Root Makes a Move

"Third, Jiraiya has been gone from the village for too long. We have no idea what he's been doing all these years. We have to be careful!"

After Jiraiya left and the Anbu and Root members departed, only Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzo remained in the Hokage's office.

Danzō's face was etched with worry. Jiraiya was powerful, and now he was associating with the descendants of the Uchiha clan. This made Danzō have to consider the worst.

"You don't need to worry about that. Jiraiya is absolutely loyal to Konoha. He's my student, I know him."

"Third, that's not necessarily true. Orochimaru was also your student, and in the end, he betrayed the village."

Hearing this, the Third Hokage looked up and glared at Danzō, his expression turning extremely grim.

Danzō's words had struck a painful chord in his heart.

Originally, he had intended to pass the position of Fourth Hokage to Orochimaru, but he never expected Orochimaru to betray Konoha.

Even though a long time had passed, he still couldn't let go of this matter.

"Jiraiya is different from Orochimaru. I told you, Jiraiya would never betray Konoha!"

"Also, I'm warning you, don't lay a hand on Ye Fan and Sasuke!"

"If I find out you've secretly made a move against Ye Fan and Sasuke, I will never forgive you!"

At this moment, the Third Hokage suddenly felt immense regret, regretting that he had indulged Danzō in the past and allowed him to do so many dirty deeds.

Now, he suddenly realized that what Jiraiya had said wasn't entirely unreasonable.

Perhaps, the First Hokage's approach to handling the Uchiha clan was the most correct.

Looking at Danzō sitting opposite him, the Third Hokage remembered the Nine-Tails' Rampage.

If he hadn't listened to Danzō's words back then and allowed the Uchiha clan to participate in quelling the Nine-Tails' Rampage.

Perhaps the rift between the Uchiha clan and Konoha wouldn't have been so large, and perhaps the Uchiha rebellion wouldn't have happened later.

Perhaps, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, wouldn't have died so young!

"You may leave," the Third Hokage sighed and dismissed Danzō.

Danzō gave the Third Hokage a deep look, feeling a sense of helplessness.

The Third Hokage's personality hadn't changed one bit over the years; he was still so indecisive, so hesitant.

"The decisions you can't make, I'll make for you. The people you can't kill, I'll kill for you!"

"Konoha cannot tolerate any unstable factors!"

As soon as he left the Hokage's office, Danzō rushed to Root without delay. He personally assembled a group of people, preparing to make a move against Ye Fan.

He would assassinate Ye Fan immediately after the Chunin Exam ended!

Ye Fan's strength had already reached Jonin level without being able to use any Ninjutsu. If he could use Ninjutsu in the future, who knew what would happen?

Danzō knew that Jiraiya was constantly searching for a way for Ye Fan to gather Chakra.

Jiraiya was incredibly resourceful, and perhaps one day he would actually find such a method!

Danzō resolved that he must eliminate all unstable factors in the cradle before Ye Fan could truly grow.

Danzō beckoned, and a Jonin from Root approached him.

"Report every single one of Jiraiya's movements in the village to me. Even how many meals he's eaten and what dishes he's had, report it all without omission!"

"Yes, Lord Danzō!"

After receiving the order, the Jonin immediately went out to monitor Jiraiya's whereabouts.

Although Root was ostensibly a place to train talent for the Hokage's direct Anbu, in reality, it was an organization for Danzō to cultivate his own power.

Even now, there were still many spies he had planted within the Hokage's direct Anbu.

At the Chunin Exam venue, a group of proctoring teachers surrounded Ye Fan.

The Genin from various villages around them all made way for them.

They had witnessed Ye Fan's strength and were worried about getting caught in the crossfire.

Most of the Genin taking the exam felt a sense of dread.

However, a few had a smirk on their faces as they watched this farce unfold.

Gaara stared at Ye Fan, a sinister smile appearing on his lips.

Ye Fan's actions had awakened the battle-hungry cells within him.

If his older sister, Temari, hadn't been chattering incessantly beside him, he would have already made a move to fight Ye Fan.

Kabuto watched the situation here, adjusted his glasses, and considered whether to continue forfeiting this Chunin Exam.

In his opinion, Ye Fan's body was more suitable for the current Orochimaru.

Neji observed the situation here, secretly comparing his own strength to Ye Fan's.

He wondered what method he would use to achieve victory if he were to face Ye Fan.

As for Rock Lee, he was already staring blankly.

He suddenly realized that his earlier statement, that Ye Fan's strength was on par with his own, might have been premature.

He knew his own strength well; even going all out, he couldn't instantly defeat several Chunin!

"Uchiha Ye Fan!"

Rock Lee clenched his fists, his gaze passing through the gaps to fall upon Ye Fan, and he declared with determination, "We both train Taijutsu, ninja! I will definitely surpass you!"

"Are you guys going to fight or not? If not, I'm going to make my move."

After waiting for about half a minute, Ye Fan was growing impatient.

The proctoring teachers surrounding Ye Fan exchanged glances, secretly formulating tactics.

Even though their opponent was just a kid who wasn't even a Genin yet, his record forced them to take him seriously.

They knew that if it were them, they absolutely wouldn't have been able to achieve such a feat.

The few of them looked at each other and decided to restrain Ye Fan first before making any other plans.

"Earth Style..."

Just as they were about to make their move, a sudden burst of applause echoed in their ears.

Everyone turned towards the sound, and it was Ibiki, who had been sitting silently on the podium the entire time.

"Good, very good."

Ibiki changed the previously set passing rules on the spot and said with a smile, "Uchiha... no, Steel Plate Penetrator Ye Fan, you have passed this exam. You can go first. The next exam will be in the Forest of Death."

Immediately, Ibiki's gaze shifted to the others, and he said with a smile, "It's the same for you. If you can defeat three proctors simultaneously, you can also pass directly."

"If you can't, then sit down obediently and continue with the rest of the exam."

Hearing this, Ye Fan clapped his hands and calmly walked out of the classroom.

Participating in this Chunin Exam, the Forest of Death was his true objective.

He intended to capture Orochimaru within the Forest of Death!

As for whether he was promoted to Chunin or not, it held no significance for him.

In this world, it was always the one with the strongest fist who called the shots.

Fundamentally, it had nothing to do with whether one was a Chunin, Jonin, or the like.

Everyone watched Ye Fan's departing back, their hearts stirred with excitement and eagerness.

"How about it, anyone want to challenge?"

Ibiki selected three proctors and asked the crowd.

After a pause, he added, "Ye Fan was a group of one, while you are a group of three. You can go all three of you at once."

"However, I must state in advance, if you lose an arm or a leg during the fight, Konoha will not be responsible!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Gaara was the first to step forward. Seeing this, Kankuro and Temari also stepped forward.

There were no lengthy discussions between the parties; they engaged in battle at the first clash.

While they were fighting fiercely in the classroom, Ye Fan had already reached the entrance of the Forest of Death.

"Hmph, Root operatives? They want to kill me already?"

Ever since Ye Fan left the classroom, he had sensed five or six people following him in secret.

"If they want to kill me, they'll have to prove they have the ability!"

Ye Fan muttered and deliberately chose a secluded path to walk.