The Chunin Ninja Exams began.
The first to take the stage in the main arena were Naruto and Neji.
Ever since Hizashi's death,
and the Hyuga Clan's subsequent destruction,
Neji had become even more dedicated to training.
As for Hinata, who had always been timid,
she surprised Chuan Yu.
It was as if she had become a different person.
Her face was utterly calm.
She didn't even blush when she saw Naruto.
And she seemed to be much more forceful in everything she did.
In other words,
she was like Hinata in the Tsukuyomi World.
A little hot-tempered...
But the one thing that hadn't changed...
was that she still liked Naruto.
Chuan Yu already knew how these battles would end.
He had come here today,
aside from checking on Sasuke,
primarily to stop Orochimaru from carrying out the Collapse Plan.
The Uchiha had only just managed to stabilize things.
If Konoha suffered another devastating blow,
the consequences would be unthinkable.
Though Chuan Yu had always hated Hiruzen Sarutobi, at this moment he hoped the man would live a little longer.
If they really handed control over to the Uchiha,
Konoha would inevitably be plagued by constant conflict.
The Uchiha's emotions were naturally different from those of other people.
Most importantly, their Sharingan changed under intense emotion.
This power was difficult to control.
It could even gradually cause people to lose themselves,
leading them down a path of slaughter.
If the Uchiha were truly to change,
time was essential.
The Second Hokage Tobirama Senju
had kept the Uchiha confined to the outskirts, far from Konoha's center.
He had even built the prison right next to the Uchiha Clan's grounds.
After all this time,
it was only natural that the Uchiha wanted to stage a coup.
But for the Uchiha to truly take the lead in Konoha,
they needed to earn that position.
They had to win people over, inside and out.
Using violence to suppress violence would never end well.
Even if the Uchiha succeeded in their coup today,
and the Uchiha came to rule Konoha,
then fifty years from now,
or a hundred years from now,
the other clans of Konoha would recreate today's tragedy all over again.
Political power might look simple at first glance,
but it was actually incredibly complicated.
Orochimaru must have disguised himself.
Otherwise, Chuan Yu couldn't have failed to find him.
There was no other choice.
"Yu."
"I sense a peculiar chakra..."
Karin's voice suddenly came from beside him.
Following the location Karin indicated,
Chuan Yu fixed his gaze on one of the judges beside the arena.
The other man seemed to notice Chuan Yu watching him, too.
He turned his head and smiled faintly.
Then he disappeared into the crowd.
"Move!"
Chuan Yu shoved Kakashi aside
and vaulted over the railing, jumping down from the second floor.
Everyone stared at Chuan Yu in confusion.
They had no idea what he was doing.
Uchiha Fugaku, who was maintaining order, suddenly stopped him.
"Chuan Yu, the students are taking their exams!"
"What are you doing?"
Chuan Yu's face was filled with urgency.
He looked toward the exit from the corner of his eye.
The judge had already left.
"Father..."
"This concerns Sasuke! I'll explain everything to you later!"
Chuan Yu hurried past Fugaku and chased after him.
Fugaku frowned as he looked toward Sasuke on the stage.
The Root and Anbu had checked all the students and teachers taking part in the exams.
No one else should have been able to sneak in...
Except for certain people...
Chuan Yu had just run out the door.
He looked around.
The judge stood on the roof across the street, watching Chuan Yu with a faint smile.
"We meet again..."
The raspy voice was unmistakable.
Who else could it be but Orochimaru?
"Leave Konoha now."
"Maybe I'll consider letting this go."
Chuan Yu spoke calmly.
With the strength he had now,
he was more than capable of dealing with Orochimaru.
The problem was, the guy was impossible to kill...
"Coming back to Konoha feels quite different."
"But apart from you,"
"I've found an even more interesting body."
Orochimaru gave a sinister laugh.
Chuan Yu paused.
He knew Orochimaru meant Sasuke.
In theory, since the Uchiha hadn't been wiped out,
there were plenty of Sharingan for Orochimaru to study.
So why Sasuke in particular?
"That child has so many advantages..."
"Like Itachi..."
"Like you..."
"His mind has already been consumed by his desire for power..."
"Isn't that exactly the sort of situation in which the Sharingan can be used to its fullest?"
"Kehehe..."
