The Konoha Crush Plan Begins

After the Third announced the end of the exam, the Genin all went their separate ways.

With Kakashi's help, Sasuke had temporarily suppressed the Cursed Seal. However, it could flare up again at any moment, since Kakashi wasn't particularly skilled in Sealing Jutsu. Kakashi had planned to keep Sasuke in the hospital for a few more days, until he was feeling better, and then discharge him so he could train. But Sasuke hadn't listened. After Kakashi left, he'd secretly checked himself out and gone home.

I wonder how the Chunin Exams are going, Chen thought as he sat alone in his room with nothing to do. Before long, Sasuke returned home too. Chen was eager to hear how the Chunin Exams were going, but he didn't dare ask Sasuke. As usual, they ate dinner and then went to their rooms to sleep.

That night, Chen was suddenly jolted awake by the pained groans coming from Sasuke's room next door. He climbed up from the tatami.

What's going on? Is something wrong with Sasuke? I should go check on him! Chen thought, puzzled, then headed from his room toward Sasuke's.

"Ughh~~ Sasuke, what are you doing? You're keeping me awake," Chen said, pushing open Sasuke's door and yawning. But when he saw what was happening inside, he jumped in fright. Sasuke was wearing his pajamas and kneeling on the floor. He clutched the left side of his neck with both hands, looking like he was in terrible pain but struggling to endure it. His body was trembling slightly.

"Sasuke, what's wrong?" Chen asked worriedly when he saw him like that.

"Shut up! Who told you to come in?" Sasuke heard Chen's voice and looked up, shouting at him. His face was contorted as he struggled to endure the pain.

Chen paid no attention to what Sasuke was saying. He ran over and tried to help him up.

"Idiot, get away from me! Don't touch me!" Sasuke dodged the hand Chen had reached out to help him up and shouted at him. "Didn't you hear me? I said stay away from me!" Sasuke suddenly grabbed Chen by the collar and threw him out the door, then shut it.

"That was... the Curse Mark of Heaven." Chen sat outside the room, deep in thought. When Sasuke had grabbed him, Chen had spotted the Cursed Seal on his neck.

"Orochimaru has already placed a Cursed Seal on Sasuke. Did it happen today? That means the Chunin Exams preliminaries ended today, and the real exams are next." In the Original Story, the finals took place a month after the preliminaries. Sasuke trained with Kakashi during that time and learned Kakashi's Chidori. Naruto also met Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin, around then and trained under him. He even made a pact with the toads of Mount Myōboku and learned the Summoning Technique.

"I remember the Konoha Crush Plan and the Chunin Exams take place on the same day. So I've got a month left? I can hardly wait. Heh heh~~"

The next day, Sasuke left before Chen woke up, presumably to find Kakashi. He'd probably spend the next month training with him!

A month later, the Chunin Exams were held as scheduled. Konoha was bustling with activity, and every village had sent representatives. Even the Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure had come in person. The Land of Fire's daimyo and many officials had also come to watch. Of the eight Genin who had passed the preliminaries, only Sasuke Uchiha of Konoha and Dosu Kinata of Otogakure were absent. The other six had already arrived in the arena, and the audience was cheering.

"Have they still not found Sasuke Uchiha?" the Third asked his guard, Namiashi Raidō.

"The Anbu have already sent out several search parties, but they still haven't found him. He may have already fallen into Orochimaru's hands. If that's the case, there's no way we'll find him," Namiashi Raidō replied.

"I see," the Third said, narrowing his eyes.

Just then, the Fourth Kazekage arrived with his guards.

"Oh! What an honor! Lord Fourth Kazekage, please, have a seat," the Third said warmly. Once the Fourth Kazekage had sat down, he added, "You must be exhausted after such a long journey."

"Not at all. It's fortunate the arena is in Konoha. You're not especially old, but a long trip would probably be too much for you, Hokage-sama. I think you should decide on your successor soon," the Fourth Kazekage said mockingly. Though the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind were allies, their ninja villages weren't exactly on friendly terms.

"Ha! Ha! Ha!" The Third laughed heartily at the Kazekage's taunt. "Don't treat me like an old man! I think I can keep at it for another five years. All right, it's about time to begin."

When the time came, the Third stood and walked to the front of the stage. He addressed the audience: "Honored guests, I sincerely thank you all for coming to watch the Chunin Exams hosted by Konoha. The eight contestants who passed the preliminaries will now compete in the final rounds. Please enjoy the matches."

