Great Battle (Part One)

After announcing the nine people who had advanced to the Third Exam, Gekko Hayate informed them that the Third Exam would be held in half a month.

The Konoha Ninja and ninjas from other villages who were present gradually left the scene.

In the end, only Sarutobi Hiruzen and a few Konoha Jōnin.

A short while later, Jiraiya arrived at the tower hall.

"How is it, old man?"

Faced with Jiraiya's question, Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head. "Orochimaru did not appear."

Jiraiya frowned slightly upon hearing this, but this was within his expectations. With all the strongmen of Konoha gathered here, the probability of Orochimaru appearing here directly was indeed not high. However, it was a pity that their entire plan had been wasted.

"Old man, in my opinion, we should cancel the Chunin Ninja Exams," Jiraiya suggested again.

"No, how can we stop the exam at a time like this?" Sarutobi Hiruzen said firmly.

How can the exam be stopped halfway through?

Even if Orochimaru's current strength is as Jiraiya said, much stronger than before, it is still not enough to shake Konoha. Moreover, if the Chunin Ninja Exams are terminated now, wouldn't Konoha become a joke?

"Since Orochimaru isn't making a move now, he's very likely to cause trouble during the Third Exam."

At that time, dignitaries from various countries will gather, and a large number of villagers will also gather at the Arena.

If he were to attack Naruto amidst the chaos, the consequences could be disastrous if something went wrong.

Jiraiya advised.

Shouldn't we be more pragmatic than concerned about saving face?

Whether it's villagers or political figures from various countries, any deaths or injuries would be a greater blow to Konoha. Moreover, Orochimaru has his eye on Naruto, Naruto absolutely cannot be allowed to have any accidents.

"At most, we can recall Nawaki and Dai; the exam cannot be suspended." Sarutobi Hiruzen's attitude remained unwavering.

In his view, even if Orochimaru's strength far surpasses that of the past, and even if he can deal with Jiraiya same time, Konoha now has Kage Level powerhouses such as Fugaku, Kakashi, and Itachi. Furthermore, by recalling Nawaki and Dai back to the village, they can basically guarantee that everything will be foolproof.

Could Orochimaru really be strong enough to take on all of them at once?

Even facing the worst outcome, there's still Dai's Eight Gates. If Dai opens the Gate of Death, even Shiraha and Kushina might not be able to stop it.

If Orochimaru really causes massive destruction, that will be the perfect opportunity to release Danzo.

"Third Hokage, I hope you won't regret this." Jiraiya was helpless in the face of Sarutobi Hiruzen's stubbornness.

Orochimaru hasn't made a move yet; he's definitely waiting for something.

Instead of seizing this opportunity to find him, continuing with the Chunin Ninja Exams would be a very unwise move.

"Lord Jiraiya, please rest assured."

"With the Lord Third Hokage here, we will not let Orochimaru succeed."

"We will never allow anyone to destroy Konoha."

The Jōnin nearby echoed their sentiments, expressing their confidence in Konoha. After all, it wasn't a direct confrontation with Uzushiogakure, but rather with Orochimaru.

Jiraiya sighed inwardly, and didn't say anything more.

Orochimaru's strength had increased far beyond his imagination, but the ninjas present had never faced Orochimaru, so how could they understand what he was saying?

More than half a month has passed quietly, and it's now mid-July.

Inside the Ring Arena, thousands of Konoha and dignitaries from various countries gathered to witness the Third Exam and final Chunin Selection Exam, jointly organized by Konoha and Sunagakure.

Nine candidates will compete in a battle under the watchful eyes of the crowd, and those who perform exceptionally well may even become famous throughout the Shinobi World.

This time, Sarutobi Hiruzen, wearing the Hokage hat and the Hokage robe, arrived at the high platform in the center of the Arena.

Also qualified to sit on the high platform were the Fourth Kazekage Rasa, and Shiraha, the leader of the Land of Whirlpools, who sat on either side of Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Looking at the nine examinees already in place in the Arena below, Rasa smiled and said, "Konoha really has a lot of talented people. Each of the four examinees who have entered the Third Exam is quite remarkable."

