An hour passed swiftly. Tsunade, seated behind the podium, opened her eyes with uncanny precision, as if an alarm had gone off in her head. One might even wonder whether she had been asleep at all.
The wave of cheating had also come to an end. Among the hundreds of Chunin examinees, only about a third had truly refrained from peeking.
"Alright," Tsunade said lazily, "I will now announce the list of candidates who passed the first exam. Those who have lost their qualifications may leave."
She picked up the list Anbu had just delivered and began reading aloud.
When she finished, she added, "Those who failed, don't be discouraged. You are welcome to participate in next year's Chunin Exams."
With that, Tsunade turned and walked toward the exit on her own.
She looked relaxed. The genin below her did not.
Only about a hundred names had been called. Nearly a third of the examinees had been eliminated in the first round. The atmosphere instantly grew heavy.
Before anyone could voice their dissatisfaction, the most agitated genin was suddenly slammed onto a desk with a loud smack.
The examination hall fell completely silent.
"I ask you," Orochimaru's hoarse voice echoed through the room, "who told you that you were allowed to cheat during this exam?"
Outside the hall, Sakumo Hatake chuckled softly while remaining perched in the tree.
"Looks like I won't be needed."
Inside, faced with the cold killing intent that Orochimaru had refined on countless battlefields, a few eliminated genin still gathered the courage to stand up.
With so many people failing, they believed Konoha would have to give an explanation. Surely they could not all be dismissed so easily.
Orochimaru's gaze swept over them.
"Ninjas have rules. Examination halls have rules as well," he said calmly. "If you cannot even follow the rules of an exam, what use would you be as Chunin?"
"Genin may act recklessly. Chunin cannot," he continued. "If you cannot understand even this much, then there is no need for you to advance."
"If you have objections, you may submit them directly to the Hokage. But if you choose to cause trouble and disrupt the remaining exams, then I will not be lenient."
He snapped his fingers.
Several Konoha Anbu entered through the windows.
"Escort these genin out. If anyone resists, take appropriate action."
"I'll leave the rest to you," Tsunade said casually as she passed Orochimaru, exiting without sparing the scene another glance.
For her, witnessing the aftermath was far less appealing than finding a place to drink.
Orochimaru waited until the hall was cleared before addressing the remaining genin.
"Let's begin with a few formalities," he said. "First, congratulations on passing the not-so-difficult first exam. However, don't celebrate yet. The second exam begins immediately, and the venue will change."
With that, he turned and led them out.
Up in the tree, Sakumo clicked his tongue.
"Orochimaru really is suited for handling this kind of thing."
"If he hadn't stepped in, you would have," Uchiha Hayashi replied calmly.
"Are you heading back now?" Sakumo asked.
Hayashi shook his head. "I'll watch the second exam with you."
Sakumo frowned slightly. "Didn't you say it was boring before?"
Hayashi smiled faintly. "I noticed something interesting among the examinees."
"Interesting?" Sakumo raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you mean Rasa with Magnet Release."
"It's not him."
"Then I can't think of anyone else particularly impressive."
"You'll see soon enough," Hayashi said. "I may even intervene."
Sakumo felt a headache coming on. "That's not ideal. The Third Hokage emphasized fairness."
"It's fine," Hayashi replied evenly. "I'll speak to him directly. He'll agree."
His gaze sharpened slightly. "That is, assuming I didn't misjudge."
Not long after, Orochimaru brought the successful genin to a broad, open training ground.
In truth, the first and second exams were conducted back-to-back. There was no rest period.
The joint Chunin Exams were, at their core, a political performance. The third exam was the finale. Few truly cared about the first two rounds, and many even complained they took too long.
Standing before the genin, Orochimaru announced the rules without expression.
"This is a flat terrain training ground within Konoha. All present genin will be divided into thirteen large teams based on their respective villages. You will survive here for five days."
"A map will be issued, marking your camp's location. At the center of each camp is a flag. You must defend your own flag while attempting to seize others."
"Each participant will also carry a small flag. If your camp flag is captured, your entire team is immediately disqualified."
"After five days, rankings will be determined by the number of small flags obtained. The bottom two teams will be eliminated."
Orochimaru rarely spoke at such length. No one dared interrupt.
"If there are no objections, prepare to begin. Jonin will escort you to your entry points."
Only then did a trembling genin from a minor village raise his hand.
"If teams are divided by village, the numbers will differ greatly," he said carefully. "Konoha and Kumogakure clearly have more participants."
The concern was reasonable. Compared to the Five Great Villages, their individual strength was lacking. This exam emphasized teamwork and command.
Orochimaru's response was cold.
"The Chunin Exam evaluates your suitability for promotion," he said. "Once you become Chunin, you will face uneven conditions regularly. Judgement, planning, and execution are skills you must possess."
"If you are dissatisfied, you may withdraw and return next year."
With those words, retreat was no longer an option. After brief hesitation, the smaller villages agreed.
Jonin soon escorted the genin away, and the training ground grew quiet.
Orochimaru leaned against a tree, clearly waiting.
Half an hour later, Jiraiya appeared.
"Everything's set?" Orochimaru asked.
"Yes. All necessary deployments are complete. The next five days should be relatively calm."
"Good," Orochimaru said. "I'll leave emergency defense to you. I'm heading back to the hospital."
"The hospital?" Jiraiya asked. "Why?"
"The Mist ninja are here for that Kaguya child," Orochimaru replied. "I need more blood samples."
"…."
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