Danzo and Orochimaru

Konoha.

Root's underground base.

There were no windows here.

Only cold stone walls and the dim, ever-burning lamplight.

The massive "Root" symbol loomed faintly in the shadows.

Inside a soundproofed secret room, two figures stood facing each other.

Shimura Danzō leaned on his cane, half his body wrapped in bandages.

Standing opposite him was Orochimaru, having shed his Kazekage disguise.

"The terms are already clear. Don't haggle with me any further!"

Danzō's voice was hoarse and blunt, his cane tapping lightly on the ground:

"When the plan is set in motion, you must ensure the Third Hokage is killed!"

"In return, once I take the seat of Hokage, I will hand Uchiha Sasuke over to you, to do with as you please!"

"Furthermore, all of Konoha's research resources, Forbidden Jutsu archives, and even experimental subjects... will be opened to you. I will fully support your research."

These conditions were undeniably tempting—a high-quality Uchiha Vessel, backed by the full resources of the entire village.

Yet, the smile on Orochimaru's face didn't waver in the slightest.

"Hehehe... Danzō, you're still so direct!"

"Killing Sarutobi-sensei? How amusing. I'd be delighted to oblige. Sasuke is also a promising sprout..."

Orochimaru's tone shifted abruptly, "But just one Uchiha Sasuke... isn't enough!"

"What do you mean?"

Danzō's single eye narrowed slightly: "Are you trying to break your promise?"

"What I mean is..."

Orochimaru smirked with sinister intent, making no effort to hide his greed:

"Uchiha Yao! I'm also very, very interested in him! Add him to our deal!"

"Impossible!"

Danzō didn't even think, rejecting it outright, his voice rising sharply:

"Uchiha Yao is Konoha's property! A strategic asset!"

"He must serve the village, and only the village can control him!"

"And I, as the future Hokage, will be the only one qualified to wield and guide that power!"

"Your research... will never be allowed to touch him!"

"Wield? Guide?"

Orochimaru sneered: "Lord Danzō, can't you see?"

"That brat possesses the infinite potential of the Sharingan, combined with flawless Wood Release!"

"He's the perfect fusion of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha!"

Orochimaru cackled, his tone growing fervent and dangerous:

"A treasure like that, in your hands, will only be locked away in an armory as a sharp weapon!"

"Or slowly corroded into a tool by Root's ideology!"

"That's a waste!"

"A crime against nature!"

"Only in my hands can his secrets and his power be truly liberated and elevated!"

"I said, impossible!"

Danzō gripped his cane, his exposed eye gleaming with cold light:

"He is Konoha's shinobi, a power belonging to the village! It's not for you to decide his fate!"

"Orochimaru, our deal is limited to Uchiha Sasuke!"

The smile on Orochimaru's face gradually faded, a flicker of irritation at the rejection showing in his cold, reptilian pupils.

"Heh... very well then!"

Orochimaru slowly straightened up: "It seems we share the same goal when it comes to dealing with the Third Hokage."

"But regarding Uchiha Yao's allegiance, we'll have to settle it by our own means!"

Orochimaru cast a meaningful glance at Danzō, then turned and walked toward the shadows.

Leaving only one final, low sentence echoing in the sealed room.

"Danzo, let us see who will be able to obtain him in this approaching storm!"

With those words, Orochimaru melted into the darkness and vanished.

Only Danzo remained in the secret chamber, the dim lamplight twisting the shadows across half his face into grotesque shapes.

Danzo's cane struck the ground heavily, producing a dull thud.

"Uchiha Yao... is mine! And mine alone!"

"The future of Konoha, the greatest power—only I shall control it! And only... serve my purposes!"

The next day.

Konoha switched to a backup venue, and the interrupted preliminary matches resumed.

The audience remained the same—the Third Hokage, the supervising Jōnin, and the four from Sunagakure.

Fourth match:

Rock Lee vs. Akado Yoroi

As another of Orochimaru's experimental subjects, Akado Yoroi's ability was to absorb his opponent's chakra.

This ability made him a natural nemesis for ninja who relied on ninjutsu.

However, his opponent today was Rock Lee, a master of taijutsu.

As the match began, Yoroi tried to close in and absorb chakra through contact.

But he found Lee's attacks like a raging storm—his fists and kicks so fast they left only afterimages, leaving no chance to grab hold.

