Orochimaru's chilling, arrogant aura, coupled with his dominating words, momentarily stunned the ninja from both sides.
The Cloud and Sand ninja, who had both wanted to teach the boastful Jiraiya a lesson, sensed Orochimaru's overwhelming presence and felt a wave of helplessness. From the Cloud side, a strong-willed ninja with a rugged build stepped forward and said loudly: "Alright, Tee, come back."
The wild-eyed boy, Yotsuki Tee, who was bound by Orochimaru's giant python, let out a heavy "Hmph—" and dispersed the chakra from his fist.
Orochimaru glanced at the boy. Although he had no memory of this boy named Tee from his past life, his talent and strength were clearly quite impressive!
Orochimaru directed the python, and after confirming the boy had no further intentions, he released Yotsuki Tee and let him return.
The Sand side also spoke up. A man with blue hair and yellow eyes, whose gaze was calm and cold, told the boy manipulating the puppet: "Stop, Sasori!"
Sasori, the powerful puppeteer who would defect from the Sand Village and join the Akatsuki in the future, was at this moment just a handsome, small boy. He pouted and retracted the chakra threads controlling the puppet.
Orochimaru had no intention of greeting his future colleague. He glanced at Moriyama Nagai, the man who was likely the future Third Kazekage, and commanded the python to toss the puppet back.
On the other side, the Cloud ninja who had spoken, seeing Orochimaru about to leave, asked: "I am Yotsuki A. Konoha ninja, what is your name?"
Hearing the Cloud ninja announce himself, Orochimaru's heart stirred slightly. He replied faintly: "Orochimaru."
With that, he walked away with Jiraiya and Tsunade.
Left behind, the Sand and Cloud groups were stunned after hearing Orochimaru's name.
Yotsuki Tee asked Yotsuki A: "Brother, is that the 'Greatest Genius in the Ninja World' that Hanzō the Salamander spoke of?"
Yotsuki A smiled, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit.
The Sand contingent on the opposite side was also unsettled.
At dinner, Orochimaru informed Manji and the two others about the Chūnin Exams. Manji was ecstatic to hear that she would be fighting alongside Orochimaru and helping him.
Bluebird, welcoming the opportunity to test his strength, excitedly agreed.
Chi remained silent, but he was always the most obedient to Orochimaru's commands. His silence was undoubtedly his way of consenting.
The slightly warm evening breeze of August did not disturb Orochimaru's thoughts. He sat quietly on the veranda in the courtyard, watching the flowers fall and the leaves drift by in the faint, yellow glow of the sunset. This leisurely and tranquil atmosphere sharpened his senses.
He recalled the list of Chūnin Exam candidates he saw earlier and continually pondered it.
Combining this with Sarutobi's unusual expression in the Hokage office, Orochimaru vaguely guessed the underlying situation. This list undoubtedly concealed various clandestine manipulations and games between the nations, even involving the different factions within Konoha itself. All sorts of compromises and negotiations must have already been taking place behind the scenes.
As members of Sarutobi's faction, Orochimaru's group had naturally become pieces on the board.
Orochimaru was indignant, but unable to change his status as a mere chess piece for now, he could only rely on his own strength.
A repressive aura slowly emanated from him, and his dark-golden snake eyes flickered.
Suddenly, Orochimaru felt his vision go dark as two soft, small hands covered his eyes. A small body leaned against him, and a clear, bell-like laugh echoed in his ears: "Hehe, guess who!"
A warm, gentle smile unconsciously appeared on Orochimaru's lips. He took hold of the two soft hands and chuckled: "Haha, what is it, Manji?"
Manji, her small hands held by Orochimaru, pouted her pink lips. She sat down next to him, turning her head away as if pretending to be angry: "Hmph, Brother always guesses! Manji won't play this game with you anymore; it's no fun!"
Orochimaru lovingly stroked Manji's head and said gently: "Alright, I won't say it out loud next time, okay?"
Manji turned back, her face beaming with a radiant smile.
Looking at the beautiful, innocent girl, Orochimaru felt his worries and anxieties vanish in that moment, leaving behind a profound sense of peace and serenity.
Manji then said: "Brother, Bluebird's grandfather is here. He heard that you recommended Bluebird for the Chūnin Exams and is waiting for you in the front hall."
Orochimaru paused, smiled at Manji, then stood up and walked toward the front hall.
When Orochimaru reached the front hall, Hyūga Harano had apparently been there for a while. Bluebird was sitting beside him, the grandfather and grandson talking intimately.
Seeing Orochimaru enter, Hyūga Harano's expression was cordial and kind, given that Orochimaru had given Bluebird a bright future.
Just as Orochimaru sat down with Manji, Hyūga Harano stated the purpose of his visit.
As an Elder of the Hyūga branch family, his status second only to the Clan Head, he provided Orochimaru with a wealth of intelligence regarding the candidates from various countries in the Chūnin Exams, as well as some details about the exam setup.
Orochimaru, using his memories from his past life for comparison, realized that while the history of the Ninja World had changed significantly, the specialties and abilities of these future Kage-level individuals remained largely the same, which reassured him greatly.
Through Hyūga Harano's description, Orochimaru also gained a good understanding of the Chūnin Exam procedures.
The Chūnin Exams were set up in three stages, as was customary. Passing two stages was enough to earn the title of Chūnin Elite as assessed by the participating nations. The third stage was a tournament for the best participants, a process for nations to gauge the military strength and potential of the elite generation of other countries.
Orochimaru and Hyūga Harano conversed for a full two or three hours before concluding.
Three days later, in the early morning, Orochimaru looked at Jiraiya, Manji, and the other five fully prepared members behind him, and led the way toward the Chūnin Exam testing site.
The first stage of the exam was held in a large classroom. One hundred and fifty elite ninja participants were assigned to their respective seats.
The chief examiner, a Jōnin with straight, silky, artfully long black hair and deep, mesmerizing red eyes, slowly walked to the front of the classroom, followed by a group of Konoha proctoring Chūnin. This was Konoha's Genjutsu Master, Yūhi Rō.
Under this Genjutsu Master's technique, everyone experienced a period of agonizing mental torture.
Any ninja whose will was weak and who revealed village information under the Genjutsu interrogation would be immediately disqualified.
This first stage posed zero difficulty for Orochimaru, whose spiritual energy was exceptionally strong. Not even Yūhi Rō's Genjutsu could affect him.
Though it was somewhat unexpected, Yūhi Rō was unsurprised after seeing Orochimaru. After all, over the last three years, Orochimaru's reputation as the Third Hokage's favored disciple had spread far and wide.
As expected, Jiraiya and Manji's group all passed the first exam. However, many other ninja proved to be weak-willed. If even one person in a squad failed and was disqualified, the entire squad would lose their eligibility.
The Genjutsu, constructed by Yūhi Rō to mimic the Konoha interrogation room, put an immense amount of pressure on the candidates from various countries. With such strict passing conditions, more than half of the teams were eliminated in this first round. Twenty-three teams, totaling sixty-nine people, remained. The elite squads of the other Great Nations were prominently among them.
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