Chapter Fourteen: The Second Exam Begins!

When Sasuke and the others returned from their exams, Hao Yun did not speak much with them. It was only as they set out the next day that Hao Yun casually mentioned, “I’ll be watching this exam from the shadows.”

“Huh? Master, you’re coming too?” Naruto stared at Hao Yun in astonishment. How could a mere Chunin Exam attract someone as powerful as their master? Even without him, the three of them could easily defeat all the other participants!

Hao Yun raised an eyebrow. “The examinees this time are not simple. Besides you three hiding your true strength, there’s a Kage-level powerhouse among them.”

“Who?!” Sasuke’s eyes lit up at the mention of a strong opponent.

Hao Yun gave Sasuke a speechless glance. The boy was reckless, indeed! He looked at the seemingly gentle Sakura and the increasingly shrewd Naruto… Hmm, he was wrong; the Uchiha clan truly was full of maniacs.

“Orochimaru. As far as I know, he’s come this time mainly to abduct Sasuke, wanting him as his vessel for reincarnation.”

“A vessel for reincarnation?” A dangerous smile appeared on Sasuke’s face. “We’ll see if he’s worthy!”

Hao Yun silently rolled his eyes again… Ah, the skies have cleared, the rain has stopped, and Sasuke is feeling invincible again. If not for his painstaking guidance, Sasuke would have been trounced once more.

...

Outside the Forest of Death, the candidates for the second exam gathered.

“Everyone has signed the death consent forms, right? Come forward to receive your scrolls and enter the forest!” Anko distributed the Heaven and Earth scrolls by team, sending everyone into the forest. Once all had entered, Anko’s expression changed and she hurried toward the Hokage’s office.

“Anko, aren’t you supervising the second exam? What brings you here?” The Third Hokage tapped his unlit pipe and asked.

“Hokage-sama,” Anko knelt, “I fear there is a ninja of great strength among the participants!”

“Who do you mean?”

“The ninjas from the Sound Village! I sensed the presence of my former teacher Orochimaru among them!” Anko reported. Before his defection, Orochimaru had been the most respected teacher in her life. She never imagined that the master she revered was secretly conducting human experiments and ultimately forced to flee the Leaf.

Because of this, Anko attained Jonin-level strength but never officially advanced to that rank for a long time. The Third Hokage was silent for a while, his gaze drifting into the distance, unfocused…

“I understand. Go back and supervise the exam. I’ll have the Anbu keep watch.”

“Yes, Hokage-sama!”

After Anko left, the Third Hokage stood at the window, regretting his choices for the first time. For the sake of peace, he had endured too much—until he lost the White Fang, lost the Uchiha clan, lost the loyalty of the Hyuga, saw the legendary Sannin flee. Now, except for himself and Danzo, there was not a single Kage-level powerhouse left in the Leaf… Was it worth it? All for a fragile peace, to protect his comrade Danzo?

Perhaps, back when Danzo first made a move against the White Fang, he should have dissolved Root, or even killed Danzo outright!

Well, after the Chunin Exams, he would likely step down. He believed the Leaf would continue to grow. More leaves would burn themselves for the village.

...

Inside the Forest of Death, as soon as Sasuke’s team entered, they rushed toward the area where the Sound Village had entered.

“Sasuke, are we really going after Orochimaru?” Sakura was a bit frightened. Though her strength had greatly increased and she had reached the Kage level, Orochimaru was one of the legendary Sannin, a veteran Kage-level expert! Could they really defeat him?

“We have to!” Sasuke didn’t look back, increasing his pace. “How else will I know the gap between me and true power, or how long it will take to bring my idiot brother home!”

Sasuke’s obsession had grown heavier—not only did he want to bring his brother back, he now also wished to personally kill Danzo, Uchiha Madara, and Obito. His thirst for power was stronger than ever!

Thankfully, Hao Yun kept supplying methods for rapid improvement. Otherwise, Sasuke would have left the Leaf long ago to gain combat experience and would never have bothered with these Chunin Exams.

Fortunately, this exam included someone he most wanted to face!

“Found them!” Sasuke abruptly stopped, looking down from above at three Sound ninjas. Especially the one wearing a bamboo hat—just the sight of him from afar made Sasuke sense a tremendous threat.

“Well, well, I wasn’t looking for you, but you came to me. Should I praise you for being so adorable?” The ninja tossed aside his hat, revealing a beautiful female face. Yet beneath that beauty lurked a serpentine, chilling aura that made Sasuke shiver.

“Orochimaru, so it is you!” Sasuke sneered. “I hear you want me for your vessel?”

“Oh-ho, you know already?” Orochimaru made no effort to hide his greed, especially as he looked at Sasuke, eyes filled with a manic urge to experiment.

“If you want my body, you’ll have to prove you’re worthy!” Sasuke declared. “Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!” Without hesitation, Sasuke formed seals and unleashed a clearing jutsu. A massive torrent rose behind him, crashing down and sweeping the three ninjas into the swirling current.

Sensing the powerful chakra ahead, Naruto and Sakura hurried to Sasuke’s side.

“Sasuke, where’s Orochimaru?” Naruto, just arriving, loudly asked about Orochimaru’s whereabouts.

Sasuke ignored him; he knew Orochimaru hadn’t been submerged by his jutsu. The water seemed fierce, but its flaws were too great—against Jonin-level opponents, it posed no threat.

“Well, well, quite a lot of chakra for someone so adorable…” Suddenly, Sasuke felt a chill behind him—a head with an elongated neck reached out, ready to kiss his throat!

“Sasuke, look out! Sealing Technique: Adamantine Chains!” Sakura shouted. “Monster Strength Punch!”

Before Orochimaru could strike, eight golden chains entwined with a pink, powerful fist smashed into him. The immense force sent Orochimaru flying, breaking over ten giant trees, but he narrowly escaped the Adamantine Chains.

Sasuke nodded to Naruto and Sakura, indicating he’d been momentarily careless and that he wanted to handle Orochimaru himself.

“Naruto, Sakura, leave him to me!” As his Rinnegan power flared, Sasuke’s gaze locked unerringly onto Orochimaru.

Orochimaru spat a mouthful of blood, clutching his chest as he stood. He could feel that punch had broken every rib he had. He glanced at the faintly visible, beautiful purple mark on Sakura’s forehead… This girl was like a second Tsunade incarnate!