Chapter 16: The Second Round of the Chunin Exams

Naruto was ecstatic.

After Mukaze put down his luggage, he followed Naruto to Ichiraku Ramen and enjoyed a bowl of ramen.

Mukaze: "Naruto, I really appreciate your help today."

Naruto: "Uncle, can you sell me a couple more sets of ninja tools?"

Mukaze: "I have a limited supply."

Naruto: "I want to buy a set for my classmates, Sasuke and Sakura, too."

Mukaze: "Alright, I'll make an exception for you."

Mukaze nodded in agreement.

Naruto was overjoyed.

"Thank you so much, Uncle."

He thought about giving the ninja tools from Uncle to Sasuke and Sakura tomorrow. They would surely be very happy.

...…

Before entering the Forest of Death.

Ninjas from Konoha Village, Suna Village, Amegakure Village, Kusagakure Village, Otogakure Village, and other villages gathered together.

The chief examiner, Mitarashi Anko, explained the rules of the second round of the Chunin Exams to them.

"The team that gathers both Heaven and Earth scrolls and reaches the Forest Tower within the designated time will qualify for the next round."

Meanwhile, Naruto handed the shuriken he bought from Mukaze to Sasuke and Sakura.

"Here, this is for you guys."

Sakura asked, "Why are you giving us a shuriken?"

Naruto proudly replied, "This is an incredibly powerful ninja tool."

Naruto took Mukaze's shuriken and compared it to the standard shuriken from the village, and the village's shuriken broke.

Sasuke and Sakura were overjoyed.

Who wouldn't be happy with a powerful weapon?

Their actions caught the attention of others.

Uninformed ninjas were surprised by the power of Naruto's shuriken.

Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari were pleased.

Teacher Mukaze arrived.

Orochimaru licked his lips.

"So, where is that stupid guy's ninja tool?"

Little did he know that this ninja tool would bring him trouble.

"Begin."

With a shout from Mitarashi Anko, the iron gate of the Forest of Death opened, and the lower-ranked ninjas from each village rushed in.

A fierce battle was about to unfold.

.....

During their exams, Mukaze set up a stall in the village selling ninja tools, carrying a box on his back.

"Selling ninja tools here!"

"High-quality ninja tools at affordable prices."

He acted like a diligent merchant.

By noon, he would close his stall to have lunch or go to an izakaya for a drink. He would chat with people about ninja tools, asking about the status of the ninja tool industry and sales figures.

After a few days, the ANBU responsible for monitoring him lost interest. The report sent to the intelligence department stated, "Kazemoku, an ordinary ninja tool merchant from the Wind Country."

A ninja tool merchant coming to the village was indeed suspicious, so the ANBU secretly investigated him.

However, no matter how they investigated or for how long, Mukaze would not show any behavior that was different from that of a ninja tool merchant until Orochimaru and Hiruzen Sarutobi took action.

As long as Orochimaru followed his plan, he would achieve the desired results of Mukaze. There was no need to alert him prematurely.

Mukaze genuinely wanted to investigate the ninja tool industry in Konoha. Thanks to the general lack of importance placed on ninja tools in the village, Mukaze's investigation went smoothly.

This was also related to the weakness of ordinary ninja tools in the face of ninjutsu. Take the first enemy encountered by Gaara in the Forest of Death as an example: Amegakure ninja Shiore.

Her ninjutsu, "Amegakure Style: Rain of a Thousand Blades," involved throwing her oil umbrella into the air, causing countless blades to rain down on her opponents.

However, even though the blades attacked Gaara, they couldn't break through his sand shield, and he defeated her easily. This demonstrated that ninja tools, especially high-end ones, were not given much importance.

However, if Shiore had used Mukaze's ninja tools, then Gaara would have had to take it seriously.

Inside the Forest of Death, the Chunin Exams were in full swing. Gaara naturally broke the record for the second round of the exams with an unstoppable force. Orochimaru happily placed the Curse Mark of Heaven on Sasuke's neck, achieving his goal.

The only unhappy ones were Naruto and Sasuke. The sharpness of their shuriken was evident when they accidentally stabbed and killed the summoned snake. It almost cost them their dignity.

"Hmph, stupid idiot. I'll finish you off next time," Orochimaru muttered as his forked snake-like tongue extended from the shadows.

Meanwhile, Mukaze was at the izakaya, enjoying a drink with his newfound friends.

"Haha, Jiraiya, is what you said true?" Mukaze asked.

Jiraiya replied, "Of course, Kazemoku, my old buddy. I've been to various countries in the ninja world, and the women in the Wind Country have the tightest and smoothest skin."

Jiraiya then took out a book titled "Paradise of Intimacy."

"Here, buddy, this is a book I wrote. Take a look, and you'll see that I never lie."

Mukaze pretended to be surprised.

"Oh, I didn't expect it, old buddy. You're an author," Mukaze said.

Jiraiya replied, "I traveled the world as a great literary figure in order to write the best-selling novels."

Mukaze laughed and said, "Haha, well, I traveled the world as a great ninja tool maker to create the best-selling ninja tools."

The two of them leaned against each other and laughed heartily. With one having white long hair and the other being a black-skinned giant, they attracted a lot of attention like a dynamic duo.

The people nearby scorned their ideals, considering them to be daydreaming.

Jiraiya's cheeks turned slightly red from drinking.

"Come on, Kazemoku, I'll take you to a great place."

Mukaze asked, "Where are we going?"

Jiraiya winked and made a suggestive expression.

"To a hot spring."

"Let's go."