Sasuke felt a stir in his heart but said nothing as he followed Kakashi out of the waiting room.
Naruto had already mentioned last night—before bringing him back to the Forest of Death—that Kakashi would come looking for him. Now that it had happened exactly as predicted, it meant Orochimaru was also watching from the shadows. He needed to follow the plan and pretend to refuse Kakashi's attempt to seal the curse mark on his shoulder.
"Why did Kakashi-sensei call Sasuke-kun out?" Sakura asked, turning to Naruto in confusion. "Didn't the examiner say we could rest for an hour before gathering on the first-floor arena?"
"No idea," Naruto replied flatly. He sat down, closed his eyes, and sent his consciousness straight into the Mirror World.
Just as they arrived at the central tower, Kurama had already told him there was good news.
"…Ah."
Sakura's expression stiffened. She suddenly felt that she really shouldn't have tried talking to Naruto just now.
Mount Myōboku
Fukasaku hopped into the grand hall where the Great Toad Sage lay sleeping.
"Great Elder, the White Snake Sage has arrived."
The Great Toad Sage didn't respond, still snoring loudly, seemingly fast asleep.
"Stop calling him."
An elderly woman with orange hair, dressed in a white robe, floated in. Her voice was slow and ethereal. "Gamamaru, I've already persuaded Katsuyu. However, her situation differs from ours. When the time comes, you and I will need to work together to break the barrier of Shikkotsu Forest. You should already have seen which day that will be."
Fukasaku frowned and leapt onto the stone platform beside the Great Toad Sage, about to speak—
When Gamamaru's tightly shut eyes suddenly opened.
"White Snake, you know we cannot peer into each other's domains," Gamamaru said slowly. "And this time is different from a thousand years ago. We have no retreat left."
"You should have noticed as well—everything related to that person's existence has fallen into complete chaos."
"What exactly is going on?" the old woman asked, floating above Gamamaru's head. She pulled out a pipe, lit it, and took a puff.
"Not only can I no longer see that person's future," she continued, "even their past has suddenly become blurred. If my proxy hadn't come into contact with another individual who deviated from their destined path, I would almost be unable to perceive that person's existence at all."
"The last time this happened… was only with those two brothers."
She paused. "Are you certain those two won't appear?"
"Before our plan is complete," Gamamaru replied, slowly sitting upright—to Fukasaku's shock—"they will have no opportunity to show themselves. They can only observe from the sidelines."
"My proxy has already returned to Konoha," he continued. "I believe he will soon complete his mission."
Central Tower – Third Floor
At the same time, Kakashi led Sasuke to a hidden chamber on the third floor of the central tower.
Inside, rows of towering stone pillars stretched into darkness. When they reached a structure resembling an altar, Kakashi suddenly turned around.
"You don't seem to be affected by the curse mark on your shoulder."
"So you noticed?" Sasuke lifted his head arrogantly. His eyes instantly turned crimson, and black curse markings rapidly spread across the left side of his face. His aura changed dramatically as he sneered. "This thing can't control me. On the contrary—it's greatly enhanced my strength."
Kakashi's pupils shrank.
Sasuke's left eye was already a three-tomoe Sharingan, and he was even able to draw on the power of Orochimaru's curse mark.
Anko—who bore the same curse mark—couldn't do anything like this.
I can't delay anymore.
Sasuke had clearly been influenced by Orochimaru.
"It seems this power has clouded your judgment," Kakashi said sternly. "Do you understand the consequences of long-term curse mark erosion?"
"I don't care about that," Sasuke replied. He deactivated his Sharingan as the markings rapidly faded. Staring at Kakashi with hatred-filled eyes, he said, "I'm an avenger. As long as I can kill that man, I'm willing to sacrifice everything."
"I'm going to seal the curse mark on your shoulder," Kakashi said firmly.
"I refuse."
Sasuke's gaze was cold. "This power was given to me by Orochimaru. I need it."
Kakashi's expression darkened. "Do you even know what Orochimaru is?"
"I don't care what he is."
Sasuke turned and walked toward the exit. Just before leaving, he paused.
"I know he must have his own designs on me. But as long as I can use this power, nothing else matters."
Kakashi watched his back. "Orochimaru is an S-rank missing-nin of Konoha. If you refuse to let me seal that curse mark, you won't just be forcibly removed from the Chūnin Exams' final stage—you'll also be detained by the village."
"The finals?" Sasuke stopped short. "You want to use me as bait to draw Orochimaru out."
