The Coming Storm

The following day, even more alarming information was urgently sent to the Hokage's office building.

Hiruzen Sarutobi silently smoked, glancing at the Anbu Ninja who had delivered the news of "Gekko Hayate's murder," his unease growing stronger.

Ever since the Chunin Ninja Exams, it seems like there's been an invisible hand quietly manipulating everything.

An invisible storm is brewing in Konoha, and all recent news is a sign of this impending disaster.

As an elder who stood at the pinnacle of the Shinobi World and ruled Konoha for decades, Hiruzen Sarutobi had long foreseen the origin of this inevitable catastrophe.

A puff of smoke escaped from Hiruzen Sarutobi's lungs, and perhaps because he was too eager, he couldn't help but cough twice.

The old man glanced at the back of his hand, which was covered with age spots. The once vibrant young man had also aged. The next moment, the man known as Shinobi Hero's eyes suddenly hardened.

"Orochimaru, if you truly intend to destroy Konoha, I will take you away even at the cost of my life!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi silently.

My beloved student went astray, and I, who should have taken his life, spared him. Firstly, because the bond between teacher and student over the years was not an illusion, and secondly, because I was confident back then that I could stop Orochimaru from doing anything to harm Konoha. But in the end, I could not escape the passage of time.

"It's time to consider handing over the future of Konoha to the next generation!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi slammed his pipe on the table and gave a deep, resonant command to the waiting Anbu.

"Inform Genma Shiranui that he will be taking over as the proctor for the final Chunin Ninja Exams!"

"Notify the two elders and Jiraiya to come to the Hokage Building. I have an important order to give!"

"Notify Jonin Commander Leader Shikaku Nara to cancel all leave and missions of Jonin, and to be on standby at any time!"

The old man hesitated for a moment, then continued, "Order the members of the Anbu to monitor the Root's every move, and report back immediately if there are any unusual actions!"

"Yes, Lord Hokage!"

Under Hiruzen Sarutobi's orders, countless Konoha Ninja immediately sprang into action, and Konoha's somewhat rusty war machine finally began to move again.

Time passed day by day, and the thirty-day break Chunin Ninja Exams was drawing to a close.

Whether it was nobles and merchants who came from all over the Shinobi World to witness this extraordinary spectacle, or ninjas who infiltrated Konoha because of that destined operation, they all gradually gathered in this bustling village, and everyone was quietly waiting for that day to arrive.

Over the course of nearly a month, Naruto Uzumaki was eagerly hoping to learn powerful Ninjutsu, found himself mostly spending his time eating, drinking, Jiraiya-sensei, indulging in delicious food and emptying his wallet, confessing to the girl he liked only to be beaten half to death by an enraged Sakura, and learning Jiraiya's amazing ability to gather material and collect inspiration.

Although Naruto was indeed having a lot of fun, he suddenly felt dizzy when he learned that the final exam was starting the next day.

Naruto Uzumaki, who could only summon tadpoles (four-legged versions) at that moment, felt like he had suddenly woken up from a dream and realized he was taking an exam, and with the last minute, his saliva-covered test paper was still completely blank.

"Jiraiya-sensei, are you even reliable? I have a feeling I'm doomed!"

In a Naruto Uzumaki kept pacing back and forth towards Jiraiya and seemed to be hungover.

Jiraiya, his face contorted with a headache, looked unwell. After once again refusing the old man's request for the Hokage appointment, he sensed a resolute aura emanating from his teacher, which instilled a sense of dread in Jiraiya.

However, seeing his anxious young disciple, Jiraiya felt a little better. Minato had also grown up rapidly and become an extraordinary figure. As Minato's son, Naruto also aspired to become Hokage, and Jiraiya firmly believed that the future of Konoha lay in Naruto.

Jiraiya flipped off the Taiseki, grinning at Naruto, "Now that you have no regrets, Naruto, let's proceed to the final step of our training!"

Naruto's eyes lit up immediately. "Jiraiya-sensei, what should I do?"

"Open your eyes wide and clench your teeth!"

Just as Naruto was looking at Jiraiya with a puzzled expression, he saw a huge fist smash directly into his stomach.

The next moment, the world turned upside down.

Naruto Uzumaki looked up at his Jiraiya-sensei, who was standing on the edge of the waterfall, and the feeling of weightlessness from falling and the crisis of facing death for the first time overwhelmed him.

"Naruto, go learn how to master the techniques with your body. If you don't want to die, open that door!"

"If this continues, we'll die! We'll die!"

Naruto Uzumaki stared at the approaching abyss, his entire body paralyzed by the overwhelming fear of impending death.

Gradually, the sound of dripping water began to faintly reach his ears, and then he suddenly realized that he was in a damp dungeon.

A massive, towering cage stood silently before him. Naruto Uzumaki, curious, approached, only to be nearly pierced through the body by a gigantic claw in an instant.

Behind the cage, a huge, blood-red eye opened, and a red figure emitted an arrogant and malicious sound.

A massive amount of red Chakra enveloped Naruto's body, and the boy suddenly opened his eyes.

"Ninja Art: Summoning Technique!"

A huge red figure appeared beneath Naruto. He looked down in shock and found himself standing on the head of a giant red Toad with a pipe in its mouth and bandages around its waist.

"The leader of the Toad? So cool!"

Naruto Uzumaki's eyes widened, and he couldn't help but speak.

Jiraiya jumped onto Gamabunta's head and proudly introduced him to his disciples: Gamabunta, the face of Mount Myōboku!

"How about it? Now, taking down Sasuke and those Dōmeki is a piece of cake, right?"

Unexpectedly, Naruto had been so excited just moments before, fell silent. He recalled the giant purple serpent that had appeared in the Forest of Death, swallowed hard, and said, "I feel like it's still not enough!"

Gamabunta hearing Naruto's words, suddenly flew into a rage, "Kid, isn't talking to me enough? Are you trying to take on the Sage of Six Paths or the God of Shinobi?!"

While Naruto was bickering with his summoned beast to strengthen their bond, Sasuke was covered in wounds on the other side.

His right arm, covered in burn marks from lightning and wrapped in bandages, was panting heavily when he heard Kakashi-sensei's command.

"Focus your energy and prepare for the next move!"

The sound of Chidori singing suddenly rang out, but then stopped again.

Paralyzed by the electric current, Sasuke lay on the ground, but his eyes shone even brighter; he had finally grasped that feeling.

"Dōmeki-senpai, Itachi! Wait for me!"

Gaara, who had spent his last night alone on the hotel rooftop, glanced at the tense Kankuro and the worried Temari, and said coldly, "Let's go! This time, let that guy see a real monster!"