[50] Marlboro

Konoha, within a certain training ground.

Orochimaru stood calmly, observing the three individuals before him, his students.

"You've been under my guidance for several months now, and I've witnessed your growth." Orochimaru said, his gaze sweeping over Tengen, Jurin, and Anko. "The Chunin Exams are approaching. Do any of you wish to participate?"

"Let me warn you in advance, this year's Chunin Exams will be far from simple. Ninja from the other four great villages will be attending, making it a gathering of formidable talents. The difficulty will be exceptional."

"I want to participate." Tengen declared. Only by advancing his ninja rank could he gain greater freedom in the future, allowing him to undertake missions alone.

"Me too." Jurin nodded firmly.

In the past few months, Jurin's strength had improved considerably.

"Then I'll join as well." Anko raises her hand.

"Anko, your skills are still lacking." Orochimaru responded slowly, addressing her words.

Over the months, Anko had become quite capable among Genin, but she was still a step away from Chunin. Perhaps in another year, she'd be ready.

"Orochimaru-sensei, the Chunin Exams haven't started yet, right?" Anko quickly interjected. "So you can train me, Sensei!"

"Hm, very well." Orochimaru agreed after a moment's thought. "The Chunin Exams begin in half a month. Tengen, Jurin, what are your plans?"

"Orochimaru-sensei, I won't need training." Tengen said. "With my strength, passing the Chunin Exams shouldn't be too difficult."

"That's true enough." Orochimaru said with a faint smile. Tengen's abilities made passing the Chunin Exams a straightforward task.

At this moment, Tengen had already demonstrated the capability to defeat Chunin, at least in front of Orochimaru.

Such prowess was remarkable. A nine-year-old with chunin strength was nothing short of a prodigy.

"Orochimaru-sensei, I'd like to train with my clan during this time." Jurin said. "I feel my Sharingan is close to awakening."

"Sharingan." Orochimaru said, a trace of amusement in his voice. "Very well, no problem."

"Anko, you've got to work hard." Tengen's offering her encouragement.

"Don't worry." Anko replied with a nod.

With that, Tengen and the others left the training ground.

Not long after departing, Tengen was approached by a member of the Anbu, who informed him that the Hokage had summoned him. This piqued Tengen's curiosity. What could the Third Hokage want with him?

As for the old matter involving the Root, Tengen doubted it was related. Too much time had passed, and if there had been anything to uncover, it would have surfaced by now.

During this period, Tengen had been diligently carrying out missions, though he occasionally slipped away to eliminate Missing-nins or those from other villages.

Naturally, he ensured Konoha's distinctive forehead protector was never seen during these encounters.

Most of the time, Tengen dispatched his targets swiftly. Situations like his encounter with Sasori were rare.

With his current strength, Tengen could handle most opponents, unless they were elite Jonin.

While his chakra reserves might still be at a chunin, his overall combat ability was exceptionally formidable.

Of course, certain abilities had to remain hidden, like the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.

Revealing such a thing would be impossible to explain. Claiming to be a Uchiha might work, as no one could definitively trace his ancestry to confirm or deny Uchiha lineage.

For now, Tengen wasn't ready to confront the power of the Uchiha or the village itself, so he kept it concealed.

Truthfully, while the Sharingan could enhance his strength, its boost was minimal compared to his current arsenal.

After all, Tengen had far too many tools at his disposal.

His greatest asset, without question, was his taijutsu.

"Genin Tengen, please enter." The Anbu stepping aside.

"Oh." With a sense of curiosity, Tengen walked in and saw the Third Hokage alone. "Hokage-ji, what's this about?"

"Ahem, Tengen, how's it been training under Orochimaru lately?" Hiruzen asked.

"It's fine. Orochimaru-sensei has a deep understanding of ninjutsu, and he's one of the Sannin, after all." Tengen said casually. "Come on, what's the real reason you called me here?"

"Do you still have those cigarettes?" Hiruzen asked softly.

"You summoned me just for that?" Tengen blinked, caught off guard. In the past, Hiruzen had asked for cigarettes, and Tengen had given him some. Had he really gone through them that quickly?

"That's one of the reasons." Sarutobi said with a touch of embarrassment on his face. "There's another matter. Did you give Asuma those cigarettes?"

"Nope." Tengen shook his head. "Someone else, maybe. I only gave them to you and Jiraiya."

"I see." Sarutobi mused, falling into thought.

He had noticed Asuma's growing fondness for cigarettes, which prompted the question. While Asuma's performance had improved since he started smoking, he was also starting to come across as more roguish.

"I'll bring you more cigarettes tomorrow. If there's nothing else, I'm out." Tengen rolling his eyes.

To think the Hokage had Anbu summon him for this.

"Oh, nothing else." Sarutobi snapped out of his thoughts. As Tengen turned to leave, he added, "By the way, Tengen, go find Tsunade more often."

***

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