"All right, head inside." Toru Kujyo pointed at the tower doors. "I'll meet up with Hinata and Shino here."
Sasuke nodded. He knew Toru Kujyo had plans of his own. He gave Toru Kujyo a long look, then hoisted Naruto onto his back and strode resolutely toward the doors of the Central Tower.
The moment Sasuke, carrying Naruto, reunited with Sakura and handed the Heaven and Earth Scrolls to Umino Iruka's Shadow Clone, all of Team 7 breathed a sigh of relief.
"Iruka-sensei, Orochimaru... Orochimaru showed up in the Forest of Death!" Sakura anxiously told Iruka everything they had experienced, while Sasuke added the details of Toru Kujyo's arrival and how he had driven Orochimaru back.
The face of Iruka's Shadow Clone instantly grew grave. Orochimaru! That name alone was enough to shake all of Konoha. He immediately used a special method to relay the shocking news to headquarters in Konoha.
Konoha, the Hokage Office.
When the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, heard that Orochimaru had returned to the village, the pipe in his hand fell to the floor with a clatter. His expression grew graver than ever. Orochimaru, the student he had once been so proud of, the S-Rank Rogue Ninja who had betrayed the village, had returned at this critical moment!
"Strengthen security throughout the village immediately!" the Third Hokage ordered in a low voice. "Cancel leave for every ninja squad and put them on the highest alert! ANBU, intensify the search! Find Orochimaru's whereabouts at all costs!"
However, the Chunin Ninja Exams had already reached the second stage, and ninja from other villages were participating. Abruptly halting the exams would provoke resentment from those villages and might even trigger a diplomatic crisis.
"The exams... cannot be stopped." The Third Hokage closed his eyes and sighed. "We can only