Chuan Yu glared coldly at Orochimaru.
"You've been to the Uchiha Shrine..."
Chuan Yu wasn't surprised that Orochimaru knew all this.
The secrets of the Uchiha's Sharingan were recorded on the stone tablet in the Uchiha Shrine.
But Black Zetsu had altered it.
Since Orochimaru wanted to learn about the Uchiha,
it was no surprise that he'd found his way there.
"But I won't make a move just yet..."
"Spend some time with Sasuke..."
"You won't get to see him again later..."
A flash of anger crossed Chuan Yu's face.
Raikiri slowly gathered in his left hand.
A blue Lightning Dragon coiled within the Raikiri, rumbling menacingly.
"What makes you so confident?"
Chuan Yu gathered his strength and charged straight at Orochimaru.
The ground caved in beneath him.
Orochimaru smiled disdainfully.
His hands swiftly formed Hand Seals.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A fierce gale swept in at once.
Lightning converged in the sky above Konoha.
The surrounding woods bent beneath the force of the wind.
Several cuts suddenly appeared around Chuan Yu's body.
The powerful wind also slowed him down considerably.
Seeing this, Chuan Yu immediately gave up on the Raikiri.
If he couldn't move fast enough,
there was no point in the attack.
Orochimaru laughed maniacally.
Then he formed Hand Seals.
He tossed out a gigantic shuriken.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
In an instant, a shower of shuriken flew toward Chuan Yu.
Chuan Yu leaped backward, dodging the first wave.
Then he slammed both hands against the ground.
"Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall!"
The wall of earth blocked the shuriken.
At the same time, Orochimaru's arms transformed into a mass of snake heads.
They slithered around the wall.
The white snakes lunged furiously at Chuan Yu.
He swiftly drew the long sword from his back.
Chakra surged across the back of the blade.
"One Sword Style!"
The instant he swung the blade,
the air itself was torn apart.
Orochimaru was caught completely off guard.
Before he could dodge,
Chuan Yu had already slipped between his arms.
The blade flashed cleanly past both of Orochimaru's arms.
In an instant,
every white snake head was severed.
Chuan Yu gave Orochimaru no chance to recover.
Gripping his long sword, he charged forward.
It would take time for Orochimaru's arms to regenerate.
With no other choice, Orochimaru could only dodge back and forth.
But Chuan Yu's swordsmanship was truly terrifying.
His blade never left his side.
Every three steps, he struck.
He rode the blade's force,
and danced through the gleam of steel.
The slightest mistake,
and a strike from that blade
wouldn't kill him,
but it would leave him temporarily incapacitated.
A sharp glint showed in Chuan Yu's eyes.
He tightened his grip and thrust the long sword straight at Orochimaru's neck.
Just as it was about to hit,
Orochimaru leaned sharply backward.
At the same time, he spat the Kusanagi Sword from his mouth, stopping Chuan Yu's fatal blow.
The two blades collided,
sending sparks flying.
Chuan Yu's long sword was no match for the Kusanagi Sword and was knocked into the air.
The blade slipped from his hand.
In a single bound, he reached Orochimaru.
The instant Orochimaru's Kusanagi Sword slashed toward him,
Chuan Yu twisted sideways in midair.
The red world in his Sharingan froze in that moment.
Orochimaru's movements were now easy for Chuan Yu to read.
With a smooth motion, he snatched the Kusanagi Sword from Orochimaru.
Then he kicked out hard.
Orochimaru was sent flying,
his body slamming into a tree.
The birds scattered in terror, beating their wings as they fled.
As the other long sword fell,
Chuan Yu punched its hilt.
The sword shot straight toward Orochimaru's head.
In that instant,
Orochimaru's arms finally regenerated.
He brought his hands together
and caught the blade barehanded.
The sounds of fighting outside reached the exam venue.
At last, everyone realized something was wrong.
Fugaku led the Root in at a fast pace to investigate.
Meanwhile,
Orochimaru looked at Chuan Yu and sneered coldly.
"Uchiha Chuanyu..."
"You can't stop this plan..."
With that,
at the border, Sand forces leaped out from their hiding places.
A flare shot into the sky.
Orochimaru smiled faintly.
He bit his finger and slapped his palm against the ground.
"Summoning Technique!"
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