"Kazekage, you are too kind. We only had the advantage of playing on home turf. If we're talking about talent, the three examinees from Sunagakure are the real experts. It's clear they weren't taking the exam seriously, and they almost broke the record."

Sarutobi Hiruzen responded in kind, and he and Rasa began to flatter each other. After all, now Konoha only had Sunagakure as a relatively close ally, and the other villages were closely connected with Uzushiogakure, so they had to win over Sunagakure.

"It's a pity that if the Second Exam hadn't drawn an internal battle Genin the Uzushiogakure, all three of Shiraha Shiraha's children should have been able to enter the third round. The fact that three of our Sunagakure were able to enter the third round is just because we were lucky and didn't encounter an internal battle."

Rasa changed the subject and glanced at Shiraha.

Upon hearing Sarutobi Hiruzen's heart skipped a beat, and he also looked at Shiraha.

"Luck is also a part of strength," Shiraha said calmly. "It's just an exam, it's not important."

"Shiraha Yu's vision is far superior to ours," Rasa began to awkwardly praise Shiraha.

Originally, he wouldn't have needed to curry favor with Shiraha, since Sunagakure in the Serpent Spirit Corporation's business alliance that hadn't joined. However, if Shiraha were to intervene in the Konoha Crush Plan, he and Orochimaru would not only likely fail, but might even lose their lives.

"You're too kind, Kazekage," Shiraha replied with a smile. He naturally had to be polite to someone who was about to die.

Sensing Shiraha's 'friendly' attitude, Rasa's smile deepened, and he frequently steered the conversation toward Shiraha, acting as if he wanted to befriend Uzushiogakure, leaving Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was sitting between the two, out of the picture.

Shiraha responded casually, but his gaze seemed to casually glance at the Kazekage Guard standing behind Rasa, both of whom Jōnin with their faces covered by masks.

The person on the left is Orochimaru.

Seeing that Shiraha wasn't very interested in talking, Rasa wasn't embarrassed and quickly steered the conversation to the exam. "It's starting!"

A deafening roar of cheers erupted in the Arena.

The first match was between Naruto Namikaze, son of the Fourth Hokage, and Neji Hyuga, the genius ninja from Konoha's strongest clan.

After a fierce battle, Naruto defeated Neji as expected.

Although Neji had been trained by Hizashi, he was still far behind Naruto in terms of Qidian.

Of course, if Naruto hadn't used some of the Nine-Tails Chakra, defeating Neji wouldn't have been an easy task.

After the first match ended, the atmosphere instantly reached a climax. Naruto and Neji showed everyone with their strength that Konoha is still the same Konoha.

Although Konoha is no longer the dominant force in the Shinobi World, even a weakened camel is bigger than a horse.

Soon, the Second Exam began.

Sasuke VS Hikari!

The two arrived at the center of the Arena.

Sasuke walked forward calmly, now exuding confidence compared to the easily angered man he was just half a month ago.

During this time, Sasuke trained with Itachi and completely mastered the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, so he felt that he was capable again.

"I won't hold back!" Sasuke said in a deep voice, staring at Hikari opposite him. "I'll defeat you first, and then I'll defeat your brother Taichi."

Because the Third Exam is a round-robin tournament, there will be a second round after the first round ends. As long as Sasuke continues to win, he will definitely meet Taichi.

Hikari smiled, completely ignoring Sasuke.

Sasuke seeing this, Sasuke's dark eyes instantly turned crimson, and the powerful Eye Power of his Three-Tomoe Sharingan was activated in an instant.

However, the next second, two beams of red light shot out from Hikari's eyes, Sasuke was instantly hit.

"You!" Sasuke stared in shock at Hikari as his body rapidly turned to stone.

Hikari turned around and walked straight out of the Arena.

"What's going on?!"

"What happened?"

"That's it?"

"My body has turned to stone! How could this be?!"

