Control

If there was anything that could be called Sasuke Uchiha's reverse scale, the agony of his clan's annihilation and his hatred for Itachi Uchiha would undoubtedly rank at the very top. Stung by the reminder of his scars, Sasuke was consumed by a wild, burning rage. Yet, having no idea where his enemy was hiding, he could do nothing but waste his chakra struggling against the illusions. Even with his Sharingan to see through the genjutsu, the occasional real attacks woven into the mix forced him to maintain absolute focus, not daring to let his guard down for even a second.

"This is a dire situation," Sasuke thought, his heart filled with anxiety. He deeply regretted his decision to act alone out of arrogance. Before him were Gaara and Rock Lee, both formidable threats, not to mention the supposedly even more gifted Neji Hyuga. To be pushed into such a pathetic state by the very first person he encountered made it clear that he had underestimated the Chunin Exams; there were simply too many experts out there. "I hope Sakura and Naruto realize something is wrong and come to support me. Right now, my only hope for survival lies in Sakura's intellect and Naruto's monstrous stamina." Though it galled his pride to rely on two unreliable teammates, he had no better options.

Hidden behind the scenes, Mizuki's Shadow Clone was calculating his chakra consumption, weighing whether or not to continue entangling Sasuke Uchiha.

"The data collection is just about finished. Having learned his lesson, Sasuke likely won't pursue me any further. Hmm? What's that over there?" As he pondered, Mizuki suddenly spotted new intruders. "Are those two Grass Village ninjas? Did they notice the commotion and want to swoop in to reap the benefits? Perfect. I'll just leave you here; no need to create another opportunity."

On the other side, Karin was in the midst of a major crisis. As an outsider in the Grass Village who had never received systematic ninja training, the girl relied solely on her innate talent to scrape by. Her strength was truly abysmal. Facing a giant beast in the Forest of Death that even ordinary ninjas would avoid, her small frame had almost no capacity for resistance. This time, there was no Sasuke to play the hero and save the damsel. Mizuki naturally wouldn't miss such a rare opportunity to build favor and manipulate her. He didn't expect Karin to fall in love at first sight or pledge her life to him—he knew he didn't possess that kind of charm—but he only needed her to avoid defecting to Orochimaru later on, and to consider his path when the time came to choose.

Taking advantage of the moment Karin tripped in her panic and closed her eyes to await death, Mizuki appeared. He was highly experienced in dealing with such mindless brutes; it was as easy as reaching out to take something. A Binding Formation rendered the beast immobile, an anesthetic agent knocked it out, and a Sealing Scroll tucked it away. As for whether he would use it as experimental material or kill it for meat, that was a matter for later.

After dealing with the beast, Mizuki walked over to Karin and picked up the glasses from the ground, handing them to her.

"Can you still stand?"

"I... I can." Karin was flustered, scrambling to her feet. She took the glasses from Mizuki, put them on, and looked at him with trepidation.

"An Earth Scroll? I didn't expect you to be the one keeping it safe." Mizuki glanced at it and remarked.

"Mr. Proctor, are we going to be kicked out? Have we lost our eligibility for the exam?"

"Oh? How did you know I was a proctor and not a student taking the exam?" Mizuki asked, quite surprised.

"Your chakra is exactly the same as the proctor from the first round—the one who sat by the door and was the strictest of them all. That's why I paid special attention to you, even though you look very different now."

"The strictest?" Mizuki wondered, having no idea why he had earned that reputation. It seemed Karin's innate sensory ability was already exceptionally sharp, even if her combat skills were lacking.

"You were the only proctor who spent the entire time recording cheating candidates, and then everyone got kicked out." Karin said cautiously.

Hearing this, Mizuki finally realized it was all a misunderstanding. He hadn't intended to play the villain.

"Then why did you think I was going to kick you out?" Mizuki asked, genuinely puzzled.

"Didn't you arrive a long time ago, Mr. Proctor? You were watching us the whole time, so I thought you were going to judge us as failing. In the end, I didn't even manage to be of any use." Karin sounded deeply disappointed.

It was clearly another misunderstanding. Mizuki had to explain: "First of all, I am not here to disqualify you. You don't need to worry about that."

"Really? That's such a relief." The unexpected good news made Karin very happy.

"Secondly, I want you to keep the fact that you saw me a secret. My actions this time are not permitted, so I don't want others to know."

"Okay, I will keep it a secret."

"Finally, if you ever leave the Grass Village, or if you find yourself with nowhere to go, I hope you will come find me. I think highly of your talents and I really need your help." Mizuki didn't hide his intentions at all. A girl with such incredible chakra perception could distinguish the truth from lies, so there was no point in masking his motives.

