The forgotten pair and the trust placed in them

Only Naruto and Sasuke remained; the others had long since vanished.

Naruto was still in a daze, and after a long while, he managed to stammer, "Is this lucky or unlucky?"

Sasuke's voice wasn't loud. "I guess you could say I was lucky."

At least my second brother didn't cause them any more trouble.

That guy crashed his car, and it was satisfying to watch.

Naruto stroked his chin dramatically. "But then our special training will be ruined?"

All that effort was for nothing.

Sasuke paused for a moment after hearing this, his gaze sweeping over the direction in which the group of people had run away.

Could that guy have deliberately shaken them off?

So he tricked me all day?

He shut his mouth and remained silent for a long time.

The blue tribal robe she wore swayed gently in the wind.

After a while, the chaotic battle on Jiraiya's side came to an end, and Kakashi caught up with Wu Chiwu.

Wu Chiwu leaned against the tree trunk, still catching his breath.

This is so exhausting.

He must have been out of his mind to take on such a troublesome job.

It's rare that he seems to have some regrets.

I did significantly more work than usual today, and my sugar levels are almost gone.

Kakashi must have taken some kind of drug; his mana bar seemed inexhaustible, and he chased him around for an entire afternoon.

A sense of helplessness flickered in Wu Chiwu's Azure eyes.

The black robe billowed and tumbled in the wind.

On another tree, Jiraiya, panting heavily, cursed, "These ninjas have incredible stamina."

I played against him for the entire afternoon.

I've had enough.

At this point Jiraiya have the energy to Wu Chiwu.

He just wanted to find a place to collapse.

Kakashi realized he was planning to slip away and quickly blocked his way.

"Jiraiya- senpai, there's something I need to discuss with you."

"Hmm? What could you possibly want from me?" Jiraiya took a swig of sake and replied nonchalantly.

Most of the things you're planning to do, I probably can't accomplish.

"I'm just a novelist."

He has other things to do and can't stay in Konoha forever.

Kakashi looked at his nonchalant attitude and shook his head.

"You've misunderstood, senior. I'm not here to persuade you to stay."

He winked at Jiraiya.

If they're not trying to persuade me to stay, then what else could they be doing?

Jiraiya began to have doubts.

He quickly caught Kakashi's hint, and the two of them walked together toward the dense forest in the distance.

Wu Chiwu remained where he was, leaning comfortably against the tree trunk.

He had absolutely no interest in what the two of them were whispering about.

Besides, he can always guess what we'll talk about.

It's just about getting Jiraiya to teach Naruto Ninjutsu.

Naruto was Minato's only son, and given that connection alone, Jiraiya couldn't refuse.

He wasn't wrong; the matter was quickly settled: Jiraiya be in charge of Naruto, and Kakashi would be in charge of Sasuke.

Kakashi arranged teachers for both of them within a single day.

Although one of them was himself.

Wu Chiwu nodded slightly, a smile appearing on his lips.

That's good, he doesn't have to carry the heavy burden of special training anymore.

Finally, I can relax for a few days.

Time flies, and several days have passed in the blink of an eye. The Chunin Ninja Exams are just around the corner.

Konoha, Hokage's Office.

The Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, swept his gaze across the people present with a stern expression.

He lowered his voice, making it deep and resonant.

Some of you here may have already heard about it.

The body of Gekko Hayate was discovered in Kikyo Castle.

Several ninjas in the crowd were stunned, and one of them cried out.

"What? Hayate...?"

"How so?"

"That's impossible."

"How could Hayate's skills just disappear so easily?"

"Was it Orochimaru who did it?" Mitarashi Anko asked, her tone heavy.

Orochimaru's actions have become an indelible scar in Anko's heart.

"It's hard to say, we can't jump to conclusions so quickly." Kakashi deflected Anko's guess.

This technique doesn't seem like Orochimaru's style.

"It's a ninja with a scar on his face," he said in a cold voice.

"Hayate is probably targeting a Sound Ninja spy named Kabuto."

"But Orochimaru is inextricably linked to this."

"Then stop the Chunin Ninja Exams and find Orochimaru."

Upon hearing this, the Third Hokage shook his head.

He had considered it, but this method simply wouldn't work.

He gathered his thoughts and spoke slowly.

"No, that guy revealed his identity to Anko and even said that the allied nations are all here, the Chunin Ninja Exams can't be stopped."

"What exactly is going on?" An elder frowned as he looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Why can't we stop the exam and focus all our efforts on capturing Orochimaru?

With their strength, they could easily defeat Orochimaru.

The Third Hokage turned to look at the elder who had spoken earlier.

His face wore a solemn expression.

Orochimaru has the power to overthrow a small country.

"After he defected from the village, I reckon every country is keeping a close eye on him."

"Moreover, he left Konoha with a belly full of hatred."

"So..."

Everyone present was shrewd; they had already grasped the key point.

"Are all countries paying close attention to him?" the elder had asked in return.

If that's really the case, then it'll be a real problem.

The ninja with the scar on his face pressed on with more questions.

"Would the allies possibly be planning to join forces with Orochimaru and turn against Konoha?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Third Hokage's gaze sharpened instantly.

Mitarashi Anko, standing in the crowd, secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She closed her eyes, her face somber.

"Those alliance treaties, to put it bluntly, are just verbal agreements," Kakashi said calmly.

"That's how the Fourth Shinobi World War started."

The ninja with the scar on his face looked at Kakashi with some surprise.

This kid sees things so clearly?

"In short, we don't have enough information right now, so don't make wild guesses." The Third Hokage changed the subject.

"The Anbu has already sent people to gather information from various countries," another female elder slowly spoke up.

Acting rashly will only put us in danger; the enemy would be more than happy to see us do that.

So stay calm and don't fall into a trap.

After a while.

The Third Hokage glanced at the ninjas in the room out of the corner of his eye.

"Besides, I trust you completely."

The light in his eyes was clear and warm.

These words touched the hearts of all the ninjas present.

Asuma, with Senbon dangling from his mouth, nodded to the Third Hokage.

The others also had a better understanding of the situation.

The Third Hokage looked at the people in front of him, pondering his next move.

If things really come to a point where there's no way out, the only option will probably be to gather all of Konoha's strength and fight with all our might.