Are the Leaf Genin monsters?

"W-what is that?!"

"His appearance... it's changed! Is that... a dragon?"

"What a terrifying aura!"

The audience in the stands erupted in an instant, countless gazes fixed upon Orochimaru, filled with shock and horror.

Even those who were not ninjas could clearly feel an indescribable sense of oppression radiating from the Konoha youth.

High atop the tower, the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki stood up with a start, his short frame trembling slightly with excitement.

"That form... could it be... the legendary Sage Mode?!"

He stared fixedly at Orochimaru, blurting out the words.

Beside him, the Third Raikage Ay wore an expression of extreme gravity.

He could clearly perceive that the energy surging within Orochimaru at this moment bore a striking resemblance to the secret Lightning Style Chakra Mode of their Kumogakure!

Although the Third Kazekage and the Third Mizukage did not know exactly what it was, the fact that Orochimaru's aura had visibly skyrocketed was undeniable.

For a moment, the gazes of the four Kage converged simultaneously upon Hiruzen Sarutobi, their expressions varied, yet all carried a trace of unconcealable astonishment.

That old fox!

To think he was still hiding such a trump card! The younger generation of Konoha was simply too... terrifying!

Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a storm raging in his heart as well, but on the surface, he maintained a calm and indifferent demeanor.

After all, as the Third Hokage, he couldn't afford to lose face...

In the center of the arena, Orochimaru felt the surging power within his body, the corners of his mouth curling upward slightly as he looked at Jiraiya opposite him.

"That should... be enough, right?"

Orochimaru spoke, estimating that enough time had passed for Jiraiya to enter Sage Mode.

Atop Gamabunta's head, Jiraiya grinned, red, face-paint-like markings appearing on both sides of his cheeks.

"Ah, yeah! I couldn't wait any longer!"

He responded loudly, his tone filled with soaring fighting spirit.

Unlike Orochimaru's near-perfect Sage transformation, he had only just mastered the technique of gathering natural energy. He could enter Sage Mode, but maintaining it for a long period was an extremely difficult task.

After all, maintaining the perfect balance between natural energy, spiritual energy, and physical energy was still too much of a stretch for him at this stage.

However, Mount Myoboku naturally had its own way of solving such problems!

"Ho ho ho... this child Orochimaru is truly remarkable!"

"Indeed, indeed. If only little Jiraiya could make us feel this at ease..."

Just then, two slightly aged but vigorous voices came abruptly from Jiraiya's shoulders.

The crowd looked toward the source of the sound, only to see two palm-sized toads wearing strange attire squatting on either side of Jiraiya's shoulders.

They were none other than the renowned Toad Sages of Mount Myoboku—Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima!

The two Toad Sages looked at Orochimaru, who had entered Sage Mode and whose aura had changed drastically, their cloudy eyes filled with amazement.

They knew better than anyone how difficult it was to master Sage Mode.

Especially in a place like Ryūchi Cave!

If the difficulty of mastering senjutsu at their Mount Myoboku was one, then at Ryūchi Cave, it was at least five! Or even higher!

The great snakes of Ryūchi Cave were not as "amiable" as they were; they didn't care about the lives of humans at all.

A moment of carelessness could lead to being eroded by natural energy, turning into stone, or worse.

This brat named Orochimaru had actually reached this point through his own research!

No wonder the Great Toad Sage had prophesied that this child would bring about a massive transformation to the Ninja World...

"Hehe, two elders, I'll leave it to you then!"

Jiraiya scratched his head, saying with a hint of embarrassment.

Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima exchanged a glance and nodded.

The next moment, Manda and Gamabunta, who were still locked in a fierce struggle, seemed to receive an order, their massive figures suddenly turning into two puffs of white smoke and disappearing from the spot with a bang.

On the field, only Orochimaru, who had entered Sage Mode, and Jiraiya, who was also maintaining Sage Mode with the assistance of the two Toad Sages, remained.

The two stood far apart, a suffocating tension permeating the air!

The battle was on the verge of breaking out!

Without any unnecessary probing, the two moved almost simultaneously!

Boom!

In this taijutsu duel under Sage Mode, both speed and power were amplified to the extreme!

Every collision of fists and feet erupted with a dull, thunderous roar, whipping up intense shockwaves!

It was even far beyond Might Duy when he opened the first two gates of the Eight Inner Gates...

The spectators in the stands felt dazzled, unable to follow the movements of the two at all; they could only hear the thunderous roars and witness the terrifying sight of the arena floor constantly cracking apart!

