The third stage of the Chunin Exam.
Or rather, the first two stages of the Chunin Exam were merely qualifiers and preliminaries. Only now did the main event begin. Only genin who reached this stage were eligible to be promoted to chunin.
Eligibility was one thing, but actually achieving promotion was another.
Ethan didn't care about being promoted to chunin. After arriving at the arena, he simply stood there quietly, waiting for the plot to unfold.
He suddenly realized something.
According to the original plot, Sasuke and Gaara's match should have been the second one. But because Sasuke picked up Kakashi's habit of being late, he hadn't arrived at the arena in time.
After some adjustments, Sasuke's match was delayed, and the later matches were held first.
Then Kankuro forfeited, giving Shikamaru a chance to take the stage.
Now, because of his presence, Sasuke hadn't received special training from Kakashi alone, but had sparred with him, Naruto, and Haruno Sakura instead.
The content of the training being known to everyone wasn't a big deal. More importantly, Sasuke wasn't late this time. This meant his match with Gaara would proceed as originally scheduled.
Orochimaru's plan to destroy Konoha was initiated during Gaara's match. He likely intended to have Gaara release the power of Shukaku to cause massive destruction.
Which meant... not having to participate in any matches himself wasn't the main issue. Shikamaru's moment in the spotlight might also vanish as a result.
"Anyway, Shikamaru always acts like everything is a hassle. Maybe he'd be happier not having a chance to stand out this time and not getting promoted to chunin?"
Glancing at Shikamaru not far away, Ethan let his thoughts drift as the first match of the third round of the Chunin Exam, Uzumaki Naruto versus Hyuga Neji, began.
Watching Naruto, who was already far stronger than in the original timeline due to special training, fighting the Hyuga clan's genius, who specialized in Gentle Fist, to a standstill with Shadow Clones, Wind Style ninjutsu, and the taijutsu refined through being beaten by Ethan, was refreshing and interesting.
This match could be summed up as: I'm going to beat sense into you.
Through his own efforts (and the Nine-Tails' boost), Naruto finally managed to awaken Neji, who had been consumed by hatred.
As a genius of the previous generation, Neji suffered from a similar issue as Sasuke: a firm belief that bloodline determined everything.
And his condition was even worse than Sasuke's. Despite his age, his mouth was constantly filled with talk of fate.
Although that was partly due to his personal experiences, a person like that was truly hard to like. So Ethan preferred to see Naruto win.
More importantly, if Naruto lost, wouldn't all those free sparring sessions during this period have been wasted?
After the match between Naruto and Neji concluded, it was time for Sasuke versus Gaara. This match had already attracted widespread attention, as the Uchiha name carried weight. Many spectators had come specifically because of it.
Some people even opened betting pools and sent two idiots to try and threaten Gaara into throwing the match. Ethan truly admired the courage of such people. In a world where ninjas could do as they pleased, they dared to ask a genius from a major hidden village to fix a match.
Ethan really wanted to ask those rich patrons what they were thinking.
Unsurprisingly, the two idiots were immediately crushed into pulp by Gaara's sand, and the match between Gaara and Sasuke had a faint air of bloodlust right from the beginning.
"What an ominous feeling."
"Ethan, did you sense something?"
Kakashi already knew Ethan had incredibly strong perception abilities. Hearing him say this, he immediately assumed something was off.
He couldn't be blamed for being overly cautious. With Orochimaru having infiltrated Konoha and no one knowing his exact plan, there was no such thing as being too careful.
Ethan, of course, knew what was about to happen, but he couldn't explain it now, so he casually brushed it off.
"I hope it's just my imagination."
As the match began, Gaara's absolute defense no longer seemed so impenetrable when faced with Sasuke's enhanced speed. And when Gaara completely sealed himself within the sand, Sasuke revealed the results of his recent special training.
Chidori.
As Kakashi's signature jutsu, the jonin from Konoha recognized it instantly. They hadn't expected Sasuke to have already mastered such a technique and all looked visibly surprised.
The Chidori lived up to expectations, piercing through Gaara's defense and actually injuring him inside the sand shell.
It had begun.
As Gaara fell into confusion, countless feathers gently drifted down across the arena.
"Genjutsu?"
The jonin reacted swiftly and immediately dispelled it, but the vast majority of the audience still fell unconscious.
At the same time, the Third Hokage was restrained by the Kazekage, who leapt onto the rooftop and revealed his true identity.