The audience in the Arena were all stunned. How could this happen? Sasuke was killed in one move?

Even Shiranui Genma, who was acting as the referee, was dumbfounded. What kind of ninjutsu was this? It was extremely fast, and the body turned into a stone statue after being hit.

Upon realizing Sasuke's identity, Shiranui Genma immediately stepped forward to check on Sasuke's condition.

Just when he was at a loss and dared not make any rash moves, Sasuke's body gradually returned to normal.

Thump!

Sasuke staggered, lost his balance, and knelt on the ground, covering his eyes with his hands and trembling.

He pointed at Hikari's departing figure, wanting to call out to her, but he didn't even have the strength to speak.

"The winner Yagami Hikari!" Seeing that Sasuke was only exhausted, Shiranui Genma quickly announced the result of the match.

The Medical Ninja quickly lifted Sasuke onto a stretcher and sent him to the hospital.

"What a terrifying ninjutsu! Does it require expending Mental Power to fight against it?" Itachi, standing in the audience, activated his Mangekyō Sharingan and looked at Hikari and Sasuke with a serious expression. He sensed that Sasuke's Eye Power was almost completely depleted and roughly guessed how to counter this ninjutsu. However, he concluded that even if he activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, he might not be immune to this ninjutsu.

"Shiraha is not only skilled himself, but every single one of his disciples and children is also exceptional."

Fugaku, standing to the side, frowned, a hint of doubt creeping into his mind. Was his decision to stay in Konoha the right one?

Shiraha's strength is unfathomable, and his disciples and children are all incredibly powerful.

Sasuke was already the most outstanding ninja of the Uchiha Clan in this generation. Only Shisui and Itachi could surpass him at that age, but he was instantly defeated by Hikari.

Once Uchiha Clan awaken the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, with just a little training, they can gain combat power comparable to Jōnin, which is the foundation of the Uchiha Clan's strength.

Even Fugaku himself wouldn't dare say he could defeat Sasuke in an instant without using the Mangekyō Sharingan.

But the Hikari did it!

"The Third Exam, Gaara vs. Yagami Taichi!" Seeing the audience buzzing with discussion, Shiranui Genma quickly announced the start of the Third Exam.

The audience quieted down once Gaara and Taichi entered the Arena.

At this moment, Rasa in the audience tensed up and subconsciously glanced at Shiraha next to him.

Rasa's original plan was for Gaara to unleash the power of One-Tails Shukaku during the exam, but he didn't expect Gaara to face Taichi instead.

Given Gaara's personality, if he were to face Taichi, he might lose his temper, disregard the plan, and prematurely use the power of the One-Tail.

After all, the scene of Hikari instantly killing Sasuke had just happened.

"Gaara has actually run into Taichi. It seems this is the end for him. Hopefully, Taichi will show mercy."

Rasa chuckled softly and looked at Shiraha beside him.

"Your Kazekage Fengying can rest assured on this point. Taichi is much more discerning than I am," Shiraha nodded. Under his powerful perception, he could clearly feel that Rasa's heart rate and blood flow speed had increased significantly, and he already had an idea in mind.

Boom!

While the two were chatting, Gaara and Taichi had already started fighting.

Gaara immediately used the sand in his gourd to launch a fierce attack on Taichi.

Taichi kept dodging attacks in the center of the Arena, each time seemingly managing to evade them, drawing cheers from the audience.

At that moment, Gaara suddenly unleashed his Chakra, crushing the stones beneath the Arena into sand and continuously increasing the amount of sand he controlled. Taking advantage of the instant Taichi landed, he surrounded Taichi with a massive cloud of sand.

"Oh no!" Rasa's expression changed slightly when he noticed Gaara was about to unleash a technique, but he noticed that Shiraha's expression remained perfectly calm.

' Sand Burial!'

Gaara clenched his right hand, abruptly tightening the sand that had trapped Taichi.

Boom!

The sand, which had shrunk to half its original volume, suddenly burst open.

