Three days later, the joint Chūnin Exam finally commenced.
"Deidara, aren't you going to check on your little girlfriend?" Sasori asked curiously.
Deidara shook his head helplessly. "She doesn't want me to go."
"You know how it is with women; they tend to get more irritable during certain days of the month."
After the incident with Anko, Kurotsuchi had been furious and hadn't spoken to Deidara for three whole days. Naturally, Deidara couldn't openly admit the real reason for her anger.
Despite his private attempts to explain, Kurotsuchi clearly didn't believe him.
"Ah!" At that moment, Hidan yawned from the corner of the room, his voice filled with irritation. "Why don't we just act now?"
He hadn't been able to pray to Jashin for three days, and he felt like he was losing his devotion.
"Do we really have to wait until the Chūnin Exam ends?"
"That's the boss's orders. Just follow them," Deidara replied.
"Besides, isn't this paid vacation kind of nice?"
Kakuzu nodded in agreement. The days where he could just lay back and watch money roll in without lifting a finger were practically heaven.
"So, what exactly is Orochimaru planning? What's his scheme?" Hidan asked curiously.
"I think I saw Orochimaru participating in the Chūnin Exam," Nagato said.
"What?! Orochimaru still has such childish whims?"
"Taking an exam with a bunch of kids?" Hidan was shocked by Orochimaru's peculiar interests.
"It's probably for the Sharingan. After all, Itachi's younger brother is participating in this year's Chūnin Exam," Sasori explained.
Deidara nodded. "That's definitely the case."
"Hidan, haven't you noticed that Itachi and Kisame have already left?"
"They're probably off to deal with Orochimaru."
"Oh?" Hidan perked up.
"Since there's nothing to do now, why don't we go check out the commotion?" he suggested.
Deidara was the first to stand up. He had planned to go anyway, as he was worried about Kurotsuchi and Suigetsu.
"Anyone else want to come?" Deidara asked.
"I'll go too. We can't have Orochimaru getting killed by Itachi; otherwise, there'd be no one left to pay us," Kakuzu said as he stood up.
"Sasori-dono?"
"Pointless," Hiruko muttered as he moved toward the door.
"Leader? Konan?"
"If you insist, I'll grant my subordinate's wish," Nagato said with a hint of amusement.
"If Nagato's going, I'll join too," Konan added.
"Kakashi?"
"Well, since my former three students are participating in the Chūnin Exam, I might as well take a look," Kakashi said.
"Alright, let's go!"
The seven Kage-level powerhouses walked out together, their imposing presence making it seem like they were heading out to destroy a village. Little would anyone guess that they were merely going to watch the drama unfold.
This Chūnin Exam consisted of only one round, with simple rules. In a desolate wasteland, various supplies and map scrolls had been hidden beforehand.
The participants had to find the supplies while collecting as many map scrolls as possible.
At the end of the five-day exam, these map scrolls would serve as critical references for the upcoming alliance meeting regarding territory distribution. The village whose candidates collected the most scrolls would receive a larger share of territory in the subsequent allocation.
Naturally, under such competitive rules, the exam was bound to be brutal. Since the stakes were so high, the candidates would undoubtedly give it their all.
The death waivers had already been signed, and casualties—even mass casualties—could be fully expected.
This setup perfectly aligned with Danzō's style. As a staunch pragmatist, he was willing to use any means necessary to achieve his goals.
Which is why he didn't bother with the traditional written tests and arena battles of past Chūnin Exams.
In his view, direct survival of the fittest was the best approach. Those who survived would inevitably be the most capable.
Meanwhile, in the exam field, Orochimaru had already eagerly approached Sasuke Uchiha. He had long been looking for an opportunity to get close to Sasuke, as the boy was his top choice for a future vessel.
After the incident with Tianshin Hime, Orochimaru's interest in Sasuke had only grown.
"Sasuke Uchiha, what secrets are you hiding within you?" Orochimaru murmured excitedly, licking his lips.
"Hey! Who are you, and why are you blocking our way?" Naruto shouted at Orochimaru.
Orochimaru gave a sinister smile. "Nine-Tails brat, I'm not interested in playing with you right now."
"My target is him," he said, his gaze shifting to Sasuke, who stood to Naruto's left.
"Who are you?" Sasuke asked coldly, clutching a kunai and adopting a combat stance.
Orochimaru had no interest in small talk. His neck extended unnaturally as he lunged forward to bite Sasuke.
He wanted to test Sasuke's potential. If the boy wasn't exceptional enough, even the Uchiha bloodline wouldn't make him worthy of being Orochimaru's vessel.
Startled by Orochimaru's bizarre body modifications, Sasuke reacted swiftly, rolling away to avoid the attack.
Then, he threw four shuriken, which collided mid-air with a series of metallic clinks before striking Orochimaru at precise angles.
"Impressive shuriken technique. As expected of an Uchiha ninja," Orochimaru said, effortlessly dodging the attack and offering a calm critique.
Fire Release and flashy yet highly effective shuriken techniques were hallmarks of the Uchiha clan—second only to their iconic Sharingan.
"Don't underestimate me!" Naruto shouted, creating hundreds of clones with his Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu and charging at Orochimaru.
Orochimaru showed a hint of surprise.
To achieve this without relying on the Nine-Tails' chakra—truly a testament to the Uzumaki clan's remarkable lineage.
No, even among the Uzumaki clan, this level of ability was rare.
Still, while Naruto's personality was sunny and optimistic, his intelligence fell far short of his father's.
"Summoning Jutsu!" Orochimaru slammed his hand against the ground, summoning a massive serpent.
The snake, roughly ten meters long, was an elite among cannon fodder-level summons. Orochimaru had no intention of killing Naruto—partly because the Nine-Tails' chakra made it impossible, and partly because he had no reason to.
With a single swipe of its tail, the snake took out about ten Naruto clones before engaging the rest in battle.
"Alright, now no one will interrupt us," Orochimaru said, turning his attention back to Sasuke.
"Do your best to defeat me, or this little girl will die," Orochimaru declared, grabbing Sakura and releasing a terrifying killing intent.
Sakura froze in fear, unable to move. Sasuke similarly seemed paralyzed by the sheer intensity of Orochimaru's aura.
Such overwhelming killing intent!
This monster is so strong! Can I really defeat him? Doubts began to creep into Sasuke's mind.
"What's the matter? Is this all you've got?"
"You're far inferior to Uchiha Itachi," Orochimaru said mockingly.
The mention of Itachi's name acted as a trigger for Sasuke. Instantly, he flew into a rage, his two-tomoe Sharingan activating and his body regaining its mobility.
"Already awakened the two-tomoe Sharingan?"
"It seems your talent isn't bad!" Orochimaru licked his lips.
Although awakening the two-tomoe Sharingan at age eleven was only moderately impressive by Uchiha clan standards, considering the peaceful era and Sasuke's untapped potential, it was indeed remarkable.
(Note: Regarding Danzō's role—while the author doesn't particularly favor him as a character, his inclusion serves to set up the Akatsuki's eventual group battle. After all, if Konoha isn't strong, there'd be no point in such a showdown. For a detailed explanation, see the extended Author's Notes later.),~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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