Orochimaru's Test

"Lord Hokage, am I ready for that now?"

As Minato Namikaze listened to Hiruzen Sarutobi, he suddenly felt a heavy burden settle on his shoulders. He was still only a jonin, and hearing Hiruzen say that he wanted to pass the Hokage position on to him left him momentarily lost. His confidence faltered as he asked the question.

"Not yet. Your reputation isn't enough to command the respect of Konoha's great clans. But Minato, the future belongs to you. Trust me. Keep contributing to Konoha, and with Jiraiya's support and mine, the position will be yours once you've built up enough experience. That's why I'll be holding you to stricter standards from now on. Can you accept that?"

Seeing the uncertainty on Minato Namikaze's face, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a surge of satisfaction. Just look at Minato, then at Orochimaru-their attitudes were completely different.

Although Orochimaru was his student, their ideals clashed in many ways. Hiruzen was still confident he could keep him under control now, but if Orochimaru became Hokage, with Jiraiya and Tsunade supporting him, along with his experience and strength, there was no telling who would have the final say in Konoha.

Minato, on the other hand, came from a civilian family and had no backing in Konoha. Even with Jiraiya as his teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi was confident that he would still call the shots after Minato became Hokage.

"Rest assured, Lord Hokage! I'll make sure everyone acknowledges me!"

Feeling Hiruzen Sarutobi's deep trust in him, Minato Namikaze broke into a confident smile.

Seeing Minato's expression, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew that today's lesson had been a success. He then sent Minato home.

Standing by the window, Hiruzen Sarutobi quietly watched Minato leave. He took a deep draw from his pipe, then exhaled a thick cloud of smoke.

Now both of my key men have been appeased. Next, it's time to make some plans for Asuma. He's still a child, after all.

"Have Jonin Shinku Yuhi come here."

He waved toward the shadows.

Thinking about everything he had seen and heard today, and what might happen next, the Cat-Faced ANBU in the shadows suddenly wondered whether he knew a little too much.

Time flew, and graduation was almost upon them. Many major events had taken place in the Shinobi World during that period. Danzo had already headed to the border with the Mist Ninja to carry out the Hokage's mission to put them in their place. There were noticeably fewer ninja moving around Konoha, and the village was thick with the sense of an approaching storm.

Much had happened at the Ninja Academy as well. The biggest news was that Makoto Uchiha had applied for early graduation, defeated a genin during his assessment, and graduated ahead of schedule to join the Konoha Military Police Force.

Asuma had been hit by a passing horse-drawn carriage on his way to visit Kurenai Yuhi's home. He was still in the hospital, and word was that he would be unable to attend the graduation exam.

That afternoon.

In a small grove on the Back Mountain.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Chihane had coated his wooden sword in haki and was hacking it into the iron target before him, each heavy blow ringing out.

Several days earlier, Chihane had reached the point where he could easily cleave boulders with his wooden sword. They were no longer any help to his training.

But he still had no idea how to cut through steel. All he could do was try again and again.

His physical training had also hit a bottleneck. No matter how hard he worked, his body would not improve in the short term, and he could no longer increase his training weights. He would probably have to wait for his body to develop before making another breakthrough. Faced with this predicament, Chihane could only strike the iron target over and over, hoping for a breakthrough in his swordsmanship.

Suddenly, Chihane stopped swinging his wooden sword. He had been focusing on improving his Observation Haki lately, and he distinctly sensed a cold, sinister gaze watching him from the nearby woods.

"Who's there? Come out!"

Chihane stared into the shadows of the distant trees and shouted in a low voice.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Several shuriken flew out of the shadows, followed closely by a figure darting from the trees.

It was Orochimaru. He had not expected Chihane to notice him the instant he arrived. Although he had made no great effort to conceal himself, Chihane's awareness was probably already on par with that of an ordinary sensory ninja.

Remembering that he would soon be teaching Chihane, he decided to test him and see just how strong he had become.

Chihane remained perfectly calm as the shuriken flew toward him, but then he noticed Orochimaru following right behind them.

He had always kept a respectful distance from Orochimaru. This was a scientist who could even switch to a woman's body in his pursuit of immortality. What wouldn't he do?

Chihane had far too many secrets. If Orochimaru discovered that even his physique had been inherited from the One Piece World, he would probably hound him until he had him on his dissection table.

Chihane also knew just how troublesome Orochimaru was. When it came to the strongest fighters among Kage-level ninja, Orochimaru probably did not rank near the top.

But when it came to those who were hardest to kill, few could compare with him. Chihane was not yet strong enough to stand against Orochimaru.

Yet Orochimaru was charging at him aggressively, a hint of killing intent in his eyes. This fight was probably unavoidable. If Chihane did not give it everything he had, he might not die here in Konoha, but falling into Orochimaru's hands would likely mean a trip to the dissection table.

Chihane knocked the shuriken down with his sword, then swiftly slashed at Orochimaru three times. Armed with a kunai, Orochimaru clashed fiercely with him. Their weapons collided several times within a few breaths, but against Chihane's strength, even Orochimaru struggled to gain the upper hand.

"Multiple Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

Although surprised by the black aura wrapped around Chihane's wooden sword, Orochimaru was the first to use ninjutsu. Using the clash of their weapons to propel himself toward Chihane, he shot several venomous snakes from his left hand.

"Three-Sword Style! Tornado!"

Facing the incoming snakes and Orochimaru waiting nearby for an opening, Chihane spun rapidly, cutting down the snakes while forcing Orochimaru to retreat.

"Third gate! Gate of Life, open!"

"Fourth gate! Gate of Pain, open!"

"Three-Sword Style! Bull Needle!"

Under the immense pressure Orochimaru exerted, Chihane decisively activated the Eight Gates of Death. Blue chakra surged from him as he charged at Orochimaru.

Seeing Chihane open the Eight Gates of Death, a strange gleam flashed through Orochimaru's eyes. He wanted to see how many more surprises Chihane had in store, so he began to use his true strength as well.

"Genjutsu! Hell Viewing Technique!"

"Ninjutsu! Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"

His hands rapidly formed hand seals. He intended to confuse Chihane with genjutsu, then settle the fight with the A-rank Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique. He knew that, with Chihane's physique, the shuriken would not kill him.

Ding! Virus detected and removed!

"Three-Sword Style! Oni Giri!"

How could he have anticipated that Chihane was immune to genjutsu? Chihane spun his wooden sword, knocking the shuriken away, then unleashed Oni Giri at Orochimaru.