"Sasuke-kun, are you really okay with this? That's Orochimaru, one of the Sannin."
Sakura asked worriedly.
By now, Sasuke had calmed down and replied coolly, "If I can't handle a situation like this, how can I ever hope to face Itachi?"
"Exactly! And we're here too! Kakashi-sensei and the old man will also help us." Naruto, as carefree as ever, didn't even understand the weight of the title 'Sannin'.
So he was in a surprisingly optimistic mood.
---
Yuto's Mayfly Technique could now cover the entirety of Konoha, even extending slightly beyond its borders.
Naturally, this included the Forest of Death.
Therefore, for this Chunin Exam, Yuto only needed to use Mayfly Technique to hide underground and connect with nature through the trees in the Forest of Death to observe the entire event.
It had to be said that Zetsu's technique was incredibly useful, whether for spying or escaping.
The only downside was... Yuto was afraid of running into Zetsu himself while using the Mayfly Technique.
That would be awkward.
So for now, Yuto didn't dare to venture too far. His previous trip to the Land of Waves was only possible because he had a time-limited Kamui Mangekyo Sharingan to rely on.
Now that the trial period was over, he had to lay low.
It would be great if someone could act on his behalf outside, but unfortunately, Yuto felt that even now, he could only command Zabuza and Haku, and maybe give Kakashi some instructions.
As for others... tricking Naruto wasn't out of the question.
---
At this moment, only Zabuza and Yuto were in the shop.
Haku, meanwhile, had teamed up with two Ninjas from Kirigakure who had come to Konoha to participate in the Chunin Exams.
This was similar to Kabuto, who had been taking the Chunin Exams for years by finding teammates to form teams.
Although Zabuza was still playing the game, his mind was clearly elsewhere.
Since the money he had saved during his wandering days had been taken by Mei to rebuild Kirigakure, leaving him with only a small allowance, Zabuza wasn't keen on spending it on gacha in the relatively expensive Konoha.
Fortunately, he could earn gold coins from weekly victory rewards, allowing him to purchase Ninjas like Iruka and Mizuki, who Yuto had added to the shop for 888 gold coins each.
Logically, Mizuki's transformation into a tiger should have happened much later in the story.
At that time, Mizuki had broken out of prison with the help of the Fujin-Raijin Brothers and, after finding one of Orochimaru's abandoned labs, transformed into a half-man, half-tiger creature.
But Yuto felt such a minor event didn't need its own story arc, especially since Naruto had easily dealt with it later.
So he added the character early to fill out the roster.
Mizuki's strength, in the current arena, was quite formidable.
After all, the top-tier lineup now was Kakashi, Zabuza, and Haku.
However, Mizuki often took Haku's spot in battles.
This was because Mizuki had two major advantages.
High damage and stable combos.
Now, thanks to Mizuki's strengths, Zabuza was close to reaching Chunin rank with 100 points.
As for why he couldn't reach Jonin yet?
It was because Zabuza hadn't collected five Ninjas, so he couldn't unlock the Jonin rank promotion matches.
---
After a not-so-long wait, a plain-looking female Ninja appeared, wearing a forehead protector from Kusagakure.
At first, Team 7 didn't pay much attention.
Until... the female Ninja casually summoned a giant snake.
"Orochimaru?!"
Caught off guard, Sakura couldn't help but scream in fear.
At this time, Naruto pointed at the figure and shouted, "Hey! Are you Orochimaru? Are you the one trying to take Sasuke?"
Sasuke gritted his teeth and said, "You two, stop talking so much nonsense!"
With that, Sasuke activated his three-tomoe Sharingan.
Then…
"Chidori!"
Sasuke stepped on the tree trunk, his Sharingan locking onto Orochimaru as the sound of a thousand birds chirping filled the air.
He closed the distance to his target at an incredible speed!
Orochimaru was surprised that his powerful concealment had been so easily seen through. He let out a cold laugh.
"Danzo, that old fool, can't keep his word... I was planning to play with you a bit longer."
With that, Orochimaru stretched his neck unnaturally, aiming to bite Sasuke's neck.
"But seeing Itachi's little brother with the three-tomoe Sharingan and such a powerful Jutsu... I'm relieved!"
At the critical moment, a figure shot out.
The figure kicked Orochimaru right at the base of his elongated neck.
Orochimaru was sent flying, his neck retracting quickly.
"Orochimaru, your opponent is me!"
Hearing the familiar voice, Orochimaru clutched the injured spot and hissed, "Hehe... Jiraiya? It seems Danzo really did leak the news early."
At this point, Jiraiya, having successfully played the hero, turned to Team 7 with a proud grin. "That's right! I am the legendary Toad Sage, Jiraiya the Gallant!"
Sasuke's Chidori struck a towering tree, the piercing force causing it to collapse. He scrutinized the scruffy-looking man with his Sharingan.
At this time, Sakura exclaimed, "Ah! It's one of the legendary Sannin... Jiraiya-sama!"
Jiraiya chuckled and said, "Kid, you know your stuff... Now leave this to me!"
Orochimaru glanced around, "Hehe, I didn't expect... to walk right into your trap? But do you really think this can stop me?"
---
"Have the Jonin flank from the sides. The Anbu will gradually tighten the perimeter. We can't let Orochimaru escape!"
Watching the scene in the crystal ball, Hiruzen spoke with determination.
However, the figure at the side closed his eyes and murmured, "Heh, my Root are also on their way."
"Danzo, you may leave now."
Danzo didn't ask further and left with his subordinate.
---
"Elephant, has Tsunade gone to assist Jiraiya?" Although Tsunade wasn't visible in the crystal ball, Hiruzen still asked.
Elephant shook his head and said, "Tsunade-sama is still at the gambling den... Hokage-sama, are you... planning to join the fight yourself?"
Seeing Hiruzen putting on his battle armor, Elephant was shocked.
…
"Danzo-sama, why did we betray Orochimaru?"
Danzo coldly glanced at the short figure beside him. This child was a pawn he planned to use to get close to the Jinchuriki.
Since the pawn still had some value, Danzo explained, "Orochimaru is too foolish. He didn't even realize he'd been exposed."
"Then why didn't we warn him?"
"No need. His defeat is already certain."