"Too... too fast!"

"Is this what a battle between ninjas looks like?!"

The dignitaries from various nations were already too stunned to speak, their faces etched with disbelief.

As for the young ninjas who were also participating in the Chunin Exams, they were pale, their expressions looking quite grim.

Having made it to this third round, they were naturally the elites of their respective villages.

But against these two on the field, they couldn't see even the slightest possibility of victory.

Are we... really ninjas of the same level?

These two guys are like they're cheating!

Tsunade stood at the edge of the arena, her expression shifting repeatedly as her hands clenched involuntarily.

During this period, she had devoted most of her energy to the study of medical ninjutsu, and although she had achieved significant success, seeing the terrifying strength displayed by Orochimaru and Jiraiya at this moment still stirred a strong sense of loss in her heart.

These bastards... have they really left her this far behind?

High up in the tower, the expressions of the five Kage grew increasingly grave.

"Sage Art..."

Ōnoki, the Third Tsuchikage, muttered to himself, his eyes filled with apprehension.

These two brats might not pose much of a threat yet, but how old are they?

In a few more years, I'm afraid...

"Konohagakure... is truly blessed by the heavens..."

The Third Raikage's expression was also quite complex.

The other Kage understood what he meant; Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha hadn't been dead for long, and yet two more monster-level ninjas were about to emerge.

Just as everyone's minds were reeling, the battle on the field escalated once again!

"Sage Art: Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"

"Sage Art: Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

Orochimaru and Jiraiya performed hand seals simultaneously, massive amounts of natural energy merging into their ninjutsu, instantly elevating the already formidable techniques by several tiers!

The roaring fire dragon and the violent hurricane collided fiercely in the center of the arena, erupting with an even more terrifying energy shockwave!

In their hands, the five elemental releases displayed a level of grandeur and destructive power far beyond the understanding of ordinary ninjas!

The audience was already fired up, cheering in exhilaration!

However, it wasn't over yet!

The next moment, under the gaze of countless shocked eyes, dazzling blue light erupted from both Orochimaru and Jiraiya!

In each of their hands, a rapidly rotating and constantly expanding sphere of Chakra condensed!

The terrifying energy fluctuations made everyone present feel a sense of trepidation!

"Sage Art: Big Ball Rasengan!"

"Sage Art: Big Ball Rasengan!"

Two massive Rasengans, each over several meters in diameter, slammed into each other with an aura of total destruction!

BOOM—!!!

The deafening roar felt as if it would flip the entire venue over!

Blinding white light swallowed everything, and the violent energy shockwave spread wildly in all directions!

Dust and smoke filled the air, obscuring everyone's vision.

A long while later, the dust gradually settled.

A massive, circular crater appeared on what had been the level arena floor, a shocking sight to behold!

Jiraiya lay sprawled on his back in the center of the crater, his clothes tattered, yet a satisfied laugh played on his lips.

"Hahaha... I lost!"

Though his voice was somewhat weak, it was filled with relief.

Orochimaru slowly walked down from the edge of the crater; he had a few scrapes on his body, but his breathing remained steady.

"Heh, well done..."

He reached out a hand and pulled Jiraiya up from the ground.

Jiraiya waved his hand, signaling the proctor, a Jonin who had been watching in a daze.

"The winner—Konohagakure, Orochimaru!"

Seeing Jiraiya's signal, the Jonin finally snapped out of his trance, took a deep breath, and used all his strength to announce the result aloud.

After this earth-shattering duel, several more rounds of matches were held.

However, in terms of both the intensity of the combat and the spectacle of the scenes, none could compare to the clash of Sage Arts between Orochimaru and Jiraiya.

The enthusiasm of the audience had also noticeably waned.

And so, the first Joint Chunin Exams of the five great ninja villages slowly drew to a close under the gaze of the masses.

What Orochimaru had not expected was that, following this battle, he and Jiraiya had become completely famous.

Every street and alley in Konoha was discussing their epic battle against those two giant summoning beasts, and the world-destroying duel of Sage Arts.

Not only that, but quite a few magazine publishers even came knocking, wanting to conduct exclusive interviews with them.

Various high-level mission requests also began to specifically name him or Jiraiya to carry them out.

The effect achieved by this Chunin Exam had far exceeded his previous expectations.

The corners of Orochimaru's mouth curled up slightly.

It seems it is time... to have a proper chat with that Hokage Assistant.