"The… the match is over!"

"Uchiha Shiro wins!"

"???"

While Hiruzen Sarutobi was still chatting with Anko and the other examiners, he suddenly heard Gekko Hayate's voice announcing the result of the final match.

"It's over? So soon?" Anko exclaimed, her eyes wide with shock. "How did he do it?!"

Morino Ibiki added, "I was so busy looking up his file that I missed the whole thing! It was only a few seconds! Who would have thought he'd be so fast!"

"It was a genjutsu," Hiruzen said, his own eyes fixed on the arena. His voice was filled with a mixture of surprise and fear. "A terrifyingly powerful one. The Uchiha clan is truly frightening. They have produced yet another illusionary genius."

Upon hearing this, the other examiners fell silent, their faces etched with shock.

"Ahem, and with that… the preliminaries for the third exam are concluded," Hayate announced. "Next, Lord Hokage will announce the details for the final stage."

"Hmph." Hiruzen nodded slowly, his gaze lingering on the three Uchiha for a moment before his expression softened into a smile. "First of all, congratulations on making it through the preliminary rounds and entering the final selection."

"The finals will be held in front of the leaders from the various great nations. You all represent the new generation of your respective villages. I hope you will all demonstrate your full strength."

Hiruzen took a long drag from his pipe, his expression unreadable. He seemed to have made a decision. "That is all I have to say," he continued, his voice now deep and serious. "The finals will be held tomorrow. Everyone, go home and get some rest."

"What?!" The Genin and the proctors were all stunned. Tomorrow? That wasn't what they had been told. According to the original schedule, the finals were supposed to be held one month after the preliminaries.

The expressions of some of the Jonin, however, did not change. They were shrewd enough to understand why the Hokage had made such a sudden, drastic decision. The three Uchiha Genin were unexpectedly, terrifyingly powerful. Bringing the finals forward meant that the inevitable conflict with the Uchiha would begin sooner. The longer they remained, the more danger Konoha would be in. They had to be eliminated as soon as possible.

After leaving the arena, the Uchiha trio found a secluded place. After confirming that there was no one around, Izumi asked in a low voice, "What should we do? The finals have been moved up. Right now, it's just us and Lord Madara in Konoha. The rest of the clan isn't here yet. If we notify them now, I don't know if they can make it in time."

"It's no use," Sasuke said angrily. "There's not enough time. We don't even have a chance to plan our strategy! Hmph, that despicable old Hokage must have gotten scared after seeing our strength! He wants to finish us off quickly!"

Shiro, looking completely unconcerned, patted his stomach. "Are you guys hungry? I'm starving. Let's go get something to eat."

"Shiro, you and Sasuke go ahead," Izumi said, her voice laced with worry. "I'm concerned about Konoha's next move. I'm going to gather some intel, and then I'll inform the clan about the change in schedule!" As she turned to leave, Shiro stopped her.

"Don't panic," he said with a lazy smile. "Let the old man do whatever he wants. No matter what kind of trouble Konoha tries to stir up, they can't escape my father's grasp."

"Besides, I'm still here."

"You two know my strength better than anyone. I may not be as powerful as my father, but I can still handle all of the Anbu on my own. You two can take care of the Genin and Chunin, and my father will deal with the Hokage and the Jonin. See? Problem solved."

"Now, let's go eat."

__________________________

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