Orochimaru had also noticed Naruto's expression.
"Haha… so the kid noticed me long ago?" He licked his lips, excitement flashing in his eyes, as if he had just discovered a fascinating young sapling. "I'm becoming more and more interested in you."
With the Nine-Tails sealed inside him, possessing tremendous potential, and even capable of seeing through his disguise—these were exactly the "outstanding qualities" Orochimaru admired in a rogue ninja. In his eyes, Naruto was more than qualified to become his disciple. After all, Orochimaru was a "master with students scattered across the world," so Naruto's provocation hardly offended him at all.
He had seen many brilliant geniuses with unusual personalities.
Danzō's reaction, however, was far more intense.
A sense of unease suddenly rose in his heart. The reason was simple: the boy's combat techniques far exceeded his expectations, which would make it extremely difficult to control the Nine-Tails in the future.
Moreover, Naruto's personality itself made Danzō deeply uneasy.
"Hiruzen, the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki uses extremely ruthless methods. If someone like this isn't handed over to Root for guidance, he will eventually bring disaster upon the village!"
He lowered his voice, doing his best to sound calm and objective.
Hiruzen gave him a cold glance, his expression clearly saying you're only after your own interests, before replying evenly:
"What Naruto demonstrated just now was textbook combat methodology. He first tested his opponent's strength, then analyzed their weaknesses, laid traps accordingly, and finally secured victory."
"Doesn't this perfectly prove that he has faithfully followed the teachings of the Ninja Academy? I think he handled it very well."
Hiruzen spoke like an experienced politician, elevating a junior's ordinary battle into a model example of ninja combat. Danzō clenched his teeth in frustration, his tone turning urgent.
"Hiruzen, you—"
"Danzō," Sarutobi Hiruzen interrupted coldly, his gaze darkening. "Remember—I am the Hokage."
Danzō froze, as if he had just heard a door slam shut. It was the familiar ending to one of his countless arguments with Hiruzen.
"Enough, both of you!" Homura finally stepped in. "He's just a junior—do you really need to get this worked up?"
He directed this at Danzō, clearly dissatisfied with his sudden change in attitude.
"In any case, let Hiruzen guide Naruto for now. If it doesn't work out, then you can step in."
Seeing this, Danzō could only suppress the resentment boiling in his heart.
Meanwhile, Naruto deliberately observed everyone's reactions, carefully studying each expression.
"Hmm… aside from Sakura, everyone seems pretty enthusiastic. Looks like there won't be any new time travelers appearing for now…"
By now, he had gradually turned temptation into a habit.
Soon, he headed toward the seventh examination hall.
"Heh, the ninja-tool master is back~" Sakura forced a smile and glanced in Tenten's direction.
In situations like this, her radar seemed frighteningly accurate.
Naruto scratched his eyebrow, suddenly getting the distinct feeling of my girlfriend went to greet another girl because of me, and now she's being sarcastic.
Fortunately, Sakura seemed exceptionally skilled at sarcasm.
He put on a heartbroken expression. "Hey, is that really how you see me? I was just discussing proper ninja-tool usage with someone. Has the cold ninja world turned your heart to stone already?"
Sakura pursed her lips and stared at him for a long moment before muttering, "Smooth talker."
Naruto grinned but didn't reply.
He wasn't being arrogant—he was simply becoming more familiar with the kind of person she was.
She looked strong, but was actually as fragile as paper.
As expected, Sakura turned away, her emerald-green eyes slightly puffing her cheeks, clearly unwilling to have anything more to do with Naruto.
"Oh, I was just joking…" Seeing their friendship on the brink of collapse, Naruto quickly came clean in an attempt to smooth things over. He explained that training with Tenten was merely a tool for self-improvement, and that as a gentleman, he had no ulterior motives.
Sasuke watched the entire exchange in silence.
Sasuke: "..."
Time passed.
The preliminary matches gradually came to an end. The Sound Village's elimination caused some changes in the matchups, but many classic scenes still played out.
For example, Rock Lee versus Gaara, Hinata versus Neji, and other fighters completing their battles in different ways. The strong remained strong—such as Shikamaru and Sasuke.
The latter, using the Sharingan, had copied some of Naruto's combat techniques and achieved a brilliant victory. Compared to the original timeline, he appeared far more relaxed, with the curse mark barely playing any role.
At the end,
The nine contestants who passed the preliminaries stood at the center of the arena.
"Congratulations on passing the preliminary round. Now, let me explain the contents of the third stage…"
Hiruzen briefly explained the details of the finals, emphasizing that there would be one month of preparation before the official matches.
One month wasn't long, but for Naruto and the others, it was painfully short. They needed to increase their strength, locate any new time travelers, and—most importantly—uncover more clues about the mastermind behind everything.
As Naruto was deep in thought, Kakashi suddenly appeared beside him and whispered:
"Naruto, go to the Hokage's office later."
Naruto's heart trembled slightly. He nodded slowly, already preparing himself for what was coming next.
Hokage's Office
"Third Grandpa, is something wrong?" Naruto stood before the desk, doing his best to make his eyes look clear and confused.
"Naruto, you performed very well today. Your combat skills are quite mature—almost at the level of a chūnin," Hiruzen said, not getting straight to the point, but first acknowledging Naruto's performance.
"But it's quite the coincidence. Kakashi has been praising you to me lately. He even asked how someone with such average academy grades suddenly became a genius."
"Haha… when he asked me that, I realized I actually hadn't paid much attention to you during this time, so I didn't really know how to answer."
"What do you think, Naruto?"
Naruto's heart began to beat a little faster.
Hiruzen's seemingly casual words were actually a trap. If he answered carelessly, he could easily make a fatal mistake.
After a moment's thought, Naruto decided to take a gamble.
"Grandpa… to be honest, the Nine-Tails has always been trying to tempt me into using its power."
"Oh?" Hiruzen didn't look serious at all. Instead, he appeared mildly puzzled—like a teacher hearing about a student's academic troubles. "Then how do you feel about that?"
Naruto knew this question was the key to the entire conversation, so he had to express his stance correctly. But if he simply claimed he was fine, how could he possibly receive Hiruzen's "guidance"?
He needed to show his loyalty to Konoha while also highlighting his own predicament. Only then could he legitimately obtain some assistance—no, learn new techniques.
With that thought, Naruto looked slightly embarrassed.
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