Konoha.
Root Underground Base.
There were no windows here.
Only cold stone walls and dim lights that never went out.
The huge "Root" symbol loomed faintly in the shadows.
In a soundproof secret room, two figures stood facing each other.
Shimura Danzo leaned on a cane, half his body wrapped in bandages.
Standing opposite him was Orochimaru, who had shed his disguise as the Kazekage.
"The conditions are already clear. Don't haggle with me anymore!"
Danzo's voice was raspy and direct, tapping his cane lightly on the ground.
"When the plan is launched, you must ensure the Third is killed!"
"In return, once I take the seat of Hokage, I will hand over Uchiha Sasuke to you, to do with as you please!"
"Furthermore, all of Konoha's research resources, forbidden jutsu data, and even experimental subjects... will be open to you. I will fully support your research."
These conditions were undeniably tempting: a high-quality Uchiha vessel and the support of all Konoha's resources.
However, the smile on Orochimaru's face didn't change in the slightest.
"Hehehe... Danzo, you're still so direct!"
"Killing Sensei Sarutobi sounds fun; I'd be happy to oblige. Sasuke is also a good seedling..."
Orochimaru suddenly changed the subject. "But just Uchiha Sasuke... is not enough!"
"What do you mean?"
Danzo's single eye narrowed slightly. "You want to go back on our deal?"
"What I mean is..."
Orochimaru gave a wicked smile, making no attempt to hide his desire.
"Uchiha Yao! I am also very! Very interested in him! Add him to our deal too!"
"Impossible!"
Danzo refused flatly without a second thought, his voice suddenly rising.
"Uchiha Yao is Konoha's property! He is a strategic power!"
"He must be used for the village and can only be controlled by the village!"
"And I, as the future Hokage, will be the only one qualified to control and guide this power!"
"Your research... will absolutely never be used on him!"
"Control? Guide?"
Orochimaru sneered. "Lord Danzo, can't you see clearly?"
"What that brat possesses is the limitless potential of the Sharingan, combined with flawless Wood Release!"
"He is equivalent to the perfect combination of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara!"
Orochimaru laughed sinisterly, his tone becoming fanatical and dangerous.
"Such a treasure, if left in your hands, will only be treated like a sharp weapon locked in a warehouse!"
"Or slowly corroded by Root's ideology into a mere tool!"
"That is a waste!"
"It is a reckless waste of a god-given gift!"
"Only in my hands can his secrets and his power be truly liberated and sublimated!"
"I said, impossible!"
Danzo gripped his cane tightly, a cold light shooting from his exposed eye.
"He is a Konoha ninja, a power that belongs to the village! It is not up to you to decide his fate!"
"Orochimaru, our deal is limited to Uchiha Sasuke!"
The smile on Orochimaru's face gradually faded, and a flash of irritation at being rejected flickered in his cold, slitted pupils.
"Heh... if that's the case!"
Orochimaru slowly straightened up. "It seems that when it comes to dealing with the Third, our goals are aligned."
"But regarding the ownership of Uchiha Yao, we'll each have to rely on our own methods!"
Orochimaru gave Danzo a meaningful look, then turned and walked toward the shadows.
Only one last, low sentence was left echoing in the secret room:
"Danzo, let's see who will end up with him in this coming storm!"
As his voice faded, Orochimaru quietly merged into the darkness and disappeared.
Danzo was left alone in the secret room, the dim light stretching the shadow on half his face into a twisted shape.
Danzo's cane slammed heavily onto the ground, producing a dull thud.
"Uchiha Yao... is mine! And he can only be mine!"
"Konoha's future, the strongest power, can only be controlled by me! And can only... be used by me!"
...
The next day.
Konoha switched to a backup venue, and the interrupted preliminary matches continued.
The audience remained the same: the Third Hokage, the Jonin instructors, and the four from the Sand.
Match 4:Rock Lee vs. Yoroi Akadō
Yoroi Akadō, another of Orochimaru's experimental subjects, had the ability to absorb his opponent's chakra.
This ability was a natural enemy to ninjas who relied on ninjutsu.
However, his opponent today was Rock Lee, a specialist in Taijutsu.
As the battle began, Yoroi attempted to make physical contact to absorb chakra.
