Konoha Crush

Hiruzen Sarutobi's death had been one of Jingxin's regrets when he read the original story in his previous life.

His sacrifice had made him more than worthy of the title Shinobi Hero.

In the original story, Orochimaru, the First Hokage, the Second Hokage, and three Kage Level fighters—

along with a few Cursed Seal users from Otogakure and the dimwits from Sunagakure—

had joined forces to give him a grand funeral.

Orochimaru had been far too filial.

Did Hiruzen Sarutobi even deserve that?

His end should have been to live out his final years alone, watching the village slowly decline.

In truth, it was somewhat inappropriate to judge an old man who had devoted his life to Konoha with such vicious words.

But the results of his time in office certainly deserved such a cruel curse.

As a ninja and the leader of a village,

he had let the weakness in his heart prevent him from making the right choice in many situations, and had allowed Danzo to slowly eat away at Konoha.

He had played a winning hand terribly.

This was no slander against Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Jingxin gathered his thoughts, put on his Anbu mask, and left the room.

Ōnoki, Akatsuchi, Kitsuchi, three elite Jonin, Jingxin, and his squad—

once everyone had assembled, they set off for the arena where the final round of the Chunin Ninja Exams was being held.

With Asuma Sarutobi escorting him, Ōnoki led a group of Iwagakure's elite to the Kage viewing platform. Hiruzen Sarutobi was already waiting there. A few minutes later, the "Kazekage" arrived.

Jingxin led his squad to the waiting area and quietly waited for events to unfold.

To Jingxin's left, Deidara stood with his arms folded, impatiently sweeping his gaze around. "This is so boring~ I thought we'd run into some real strong opponents, but what a disappointment."

To Jingxin's right, Karin quietly said to Kurotsuchi, "Kintsuchi nii-san seems really serious today."

"Don't overthink it," Kurotsuchi reminded her. "No matter what, we just have to follow orders."

Karin nodded, her red eyes quietly observing her surroundings.

The spectators gradually filed into the open-air arena.

Perhaps they were waiting for more people to gather around the arena, or perhaps they were making preparations before putting their plan into action.

The exams began without a hitch.

Kankuro faced Neji Hyuga.

As a puppeteer, Kankuro had an advantage over Taijutsu fighters, preventing Neji from showing his true strength.

The two somehow managed to trade blows evenly.

In the stands, Ino glanced up at her father, then looked toward Jingxin in the distance.

She couldn't hold back any longer. "Dad, there's something I need to do... I have to step away for a bit."

Inoichi Yamanaka nodded gently. She turned and left, circling around toward Jingxin.

Inoichi's alert, perceptive eyes shifted slightly, their peripheral vision fixed on Jingxin as he narrowed them.

That person...

The Hokage had already begun to suspect Jingxin's true identity.

The moment Ino set off, Inoichi had practically confirmed it.

Elsewhere,

Kurotsuchi watched Ino approach, displeasure on her face. "Why are you here again? Didn't we say we'd talk after the exams?"

Ino gave a soft snort. "It's not like I came to see you~"

Jingxin showed little reaction to her arrival.

It didn't matter anymore.

The real operation was about to begin. Even if his identity was exposed now, it wouldn't matter.

At the same time, Naruto wanted to come over too, but Kakashi stopped him.

Naruto was curious about his true parentage. Karin's words had struck him as odd at the time, and after returning home, he couldn't stop thinking about them.

Naruto looked terrible, his spirits low.

Seeing him like this, Kakashi reassured him. "Focus on the match for now. Trust the Hokage. He'll make his own judgment, and we'll get answers later."

Naruto could only nod.

In the arena,

Neji finally defeated Kankuro with his basic skills, which far surpassed those of a Genin.

The proctor was replaced by the mysterious toothpick-chewing Genma Shiranui, who announced, "The winner is Neji Hyuga."

"Next match: Gaara versus Kintsuchi."

Here it comes!

Beneath his mask, Jingxin's eyes narrowed. As he rose, he told Karin, "Stay alert."

Jingxin entered the arena and stood opposite Gaara.

Genma Shiranui said, "If you have nothing to say, then the match begins."

Gaara made no move. Jingxin remained just as still.

The arena fell silent. Everyone could hear their own heartbeat.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Gaara's mouth. "Thank you, but... I'm sorry."

The bizarre scene drew everyone's attention.

Black feathers began to form in midair, drifting slowly down.

Jingxin activated his Sharingan to resist the genjutsu.

Gaara, meanwhile, let himself go limp, his gaze settling on the feathers.

He closed his eyes and fell asleep, violent Tailed Beast Chakra rapidly surging across his body.

All around the stands, rows of ninja and civilians collapsed.

The Konoha Crush had begun!

At the same time, deafening booms sounded around Konoha.

Above the stands, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately sensed something was wrong. He lowered his Hokage hat and fixed a sharp gaze on Rasa and Ōnoki. "What's going on?"

"I'd like to know that myself," Ōnoki replied with a hint of mockery. "Even Iwagakure got wind of it, and you were completely unaware."

Hiruzen Sarutobi's pupils shrank.

"Heh heh~" The cold chakra emanating from "Rasa" was no longer concealed. "I didn't expect Iwagakure's intelligence network to be so good."

"Fortunately... I made preparations too. Otherwise, the plan really would have been forced to end."

Hiruzen Sarutobi knitted his brows and stood, looking at "Rasa." "Orochimaru?!"

Orochimaru tossed aside his Kazekage hat, revealing his snake-like eyes.

The awakened Konoha and Iwagakure Jonin were rushing this way.

But a purple barrier suddenly rose, enclosing the entire building.

Outside,

the moment Jingxin saw the feathers, he activated his Sharingan and formed hand seals, creating a Shadow Clone.

The Shadow Clone immediately rushed to the waiting area and woke Kurotsuchi, Karin, and Ino, who had all fallen unconscious.

After explaining the situation, the clone instructed, "Deidara, get them out of here. As far away as possible. Don't get involved."

Deidara looked around excitedly. "All right!"

"What about me? What's happening? Jingxin..." Ino stared at him in confusion.

Jingxin replied casually, "You're a Konoha Ninja. You should be waking up the Konoha Ninja affected by the genjutsu."

"Huh?" Ino began to breathe rapidly. This was the first time she'd ever faced anything like this, but she still forced herself to stay calm. "Okay!"

On Jingxin's side, the elite Jonin Yeying appeared and said, "Lord Kintsuchi, Shifeng and Goriki are ready. We can begin the plan too."

Jingxin nodded, applied the Light-Weight Rock Technique to himself, and rose into the air. He said to Yeying, "Yeying, sorry for the trouble, but please protect Deidara and the others."

Yeying didn't hesitate. After a few quick leaps, he appeared beside the Iwagakure squad as they evacuated.

Jingxin himself flew higher into the sky, analyzing everything below.

As long as the situation allowed and the plan proceeded smoothly, he could go settle things with Danzo.