That's why he hopes Itachi will join the Anbu and serve the Hokage Faction.

But Danzo also made it clear that no matter how much of a genius Itachi is, he is still part of the Uchiha Clan, carrying the Uchiha's battle genes.

"Itachi is not that kind of child."

"If you can't handle this blade, it's alright to leave it to me to tame."

You cannot possibly wield such a Dark Blade! These were Danzo's true thoughts.

The Hokage, who is accustomed to standing in the sunlight, doesn't grasp the true darkness of a ninja.

In Danzo's eyes, Itachi is a ninja fused with darkness.

Even the Anbu cannot be Itachi's true home.

Root is where Itachi truly belongs.

"There's no point in discussing this. The power of Root is enough for you to wield."

Hiruzen shook his head.

No matter if such a blade can be controlled, giving it to Danzo to use is the most dangerous thing.

"Still so confident, huh. Never mind, I'll go rest now. Don't bother calling me for the third exam; there's no need to pay attention to a blade that isn't mine."

Danzo snorted softly and walked out of the room.

Hiruzen knew Danzo was unwilling to accept it, but that was alright. He is the Hokage of Konoha, the one who truly makes the decisions.

Danzo's retreat saved him a lot of effort.

◎

The massive circular walls looked like a cage, with the sky and white clouds visible above.

At the upper part of the tall walls, there was a large viewing platform for the audience to watch the ninja battles.

Officials, merchants from various countries, and residents and ninjas of Konoha gathered here to watch the third Chunin Exam.

Ichihime was also arranged to be here, in the VIP seats.

As the princess of the Land of Demons, Konoha naturally went all out to meet all of Ichihime's needs.

Moreover, Ichihime didn't even need to request it; Konoha would proactively arrange everything.

Sitting here watching the ninja duels below was quite a novel experience for Ichihime.

Around her were other children like her, but more were adults — officials and big merchants from various countries, all of notable presence.

In this area, one could say everyone seated there was either wealthy or noble.

Sitting next to Ichihime were two witches accompanying her, acting as her guards.

On the edge of the aisle, there were also Jonin from the Land of Demons, watching everything around.

Although Konoha's Anbu had set up a defensive line, with so many wealthy people here, it would be hard for the Anbu to comprehensively protect against any sudden incidents.

Thus, prominent figures like Ichihime brought along their ninja guards to ensure their own safety.

The first Chunin Exam was a written test.

The second exam took place in the Death Forest of Konoha, involving indiscriminate battles within a designated area to reach the central tower.

The third exam involved one-on-one duels, with the victorious ninja qualifying to become a Chunin.

The Genin selected from the first two exams were elite amongst the Genin.

Usually, it's quite difficult to win in one-on-one duels.

The Genin who reached the third exam were no pushovers.

Many Genin might already possess Chunin Level strength.

However, Itachi wanted to win.

And win with overwhelming and absolute victory.

He wanted the high-ranking officials and merchants watching from the stands to recognize the power of Konoha and the strength of the Uchiha Clan.

By doing so, he would be one step closer to his desire to protect Konoha and everything he cherished, and to eliminate all wars in the Ninja Realm.

Therefore, as soon as the Jonin proctor called 'begin,' Itachi opened his scarlet Sharingan and smoothly raised a finger from his waist.

Then... the battle ended.

The opposing Genin had a vacant look, as if witnessing something extremely terrifying. The Genin's dazed expression quickly turned to one of breakdown, and he screamed in terror, fainting on the spot.

"...What's going on? Where's the Fire Style?"

"Why did that guy suddenly faint?"

The spectators in the stands seemed quite puzzled by this.

But the Jonin serving as the referee seemed to suddenly understand something, walking to the center of the arena. After glancing at the Genin from another country who was twitching on the ground with fear, the Jonin announced: "The winner, Uchiha Itachi."

Itachi left the arena with composure.

While the spectators in the stands were astonished by this.

The speed at which the battle ended was beyond anyone's imagination.

"The power of the Sharingan? It's incredibly strong..." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

The accompanying witches were also astonished.

The Genin who managed to reach the third exam were no amateurs.

But in such a challenging situation, Itachi finished the battle with a second-kill outcome, with overwhelming strength, which was truly unexpected.

"No, he didn't use the Sharingan, because from the moment Itachi activated the Sharingan, the opposing Genin deliberately avoided looking at it."

Ichihime narrowed her eyes.

As long as they don't make eye contact with the Sharingan, the Sharingan's Illusion Technique can't work.

"Huh? Then why..."

"There was something about the way he lifted his finger. It made the opponent think he was going to use an Illusion Technique with the Sharingan, causing them to intentionally avoid looking at it, thus lowering their guard against Sharingan Illusions. Then, Uchiha Itachi deliberately made a sealing gesture to attract the opponent's attention... His Illusion Technique probably used that finger to activate it."