The unexpected invitation shocked Karin. As an orphan taken in by the Grass Village, despite her unique bloodline traits, her weak combat ability meant she was always treated as a burden and often subjected to rough treatment. The unmasked appreciation in Mizuki's words moved her deeply.

"But, I am a ninja of the Grass Village, and the village raised me, so..." Karin hesitated. "And could I really be of any help?"

"You don't need to doubt that. Since I said so, I have certainly investigated you." Mizuki said with conviction. "And I'm not asking you to decide right now, just to consider my words if the opportunity arises in the future. By the way, if you ever decide to come to me, tear this scroll, and I will know." Mizuki handed her a scroll.

Karin took it and said, "I will think about it carefully. Thank you for your trouble."

"Alright, my business here is done, so I'll be going." Having achieved his goal, Mizuki prepared to leave. "Oh, one last warning: this Chunin Exam is extremely special. There are too many outliers in terms of strength. In previous years, you might have had a chance, but this year... it's best to plan ahead. Also, although you aren't supposed to quit halfway, if things truly become impossible, open the scroll in your hand, and you can withdraw from the exam."

"I understand. Thank you, Mr. Proctor." Karin bowed, looking extremely grateful.

"My name isn't Mr. Proctor. It's Mizuki." With that, the figure in front of Karin vanished.

"Not quite the strong-willed 'big sister' from three years later; for now, she's just a timid little girl who gets pushed around everywhere. What a difference."

On another part of the battlefield, the Shadow Clone was not only effortlessly containing Sasuke but also had enough spare energy to trap the two Grass ninjas in a dilemma. Without even revealing his true self, he had all three of them running in circles.

Inside the illusion, Sasuke was still struggling to hold on, waiting for reinforcements that might never arrive.

"Huh? The intensity of the genjutsu has weakened. Is the opponent running out of chakra? Or did the commotion of the battle attract another strong enemy? Either way, it's a good sign." The sudden change alerted Sasuke. "Is it Naruto and Sakura? Doesn't seem like it. Naruto's fighting style isn't this silent. Damn it, the genjutsu barrier is blocking my senses; I have no idea what's happening outside."

Meanwhile, the two Grass ninjas had been tormented to the point of exhaustion and had passed out one after the other.

"That's enough. Time to go. Hmm? Someone else is coming? And they're so close? How is that possible? Why didn't the perimeter alarm react?" Mizuki was surprised when suddenly, countless Shadow Clones rushed out, throwing kunai like rain and clearing away a large area of illusions. The newcomer was none other than Naruto Uzumaki. Seeing his teammate arrive, Sasuke didn't miss the chance.

"Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique!"

Several streaks of flame shot out, clearing a path. Sasuke sprinted along the trajectory of the fire to rendezvous with Naruto.

"Sasuke, why are you so slow? Didn't you go to get water? How did you end up fighting, and why didn't you call me?" The loud-mouthed Naruto was very unhappy that Sasuke had acted alone without considering his teammates.

"Stop talking and let's get out of here." Still in danger, Sasuke didn't dare to be careless. "How did you get here?"

"Sakura led the way. It was so winding and hard to find on the road."

"Sasuke-kun, over here, over here!" Sakura Haruno called out from not far away.

"Let's go together, we need to leave this place immediately," Sasuke ordered.

"Why run away?" Naruto asked, eager for a fight. "We finally found an enemy; we should grab him and see if he has the Heaven Scroll."

"You idiot! Fighting in a trap prepared by someone else is just stupid. We retreat first. Besides, with this much noise, there's no guarantee it won't attract more enemies. If we get surrounded, we're done for."

Though reluctant, Naruto followed Sasuke as they left. With the Shadow Clones providing cover and Sakura leading the way, Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto escaped the battlefield without further incident.

"What an astonishing talent. In just a few days, she's managed to understand barriers and sealing formations to this degree, and she can move freely in such a complex situation. Should I call myself stupid, or is she just too heaven-defying?" Mizuki was truly envious of Sakura's talent. "As expected of someone who can inherit Tsunade's mantle. The Konoha 12 are all geniuses favored by the will of the world."

Seeing that everything had settled, Mizuki prepared to leave. But just as he turned around, accompanied by a sharp killing intent, a figure blocked his path.

"Just who are you?" The person opposite him glanced at the forehead protector on Mizuki's head. "I don't recall anyone like you among the Grass Village candidates for the Chunin Exams."

"How unlucky. It's Orochimaru. It seems I made too much of a scene and attracted this dangerous character." Mizuki sighed internally.

"Whoever you are, you'll have to pay the price for laying your hands on the prey I've taken a liking to."