Afterward, Genma Shiranui, the proctor, explained the rules to the contestants and brought out the match list to announce the order. The list had originally included nine contestants, but now it was down to eight; Dosu Kinata of Otogakure had been removed. The day before, Dosu had foolishly tried to kill Gaara in private, hoping to be disqualified from the tournament so he could face Sasuke Uchiha. But the outcome was predictable: Gaara killed him instantly, so Dosu was removed from the match list.

"Listen up. The arena may be different, but just like in the preliminaries, there are no rules. The match continues until one side dies or surrenders. However, if I decide the winner is clear, I'll stop the match. Don't resist. Understood?" Genma Shiranui said to the seven contestants standing before him, a senbon clenched between his teeth. "Now, let's begin the first match."

The first match began, and Naruto was the first to fight. His opponent was Neji Hyuga, known as a "genius." During the fight, Neji sealed Naruto's chakra points, leaving him unable to use any Chakra. But thanks to the guidance he'd received before the match from Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin, Naruto released the Nine-Tails' Chakra and defeated Neji, earning cheers from the entire arena.

Next came Gaara versus Sasuke Uchiha. But since Sasuke still hadn't shown up, the Third had no choice but to push their match to the end and let the other contestants fight first. The next match was originally supposed to be between Konoha's Shino Aburame and Sunagakure's Kankuro. But Kankuro forfeited to conserve his strength for the upcoming Konoha Crush Plan, allowing Shino to advance directly.

After Shino advanced, Temari of Sunagakure and Shikamaru of Konoha faced off. At first, Shikamaru came across as unmotivated, constantly complaining about how troublesome everything was. But during the match, he showed off his brilliant tactical mind. His battle with Temari showcased his intelligence even more. At first, it seemed like he was trying one futile strategy after another, desperately trying to catch her amid her relentless attacks. In reality, he was maneuvering her into a specific position, then using a hole Naruto had made in an earlier match to catch her from behind with his Shadow Technique.

Just when everyone thought Shikamaru was about to win, he abruptly forfeited. He explained why: although he'd thought of several different strategies, he'd overused his Shadow Technique and run out of Chakra. Also, he didn't want to hurt a woman. Naturally, his main reason was that he couldn't be bothered.

Even though Shikamaru had forfeited, his brilliant tactical instincts had impressed everyone, including Hokage-sama. He was the only Genin promoted to Chunin after the exams.

At last, every contestant had finished their match, leaving only Gaara and Sasuke Uchiha to face off. For some reason, Sasuke still hadn't appeared. Just as Genma Shiranui was about to announce Sasuke's forfeiture, Kakashi finally arrived with Sasuke in an incredibly dramatic fashion.

After a bit of showing off, Gaara and Sasuke began their fierce battle. Sasuke had arrived late for the official match, but the results of his intensive training soon became clear. His High-Speed Movement kept Gaara on the defensive, forcing him to cover himself completely in sand. Sasuke took the opportunity to use Chidori for the first time. It pierced Gaara's absolute defense and wounded him.

Just as Gaara was about to go berserk, Kabuto Yakushi, disguised as an Anbu, cast the genjutsu Mesmerizing Sleep Technique. White feathers drifted down from the sky. Everyone in the stands fell unconscious, except Kakashi, Might Guy, Sakura, and a few others who remained awake. Then one of the Fourth Kazekage's guards suddenly launched a signal flare.

The Konoha Crush Plan had begun.

At the signal, the Sound Ninja and Sand Ninja lying in wait sprang into action. The Fourth Kazekage also took the Third hostage and brought him to a rooftop. Four Sound Ninja then activated the Four Violet Flames Formation, trapping the Third and the Fourth Kazekage inside. Several Anbu tried to break through the barrier by force, but they were burned to death.

"I never thought Sunagakure would betray Konoha," the Third said calmly, ignoring the kunai pointed at his throat.

"Treaties are nothing but a smokescreen to lull your opponents into complacency. This tedious tournament ends here. From now on, history will be rewritten," the Fourth Kazekage said with a cold laugh.

"Are you trying to start a war?" the Third asked the Kazekage. "I think we should avoid fighting and settle this through negotiations. It's not too late, Lord Kazekage."

"Heh heh heh~~ I suppose old age really does make you cling to peace... Teacher Sarutobi!" the Fourth Kazekage said with a cold laugh.

"Orochimaru!"