But he found that Lee's attacks were like a violent storm. His fists and feet were so fast they left only afterimages, making it impossible for Yoroi to catch him.
"Konoha Whirlwind!"
"Shadow of the Dancing Leaf!"
Lee's figure moved at high speed around the arena. Yoroi couldn't keep up with the rhythm at all and could only struggle to defend.
Soon, he was kicked dizzy and finally knocked out by a heavy punch to the abdomen from Lee.
A complete victory for Taijutsu!
Lee advanced.
Match 5:Hyuga Hinata vs. Haruno Sakura
The battle between the two was a clash of rookies, but it was obvious that Hinata, who had practiced the Gentle Fist since childhood, was stronger.
After all, Hinata possessed the Byakugan Kekkei Genkai and had been exposed to her clan's Gentle Fist training from a young age, giving her impressive Taijutsu skills.
Sakura was a top student with perfect theoretical knowledge and chakra control.
But her actual combat ability was clearly a notch below Hinata's.
"Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms!"
Seizing a slight opening from Sakura, Hinata quickly closed the distance, her palms striking out like butterflies weaving through flowers.
Sakura only felt waves of soreness and numbness from the chakra points all over her body, her movements stiffening instantly.
Hinata advanced!
Match 6:Nara Shikamaru vs. Temari
As the battle began, Temari attempted to use Wind Release for long-range suppression.
But Shikamaru refused to engage head-on. Instead, he utilized the obstacles in the training ground and his Shadow Imitation Technique.
He constantly harassed and restricted Temari's positioning and the angle of her fan swings.
His tactics were weird and tricky.
Just as Temari was about to exert force, he would always manage to trip her with his shadow or force her to change the direction of her attack, wearing down her chakra and patience.
Temari grew increasingly irritable, and her attacks frequently became disorganized.
Shikamaru seized the opportunity, exploiting a blind spot to extend his shadow and connect it with Temari's.
Temari was flushed with anger but had no choice but to admit defeat unwillingly.
Shikamaru advanced!
Match 7:Akimichi Choji vs. Kankuro
Of the Sand trio, Gaara had suffered a crushing defeat, and Temari had lost too.
Kankuro was the only seedling left for the entire Sand Village.
So, Kankuro launched a fierce attack with his Crow puppet right from the start, trying to secure a win.
To regain some face for the Sand!
Poison needles, blades... attacked Choji from all sorts of strange angles.
Choji used his Expansion Jutsu and rolling to defend and dodge.
But Kankuro's puppet attacks were tricky, leaving Choji in a sorry state.
Seeing the stalemate, Choji pulled a soldier pill from his pocket and swallowed it.
Terrifying chakra erupted, and Choji unleashed a Super Human Bullet Tank, directly crushing the Crow puppet into fragments on the ground.
Kankuro turned pale with fright and hastily chose to admit defeat.
Choji turned the tables and advanced.
With this, the entire Sand Village ninja team had been defeated and eliminated.
Match 8:Aburame Shino vs. Tenten
Tenten unrolled a massive scroll, unleashing a torrent of ninja tools.
Shuriken, kunai, senbon... covered more than half the arena.
Shino manipulated a dense swarm of bugs to form a black wall.
The ninja tools crashed into the swarm, quickly being wrapped up and halted by the bugs; some were even directly devoured.
Tenten's long-range firepower was completely countered. She struggled to cope and was eventually surrounded by the bug swarm, unable to move.
She could only helplessly admit defeat!
Match 9:Yamanaka Ino vs. Hyuga Neji
The gap in strength between the two was huge; Neji easily thrashed Ino.
Neji advanced with ease!
The preliminaries drew to a close, and the list of those advancing was released one by one:
Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Yao, Rock Lee, Hyuga Hinata, Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choji, Aburame Shino, Hyuga Neji.
"With this... the Chunin Exam preliminaries are officially over!"
The Third Hokage scanned everyone, his voice gentle.
"Examinees who have successfully advanced, please make good use of the coming month. Under the guidance of your respective Jonin instructors, conduct targeted training!"
"Welcome the final round in one month in your best condition!"
"The finals will be held in front of the Daimyo of various countries and distinguished guests!"
"I hope everyone can display the demeanor of the new generation of ninja!"
"Now, dismissed!"
The Third left after speaking.