Sealed Scroll

"Orochimaru."

A voice drifted in from outside the barrier.

Every gaze instantly converged upon the figure hovering in the sky.

Jingxin stood suspended in mid-air, his mask concealing his expression.

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, a flicker of surprise flashing through his serpentine pupils: "Oh?"

Jingxin had underestimated the butterfly effect.

Who could have foreseen that Orochimaru would pull out the Impure World Reincarnation of two other Kage during the Chunin Exams: Minato Namikaze and Rasa.

Originally, Orochimaru controlled Hashirama and Tobirama to battle Hiruzen Sarutobi.

If Ōnoki were added to the mix, Orochimaru would have been defeated in short order.

But now, an unexpected variable had emerged.

The appearance of the Fourth Hokage and Rasa, especially the proficiency of Minato's Flying Thunder God, which far surpassed even Tobirama's, had changed everything.

This had left Ōnoki in a precarious position.

He had to find a way to deal with this potential crisis.

Jingxin raised a hand, gripped his Anbu mask, and pulled it aside.

A familiar face was exposed to the air: short black hair and refined, delicate features.

In the minds of the Konoha ninja, the image of that once-kind genius youth from the village instantly resurfaced.

Inoichi Yamanaka's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally sank: "It really is him."

Naruto, who had been dejected, suddenly looked up, his eyes brightening abruptly.

He burst into a joyful laugh: "It's Jingxin! I knew it! Among our peers, only you could be this outstanding!"

Beside him, Sasuke wore an expression that suggested he had expected as much.

All the mysteries were solved.

Jingxin was also Uchiha; he knew the secrets of the Sharingan.

That was why he had provoked him like that during the assessment.

At this very moment, a strange sense of stability welled up in Sasuke's heart.

As long as Jingxin was here, wouldn't killing Itachi be...

The thought had barely surfaced before he stifled it himself.

He clenched his fists again until his knuckles turned white.

Such intense emotional fluctuations; he truly is a genius of the Uchiha clan.

Hiruzen Sarutobi also saw Jingxin, and a trace of complex shame flashed across his aged face.

He sighed: "Regarding the Uchiha, it was this old man's fault."

Jingxin rubbed his temples: "Now is not the time to assign blame."

The situation inside the Four Violet Flames Formation was different from the original timeline; Ōnoki might be in danger.

When he was at his weakest, the old man had given him everything.

Between ensuring Ōnoki's safety and killing Danzo, the latter had to make way for the former.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was stunned, then looked toward Ōnoki inside the barrier: "Name your price!"

Ōnoki hovered in mid-air and chuckled: "Sealing scrolls."

Hiruzen Sarutobi, Tobirama Senju, and Minato Namikaze all fell silent.

Good grief!

This wasn't just asking for a lion's share.

It was a whale-sized gulp!

Hashirama Senju, however, nodded with a serious expression: "Agree to it."

Everyone: "???"

Hashirama looked around in confusion: "What is it? They're just small trinkets, they aren't worth much."

The crowd fell into another speechless silence.

The First Hokage's values were truly on a different level.

Orochimaru's raspy voice carried a hint of anger: "Jingxin-kun, did you reveal yourself just to let them negotiate terms?"

Jingxin's gaze sharpened: "No... I am here to remind you: do not forget the cooperation between us."

He deliberately emphasized the word "cooperation."

The warning in his tone was crystal clear.

If anything happens to Ōnoki, Jingxin will make Orochimaru regret ever being born into this world.

Orochimaru's golden snake-like pupils constricted, a look of deliberation crossing his face.

Tobirama Senju let out a cold snort, his expression turning ugly: "Hmph... Uchiha."

Jingxin didn't indulge him in the slightest, immediately snapping back: "Is an incompetent teacher really in a position to judge others?"

"Danzo only learned half of what he needed; how could you possibly grant him a graduation certificate? It was only after he slaughtered the entire Uchiha clan that I was forced to seek another path."

Upon hearing this, Tobirama's chest visibly heaved.

Had he been made of flesh and blood, his head likely would have been engorged with blood on the spot.

His attitude toward the Uchiha was indeed unique, but that was out of consideration for the emotional stability of the clan members.

