Chapter 72

Without waiting for Naruto to stomp his feet in anger for too long, Hiruzen, who had arrived late, came here accompanied by a large number of ANBU members, as well as a medical team.

Upon arrival, they saw that Naruto hadn't transformed into the Nine-Tails and both Hiruzen and Yamato, who came let out a sigh of relief.

Then, they urgently treated Jiraiya before carrying him away.

Meanwhile, Hiruzen stayed behind to comfort Naruto, assuring him that he would continue to teach him once he felt better. He asked him to eat something and prepare for the afternoon exam.

Naruto didn't pay much attention to Hiruzen's words. He was consumed by his inner thoughts, wanting an explanation from Kaze.

After all, Jiraiya's interventions seemed ineffective; either he got seriously injured by Kaze or got sealed and nearly killed.

Frustrated by the fact that Jiraiya had turned him and Sasuke into frogs to mess around with them as young boys, Naruto seriously doubted Jiraiya's strength.

He even started to question the glorious achievements that the ANBU claimed Jiraiya had.

He even began to consider that Jiraiya might not be as strong as Kakashi or Asuma!

After calling out for Kaze for a while with no response, Naruto left the place feeling disgruntled.

With little time left, he quickly went to Ichiraku Ramen and had a simple bowl of deluxe ramen for lunch.

After finishing his meal, the afternoon arrived quickly. Naruto hurried to the location of the second exam.

"The Forest of Death."

Many candidates had already gathered there, standing in groups of two or three.

After briefly searching around, Naruto spotted Sasuke and Sakura standing in the crowd.

"Sasuke! Sakura! Over here!" He waved to them and ran excitedly towards his friends.

However, just as he reached them, he noticed Haku talking to Sasuke, with Karin standing behind him.

As soon as Naruto saw Haku's delicate face, his face blushed.

Although he knew Haku was a guy, Naruto couldn't stop his fluttering heart. After all, Haku's appearance resembled the beautiful noble women from his dreams!

"Naruto!" Sakura greeted him with a smile of relief. "Thank goodness you're finally here. The exam is about to start!"

"What happened? Did that perverted old man teach you anything useful at lunchtime?" she asked.

Naruto sighed and shook his head. "Don't even mention it. I feel like I was fooled. He said he'd release some unnecessary seals on me, but instead, he nearly killed me."

After explaining to Sakura, Naruto turned his attention to Sasuke and Haku with curiosity.

"What are you two talking about?"

Sasuke was unusually cold and merely glanced at Naruto without responding.

In contrast, Haku replied with a bright smile, "Nothing much, just inviting Sasuke-kun to visit our place. If you're interested, you can come find us after the exams. Our offer stands until the exams are over."

With a sweet smile toward Naruto, Haku then turned and left.

"Be careful about their offer!" Naruto warned Sasuke, but when he tried to ask Haku some questions, he noticed someone had suddenly appeared behind Haku.

Then, Thousand Needles slipped out from the cuff of his sleeve and went straight for the acupoints of the shadowy figure.

Swish!

Hiss!

The Thousand Needles that were thrust forth were evaded by the mysterious figure in an extremely twisted manner, performing movements beyond human limits, like a boneless creature.

Seeing the swift evasion, Haku knew the person was no ordinary Genin, so he stopped holding back. He violently rotated his wrist, propelling the Thousand Needles between his fingers at close range.

Shh-shh-shh-shh!

The four Thousand Needles made a piercing sound as they swiftly penetrated the person's chest.

But the next moment, the figure's body distorted irregularly again, even elongating slightly, and the head quickly extended to Haku's ear.

"I'm really sorry; I meant no harm. My money was blown behind you, and I wanted to retrieve it."

As the voice sounded, a tongue moistened with saliva appeared in front of Haku.

The tongue was like a snake's forked tongue, split into two halves. On one half were the four Thousand Needles, and on the other was a 200-ryo silver note.

"Such a long tongue!"

Naruto exclaimed in surprise upon seeing the tongue, and Sakura added, "And it's split, it's really disgusting!"

The conscious Kaze also paid attention to the situation and instantly recognized the person wearing the Grass Ninja headband.

"Orochimaru!"

"He killed a Grass Ninja examinee, disguised himself to participate in the exam to get close to Sasuke!"

"But what's the meaning of him contacting Haku? Is he interested in Haku's body?"

As for Orochimaru, Kaze had considered cooperating with him to confront Konoha.

Unfortunately, Orochimaru had too many methods, making it hard to control him properly. One wrong move, and he might bite back.

Moreover, he didn't plan to let Hiruzen Sarutobi die heroically as in the original plot.

So, in this Chunin Exam, he was bound to confront Orochimaru at some point. However, it would only be when Hiruzen was seriously injured and near death.

Regarding other matters, such as attacking Konoha, causing destruction, or creating chaos, he would have to lend Orochimaru a hand.

Of course, that was also why he arranged for Hidan, a bloodthirsty killer, to lead a team to come here.

"Getting too close to pick up money...? If there's a next time, I won't show any mercy."

Haku frowned, halting the completed hand seals of his ninjutsu.

A chilling sensation enveloped the two, causing a layer of ice to form on Orochimaru's long hair.

"Understood understood. I'm really sorry," Orochimaru replied with a sinister smile, then turned and went back to where he was standing before.

Although he wore a smile on his face, he couldn't hide the joy in his heart.

"The Yuki Clan's Ice Release, I'm truly fortunate!"

"And he doesn't have any illnesses, possesses a powerful physique, and remarkable talent; he's even more suitable as a vessel than Kimimaro!"

"If I can't get Sasuke this time, this Four Stars Village's Yuki clan member would be an excellent transitional choice!"

"Moreover, there's that little girl from the Uzumaki Clan next to him; this little village is truly not bad at all."

As for the newly established Four Stars Village, Orochimaru didn't care at all.

It was just a small village with not even the power of a Shadow-level, let alone Elite Jonin!

As in the past, when the time comes, he'll use some means to coerce them.

The Four Stars Village will have to hand over the Yuki Clan and Uzumaki Clan members to him obediently.

***

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