Let Me Out! You Stinking Snake!

Uchiha Yi looked at the Masked Man who had suddenly appeared, the corner of his mouth curling into a grin.

"Yo, we meet again!"

His Flying Thunder God Technique had already reached level 5, and his Limit Sharingan had enhanced it into a super S-rank Space-Time Ninjutsu. Forget special tools-even his formula markings had no upper limit now. He had scattered hundreds of them without running into the slightest restriction.

The Masked Man cursed through gritted teeth. Knowing he could not escape today, he decided not to bother trying.

"Earth Release: Heavenly Clayfall!"

As soon as he spoke, a pocket of space split open above Uchiha Yi, pouring down great masses of clay like rain.

But before he could form the hand seals for Fire Release, Uchiha Yi moved first.

"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Song Technique!"

Four enormous flaming dragon heads blasted forth, not only shattering the clay but instantly destroying the pocket of space created by Earth Release.

Furious and frantic, the Masked Man started forming another set of hand seals, but Uchiha Yi had finished playing around.

"Amaterasu!"

Black flames instantly engulfed the Masked Man.

The Masked Man screamed, but the black fire showed him no mercy. Before long, it had reduced him to a pile of ash.

Uchiha Yi extinguished Amaterasu with his Mangekyō Sharingan. If he left it alone, this entire area would probably go up in flames.

Seeming to sense something, he activated Flying Thunder God and vanished, returning home in an instant.

Not long afterward, several figures appeared at the site of the fight. They were Konoha Anbu.

The Anbu crouched down to examine the traces, exchanging observations.

"There are signs of a fight!"

"The Fire Release and Earth Release were at least Jonin-level!"

But one combatant had turned to ash, while the other had left nothing behind. They could make no headway at all.

When the Third Hokage received the report, he could only assume that visitors from other villages had gotten into a dispute while attending the Chunin Ninja Exams. He merely ordered the Anbu to remain vigilant.

Others might have considered the matter closed, but things were different in a certain dark underground base in Konoha.

Danzo stared at the ground with his lone eye, a note of confusion in his voice.

"Kuhito actually died?"

"Anyone capable of killing Kuhito must be at least an elite Jonin. Was this accidental or deliberate? Could it have something to do with that criminal, Uchiha Yi?"

Danzo wanted to send men to investigate, but the Konoha Anbu had already heightened their vigilance. Root members could not make any major moves freely, so he had to set the matter aside for now.

"Never mind. We'll deal with it after the Chunin Ninja Exams."

His voice calmed, and his figure disappeared into the darkness once more.

What he did not know was that someone had already taken this matter to heart.

Back home, Uchiha Yi leaned against the doorframe, grinning broadly enough to show his teeth.

"Fuck, that scheming old bastard Danzo still hasn't forgotten me? He actually sent an elite Jonin over for me to slaughter?"

"Fine. Just you wait!"

He immediately made up his mind. During Orochimaru's upcoming Konoha Crush Plan, he absolutely could not let the Third Hokage die just like that.

Thinking it over, the Third Hokage really could not die-not at this stage.

The Third Hokage thought well of him and accepted him as a surviving Uchiha. After all, the entire Shinobi World knew about the enmity between the Senju of the Forest and the Uchiha.

In that case, he had to keep the Third Hokage alive. That meant he needed to hurry and upgrade his Limit Sharingan to the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.

Meanwhile, the Chunin Ninja Exams were proceeding on schedule. The preliminary round had passed, the first written test had just ended, and the second test would begin soon.

Uchiha Yi muttered under his breath that it was a good thing he had been quick enough to make it in time.

He silently called up the system interface, and the information on the panel appeared clearly before him.

Host: Uchiha Yi

Limit Sharingan: Level 5 (123/1000000). A Limit Sharingan capable of infinite evolution. Currently level 5, it has become an Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.

Skills: 5/5. Eight Gates, Fire Release, Flying Thunder God Technique, Super Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, Lightning Release.

The system's assessment popped up. Reading it, Uchiha Yi almost shut his eyes.

"Wow, young man! You now possess the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. You no longer have to worry about going blind, so use your Sharingan freely!"

"Still, taking this long to reach level 5? Young man, your speed leaves much to be desired!"

"So, young man! If you want the Rinnegan, hurry up and level!"

Uchiha Yi's mouth twitched. He rolled his eyes at the panel and grumbled inwardly, Could this system be any more insulting?

Going from the most basic Sharingan without a single tomoe to the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan in five or six years was already an incredible pace. Granted, only after the upgrade had Uchiha Yi truly grasped how formidable his Limit Sharingan was. And because of the Illusion Realm he had developed himself, his Tsukuyomi had changed as well.

Compared to Itachi's version, his Tsukuyomi: Illusion Realm was no slouch. It was not as uncanny as Kotoamatsukami, but it was plenty troublesome. His Susanoo and Vision Resonance had also grown stronger. What really had Uchiha Yi jumping with excitement, however, was that the Kamui he had been anticipating for so long had finally unlocked.

But his Kamui differed from Obito's and Kakashi's in the original story. It had none of those spatial ripples, and combined with Flying Thunder God, its teleportation range could become absurd. This upgrade to the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan had also randomly slotted in a skill through the system-and it had given him Lightning Release.

