"What's wrong? Do you care a lot about Suna?" Orochimaru asked. "You don't seem like it."
"It's not about whether I care or not. If you really wanted to destroy Suna, you had plenty of chances when Rasa came through here."
"I had no choice. There's still a batch of goods that hasn't been settled." Orochimaru replied.
Rasa wanted him dead, and he wanted to get rid of Rasa too.
But the goods were innocent, so he was willing to endure.
"That's barely an excuse, but it still doesn't match your actions." Masashi said.
Orochimaru had a "record" after all.
"In that case, how about adding Iwa to the list?"
Seeing that Masashi remained unmoved, Orochimaru simply decided to go all in.
"And how about Akatsuki? They already have a new member."
"What kind of member?" Masashi finally reacted.
"Not from any of the Five Great Ninja Villages. He's from Yu." Orochimaru sneered. "A very interesting person. I'm actually quite eager to study him."
Oh? Study? Then it must be Hidan.
Not to mention Orochimaru, Masashi was curious too. This was way too fascinating. Medical ninjutsu could reattach severed limbs, and even a bisected body could sometimes be saved. But if the head was chopped off, that was definitely the end.
That so-called Jashin… Was it just a technique, a religion, or something real? Could his immortality resist the Reaper Death Seal? Could it withstand the Human Path's soul extraction?
He was insanely curious.
"So besides Suna, you're adding Iwa and Ame?"
"It's Akatsuki." Orochimaru corrected him. "That guy is a new recruit. No one knows he has joined yet."
"And you?" Masashi asked. "You went through all this trouble just to chat and breathe the air of your homeland?"
"Heh, of course not." Orochimaru chuckled. "I don't like things that remain stagnant. Though occasionally, they might interest me a little, but right now, I think stagnation is worthless. The wind has started blowing, and I want to give it a push."
"Target." Masashi didn't want to beat around the bush. "Orochimaru, who is your target? Give me a name. No ambiguity. I don't want you falling into Jiraiya's hands."
"You really underestimate me." Orochimaru sneered. "I would never let an idiot like him capture me."
"Target!"
Sensing Masashi's chakra beginning to stir, Orochimaru remained unfazed. He knew that once Masashi heard the name, he wouldn't stop him.
"Before I left this village, some people treated me quite well. I just want to catch up with them."
"For real?"
Masashi's chakra calmed down. He had to admit, the Sarutobi faction was almost synonymous with Konoha itself.
This faction occupied many of the jonin positions and held key roles in the village's mid-level management.
But their legitimacy stemmed from Tobirama's generation.
Regardless of whether they acted according to Hiruzen's wishes, one thing was clear, Root's formation, Sakumo's death, Orochimaru's defection, Tsunade and Jiraiya's departures, and Danzō's downfall all showed that their internal unity was weak. This was more of a grand alliance.
It had too many leaders.
And too many elders.
In the past, it maximized Konoha's strength, but now, it had become an obstacle to further development.
Masashi pondered in silence. Orochimaru wasn't impatient. He didn't rush him.
He didn't assume Masashi would choose the path he wanted, but if he did, Orochimaru would reassess him. He indeed wasn't strong enough to defeat Masashi. Many of his techniques were countered.
But he could run. And in that, no one could stop him.
Masashi thought for a long while. Finally, he asked, "Besides Suna, Iwa, and Akatsuki, who else has contacted you?"
"Of course, there are others. Kumo and Kiri also reached out to me. However, the representative from Kiri didn't speak for the Mizukage. As for Kumo, they are currently split into three factions. The one who contacted me is their rising star, a member of the Raikage's clan and a strong candidate for the next Raikage." Orochimaru didn't hide this information, at least, he didn't seem to. "So, all these people coming here… they're all enemies of Konoha."
"In my eyes, none of them are as dangerous as you."
"Heh, at least in terms of intentions, they are far more dangerous than I am. Not everyone is as hesitant as the Kazekage, you know."
"I'll verify that myself. But there's one thing I need to remind you of."
"Go ahead, I'm listening."
"Do not desecrate the previous Hokage."
"Masashi, I remember telling you, I no longer have their cells."
"Oh, cut the crap." Masashi said. "I don't care if you study Wood Release or not, but if you do anything to violate their will, then we're done. No more 'friends.'"
"Relax. I've never even considered that." Orochimaru nodded. "That, I can promise you."
"Alright. Remember what you said." Masashi stared at him. "Now leave."
