The Examiner (Seeking Collections, Recommendations, and Monthly Votes)

Night fell.

Qifeng had worked all day and finally finished processing all the corpses in the morgue.

Fortunately, the Shikotsumyaku also brought a significant boost to his recovery abilities—not enough to fully heal, but far beyond what an ordinary ninja could manage.

Still, the mental trauma lingered, so instead of waiting until midnight to loot the bodies, he decided to head back to sleep and soothe his wounded spirit.

Just as he stepped out of the morgue and before he could lock the door, he sensed a figure clinging to the shadows in the corner.

His heart jolted.

But as he braced for a defensive stance, he made out the shape of the person emerging.

Honestly, the moment he saw who it was, he would've preferred an enemy sneaking in to steal a corpse.

Orochimaru!

Watching Orochimaru step out from the shadows.

Qifeng spoke with his usual deference. "Lord Orochimaru."

Orochimaru studied Qifeng with keen interest, taking his time before finally saying, "Qifeng-kun, I've always been curious. Last time, the Mist Ninja from the Land of Hot Water; this time, the Iwa-nin from the Land of Waterfalls—both jonin. How did you survive?"

His piercing snake eyes locked onto Qifeng.

Though Qifeng had answered this kind of question more than once, Orochimaru still felt there was something he wasn't fully explaining.

Qifeng gave a simple, honest smile and replied calmly, "Luck. Konoha Ninja have a decent reputation in the shinobi world."

Orochimaru's lips curled. "Luck?"

His gaze, laden with meaning, made Qifeng deeply uncomfortable, as if his secrets couldn't be hidden in front of him.

Still, he forced his expression to hold, controlling the subtle shifts in his face to reveal as little as possible.

He had no choice. If he wanted to keep quietly holed up in the morgue, hiding his strength and abilities was a must.

Otherwise, not just Orochimaru, but Danzo would set his sights on him too.

That was what Qifeng feared most now.

Even so, Orochimaru had already grown curious about him because of his words and circumstances.

Looks like I really need to fabricate a nonexistent ninja. Qifeng thought helplessly.

He already had a plan for it—he just needed to have this fabricated ninja "appear" at the right time.

Orochimaru didn't glean much from Qifeng's face, or perhaps he simply didn't care what Qifeng was trying to convey.

Crossing his arms, he spoke again. "There's one more thing I can't quite figure out. Qifeng-kun, from the very first time you saw me, you've shown a rejection toward me—one that goes far beyond the awe others feel."

At that, Qifeng tensed.

Orochimaru's observational skills were truly meticulous. Hiding anything from him was nearly impossible.

His mind raced.

Fortunately, he'd prepared some excuses for this situation in advance.

He scratched his head awkwardly and gave a sheepish laugh. "Actually... part of it is awe, but mostly, I'm afraid of snakes."

Yeah, afraid of snakes.

That wasn't a lie—especially snakes named Orochimaru.

Whether he believed it or not was up to interpretation.

Orochimaru didn't mock him. Instead, he said seriously, "Afraid of snakes? How fitting, Qifeng-kun."

Talking with Orochimaru, you could never tell if he truly believed you or was just pretending to.

So Qifeng decided to drop the topic and steer the conversation elsewhere, trying to seize the initiative.

After a moment's thought, he asked softly, "May I ask if Lord Orochimaru has come to the morgue this late for something I can assist with?"

Orochimaru fixed his gaze on Qifeng and licked his lips. "Yes."

He walked over to a neatly prepared corpse, lightly resting his fingers on it as if caressing a work of art.

Then, out of nowhere, he said, "Our attitude toward corpses is strikingly similar, Qifeng-kun."

"..."

With that, he got to the point. "The village will be holding the Chunin Exams soon."

"Huh? The Chunin Exams? At a time like this?" Qifeng was taken aback.

Even he, a Genin who collected corpses, knew how tense the shinobi world was right now. Holding the Chunin Exams now—wasn't he afraid of other villages stirring up trouble?

He pressed further, "Lord Orochimaru, you're not thinking of making me participate in the Chunin Exams, are you?"

Orochimaru's lips twitched upward. He didn't answer, just smiled at him.

It was unsettling.

Qifeng swallowed quietly. "...That's not necessary, right? Being a Genin is fine. Besides, I'm just one person—I don't even have a Genin team. I'd rather not cause trouble for others."

"Don't worry. With your strength, Qifeng-kun, there's no need for you to take the so-called Chunin Exams."

Upon hearing this, Qifeng breathed a sigh of relief.

But Lord Orochimaru's next words left him stunned.

"It's to make you an examiner."

"Examiner? Me? A Genin?" Qifeng pointed at himself, incredulous.

What a joke—how could he, a mere Genin, possibly qualify to be an examiner for the Chunin Exams?

"Of course not as a Genin." Orochimaru stepped around the corpse, walked up to Qifeng, and slowly leaned down, his pale face reflected in the other's eyes.

"The missions in the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Waterfalls were both ultimately rated as A-rank. Whether through luck or something else, since you completed them, it means you should be able to take on more responsibility.

So, I specifically requested Teacher Sarutobi to promote your ninja rank to Chunin."

With that, he narrowed his eyes and silently waited for Qifeng's reaction.

Qifeng lowered his head, not daring to meet Orochimaru's gaze. After a long silence, he looked up and said, "Chunin... does that come with a raise?"

"...It does." Orochimaru found his train of thought hard to pin down.

Qifeng gave an awkward laugh, then asked curiously, "But isn't promotion to Chunin only possible through the Chunin Exams? Unless—"

"Unless you're in the Anbu, or wartime protocols are activated," Orochimaru finished.

He reached out and lightly patted his shoulder. "Do you think it's too early to activate wartime protocols now?"

Too early?

If it had been before, maybe it was a bit early. But having personally taken part in the Tori Mori Outpost mission, Qifeng didn't think it was early at all.

Since he knew war was about to break out, preparing in advance was far better than having no preparation at all.

He pressed his lips together and shook his head.

But he still couldn't help asking, "Can I skip it?"

What was so great about being an examiner for the Chunin Exams? Far better to hole up in the Morgue and touch corpses—comfortable and safe.

This Chunin Exam was clearly no ordinary affair. Ninjas from various Great Hidden Villages would all be arriving.

Being exposed to their eyes and drawing unnecessary attention wasn't something he wanted.

To his surprise, Orochimaru nodded. "You can."

But he added, "If you become my subordinate, you don't have to participate."

"..."

Round and round, it always came back to this.

Qifeng rubbed his nose awkwardly. "Uh... well, actually, taking part in the Chunin Exams isn't so bad. I can make more friends. Of course, I want to become your subordinate, Lord Orochimaru, but I feel my abilities are still lacking. I need more training."

Orochimaru smiled noncommittally, as if Qifeng's answer didn't surprise him.

"In a week, the Kumo-nin, Mist Ninja, and Suna-nin will arrive one after another. Go report to Nara Shikaku in advance—he'll assign you your tasks."

With that, Orochimaru's form began to collapse like soft mud, sinking into the ground until he vanished, leaving only a small snake slithering leisurely out of the Morgue.

And a small black booklet, palm-sized—a Ninja ID.

Watching the little snake leave, Qifeng ran his fingers through his hair and rubbed vigorously.

He picked up the Ninja ID, staring at the glaringly obvious "Chunin" printed on it.

"What a mess..."

The real issue was, at this point in time, could they really hold the Chunin Exams? Did they dare to?

It was just like the situation before World War II in his past life, when they still went ahead and organized the Olympics.

Back then, the location was Berlin, Germany. Here, it was Konoha Village in the Land of Fire.

Tch.