Konoha.
The underground Root base.
There were no windows here.
Only cold stone walls and dim lights that never went out.
The huge "Root" insignia appeared and disappeared in the shadows.
In a soundproof chamber, two figures stood facing each other.
Shimura Danzo leaned on his cane, half his body wrapped in bandages.
Standing opposite him was Orochimaru, no longer disguised as the Kazekage.
"The terms are clear. Stop trying to bargain with me!"
Danzo's voice was hoarse and blunt. His cane tapped lightly against the floor.
"When the plan begins, you must ensure the Third Hokage is killed!"
"In return, once I take the Hokage's seat, I'll hand Uchiha Sasuke over to you. You can do whatever you want with him!"
"Furthermore, all of Konoha's research resources, Forbidden Jutsu records, and even test subjects... will be at your disposal. I'll give your research my full support."
The offer was undeniably tempting: a high-quality Uchiha vessel and the backing of all Konoha's resources.
Yet the smile on Orochimaru's face didn't change in the slightest.
"Hehehe... Danzo, you're as blunt as ever!"
"Killing Sarutobi-sensei sounds like fun. I'd be happy to oblige. Sasuke is a promising prospect, too..."
Orochimaru abruptly changed tack. "But Uchiha Sasuke alone... isn't enough!"
"What do you mean?"
Danzo narrowed his single eye slightly. "Are you planning to break your promise?"
"What I mean is..."
Orochimaru gave an eerie smile, making no effort to hide his desire.
"Uchiha Yao! I'm very, very interested in him, too! Add him to our deal!"
"Impossible!"
Danzo rejected him outright without a moment's hesitation, his voice rising sharply.
"Uchiha Yao is Konoha's property! He's a strategic asset!"
"He must serve the village, and only the village can control him!"
"And as the future Hokage, I'll be the only one qualified to control and guide that power!"
"Your research... will never be used on him!"
"Control? Guide?"
Orochimaru sneered. "Lord Danzo, can't you see?"
"That child possesses the Sharingan's limitless potential, along with flawless Wood Release!"
"He's the perfect combination of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha!"
Orochimaru cackled, his tone turning feverish and dangerous.
"A treasure like that, in your hands, will only be treated as a sharp weapon and locked away in a storeroom!"
"Or slowly corrupted by Root's ideology until he becomes a mere tool!"
"That would be a waste!"
"It would be a crime to squander such a gift!"
"Only in my hands can his secrets and power be truly unleashed and elevated!"
"I said no!"
Danzo gripped his cane tightly, a cold glint flashing in his exposed eye.
"He's a Konoha shinobi, a power belonging to the village! It's not up to you to decide what becomes of him!"
"Orochimaru, our deal is limited to Uchiha Sasuke!"
The smile on Orochimaru's face gradually faded. A flicker of anger at being refused passed through his cold, slit-pupiled eyes.
"Heh... If that's how it is!"
Orochimaru slowly straightened. "It seems we share the same goal when it comes to dealing with the Third Hokage."
"But when it comes to Uchiha Yao, we'll each have to use our own methods!"
Orochimaru gave Danzo a meaningful look, then turned and walked into the shadows.
Only his final, low words lingered in the chamber.
"Danzo, let's see who gets him in the storm that's about to come!"
As his words faded, Orochimaru slipped into the darkness and disappeared.
Danzo was left alone in the chamber. The dim yellow light stretched the shadow over half his face into a twisted shape.
Danzo's cane struck the ground with a heavy thud.
"Uchiha Yao... is mine! He can only be mine!"
"Konoha's future, its greatest power, can only be controlled by me! And can only... serve me!"
The next day.
Konoha moved the exams to a backup venue, and the interrupted preliminary matches resumed.
The audience was much the same as before: the Third Hokage, the supervising Jōnin, and the four from Sunagakure.
The fourth match:
Rock Lee vs. Akado Yoroi
Akado Yoroi was another one of Orochimaru's test subjects. His ability was to absorb his opponents' chakra.
That ability made him the natural enemy of shinobi who relied on ninjutsu.
But his opponent today was Rock Lee, who excelled at taijutsu.
The fight began, and Akado Yoroi tried to get close enough to absorb Lee's chakra.
But Lee's attacks came like a raging storm, his punches and kicks so fast that only afterimages remained. Yoroi couldn't even get a chance to grab him.
