Chapter 27: Trouble Brewing
Chapter 27: Trouble Brewing
Death Rock Cave.
The very center.
Here stood a towering hill, its shape strange and indescribable.
At the top of the hill was a hollow space, with skylights on all four sides, creating a large area with multiple rooms. In one of these rooms, several proctors had gathered, most of them special jonin, their eyes fixed on the surveillance monitors that covered the entirety of Death Rock Cave.
As the second round of the Chunin Exams would span three days, the proctors took turns overseeing the exam in shifts. However, in this room, there were also jonin from Kirigakure and Kumogakure.
They were the squad leaders.
"To defeat two squads so easily, is that boy particularly strong, or are the rest of your Konoha ninjas just too weak?"
The Kirigakure squad leader, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Mangetsu Hozuki, stood watching the footage on one of the screens and spoke slowly.
The Konoha ninjas present were also somewhat astonished by Feng Ye's performance.
Most of them were unaware that Feng Ye's participation in the Chunin Exams was designated by Hiruzen Sarutobi; they merely thought that as Kakashi Hatake's older brother, Feng Ye should possess some skill, but they hadn't expected him to take down the squads led by Kiba Inuzuka and the others in such a short time.
"My disciple is not weak..."
Kiba Inuzuka's mentor, also a jonin, was in the room, his face grim as he watched the scene unfolding on the screen. Feng Ye's displayed combat prowess had clearly exceeded his expectations as well.
Mangetsu Hozuki glanced at him, his mouth twisting to reveal a mouthful of sharp teeth as he said, "Oh? In that case, this Chunin Exam shouldn't be too boring for Kisame Hoshigaki."
"... "
Hearing Mangetsu Hozuki's words, the many Konoha ninjas in the room almost glared at him, their eyes flashing with hostility.
Such arrogance! It was as if he was looking down on Konoha's genin.
"Just you wait and see..."
A Konoha jonin beside him snorted.
Everyone continued to watch the screens.
But as they watched, the faces of the Konoha ninjas gradually changed, as within less than three hours, the squad led by Kisame Hoshigaki had taken down two Konoha squads!
The entire process was a ruthless and efficient display of dominance! The strength Kisame Hoshigaki exhibited was not at all like that of a genin; he casually unleashed B-rank ninjutsu and possessed a chakra supply that seemed no less than that of a jonin, like some kind of freak!
"What the... With that chakra, is that kid a jinchuriki?!'
A Konoha ninja stared intently at the screen, unable to hold back his exclamation.
Mangetsu Hozuki snorted, "Idiot, why would we send a jinchuriki to participate in your Konoha Chunin Exams so easily? Kisame Hoshigaki is not a jinchuriki; he was born with a monstrous physique that sets him apart from the rest!"
"... "
Mangetsu Hozuki's words left the Konoha ninjas looking rather unsightly.
Although Konoha had the most squads advancing to the second round of the exams, a total of eight, now, after just half a day, four of their squads had already lost their qualifications!
And what made their faces even gloomier was that Kisame Hoshigaki and his squad, who had eliminated two Konoha squads, had already obtained enough scrolls, yet they showed no intention of heading for the finish line. Instead, they continued to track down other squads within Death Rock Cave!
It was as if they intended to eliminate everyone else in this second round!
"Stop looking at me like that. Our Kirigakure assessment system is far more brutal than this..."
Noticing the unfriendly gazes of the Konoha ninjas in the room, Mangetsu Hozuki snorted and spoke in a low voice, "Those without strength have no qualifications to be ninjas."
In Mangetsu Hozuki's eyes, Konoha's assessment system was indeed too weak. In Kirigakure, graduation from their ninja school required killing one's peers, with only one student out of two surviving. Their Chunin Exams were also bloody and brutal from start to finish, so anyone who made it through was an elite!
"The way of the Bloody Mist Village, huh..."
The squad leader from Kumogakure, who had been silent until now, glanced at Mangetsu Hozuki, a gleam flashing in his eyes before he retracted his gaze, his arms folded in front of him as he said, "This won't scare the ninjas of Kumogakure.
Time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, a day and a night passed.
The morning after the second day of the second round of the Chunin Exams, Hiruzen Sarutobi had just woken up when a ninja appeared outside his room to report.
"Fire Shadow, something's happened!"
"Hmm?"
Hiruzen's drowsiness instantly vanished, a gleam flashed in his eyes, and he quickly got up, donned the Third Fire Shadow's cloak, and headed out of the room, asking, "What is it?"
"It's a message from the Chunin Exams..."
The ANBU ninja kept pace with Hiruzen, quickly briefing him on the situation at the exams. The report caused Hiruzen's gaze to sharpen.
In just a day and a night, six teams of Konoha ninjas had been eliminated! Only two teams remained! The ninjas from the other small ninja villages had also been virtually wiped out. Now, there were only four squads left in the Chunin Exam arena, including the squads from Cloud and Mist, the Konoha squad with Uchiha Kuida, and Feng Ye's solo squad!
"How were so many teams eliminated?"
Hiruzen's eyes narrowed, and he had a vague guess. As he made his way toward the Chunin Exam arena, he turned to the ANBU ninja beside him and asked in a low voice.
The ANBU ninja's response confirmed his suspicions.
The ninjas from Mist and Cloud had no intention of simply passing the second round of the Chunin Exams. Even after obtaining enough scrolls, they continued to hunt down other teams!
Whoosh! Whoosh!!
Hiruzen rushed to the Chunin Exam arena and soon arrived at the central watchtower, entering the surveillance room.
"Fire Shadow!"
Upon seeing Hiruzen enter, the many Konoha ninjas in the surveillance room immediately bowed to him.
Hiruzen's gaze swept the room and landed on one person. "When did you get here, Orochimaru?"
Standing in the center of the surveillance room was none other than Orochimaru.
The nearby Konoha ninjas, both jonin and special jonin, looked at Orochimaru with reverence. Watermelon Mountain Puffer Fish Ghost and the Cloud-Hidden Village jonin also lost their arrogant attitudes from yesterday, their eyes filled with wariness as they regarded Orochimaru.
"I arrived just a little before you, Hiruzen-sensei."
Orochimaru revealed a slight smile, his voice slightly hoarse as he said, "I heard that there are some extraordinary genin in this Chunin Exam, so I came to take a look..."
Hiruzen slowly walked into the surveillance room, his eyes on the screens. "During this sensitive period, don't get any funny ideas, Orochimaru."
As Orochimaru's teacher, he knew his student all too well.
Taking an interest in the 'extraordinary genin' meant that Orochimaru might be planning something underhanded. However, now was definitely not the time to make a move against the Mist or Cloud ninjas; doing so would be akin to declaring war!
"Hehe... understood, Hiruzen-sensei."
Orochimaru's response, though seemingly agreeable, made both Watermelon Mountain Puffer Fish Ghost and the Cloud-Hidden Village jonin feel a sense of pressure. From Orochimaru's attitude, they couldn't discern his true intentions, and could only assume that without Hiruzen's instructions, Orochimaru wouldn't make a move.
After all, he was one of the most dangerous individuals among the Konoha ninjas.
(End of Chapter)
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