Orochimaru

Orochimaru had arrived, but he seemed completely uninterested in Sasuke. He ignored Sasuke outright, his slit-pupiled eyes fixed solely on Naruto.

Amid the suffocating killing intent, Naruto trembled slightly.

"My, how weak. Let my little darling play with you first," Orochimaru said as he performed the Summoning Technique.

After a puff of white smoke, a massive snake appeared, flicking its tongue as it charged at Naruto.

Meanwhile, among the exam proctors, Anko discovered traces of Orochimaru's presence. Her expression was complicated, carrying both fury and anticipation. The three tomoe on her neck throbbed faintly. "Notify Lord Hokage at once! Request that the exam be halted!"

"Will Konoha stop the exam because of Orochimaru's invasion?"

"Definitely not."

"Konoha's higher-ups already knew that Orochimaru's return to the village meant he had ill intentions, but they suppressed the news and continued the exam. They did not take any protective measures for the uninformed civilians in the village, either. Are they too confident, or do they simply underestimate Orochimaru's destructive power?"

"Don't think too highly of a ninja's moral character. The Chunin Ninja Exams themselves carry major political significance. Besides, don't you know how Konoha's higher-ups operate? They'll use excuses like, 'Otherwise, there will be endless trouble later,' to persuade themselves and others. Then, guilt-ridden, they'll turn the sacrificed into cold symbols on memorial stones. They've done this many times."

—This was a conversation taking place inside Ichiraku Ramen. Teuchi and Ayame had been very busy lately. The customer flow had increased, and the ramen shop's ingredients were in short supply. Sometimes, they even had to pay out of pocket for real pork.

But they did not mind. Konoha was going to be destroyed anyway, so they treated it as a farewell gift to the village.

Back in the Forest of Death, Naruto used Shadow Clones to make the summoned snake burst from overeating, then struck Orochimaru with a Rasengan-enhanced punch.

Yet Orochimaru merely smiled and opened his mouth wide. A new, slime-covered body crawled out from Orochimaru's mouth, making the entire scene indescribably bizarre.

This newly expelled Orochimaru looked completely different from the original attacker. He wore flamboyant purple eyeshadow and two tomoe earrings hung beside his ears. His hoarse voice was highly distinctive. "Naruto, with your status, this level of strength is truly disappointing. You are far worse than I imagined."

Naruto froze for a moment. "You know me?"

Orochimaru licked his lips. "I am very interested in you, so let me give you a little gift to mark our first meeting."

As soon as he finished speaking, Orochimaru's neck suddenly stretched out, and he bit Naruto on the neck. After a burst of searing pain, a three-tomoe pattern emerged on Naruto's neck.

Orochimaru released him, then turned and gave Sasuke a meaningful glance before leaving without saying a word.

"Being targeted by Orochimaru feels really awful," Sasuke muttered quietly.

Sakura remained silent, lost in thought.

Anko was currently moving through the Forest of Death. "It will be dark soon. If I can't find him before nightfall, it'll become even more troublesome."

As she ran, she suddenly stopped and launched an attack in one direction. In an instant, several snakes shot out from her sleeves and bit toward that direction.

The snakes dragged back the person they had bitten. Without hesitation, a kunai pierced through both her hand and the other person's. "Got you. Die with me, Orochimaru-sensei!"

"That was a clone, Anko. As Konoha's Special Jonin, why are you still using the ninjutsu I taught you?" A low, hoarse voice came from behind her.

The "Orochimaru" Anko had caught turned into mud. Her body shuddered as she took two steps back. "What have you returned to the village for?"

Orochimaru looked down at her. "Anko, your attitude truly saddens your teacher. I merely returned to do something that must be done."

Anko's Curse Mark began to hurt again, and her words came out in fragments. "I... will definitely stop your... plot..."

"You should worry about yourself first. When disaster strikes, the weak will be eliminated first. Clearly, you are one of those weaklings," Orochimaru said in a low voice, his words harsh and piercing.

Anko glared at him furiously. She was not particularly clever, and only believed that this so-called "disaster" had been brought about by Orochimaru.

The pain was so intense that she was nearly collapsing to the ground, and her consciousness grew increasingly blurred.

When Orochimaru had defected years ago, he had not taken Anko with him. Anko had always been conflicted over it. Following Orochimaru or remaining in Konoha had been an impossible choice; no matter which path she chose, the future would be painful.

Orochimaru watched her for a while, seeming conflicted. In the end, he summoned a giant snake, which swallowed Anko whole in a single bite, before he dispelled the Summoning Jutsu.

Bang! After a cloud of smoke, Orochimaru vanished from the spot.

After Naruto was bitten, he was in pain for a long while before returning to normal. Sasuke had been observing him the entire time, yet could not find anything unusual.

Natural Energy was still far too mysterious, unlike chakra, which was universally applicable.

Afterward, Team 7 encountered no attacks at all. Neither Otogakure nor Gaara appeared. They passed the second exam with unbelievable ease, like the brief calm before a storm.

Upon arriving at the Central Tower, Sasuke and the others saw Kabuto Yakushi smiling as he spoke to Konoha's Genin. "Now that you've arrived, everyone should keep doing your best."

After entering the tower, they saw a piece of calligraphy. Sasuke could not understand it. When the Heaven and Earth Scroll was torn open, a familiar figure appeared. He looked around and confirmed that this was indeed the Central Tower, then coughed twice. "Congratulations on successfully passing the second exam!"

The scroll had a Summoning Jutsu inscribed within it. Opening it would summon Iruka's Shadow Clone. If it was opened at the wrong time or place, it would be judged as a failure.

Iruka then explained the Chunin principles written on the wall once more. Sasuke was clearly distracted, while Sakura kept her head lowered. She had remained silent ever since earlier. Only Naruto listened with great enthusiasm.

Looking at Team 7 like this, Iruka suddenly felt a deep sense of helplessness. Why did it seem as if the members of Team 7 did not share even the slightest bond? Even Sakura and Sasuke seemed to be growing further apart.

After listening to Iruka's lecture, they entered the central hall. Jonin from every village stood on the stage; who knew whether Orochimaru had infiltrated them? Below the stage stood the Genin who had passed the second exam, and there were rather a lot of them.

Soon, the Third Hokage stepped onto the stage and began another speech. In short, he portrayed the Chunin Ninja Exams as something immensely grand, like certain people telling a group of elementary school students, "You are the hope of the future and the masters of society."

It had to be said that Hiruzen Sarutobi truly had some skill. His eloquence was probably far superior to that of the First and Second Hokage. Being a smooth talker was also a kind of strength. If that fool Madara Uchiha had possessed such eloquence, perhaps the position of First Hokage would have been his.