Chapter 132: Orochimaru's Time To Shine!

Seeing this, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire directly asked Konoha's "F3".

"Lightning Release Taijutsu— isn't that a top-secret technique of Kumogakure? How is that little girl from Amegakure even stronger than a homegrown genius from Kumogakure?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Sarutobi Hiruzen answered honestly, "Lord Daimyo, that ninja named Raimon Yukika comes from Amegakure's Ninja Academy, and she is a student of their Lightning Release class."

"Amegakure's Ninja Academy was founded by the black-market mercenary, Uzumaki Senshi…"

This time, Sarutobi Hiruzen explained everything clearly, sharing all that he knew regarding Amegakure's Ninja Academy.

When he finished, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire more or less understood the situation.

Raimon Yukika and her younger brother Raimon Hayate were both Lightning Release ninjas taught by Senshi.

Not only that, the six elite genin from Amegakure participating in the Chūnin Exams were all personally guided by Senshi.

That ninja, known as Uzumaki Senshi, was not only the strongest mercenary in the black market but was also extremely skilled at training ninja; his expertise was quite astonishing.

While the Daimyo of the Land of Fire was inquiring with Sarutobi Hiruzen, several other daimyos and leaders from different forces were gathering their own intelligence. After witnessing Raimon Yukika's stunning performance and learning about the Academy's remarkable teaching standards, many big shots were starting to think:

"Amegakure's Ninja Academy is incredibly strong. I wonder if we can send the young talents of our own clans there to study."

"It should be possible; as long as they move to Amegakure and live there, any child of appropriate age can enroll in the ninja academy."

"That's not necessarily certain. Amegakure has become more and more regulated in its development; there might not be any loopholes to exploit!"

"Actually, as long as one can become a direct student of Lord Senshi or at least get his permission, we should be able to send our children to study at the academy. After all, Lord Senshi is the Headmaster of the Ninja Academy. Once inside, if you want the best guidance, you have to join the headmaster's class."

Upon hearing that, everyone nodded.

Based on what they had seen in this Chūnin Exam, letting their next-generation ninjas become Senshi's students was the best option. If that wasn't possible, simply getting his approval for them to attend Amegakure's Ninja Academy was still good. Of course, as the Chūnin Exams were still ongoing, these matters could be slowly prepared in the meantime.

While the crowd's thoughts ran wild, the next match was about to begin.

Once again, the voice of the proctor, Shiranui Genma, echoed in everyone's ears:

"For this match, Uzumaki Musen from Amegakure will face Jutosutchi from Iwagakure!"

When the matchup was announced, the audience started buzzing again.

Just like the previous match, it was another genius of Amegakure going up against a genius from one of the Five Great Ninja Villages.

The Fourth Raikage, who had just been heavily mocked by Ōnoki, was in high spirits the moment he saw a Amegakure genius facing a Iwagakure genius:

"Hmph, you old geezer. I hope your Iwa ninja won't lose too badly to a ninja from a so-called 'small' village!"

Ōnoki burst out laughing. "Hahahaha! Our genius from Iwa is no pushover like those Kumo 'frauds.' Keep your eyes open. Let me show you how our up-and-coming talent thoroughly crushes the pathetic nobodies from a small village!"

The Fourth Raikage gave a cold snort. "Ōnoki, don't boast too soon or you'll end up eating your words in a moment!"

While the Fourth Raikage and Ōnoki bickered, the two opponents for the match began taking the field one after the other.

Wearing a cloak with red cloud designs and sporting striking red hair, Uzumaki Musen soon appeared. Opposite him was Jutosutchi from Iwagakure.

Jutosutchi wore a dark-red Stone ninja outfit. He was quite a handsome young man, who grinned and said:

"Uzumaki Musen, you're pretty strong, but unfortunately, this is where you stop. I've mastered more than thirty types of Earth Release jutsu and even have the Explosion Release bloodline. There's really no need for us to fight. Just surrender."

Hearing that, many spectators were surprised. This Iwa ninja "genius" was clearly the real deal. Even though he was so young, he had already mastered over thirty Earth Release jutsu and possessed Explosion Release. That was certainly no ordinary strength.

