Chapter 76: The Calm Before the Storm
The sun was high in the sky.
The seventh month's fire flowed, the blazing sun hung in the sky, scorching and fierce.
The final round of the Chunin Exams was in full swing, with one climax after another.
The possible attack from Orochimaru was also drawing closer and closer. The war beast that was Konoha seemed to have smelled the scent of battle. It was on full alert, its eyes narrowed, quietly gathering its strength, waiting only for the invaders to appear before it would fiercely strike back!
On the walls of Konoha, Chunin and Jonin had formed squads, stationed at various nodes, on vigilant alert, forming a tight defensive line.
The Byakugan ninja of the Hyuga clan and the sensory-type ninja were scattered like stars at various key nodes. Their alert range could reach several kilometers, intertwining with each other to form a net, an impenetrable cordon.
And behind this cordon was a defensive network constructed with secret jutsu ninja as the bones, Jonin combat power as the muscle, supplemented by a large number of ordinary Chunin and Tokubetsu Jonin to fill the seven types.
Paired with the defensive barrier that surrounded the entire village, it could be said to be a vast net from which nothing could escape.
If an ordinary Kage-level ninja dared to rush in rashly, they would probably be like an insect that had fallen into a spider's web, bound at every turn, struggling in vain to escape, and ultimately ending up being captured alive.
The foundation of the head of the Five Great Ninja Villages was on full display here.
Even in the years when the Sannin were absent and Konoha had no other Kage-level powerhouses besides the aging Third, the other ninja villages still did not dare to lightly stroke the tiger's whiskers. This was also an important reason.
For the older generation of Konoha ninja, they had not seen such a heavily guarded Konoha in many years.
Even in the several brutal world wars, even against the ninja most skilled in surprise attacks, the Konoha in its prime had rarely seen its heartland attacked.
Only when the front lines were tight and the rear was extremely empty had some petty villains attempted a thousand-mile surprise attack on Konoha's core. And without exception, their conspiracies had been easily crushed by the Third Hokage, who was holding down the fort in Konoha, and the complete defensive system.
The Konoha of that time was lush with branches and leaves, its soldiers strong and its horses sturdy, flourishing day by day.
The Konoha of this time was old, weak, with women and children, in a generational slump, on a steady decline.
Its past glorious reputation was now just a paper coat wrapped around it, golden on the outside but rotten on the inside.
So much so that, in the face of a mere Kage-level rogue ninja, it had no choice but to shrink its defensive line, turtle up within Konoha, and rely on the advantage of the terrain to resist.
However, even the veteran ninja had no idea how effective this would be.
Orochimaru was different from other invading enemies. He had once been a Kage-level powerhouse in the village and had been exposed to many of Konoha's secrets. He was crystal clear about what weaknesses and loopholes the Konoha defense system had.
It's easy to block an outside ghost, but hard to guard against a thief from within. That was the saying.
Gai thought this to himself as he led his team on patrol.
Although his appearance was boorish, it didn't mean he didn't understand anything or couldn't think. As an elite Jonin, he was certainly not a brainless, muscle-headed ninja, although many people thought so.
He just had a somewhat unconventional way of doing things.
After Kakashi had gone to the Chunin Exams venue, he had single-handedly led two Anbu squads to continue the patrol mission of checking for and plugging any gaps.
Although Konoha's defense system was said to be complete, against Orochimaru, who was familiar with this system, he dared not guarantee that it was foolproof. So he had to rack his brain to think about where there might be potential loopholes, where the hidden dangers were, and check them one by one.
Passing by a tall tower, he looked back at the Anbu members who were beginning to pant slightly and took the lead in leaping to the top of the tower.
"Let's rest for a bit first."
Gai said, neither warm nor cold.
The view from the top of the tower was very good. Looking out, one could see past the high outer walls to the distant mountains. Looking back, the large and small buildings of Konoha were prostrated at their feet, and the Chunin Exams venue was vaguely visible.
The Anbu members followed closely behind.
They sat in a circle around the top of the tower, taking out high-energy food to replenish their stamina and eating it in small bites while looking out at the Konoha below.
The so-called rest time should have been a time for idle chat to relax the mind, to avoid the nerves from tensing to the point of numbness, and to prepare for the tense battle to come. But everyone had no desire to speak, and for a moment, all nine of them fell silent.
"Gai-senpai, what kind of person is Orochimaru?"
Just as they were resting in silence, a female ninja with long, flowing hair and a graceful figure suddenly asked. Her voice was melodious and pleasant, instantly attracting everyone's attention.
Orochimaru...
Gai was silent. It was a long while before he answered, "He was once the disciple of the Third Hokage, a ninja who was called one of the Sannin along with Jiraiya and Tsunade. Later, he defected from Konoha..."
Why Orochimaru had defected was something that was difficult for Gai to explain clearly.
It probably had to start from the succession of the Fourth Hokage.
Back then, seeing that the Sannin and the new generation of ninja had grown up, Sarutobi had intended to retreat to the second line and hand over power to the young people. This decision, it had to be said, had the great courage of a Shinobi God; he could pick it up and put it down.
