Bleach x Naruto: Shinigami in Konoha

The two Konoha villagers who had just squatted down in fright stood up.

"Thank you, child of the Uchiha clan." One of the villagers patted his chest with lingering fear and said to Sasuke.

"Yeah, if it weren't for you, we might have been done for here. And if you hadn't been with the Konoha Military Police Force during this period, the village might've suffered even more." Another villager echoed his sentiment.

"It's fine. This is our duty as the Konoha Military Police Force. After all, our job is to maintain law and order in the village," Sasuke replied with a calm smile.

"If you encounter something like this again, you can always reach out to the patrol units. They'll make sure to help you resolve it."

These days, the Uchiha clan had adopted a noticeably gentler stance when dealing with internal village matters. The dynamics in Konoha had changed significantly from the past—evident even in how these villagers now reacted.

Everything takes time and effort.

Sasuke sighed inwardly. The current shift in the Uchiha's situation was due half to luck and half to perseverance. When Uchiha Setsuna left with several diehard radicals from the clan, it increased Fugaku's influence immensely. Then, with continued reform efforts, the villagers' attitudes toward the Uchiha began shifting little by little—until they reached what they had today.

"Well, we believe in your Police Force. By the way, didn't you take the Chūnin Exams recently? Let this old man wish you success and a swift promotion." The villagers smiled and gave their blessings.

"Thank you for the encouragement." Sasuke answered sincerely.

Under normal circumstances, these villagers were quite friendly. Perhaps they were just too susceptible to rumors, easily swayed by misinformation.

"A large portion of tonkotsu ramen is ready—here you go!"

At that moment, Teuchi, the owner of Ichiraku Ramen, handed over Sasuke's lunch box. Sasuke noticed the portion was larger than usual, but before he could say anything, Teuchi had already turned away and was back to bustling around, preparing ramen for the next customers.

"Hey, your swordsmanship looks pretty decent—for a Konoha Uchiha."

Shortly after walking away, Sasuke was stopped by a kunoichi from Kumogakure.

He turned and glanced her way. A brown-skinned kunoichi from the Cloud Village, who had been leaning against a tree, was now approaching him.

She had a sword slung across her back and red hair that stood out prominently.

To be honest, there were a surprising number of people in the Naruto world who had red hair but weren't from the Uzumaki clan. Red hair alone wasn't enough to identify someone's lineage.

"It's decent," Sasuke replied evenly. "Is there something you want?"

"How about a little swordsmanship duel?" The kunoichi unsheathed her blade with spirited enthusiasm.

"Not interested."

Sasuke turned his head and walked straight toward the next food stall, not giving her another glance.

The kunoichi stood there for a beat, clearly not expecting the rejection. Her surprise quickly turned to irritation.

"You're not getting away that easy!" she shouted, lunging at Sasuke with her sword.

"Karui. That's enough."

Before Sasuke could bother responding, a cool female voice cut through the air. The charging kunoichi, Karui, halted immediately.

A tall and well-built kunoichi approached. She had shoulder-length light blonde hair and carried twin short swords on her back. She wore a gray-and-white low-cut top with a mesh undershirt. Her fair skin stood in stark contrast to the brown-skinned teen behind her, who had spiky white hair and a lollipop in his mouth.

Only then did Sasuke recognize the trio. The blonde was Samui, secretary to the Fourth Raikage of Kumogakure. Truth be told, she was striking—and the Raikage had clearly surrounded himself with highly competent and beautiful kunoichi.

The boy and the red-haired girl were likely the students of Killer Bee—the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki—Omoi and Karui.

"I thought I said not to start trouble during the Chūnin Exams," Samui said to Karui in her composed tone.

Omoi chuckled quietly behind her.

"Got it... Sorry." Karui lowered her head and muttered an apology, while shooting a fierce glare at Omoi.

Then Samui approached Sasuke.

"My apologies. My teammates caused you unnecessary trouble," she said in a voice as cold and polite as ever.

Sasuke was momentarily dazed. From his angle, he couldn't even see Samui's face.

Those... might be the most incredible proportions in the entire shinobi world?

Honestly, not even Tsunade seemed that extreme.

But before Sasuke could process more, Samui gave a small nod and quickly led Karui and Omoi away.

Sasuke felt a touch of disappointment. He considered himself pretty composed, yet they hadn't let him observe for even a moment longer.

Oh well. If they don't want to be looked at, I'll respect that.

Shaking his head, Sasuke resumed shopping for supplies to feed Ryuka today.

After touring the village, he not only bought food for Ryuka, but also gathered a good amount of intel on other teams from various villages.

From Kumogakure, he'd just encountered Omoi and Karui—noteworthy individuals in their own right.

From Iwagakure, the granddaughter of the Third Tsuchikage, Kurotsuchi, was also participating.

The team from Sunagakure appeared mostly the same as in the original records.

What Sasuke hadn't expected was to see Haku among the Kirigakure examinees.

Previously, when Zabuza and Haku had been captured by Team 7 and returned to Konoha, the situation seemed grim. But Mizuki had kept them in temporary custody and later handed them over to Kirigakure. Apparently, Terumī Mei had since cleared their names and welcomed them back.

Also present was Chōjūrō, the future Sixth Mizukage, which puzzled Sasuke—since he already possessed the Hiramekarei, he should be high-ranking, yet he was still here as a genin.

There weren't many standouts from the lesser-known villages. Uzumaki Karin might count, but Sasuke hadn't seen her yet. In the original timeline, she appeared during the Forest of Death stage of the Chūnin Exams and first met Sasuke there.

As for the Konoha participants, the roster hadn't changed much—it was still the original Twelve Genin. However, since Team 7 had changed in this continuity, a new face named Satoshi Itō had joined. That said, the guy had very little presence overall.

It looked like this Chūnin Exam was going to be an exciting one.

Sasuke's lips curved into a faint smile, a spark of anticipation glimmering in his eyes.

And… that serpent. He'd definitely try to take the bait.

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