Once Jutosutchi finished, Musen replied with a serious expression, "Since you're such a formidable ninja, then I must treat you with the utmost seriousness!"

Jutosutchi quickly shook his head. "No, no, no—you misunderstood. Even if you get serious, you're still not my match. You should give up now."

Musen shook his head as well. "At all times, I persist in fighting with unwavering resolve until the end. That is my Nindō (Ninja Way!)!"

The moment Musen said this, it was as if a powerful theme song suddenly started playing in the background. It was a shame Senshi hadn't drawn the same luck as Naruto, because if he had Naruto's speaker system, he could have blasted some music to hype it up.

When Musen said that, Jutosutchi also set aside his nonchalant attitude. He realized that Musen, like himself, was a ninja with a firm, unshakable will. A foe like that deserved his serious effort.

Jutosutchi nodded and said, "In that case, I've decided to go all out. I will fight with everything I've got, to pay you, my opponent, the greatest respect! Let's begin!"

Once Jutosutchi finished, Musen wasted no time. He clapped his hands together and shouted:

"Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands!!!"

Jutosutchi: (O_O)???

The five Daimyo: (O_O)???

Everyone in the stands: (O_O)???

Musen's move left the entire crowd dumbfounded. Dude, do you think you're the First Hokage or something? Starting off with True Several Thousand Hands?

Upon hearing Musen solemnly call out "True Several Thousand Hands," Jutosutchi was startled, thinking, "Why am I caught up in such a high-level fight?"

But very soon, he realized that the ninja across from him was basically just a loud fool. Even after that thunderous shout, absolutely nothing happened.

Seeing that Musen's grandiose "True Several Thousand Hands" did nothing, Senshi covered his face with one hand. At this moment, he really felt the need to clarify that he'd never taught Musen—he didn't know this weirdo very well!

Having been blatantly messed with, Jutosutchi was furious. He quickly formed a series of seals with both hands, preparing to let Musen experience the might of his thirty-plus Earth Release jutsu.

"Earth Release: Rock Gun Technique!"

As Jutosutchi finished speaking, a small stone projectile shot out of his mouth. It expanded in midair until it was about the size of a cannonball, heading straight for Musen.

Musen did not move from his spot. Again, he brought his hands together and rapidly formed seals.

"Wood Release: Silent Strangling Binding!"

A wooden beam shot up from the ground beside him, smashing into the incoming cannonball.

After knocking aside Jutosutchi's Rock Cannon, Musen clasped his hands once more, weaving a new set of seals:

"Wood Release: Great Forest Technique!"

This time, more wooden tendrils burst from the ground, surging toward Jutosutchi in a fierce onslaught.

Facing these incoming vines, Jutosutchi didn't dare hesitate. He immediately launched another sequence of jutsu:

"Earth Release: Earth Spear!"

Sharp spikes of rock, like jagged spears, kept erupting from the ground, clashing with Musen's wooden branches. Some of the wood splintered, but many of the spikes were likewise shattered.

"Earth Release: Earth Pillar Explosion!"

Forming seals again, Jutosutchi summoned even more rock spikes, which appeared among the first wave. Suddenly, they all exploded one after another, reducing the oncoming wooden branches to shards.

But Musen didn't mind—this was only the warm-up.

He let out a shout, once again weaving seals for another technique:

"Wood Release: Nativity of a Sea of Trees!"

"Nativity of a Sea of Trees" was a smaller-scale variant of "Deep Forest Emergence," something even Yamato could use casually. But seeing a genin pull it off was rather alarming.

All of a sudden, Jutosutchi's rock spikes were uprooted and shattered. Before Jutosutchi had grasped what was happening, he was already surrounded by a sea of towering trees.

"Earth Release: Ant-Lion Technique!"

Even though Musen's jutsu made Jutosutchi's scalp tingle, his unwavering "Will Of Stone" kept him from giving up. The newly sprouted forest began sinking as if mired in quicksand, relieving some of Jutosutchi's tension—but he had celebrated too soon.

"Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique!"

"Roooar—!"

