Hidden Dangers

It was nearly noon, and the sun hung high in the sky.

This was already the second day of the second stage of the Chunin Exams.

Inside an office building located outside the Forest of Death, a slightly older ninja wearing an armband instructed a masked ninja, "Quick, take this videotape to the Third Hokage!"

As the ninja departed, the older one turned to face a wall covered in small monitors, his eyes fixed on one in particular, filled with worry.

Inside the Hokage's office, Anko Mitarashi was reporting the situation to the Third Hokage.

"Your Majesty, I believe we should immediately halt Sasuke Uchiha's Chunin Exams and bring him back for a thorough examination," Anko said.

The Third Hokage took a puff from his pipe and said slowly, "Anko, I think this matter can be set aside for now. Let us not alert Orochimaru; after all, we haven't found him yet, and we are temporarily powerless against him."

"But..." Anko tried to continue, but the Third Hokage cut her off.

"What is done is done. If Sasuke cannot hold his own, there is nothing we can do. You should be very clear on that," the Third Hokage said.

Anko lowered her head, biting her lip, her face full of reluctance.

The Third Hokage took another puff of his pipe and added, "In any case, we can only intensify the search for Orochimaru's whereabouts. As for Sasuke, he will have to fend for himself."

Anko touched the mark on the back of her neck and sighed helplessly.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door. The Third Hokage called out, "Come in."

An Anbu ninja entered the room and reported, "Your Majesty, something has happened at the Central Tower!"

The Third Hokage looked slightly puzzled, set down his pipe, and asked, "What happened?"

The Anbu ninja then produced a videotape and handed it to the Third Hokage.

The Third Hokage turned and inserted the tape into a nearby projector to inspect it, and Anko leaned in to watch as well.

After a burst of static, the main hall of the Central Tower appeared on the screen.

After a few brief seconds, a cloud of smoke suddenly erupted from the side of the otherwise empty hall, and a yellow object flew out from within.

It then spread out across the floor, and an object wrapped within it slid across the ground for some distance before finally coming to a stop.

The Third Hokage squinted at the screen, examining the object closely, his brow furrowed as he asked, "What is this?"

Anko, standing behind him, leaned in to take a look and replied, "It looks like... a person, but... it also looks a bit different. Is it... a raccoon?"

Upon hearing this, the Third Hokage's eyes widened. He turned to look at Anko and asked again, "What did you just say? What is that?"

Anko was startled, as it was the first time she had seen the Third Hokage like this. She stammered, "Uh, it's a person with the face of a raccoon."

Having received his answer, the Third Hokage confirmed his suspicions and stroked his chin in thought.

A raccoon? If I recall correctly, the Sand Village's Tailed Beast resembles a raccoon. Could it be... Thinking this, the Third Hokage looked back at the recording.

Just then, the raccoon-like appearance on the screen dissipated, revealing Gaara.

Watching Gaara on the screen, the Third Hokage thought to himself, It seems this boy is the jinchuriki. Jinchuriki are usually precious resources for a village; for the Sand to just let him out like this, could there be some conspiracy?

At this thought, the Third Hokage felt increasingly uneasy and immediately ordered the two people present, "Keep today's events confidential. Do not let this leak out."

He then asked Anko, "Anko, how many people were present in the tower today?"

Anko, who was still watching the recording, replied immediately upon being asked, "Just like last night, only Class Eleven, Class Eight, and the three genin from the Sand."

The Third Hokage couldn't help but reveal a faint smile upon hearing this, and then he dismissed the two of them.

Zeyu, I suspect this is your doing again. How many more surprises can you bring me? Thinking this, the Third Hokage took a drag from his pipe and stood up slowly.

He walked alone to the window, looked out at Konoha, and thought to himself, This Chunin Exam, I fear, will not be peaceful.

Afterward, he summoned Elephant and gave him further instructions.

Inside the tower.

Zeyu sat on a long bench with his arms crossed, eyes closed in thought. Megumi and Hinata had already returned; Hinata sat beside him, while Megumi, Shino, and Kiba stood behind them.

Shota lay on the floor to the side, a large bump on his head, his eyes spinning in circles as he remained unconscious.

Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro sat on the ground, facing the five of them, their heads bowed in silence.

Zeyu-kun has such a good build. Although I could feel it when we hugged before, this is the first time I've seen it this closely, Hinata thought, her head shyly shrinking into her clothes.

