The slacker beneath the bandages and the snake's scrutiny

Within seconds, Wu Chiwu realized the examiner was looking at him.

He rested his chin on his hand and looked back as if nothing had happened.

That look clearly asked: What's wrong?

He was wrapped tightly in a black robe, yet he stood loosely and casually, a stark contrast that made it impossible to fathom what he was up to.

Gekko Hayate took in this scene, and a thought popped into his mind.

Is this ninja really that strong?

Zhang Ran from Sunagakure forfeited after uttering just one sentence.

The Chunin Ninja Exams have been held countless times, and the number of people who can still give up and admit defeat at this stage can be counted on one hand.

Releasing a ninja from Sunagakure so easily makes one uneasy.

Something just doesn't feel right.

The white-haired boy didn't seem to have anything particularly outstanding about him.

His aura was completely ordinary; there wasn't even a hint of murderous intent in his scent.

Was it all an act?

Gekko Hayate's thoughts raced through his mind.

The other examiners also couldn't sit still any longer.

Abstain?

How strong must those Sunagakure be to scare Zhang Ran so much that he wouldn't even bother to try?

Even the strongest can't defeat Konoha's top players.

Konoha ranks first among the Five Great Nations, with geniuses emerging one after another.

It's a small, newly emerging ninja village, but its foundation is already solid.

This generation of Sunagakure members isn't very good.

The Third Hokage, sitting nearby, didn't miss this scene.

He paused for a moment, then asked slowly and deliberately.

"Has anything strange happened in the village these days?"

I can't quite put my finger on it, but something just feels off.

This year's exams are different from previous years everywhere.

A chill ran down his spine, as if a torrential downpour was about to crash down.

"The Anbu and the guards have been keeping an eye on all the entrances to the village, and they're also watching who's coming in from outside, "Kakashi said after thinking for a moment.

"Nothing unusual was reported."

"Is that so?" The Third Hokage responded with a sound of agreement, then turned his attention back to the examination hall.

On the other end.

"That's it?" Orochimaru coldly snorted.

"You've made me wait all these days for nothing."

"But if you don't make a move in the preliminaries, you'll still be itching to get started in the third round."

He stuck out his tongue and licked his lips, his eyes growing increasingly intense.

Since this kid is here to make a name for himself on behalf of the village, he's definitely aiming to gain recognition.

From now on, I won't hold back anymore; I'll show those powerful figures everything I'm capable of.

At that point, the whole truth will naturally come out.

He can just wait a few more days.

only...

Orochimaru's gaze suddenly darkened, becoming sinister.

What a pity.

In the end, none of them could compare to Uchiha Satoru back in the day!

Not only Wu Chiwu, but even Sasuke, none of them had the same drive as Uchiha Satoru.

That child is so young, yet he can use the Hokage's perspective to judge the world.

He wasn't bound by his identity as a ninja, nor did he treat himself as a sword to be used by the daimyo.

Instead, they stood aloof from worldly affairs, observing the world with detached indifference.

That brain of theirs is truly something to behold.

The seeds of his betrayal of Konoha and his Otogakure were sown by him.

It's a pity that the human body is so fragile; it can be gone in an instant.

This is one of the reasons why he considers immortality to be of paramount importance.

He needs more time to uncover the truth.

Unlike him, who easily perished on the road.

Wu Chiwu had no idea what Orochimaru was thinking at that moment.

His only thought was where to get some skewers of Three-Color Dango to fill his mouth later.

As for Orochimaru building the Otogakure and then smearing him, he knew absolutely nothing about it.

If they found out, they'd definitely jump up and down, accusing Orochimaru of trying to scam them.

After declaring the outcome of the match, Gekko Hayate strolled out of the examination hall and wandered towards Naruto and the others.

Well, not bad at all.

He didn't even lift a finger.

Wu Chiwu pondered as he walked, even nodding to himself.

Naruto watched as the person covered in bandages swayed towards him, and scratched the back of his head.