Just like with Fire Release, he could use every Lightning Release technique in Naruto, with power exceeding the originals. Uchiha Yi was thoroughly satisfied with this addition. After all, he could stimulate his cells with lightning, strengthen his body, and improve his proficiency with the Eight Gates faster.

The second test began on time. Outside the Forest of Death, Uchiha Yi watched Naruto and his two teammates from behind, but his attention settled on one Grass Ninja.

Orochimaru really came! Anyone would have to give him credit. Without the Mangekyō Sharingan, even someone who knew the truth would struggle to see through his disguise unless they had some real ability.

Though Orochimaru had changed bodies, his soul was still the same.

Uchiha Yi also wanted longevity, even immortality, but he was certain his Limit Sharingan could handle that. Even if it could not, he would never mess around the way Orochimaru did.

And switching bodies was one thing, but he had actually chosen a woman's body. That would make anyone uncomfortable.

Unless it was truly necessary, he did not even want to go near Orochimaru. Now, however, he had no choice but to approach him.

After watching Naruto and his teammates enter the Forest of Death, Uchiha Yi turned and left. Still, he could feel a watcher's gaze lingering on him. That old bastard Danzo was still keeping tabs on him.

But the Root operative did not notice that, after turning a corner, the Uchiha Yi he was watching had already been replaced by a shadow clone. The real body had used Kamui to slip into the Forest of Death.

He had placed plenty of Flying Thunder God Formulas throughout the Forest of Death beforehand, and had even marked Naruto and Hinata. But teleporting directly to them would be too conspicuous. He could not expose himself.

Hmm? Hinata's chakra... over there? Sensing her chakra, Uchiha Yi disappeared again. As long as there was chakra, he could teleport to it with Kamui. A moment later, he landed on a large tree and spotted Hinata and her teammates.

He did not want his future wife to suffer too much. With a thought, Uchiha Yi vanished again. Below, Hinata seemed to sense something and looked up toward where he had disappeared, but saw nothing.

"What's wrong, Hinata?"

Kiba's voice came from below.

"Nothing."

Hinata shook her head, her little face slightly flushed.

She could hardly tell them she thought she had sensed Yi nearby.

"Careful. Someone's here!"

Shino's voice rang out.

"Hinata!"

Kiba called to her.

Hinata instinctively activated her Silver Rank Byakugan. "There are three people ahead to the left. Their chakra is a little erratic."

"They're injured?"

Shino caught on immediately.

"Ha! Isn't this a lucky break?"

Kiba charged straight ahead.

"Kiba, wait!"

Shino called after him, and Hinata could only follow.

The three soon found their targets: a three-person team injured so badly they were near death, with one member unconscious. Shino was still uneasy, worried about an ambush, but the result stunned him. Kiba took care of their opponents in a few quick moves and even obtained a scroll.

"Hahaha! Shino, Hinata, look!"

Kiba held up the scroll and laughed.

Staring at the scroll, Shino did not know what to say. Was this what luck looked like?

Hinata was still puzzled when she caught sight of someone standing on a distant branch, waving at her.

Yi?

Hinata's lips parted, and she nearly called out. Before she could make a sound, he gestured for silence. She immediately clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes going wide-it really was Yi!

She glanced at the scroll Kiba was holding and understood at once. Yi had been helping them behind the scenes, taking care of that fight for them. But when she looked up again, he was already gone from the branch. Still, her heart felt as sweet as if someone had tucked a piece of candy inside it.

Girls in love might find their brains short-circuiting easily, but she never even wondered why Yi was here, much less how strong he really was. To her, none of that seemed important.

After helping Hinata's team collect both scrolls, Uchiha Yi left. He was not worried about her safety at all. He had already left a Vision Resonance mark on her, enhanced by the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, with configurable activation conditions.

If Hinata encountered danger, the mark would alert him immediately. Whether he used Kamui or Flying Thunder God, he could reach her in an instant. Hinata alone enjoyed that privilege.

Before long, Uchiha Yi reached another location, only to nearly burst out laughing as soon as he landed. Below him, a giant snake slithered along, with Naruto's noisy voice coming from its belly: "Let me out! You stinking snake!"

The corner of Uchiha Yi's eye twitched. Although he had known Naruto would be swallowed, actually witnessing it still left him speechless. This guy really had let a snake swallow him?

A sudden shout erupted from inside the snake's belly: "Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!" Immediately afterward, the giant snake's stomach swelled, and with a loud pop, it spat Naruto out.

Taking a closer look, he saw an entire mass of Narutos, packed densely together. Uchiha Yi frowned. That was disgusting!

Although Naruto had escaped, the chakra fluctuations pouring off him made Uchiha Yi uncomfortable all over. Taking the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique to such an extreme-Naruto truly deserved his title as the number-one unpredictable ninja.

Still, he did not linger. He watched Naruto head off to join Sasuke, then focused on Orochimaru. He did not reveal himself, using Kamui's power to remain completely hidden, and stayed out of every fight that had occurred in the original story.

But if Orochimaru really tried to kill Sasuke, he certainly would not stand idly by. As for leaving Sasuke with a Cursed Seal, he neither stopped it nor intended to interfere. Even when Anko later appeared and fought Orochimaru, he did not show himself.

Only after Anko put some distance between herself and Orochimaru did Orochimaru suddenly speak. "You've been following me in secret for so long. Aren't you going to come out?"