"Third Hokage, Jiraiya has been away from the village for too long. We have no idea what he's been doing all these years. We can't afford to let our guard down!"
After Jiraiya left and the Anbu and Root operatives had gone, only Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō remained in the Hokage's Office.
Danzō's face was full of concern. Jiraiya was powerful, and now he was associating with a descendant of the Uchiha Clan. Danzō couldn't help but suspect the worst.
"You don't need to worry about that. Jiraiya is absolutely loyal to Konoha. He's my student, and I know him."
"Third Hokage, that's not necessarily true. Orochimaru was your student too, and in the end, he betrayed the village."
At that, the Third Hokage looked up and glared at Danzō, his expression turning grim.
Danzō's words had struck a sore spot.
Originally, he had planned to pass the position of Fourth Hokage to Orochimaru, but he hadn't expected Orochimaru to choose to betray Konoha.
Even after all this time, he still couldn't come to terms with it.
"Jiraiya isn't like Orochimaru. I said Jiraiya would never betray Konoha!"
"And another thing: I'm warning you not to lay a hand on Ye Fan or Sasuke!"
"If I find out you've secretly made a move against Ye Fan or Sasuke, I will never forgive you!"
At that moment, the Third Hokage deeply regretted having indulged Danzō in the past and allowing him to commit so many vile deeds.
Now, he suddenly realized that perhaps Jiraiya's words hadn't been entirely unreasonable.
Perhaps the First Hokage's approach to dealing with the Uchiha Clan had been the right one all along.
Looking at Danzō seated across from him, the Third Hokage remembered the Nine-Tails' Rampage.
If he hadn't listened to Danzō back then and had allowed the Uchiha Clan to help suppress the Nine-Tails' Rampage, perhaps the rift between the Uchiha Clan and Konoha wouldn't have grown so deep. Perhaps the later Uchiha rebellion might never have happened.
Perhaps the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, wouldn't have died so young!
"Leave," the Third Hokage sighed, dismissing him.
Danzō gave the Third Hokage a long look, feeling somewhat helpless.
The Third Hokage's nature hadn't changed at all over the years. He was still as indecisive and hesitant as ever.
"If you can't make the hard choices, I'll make them for you. If you can't kill someone, I'll kill them for you!"
"Konoha will never allow any destabilizing elements to emerge!"
As soon as he left the Hokage's Office, Danzō hurried to Root. He personally gathered a squad, preparing to move against Ye Fan.
As soon as the Chunin Exams ended, he would assassinate Ye Fan!
Ye Fan had reached Jonin-level strength without being able to use a single jutsu. What would happen once he could use jutsu?
Danzō knew Jiraiya was searching for a way to help Ye Fan gather Chakra.
Jiraiya had a wide network and extraordinary abilities. Who knew? One day, he might actually find a way!
Danzō was determined to eliminate every unstable element before Ye Fan could truly grow strong.
Danzō beckoned, and a Root Jonin came over.
"Report everything Jiraiya does in the village. Even how many meals he eats and what dishes he has—don't leave out a single detail!"
"Yes, Lord Danzō!"
After receiving his orders, the Jonin immediately left to keep watch on Jiraiya.
On the surface, Root was a training organization that prepared recruits for the Hokage's Anbu. In reality, it was an institution Danzō used to build his own power.
Even now, there were still plenty of his spies planted in the Hokage's Anbu.
At the Chunin Exams venue, a group of proctors surrounded Ye Fan.
The Genin from the other villages cleared space for them without a word.
They had seen Ye Fan's strength and were afraid of getting caught up in the fight.
Most of the Genin taking the exam watched in trepidation.
But a few had smiles tugging at their lips as they watched the spectacle.
Gaara stared at Ye Fan, an eerie smile appearing on his face.
Ye Fan's actions had awakened the fighting instinct inside him.
If his sister Temari hadn't been chattering beside him, he would have already attacked Ye Fan.
Kabuto watched what was happening, pushed up his glasses, and considered whether to withdraw from this Chunin Exam after all.
As far as he was concerned, Ye Fan's body would be an even better fit for Orochimaru.
Neji watched the situation, silently comparing his strength with Ye Fan's.
He wondered what strategy he should use to win if he ever faced Ye Fan.
As for Rock Lee, he was already staring in stunned silence.
He suddenly realized that when he'd once said his strength was on par with Ye Fan's, he might have spoken too soon.
He knew his own capabilities. Even going all out, he couldn't instantly take down several Chunin!
"Uchiha Ye Fan!"
Rock Lee clenched both fists. Through a gap in the crowd, he fixed his gaze on Ye Fan and declared, "We're both shinobi who train in taijutsu. I'll definitely surpass you!"
"Are you going to make a move or not? If you aren't, then I'm coming."
After waiting for about half a minute, Ye Fan was getting impatient.
The proctors surrounding him exchanged glances, silently working out a strategy.
Even though their opponent was a kid who hadn't even become a Genin, his record was impossible to ignore.
They knew there was no way they could have achieved the same thing themselves.
After exchanging looks, they decided to restrain Ye Fan first and figure out the rest afterward.
"Earth Style..."
Just as they were about to attack, a sudden burst of applause rang in their ears.
Everyone turned toward the sound. It was Ibiki, who had sat silently on the platform throughout.
"Good. Very good."
Ibiki changed the rules for passing that he'd set earlier and smiled.
"Uchiha... no, Steel-Piercing Ye Fan, you've passed this exam. You can leave now. The next exam will take place in the Forest of Death."
Then Ibiki turned to the others, smiling.
"The same goes for you. If you can defeat all three proctors at once, you'll pass immediately."
"If you can't, sit down and continue with the exam."
At that, Ye Fan clapped his hands and calmly walked out of the classroom.
The Forest of Death was his real goal in taking the Chunin Exams.
He intended to capture Orochimaru there!
Whether or not he was promoted to Chunin meant nothing to him.
In this world, the one with the biggest fist made the rules.
In the end, it had nothing to do with whether someone was a Chunin, a Jonin, or anything else.
Everyone watched Ye Fan's departing figure, their blood stirring as they itched to test themselves.
"So, anyone want to challenge them?"
Ibiki picked out three proctors and asked the group.
After a pause, he added, "Ye Fan fought alone, but you'll be in teams of three. You can all go at them together."
"But I'll warn you now: if you end up losing an arm or a leg during the fight, Konoha won't be held responsible!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Gaara stepped forward first. Kankuro and Temari followed.
Neither side wasted words. They clashed at once.
While the battle raged in the classroom, Ye Fan had already reached the entrance to the Forest of Death.
"Hmph. Root operatives? You're already trying to kill me?"
Ever since Ye Fan had left the classroom, he'd sensed five or six people following him in secret.
"If you want to kill me, you'd better have what it takes!"
Ye Fan murmured, deliberately heading toward a secluded spot.
Before you continue