Zeyu's frame was already a size larger than his peers, and compared to Hinata, it was two sizes larger; Hinata could easily hide herself within Zeyu's clothes.

At this moment, she only revealed a pair of beautiful eyes, staring fixedly at Zeyu's handsome profile, her face already flushed a deep red.

Hmm... it wouldn't hurt to touch him, would it? Zeyu wouldn't hate me, right? But... Shota touched him and Zeyu got so angry... Ugh, but Zeyu did say he wouldn't hate me... Ugh, what should I do? Hinata thought to herself, her small hand reaching out and pulling back, unsure of what to do.

Megumi saw everything, and she helplessly rubbed her forehead and sighed.

"Hey, Zeyu, whatever you're going to say, hurry up," Megumi said with a hint of impatience.

The others looked at Megumi, then turned their gazes toward Zeyu in unison.

Gaara and his two companions also curiously lifted their heads to look at Zeyu.

However, Zeyu did not speak; he merely opened his eyes slowly, his face covered in black lines.

As he opened his eyes, he happened to lock gazes with the three people on the ground.

The trio couldn't help but shudder, swallowing hard as they fearfully averted their eyes.

I can't believe Hinata saw that scene just now. How embarrassing. How am I supposed to face her from now on? It's all Shota's fault, acting like some old pervert, touching me like that. When I get back, I'm going to train him into the ground! Thinking this, Zeyu gritted his teeth and glared, veins popping on his forehead as he looked exceptionally furious.

The three on the ground were already terrified, and seeing Zeyu in this state, they immediately lost their composure.

Temari stood up directly and said:

"Um, Zeyu, we really didn't mean it this time. I don't know why Gaara suddenly acted like that; he's usually fine. Can you just let us off this once, okay?" After speaking, Temari winked at Kankuro, who was sitting on the other side.

Kankuro caught on immediately and chimed in: "Yeah, yeah, we really don't know. Gaara is usually very calm; he might have just been... just..."

Seeing that Kankuro couldn't finish his sentence, Temari immediately jumped in: "Hypnotized! Right?"

As she spoke, she shot another look at Kankuro.

"Yeah, right, right, that's exactly what I meant. Heh heh, Zeyu, please forgive us this time. We really didn't mean it, okay?"

The two of them looked at Zeyu with ingratiating smiles.

When the two of them had gone to help Gaara up, they had already agreed that they could never reveal the secret of Gaara's condition, as that might cause their plan to fail and bring great losses to their village.

Seeing the fawning and flattering looks on Temari and Kankuro's faces, Gaara felt a pang of bitterness for some reason, and he spoke up:

"Zeyu! This was my fault. Please don't hurt the two of them."

As he spoke, he slowly stood up, but having just been injured, he was still unsteady.

He stumbled, and just as he was about to collapse, Temari and Kankuro caught him. The three exchanged a look and smiled, then turned their attention back to Zeyu.

By now, Zeyu understood what the three were planning, so he spoke up:

"If you want me to forgive you this time, that's fine, but you have to agree to three things."

The three looked at each other in confusion, and then Gaara asked:

"What things? Tell me."

Zeyu held up his fingers one by one and said:

"First, apologize to each of us! Second, you take the blame for that hole in the doorway! Third, everything that happened between us these past two days must be kept strictly confidential. You are not allowed to tell anyone!"

"Is that all?" Gaara asked, sounding somewhat incredulous.

"Yes," Zeyu replied.

Gaara agreed readily, and Temari and Kankuro beside him couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Kiba leaned into Zeyu's ear and whispered:

"Zeyu, isn't this letting them off too easily?"

Zeyu turned his head, about to answer, and the others leaned in to listen.

"I just think this is the only way to handle it right now. Besides, with such a huge commotion just now, there's no way the instructors didn't notice. It's better to leave these kinds of things for them to deal with," Zeyu whispered.

"But this is still too light, isn't it? It's completely painless for them," Megumi said.

"I think Zeyu is right," Shino said.

"Hinata, what do you think?" Kiba asked.

"Ah? Um... I'll listen to Zeyu," Hinata said.

Kiba, are you an idiot? That was a pointless question, Megumi thought, glancing at Kiba.

Gaara and his companions watched the group whispering among themselves, feeling a sense of unease.

The five of them discussed it for a while longer, and in the end, they decided to go with Zeyu's suggestion.

Not for any other reason, but simply because there really wasn't a better way.