In a room on the second floor of the tower, Anko, several examiners, and a group of Anbu stood before Sarutobi Hiruzen, delivering their reports.
"Hokage-sama, this is the situation..."
"Lord Hokage, Orochimaru has infiltrated the exam. We should stop the Chūnin Exams immediately!"
"That's right! Capturing him takes priority over everything else!"
Several examiners voiced their concerns.
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep drag from his pipe, exhaling slowly before shaking his head.
"Orochimaru is cunning. Even if we act now, capturing him will be nearly impossible…"
"Moreover, if he dares to show himself so openly in Konoha, he must have a backup plan."
"It's unwise to alert him too soon. We will proceed as planned."
Despite his calm words, Hiruzen's thoughts were troubled.
"Orochimaru only targets things that hold great value. The only thing in Konoha that could entice him now…"
His eyes darkened.
"The Uchiha bloodline."
He was well aware of Orochimaru's cruel forbidden technique—the Living Corpse Reincarnation. Every few years, he would abandon his old body and take a new host.
Those with rare bloodline abilities or exceptional talent were his prime targets.
And now, Sasuke Uchiha was at the top of that list.
"Still, we must remain vigilant. Keep an eye on Orochimaru at all times!"
"Also, summon all the Jōnin in the village."
"Yes, Lord Hokage!"
Anko nodded, her expression grim.
---
A few days later, all the remaining examinees gathered in the main hall of the tower.
Sasuke casually glanced around. He quickly noticed that Kakashi, Might Guy, Kurenai, and the other Jōnin were present.
Even Izumo, Kotetsu, and several elite Chūnin were here.
Not to mention the hidden Anbu in the shadows.
The level of security was overwhelming.
Suddenly, Sasuke's eyes narrowed.
"Huh? That guy… is Orochimaru?"
His gaze locked onto a cold, calculating man wearing a Sound Village forehead protector, standing in a distant corner.
With his heightened spiritual perception, Sasuke instantly recognized the familiar, sinister chakra.
It was Orochimaru in disguise.
"So, this entire setup is meant to prevent him from causing trouble."
Sasuke smirked.
"But seriously… Sarutobi Hiruzen, you can't even recognize the enemy standing right in front of you?"
He realized that Orochimaru must have been observing him, likely to check on the state of the Cursed Seal.
"It's a shame, really. Your mark was completely absorbed by me..."
"If I wanted, I could even mimic the Cursed Seal of Heaven perfectly."
Meanwhile, Anko surveyed the gathered candidates, sighing internally.
Originally, the examiners had expected the Forest of Death to significantly thin out the competition, leaving only a few teams standing.
But this year's participants were far stronger than anticipated.
"Whew, I didn't expect this. Kakashi, all nine of your rookies made it through?"
"Hmph. Soon, you'll get to see just how well my students perform."
Might Guy smirked proudly.
Kakashi turned his head lazily. "Hmm? Were you talking to me?"
"Damn you, Kakashi! Always acting cool!" Might Guy shouted, striking a dramatic pose.
---
Naruto looked around, noticing that all his classmates had passed.
"Whoa, everyone from our class made it through!" he said excitedly.
"Ugh, even Sakura…" Ino grumbled.
"Ino, come on. With Sasuke on her team, it's obvious they'd make it." Shikamaru yawned, lazily picking his ear.
He glanced around at the other competitors and sighed.
"If the next round isn't a team battle, we're screwed if we go up against Sasuke."
"Maybe we should just forfeit."
"Shikamaru, are you serious?!" Ino glared at him.
Chōji, munching on a bag of chips, muttered, "Honestly, everyone here looks pretty strong…"
"What did you say?! Chōji, you want me to lose to Sakura?!"
Ino's fierce glare made Chōji break out in a cold sweat.
Meanwhile, Team Kiba had their own concerns.
"That guy… he's here too…"
The trio nervously eyed Gaara.
"He's too dangerous. If we face him, we should forfeit." Kiba patted Akamaru, who was trembling.
Even Shino nodded in agreement. After witnessing Gaara's power in the Forest of Death, none of them wanted to fight him.
Hinata, on the other hand, was looking at Sasuke.
"I wonder… is Sasuke-kun stronger than Gaara?"
As if sensing her gaze, Sasuke turned and gave her a slight smirk.
Hinata instantly turned red, looking away shyly.
---
At that moment, Sarutobi Hiruzen stepped forward, clearing his throat.
He began a speech about the significance of the Chūnin Exams—how they were not just a test but a demonstration of each village's strength.
The underlying message was clear:
"You represent the Land of Fire. Show no weakness. Fight with everything you have."
The tension in the hall rose.
Then, with a wave of Hiruzen's hand—
Poof!
A cloud of white smoke appeared, and Moonlight Hayate stepped forward, coughing lightly.
"Ahem. Given the high number of candidates who passed, the next stage will include preliminary matches."
"The preliminaries will be one-on-one battles…"
"And they start immediately."
A murmur spread through the room.
"What?! A preliminary round?!"
"Are you kidding me? We barely survived the Forest of Death!"
"This is ridiculous!"
Shikamaru sighed in frustration, while several others groaned.
"If any of you are injured and feel you cannot continue, you may choose to forfeit," Hayate added.
At those words, the room fell silent.
Then—
"Abstain? No way!" Naruto shouted. "We came this far, we're fighting!"
His enthusiasm spread, and the other candidates steeled themselves.
Except for one.
"I… abstain."
Yakushi Kabuto raised his hand, a calm smile on his face.
"Huh?!"
Many turned to look at him in surprise.
Sasuke smirked.
"As expected… Kabuto doesn't want to reveal his true strength."
For a spy, gathering intelligence was the top priority.
There was no need for him to keep competing.
And so, the real battles were about to begin.