Chapter 618 : A Change in Plan!

The clone of the Nara Anbu ninja said, "The sun hasn't even set, why are you sleeping now? Anyway, this is no time to be sleeping. Something huge has happened. Suzuki Fujin defeated Orochimaru and forced him to retreat!"

Shikaku's eyes widened. While he rated Fujin very highly just like Hiruzen, he didn't expect to hear something like this.

In the Yamanaka clan compounds, Inoichi exclaimed aloud, "What did you say?"

In the Akimichi clan compounds, Choza said, "He defeated Orochimaru? That's incredible!"

In other places, Hiashi went silent. Tsume nearly interrogated the clone who reported the news. Shibi was shocked as well. A smile appeared on Senju Hiromasa's face as he muttered, "You have trained one hell of a shinobi, Renjiro."

Every single Clan Leader was shocked by the news. They quickly reevaluated Fujin. When they heard that Fujin killed Juzo, they accepted that Fujin was stronger than them. However, they believed that they could still face him in battle and keep him at bay. After all, Fujin could barely be considered a rank S ninja. Being at the Elite Jounin level, they could fight such ninjas to a standstill. With a combination like the Ino-Shika-Cho formation, defeating Fujin should have also been possible.

However, this news caught them off guard. Despite their abilities, none of the clan leaders wanted to face someone like Orochimaru. Even if they fought together, they wouldn't have much confidence in defeating Orochimaru. They would be happy if they managed to keep him at bay and avoid their deaths. Yet, such a formidable ninja was defeated by Fujin without any help!

Of course, there was a person who was even more shocked than the clan leaders. The tiger-masked Anbu ninja's clone snuck into the Root headquarters under disguise while avoiding the eyes of the Anbu squad Hiruzen had positioned to keep an eye on the Root headquarters.

He quickly reached Danzo's office and dispelled his disguise. Danzo looked at him and asked, "Why are you in such a panic?"

The clone said, "Lord Danzo, something incredible has happened in the Forest of Death. Orochimaru infiltrated the Forest of Death after the second phase of the Exam began. He and Suzuki Fujin fought an intense battle. In the end, Orochimaru was injured and escaped using the Reverse Summoning jutsu!"

Danzo's eye widened in shock! He exclaimed in disbelief, "That's impossible! How can someone like Orochimaru be defeated by a brat? Are you sure that this news is accurate? Did Hiruzen make up a lie?"

The clone answered, "I don't think it was a lie, Lord Danzo. Several ninjas saw a massive snake, something that only Orochimaru could summon. In addition, a few Hyugas saw the ending stages of the battle. They had no doubts that what they saw was true.

Lord Hokage arrived after the battle was over. He met with Suzuki Fujin alone and seems to have confirmed that he really defeated Orochimaru. He doesn't plan to suppress this news. By now, most of the clan leaders should have learnt about this battle."

Danzo's expression became grim. He thought, 'Could it really be true? Could Fujin be really at the same level as Orochimaru? Even I can't say for sure whether I'd be able to defeat him even with Shisui's eye.

Wait! Irrespective of whether he is at that level or not, Hiruzen is planning to spread this information… A 16-year-old ninja who can defeat a Sannin… His reputation will increase to the same level as Minato's! That damned Hiruzen!'

Danzo became angry. Despite all the restrictions imposed on him, he still wanted the Hokage's seat. After all, neither of the Sannins was interested in the seat. However, if Fujin gained too much fame, then he'd become the preferred choice as the Hokage. After all, Danzo was old and looked feeble, while Fujin was still very young and had a bright future ahead of him.

Everyone would want a young and heroic ninja leading them instead of someone who was long past his prime and hid in the darkness. Danzo quickly began thinking about tactics to pull down Fujin's reputation. He thought for a few minutes before a helpless expression appeared on his face.

Hiruzen had put too many restrictions on him. He had no room to make a move. Not to mention, Fujin was extremely well protected and didn't have any weaknesses for him to exploit. Whenever Danzo tried to make a move against him, it only came back to bite him in the ass! His current situation was a consequence of that as well.