A dragon's roar echoed across the arena as a relatively small (compared to the First Hokage's) wooden dragon tore through the ground. Even so, it was larger than most giant trees. Looking up, Jutosutchi saw Musen standing on the dragon's head, controlling it as it slammed toward him.

"Crap!" Jutosutchi thought, his vision going dark. He felt certain he was done for.

Yet Musen halted the blow at the very last second, so it never actually hit Jutosutchi.

The outcome of this match was obvious.

When Musen first started, his over-the-top antics made some people think he was just fooling around. But he swiftly finished off Jutosutchi, and the audience once again roared with excitement:

"Wow! Amegakure not only has a genius who's a Lightning Release master but also someone who's amazing at Wood Release!"

"You really can't judge a book by its cover. He's so young, yet his Wood Release is already at this level!"

"I heard that after the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools, the Uzumaki Clan fell on hard times. Later on, Lord Uzumaki Senshi gave them refuge in Amegakure. Without that, many members of the Uzumaki Clan wouldn't have survived."

"I also heard that Konoha used to be the ally of the former Uzushiogakure. By all rights, a Wood Release genius from the Uzumaki Clan ought to have been nurtured in Konoha…"

Someone was about to continue talking when a companion quickly covered his mouth—he was hitting on a sore spot for Konoha.

Konoha shinobi, naturally, heard these remarks too. Upon witnessing Musen's Wood Release, members of Konoha—especially the so-called "Konoha F3"—and high-level Land of Fire officials felt tremendously conflicted.

It was Hashirama Senju's Wood Release that had once established the Leaf Village's supremacy in the Shinobi World. After the First Hokage's era, though, the Konoha had never again produced such a wildly gifted Wood Release user.

Seeing Musen displaying Wood Release at such a young age, the thought that he might one day become a second Hashirama could not be dismissed. Amegakure's ability to cultivate talent was terrifying—one could also say it was really Uzumaki Senshi's teaching ability that was so frightening.

According to intelligence gathered by various sides, Musen was also nurtured by Senshi.

Realizing that caused serious pangs of regret among Konoha's top brass.

They had never imagined that a genius like Uzumaki Musen could arise after the downfall of the Land of Whirlpools. Had they known, they would have spared no effort in gathering and supporting the remnants of the Uzumaki Clan. As Konoha had originally been Uzushio's ally, that would have been much simpler for them to arrange than for Ame.

But as it was, Konoha officials had let that alliance slip by, not even making an effort to rescue Whirlpool survivors. At this moment, they bitterly regretted the short-sighted pursuit of trivial gains, which had now cost them dearly.

The other four major shinobi villages were all equally stunned by Musen's Wood Release—though many were privately relieved that at least he wasn't from Konoha.

The only one not laughing was Ōnoki. All the laughter, in fact, now belonged to the Fourth Raikage, who had previously endured Ōnoki's jabs.

"Hahahahahaha!"

The Fourth Raikage laughed out loud at that moment, the more he laughed, the uglier Ōnoki's expression became.

Ōnoki had mercilessly mocked the Raikage not long before, so now the Fourth Raikage was happily returning the favor:

"Ōnoki, so your Iwa "genius" can't beat a ninja from a "small" village. Fortunately for you, Amegakure hasn't produced anyone skilled in Earth Release as well—otherwise, would Iwagakure even have a reason to keep its name?"

Ōnoki's face went a dark shade of green, his mood sour. And since Kumo and Iwa were historically hostile, he certainly didn't intend to back down.

Furious, Ōnoki snapped, "Raikage, do you really want me to teach you a lesson?"

"Boom!" The Fourth Raikage was anything but easily intimidated. In a flash, he was surrounded by crackling Lightning Armor, ready to fight.

Ōnoki, likewise, was no gentle old man. He immediately rose into the air, preparing his Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique.

As the old saying goes, 'With age comes wisdom'—but in Ōnoki's case, it also brought a sharp tongue and an even sharper temper. If seventy meant he followed his heart, then nearing ninety meant he had no patience left for the Raikage's nonsense at all!

On Konoha's side, people were vexed. Missing the chance to recruit the young Wood Release prodigy from the Uzumaki Clan stung enough.

Yet they hadn't even recovered from that regret before these two old bulls, the Raikage and the Tsuchikage, were on the verge of coming to blows again.

