Unlike in later years, Konohagakure at this time wasn't too strict about the Chunin exams, and there was only one exam a year, held at the beginning of the year. Orochimaru had recently taken this year's Chunin exams and successfully passed, making him eligible to become a Chunin.
Because of the very tense relationships between the Five Great Nations and the fact that the war had just ended, the Chunin exam system of later years did not exist yet. There were no joint exams where shinobi from various countries came to participate.
Each village was completely isolated and held its own exams, which, to a certain extent, prevented the leakage of information.
In fact, both systems had their pros and cons. The isolated system at this time could largely prevent the loss of information, making it difficult for other countries to know what to look out for in the newly promoted shinobi and rookies, or if there were any geniuses that needed to be eliminated in a timely manner.
The joint Chunin exams that would emerge during the long period of peace in the future served as a stage for countries to showcase their important forces. Although it would result in a lot of information being leaked, it could also be used to deter other countries, which was very valuable and meaningful in preventing the outbreak of war.
Of course, to be promoted to Chunin or even Jonin at this time, you didn't have to take an exam. You could also take a shortcut like Hibari. Although he had never participated in an exam, wasn't he still a Jonin of Konohagakure?
It just required sufficient merit and contributions to prove that you were indeed capable.
Hearing that Orochimaru had passed the Chunin exams, Hiruzen's expression was slightly surprised, but then he felt that it was a matter of course. In every aspect, Orochimaru had no reason not to pass. In terms of talent, he had it. In terms of intelligence, he had it. In terms of strength, he was strong enough to become a Chunin. In terms of background, even though he was a shinobi of commoner birth, his current teacher was none other than the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. Therefore, Orochimaru could now be considered a direct subordinate of the Hokage.
Not only that, but there were also some 'secrets' that had been circulating in the village for a long time. Perhaps because Orochimaru never had to pay for books, everyone knew that the most promising young master of the Senju clan, Senju Hibari, greatly valued and recognized Orochimaru, a civilian shinobi.
He had been subsidizing Orochimaru's studies since he was a child and had even personally arranged for him to be introduced to the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, as his disciple.
So even though Orochimaru seemed like a civilian shinobi at the moment, the people backing him were very powerful. First, he had the Third Hokage as his teacher, and then there was Senju Hibari, the most likely person to take power in the Senju clan in the future. On top of that, Orochimaru himself was also very talented. Who would dare to provoke him in the village?
So as long as he met the requirements for his position, he would never be deliberately held back from being promoted as long as he was in Konohagakure!
"You passed the exam? That's really great news," Hiruzen said with a satisfied smile.
Orochimaru also nodded slightly, as if he agreed.
Then both of them fell silent, making the atmosphere a bit awkward. But soon, Orochimaru spoke again.
"Third Hokage-sensei, has that idiot Jiraiya still not been found? Also, Tsunade's name should have been on the list for this Chunin exam, but I didn't see her at the exam site, and she's not on the list of those who passed. Why is that?" Orochimaru asked softly.
Although Orochimaru seemed cold at this time, he was actually very concerned about his comrades. He hadn't yet gone down the path of 'Orochi-unparalleled' solitude.
So he was still concerned about the two friends he could call his 'comrades.'
Hiruzen heard Orochimaru's questions and said helplessly, "That guy Jiraiya still hasn't been found, but I have a guess, so you don't have to worry about him. As for Tsunade... it seems she's sulking because I keep giving her D-rank missions. Although her name was on the list for this Chunin exam, she just gave up and left the Land of Fire to go find her brother, Hibari, in the Land of Hot Water..."
When Orochimaru heard this news, he didn't know what to say. Not a single one of his two comrades was normal. One was always causing all sorts of weird trouble and managed to get himself lost, just disappearing.
The other was from Konohagakure's biggest prestigious clan. Although she didn't have the temperament or arrogance of a noble lady, she was also not a person to be trifled with. The Chunin exams, such a serious matter, she just decided not to take. In the blink of an eye, not even the Land of Fire could 'contain' her. She had been wronged a little, and she just 'went abroad for a change of scenery.' It made him speechless.
After a long time, Orochimaru murmured softly, "Two idiots..."
Hiruzen, hearing Orochimaru say something like this, didn't think it was a bad thing at all. Instead, he smiled. He had always been worried that Orochimaru's personality was too solitary and that he might not be able to integrate into the village, or even go down a wrong path.
But it now seemed that this kid was the type of person who was cold on the outside but warm on the inside. On the surface, he looked like he didn't care about anything and was cold to everyone, but think about it: after he got his Chunin rank, the first thing he did was come and report it to him, which was a way of sharing the good news. This showed that he, as a teacher, still held some importance in his heart.
Then he asked about his two friends. It seemed that even though Orochimaru was solitary and cold, he still cared a lot about the people around him. This was a good sign. As long as there were signs like this, Hiruzen could feel a little more at ease.
Hiruzen smiled and asked, "Orochimaru, you're officially a Chunin now, so you can start taking on more difficult missions. Are you interested?"
