Later, from Naruto's brief report and the snake slough left at the scene, Third Hokage confirmed the fact that Orochimaru had escaped. A deep annoyance welled up in his heart. After all, he was unable to bring this misguided disciple back with his own hands... or rather, bring him to justice.
At the same time, his heart was filled with unspeakable complex emotions.
Orochimaru, this genius disciple who once made him extremely proud, fought side by side with Jiraiya and Tsunade. In the smoke of Third Shinobi World War, he forged the reputation of "Legendary Sannin", and even joined forces with the "demigod" Hanzo of the Salamander to win the qualification to survive.
In terms of strength and talent, there is no doubt that Orochimaru has the qualifications to be the shadow of Ichimura.
Unfortunately, his character eventually deviated from the right path. His obsession with forbidden arts and his disregard for life eventually led to the break between master and disciple and his defection.
However, it was such a strong person that the whole Ninja World was afraid of, but today he was beaten up and fled by a Konoha Genin who had only graduated from the school of tolerance for a few months...?
No, it's not that Orochimaru is too weak, it's that Kurama's power is too terrifying, Naruto... He can control this power so perfectly!
Third Hokage's eyes fell on Naruto. After watching him show such strength, he still explained the situation to himself respectfully and clearly, his eyes were clear, and there was no violence or arrogance eroded by power.
Third Hokage's worries eased slightly, replaced by a deeper shock.
Just now, through telescope technology, he clearly saw the elusive movement of Naruto - that was no ordinary Body Flicker Technique, it was the S-class Space-Time Ninjutsu [Flying Thunder God Technique] developed by his father Minato Namikaze!
Naruto He... actually mastered this technique on his own by relying on the records in the seal book? Thinking of the powerful Sealing Jutsu Talent and majestic vitality that Naruto showed before, as well as the Space-Time Ninjutsu ability that is now proven, and this character of neither arrogance nor impatience...
He almost perfectly inherited the advantages of Minato and Kushina!
It can be said that Naruto's only "shortcoming" now is that he is still young and can't catch Orochimaru. After the annoyance gradually subsided, the more Third Hokage thought about it, the more excited he became, and even felt a sense of urgency that "I can't wait to entrust Hokage's position immediately."
Also... since Naruto already has such a strong ability to protect himself, shouldn't he... should make Naruto's real life experience public?
Once this thought emerged, it could no longer be suppressed. However, when he thought of the prejudice and cold treatment the villagers had towards Naruto due to ignorance over the years, a deep regret strangled his heart.
I hope... Naruto and Uchiha Satsuki have established a deep Bonds relationship, and Naruto's sense of belonging to Konoha will be stronger than before...
Afterwards, Third Hokage solemnly told Team 7 to continue participating in the exam. At the same time, he turned to Naruto and added in a serious tone that the power Ming had just used must not be used easily unless he encountered One-Tail Jinchuriki from Sunagakure or in a real life-threatening situation.
Third Hokage is really worried in his heart. If Naruto is unable to control himself, and another Tailed Beast Bomb becomes passionate, I am afraid that the candidates in Forest of Death will be cleared out without distinction.
After the explanation was completed, Hiruzen Sarutobi met up with Kakashi and Mitaraishi Anko who came to search for traces of Orochimaru angrily after learning that a candidate had been replaced. Konoha Anbu quickly sneaked into the depths of the forest, trying to track down the clues left by the absconding snake.
It's clear that Orochimaru has been confirmed to have infiltrated, and he even had a premonition that Sunagakure might have bad intentions. Why didn't Third Hokage stop and still chose to continue Chunin Ninja Exams?
This decision may seem risky, but if you carefully examine the political and strategic considerations behind it, you can understand the helplessness and necessity.
First of all, this joint Chunin Ninja Exams, which brings together many ninja villages in Ninja World, is an extremely important diplomatic event. Just relying on Konoha's unilateral suspicion and a snake skin of unknown origin as evidence is not enough to convince the public.
If the competition is canceled unilaterally, it will undoubtedly be a great insult and provocation to all the participating villages that have come from afar, and will definitely trigger a serious diplomatic dispute.
Secondly, as the leader of the Great Ninja Village, Konoha will cancel the event like a bird because of an unconfirmed "latent threat", which will seriously damage the village's international prestige and strong image.
As Hokage, Third Hokage must show the calmness and absolute power control of Konoha under any circumstances.
Furthermore, even if the exams are suspended despite diplomatic pressure, will Orochimaru's long-planned plan come to an end? The answer is obviously no.
Sudden suspension of the exam is tantamount to alerting the enemy, which is equivalent to directly telling Orochimaru who is hiding in the dark. "I found you!"
By then, this cunning snake will only hide deeper, and its subsequent attacks will become even more difficult to predict and prevent.
Wait...
Naruto suddenly came back to his senses from this strategic analysis. Why am I thinking about this? I don't intend to be Hokage, why do I care about these high-level decisions?
He shook his head and put away the distracting thoughts. Since the exam is going on as usual, and Orochimaru has temporarily withdrawn, all we need to do is complete the assessment step by step. He turned around and was about to call Satsuki and Sakura to continue towards Central Tower.
But he happened to meet Satsuki's dark eyes, which were staring at him closely with a look of obvious annoyance.
Naruto was slightly startled at first, a little uncomfortable, and then a memory came to mind - he seemed to... once indeed told Satsuki that using this kind of Tailed Beast Chakra might cause considerable burden and damage to the body.
Recalling this, he immediately understood the source of Satsuki's anger at the moment.
After witnessing the terrifying power that destroyed the world, Sasuki's face did not reveal the slightest fear, nor did she feel any jealousy or alienation. Her angry gaze was mixed with something more pure and profound - heartache.
Obviously, in the situation where Third Hokage, Kakashi and many Anbu appeared just now, Satsuki has been carefully hiding his emotions and maintaining his calm appearance. At this moment, the troublesome person finally left...
You have to unpack Sakura first.
The idea came to me naturally. Satsuki almost subconsciously, even when he was preparing to "raise troops to prosecute" and when his emotions were surging, he first considered protecting Naruto's face and did not want to embarrass him in front of a third person.
(The assessment will end in the next chapter and the game will begin. The author is trying to keep up the pace)