Naruto: I, Shikotsumyaku, Byakugan Princess

The border between the Fire and Thunder Kingdoms is covered by a dense forest that blocks out the sun. The pines and cypresses are verdant and the sound of the wind rustling through the trees makes it look like a dark green sea from afar.

Only by being there can one discover that there is a truly extraordinary passageway in the lush forest.

Broken and rotten trees lay scattered on both sides of the passageway, their cross-sections as black as charcoal. Every few hundred meters, there was a large, obvious crater in the ground covered with vines and weeds, as if some ferocious monster had once rampaged through the forest.

Dragon said.

This name was given to the passageway that suddenly appeared five years ago by traveling merchants who frequently traveled between the countries of Fire and Thunder. It can be directly translated as the Dragon's Path.

They believe that a legendary dragon may have passed through and settled here, creating this peculiar passageway that is neither naturally formed nor man-made.

This nameless primeval forest has also been given a new name—Dragon's Nest Forest!
Zizi!

One in blue and one in red, two swift figures, like two sharp blades, completely shattered the tranquility of the Dragon's Abode Forest.

"Big brother, there are traces of lightning release everywhere here, you idiot! You bastard!"

As Killer Bee, clad in the Tailed Beast's cloak, advanced, he observed the broken logs on either side of the passageway. The broken ends of the logs were charred, riddled with cracks and holes, clearly scorched marks left by highly penetrating lightning release.

As a Cloud Village ninja proficient in Lightning Release, he would never mistake such a unique mark.

"It seems Orochimaru was right!"

The Fourth Raikage, A, who was on his way, suddenly stopped.

His body was enveloped in lightning armor that emitted a blue light. His golden hair was neatly combed back, and his lips were downturned. Combined with his fierce mustache, he looked like someone who was not to be trifled with.

At this moment, he looked ahead at the passage that had been crushed by the giant beast, his reddish-brown face appearing extremely solemn.

On the eve of the joint Chunin Exams, Orochimaru infiltrated Kumogakure to seek cooperation.

Led by the other party, the Hidden Sound Village, Hidden Sand Village, and Hidden Cloud Village joined forces to execute the Konoha Crush Plan, completely dividing up the precious resources of the largest village in the ninja world.

Sunagakure wants Konoha's Scroll of Sealing, explosive tags, ninja tools, and other supplies. Orochimaru needs the Uchiha orphan and the family secret techniques of Konoha's various clans. Kumogakure needs the Nine-Tails and the Byakugan, and also wants a copy of the sealing scroll.

With clear and unambiguous objectives and no conflict of interest, the three parties quickly reached an agreement. As allies, Orochimaru naturally shared information about Konoha Village with them.

Excluding Jiraiya and Tsunade who are wandering outside, Konoha Village only has two top-tier combatants.

The first one is the old and frail Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who needs no further explanation. The main focus of the intelligence is on the second ninja.

That man was the new leader of the Root, codenamed Night Crossing.

His true identity is the last surviving member of the Kaguya clan, who perished in Kirigakure. He is the strongest genius in Konoha's history, the culprit who killed Yotsuki Yu and Yotsuki Takeshi, and destroyed Raigūzan. He is a top-tier powerhouse who is only twelve years old.

"Big brother, I don't think Orochimaru's words are very credible. A twelve-year-old Kage is just too exaggerated no matter how you look at it!"

Killer Bee looked on with suspicion. He had seen the information Orochimaru had provided, but he found it hard to believe this outrageous information.

In the ninja world, age and strength are not absolutely related; many genius ninjas can reach the level of elite Jonin at the age of fourteen or fifteen.

But the difference lies in the level of a film.

Ninjas of this caliber either have exceptionally strong abilities or virtually no weaknesses; the Kage of each village generally possess both.

The former requires cultivating a certain ability to the pinnacle of the ninja world, while the latter is even more difficult to make up for one's own shortcomings, requiring talent, perseverance, and time.

He only reached this level after he and the Eight-Tails came to understand each other.

A twelve-year-old shadow? That's simply a fantasy!

“The intelligence should be accurate.” Ai shook his head, his thick fingers pointing to the ravaged forest passageway:
"Look, look at this passage!"

"What... happened?"

Killer Bee scanned the surrounding scenery with suspicion, carefully examining the pit in the ground and the broken wood struck by lightning twice, but he couldn't see any connection between this passage and Orochimaru's outrageous information.

Seeing Killer Bee's confused expression, A sighed and shook his head:
"One end of this passage is on the border of the Land of Fire, and the other end is near Mount Leigu. The passage appeared exactly five years ago."

Upon hearing Ai's words, Killer Bee's eyes, hidden behind the Magic Mirror, widened suddenly, revealing a look of sudden realization:
"Brother, do you mean that Leigu Mountain was actually... attacked by a giant dragon!"