A figure enveloped in Crimson Airflow burst forth from the top of the sand, leaping into the air. His body was covered with tiny, silvery-white scales the size of fingernails, which shimmered in the sunlight.

Because he was caught off guard and trapped, Taichi immediately activated "Crimson Dragon Calamity" and "Demonic Scales".

Compared to Shiraha's struggle to gather materials to cultivate the "Crimson Dragon Calamity," Taichi's conditions were much better; he basically used the best medicinal herbs and potions for cultivation.

At this moment, Taichi almost perfectly replicated Shiraha's fighting style from back then.

Boom!

Taichi unleashed his Chakra and Breathing Technique, and in a flash, he appeared directly in front of Gaara. Before the sand barrier could take shape, he punched Gaara in the chest.

Puff!

Gaara's sand armor was shattered by Taichi, causing him to spit out blood and fly backward, crashing heavily into the Arena wall.

The next second, all the sand flying everywhere returned to Gaara's side, wrapping him up like a cocoon.

"This is blood!" Gaara, inside the sand cocoon, suddenly covered his head.

Taichi suddenly sprang up and charged forward, preparing to continue the attack.

Suddenly, a huge arm emerged from the sand cocoon, met Taichi head-on, and sent him flying.

Taichi was knocked back dozens of meters, but landed steadily.

However, the next second, a roar like that of a wild beast came from inside the sand cocoon.

Boom--!

The sand cocoon suddenly burst open, revealing a giant raccoon dog.

"I'm finally out!"

One-Tails Shukaku let out a joyful cheer, and the next second it unleashed a ' Empty Net ' directly at the audience in the stands!

"Tailed Beast!"

The entire Arena instantly descended into chaos.

A red signal flare suddenly rose into the sky, followed by huge explosions that came from all four directions of Konoha.

Konoha Hospital.

In the special care ward on the third floor.

As was her habit, Uzumaki Ashina used a towel to wipe Minato Namikaze's body.

She had just finished wiping Minato Namikaze's face and was about to gently wipe his arms when she noticed the muscles in his Minato Namikaze twitch slightly.

Uzumaki Ashina looked down and saw Minato Namikaze's fingers moving.

"Quickly, someone come here!" Uzumaki Ashina was so excited that she couldn't even utter the first word.

"What's wrong?!" The Anbu Ninja outside the door quickly pushed open the door to the ward and rushed in.

"The Fourth Hokage has woken up. Quickly, go and call the Medical Ninja."

When the Anbu Ninja saw Minato Namikaze's fingers twitch slightly and his eyelids begin to open slightly, they were both surprised and delighted. They quickly notified their companions to call for Medical Ninja.

"Alright!" Another Anbu Ninja used the Body Flicker Technique to leave the ward. The Fourth Hokage has woken up, and the situation in Konoha will change dramatically. Things will get better soon!

"Where am I?" Minato Namikaze's consciousness was still a little hazy. He felt like he had slept for a long time and then had a dream. In the dream, he recovered from his injuries and fused with the cells of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, which greatly enhanced his strength.

Suppressing her excitement, Uzumaki Ashina grabbed Minato Namikaze's hand, leaned closer, and whispered, "Minato! Minato! How are you feeling?"

"Luming." Minato Namikaze slightly, looking at his wife beside him. His eyes were somewhat dazed, because he felt that his once beautiful and gentle wife seemed to have matured a lot, and wrinkles had even appeared at the corners of her eyes.

"Minato! You're finally awake! Am I dreaming?" Uzumaki Ashina said in disbelief. She hugged Minato Namikaze's neck tightly, but only gently Minato Namikaze, afraid of hurting his newly recovered body.

"Luming, how long have I been asleep? What happened to my hands?" Minato Namikaze asked subconsciously. He raised his hand and gently patted his wife's back, only then vaguely remembering that when he fought against Kinkaku and Ginkaku, both of his arms seemed to have been broken.

"It was Lord Tsunade and Shiraha of the Land of Whirlpools who transplanted your arm. It is now Konoha Year 60, and you have been in a coma for almost 12 years!"