In the academy, Asuma softly asked, "Kakashi, Guy, you two are close to him, right? Is he this powerful?"

Kakashi replied, "I have only been with him for a couple of missions. He is definitely strong, but I didn't think he was this strong. Guy should have a better idea since he spars with Fujin regularly."

Kakashi, Asuma and Kurenai looked at Guy. Guy said, "He is definitely very strong. He doesn't lose out to me even in Taijutsu. And, he can use Winds to improve his Taijutsu capabilities. Still, I didn't think he'd be able to defeat Orochimaru."

A wide grin appeared on Guy's face as he added loudly, "As expected of someone so youthful! In celebration of Fujin's victory, let's run 1000 laps around the village on our hands!"

Asuma and Kurenai immediately became embarrassed as the others in the room looked at them.

Hiruzen's clone ignored their antics and thought, 'Just looking at his expression, it is tough to say what is happening in Baki's head. Considering that Rasa's kids are participating, it's reasonable that he was worried. Similarly, Fujin defeating Orochimaru was a piece of shocking information. After all, they should have connected the dots by now.

The only thing that was off was how quickly he took control of his expression. It shows that he is indeed hiding something. But I can't say for sure whether he is scheming something with Orochimaru.'

Hiruzen's clone sighed internally. The situation was too sensitive to handle. He would have loved to capture Baki and read his memories secretly, but that would immediately break the alliance between the two villages and other villages wouldn't feel comfortable sending ninjas to Konoha for Chunin Exams and other purposes. From his perspective, the backlash would be far stronger than any benefits he would get even if he discovered their plans.

Meanwhile, Baki nervously thought, 'I need to inform Lord Rasa about this development. If Fujin is strong enough to defeat Orochimaru, then our preparations aren't good enough. We may need to call off the entire plan!'

Baki was already uncomfortable with Rasa's plan. This news was the final nail in the coffin. He didn't want the Suna ninjas to die pointlessly in Konoha. If things went south, not only would they lose a few hundred elites, but they might also lose their Kage and Jinchuriki!

Orochimaru's clone looked at Hiruzen's clone and Baki and thought, 'Interesting move. It seems like Hiruzen already suspects that something fishy is happening. That is why he made someone like Fujin the proctor.

However, the situation is bad for me no matter how I look at it. I hadn't expected Fujin to be so strong. Neither Kabuto nor Kimimaro can handle him alone. Even together, they would have a difficult time holding him back. Besides, one of them will need to hold Kakashi back. I can't dispatch both of them against Fujin…'

He fell into a thought. While he was thinking, Hiruzen's clone said, "That's all I wanted to say. The Genins weren't affected by their battle and Fujin will continue keeping an eye on the training ground. The exam will continue as usual. You guys can leave."

He gazed at Kakashi while leaving the room. Kakashi immediately got the message and softly said, "I'll meet you guys later."

Kakashi disappeared from the room. Everyone was still in shock. The room immediately emptied as the foreign sensei went to inform their respective villages. As for the sensei who were from Konoha, they rushed to tell their friends and families.

Orochimaru's clone left as well while thinking, 'There is no choice. I can't handle everything by myself. I will have to change my plans. I can't kill Rasa. Instead, I'll have to convince him to continue with the plan and increase the number of Suna ninjas in the attack.

I'll deal with Hiruzen and have Rasa deal with Fujin. That way, we will have a temporary advantage in terms of quality. Once I kill Hiruzen, I can summon Manda and others to destroy the village.'

After realizing Fujin's strength, Orochimaru quickly made changes to his plan. Otherwise, even if he could kill Hiruzen, all Suna and Oto ninjas would be eliminated by the time he was done.

Once that happened, he wouldn't be able to destroy the village and would need to retreat. In fact, if he failed to kill Hiruzen by then, then the barrier would come under an intense assault from Konoha ninjas. If that happened, then he wouldn't even be able to kill Hiruzen. In order to succeed, he had no choice but to swallow his pride and make adjustments to his plans.

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