Forest of Death, Central Tower
With Uesugi Erii's help, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura successfully reached the tower.
They completed their mission before the deadline and advanced to the third stage.
While in the Forest of Death, they encountered what seemed like a fake Genin — a powerful ninja sneaking into Konoha.
They reported this immediately to the exam proctor, Mitarashi Anko.
Mitarashi Anko paused for a moment, then said, "No one is allowed to leak this information."
After that, she left with a serious expression.
"Seriously, at such an important time, Kakashi-sensei didn't even come to check on us."
Sakura looked up at the observation stand, still not seeing Kakashi's figure, and complained a little.
"Other teams have their sensei here, but why is ours making the same old excuse — that he's 'lost on the path of life'? He doesn't seem responsible at all!"
Sasuke sighed quietly nearby.
She wasn't surprised by Sakura's complaints.
This "sensei" was really irresponsible.
Besides necessary team missions, he basically disappeared every day.
And the excuse was always the same: "I'm lost on my path in life."
Who would believe such a lame excuse?
It was clear he just didn't care and was too lazy to train them.
Sasuke really didn't understand why the Hokage would assign someone like this to be their team's lead Jonin.
But complaining was one thing — thinking it silently was fine.
If they said it out loud, wouldn't it be disrespectful to the Hokage?
Lost in thought, Sasuke turned to look at Naruto.
Naruto seemed to be daydreaming, frowning slightly.
"Naruto, are you okay?"
"Huh?"
Naruto suddenly snapped back to reality, accidentally meeting Sasuke's concerned eyes.
For some reason, Naruto thought Sasuke looked good like that.
He panicked a bit, turning his head to avoid the gaze and cleared his throat twice.
"No, nothing. I'm fine. Don't worry, Sasuke."
Sasuke still looked a little worried.
There was a hint of concern in her eyes as she said softly,
"Don't forget, we're teammates. If something's bothering you, you can talk about it. We'll share the burden with you. Don't keep it all to yourself, okay, Naruto?"
"I know."
Naruto forced a weak smile.
"Sorry, I'm a little tired. I'm going to rest first."
Then, as if trying to escape, he left them behind with a thin, lonely back and headed straight to the rest room.
"Naruto."
Sasuke watched Naruto's retreating figure, opening her mouth to say something, but finally stopped.
She didn't know what exactly had happened to Naruto, nor did she understand what had occurred between him and that person after she lost contact with the outside world.
But a woman's sixth sense, her intuition, told her something very bad must have happened.
Usually, Naruto was loud and carefree, but ever since he woke up from his coma, it was like he had become a completely different person.
He often sat alone, lost in thought. Once, Sasuke happened to see in the eyes of that usually cheerful boy a deep sadness that wouldn't go away.
"Naruto, what's really going on?"
Sakura asked Sasuke belatedly.
"I think it has something to do with that guy."
Sasuke's face turned cold as she looked toward the platform on the second floor across from them, where the three from the Sound Village stood. Her sharp eyes held a hint of killing intent.
"Sound Village, just wait."
The Sound ninja team on the opposite platform felt the hostile gaze. When they saw it was Uchiha Sasuke, cold smiles appeared on their faces.
Hmph, who's settling scores with who?
You still think I can't beat you just because I couldn't beat that monster girl?
Perfect. We'll use the third round of the exam to take out Sasuke and Naruto and complete our lord's task.
Taking advantage of the Genin's rest, Mitarashi Anko quickly made her way to the Hokage's office.
Without waiting for the Anbu report, she rushed straight inside.
"Hokage-sama, there's an urgent matter!"
The Third Hokage tapped his pipe, looking like a kind old grandfather, his face gentle with a warm smile.
"Ah, it's Mitarashi Anko. What happened? Why are you in such a hurry?"
"Just now, Kakashi's team encountered a ninja in the Forest of Death. It's suspected—"
Anko paused, her eyes filled with hatred as she gritted her teeth.
"Suspected to be an S-rank rogue ninja… Orochimaru!"
"Oh? Are you sure?"
At those words, the Third Hokage's expression grew serious.
Anko hesitated for half a second. Maybe it was her imagination, but in the Hokage's eyes, she thought she saw a flash of violent rage.
"What is it, Anko?"
The Third Hokage's gentle voice carried a hint of concern.
"I know about your connection with Orochimaru. If you're too tired, you should rest."
Anko shook her head, trying to shake off the strange feeling inside her.
"No, Hokage-sama, I'm fine. Please don't say that. According to Naruto and Sasuke's intel, the opponent used techniques like Hidden Shadow Snake Hands and the Ten Thousand Snake Formation. It's definitely Orochimaru, the S-rank rogue ninja."
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The Third Hokage was silent. His pipe tapped rhythmically on the table.
After a moment, the old man's expression changed from calm to sorrowful.
"It's all my fault. If I hadn't been so lenient back then, Orochimaru wouldn't have escaped."
"Hokage-sama, please don't blame yourself. That wasn't your fault."
Anko looked at the respected elder before her, feeling a bit of pity.
"This sudden appearance of Orochimaru must mean he has some hidden scheme. I suggest sending the Anbu to patrol immediately and track him down. This time, we cannot let him escape!"
"Thank you for your hard work, Anko."
The Third Hokage forced a smile and nodded.
"Do as you say. But be careful. This Chunin exam concerns the alliance of many countries, so we must not make a big show of it."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
Mitarashi Anko spoke seriously, "I will deliver your orders to the Anbu right away."
"Hmm, go ahead. Thank you for your hard work."
The Third Hokage smiled kindly as he watched Mitarashi Anko leave.
Then suddenly, his expression twisted into something terrifying, his eyes filled with a chilling, violent rage. It was as if he had become someone else. A hoarse laugh escaped his lips.
"Finally, you can't hold back anymore? The Twilight Hermit Order, hehehe... Too bad. No matter how hard you try, you'll only be stepping stones for me!"
With that, the Third Hokage raised his hand and tore off the skin on his face, revealing a pale, lifeless visage underneath.
If Black Zetsu were here, he would immediately recognize it—this was the tool created by Kaguya using God Tree: White Zetsu.
However, this "White Zetsu" was not the same as the original.
White Zetsu sneered and glanced toward a shadow beside him. "What's the situation with Uesugi Koeru? Found any evidence?"
A figure like thick, sticky shadow emerged from the corner, wearing an Anbu mask. In a low voice, it said, "Everything is normal. Nothing suspicious."
"Everything normal," White Zetsu repeated, his eyes showing some doubt as he muttered to himself, "Could it be that I'm overthinking?"
No, that's not right!
There must be something it missed!
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