They traveled through time at the same time, but the villainous scientist

Chapter 39 Third Round of Assessment
Orochimaru's sudden and unexpected defeat of Raiga Kurosuki was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake.

The atmosphere in the examination room became more complex after a brief silence.

There was shock, confusion, and a vague sense of apprehension about Konoha's unfathomable strength.

The subsequent matches, while not as clean and decisive as Orochimaru's, each had their own highlights.

Back in Kumogakure, the tall ninja with half snow-white and half grass-green hair, named Burubi, displayed astonishing strength.

His entire body was covered in crackling blue lightning, clearly indicating that he was in Lightning Release Chakra Mode.

This is a powerful ninjutsu passed down directly from the Raikage lineage. It can greatly enhance the user's speed, strength, and defense, making it difficult for ordinary ninjas to withstand.

His opponent was an Iwagakure ninja, who, despite his fierce resistance, was ultimately defeated by Burubi with overwhelming speed and power.

"[Lightning Release Chakra Mode]..."

Orochimaru stroked his chin, seemingly lost in thought.

He didn't seem to remember anyone named Bulubi.

However, their strength is beyond doubt.

Another notable battle took place in Iwagakure, the village of the Land of Earth.

A blond Iwa ninja boy suddenly formed hand seals during the battle, unleashing a powerful explosion.

If he wasn't mistaken, this should also be a bloodline limit, a Explosion Release that combines Earth Release and Fire Release.

The young Iwa ninja used the powerful destructive force of his [Explosion Release] to forcefully blast his opponent off the field.

Orochimaru watched quietly and recorded all this information.

And so, the second round of the brutal elimination tournament slowly came to a close amidst gasps and discussions.

"The second round of selection exams has now concluded!"

"A total of forty candidates passed this assessment!"

The chief examiner on the high platform cleared his throat, and his voice once again resounded throughout the entire venue.

This number has once again caused many of the unsuccessful candidates to sigh with disappointment.

Most of those who passed remained calm, after all, they were the elites of the village, and passing was only natural.

"The third round of assessments will be conducted in a month, and we will notify you at that time."

During this time, everyone can rest and recuperate, adjusting their condition to prepare for the final showdown!

The chief examiner paused for a moment before continuing.

Upon hearing this, Orochimaru nodded; the Third Hokage had told him about this beforehand.

The third round of assessments differed from the first; rather than an assessment, it was more like a grand martial arts event open to the public.

At that time, dignitaries, wealthy merchants, and other prominent figures from the five major powers, as well as neighboring smaller countries, will be invited to come and observe.

For these people, this is a rare opportunity to directly understand the strength of the younger generation of various ninja villages.

After all, as a client, everyone hopes to hire a stronger and more reliable ninja.

Orochimaru listened, a faint smile curving his lips.

It has to be said, his teacher is truly shrewd and calculating.

They probably had this in mind from the very beginning when they agreed to hold this joint Chunin Exam.

As the organizer, Konoha has a natural first-mover advantage.

Just like in the first round of written exams, the Tobirama code question immediately created a gap between the Konoha ninjas.

Of the forty people who ultimately advanced, Konoha ninjas occupied nearly half of the spots.

A month later, when those important figures come to observe, they will see the overwhelming numerical advantage of Konoha's new generation of ninjas and will naturally understand which village is stronger. In the future, when issuing missions, Konoha will undoubtedly become their first choice.

They're really calculating.

This month is not only for the test takers, but also for those "big shots" to get on their way.

At the same time, this is also a valuable time for the other four major ninja villages to carry out various "activities".

In the past, Konoha Village was surrounded by a powerful barrier, and patrolled by Anbu ninjas and the Uchiha Konoha Police Force, making it impossible for ordinary thieves to easily infiltrate.

However, due to the Joint Chunin Exams, a large number of outsiders have flooded into Konoha.

Merchants, tourists, village support staff... a mixed bag.

Konoha's reception capacity and security forces were stretched to their limits in an instant.

Even the Konoha Police Force, which was under the command of the Uchiha clan, had to put aside its usual reserve and conduct joint patrols with the Inuzuka and Hyuga clans to maintain order in the village.

Even so, they were still struggling to make ends meet.

The spies from various ninja villages, lurking beneath the surface, naturally wouldn't let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity slip by.

Their goals are different.