"I'm excited," said Uzumaki Ashina.

"What?! 12 years?!" Minato Namikaze's eyes widened in disbelief. "Then what about our child?!"

"Naruto and Karin are both 12 years old now. The Third Hokage has taken good care of them. Naruto is currently participating in the Chunin Ninja Exams, a joint event between our village and Sunagakure. This child..."

Uzumaki Ashina explained, before she could finish speaking, a loud booming sound came from above Konoha, and a red signal flare rose into the sky and exploded.

"What was that sound?" Minato Namikaze was taken aback.

Uzumaki Ashina walked to the window beside the hospital bed, opened it and glanced inside, then turned back and said, "That should be the salute to start the Third Exam, right?"

However, no sooner had she finished speaking than a deafening explosion resounded simultaneously from all four directions of the village, accompanied by towering Firelight and thick smoke rising from all sides, making the entire earth seem to tremble.

"This is..." Uzumaki Ashina's eyes widened.

At this moment, the Anbu Ninja had been quietly waiting to avoid disturbing Minato Namikaze and Uzumaki Ashina's conversation also came to the window, looking incredulous. "Damn it! That direction is the Ring Arena!"

As he spoke, he quickly turned to Uzumaki Ashina and Minato Namikaze and said, "Fourth Hokage, I have to go over there to help right away! The Flying Eagle will be back immediately."

As soon as the Anbu Ninja finished speaking, he stepped onto the windowsill and jumped from the third floor, landing on the roof of the building opposite. He then ran across the rooftops of various buildings, quickly heading towards the Ring Arena. At the same time, ninjas from other directions rushed to provide support in various parts of the village.

Minato Namikaze sat up abruptly from the hospital bed, ripped the Syringe from the back of his hand, and went to the window to look outside.

"The village has been attacked!"

Minato Namikaze looked solemnly at the explosions coming from all four directions, then turned to his wife, who looked much older, and said, "Luming, I have to go to the battle. You go to the Shelter with the Anbu first."

"Minato! You've only just woken up, and your body hasn't recovered yet. The Lord Third Hokage and Lord Jiraiya are there. Even without your help, it won't be..." Uzumaki Ashina grabbed Minato Namikaze's arm. He had said the same thing last time, which resulted in him being seriously injured and in a coma for 12 years.

"I'm sorry, but I'm the Fourth Hokage of the village, and Naruto is still there. I have to go!" Minato Namikaze said firmly. "I feel better than ever before! Trust me."

"I know I can't stop you, so go ahead." Uzumaki Ashina slowly released her grip.

Minato Namikaze felt a surge of warmth in his heart and grabbed Uzumaki Ashina's shoulder, promising, "Thank you, Luming."

Uzumaki Ashina nodded. "The Flying Thunder God Kunai you gave me is in our bedroom, and I've packed all your clothes. Be careful and come back soon."

Upon hearing this, Minato Namikaze glanced down at his bare upper body and the hospital gown he was wearing, and immediately understood.

He activated the Chakra within his body, and a powerful Chakra erupted from his body, sending gusts of wind through and even forcing Uzumaki Ashina back several steps.

"My Chakra!" Minato Namikaze looked at his hands in surprise. Although he felt that his Chakra had increased a lot, he realized that it had increased dozens of times when he actually activated it!

Thinking of this, Minato Namikaze sensed his Flying Thunder God Kunai.

Immediately afterwards, in less than a minute, Minato Namikaze, fully dressed and wearing the Hokage's robe, returned to the ward and left the Flying Thunder God Flying Thunder God Formula on Uzumaki Ashina.

"Fourth Hokage!" At this moment, Anbu Ninja arrived at the ward with Medical Jonin.

"You escort Luming to the Shelter, and you come with me to provide support."

Minato Namikaze didn't have time to say much. He handed Uzumaki Ashina to the Medical Jonin, grabbed the shoulder of the Anbu Ninja, and Flying Thunder God Jutsu to teleport to the nearest jutsu retention point to the Ring Arena.