Orochimaru smiled faintly and made a hand sign. In the next instant, he vanished.
Masashi, who had been keeping a stern expression, was momentarily stunned.
Orochimaru had used space-time ninjutsu to leave.
Since it was a technique recorded in the Scroll of Seals, it was natural that Orochimaru had studied the Flying Thunder God Technique. That wasn't surprising.
But he hadn't expected the Snake Sannin to take an interest in this kind of ninjutsu.
Masashi began to reflect.
When Tobirama first developed the Flying Thunder God Technique, it was a near-deceptive ability, earning him the title of the fastest ninja in history. At that time, only a handful of people knew the truth behind it. Later, Kumo drew inspiration from it and created the Heavenly Transfer Technique.
By the time Minato demonstrated its power on the battlefield, using a large number of specially marked kunai, the other villages had become widely aware of the nature of this space-time ninjutsu.
Now, with Masashi using it regularly and frequently showcasing it, no one confused the Flying Thunder God Technique with the Body Flicker Technique anymore.
Orochimaru's technique was clearly modeled after the Flying Thunder God, following a similar principle. However, despite being a prodigy in all areas, he lacked one key talent required to master the Flying Thunder God, chakra sensing.
To make up for that, he had to use something else in place of chakra sensing to determine coordinates.
When Orochimaru vanished, Masashi simultaneously sensed another chakra signature, but it quickly faded, showing signs of complete depletion.
The Sannin was highly talented in space-time ninjutsu, something Masashi had known. However, he hadn't expected Orochimaru to apply their past discussions on curse marks to this field.
Truly, he was once the most dazzling genius of the Sarutobi faction.
So that's how he escaped last time...
Space-time ninjutsu often did not interfere with each other, or, in some cases, could even cancel each other out.
In the original timeline, Kakashi had used Kamui to counter Kaguya's Yomotsu Hirasaka.
Still, Masashi's judgment had been correct, Orochimaru's technique relied on curse mark users.
The sudden chakra burst just now had likely come from a ninja bearing Orochimaru's curse mark.
Even if Masashi chased after him now, he probably wouldn't find Orochimaru. The man was a master of body modification; even without using chakra, his physical speed was still formidable.
This guy… he's truly unmatched when it comes to messing around with bizarre techniques…
Shaking his head, he stood up and turned back toward the tower. He needed to discuss today's events with Fugaku and figure out how to respond. The level of hostility the other villages held toward Konoha had escalated beyond his expectations.
But now that they were prepared, the damage could be minimized.
Perhaps… this was Orochimaru's real purpose? Masashi felt like he had started to grasp the Sannin's true intentions.
Even the so-called "Konoha Crush Plan" from the original timeline, many things that hadn't made sense before now seemed explainable through this logic. This guy was truly an agent of chaos.
Masashi walked slowly back to the tower.
However, even after he entered the tower again, Orochimaru's chakra never reappeared.
Without Orochimaru around to stir up trouble, the second phase of the exam proceeded normally.
There was just one small… complication.
A sudden influx of snakes in the forest.
Yes, Orochimaru had been so engrossed in his conversation with Masashi, and left in such a hurry, that he had forgotten to dismiss the snakes he had summoned from Ryūchi Cave.
Including that big snake.
These unruly snakes quickly proved that Masashi had been right to call them "delinquents."
Each and every one of them, rather than returning on their own, "conveniently forgot" to leave. Since Orochimaru was too busy hiding from Masashi to waste chakra sending them back, they decided to have some fun in the Forest of Death.
The situation nearly spiraled out of control when Sasuke encountered his beloved pet, the snake with the red flower.
It didn't actually spiral out of control only because Masashi stepped in.
Using his authority as a Ryūchi Cave inheritor, he personally sent all the snakes back. But… he might have acted a little too late.
Because when Gaara saw Sasuke again at the tower, his expression was off. It seemed he believed Sasuke had summoned all those snakes by himself.
Masashi had no time to deal with that misunderstanding.
As the exam time limit expired, fifteen genin teams made it to the tower.
Konoha had seven teams.
Among the remaining eight, Kiri had the most, three teams. Suna, Iwa, Kumo, Oto, and Ame each had one.
As one of the supervising jonin, Masashi joined the other proctors in escorting their teams into the tower's training hall.
The four Kage were already standing there, prepared to address the remaining candidates.
Masashi listened to their speeches, not completely meaningless, but still filled with clichés.