For example, Sand Village.

They were absolutely drooling over Orochimaru's skincare formula, which was all the rage among wealthy women. The desert environment was harsh, resources were scarce, and even the most basic food had to be imported, making Sunagakure very poor.

To them, this business was practically an inexhaustible gold mine...

In contrast, villages like Iwagakure in the Land of Earth have relatively underdeveloped medical facilities, so even if they obtained the skincare product formula, it would be difficult to achieve large-scale production in a short period of time.

What they were more concerned about was the increase in Konoha's war potential after acquiring this huge sum of money.

For several days in a row, the office lights of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, were on almost all night.

The Anbu was severely understaffed, and various potential threats were springing up like mushrooms after rain, keeping the Hokage extremely busy and causing him to smoke several extra cigarettes every day.

When Orochimaru was summoned, he saw Hiruzen Sarutobi with heavy dark circles under his eyes, looking exhausted as he reviewed a mountain of documents.

"Teacher, you don't look well."

Orochimaru spoke calmly.

"Orochimaru, you've come at the perfect time."

As you can see, the village is in complete chaos.

“Those guys are like sharks that have smelled blood; they all want to tear a piece of flesh off Konoha.”

Hiruzen Sarutobi put down his brush, rubbed his temples, and smiled wryly.

"As expected... After all, the 'muscle' that Konoha showed this time was indeed quite astonishing."

Orochimaru nodded slightly. This was not hard to understand, because there were only so many requests; if you took more, others would take less.

After this Chunin Exam, requests from Konoha will increase significantly, which will naturally displease the other ninja villages.

"Yes... all the Anbu personnel have been sent out, but it's still impossible to defend against them."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed. This was the first time Konoha had hosted such an event, and they had absolutely no experience with it.

He had been too naive before...

"Teacher, simply blocking is not the best approach. It's better to guide than to block."

Orochimaru pondered for a moment before speaking.

"Oh? What do you think?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up, intrigued.

"Since they want to know, let them know some things they 'can' know."

"Instead of letting them wander around like headless flies, and possibly even touch our real core secrets, it's better for us to proactively filter out some intelligence and 'inadvertently' leak it out."

"In this way, we can satisfy some of their voyeuristic desires, divert their attention from what is truly important, and at the same time, convey some 'information' that we want them to know. The mix of truth and falsehood will make them more wary."

Orochimaru said thoughtfully.

"Great idea! Orochimaru, your method is brilliant!"

As Hiruzen Sarutobi listened to Orochimaru's analysis, his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

Instead of passively defending, we should take the initiative and control the flow of intelligence!
This would not only relieve the pressure on the covert operations team, but also allow them to utilize these spies to achieve their own goals.

"The specific procedures still need to be carefully considered."

"Which intelligence can be leaked, to whom it can be leaked, and in what way it can be leaked all require careful planning."

Orochimaru added.

"Well, I'll leave this matter to you to assist the Dark Division in handling part of it."

Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately made the decision, his gaze towards Orochimaru growing increasingly satisfied.

This disciple always manages to surprise him at crucial moments.

Having resolved Hiruzen Sarutobi's immediate crisis, Orochimaru began preparing for his third round of trials a month later.

In the second round of assessments, Orochimaru recorded the fighting styles and abilities of noteworthy opponents, such as Burubi from Kumogakure, the Explosion Release ninja from Iwagakure, the red-haired girl from Sunagakure who controlled puppets, and the ninja who used Magnet Release.

The next step is to develop targeted response strategies.

He was still pondering how to find a suitable opportunity to demonstrate his value and strength to that old man, Danzo Shimura, and pave the way for future cooperation.

Unexpectedly, the joint Chunin Exams came about just like that, like a pillow delivered when you're sleepy.

The third round of martial arts demonstrations will be a stage that everyone is eagerly anticipating.

He not only wants to win, but he wants to win beautifully and spectacularly.

Like ability, reputation can sometimes be a powerful weapon.

The greater his reputation, the more leverage he will have when engaging in those "gray transactions" with Danzo in the future, and the higher his own safety will be.

After all, a rising star, a genius hailed as the face of Konoha, would be someone even a ruthless man like Danzo would have to think twice before trying to harm.

And so, undercurrents surged within Konoha Village, and a month quietly passed.

The day of the third round of exams has arrived...

(End of this chapter)