The Sound Ninja's Operation

"Konoha's Chunin Exams have begun."

Orochimaru's voice was hoarse and eerie. "You five, make your preparations. This mission must succeed."

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru!" The Sound Ninja Five knelt on one knee and replied respectfully.

"Keep a close watch on those Konoha brats, especially that Uchiha Mu who appeared out of nowhere."

A sinister glint flashed through Orochimaru's eyes.

"Especially Uchiha Mu. Rumor has it that he possesses the Space-Time Twin Eyes.

"Based on the intelligence, he is at least capable of fighting an elite jonin.

"You must handle him carefully. If you encounter him, avoid confronting him head-on if possible. Complete the mission first."

"We understand, Lord Orochimaru!"

Orochimaru nodded, an eerie smile curling across his lips. "Very good. Tomorrow, let us give Konoha a grand surprise!"

A conspiracy centered around the Chunin Exams was quietly brewing.

The following morning, Konoha's Chunin Exam venue was packed with people and bursting with excitement.

Genin from every ninja village had gathered here. Excitement and nervousness filled their faces as they anticipated this contest between young ninjas.

The venue was divided into an inner and outer area.

The outer grounds were for the qualifying matches, while the inner grounds were for the elimination rounds and finals. Mu, meanwhile, had concealed himself in a corner of the outer grounds under the identity of an ANBU member named "Shadow," closely observing everything around him.

He wore a fitted black ANBU uniform and a black mask over his face.

Only his eyes were exposed—sometimes scarlet, sometimes pitch-black. His icy gaze swept across the entire venue, and not even the slightest disturbance escaped his senses.

Before long, he spotted people from Sunagakure and the Hidden Sound Village. Sunagakure had sent Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari, while the Hidden Sound Village's contestants included the Sound Ninja Five and several weaker Sound Ninja.

The moment Mu saw the five, his memories told him that the Hidden Sound Village had long since become Orochimaru's intelligence network.

Those few were nothing worth noting.

But over on the other side, the aura of the One-Tail Shukaku around Gaara was unmistakable.

Mu nodded subtly.

Another tailed beast mission could be completed.

Gaara wore a red windbreaker, his face expressionless and his eyes hollow. A chilling killing intent radiated from him, causing the surrounding ninja to instinctively avoid him and keep their distance.

Kankuro and Temari stood beside Gaara, warily surveying their surroundings.

Suddenly, a system notification sounded.

Ding: The system has detected a female ninja with S-rank potential.

Temari.

Female

- Birthday: August 23 (Virgo)

- Age: 15

- Height/Weight: 165 cm / 47.9 kg; Blood Type: O

- Rank: Genin (combat power at peak chunin level)

- Chakra Nature: Wind

Ninja Tool: Three-Star Fan

- Personality: Cheerful and mature, bold and battle-loving, rational and assertive, with the aura of an older sister.

Rating: S

Looking over Temari's information, Mu had already made up his mind.

He then turned his gaze toward the Sound Ninja Five.

They wore black bodysuits and strange masks, radiating a cold, sinister aura. They were scattered throughout the venue, secretly observing the movements of Konoha's genin, their eyes filled with disdain and malice.

"It seems Orochimaru has arranged everything already," Mu thought, a chill flashing through his eyes.

He could sense that Orochimaru had implanted Curse Marks into all five of them. They were stronger than ordinary jonin, especially Dosu, their leader, whose strength had reached the limit of an elite jonin.

But in Mu's eyes, they were nothing more than ants that could be crushed with ease.

Just then, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura also arrived at the venue.

Naruto wore a yellow tracksuit and an excited grin, looking around in every direction with anticipation in his eyes.

Sasuke, meanwhile, wore a black school uniform. His expression was cold, and his sharp gaze swept over the surrounding contestants as though he were searching for an opponent worthy of fighting.

Sakura stood beside them, her face tense as she repeatedly glanced at the other contestants, unease flickering in her eyes.

Naruto quickly noticed Mu lurking in the corner. An excited smile appeared on his face, and he wanted to go over and greet him, but Mu stopped him with a look.

Naruto froze for a moment, then understood what Mu meant.

He hurriedly stopped and followed Sasuke and Sakura over to the group of Konoha genin.

At that moment, Sasuke was also looking at Mu with a complicated expression.

He had two older brothers. One had betrayed Konoha, while the other served Konoha.

He was deeply conflicted. He truly did not know how to communicate with them.

All he could do was turn everything into hatred.

Become stronger.

Find Itachi.

But none of that would be easy. He had once considered asking Mu to help him grow stronger.

But he quickly rejected the idea.

He knew very well that both of his brothers had highly sensitive identities. Over the past few years, he had met Mu fewer times than he could count on one hand.

As Sasuke pondered this.

The Chunin Exams' examiner, Morino Ibiki, stepped into the center of the venue. He wore a fitted black uniform, and a vicious scar ran across his face. His stern gaze swept over the crowd.

"Quiet!" Ibiki's booming voice rang throughout the venue. The noisy grounds instantly fell silent, and every ninja turned their attention toward him.

"Welcome to Konoha's Genin Exam. I am the examiner for this test, Morino Ibiki."

Ibiki spoke in a stern tone.

"This Chunin Exam has three stages. The first is a written test, the second is the elimination round, and the third is the finals."

"Only those who pass every stage can become true chunin. I hope each of you will show your strength and perform well."

"Now, I announce that the exam has officially begun! The first stage, the written test—enter the examination hall now!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Ibiki turned and walked into the venue. All the genin followed after him, entering the written examination hall in an orderly fashion.

Mu did not follow them inside. He remained hidden in the corner, closely watching the movements around the venue. He knew Orochimaru's plot might begin as early as the written test.

Sure enough, after all the genin had entered the examination hall, several Sound Ninja quietly left the venue.

They headed toward the forest behind the grounds. Clearly, they were going to carry out the task Orochimaru had assigned them.

Mu's eyes turned cold. With a flicker, he silently followed them.

The forest behind the venue was thick with trees and overgrown weeds, making it an excellent hiding place. The Sound Ninja had gathered beneath a large tree and were speaking in low voices.

"According to Lord Orochimaru's orders, now is the best opportunity to destroy the venue's defensive system."

One of the Sound Ninja spoke respectfully.

"But Konoha's ANBU are no pushovers."

"We must be careful. We cannot let them discover us, or the mission will fail."

Another Sound Ninja spoke as he warily scanned their surroundings.

"Relax. Konoha's ANBU are nothing special. Even if we run into them, we can deal with them easily." The third Sound Ninja spoke arrogantly, wearing a disdainful smile.

They believed that with the power of Orochimaru's Curse Marks, they were immensely strong and had no reason to fear Konoha's ANBU.

But they did not know that every move they made had already been seen by Mu—and that what awaited them was a devastating blow.

"You're quite arrogant."

A cold voice suddenly sounded from behind the tree. The faces of the Sound Ninja changed instantly as they spun around and looked toward the source of the voice.

"ANBU."