Chapter 277. A Body of Pure Muscle
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Very soon—
The Chunin Exams began.
The first round was a written test, so there were no spectators.
But for the second round, things were different…
Perhaps to make it more entertaining for the audience?
Instead of being held in the dense and dangerous Forest of Death, the event took place throughout all of Konoha—
The "Yuto Milk Tea Tournament"!
A total of forty teams advanced to this stage.
Twenty cups of sponsored Yuto milk tea were placed in various stores.
Thus, the forty teams had to fight for them. In the end, only twenty teams could qualify for the next round.
And according to the rules—
Even after grabbing a cup of milk tea from a shop, a team would only win if they successfully delivered it intact to the designated customer.
Each cup had a label showing the customer's location, specifying a spectator sitting in the audience.
This added an interactive element to the competition!
So, even after grabbing the milk tea, another battle awaited them!
But—
Yuto had no words for this. He had spent a fortune on advertising… but he never imagined the village would turn the Chunin Exams into a commercial event!
Now this was hardcore marketing!
The 10 million... was worth it!
Even Hyuga Hanabi sipped her milk tea and muttered, "They can even advertise like this? No wonder Konoha is so rich!"
At this moment—
As the host explained the rules, teams from all the ninja villages began entering the venue.
"It's Onii-chan! Mom, it's Onii-chan!" A young Sasuke, seeing his big brother among the participants, excitedly waved his little fists. "Come on, Onii-chan!"
Mikoto, cradling Sasuke in one arm, held up her phone with the other to record the moment.
A true snapshot of the times!
As for Fugaku—
That old tsundere!
His arms were crossed, face expressionless, pretending not to care, yet he kept sneaking glances down at the arena.
Yuto didn't disturb their family moment. Instead, he and Suzune cheered for Honoka!
"With Itachi's skills, this should be easy for him," Yuto pondered for a moment and said. "After all, his Genjutsu is incredibly strong. Against a bunch of kids, he could probably deliver the milk tea in no time just by relying on illusions."
Every time he threw one, it was accurate. And then, he would walk out with swagger.
Nearby, Hanabi, who was standing beside him and heard his words, silently glanced at him. Then, after a pause, she turned back to watch the field and calmly said, "Boss! Times have changed!"
The moment she finished speaking—
Beep!
The match began.
And then—
"Gate of Life! Open!"
Boom!
A green glow erupted!
"It's Uchiha Itachi from Konoha! Uchiha Itachi!!" The host's voice rang out in excitement. "He's making the first move… charging straight toward the milk tea stockpile like a flash of green light! I believe everyone living in Konoha is very familiar with it! That's right—this is the legendary Taijutsu of the 'God of Delivery'! It's simply unbelievable! Who would have thought that at his age, Uchiha Itachi could already open the Third Gate?!"
"Whoa—"
The crowd erupted!
Stunned spectators stared in disbelief at the green blur speeding across the field. Especially Konoha's villagers… their minds instantly flashed back to that man… that gleaming white smile… that blazing green tight suit…
The God of Delivery!!!
His deliveries never spilled, never toppled. And the moment the phone call ended, the food had already arrived!
"…"
Yuto silently watched the blazing green streak of light. Then, he slowly lifted his gaze to a certain someone watching the match nearby. That same someone clearly felt his boss staring at him, so he grinned and gave him a big thumbs-up, as if to say—"This is Youth!!!"
Yuto then turned to Hanabi. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "Eight Gates…?"
"That's right!" Hanabi nodded calmly. "Your nephew is even better at Taijutsu~"
"I have something to say, but I don't know whether I should say it or not!"
Yuto's eyelids twitched slightly. He stared at the screen, at the green-glowing, muscle-packed figure racing across the field.
Where was his calm, elegant nephew? The one who used to gracefully cast Genjutsu and deal with enemies in a sophisticated manner?
How come he had a muscular body and a pair of 8-pack abs?!
That's right.
At this moment—
Perhaps because his sheer presence was too overwhelming, numerous ninjas from other villages had surrounded him, preparing to take down the Uchiha boy first.
Even though this Uchiha didn't match their intelligence reports and wasn't using the Uchiha clan's signature bloodline limit, the Sharingan, his sheer explosive energy at the start of the match was enough to reveal his incredible strength.
So, they prioritized eliminating him.
But—
Itachi was not afraid at all!
Even when his clothes were torn apart, revealing his well-defined muscles, he remained unfazed.
One punch and an opponent fell!
One jump and a kick—an opponent flew!
This… Isn't this Uchiha Lee?!
Where was the clan's Sharingan?!
Where was the clan's Genjutsu?!
Where was the clan's Fire Release?!
Where was any of it?!
That muscular physique left Yuto completely stunned.
Since when did this guy learn the Eight Gates?!
"I heard he started training in it a long time ago," Hanabi said, as if noticing Yuto's confusion. She shrugged. "Apparently, back in school, he even worked part-time as a delivery boy and saved up a lot of money to buy himself a car."
"…"
What an inspiring student!
Yuto gave up trying to complain. He turned his head and nudged Fugaku, who remained eerily calm. After a moment of hesitation, he asked, "Don't you have anything to say about this?"
"???"
Say what?
Fugaku looked at Yuto in confusion. After a brief pause, he frowned slightly and said, "Very good."
"What about Uchiha's Genjutsu?"
"He has a natural talent for Taijutsu. This is good too."
"…"
Alright then.
Yuto could only imagine: if the future Sasuke—the one who time-traveled back—saw his own past Onii-chan, now muscular, full of energy, no longer weak and sickly, and opening the Eight Gates right in front of him—
What would his reaction be?
A simple "What the f*ck?!" probably wouldn't be enough.
Yuto shrugged, stopped questioning reality, and continued watching the game.
At this moment—
Itachi moved like a ferocious tiger, rampaging through the battlefield. He tore through opponents one after another—
He was brutal! His body was fully covered in blood, and even his fists were crimson.
There was really no elegance at all!
Just pure, raw masculinity.
Tough guy!
This is a tough guy!!
The crowd erupted.
People around him kept cheering and shouting his name.
The audience was excited by the violent aesthetics!
The other competitors, finally realizing how terrifying he was, hesitated.
They could only watch as he grabbed the milk tea, his muscular back facing them as he walked away.
That muscular figure, bathed in sunlight, looked like the grace of a predator descending the mountain in everyone's eyes!
No one dared to get close!
Looking at that back…
Fugaku's lips curled ever so slightly. A flash of satisfaction appeared on his face, and he even nodded in approval.
His second son, Sasuke, waved his fists excitedly and kept shouting, "That's my Onii-chan!!!" He declared that he would train under his Onii-chan, striving to become a great Taijutsu ninja!
Mikoto smiled with emotion, clearly happy to see how her son had grown.
Duy, as a teacher… gave a massive thumbs-up, shouting, "This is Youth!!!"
Even his team leader, Hyuga Hanabi, let out a soft sigh, a complicated yet proud expression crossing her face.
Only Yuto…
Yuto just stared blankly.
A deep sense of melancholy filled his heart.
He muttered under his breath, "Times have changed!"
After a while.
After Itachi left the field, the audience finally turned their attention to the rest of the competitors.
The fierce battle resumed.
The fight for milk tea continued!
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