73.War?

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One night passed.

The sky gradually brightened.

In the early morning, sunlight pierced through the thick fog in the forest, as if awakening the vitality of the woods.

The leaves were adorned with glistening dewdrops. The continuous rain from the past few days had brought abundant water to the Forest of Death, nourishing all living beings within.

A rustling sound emanated from a thicket.

"Hiss..."

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a brilliantly colored snake twisting and slithering on the ground.

At this moment, it slightly raised its body, fixating its gaze on a motionless poison frog in front of it, occasionally flicking its tongue.

The poison frog also stared back at the snake with its large eyes, and the two creatures confronted each other.

Both animals, rare venomous beasts, were seldom seen in the Forest of Death. Their venom was extremely potent, and even a high-level shinobi could lose their life if bitten by these venomous creatures.

"Pat! Pat!"...

Not far away, the sound of leisurely footsteps gradually approached!

Sensing something, both venomous creatures turned their heads towards the direction of the sound. As the footsteps drew closer, the two creatures exchanged a glance before fleeing in opposite directions.

The grass was gently brushed aside.

"Thud!" A sound.

A young figure stood there, his pale skin and narrow eyes giving him an eerie appearance, devoid of any expression on his face.

Only when he noticed the spot where the two venomous creatures had been did he pause for a moment, but he didn't pay it much mind. It was as if even in the Forest of Death, where hardly any creature dared to approach him, animals possessed a subtle perception and chose to steer clear of death.

Orochimaru lightly raised his head, looking towards the towering tower ahead, his eyes showing a hint of complexity. Then, as if realizing something, he continued walking forward.

"This is just the first step... embarking on this path... I must find... eternal life."

His murmured words drifted away on the breeze, disappearing into the air.

As Orochimaru approached the tower, he walked silently.

Suddenly!

He halted his steps, his gaze turning slightly cold as he turned his head to the side and looked behind him.

"Oh, ha-ha! You've caught on, Orochimaru. Your senses are still as sharp as ever."

A cheerful voice sounded first, followed by the emergence of Dan Kato's figure from the shadows of the trees.

Upon seeing Dan Kato, Orochimaru's expression improved slightly, as they were quite familiar with each other.

"It's you, Dan Kato. Did you arrive early?" Orochimaru asked in a soft voice.

Dan Kato shook his head, replying with a hint of helplessness.

"I just arrived as well. But it seems like there's no one else here besides us. It's strange. Considering Sōsuke's abilities, I don't think it should have taken him this long."

Pausing for a moment, Dan Kato looked up, a glint of determination flashing in his eyes.

"Could it be that something happened to the others?"

Hearing this, Orochimaru's expression also grew slightly serious.

......

At the location where Sōsuke and the others were.

By morning, everyone had awakened.

Even the severely injured individuals like Aburame Toya and Inuzuka Fuji had recovered to some extent with the assistance of the arriving Konoha shinobi.

Everyone remained here, not daring to leave recklessly.

They were waiting for ANBU to arrive and confirm whether there were any other enemy ninjas involved in the attack and to determine if the Chunin Exams would continue.

After experiencing such an event, the fragile peace in Konoha, which had been maintained for a short while, might be shattered. In comparison, the Chunin Exams seemed trivial.

Taking advantage of yesterday's time, Sōsuke, with his extensive knowledge, explained to Dai and the other Konoha shinobi about the speculated bloodline abilities of Chigui and Ameyuri and their fighting styles.

His clear and logical approach to combat made everyone in Konoha have sudden realizations. Recalling Sōsuke's battle scenes, they couldn't help but deeply admire him.

A person worthy of admiration doesn't necessarily possess remarkable strength, but a wise mind can easily win hearts.

As everyone gathered together...

Sōsuke seemed to sense something, gently raising his head and glancing in a certain direction.

"Swish!" "Swish!"...

Several figures appeared on the scene.

"Lord Dan Kato, you've been waiting for a while. This is a mission from the Hokage."

A masked ANBU member spoke in a deep voice.

Finally receiving news from the village, Dan Kato quickly opened the letter and read its contents.

After a brief scan, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, but then relaxed, and he destroyed the letter.

Every subtle expression on his face was observed by Sōsuke, who couldn't help but wonder.

What's the problem... to make even the proctor find it challenging... could there be other enemies hidden among us...

Sōsuke carefully recalled his conversation with Chigui and Ameyuri and shook his head, denying that possibility.

It shouldn't be... could it be because the war is about to begin...

As it turned out later, Sōsuke's guess was wrong. The war hadn't started, but the actual outcome might have been even more infuriating.

"I have seen the mission. Please return and report to the Third Hokage. I will organize everyone and ensure the continuation of the Chunin Exams," Dan Kato said in a grave tone.

"Understood!"

With a simple response, the ANBU member disappeared from the scene with a swish.

After the ANBU member left, Dan Kato composed himself, put on a smile, and kindly addressed everyone.

"After careful discussion, since the crisis has been averted, the village has decided to proceed with the Chunin Exams!"

"Moreover, all of you have made significant contributions to the village in this matter. I declare that everyone present has passed the second round of the exam! I will arrange for someone to escort you to the tower for the third round of the exam."

"Yeah!"

Upon hearing this news, everyone present was overjoyed!

They were glad that nothing major had happened, and their exams could continue without being invalidated.

Only Sōsuke, with a slight glance at Dan Kato's smiling face, seemed to understand something.

....

Three hours ago.

Konoha's office.

"Hokage-sama, the results of the interrogation are out. It can be proven that they are from Amegakure!"

"The deceased ninja is named Ameyuri, recorded as a Jonin who previously served as the captain of Amegakure's special operations team. He possessed a bloodline ability related to liquefaction."

"The other individual, Chigui, has an unknown identity. However, based on certain physical characteristics, it can be deduced that he is also from Amegakure. We couldn't gather much information from him."

"As for probing his mind, it appears that he had blood manipulation abilities. He ambushed one of our members and then took his own life."

A member of the Interrogation Division reported to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

"Hmm... I see..."

Hiruzen took a deep breath of smoke and exhaled it.

"You may leave."

"Yes!"

After Hiruzen finished speaking, the interrogator left the room.

At this moment, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane wore troubled expressions as they looked at Hiruzen.

"What should we do, Sandaime? Are we just going to let Amegakure get away with this?" Koharu Utatane's face showed anger.

"We have no other choice. Do you want to break this peace? Look at our village, look at the lives of our villagers. Do you want to destroy all of that?" Homura Mitokado argued.

Hiruzen lit his pipe again, looking at the sleeping villagers outside the window, his expression filled with complexity.

In the end, a glimmer of determination flickered in his eyes as he spoke in a solemn voice.

"Dispose of the two bodies. The Chunin Exams will continue. Konoha... must not engage in war anymore."

After he finished speaking, Hiruzen seemed to slump, his entire body appearing shorter.

Despite being in the prime of his life, he had to swallow his pride and turn a blind eye to Amegakure's actions for the stability of the village.

Upon hearing this, both Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane were momentarily stunned, gazing at the heavy figure.