"Konoha Whirlwind!"

"Shadow Dance Leaf!"

Lee's figure moved at high speed across the arena. Yoroi couldn't keep up with the rhythm at all, forced to merely defend.

Soon, he was kicked dizzy and disoriented, until Lee landed a heavy punch to his abdomen, sending him crashing to the ground.

Taijutsu was the perfect counter!

Lee advanced.

Fifth match:

Hinata Hyuga vs. Haruno Sakura

Their fight was a clash of rookies, but it was clear that Hinata, who had trained in the Gentle Fist since childhood, was the stronger.

After all, Hinata possessed the Byakugan, a Kekkei Genkai, and had grown up practicing her clan's Gentle Fist techniques, giving her solid taijutsu skills.

Sakura was a top student, with perfect theoretical knowledge and chakra control.

But in actual combat ability, she was clearly a step behind Hinata.

"Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms!"

Seizing a tiny opening in Sakura's stance, Hinata closed in swiftly, her palms striking out like butterflies flitting through flowers.

Sakura felt a wave of numbness and stinging pain spread through her chakra points, her movements instantly stiffening.

Hinata advanced!

Sixth match:

Nara Shikamaru vs. Temari

As the match began, Temari tried to suppress Shikamaru from a distance with Wind Release.

But Shikamaru refused to engage head-on, instead using the obstacles in the training ground and his Shadow Clone Technique.

He constantly harassed and restricted Temari's positioning and the angle of her fan swings.

His tactics were cunning and tricky.

At every critical moment when Temari was about to strike, he would trip her with his shadow or force her to change her attack direction, draining her chakra and patience.

Temari grew increasingly frustrated, her attacks becoming erratic.

Shikamaru seized the opportunity, using a blind spot in her vision to extend his shadow and connect with hers.

Temari's face flushed red with anger, but she had no choice but to concede unwillingly.

Shikamaru advanced!

Seventh match:

Akimichi Choji vs. Kankuro

Of the Sunagakure trio, Gaara had suffered a crushing defeat, and Temari had lost too.

The entire Sunagakure village was left with only Kankuro as their last hope.

So Kankuro came out swinging, immediately commanding Crow to launch a fierce assault, desperate to secure a victory.

To salvage some pride for Sunagakure!

Poison needles, blades... came at Choji from all sorts of bizarre angles.

Choji used the Expansion Jutsu and rolling to defend and dodge.

But Kankuro's puppet attacks were tricky, leaving him battered and exhausted.

Seeing the stalemate, Choji pulled a Chili Pill from his pocket and swallowed it.

A terrifying burst of Chakra erupted, and Choji unleashed a single Super Beast Human Rolling, crushing Crow into fragments scattered across the ground.

Kankuro's face went pale with fear, and he repeatedly chose to surrender.

Choji reversed the tide and advanced.

With this, Sunagakure's ninja team was completely defeated and eliminated.

Eighth match:

Aburame Shino vs Tenten

Tenten unrolled a massive scroll, and countless ninja tools poured out.

Shuriken, Kunai, Senbon... covered over half the arena.

Shino controlled a pitch-black swarm of insects, forming a dark wall.

The ninja tools crashed into the swarm, quickly getting wrapped up, slowed, and some were even devoured by the bugs.

Tenten's long-range firepower was completely countered, and she struggled to cope, eventually surrounded by the insect swarm, unable to move.

She had no choice but to admit defeat!

Ninth match:

Ino Yamanaka vs Neji Hyuga

The gap in strength between the two was huge, and Neji easily dominated Ino.

Neji advanced with ease!

The preliminaries were nearing their end, and the list of advancing participants was revealed one by one:

Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Yao, Rock Lee, Hinata Hyuga, Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choji, Aburame Shino, Neji Hyuga.

"With this... the Chūnin Exams preliminaries are all over!"

The Third Hokage swept his gaze over everyone, his voice gentle:

"Successfully advancing examinees, please make good use of the next month to undergo targeted training under the guidance of your respective Jōnin instructors!"

"Face the final round one month from now in your best condition!"

"The finals will be held before the feudal lords and honored guests from all nations!"

"I hope everyone can showcase the spirit of the new generation of ninjas!"

"Now, dismissed!"

With that, the Third Hokage left.