Sarutobi Hiruzen spoke helplessly:

"You two, calm down. The Chūnin Exam is still ongoing, and both Kumo and Iwa still have participants competing. This is a rare occasion that has brought together the Five Great Nations for such a grand event—no need to shed blood."

Though the Third Hokage's words were reasonable, the Fourth Raikage still grumbled, "This doesn't concern Konoha. Go sort out your own issues first before meddling, Lord Hokage. After all, Uzushiogakure was originally your ally, and now an Uzumaki with Wood Release has ended up in Ame. That obviously shows problems on your end."

Ōnoki, equally sharp-tongued, turned on Hiruzen:

"As I recall, after the Land of Whirlpools fell, Konoha never bothered to gather any of their refugees. Some so-called ally you turned out to be—once you couldn't use them, you discarded them. Don't you treat your allies that way?"

From the beginning, the five great nations and the five major shinobi villages had never really been united. Although the Raikage and Tsuchikage had nearly come to blows moments earlier, they would still readily join forces against Konoha's interests if needed.

Sarutobi Hiruzen responded coldly, "Konoha's affairs require no outside interference. At the time the Land of Whirlpools was in trouble, Konoha was at war on multiple fronts and simply could not help. Besides, Konoha has always treated its allies consistently, and in the end, time will prove it."

Though Hiruzen spoke eloquently, the fact remained that they had never tried to search for or assist the Whirlpool refugees. Moreover, it wasn't just Uzumaki Musen—several other talented Uzumaki youngsters in this Exam had also performed well. Konoha had essentially forgotten all about their fallen ally.

This event made Hiruzen quietly decide that from now on, they would start actively gathering surviving members of the Uzumaki Clan, just like Amegakure had done.

Under Sarutobi Hiruzen's mediation, Ōnoki and the Fourth Raikage once again refrained from fighting outright. Still, the bad blood between their villages ran deep; it would only take the slightest spark for an argument to flare again.

In total, thirty-two participants had advanced to the final stage of the Chūnin Exams, meaning sixteen matches in a single-elimination format.

The first four matches had all been spectacular, so the subsequent bouts inevitably felt slightly disappointing in comparison.

Because of that, the attention of various leaders drifted to one particular section of the stands.

There sat a red-haired young man accompanied by a red-haired girl: Uzumaki Senshi, the legendary figure of the black-market, and beside him, his little assistant, Uzumaki Karin.

Senshi was in a great mood. Ame's six elite genin had done an outstanding job showcasing their skills for Amegakure, his mercenary group, and the academy. As a result, plenty of new hopefuls would surely flock to the Amegakure's Ninja Academy to learn the "Will of Rain" and eventually be fed into his mercenary organization.

Besides that, he still intended to perform the "Tailed Beast Extraction" surgeries on Gaara, Fū, and Naruto without anyone noticing, so he could lock all the tailed beasts away inside Karin's Kamui dimension. He'd do Gaara and Fū secretly.

As for Naruto, he might trick or persuade him into it.

Add to that the handsome payment of six hundred million ryō he'd gotten from Sarutobi Hiruzen and Rasa. He was making a killing on multiple fronts. Senshi felt he'd truly hit the jackpot.

While Senshi mulled over these matters, the first round of the final stage proceeded normally. Many of the matches ended swiftly with overwhelming victories. The other five elite Ame genin all won their matches, too.

By that point, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire—and everyone else—were fully aware Amegakure had brought six elite genin. However, noticing that only five had competed thus far, the Daimyo asked Sarutobi Hiruzen:

"What about that other one named Uzumaki Karin from Amegakure? Didn't she reach the finals? How strong is she?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen, not hiding anything, replied, "Lord Daimyo, that one is even more formidable. Uzumaki Karin is stronger than the other five Ame genin combined."

Hiruzen's statement only deepened the Daimyo's puzzlement. "If she's that powerful, why hasn't she appeared in the finals?"

Hiruzen's explanation was rather vague. "For reasons not yet publicly known, Uzumaki Karin withdrew during the preliminaries. Some say she'd overexerted herself in the Forest of Death and wasn't fully recovered before the preliminaries started, so she gave up. Konoha hasn't uncovered further details."