He had adopted a relatively gentle policy and had never once considered cutting off his own arm.

Kagami Uchiha was a prime example of that.

Tobirama's methods were iron-fisted; compared to him, Danzo was nothing more than a little brother.

Tobirama truly wanted to eradicate the Uchiha entirely; if Madara Uchiha had dared to leave Konoha for even the time it takes to fire a cannon, the Uchiha would have ceased to exist.

With part of the truth exposed by Jingxin in public, a wave of commotion erupted among the Konoha ninja outside the barrier.

Sasuke was struck as if by lightning, freezing in place.

Danzo? Wasn't it Itachi?

His mind was in total chaos, and he stared fixedly at Jingxin, trying to find an answer on his face.

In the distance, Kurotsuchi watched with a heavy heart; she had never seen the usually calm and rational Jingxin display such raw, surging emotion in his eyes.

Jingxin took a deep breath to maintain his composure, then turned his gaze back to Orochimaru, the patterns of his Mangekyō Sharingan slowly rotating.

Orochimaru swallowed discreetly, his cold, serpentine pupils meeting those legendary eyes.

He gave an almost imperceptible nod, signaling his concession.

Jingxin let out a slight sigh of relief, though his heart remained heavy.

He had to find a way to enter that barrier.

However, a shrill whistle tearing through the air interrupted his thoughts.

In the center of the Chunin Exams arena, sand and soil gathered frantically as the complete form of Shukaku burst from the ground!

It seemed the Konoha sealing team hadn't been of much use.

Ōnoki immediately shouted toward Jingxin: "Jingxin!"

"Understood!" Though Jingxin felt it was a nuisance, his movements were as fast as lightning, his figure shooting toward the center of the arena like an arrow released from a bowstring.

He raised his right hand, his fingers weaving through seals at high speed.

A blinding white, cubic light rapidly expanded in front of his palm.

In the blink of an eye, it formed a terrifying barrier with sides exceeding thirty meters in length.

Shukaku had just finished howling when it looked up and saw such a massive Dust Release; its body stiffened, and its voice cracked: "Wait! Kid!"

It hurriedly raised its claws, its voice panicked: "I finally managed to get out! Let me stretch my legs! I promise I won't hurt anyone!"

The Sunagakure and Konoha ninja were dumbfounded.

A Tailed Beast—that was the very symbol of catastrophe.

Twelve years ago, during the Nine-Tails incident, Konoha had suffered immensely.

Yet, Shukaku was actually being scared into "reasoning" by a single jutsu?

But looking at the Dust Release barrier, they all swallowed hard in unison.

If it were them, they would have to be well-behaved too.

Just then, Jingxin flicked his wrist.

BANG!!!

The massive Dust Release barrier didn't slam into Shukaku; instead, he swung it hard and smashed it directly into the Four Violet Flames Formation!

Dust Release, by its very nature, also belongs to the category of barrier ninjutsu.

Barriers cannot overlap; they can only result in physical collision.

BOOM!!!

A deafening, thunderous roar echoed out.

The light walls of the Four Violet Flames Formation trembled violently, ripples spreading across them.

The entire building seemed to shake along with it.

Orochimaru's brow furrowed, his voice turning cold: "I have already given you my word."

The white light of the Dust Release dissipated abruptly.

From within the barrier, Ōnoki's voice rang out, full of vigor: "Jingxin, there is no need to worry about this old man!"

"These bodies summoned by the Impure World Reincarnation cannot unleash the true strength they possessed in life."

"I, too, wish to take this opportunity to experience the brilliance of the past Hokage!"

He hovered in mid-air, his small frame radiating an astonishing aura, a flicker of excitement flashing in his eyes.

How thrilling!

I, Ōnoki, have spent so many years in the ninja world and possess great prestige, yet it does not even amount to half of Madara or Hashirama's.

Now that there is a chance to confront them head-on while they are unable to exert their true power, wouldn't I be able to take a massive leap forward in reputation compared to those two once this is over?

Hiruzen Sarutobi made up his mind: "Since that is the case, then I agree to your terms."

The Hokage and the Tsuchikage stood side by side to fight.

Ahead, Orochimaru controlled Hashirama, Tobirama, Minato, and Rasa.

The battle was on the verge of breaking out.