Chapter 99: Itachi and Orochimaru Make Their Move

Three days later, the Joint Chūnin Exams finally began.

"Deidara, aren't you going to check on your little girlfriend?" Sasori asked curiously.

Deidara sighed, shaking his head.

"She told me not to."

"You know how women are. There's always a few days each month when they get a bit... temperamental."

Ever since the Anko incident, Kurotsuchi had been furious with Deidara, ignoring him completely for three straight days. Naturally, Deidara couldn't say this out loud—it would only make things worse.

Despite his private attempts to explain himself, Kurotsuchi clearly didn't believe him.

"Ah!" Hidan yawned from the corner of the room, his tone brimming with irritation. "Why the hell aren't we just getting on with this? We've been sitting here for three days! I haven't been able to pray to Jashin, and it's killing me."

"Do we really have to wait until the exams are over?"

"It's the boss's orders. Just go with it," Kakuzu replied. "Besides, isn't this like a paid vacation? What's there to complain about?"

Deidara smirked. "Exactly. Getting paid to do nothing—how's that not the dream?"

Kakuzu nodded in agreement. "This must be what heaven feels like."

Hidan, however, was still grumbling. "So what's Orochimaru playing at, anyway? Does he have some kind of plan?"

"I think I saw him join the Chūnin Exams," Nagato remarked casually.

"No way! Orochimaru, of all people, participating in a kids' exam?" Hidan sounded genuinely shocked. "What's with that guy and his weird hobbies?"

"It's probably about the Sharingan," Sasori said. "After all, Itachi's little brother is participating this year."

Deidara nodded in agreement. "That checks out. Didn't you notice? Itachi and Kisame left earlier—they've probably gone after Orochimaru already."

"Oh?" Hidan's interest was piqued. "Since we've got nothing better to do, why don't we go watch the fun?"

Deidara was the first to stand up. He'd been planning to go anyway—there was no way he could relax with Kurotsuchi and Suigetsu in the mix.

"Anyone else coming?" he asked.

"I'll go," Kakuzu said, rising to his feet. "If Orochimaru gets killed, we won't get paid, and I can't have that."

"Sasori?"

"Boring." Sasori leaned against the doorframe, clearly uninterested.

"Leader? Konan?"

Nagato gave a small nod. "If you insist, I suppose I'll indulge my subordinates this time."

"If Nagato's going, I'll go too," Konan added.

"Even you, Kakashi?"

"Well... my old squad is participating in the exams. I might as well check on them," Kakashi replied nonchalantly.

"Alright, let's go!"

With that, seven Kage-level shinobi set off together. From an outsider's perspective, it might've looked like they were planning to destroy an entire village. Who could have guessed they were just going to watch the show?

The Joint Chūnin Exams only had one round this year, and the rules were simple.

In a desolate wasteland, participants would search for pre-hidden supplies and map scrolls. By the end of the five-day exam, the number of scrolls collected would determine territorial allocations during the upcoming Alliance Summit. The more scrolls a village's participants gathered, the greater their share of resources.

Of course, with such competitive stakes, the exam was bound to be brutal. Deaths—possibly even mass casualties—were expected.

This setup fit Danzō's style perfectly. A staunch pragmatist, he'd always been willing to use any means necessary to achieve his goals. To him, traditional exams with written tests and sparring matches were a waste of time. Survival of the fittest was the only real test.

Inside the exam grounds, Orochimaru had already tracked down Uchiha Sasuke. He'd been waiting for the perfect chance to approach the boy—his ideal vessel.

Orochimaru's fascination with Sasuke had only deepened.

'Uchiha Sasuke,' Orochimaru muttered, licking his lips in excitement. 'What secrets are you hiding?'

"Hey! Who are you? Why are you blocking our path?" Naruto demanded, stepping forward.

Orochimaru gave him a sinister smile. "I'm not interested in you right now."

"My target is him." He pointed at Sasuke, who stood to Naruto's left.

"Who are you?" Sasuke asked coldly, gripping a kunai tightly as he assumed a combat stance.

Orochimaru didn't bother answering. His neck elongated unnaturally, snapping toward Sasuke to strike like a serpent. He wanted to test Sasuke's potential firsthand—if the boy wasn't good enough, even his Uchiha blood wouldn't be worth Orochimaru's time.

Though startled by Orochimaru's grotesque attack, Sasuke reacted quickly, rolling to evade the strike. He flung four shuriken, which ricocheted midair before homing in on Orochimaru at sharp angles.

"Impressive. That's some excellent shurikenjutsu," Orochimaru remarked as he dodged effortlessly.

"As expected of an Uchiha."

The Uchiha clan was known for two things: fire-style jutsu and precise, almost theatrical shuriken techniques. Only their Sharingan was more iconic.

"Don't underestimate me!" Naruto shouted, summoning a massive swarm of shadow clones that charged at Orochimaru en masse.

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. Without tapping into the Kyuubi's chakra, Naruto had still managed to produce hundreds of clones. As expected of Uzumaki blood—no, this level of chakra control was rare even among the Uzumaki.

"Summoning Jutsu!" Orochimaru slammed his hand to the ground, and a massive serpent appeared.

The snake, over ten meters long, was an elite among cannon fodder. Orochimaru had no intention of killing Naruto—doing so would be nearly impossible, thanks to the Kyuubi. Besides, he had no reason to.

The snake's tail swept through Naruto's clones, destroying ten in one strike before clashing with the rest.

"Now, no one will interrupt us," Orochimaru said, turning back to Sasuke. "Show me your strength, or this little girl dies."

Orochimaru grabbed Sakura, his killing intent radiating so strongly that she froze in terror. Even Sasuke seemed paralyzed, his body unable to move under the suffocating pressure.

"Is this all you've got?" Orochimaru taunted. "You're nothing compared to Uchiha Itachi."

Hearing that name was like flipping a switch in Sasuke's mind. Rage flared within him, and his Sharingan activated, its tomoe spinning into the two-tomoe pattern.

"Oh? You've already awakened the second tomoe?" Orochimaru said, his interest deepening. "Your talent isn't bad."

In the context of the Uchiha clan, awakening a two-tomoe Sharingan at eleven years old was merely above average. But considering the peaceful era and Sasuke's untapped potential, it was impressive nonetheless.

(Author's Note: About Danzō—his role here isn't because the author likes him as a character. It's just a setup to lead into Akatsuki's team battle. After all, if Konoha weren't strong, what would even be the point of a large-scale fight?)

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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