"That's right," Kakashi said emotionlessly. "Because Orochimaru wants you, using you as bait is the most effective plan. Once we capture him, the curse mark can be dealt with."
Sasuke turned back, his tone heavy. "And what if I'm not important enough? What if you fail to catch him?"
"Then I suggest you give up your revenge," Kakashi replied calmly. "The village won't tolerate anyone connected to Orochimaru—unless you allow me to seal the curse mark and clearly cut ties with him."
"But rest assured," Kakashi added, "the Hokage has already deployed a plan to capture Orochimaru. And Jiraiya-sama returned last night. If you cooperate, the chances of success are very high."
Sasuke frowned and stepped closer. "Who is Jiraiya?"
Kakashi didn't answer immediately. He pulled out several kunai and marked positions around the altar. Only after confirming their placement did he say:
"Jiraiya-sama is a shinobi on the same level as Orochimaru."
Sasuke fell silent.
After a moment, he walked to the center of the altar and sat down.
At that instant, from behind one of the stone pillars, a thumb-thin black snake silently slithered into the shadows.
Moments later, it appeared inside the monitoring room on the first floor of the central tower.
Monitoring Room
Several examiners sat before electronic screens. The black snake immediately slid into the shadow of one examiner.
Clatter—
The door suddenly opened.
The Third Hokage entered, pipe in mouth, accompanied by an unfamiliar examiner.
"Hokage-sama!"
All the examiners stood at once.
The Third Hokage nodded. "How many passed the second exam?"
One examiner picked up a document. "Eighteen candidates confirmed to have passed. According to Chūnin Exam regulations, we will activate a test format that hasn't been used in five years."
Half an Hour Later
Inside Team 7's waiting room, Naruto had already exited the Mirror World. He was repeatedly organizing a thick stack of explosive tags, making Sakura—sitting opposite him—feel increasingly uneasy.
"Naruto," Kurama's voice suddenly echoed from within the seal, "you don't seem very happy. Didn't we just see from the Third Hokage's memories that Jiraiya would come to you on his own after the preliminaries?"
"Everything is going too smoothly," Naruto replied mentally.
"…What?" Kurama was even more confused.
"I said, it's going too smoothly."
Naruto stopped what he was doing and entered the seal space directly. "After hearing about me from the Third Hokage, Jiraiya has already disguised himself as an examiner and come to the central tower to observe me first."
Kurama blinked. "Isn't that normal?"
"On the surface, yes," Naruto said, shaking his head. "But think carefully. From earlier incidents, we already confirmed that the toads noticed my actions. The reason we couldn't locate Jiraiya before was definitely related to them."
"And now? Jiraiya suddenly returns at this moment—and it seems he hasn't received any information about me from Mount Myōboku."
Kurama's expression hardened. "You're saying they deliberately arranged his return now?"
"Exactly," Naruto nodded. "They told him nothing about me. That way, even if I control Jiraiya a few days from now, I still won't learn their intentions."
"And worse—we don't even know if they've already severed his contract."
"If they haven't…"
Kurama fell silent. After a moment, he said, "Then during the matches, why not try to extract his data?"
"We can try," Naruto replied.
Kurama suddenly grinned. "Naruto—do you think your opponent might be that stinking tanuki's jinchūriki?"
"Possible," Naruto chuckled. "But if it really is him, I'll have to withdraw early."
"That's boring!" Kurama snapped, closing his eyes and returning to the Mirror World.
Naruto shook his head and withdrew from the seal space as well—unaware that Kurama soon returned, along with the other three tailed beasts.
"This time, you lost the bet yourself, Kurama."
"Exactly. And honestly, you don't need to take it so seriously—I'll revive in half a year anyway."
"I told you. Until the finals, Naruto wouldn't go looking for Shukaku. But you just wouldn't believe it."
"Shut up!"
"…"
A few breaths later, the bodies of the three tailed beasts—excluding Kurama—had each grown to twice their previous size.
Naruto, oblivious to all this, returned his attention to organizing explosive tags. This time he finished quickly, then pulled out a thick stack of blank paper and began drawing on it.
Sakura froze—then felt a chill run down her spine. Memories of Kakashi's bell test resurfaced, and she suddenly felt a surge of pity for Naruto's future opponent.
Ten minutes later, the assembly time arrived.
Naruto stopped. Sasuke and Kakashi returned as well.