"Orochimaru!"
The Konoha Crush plan was underway.
Countless Sound Ninjas emerged from every corner. It was hard to believe that Konoha, with its powerful defenses, had been infiltrated like a sieve, allowing so many enemy ninjas to sneak in.
"No inside man... even an idiot wouldn't believe that."
Who was the traitor? Did he even need to think about it?
Ethan calmly observed the situation. Kankuro and Temari immediately jumped into the arena to meet up with Gaara, while the Sand Ninja Baki was also present, confronting Genma Shiranui while watching Gaara's condition.
"Looks like Gaara's condition isn't good. He'll have to withdraw from this operation."
They had originally hoped to rely on Shukaku's power to wreak havoc, but with Gaara in this state, there was a risk of losing control. That could cause damage to Konoha, but it might also hurt their own side. It was better to get this unstable weapon away quickly.
The stands had already turned into a battlefield between Konoha ninjas and the Sound Ninjas. While helping clear the enemies, Kakashi also assigned tasks to Haruno Sakura, who had a talent for genjutsu and hadn't fallen asleep.
The jonin couldn't leave. He could only rely on these capable genin now. Especially after the time they had trained together, his view of Sakura had completely changed. She was a young person with real potential but still needed to strengthen her will.
"Go wake up Naruto, then go support Sasuke..."
Turning to look at Ethan beside him, he wasn't surprised Ethan hadn't fallen under the genjutsu. After so many sparring sessions, Kakashi had already noticed that Ethan had an incredibly high resistance to genjutsu.
"Ethan, that Gaara from the Sand is dangerous. Be careful."
"No, I have something else to do. Let them handle supporting Sasuke."
He casually tossed a kunai toward Shikamaru lying on the ground. Shikamaru, being very alert, rolled away to avoid it.
"..."
"..."
"Shikamaru, you were pretending to be under genjutsu!"
"Ah, what a drag."
Kakashi watched as Sakura then woke Naruto, feeling that with these young people plus Sasuke, they should be enough. But Ethan refused to follow his arrangement. What was he planning?
He noticed Ethan's gaze remained fixed on the high platform, where the Third Hokage was trapped inside a barrier. Orochimaru seemed intent on a one-on-one battle with him.
He suddenly remembered Ethan knew the Flying Thunder God Technique. Was he planning to enter the barrier?
"You're not thinking of..."
"Kakashi Sensei, I'm going in!"
Before the words were even fully spoken, Ethan had disappeared. Kakashi immediately turned toward the high platform. The Third Hokage and Orochimaru had already changed into battle gear, and the fight had begun.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu was blocked by the coffins Orochimaru had summoned. From the look of it, there were more than just two.
"A third one!"
Just as Orochimaru struggled to summon the third coffin, he suddenly heard a sound behind him. He found it strange. He couldn't understand how someone had entered the barrier, but that didn't stop him from reacting. While slightly shifting to avoid the sneak attack, he clearly saw who had arrived.
"This is... the kid who partnered with Kabuto during the Chunin Exam?"
Ethan's slash failed. He immediately used the Body Flicker Technique to move beside the Third Hokage and gently patted the old man's back.
"Third Hokage, do you need help?"
"Ethan! How did you... You've already mastered that jutsu."
"I made some preparations in the arena earlier. I just didn't expect to use them here."
"So that's how it is."
Ethan's sudden appearance shocked not only Orochimaru but also the Anbu outside the barrier, who had been at a loss. They didn't understand how Ethan had entered.
"That's... Ethan, the one participating in the exam this time, right? How did he get inside?"
The leading Anbu said nothing. Though Ethan's appearance was sudden, he had a faint idea. Being older, he knew more than the younger generation.
"If it's that jutsu, then the Hokage won't be alone inside the barrier."
Ethan looked around. The Sound Four who had cast the Four Violet Flames Formation were the key to maintaining the barrier. These four actually weren't very strong. In order to maintain the formation, they couldn't move at all. Theoretically, breaking the barrier should be very simple.
Unfortunately, the formation had split the four into separate protected compartments. Even if Ethan entered the barrier, he couldn't reach them.
"Heh heh heh, those four are each protected by the barrier. It's impossible for you to kill them and break it."
At that moment, the two coffins had already opened. The First and Second Hokages, summoned through the Reanimation Jutsu, had appeared.
"Besides, the Hokage can't just leave. These two aren't enemies that just anyone can handle."
(To be continued.)