Hearing this, the Daimyo simply grew more impressed with Amegakure's academy and mercenary corps but did not press for more information. Instead, attention returned to the arena.

Next, Gaara of Sunagakure, Fū of Takigakure, and another talented Kumo ninja named Karui each dispatched their opponents easily. Most of the remaining matches ended almost instantly.

At length, only one battle was left in the first round, and it attracted a fair bit of curiosity: Yakushi Kabuto of Konoha vs. Iwai of Iwagakure.

Unlike previous mismatches where a major village ninja crushed someone from a smaller village, both contestants in this fight represented major villages, so people had initially expected a fierce clash.

In one corner of the stands, as Kabuto's match was about to begin, Orochimaru finally showed some interest. The first fifteen matches hadn't caught his attention; only Kabuto's battle mattered.

He had prepared numerous backup plans to demonstrate his newly developed "Type-3 Eternal Chakra Elixir" after Kabuto's match. In front of such a distinguished audience, he would prove the serum's power to enhance cell vitality and overall physical performance—and many of the VIPs would become eager customers.

At last, the final match of the first round commenced.

From the central arena, Shiranui Genma's voice rang out:

"This match is between Yakushi Kabuto of Konoha and Iwai of Iwa—let the battle begin!"

Once the proctor finished, the two combatants appeared on the field.

Many spectators didn't recognize Kabuto—he wasn't a famous child prodigy like Naruto or Sasuke. A glance told them he looked about sixteen, an older genin who had failed to advance for years. If he had stayed a genin up to this age, his talent must not be very high.

Consequently, many people who'd expected a rivalry between major villages were let down: it was just a so-called "washed-up genin" against a Iwa prodigy.

Ōnoki and the Fourth Raikage both knew of Kabuto from sight but had never seen him fight.

They only knew he was Orochimaru's subordinate. As for his abilities, there was no solid intel—Kabuto's only earlier victory had been against someone from a minor village.

The Raikage couldn't help mocking Ōnoki again: "Ōnoki, don't let your Iwa "genius" lose to an overage Konoha genin, or you'll need to resign in disgrace."

Ōnoki retorted icily, "It's obvious Konoha held him back from promotion on purpose, so he could play the underdog here. Even if, by some fluke, Iwai lost, he wouldn't lose in terms of Earth Release skill."

At that, the Raikage could only grit his teeth, unable to argue—this was one scenario he couldn't completely dismiss.

Even among Konoha shinobi, few truly understood Kabuto's real power. Seeing him constantly serve as Orochimaru's assistant, people assumed he was a research type, specializing in medicine, sealing, or similar fields, not necessarily combat.

So while Konoha ninjas were uncertain what to expect, the rest of the spectators had even less faith in Kabuto.

"How boring. I thought it would be an epic clash, but it's just an older genin versus an Iwa prodigy."

"Right? If it wouldn't be so rude to leave now, I'd already be on my way."

"Actually, there's no need to rush. Judging from the earlier matches, I suspect this will end quickly."

Plenty of people agreed, nodding in the stands.

Down on the field, Kabuto calmly adjusted his glasses, looking at Iwai with a mild expression.

Iwai was a talented ninja known from a young age and somewhat arrogant. Seeing Kabuto, this older genin who hadn't advanced, he couldn't resist sneering:

"Hey, you're already this old and still stuck at genin. How do you have the nerve to keep calling yourself a ninja? If I were you, I'd have given it up and become a civilian ages ago. Save your village the embarrassment."

Hearing his words, many in the audience snickered, savoring the banter.

However, up in the stands near Senshi, the atmosphere was different. Senshi wore a peculiar expression. He remembered that during Jiraiya's efforts to recruit Tsunade as Fifth Hokage, Tsunade had fought Kabuto. Back then, she noted that Kabuto's skill rivaled Kakashi's.

Kakashi was a top-level jōnin, so by that metric, Kabuto could wipe the floor with a fresh genin.

And Iwai had no idea that the "older genin" in front of him was effectively a high-level jōnin in disguise.

