On the outskirts of Konoha, at Team 7's meeting spot, a man with delicate, feminine features leaned against a tree stump, greedily soaking up the warm sunlight.
Just then, a rustle came from the woods, and a ninja wearing a black robe and a fox mask emerged.
"Lord Orochimaru, the arrangements for the first phase are complete." After removing his mask, Kabuto Yakushi knelt on one knee and bowed.
"Have the Sand Ninja been informed as well?" Orochimaru's voice was extremely hoarse.
"Yes. The One-Tail Jinchuriki and the Sand Ninja's jonin will act according to our instructions."
"Excellent." Orochimaru was very pleased with his trusted subordinate. After all, Kabuto possessed both strength and intelligence.
"By the way, how are Sasuke Uchiha and Qingchuan Tianming?" Orochimaru suddenly asked.
"Sasuke Uchiha is still lying in Konoha Hospital because of the Cursed Seal's power, while Qingchuan Tianming seems to have resisted it on his own." Kabuto Yakushi calmly relayed the intelligence he had gathered.
"Interesting! Qingchuan Tianming! Just what I'd expect from the vessel I value most!"
Orochimaru had bestowed at least eight hundred Cursed Seals, if not a thousand, yet none of those who survived and could wield their power had satisfied him.
But Qingchuan Tianming was different. His exceptional chakra and formidable strength would make devouring him an absolute delight once the time was ripe.
"Of the two bearing Cursed Seals, Sasuke Uchiha is the inferior one. Should I dispose of him?" Kabuto Yakushi asked for instructions.
"No." Orochimaru smiled faintly. "Sasuke's potential is beyond your ability to predict as well. Besides, all I want is the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan."
"Understood!" Kabuto Yakushi nodded, put on his fox mask, and prepared to leave.
"Kabuto," Orochimaru suddenly called. "You're a rare and valuable companion to me as well. Don't act rashly. With your current strength, you can't hurt Kakashi."
With effortless composure, Orochimaru had seen right through Kabuto Yakushi's intentions.
After leaving the forest, Kabuto Yakushi put away his ANBU attire and entered Konoha Hospital as himself.
When he reached the ward, he could see Sasuke Uchiha sleeping inside.
He gently opened the door and walked in. Extending a finger, Kabuto Yakushi instantly condensed chakra into the shape of a scalpel.
"Being too gifted is painful. Let me put you out of your misery." Just as Kabuto Yakushi was about to act, a powerful chakra presence appeared behind him.
"Who brings a knife to visit a patient?" Kakashi Hatake asked coldly.
"Tch." Kabuto Yakushi thrust his Chakra Scalpel backward, then smashed through the window and fled.
As he fell, he changed back into his ANBU attire. Kakashi Hatake came to the window and exchanged a glance with the now-masked Kabuto Yakushi.
"Looks like I'll have to teach Sasuke something worthwhile." Kakashi Hatake turned back toward Sasuke Uchiha on the hospital bed and murmured to himself, "After all, the Uchiha Clan doesn't need anyone protecting them."
That night, at the Aokawa Estate.
Tianming got dressed and stepped out of his room.
"Ding! Mission activated! Go to Konoha's tallest building to check in."
Atop a tall building somewhere in Konoha, a red-haired boy with an enormous gourd slung diagonally across his back was admiring the moon.
Two people stood behind him.
They were none other than Kabuto Yakushi, the Sound Ninja's representative, and Ye Gui, a Sand Ninja jonin.
"We'll act during the third round of the Chunin Ninja Exams. Your job is to disrupt the arena and draw Konoha's rising talents out of the village. Any problems?" Kabuto Yakushi asked calmly.
"Shouldn't be much of a problem." Ye Gui thought for a moment, then looked at Gaara's back beneath the moonlight. "The One-Tail, Shukaku, should be enough to draw them out. Gaara may be difficult to control, but his older sister Temari knows how to cooperate."
"Excellent. In one month, we launch the Konoha Crush!"
"Cough, cough!" Just then, a faint coughing sound suddenly rang out.
The next instant, realizing he had been exposed, Gekko Hayate leaped out of the shadows without a word.
"A pest delivering himself to our doorstep?" Ye Gui swept out his hand! Chakra surged around him, and sand rushed in from every direction, instantly enveloping Gekko Hayate.
"Ninjutsu! Sand Burial!"
The sand coating his body abruptly compressed into an irregular shape, then burst apart.
Gekko Hayate's mangled body fell silently onto the rooftop.
In the shadows a short distance away, Qingchuan Tianming watched it all impassively.
"Remain standing for ten seconds. Check-in mission complete!" "Mission reward: Lightning chakra (proficient)!"
Watching Gekko Hayate get killed in an instant, Tianming showed little reaction. He felt nothing, either.
He wasn't someone who went around proclaiming that he would become a savior. Life and death were ordinary matters for ninja.
Although Tianming had no intention of avenging Gekko Hayate, he was kind enough to retrieve his body from the rooftop and hand it directly to the ninja on patrol.
Before long, nearly every prominent ninja in Konoha, along with several ANBU, had gathered in the Hokage's office.
Of everyone there, Qingchuan Tianming was probably the most conspicuous.
"Tianming, how did you find him?" Kakashi Hatake asked, composing himself after his initial shock.
"I just went out for some air in the middle of the night," Tianming said calmly.
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