"Aww! No wonder there are lightning scorch marks all over the ground; the dragon stole our lightning stones!"

"Get out of here!"

Ai didn't bother to tell Killer Bee any more, and secretly decided that he would never pass the position of the Fifth Raikage to this idiot.

Looking at the huge, sunken crater in the ground, Ai secretly calculated in his mind.

According to the information provided by Orochimaru, the enemy stole the Cloud Village's Lightning Release Chakra Mode.

The broken trees in the passageway were clearly snapped by the rapidly rushing Lightning Armor, and the collapsed area, resembling the trampling of a giant dragon, was probably a trace left by the Sun Chasing Gray Glass.

However, there was still something he couldn't understand.

Based on the extent of the ground collapse, it would require at least an A-rank Lightning Release ninjutsu to create such a large crater, and the opponent had left countless similar marks in the forest.

What benefits would the other party gain from doing this?
Thinking of the giant trees around him that had been bombarded by lightning, an extremely terrifying idea suddenly popped into Ai's mind.

Could these craters be footprints left by the other person while running?
As soon as the idea came to mind, Ai shook his head and suppressed it.

The impact force of stomping on the ground while moving is comparable to A-rank ninjutsu. Unless the opponent is a super-fat person weighing tens of tons, it is absolutely impossible for them to possess such outrageous strength.

It's probably because the other party possesses a large summoning beast that has learned Lightning Release!

Having secretly memorized this intelligence, Ai turned to look at Killer Bee, only to find him squatting alone on the ground, his back strong yet dejected.

Did I speak too harshly just now?
Ai felt a little guilty.

Although he and Killer Bee call each other brothers, Bee is actually much younger than him. He usually takes care of this somewhat unruly guy like an old father.

"There is about a month left before the Konoha Crush plan begins, and it only takes four days to get from here to Konoha."

"Haven't you been complaining about being bored in Kumogakure? You can use this free time to explore the cities of the Land of Fire."

Upon hearing his brother's words, Killer Bee, who had been squatting on the ground pretending to be pitiful, instantly turned around, making strange hand gestures and twisting his body like octopus tentacles.

"Yo..."

"No rapping allowed! Be serious once you're in Konoha, you hear me?!"

"Yes Yes……"

As if an octopus had its only spine removed, Killer Bee, who had just become excited, instantly went limp, and the creative passion that had just been brewing vanished.

……

"So you mean you're the culprit behind this Super Chunin Exams!"

"Well... that's right."

Looking at the stammering Orochimaru in front of her, Hui Li finally understood the reason for the changes in the Chunin Exams plot.

It turns out that Danzo was so intimidated by her aura of fear that he provided Orochimaru with information about her when he sought his help, which led to Kumogakure joining the Konoha Crush plan. The butterfly effect truly is everywhere.

Orochimaru carefully observed Hui Li's expression, and seeing that she didn't seem to intend to pursue the matter, he didn't hesitate to betray his teammate:
"I have already assassinated the Fourth Kazekage. The only top-tier combat force left in Sunagakure is the One-Tailed Shukaku. With your strength, you should not be a threat."

Both the A and B teams from Kumogakure will be present, and they've also dispatched a special force to attack from the outside. The exact number is unknown, but they've likely already secretly infiltrated the Land of Fire.

"good."

Upon hearing this good news, Hui Li nodded in satisfaction.

She didn't expect such an unexpected bonus!

The AB combination is Ai and Killer Bee. Since the Eight-Tailed Gyūki was willing to enter her Takamagahara, she naturally welcomed him with great joy.

In this way, once the Chunin Exams are over, she will have the Eight-Tails, Nine-Tails, Five-Tails, and One-Tails all in her hands, capturing nearly half of the nine tailed beasts and saving her countless hours and energy.

Besides, Yugito is in Kumogakure, and Fu is in Takigakure; their locations are quite clear.

The Three-Tails, Isobu, is most likely in a lake somewhere in the Land of Water. The Four-Tails, Son Goku, is sealed inside Old Purple and wandering around the Land of Earth, so he's hard to find. As for the Six-Tails, Uta, there's absolutely no clue about him...

Wait a minute!

Hui Li suddenly felt that something was not right.

If she remembered correctly, Takigakure should also have genin who participated in the Chunin Exams.

What were their names again?

As the chief examiner, Hui Li had seen the list of people who participated in the exam. Although she focused her main efforts on the Hidden Sound Village and the Five Great Nations, it was not difficult for her to retrieve memories of other ninja villages.

soon.

A delicate girl with emerald green hair slowly appeared in her mind, and her name seemed to be—Feng!

Could she be the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki?
The phantom in Hui Li's eyes magnified infinitely, and the green-haired girl hiding somewhere in the Death Paradise suddenly appeared in her field of vision.

