The Chunin Exam, A Method to Block the Caged Bird Seal

Orochimaru did not revert to his true form, merely flicking out his signature tongue as he stared at Aoike's face with keen interest.

"Interesting. A former genius has actually turned around and joined the Akatsuki?"

Because of Itachi, Orochimaru was obsessed with the mysteries of the Uchiha body, and consequently, he knew quite a bit about this genius who had suppressed Sasuke back at the Ninja Academy.

Suppressing the urge to delve deeper, he probed for the boy's intentions with a raspy voice.

"What is your purpose in coming to see me? Do you seek great power, the secrets of ninjutsu, or perhaps a way to break your Caged Bird Seal?"

According to his understanding of the Akatsuki, those lunatics would never track his movements in advance just to send a brat to intercept him in the heart of Konoha.

Aoike smiled and shook his head; hidden beneath his forehead protector, Orochimaru had no idea that his Caged Bird Seal had long since been removed.

"I am here to discuss a partnership. I have my own things to do before Konoha collapses."

"What qualifications do you have to cooperate with me?" Orochimaru's tongue licked the corner of his mouth, his raspy voice carrying a strange rhythm as his eyes scrutinized the youth.

His subordinates outside had already erected a barrier, so no one would notice the commotion here for a while. If the person before him was just spouting empty words, his fate would be nothing more than that of an experimental subject.

Aoike remained silent, drawing his gleaming ninja blade.

In an instant, blue-white flames engulfed the blade. Merely by standing there, the wooden structures in the room began to evaporate and burn.

When the blue-yellow chakra cloak manifested, the temperature became scorching! The floor beneath his feet began to carbonize, and a profound chakra pressure weighed down on everything in the vicinity.

"That is enough, Aoike-kun. The younger generation these days is truly formidable."

After Aoike withdrew his power, Orochimaru tore off his scorched outer skin, revealing a brand-new body.

"Let us discuss the terms of our cooperation..."

Once everything was settled, Aoike left the area using the Body Flicker Technique.

Orochimaru stood where he was, momentarily stunned.

He waved his hand to dismiss his subordinates, his breathing becoming rapid; that scorching air seemed to still linger in the room.

"What a perfect vessel. And those eyes... my instincts cannot be wrong!"

It was a pity; had Aoike been any weaker, Orochimaru would have definitely taken the risk.

After being traumatized by eye-based bloodline limits, Orochimaru's craving for such abilities had reached a point that could no longer be ignored.

Although Aoike had not utilized his ocular power, the fluctuations during his chakra outburst had been keenly detected by Orochimaru.

It seems the Hyuga's Byakugan also hides secrets I am unaware of.

With the Uchiha as a precedent, Orochimaru speculated that Aoike's Byakugan must have undergone some mutation or evolution. At first, he had even thought the eye color was just a cosmetic contact lens.

Under the moonlight, Orochimaru found himself uncharacteristically lost in thought.

With another powerful assistant added to the fold, it seemed this Konoha was truly finished.

Of course, even without an ally, he did not believe Konoha could defeat him now that he had mastered Edo Tensei. It was just that, as his former home, there was a tinge of melancholy in destroying it.

In the following days, Aoike lived openly in Konoha under his disguise.

He spent his time checking off local delicacies. Previously, he had been weak and spent almost all his money on ninja tools and medicinal herbs. Coupled with the burden of the Caged Bird Seal, he had never truly enjoyed a relaxed life.

Now that he had joined the ranks of the strong, he realized that the world wasn't so bad after all. This was perhaps the disparity in how the world looked to the strong versus the weak.

When Kakashi returned with Team 7, the Chunin Exams were nearly upon them.

While Naruto was making a ruckus about signing up, Aoike was still practicing the sealing technique he had obtained from Orochimaru.

Since he only needed a quick result, Aoike didn't need to understand the meaning of every character like a beginner; he just had to copy the form and force it through.

Over the past month, the small animals that died at Aoike's hands were enough to supply a restaurant for half a year.

Finally, two days before the Chunin Exams, Aoike successfully mastered the Black Death Seal.

This sealing technique was derived from a spy's suicide seal. Combined with the Yin-Yang chakra of Aoike's Tenseigan, while it could not directly undo someone else's Caged Bird Seal, it was more than enough to cover it.

Since the Caged Bird Seal was a remote-controlled bomb, he would simply bypass the complex process of dismantling it and install a jammer instead.

While Aoike was living his pleasant life of working at sunrise and resting at sunset, Orochimaru was mired in the busywork of transporting subordinates and coordinating with the Sand ninja.

To ensure the partnership went off without a hitch, Orochimaru had emptied nearly his entire treasury this time, using various covert channels to get his personnel into position.

It was no exaggeration to say that Orochimaru returning to Konoha was just like coming home (laugh).

Time passed.

The Chunin Exams began.

Most of the village's surveillance was concentrated around the exam grounds.

In a secret underground base, Aoike met Orochimaru once again.

"Then, happy cooperation, Aoike-kun."

Orochimaru flashed a smile and, without a word of nonsense, handed over more than a hundred ninja to Aoike.

Aoike looked at the surrounding ninja; most were cannon fodder—twenty or so at the Chunin level, and five Jonin.

The five leaders still bore many traces of human experimentation. In Aoike's Tenseigan, their chakra appeared mottled and chaotic, and they didn't look particularly intelligent either.

It didn't matter, though; since he had essentially gotten them for free, there was no point in being too serious with them.

Over a hundred people lay like silkworm pupae buried underground, waiting quietly for the signal to break through the soil.

On the other side, Sarutobi Hiruzen and his subordinates met up with the Kazekage, who was actually Orochimaru in disguise.

After a round of flattery and pleasantries, the two began discussing cooperation between their respective ninja villages.

As for the Hyuga, they were truly mavericks; despite holding the title of Konoha's current premier noble clan, their patriarch left under the pretext of clan business immediately after attending the opening ceremony.

The arrogance of the Hyuga clan was not worn on their sleeves like the Uchiha, but rather seeped into their very bones and was etched into their clan rules.

Fortunately, the Hyuga had always been this way, remaining so aloof and reserved in front of outsiders that they did not invite hostility from those in power.

The time was still early, and Aoike was still waiting—waiting for the individual matches, the moment when Orochimaru would strike.

When everyone was too busy looking after themselves, that would be the time for a reckoning.