Hiruzen thought that since Orochimaru had just gotten his Chunin rank, he would be happy to accept a mission he was given. After all, most people were like that; after they achieved something, they couldn't wait to 'show off' a little.
However, Orochimaru was no ordinary person. After hearing Hiruzen's question, he shook his head without hesitation and said, "Third Hokage-sensei, I plan to temporarily stop taking missions for a while to do something that I've been interested in but haven't had time to do."
Although Orochimaru had refused, Hiruzen wasn't angry. Instead, he asked with some curiosity, "What is it?"
"Tsunade has already signed a summoning contract with the slug that has been passed down through the Senju clan. Although Jiraiya has gone somewhere unknown, since it's related to the summoning jutsu, I assume he will also make some progress in that area when he returns. I don't have a suitable summoning animal yet, so I plan to go look for one..." Orochimaru said softly.
Hiruzen raised an eyebrow, then asked, "Do you already have a target?"
Orochimaru nodded, then didn't hide anything and said directly, "After Tsunade got the slug, I also learned some secrets from her. The slug is not an ordinary summoning animal; it comes from one of the Three Great Sage Regions, Shikkotsu Forest, and it's a very unique summoning animal. The other two, which are as famous as Shikkotsu Forest, are Mount Myōboku, and the other is..."
"Ryūchi Cave... right?" Hiruzen's expression became a little serious as he finished Orochimaru's sentence.
Orochimaru's eyes lit up, and he looked at Hiruzen, saying, "Third Hokage-sensei, do you know anything about Ryūchi Cave? I heard that Ryūchi Cave is where the snakes are, and if I'm going to have a summoning animal, I would prefer them and want to form a summoning contract with them..."
Hearing Orochimaru's question, Hiruzen shook his head with some regret, then said, "I do know about the Three Great Sage Regions, but that's the extent of it. I can say that I know nothing about Ryūchi Cave. So it's impossible for you to get any information from me. But no matter what, based on various vague records, Ryūchi Cave is a very dangerous place. That's why there's no information about it, because even if someone found Ryūchi Cave, they wouldn't be able to come back. So, Orochimaru, you need to think this through. As your teacher, it's hard for me to agree to you leaving Konohagakure to look for Ryūchi Cave..."
As soon as Hiruzen finished speaking, Orochimaru frowned slightly, then said, "Third Hokage-sensei, I'll be careful..."
"This is not something you can just pass off by saying you'll be careful, Orochimaru. You are my most valued student, and you have an incredibly broad future. So before you truly grow up, I hope you can stay safe... That is my expectation of you as your teacher, do you understand?" Hiruzen said softly, looking at Orochimaru's vertical pupils.
Orochimaru seemed to feel this concern. He didn't stubbornly insist that he would go no matter what. If this were Jiraiya, he would definitely say that, but Orochimaru wouldn't, because he knew it was pointless and not as practical as just sneaking away.
Although he didn't say that he would definitely go, he still looked at Hiruzen with some reluctance and asked, "Sensei... isn't there any other way? I really want to find Ryūchi Cave..."
Looking at Orochimaru's unwillingness to give up and the rare look of reluctance on his face, Hiruzen, being a sentimental person, finally softened a little.
After a long time and some thought, he said, "There is a flexible solution. If there is a trustworthy person whose strength is sufficient to ensure your safety and is willing to go with you to Ryūchi Cave, then I can let you go."
Orochimaru was stunned to hear this. Although he had some backing, he was still a commoner. Where could he find a master to personally protect him and do something that they didn't even know would have a result? After all, you can't just find Ryūchi Cave just by looking for it, can you?
So Orochimaru looked at Hiruzen again and asked, "Third Hokage-sensei, can you come with me?"
Hiruzen gave a helpless smile, then said, "As the Third Hokage, I can't leave Konohagakure on a whim unless there's a major reason. So... although I'd really like to go with you, I'm afraid I can't..."
Orochimaru nodded in understanding, but his eyes were filled with disappointment. Then he said, "Then there probably isn't anyone who meets that condition..."
Just then, Hiruzen smiled and said, "No, there might be a guy who's doing some weird things who would be interested in this. If I remember correctly, he originally planned to find some time to look for Ryūchi Cave... If you can convince him, I'll agree to let you go look for it..."
Orochimaru's eyes lit up, and he asked, "Third Hokage-sensei, who is that person? No matter who it is, I'm willing to try!"
"Don't worry, it's not a stranger. It's that kid, Hibari. It's just that he's not in the Land of Fire right now. If you want to find him, you'll have to go to the Land of Hot Water..." Hiruzen said with a smile.
Orochimaru murmured softly, "So it's Hibari-aniki?"
After a slight pause, Orochimaru looked up at Hiruzen and said softly, "Third Hokage-sensei, I'm preparing to go to the Land of Hot Water now..."
"Go back and get ready first. There's a Mitsumine Group supply convoy heading to the Land of Hot Water tomorrow to find that kid Hibari. You can go with them. That way, you'll be safer." Hiruzen said with a soft nod.
Orochimaru finally had a faint smile on his face and said, "Yes, I understand. Thank you, Sensei."
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