Compared to the founding era, the speeches of these younger-generation Kage had clearly lost much of their impact. Instead, they had become unnecessarily long-winded.
This wasn't "Talk no Jutsu"; this was "Sleep no Jutsu."
After that, nothing particularly new happened. Because there were too many candidates who advanced, the competition naturally turned into a preliminary round.
In the original timeline, the preliminaries were one-on-one battles. But in this timeline, with nearly 50% more participants, a one-on-one format would take forever.
The four, no, actually five, Kage were all here, and they wouldn't want to waste an entire day just watching fights. So, in the spirit of respecting history, Konoha decided to send everyone back to the Forest of Death for another elimination round, this time in teams.
With this change, Masashi and the other jonin in charge had no choice but to go into the forest as referees.
After one round of battles, the number of candidates was reduced to 21. The teams from Oto and Ame were completely wiped out, literally. Only three Konoha teams remained. The team with Konohamaru was eliminated, not because he lacked strength, but because his teammates couldn't keep up. He couldn't win the fight alone.
After all, his opponents included Gaara's group.
As the grandson of the Third Hokage, he was indeed strong, but at least there were no casualties. Gaara remained stable and didn't suddenly break into maniacal laughter.
The young Ino-Shika-Chō trio was also eliminated. Their opponents were Haku, Neji, and Karin.
They all knew each other well, familiarity was not an advantage this time. But this generation's Ino-Shika-Chō trio was notorious for slacking off in class, second only to Sasuke and Naruto in that regard. In terms of raw strength, they stood no chance, and Shikamaru's strategic mind couldn't turn the tide.
Among the remaining teams, each of the four other major ninja villages had one group left. The Suna siblings needed no explanation. In the Kiri team, a boy named Suigetsu demonstrated excellent assassination skills, Zabuza had trained him well.
As for the Iwa and Kumo candidates, Masashi didn't find them particularly impressive. But since their opponents were from Oto and Ame, who were even less remarkable, they managed to advance.
Still, 21 candidates were too many.
The preliminary round continued. This time, they were brought back to the central tower and engaged in one-on-one matches, similar to the original timeline.
Masashi kept a close eye on Gaara throughout the process.
From his observations, Gaara's power was unstable. With the One-Tail's chakra at his disposal, he was undeniably a strategic-level threat. However, based on his current performance, if he were in peak condition, he could be considered on the threshold of jonin-level strength.
His biggest flaw was his unstable mental state.
Even so, he was still the strongest candidate in this exam, purely in terms of consistent power.
As for Sasuke and Naruto, these two "cheat characters" had been living too comfortably. They hadn't fully tapped into their potential.
Ultimately, Masashi found the Chunin Exams to be quite dull, unless he had something to bet on, there wasn't much to see. At the end of it all, eight candidates remained: Uchiha Haku, Hyūga Neji, Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, Aburame Shino, Gaara, Temari, and Hōzuki Mangetsu.
Every one of them was exceptionally talented, destined for great achievements.
At this moment, the Kage's faces lit up with smiles. Well, not Ōnoki.
Masashi was also pleased, finally, it was over.
After announcing that the candidates would have a month off, the three Kage from other villages left, leaving the Third and Fourth Hokage to savor the "Konoha's overwhelming victory" moment.
Ōnoki didn't want to stay a second longer, his entire Iwa team had been wiped out.
Once all the foreign ninjas had left and even most of the Konoha ninjas had dispersed, Masashi approached Minato and Hiruzen.
"Hokage-sama, I have something important to report in private."
"Hm?"
Minato and Hiruzen exchanged glances.
The ANBU had discovered the corpses of Kusa's three-man team in the forest and had captured two impostors. A report had already been submitted to both Hokage. The unique death patterns on the bodies practically screamed "Orochimaru was here."
Thinking about his former student-turned-mastermind, Hiruzen felt a headache coming on.
"Masashi, let's discuss this in my office," Minato said.
"Let's have all the jonin join us as well," Hiruzen added. "Now is the time for unity."
His main concern now was "keeping internal affairs private." Key figures from all over the continent were either present or had sent representatives. If Konoha canceled now, they would have no valid excuse, and their reputation would take a huge hit.
Masashi had no objections to the Hokage's decision. Discussing Orochimaru in public wasn't appropriate.
He followed them as they headed toward the Hokage Building.
With the Hokage's summoning order issued, the jonin who received it quickly made their way there.
When jonin travel, they move swiftly and gracefully. As they gathered from different parts of Konoha toward the Hokage Building, they did so without disturbing the villagers or even drawing much attention from ordinary people.
