CH_116

If he exposed his secret and ended up rewriting the history of the Naruto world, Tōji would lose most of his "foreknowledge" advantage.

So before Kenji had told him about the upcoming Land of Water mission, his original plan was to first secure some other "advantage" to replace his foreknowledge, and only then decide whether to "save" Minato.

But now, he couldn't afford to be that conservative anymore.

Either way, it was death—so he might as well go big!

Tōji had already mentally prepared for the worst-case scenario, then calmed his racing thoughts.

Now—was there still any way to stick to the original plan and take the safest route?

『Got it! Get seriously injured—even if it means not getting promoted to chūnin! At worst, I'll take the fall exams or next spring's exams alongside Hayate Gekko and the others.』

Hayate Gekko would be graduating next year too.

Ever since the Third Great Ninja War started, Konoha had been holding the Chūnin Exams twice a year to quickly promote talent.

『Who were those guys in the losers' bracket again…』 Tōji started evaluating the feasibility and plausibility of this plan.

He couldn't make it too obvious—people would see through a deliberate injury or a thrown match.

Yanagiroi, Akamon Manabu, Mizuki, Tsubaki, Nio Shinobu, Suzume, Seishimon, Akame Iwao…

Among them, Tōji had already ruled out five who clearly wouldn't work for this act, leaving only Mizuki, Nio Shinobu, and Seishimon.

But Nio Shinobu only used standard kunai and shuriken, and his jutsu were Fire Release… Honestly, if Tōji lost or got seriously injured against him, it wouldn't hold up.

Mizuki had large shuriken and used poison…

Seishimon used a sword, knew some low-level genjutsu, and had decent sensory and observational skills…

Those two could reasonably inflict serious injuries on Tōji.

In tomorrow's final selection, Seishimon would pick his opponent first, and Mizuki second…

Would they pick him?

If Tōji put himself in the shoes of Mizuki or Seishimon, choosing an opponent from the winners' bracket, he probably wouldn't pick himself.

Dokurā was more of a tactical, intellectual fighter…

Neru had her unique secret technique but looked vulnerable…

Iwashi had been in a tough battle against Mizuki…

Those three in the winners' bracket were the real "hot picks" for challenges…

Seishimon and Mizuki didn't seem like the type who'd challenge someone whose full strength they hadn't assessed—knowing only that his Body Flicker was fast.

They were, first of all, smart—and second, not the hot-blooded type.

So—was this plan a no-go?

Besides the Chūnin Exams, Tōji had no other excuse to get seriously injured… What, was he going to accidentally cut his own head with a kitchen knife while cooking?

Too forced, too fake… Pretending to be sick or deliberately getting hurt wouldn't work either!

And he didn't have Neru's connections to get directly recommended into the hospital or some other cushy job.

Have Natchi get attacked by a masked assailant?

Hmm… no. If they found out, he'd end up in prison too…

Though… prison might actually be a decent way out (a way to stay alive).

『Come to think of it—without Neru, who would Kenji find to fill out the squad for the Land of Water?』 Tōji's mind was restless, and since he couldn't find a way out, he started thinking about less urgent things.

『What if… I push Kenji to bring Neru along anyway?』

Hey—sharing the danger made sense, didn't it? They'd been comrades for months!

Tōji couldn't come up with a solution right away, so he decided to go for a walk.

『After all those years of honing my escape skills—and I still don't dare set foot in Kirigakure…』 Tōji walked along the river he visited most often, still turning over the same problems in his head.