Those bright blue eyes were full of confusion.

"Bandaged Brother won just like that."

"Was the Chunin Ninja Exams really that easy to pass?"

He had expected at least a fight, but nothing happened, and he waited in vain.

"Hmm?" Wu Chiwu shook his hand and said lazily to Naruto.

"Isn't this great?"

"There's no need to take the qualifiers too seriously."

"I'm holding back my trump card; I'll catch them completely off guard."

A white bandage covered his squinting eyes and the meaning within them.

It's not time to reveal the cards yet.

Orochimaru remained hidden in the shadows of Konoha, observing everything.

His Impure World Reincarnation is not easy to catch.

It's best to avoid these kinds of troublesome issues if possible.

Of course, he knows perfectly well what he's doing, and the truth is he says he doesn't want to be in the same frame as slippery snakes.

Wu Chiwu curled up the corners of his mouth, feeling quite smug inside.

Sasuke glanced at Naruto, who was being led inside, and gave a cold sneer.

"You idiot, you don't actually believe what he said, do you?"

"He just wants to slack off."

"He just doesn't want to move."

Sasuke couldn't be bothered to listen to Wu Chiwu's explanation.

He came to take the exam, and his reason was quite simple.

The point is to test my skills against top experts and see just how good I really am.

He didn't care about the empty title of Chunin.

Becoming stronger is enough.

His second brother's sudden and abrupt appearance, along with his habit of never mentioning anything, were like knives cutting into his heart.

Is it because they think he's too weak?

If he weren't so weak as to be unreliable, would he have been kept in the dark and completely unaware of the situation?

He needs to become stronger, any method will do.

"Now that you mention it, it really does sound like something he would do." Naruto nodded vigorously.

"Bandaged Brother is a guy who can turn fish into poison and still claim it's delicious."

He'd only ever smelled this unreliable odor on a guy who'd tricked him into dressing as a woman.

Naruto quickly moved to Sasuke's side.

Sakura was sandwiched between the three of them, and seeing their enthusiasm made her feel uneasy.

She suddenly remembered what Kakashi-sensei had told her.

What should we do now?

I had completely forgotten about it before.

I forgot to tell everyone to keep their distance from Wu Chiwu.

Even after spending so much time together, she found it hard to think of Wu Chiwu as having a conspiracy.

But he was ultimately from another village.

Naruto and Sasuke are completely off guard right now. If she doesn't keep her guard up either, it might be too late if things really go wrong.

Sakura felt as if a Taiseki had suddenly been placed on her shoulder, and the light in her eyes became complicated.

Wu Chiwu finished his business and started chatting.

On the other side, people were already arguing about how he had so easily squeezed into the final battle.

"You just let it go like that?" Ino Yamanaka exclaimed, her eyes wide.

"We didn't get any intelligence at all."

"This kind of advancement is just too unreasonable."

Shikamaru also frowned as he looked at the white-haired boy.

This guy is definitely going to have a lot of trouble later on.

None of the three people from Sunagakure were easy to deal with, and it's truly baffling that one of them could say such a thing.

But on the other hand, maybe the Sand Ninja deliberately said those words.

None of the ninjas who made it this far are spineless; they wouldn't back down just because their opponents are too tough.

Shikamaru's mind raced through a series of thoughts, his mind racing.

Rock Lee was equally astonished, his mouth agape.

"So strong? The Sand Village ninja just admitted it like that?" Rock Lee stared at Wu Chiwu, who was not far away, his eyes gleaming.

"Great, this is exactly the kind of tough opponent I've been looking for."

A fighting spirit surged up his back, like a flame about to set him ablaze.

"Li." Tenten called out to him helplessly.

Neji shook his head beside him.

After a long while, Neji slowly shifted his gaze to Wu Chiwu.

Wu Chiwu?

He held onto that name with his teeth.

He and that Sand Ninja whose legs went weak before they even got into battle were not on the same level.