Kabuto, for his part, was done talking. As soon as the match began, he rushed at Iwai with lightning speed.

Iwai, outraged at Kabuto's daring approach, quickly formed a series of seals:

"Earth Release: Earth Spear!"

Large rock spikes erupted from the ground under Kabuto's feet, but he dodged them all with agile footwork.

Gnashing his teeth in frustration as Kabuto drew ever closer, Iwai abandoned the spikes approach for a more direct method:

"Earth Release: Rock Fist Technique!"

He formed seals again, turning both arms into massive stone fists. Seeing Kabuto right in front of him, he didn't hesitate. With unstoppable force, Iwai slammed a punch at Kabuto's head.

Unexpectedly, Kabuto just smiled. The speed he had shown while running was not even his top speed. He was already stronger than most jōnin. Moreover, he'd recently used Orochimaru's latest version of the "Eternal Chakra Elixir," boosting both his cell vitality and stamina.

At close range, Kabuto's right hand instantly flared with the chakra scalpel technique. Then he vanished from Iwai's sight.

In that split second, Iwai felt a jolt of dread, completely losing track of Kabuto's position—

Slit!

Kabuto reappeared behind him, plunging the chakra scalpel into his back.

Kabuto had no intention to kill, so he deliberately avoided any fatal points. Even so, the precise cut sapped Iwai's strength in an instant, and he collapsed, entirely unable to continue.

Sweat drenched Iwai's back, cold as ice.

Kabuto's strike could have pierced his heart if it had shifted just slightly.

The entire audience erupted in commotion at this outcome, which was far beyond most people's expectations.

Ōnoki stared wide-eyed, while the Fourth Raikage also seemed incredulous. Even Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had known Kabuto was competent, was genuinely surprised to see him finish Iwa prodigy so effortlessly.

Still, for Konoha, it was excellent news: Ame might have six elite genin, but Konoha also had five talented contenders in the finals!

The Fourth Raikage, recovering from his initial shock, immediately broke into a triumphant grin:

"Hahahahaha, Ōnoki! Is that what passes for a genius in Iwagakure? Losing to Konoha Genin past his prime? If that's what you call genius, maybe you should consider stepping down as Tsuchikage!"

Ōnoki's face burned, but he snapped back, "Raikage, can't you see Konoha kept that guy at genin rank on purpose? It's like hiding a sharpened kunai in a bundle of training sticks—just waiting for the right moment to strike."

But the Fourth Raikage ignored him, laughing even louder:

"Ōnoki, you folks in Iwa should stop throwing the word 'genius' around so casually! Losing to an older genin—what a joke!"

Ōnoki bristled. "That's enough, you brat!"

"Old codger, how about you retire!" the Raikage growled, lightning armor blazing around him again.

Countless onlookers in the stands had noticed the two Kage squabbling. They had already clashed verbally several times and looked like they might come to blows at any moment. But each time, Konoha intervened to separate them.

This time, though, before Sarutobi Hiruzen could jump in, someone else approached them—a figure neither had anticipated: Orochimaru, one of Hiruzen's students.

Orochimaru addressed them with a sly smile, "Please calm yourselves, you two. There's a special reason behind the results of that match."

Many spectators had been watching the Raikage and Tsuchikage, fully expecting them to brawl. Yet here came Orochimaru to interrupt—and he immediately drew everyone's attention. He stated clearly that there was a "special reason" why Kabuto beat Iwai so handily, and now everyone was curious to hear it.

Though the Fourth Raikage loathed Orochimaru, he didn't want to start a fight with him on Konoha turf, or give Konoha any excuse to move against him. So he remained silent, glaring at Orochimaru.

Ōnoki, on the other hand, cut straight to the point: "What special reason?"

That was precisely Orochimaru's cue. He eagerly answered:

"As you can see, Kabuto is an older genin. In the beginning, he truly had mediocre talent. But I happened upon a breakthrough, a special compound I've dubbed the 'Eternal Chakra Elixir.' It not only heightens cell vitality but also boosts overall stamina and relieves fatigue. With repeated doses over time, a person's body will gradually evolve. The reason Kabuto can fight at this level now is entirely thanks to this supplement!"

~~~

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