Chapter 064
Thanks to Carson for subscribing on Patreon, And congratulations on becoming the first god, Otsutsuki Shibai.
Chapter 120+ on my patreon.com/dzeref887
---
[Filial Child - Black Zetsu]: ...
This guy—this guy—why is he still holding another girl's hand while carrying Lady Kaguya in his arms?!
Does he have to act this cool?!
So, with this overly cool aura, Kitahara Kaede and his group were immediately surrounded by other ninjas from different villages who had already passed Izumo and Kotetsu's genjutsu test as soon as they walked into the classroom.
Those with experience saw the meaning behind things; those without just enjoyed the spectacle.
"He didn't even spare a glance at the genjutsu."
"His resistance to illusions must be extremely high."
"I'm guessing that the guy in the blue hoodie with the ping pong paddle on his back already has Chūnin-level strength!"
"Really?"
"I actually think that blond guy has Elite Chūnin-level strength."
"Did you see that? He was smiling so cheerfully. People like that can't hide things."
"So what he shows must be his true strength."
There were both boys and girls in the crowd.
The girls, however, weren't focused on power.
"That guy's so unique…"
"It's my first time seeing golden pupils…"
"And that bunny in his arms is so adorable."
"But… he brought his girlfriend to the exam…"
"What a shame…"
Kitahara Kaede heard the murmurs.
Huh??
Even with Sasuke and a now-handsome Naruto beside him, he still stood out that much?
Thinking that, Kitahara Kaede felt a chill on his forehead.
The wind was blowing, and his bangs parted.
"..."
That was a sign he wasn't wearing his forehead protector.
Which meant—he'd forgotten to wear it when he left the house.
Realizing this, Kitahara Kaede let go of Hinata's hand, pulled out a scroll, gave it a light tap, and poof—a Konoha forehead protector appeared.
His charm was instantly sealed, and the noisy surroundings calmed considerably.
But that one casual act made the Third Hokage nearly clap in approval.
"He actually carries his Konoha forehead protector with him at all times."
"Looks like my intuition was correct—Kitahara Kaede truly carries the pure Will of Fire."
At this moment, the Third Hokage was in his Hokage office, holding a crystal ball.
He used the Telescope Technique—so long as he knew the target's chakra nature, he could see the area around them. Like a hidden surveillance camera suddenly popping into existence.
The downside was that it didn't work over long distances, and it required prior knowledge of the person's chakra.
So the Third had arranged for a Konoha Anbu to blend in among the exam candidates ahead of time.
"Even if… even if I truly fall in this Chūnin Exam, Konoha will not collapse," the Third Hokage said.
"..."
His words carried a grim undertone.
"Hiruzen…" said Koharu, the most sentimental of the four disciples of the Second Hokage.
She spoke softly, "Have you really decided?"
"You're really going to personally deal with Orochimaru?"
"Orochimaru already had Kage-level strength in the past. And now, after all these years, he's probably even stronger."
"But you… you've grown old," Koharu said.
"...That's true," the Third Hokage replied. "But… all of us made mistakes."
"Look at Danzō. If that arm of his gets exposed, how do you think the higher-ups of Konoha will be viewed?"
"And what would the Hyūga clan think?"
"Wouldn't they start to believe we wiped out the Uchiha clan just to get their Sharingan?"
"Wouldn't the Hyūga be next on the list?"
"I never thought Danzō would be so reckless, strutting around every day with all those Sharingan in his arm. If the Hyūga ever used their Byakugan on him, he'd be doomed."
"It's just plain stupid," Hiruzen muttered.
"..." Danzō.
"...%" Danzō.
Though Danzō was in the office too, he sat silently in a corner.
Now that the fact he had Uchiha Sharingan implanted was exposed, his authority had weakened.
But this exposure was only partial—because the truth behind the Uchiha clan's downfall was known only to them: it was Uchiha Itachi who wiped them out.
So scavenging a few Sharingan like picking up trash shouldn't be a problem, right?
He didn't plan to speak. Now that Kitahara Kaede had been snatched up by Hiruzen, he could only wait.
Still, he scoffed at Hiruzen's self-righteous words about dealing with Orochimaru himself.