However, the elite ninjas from other villages, who were currently staying in Konoha as team leaders or honored guests, reacted differently upon witnessing this scene.
---
At the Konoha bathhouse, Jiraiya was indulging in his favorite pastime, using professional peeping equipment to enjoy the view. But when he saw figures swiftly passing across the sky, his eyes gleamed with sharpness.
"Goodness! The kumoichi in the village are developing quite well these days!"
He muttered to himself.
"Should I... change my observation angle?"
Suddenly, a chilling memory of a near-death experience surfaced in his mind. And it had also happened at a bathhouse.
Yeah... maybe not worth the risk. But wait… those were jonin just now. Something must be happening.
"Jiraiya-sama!" An ANBU member appeared behind him.
"The Hokage urgently summons you!"
Jiraiya's face instantly changed.
"Ahhh! Someone's peeping!"
A chaotic commotion erupted from the other side of the wall.
Jiraiya's tall and burly figure seemed to deflate in an instant. When he turned back, his expression was as if he had just lost billions.
"Aren't you ANBU? Aren't ANBU supposed to be silent? Why are you so loud?"
The ANBU ninja hesitated. "...Jiraiya-sama, the Hokage's summons is truly urgent. Please stop playing around."
"Tch..." Jiraiya clicked his tongue.
He stood up, his broad frame momentarily blocking the ANBU's line of sight.
"Got it. I'm going now."
The ANBU ninja respectfully bowed and retreated.
"This guy… he could've been completely silent," Jiraiya lamented. The ladies just now were quite nice, he had been struck with a wave of inspiration.
He put away his playful expression. Since the Hokage had called for him urgently, he could already make a few guesses.
His wooden clogs tapped lightly on the ground, producing faint sounds before he disappeared in an instant.
Among the three Sannin, Tsunade was "strong," Orochimaru was "flexible," and Jiraiya was "tough."
As a child, he was terrible at everything. As an adult, he was good at everything. With a powerful physique, Jiraiya's Body Flicker Technique was second to none.
The Body Flicker Technique itself had a low barrier to entry, even chunin could use it, but in theory, it had no upper limit.
At the founding of Konoha, the fastest ninja in the world was Tobirama, who wielded the Flying Thunder God Technique. But those who truly understood the technique believed that the real fastest was actually Muzo, who had perfected the Body Flicker Technique to a level where distances seemed to shrink before him.
Before Jiraiya trained Minato, he was the most proficient in the Body Flicker Technique among the Sarutobi faction. Although he had not reached the legendary level of Muzo, his skill was still extraordinary.
However, Jiraiya was an all-rounded fighter, and his Sage Mode was so dominant that people tended to overlook his other talents.
By the time Jiraiya arrived at the Hokage Building, several people were already waiting for him. He was then led to the jonin meeting room.
As the doors to the meeting room opened, numerous eyes instantly turned toward the last remaining member of the Sannin.
"You all look quite energetic." Jiraiya smiled and strode into the room.
"Jiraiya-sama, you're finally here!"
"Jiraiya-sama, do you remember me? I'm..."
The familiar scene played out once again.
Hiruzen felt gratified. The mischievous brat who used to peep, no, inspect bathhouse security, had now become a symbol of Konoha. Besides, if anyone wanted to criticize him, the real culprit was Muzo. If Muzo hadn't been such an incorrigible playboy, how would he have been led astray by mere curiosity? It had been a very effective stress relief technique. Danzō's downfall, in contrast, came from never understanding its deeper meaning.
"Sensei, we've been waiting for you." Minato approached. "How does it feel to be back in the village?"
"It's great! But I think the security design of the bathhouse still needs improvement." Jiraiya rubbed his chin, looking serious. "No worries, though. I'll check it again another day and give you some detailed feedback."
"Alright… but actually, we called you here for something very important," Minato decided it was best to get to the point. "The truth is…"
"It's about Orochimaru, isn't it?" Jiraiya interrupted.
"So, you already knew."
"I've been keeping an eye on things in the village. There hasn't been any unusual activity from others. If it's not them, then the only one who could cause such a commotion between you and the old man is Orochimaru."
Over the years, with Orochimaru absent, Jiraiya had become the primary intelligence gatherer for the Hokage. As time passed, he had grown even more perceptive and sharp.
"I won't waste words then." Minato nodded and began explaining everything he had learned from the ANBU and Masashi.