"Konoha Whirlwind!"
"Shadow Dance Leaf!"
Lee sped around the arena. Akado Yoroi couldn't keep up and was forced to struggle just to defend himself.
Before long, he was reeling from one kick after another. Finally, Lee landed a powerful punch to his abdomen, and Yoroi collapsed, unable to get back up.
Taijutsu was his perfect counter!
Lee advanced.
The fifth match:
Hinata Hyuga vs. Haruno Sakura
The two girls' fight was like two beginners clumsily trading blows. Still, it was obvious that Hinata, who had trained in the Gentle Fist since childhood, was stronger.
After all, Hinata had the Byakugan, a Kekkei Genkai, and had trained in her clan's Gentle Fist from a young age. Her taijutsu was no joke.
Sakura was an excellent student, with perfect theoretical knowledge and chakra control.
But when it came to actual combat ability, she was clearly a step behind Hinata.
"Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms!"
Seizing on the slightest opening in Sakura's defense, Hinata closed in at once, her palms striking like butterflies darting through flowers.
Sakura felt a wave of numb, prickling pain spread through the chakra points across her body. Her movements stiffened instantly.
Hinata advanced!
The sixth match:
Nara Shikamaru vs. Temari
The fight began, and Temari tried to keep Shikamaru at a distance with Wind Release.
But Shikamaru refused to face her head-on. Instead, he used the obstacles in the training ground and his Shadow Imitation Technique.
He kept harassing her, restricting her movements and the angles at which she could swing her fan.
His tactics were bizarre and devious.
At the crucial moment whenever Temari put her strength into an attack, he could always trip her with his shadow or force her to change direction, draining her chakra and patience.
Temari grew more and more irritated, and her attacks became increasingly erratic.
Shikamaru seized his chance, using a blind spot to stretch out his shadow and connect it to Temari's.
Temari's face flushed with anger, and she had no choice but to admit defeat.
Shikamaru advanced!
The seventh match:
Akimichi Choji vs. Kankuro
Gaara had suffered a crushing defeat, and Temari had lost, too. Of the three from Sunagakure, only Kankuro remained.
So Kankuro launched a fierce attack as soon as the match began, controlling Crow in an attempt to win.
He wanted to restore Sunagakure's honor!
Poison needles, blades... they struck at Choji from all sorts of strange angles.
Choji used the Expansion Jutsu and rolled to defend himself and evade the attacks.
But Kankuro's puppet attacked from tricky angles, leaving Choji in a sorry state.
Seeing himself at a stalemate, Choji pulled a Chili Pill from his pocket and swallowed it.
His chakra erupted with terrifying force. With one Super Beast Human Rolling, Choji crushed Crow into a pile of scraps.
Kankuro turned deathly pale with fright and repeatedly chose to surrender.
Choji turned the tables and advanced.
At this point, all the shinobi from Sunagakure had been defeated and eliminated.
The eighth match:
Aburame Shino vs. Tenten
Tenten unfurled a massive scroll, unleashing a torrent of ninja tools.
Shuriken, Kunai, Senbon... they covered most of the arena.
Shino controlled a teeming swarm of insects, forming a black wall.
The tools crashed into the swarm and were quickly enveloped and slowed down. Some were even devoured by the insects.
Tenten's long-range firepower was completely countered. She struggled to keep up, until the swarm surrounded her and left her unable to move.
She had no choice but to surrender!
The ninth match:
Ino Yamanaka vs. Neji Hyuga
There was a huge gap in their abilities, and Neji easily dominated Ino.
Neji advanced without difficulty!
The preliminaries were nearing their end. The list of those advancing was finally complete:
Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Yao, Rock Lee, Hinata Hyuga, Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choji, Aburame Shino, Neji Hyuga.
"And with that... the Chunin Exam preliminaries are over!"
The Third Hokage looked over everyone, his voice gentle.
"Those who advanced, make good use of the next month. Train specifically for the finals under the guidance of your supervising Jōnin!"
"Be in your best condition when you face the final matches a month from now!"
"The finals will be held before the daimyō and honored guests from the various nations!"
"I hope you'll all show everyone what the next generation of shinobi can do!"
"That's all. You're dismissed!"
The Third Hokage finished speaking and left.
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