After all, wasn't this Hiruzen's own mess? Shouldn't he be the one to clean it up?
So what's with all the dramatic self-sacrifice?
Besides…
This old guy Hiruzen probably wanted to die a martyr at this point.
If he died in the line of duty, then maybe he could excuse the decline of Konoha under his leadership.
"Kitahara Kaede said he'd give me information about Orochimaru at the exam today."
"So what do you think… does that mean Orochimaru infiltrated the exam candidates?"
Hiruzen asked.
"If that's the case, then shouldn't we just leave it all to Kitahara Kaede?" said Homura.
"Based on what Danzō found, if he really has the Rinnegan…"
"Then his strength definitely surpasses anything we can imagine."
"That's exactly why I want to win him over," the Third picked up the conversation.
"Besides, I've never treated him badly in the past," the Third Hokage added.
"..." Danzō.
Danzō remained silent.
He felt that if Kitahara Kaede really was a genius, having Hiruzen discover him first was a total waste.
Hiruzen never knew how to use talented people.
Just look at Uchiha Shisui—possessed such a convenient Mangekyō Sharingan, and yet was constantly bogged down in Uchiha clan matters.
What a waste.
·······
Ninja Academy, Classroom 302.
Kitahara Kaede and his group had already arrived.
Sasuke and Naruto now had Jōnin-level strength, but neither of them was very good at masking their aura, so the pressure they gave off caused most Genin from other villages to avoid them.
But not everyone stayed away—like now.
He noticed several ninjas from Grass Village watching them.
Then, a Grass ninja woman with an unusually pale face and a long face walked over.
"Yo, Konoha ninjas…"
"Care to exchange some intel?" she greeted proactively.
Her gaze lingered on Sasuke, then shifted to Kitahara Kaede.
To ordinary people, Sasuke might seem stronger—but this ninja's instinct told her that the strongest among them was the one holding the rabbit: Kitahara Kaede.
"If you want intel," Kitahara Kaede said, "then go find that Konoha candidate with glasses. He's a famous spy and loaded with info."
"..." Grass ninja.
"..." Kabuto?! ?!
Yakushi Kabuto nearly lost control of his expression.
The Grass ninja gave Kitahara Kaede a strange look before retreating.
But Kitahara Kaede paid no mind to their reactions. Instead, he took out paper and pen, quickly jotted down a few lines, sealed it in an envelope.
"Give this to the Third Hokage," Kitahara Kaede said. "It contains information about Orochimaru."
Poof!
A ninja in the front row suddenly dropped his Transformation Jutsu, returning to his Anbu attire. He respectfully took the envelope and used Body Flicker to vanish under everyone's stunned gazes.
But… that brief sentence—"Information about Orochimaru is inside."
Did that mean…
[Descendant Chat Group (^_-)]:
[Big Dumb - Hashirama]: Holy crap, did he just instantly figure out Orochimaru's identity?
[Tobirama]: Minato, what's your take?
[Minato Namikaze]: Mmm…
[Minato Namikaze]: So, Orochimaru-sensei… er, Orochimaru should be that Grass ninja just now.
Minato's original teacher was Jiraiya, who was classmates and close friends with Orochimaru.
And when Minato was alive, Orochimaru hadn't yet become a rogue ninja.
So it was a slip of the tongue—but he quickly corrected himself.
[Minato Namikaze]: Since Orochimaru's strength far surpasses normal ninja—even Kage level.
[Minato Namikaze]: If he shows up in the exam…
[Minato Namikaze]: Then it's likely he's pretending to be weak—acting like a newbie.
[Minato Namikaze]: So when he saw my dear Naruto, Kitahara-kun, and Sasuke arrive, he deliberately approached them.
[Minato Namikaze]: But ended up being seen through instead.
[Minato Namikaze]: So yes—the first one who approached them was Orochimaru.
[Big Dumb - Hashirama]: I see now.
[Big Dumb - Hashirama]: So that was Orochimaru.
[Big Dumb - Hashirama]: But looked like a woman…
[Big Dumb - Hashirama]: One of Hiruzen's disciples, huh…
---
Chapter 120+ on my patreon.com/dzeref887