakure after seeing Orochimaru. However, his indirect comments today confirmed our suspicions that they intend to attack us, with the aid of Orochimaru." Emiko then turned to the others and asked, "Now tell me, as subordinates, what course of action should we take in light of this situation?"

Uchiha Matsuda said, "We should inform Master Karan about this," but soon he realized, "Oh, but the Kazekage is essentially forcing Master Karan to come to Sunagakure."

"Correct he is forcing us to call Master Karan," Emiko nodded with a smile, then turned towards Eleventh and said, "If I am not mistaken, the number of ANBU keeping a watch on us must have increased."

Eleventh replied, "Yes, their number has almost doubled, and there are also some backup teams on standby. If we were to launch an attack, they could provide support rapidly."

 "As expected, they will put pressure on us so that we call for help from Master Karan," said Emiko.

"Neither the Kazekage nor Orochimaru are fools," Emiko cautioned. "In such a situation, we cannot afford to take any risks. I will inform Master Karan about the circumstances here."