Its transparent wings, resembling dragonfly feathers, flapped rapidly behind it, making it look like a cute elf as it roamed among the mountain peaks.

It really is!
Isn't this a coincidence?
Looking at Feng, who was leisurely strolling around as if he had nothing to do with the exam, Hui Li could only sigh that her luck seemed to be too good.

The presence of Takigakure was too weak, and she hardly knew any of the ninjas who came to participate in the competition, so she didn't pay much attention to them.

Most importantly, she had always thought that the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki was named Fu, but she never expected that his name was actually Kaede.

In the original story, it seems that Kaede went to participate in the Chunin Exams held by Sunagakure, but was captured by Kakuzu and Hidan on the way. Now that Konoha is holding the Super Joint Chunin Exams, it seems reasonable for her to participate.

Although the Seven-Tails and Six-Tails are the weakest among the nine tailed beasts and don't have any particularly powerful abilities, even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. The Seven-Tails' chakra is second only to the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails, making it an absolute ultimate tonic.

"Is there any other news? Tell us all at once!"

At this moment, Hui Li was in a very good mood, and the way she looked at Orochimaru became much gentler.

The theoretical basis for reversing the Eight Gates comes from the other party's notes. The Ten-Tails larva, which is the divine tree seed disguised as the Bamboo Cutter's treasure, was also obtained from the other party.

Haku's Ice Release, Impure World Reincarnation, and the corpses of various ninjas with bloodline limits have been revealed.

Danzo, who had escaped, was led to his death in Takamagahara. The other party even managed to guide the Hidden Cloud Village to participate in the Chunin Exams, causing all four tailed beasts to gather in Konoha.

This guy is practically her lucky charm!
"Hiss..."

Seeing the sudden change in Hui Li's eyes, Orochimaru's sense of danger pounded, as if he were being watched by a greedy beast, about to be devoured at any moment.

Want more information?
Where could she possibly provide the other party with 'information'?

"That's all. Now that I'm working for you, the original Konoha Crush plan will no longer be implemented..."

"No!"

Seeing Orochimaru's confused look, Hui Li revealed his gleaming white teeth, his smile still gentle and friendly: "Your Konoha Crush plan must continue!"

"what?"

Orochimaru didn't understand what Hairi was thinking.

With the strength of a ninja god, Konoha is already his for the taking; it's practically his stronghold. To expect her to execute the Konoha Crush plan to destroy his own territory seems illogical no matter how you look at it.

Huhu~
A biting wind swept across the sky, and dark, gloomy clouds appeared out of nowhere to obscure the sky. The blazing sun that had just peeked out disappeared, and darkness once again enveloped the death paradise surrounded by mountains and waterfalls.

With her feet firmly planted in the void, Gray Glass turned around and looked down at the death paradise beneath her feet.

The old chakra remaining in the meridians was broken down by the newly formed core and synthesized into a new power with ice-style properties. The glistening white snowflakes and the compressed, sweet-smelling miasma made the many ninjas beneath their feet even more anxious.

Boom!

The quiet death paradise suddenly boiled over, like a compressed spring.

The sounds of ninja explosions and murderous roars echoed throughout the park. The various ninjas lurking in the final rounds no longer concealed their presence. In the small Death Park, fierce battles were erupting in almost every corner.

"Look, doesn't this place look like a microcosm of the ninja world over the past thousand years?"

Orochimaru looked at the ninjas from various countries fighting endlessly at his feet, his snake eyes trembling slightly. His parents had died in such a war.

"Really boring."

"I feel so too!"

By further compressing the area covered by the miasma, Gray Glass intensified the 'war' beneath her feet.

More and more ninjas fell to the ground, the number of surviving ninjas dwindled sharply, and they were rapidly approaching the 20th mark.

This long-awaited final battle is drawing to a close.

Hui Li's eyes were cold and pure. She showed neither contempt nor the pleasure of controlling others' lives when she looked down at the genin fighting frantically at her feet. All that remained was pure indifference and rationality.
"I've got a task for you."

"You tell me."

Looking at the girl in front of him who controlled the heavens and earth like a god, Orochimaru knelt on one knee to express his loyalty.

"Since Kumogakure and Sunagakure have already joined the Konoha Crush plan, let's make this war even more intense."

"what do you mean?"

Orochimaru's expression changed slightly, realizing that the other party might be even more insane than she had imagined.

Looking down at the Death Paradise where the battle had already been decided, Gray Glass's eyes gleamed with a terrifying gray light:

"I'm going to bring Kirigakure and Iwagakure on board as well, and I'm going to start the Fourth Shinobi World War."

The millennia-long struggle in the ninja world—

It's time to end. (End of Chapter)