After inspecting the barrier set up by Orochimaru's men, Aoike was satisfied and left them undisturbed.
As expected of men trained by a mad scientist. Their strength was relatively low, but they seemed quite skilled at setting up barriers.
There was still over a month until the finals, making this the perfect time to prepare.
Outside the registration room
With Kakashi's encouragement, Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke happily pushed open the door.
But one glance inside was enough to wipe the smiles from their faces. A huge crowd of ninjas from different villages was packed together, talking noisily.
As the last three entered, nearly everyone turned their eyes toward them.
Before Sakura could recover from being the center of attention, Ino's voice rang out.
Her teammates from Ino-Shika-Cho were right behind her.
Further back were Hinata, Kiba, and the nigh-invisible Shino.
Since graduating, the nine of them had never all gathered like this.
Kabuto, hidden among the crowd, smiled faintly and approached the new generation as planned.
With his harmless smile and senior status, Kabuto easily joined their conversation.
Just as they finished learning about the ninja cards and began worrying about how difficult the exam would be, Kabuto paused while gathering his cards. One slipped from his sleeve.
"This one looks a little different?"
Sasuke asked curiously, eyeing the card that clearly stood apart from the others.
At his words, a perfectly measured look of solemnity crossed Kabuto's face.
He quickly glanced around, then led them to a more secluded corner.
"It's a long story. I went to a lot of trouble to collect information on him, but unfortunately, it's not much use now."
"He should be from your graduating class. You might even know more about him than I do."
Sasuke froze. The next moment, Kabuto's words confirmed his suspicions.
"Aoike. He carries the blood of two doujutsu clans, the Hyuga and the Uchiha. He was top of his class at the Ninja Academy, graduated early, and developed at least one A-rank ninjutsu—a genius."
"Unfortunately, he disappeared without a trace. Rumor has it..."
To protect Konoha's reputation, news of Aoike's defection had only spread among a small circle.
Noticing the shift in mood, Kabuto realized he wouldn't be able to get any more information from them, and tactfully withdrew from the group.
"I'm sure... Aoike had his reasons," Hinata, the shyest yet most steadfast of them, couldn't help saying, hoping to defend him.
But it clearly wasn't very convincing.
Ino gave Hinata a long look but said nothing.
Only Naruto spoke up with carefree confidence.
"It doesn't matter where he is! Once I become a Chunin, I'll find him and bring him back!"
That was right. The Chunin Exams were what mattered now.
Everyone's attention was on the examiners. Only Sasuke gripped the Kunai in his ninja tool pouch.
When it came to knowing Aoike, Sasuke was second to none.
Aoike's true strength and those Mangekyo Sharingan had both driven Sasuke forward over the past few years.
As a powerful rival to Itachi, Aoike had always been someone Sasuke aimed to catch up with.
"But now, I'm still a Genin, and my strength has already hit a bottleneck. How long will it take before I can get revenge?!"
At the thought, Sasuke gripped so hard his hand turned white.
Outside the venue
Aoike finished two large bowls of ramen at the noodle shop and wiped his mouth, satisfied.
After paying, he stepped out of the shop at an easy pace, accompanied by Teuchi's greeting.
The moment his feet touched the ground, Aoike opened his grayish-white eyes. His Sharingan still hadn't fully recovered. The Otsutsuki genes had kept him from going completely blind, but even after two years, he still couldn't use his Mangekyo properly.
Feeling that the Mangekyo had recovered only a tenth of its ocular power, Aoike reluctantly deactivated his Sharingan.
Thinking of All Things in Nature on the Uchiha Stone Tablet, and the reason Obito's Mangekyo hadn't gone blind, Aoike decided he still needed to obtain Indra's Chakra.
Orochimaru should still have some, but certainly not enough for Aoike to devour.
So what he needed was something plentiful, filling, and highly pure.
Aoike couldn't help thinking of the White Zetsu Uchiha Madara had cultivated using Hashirama Cells.
As a product of Yang Release and something born from Hashirama Cells, White Zetsu made excellent nourishment for restoring ocular power.
"Ten thousand White Zetsu should be enough." Aoike's lips curled up. Then he'd make another trip after the Konoha Crush.
He could use the Byakugan to find the passage between the Earth and the Moon, so he could find the White Zetsu hidden underground just as easily.
While Aoike was enjoying himself, Sasuke and the others were getting beaten up in the forest.
The teams that had collected both the Book of Heaven and Earth were resting and recuperating, while most of the others had been eliminated.
Next came the fighting round, the part that drew the most attention. Most people's eyes would be fixed on it.
Like the calm before a storm, Sarutobi sensed something was wrong, but his subordinates had finished checking and found everything in order.
Ever cautious, Sarutobi increased the patrols and hid his combat uniform beneath his Hokage Cloak.
Even Jiraiya, who had been out of contact, received a letter from Sarutobi.
Time flew by.
Fights were often the easiest way to see someone's style.
Rock Lee, whose perseverance was extraordinary.
Naruto, the number-one unpredictable ninja.
The lazy Shikamaru.
The sisterly battle between Sakura and Ino.
Neji, trapped in a cage.
Hinata, who looked fragile but was steadfast.
Konoha's new generation was undoubtedly full of talented ninjas.
Sasuke, in particular.
He could hold his own against Rock Lee in Taijutsu, and he used ninjutsu with great skill, whether it was the Great Fireball, Phoenix Sage Fire, or genjutsu.
Especially when paired with his Sharingan, he became the undisputed focus of the entire arena. But Sasuke alone knew that this still wasn't enough. He needed greater power.
Many people were wondering who was stronger: him or Gaara of Sunagakure.
But Orochimaru could no longer hold back and was preparing to make his move.
After receiving Sarutobi Hiruzen's message, Jiraiya had returned to Konoha during a break in the exams, adding another slight complication.
There was no point in dragging things out. They needed to keep the risks under control.
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes.
At the signal, his subordinates immediately began their operation.
Countless Illusion Feathers drifted down from the sky, and most people collapsed in their seats after coming into contact with them.
While the Anbu were busy protecting the daimyos and officials from various countries,
Orochimaru took advantage of the chaos to seize Sarutobi and land with him on a nearby rooftop.
The Konoha Crush Plan had begun!