Preliminaries Arena
"I didn't expect Kabuto-senpai to pass the second exam too."
"Heh—surprised, Naruto?"
"I am. Didn't you say you failed the previous exams?"
"That's awkward… I failed the Forest of Death once, and the other times I barely made it halfway."
On the arena floor, the six teams that passed the second exam lined up according to the order they reached the central tower.
Team 7 had submitted their scrolls second-to-last. Kabuto's team was the only one slower.
By coincidence, Naruto and Kabuto stood at the very back. Naruto immediately struck up a conversation, and Kabuto seemed happy to chat—though his gaze frequently drifted toward Sasuke at the front.
"Shikamaru," Chōji whispered, "Naruto seems to have made a new friend."
Shikamaru shook his head immediately. "He's not Naruto's friend."
Sasuke, standing nearby, glanced sideways. Studying Shikamaru more closely, he noticed that beneath the lazy exterior was unmistakable cunning.
"Hm?"
Noticing Sasuke looking at him, Shikamaru returned a puzzled glance.
At that moment, the Third Hokage and the examiners entered.
They stopped at a viewing platform in front of a massive stone arm shaped in the Ram hand seal. Some examiners stood behind the Hokage; others spread out to either side of the arena.
Once everyone was in place, Naruto nearly laughed.
Disguised as examiners, Jiraiya and Orochimaru were standing side by side.
Anko stepped forward.
"Congratulations on passing the second exam. Next, the Hokage himself will explain the third exam!"
She stepped aside.
"The third exam will now begin," the Third Hokage announced, stepping forward. "But before that, there is something you must understand."
"That is why this exam exists—and its true purpose."
As the Hokage spoke, Naruto's gaze drifted toward the far-left side of the lineup—where Hinata stood.
Hiashi never taught her how to control the Caged Bird Seal…
But Hinata has mastered Rotation and even the Eight Trigrams Guardian technique.
She might not lose to Neji… but if she reaches the finals…
Before the exams, Hiashi had contacted Naruto via a phantom projection technique, asking whether Hinata should withdraw.
Naruto had told him to ask Hinata herself.
Her response had been firm: since Naruto was participating, she wouldn't back down.
Later, Naruto suggested that Hiashi teach her how to control the Caged Bird Seal—just in case she faced Neji.
Hiashi refused, saying that even if they fought, Hinata would never use it against him.
If it were me, Naruto thought, I would.
On the platform, the Third Hokage finished speaking. Now a pale-faced Hayate Gekkō stepped forward to explain the preliminaries.
Minutes later—
"After hearing the rules," Hayate asked hoarsely, "does anyone wish to withdraw?"
"…Um."
All eyes turned.
Kabuto raised his hand. "I choose to withdraw."
Hayate checked his list. "Very well. You may leave."
"Yes."
Kabuto squinted at Naruto with a smile, then walked straight toward the exit.
The arena erupted into chatter.
On the platform, the Third Hokage glanced at Kabuto, then quietly gave instructions to Ibiki and Anko. He then looked back at Kakashi, who gave a slight nod.
"That leaves seventeen participants," Hayate said with a frown. "Which means we'll have eight matches. One person will receive a bye and advance directly."
"What?!"
"That's not fair!"
"If you got the bye, would you still say that?"
"But what if it's not me?!"
"Silence!"
Morino Ibiki stepped forward, his voice iron-hard. "For shinobi, luck is part of strength! And those whining about fairness—did you know someone passed the first exam by handing in a blank paper?"
Both the Third Hokage and Kakashi shook their heads. Ibiki's interrogation instincts were acting up again—but it worked. The arena fell silent.
"You may continue," Ibiki said, stepping back.
"The preliminaries will now begin," Hayate announced.
He nodded to Anko. She raised her hand, and the stone wall behind the platform slid open, revealing a massive electronic screen.
"Cough… remember—there are no rules in combat. If you don't want to die, surrender quickly."
The screen flickered.
Ding—
Uzumaki Naruto vs. Kenzō Tsurugi
Naruto turned toward Kiba—who had a dog perched on his head—and grinned.
"You were right," Naruto said. "Now I really do think this is unfair."
PS: I've been releasing chapters daily . Honestly, it hurts seeing almost no support on Patreon after all that work.If you're enjoying the fic, even a little, supporting me would mean a lot. It helps a student stay independent .
complete fic (all chapters ) are already up on Patreon →patreon.com/FinalArcHero789
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/FinalArcHero789