At that time, among the most prestigious candidates to become the next Hokage, the Sannin had the greatest hope. However, Tsunade's hemophobia had never been cured, and Jiraiya was too carefree and lacked the sense of responsibility to be Hokage; he himself did not want to do it. The person Sarutobi had favored the most at that time was Orochimaru.
Contrary to his wishes, it was revealed that Orochimaru was collaborating with Danzo to develop forbidden jutsu and had harmed many innocent villagers for this purpose. The Third Hokage was grieved to discover that Orochimaru actually held a philosophy completely opposite to his own. He had instantly gone from being the successor of the Third's political line to an opponent and had committed heinous crimes.
Master and disciple had turned against each other overnight.
On the eve of stepping down from the heavy burden of the Hokage position, Sarutobi had led a team to raid Orochimaru's secret laboratory. He should have executed him on the spot to punish him for his crimes and eliminate a hidden danger for Konoha. But when it was time to strike, his heart had softened for a moment, and he had only expelled him from the village.
After that, he had passed the position of Hokage to the next generation, Namikaze Minato, Jiraiya's disciple, Kakashi's teacher, a young man whose reputation was at its peak.
"In short, since then, Orochimaru has held a grudge against the Third Hokage and Konoha..."
Gai said in a deep voice.
"So he's here for revenge?" another Anbu member asked.
"Eighty percent likely. Perhaps he also wants to take the opportunity to snatch the treasures that Konoha has collected..."
The so-called treasure was an allusion to Sasuke, but Gai did not say it explicitly. There was really no need to say more.
He let the uninformed Anbu members misunderstand it as the various forbidden and secret jutsu that Konoha had preserved.
Gai did not want to say more, so someone else changed the topic. "Why did he only come for revenge now?"
For a moment, no one answered.
The reason Orochimaru chose this time for revenge was naturally because Konoha's strength had fallen to a low point, so much so that even the Sand Village had seen the signs and was stirring restlessly.
However, this was a rather awkward topic: since the Fourth's sacrifice and the Sannin's departure, in the vast Konoha, in over ten years, no new Kage-level ninja had been born. It had actually let an old man, long retired and in his twilight years, stand at the forefront.
In this sense, the Chunin and Jonin present, every single one of them, belonged to the disappointing group.
Thus, the atmosphere suddenly became awkward.
The person who had spoken, seeing that he had said the wrong thing, quickly changed the subject with a dry laugh. "Speaking of which, the rookies participating in the exam this year are all very strong!"
"Hn, Gai-senpai's subordinates are all very strong. Lee and Neji already have Chunin-level strength!" the woman with the long black hair from before picked up the topic.
Mentioning his disciples, Gai's mood also lightened a lot.
Tsunade had already returned to the village, so there was hope for Lee's injuries to be healed. And Neji had also opened his heart and had become much more cheerful recently, not as gloomy as in the past. This also lifted two stones from his heart.
Although he was a little disappointed that neither Lee nor Neji had advanced to the third round of the exam.
Now that the topic had come to this, the atmosphere became lively again. The strength of these two classes of rookies was indeed extraordinary. They were a very promising and hopeful generation.
So they talked about Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata, and others, and after going in a circle, the topic returned to Neji.
"Speaking of which, it's one thing for Lee to be eliminated by Gaara, but for Neji to actually be defeated by a girl, that's really unexpected!"
"No, no, no, that Haruno Sakura is also from Kakashi's team, the number one ninja in her graduating class. She must have some skill!"
"There are plenty of people with excellent academy grades but poor skills. And she's a kunoichi. I really can't imagine how she won."
"In any case, it wasn't by any secret jutsu. I know the Haruno family; they don't have that stuff."
"I've seen the recording of that match. She's really strong. She could fight on par with Neji with just taijutsu. It seems she's really grown. You guys who don't use Water Style might not understand, but that girl is a true genius!"
The Anbu who spoke emphasized the word "true."
These words were spoken with such certainty that the few who had been refuted were speechless.
If this Haruno Sakura's strength was not strong, then what did that make Neji who was defeated? If she was very strong, then this deviated from their usual common sense.
It was Gai who took over the topic. "No need to argue. I know all the students in Kakashi's team. Haruno Sakura is the strongest of the three of them. Neji's strength is not as good as hers, so it's normal for him to lose to her."
Gai knew very well that with Neji's growth rate, it would not be difficult for him to be promoted to Jonin in two or three years. However, Haruno Sakura could already be considered to have Jonin-level strength.
Without relying on a Kekkei Genkai, without needing a family's secret jutsu, this girl had walked step by step to her current strength entirely through her own efforts.
Unlike Naruto, Sasuke, Neji, and the others.
She was a true genius. A powerhouse who had surpassed the narrow confines of bloodlines and secret jutsu.
Right now, she's probably blooming with her own brilliance on the stage of the Chunin Exams!
Gai thought leisurely, looking at the exam venue in the distance.
But he saw a signal flare rise gracefully and explode in mid-air, scattering into a conspicuous firework.
The conversation came to an abrupt halt. Within a few short seconds, all the Anbu had packed up their things and were ready to go!
The attack... had begun!
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