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

Chapter 40 Opening

The venue in Konoha was already bustling with noise.

The high stands were packed with spectators who had come from all over the country.

They were dressed in fine clothes and had different expressions, but without exception, they were all important figures in the five great nations, including high-ranking officials, nobles, and wealthy merchants.

At this moment, they scanned the forty young ninjas who had passed the second round of assessments, gathered in the center of the arena, with undisguised scrutiny.

These people represent the future hope of all the major ninja villages.

Orochimaru's gaze swept around the room, finally settling on the highest point of the venue, the specially constructed tower.

In the very center of the tower sat five figures, their imposing presence commanding respect without a hint of anger.

Those were the five most powerful people in the ninja world today—the leaders of the five great ninja villages, and five Kage-level powerhouses.

Due to the passage of time, those currently in office are mostly the third generation of each village.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage of Konoha, his teacher's familiar face now held a hint of composure befitting a host.

Onoki, the third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, was short in stature, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's.

The Third Kazekage of Sunagakure, a mysterious man whose face was hidden in the shadow of a straw hat, was known as the strongest Kazekage.

There's also the Third Raikage of Kumogakure, known for his physical prowess, and the Third Mizukage of Kirigakure... well, he doesn't seem to have much screen time.

This lineup is truly a rare sight...

Orochimaru thought to himself, "With so many Kage-level ninjas gathered together, if it weren't for the Chunin Exams, we probably wouldn't have seen such a lineup even in the Fourth Shinobi World War."

The cacophony from the stands was like boiling water, churning endlessly.

Even from a distance, Orochimaru could still clearly pick up some high-frequency words.

"Uchiha!"

"Thousand Hands!"

Many eyes were fixed intently on the two Uchiha clan members wearing fan-shaped clan crests in the Konoha ninja camp, and... Tsunade.

"Tsk, those guys stole all the limelight!"

"My performance was also quite impressive!"

Jiraiya stood beside Orochimaru, muttering under his breath with some resentment.

He was clearly quite satisfied with his performance in the qualifiers, but now he found that everyone's attention was not on him, which made him somewhat frustrated.

Orochimaru, however, didn't think it was a big deal.

After all, only a little over twenty years have passed since Konoha was founded.

The lingering influence of the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and Madara Uchiha still resonates throughout the ninja world.

Their names and their families represent the pinnacle of an era.

Even twenty years later, they would still be considered among the world's top celebrities.

Just like decades later, when Naruto and Sasuke took the Chunin Exams, countless people still went because of the title "the last surviving member of the Uchiha clan".

Konoha likely used the "Thousand Hands vs. Uchiha" gimmick for publicity this time, intentionally or unintentionally, which is why so many dignitaries came.

Tsunade clearly sensed the strange looks she was receiving; her brows furrowed slightly, and a hint of displeasure flashed in her azure eyes.

She doesn't like being pointed at and talked about like a rare animal.

The atmosphere among the figures atop the tower was quite subtle.

"Heh, Sarutobi, the younger generation of Konoha is truly outstanding!"

The Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, touched his red nose and praised it.

It's unclear whether his words were genuine praise or a test.

"Hmph, enough! Stop dawdling and get started!"

The Third Raikage chimed in from the side, his burly body radiating explosive power.

They seem eager to see a real, hard-fought battle as soon as possible.

The Third Kazekage nodded slightly, a slight smile appearing at the corner of his mouth beneath his straw hat.

The number of people from Sunagakure who passed this time was quite large, which was much better than the miserable number from Kirigakure next door.

The Third Mizukage keenly noticed the Third Kazekage's fleeting glance, and his expression instantly darkened.

For this Chunin Exam, he sent out almost all the young elites that the village could send out, and even talked to those bloodline clans to ask them to send a few ninjas who had awakened their bloodlines.

The results of it?
In the end, only two people passed!

It has the fewest participants among the five great ninja villages!

Doesn't that make Kirigakure seem the weakest?

This time, Kirigakure has really lost out big time! That damned Third Hokage!
Thinking of this, the Third Mizukage glared fiercely at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

According to the intelligence he obtained, the vast majority of the ninjas from Kirigakure were defeated by the ninjas from Konoha!

He even began to suspect that this was Hiruzen Sarutobi, that old guy, secretly and maliciously targeting their Hidden Mist Village!
Sensing several different gazes, Hiruzen Sarutobi cleared his throat and calmly stood up.

He stepped forward, his loud voice echoing throughout the entire venue:

"Everyone, thank you for coming from afar to observe this joint Chunin Exam!"

"Now, I declare the third round of the Chunin Selection Exams officially open!"

As soon as the words were spoken, countless candidates' names began to scroll rapidly on a huge electronic screen on one side of the venue.

A moment later, the two names suddenly froze.

First match: Sunagakure, Iron Shot! Battle! Sunagakure, True!
Ok?
A civil war in Sunagakure?

The audience was immediately impressed when they saw the first round of matchups.

Upon hearing this result, the two Sunagakure ninjas in the audience exchanged a glance and nodded in unison, as if they had reached some kind of consensus in an instant.

Iron Shot was the first to appear, its black iron sand transforming into wings as it flew directly into the arena.

The audience gasped in surprise at the sight.

His opponent, the red-haired boy named "Zhen," remained calm, took out a scroll from his pocket, and then conjured ten puppets.

Normally, he couldn't control ten puppets, but the current situation is different...

The gong to start the match has sounded!

"Magnetic Release: Iron Sand Formation!"

Iron Smash slammed his hands onto the ground, and in an instant, a large amount of black iron sand surged out from beneath his feet, as if it had a life of its own.

On the other side, the red-haired boy was not to be outdone. With his hands flying, each puppet connected by chakra threads was riddled with mechanisms and gleamed with a dangerous cold light. He nimbly engaged in fierce offense and defense with the iron sand!

In an instant, iron sand whistled across the field, puppets flew about, and various attacks intertwined and collided, sparks flying everywhere!
Wow! That's amazing!

"Is this what ninja battles are like?!"

"incredible!"

The two exchanged blows, each more flamboyant than the last, unleashing a barrage of wide-ranging moves that left the dignitaries in the stands speechless, their mouths agape, occasionally letting out gasps of astonishment.

"I rely on!"

"Isn't this cheating?"

Upon seeing this, Jiraiya's expression changed drastically, and he subconsciously looked at Orochimaru beside him.

These Sand Village guys are really cunning. These two are clearly working together, and the one playing with the iron sand is even helping to control the puppet...

"This is also impossible..."

Orochimaru shook his head, somewhat helplessly.

Sarutobi-sensei had already discussed the content and purpose of this third round of exams with them in advance.

To put it bluntly, this is no longer a simple life-or-death struggle; it's more like a "muscle show" for the outside world, the best stage to demonstrate the strength of the younger generation of each ninja village.

Inside the door to see the door, the layman to watch the fun.

The vast majority of the "big shots" present today are laymen.

They definitely wouldn't understand the psychological warfare and tactical maneuvering between ninjas.

The best way to make them understand the power of ninjas in the most intuitive way is naturally to use those large-scale ninjutsu that look flashy and eye-catching enough.

Therefore, this exam is more of a performance-based test.

In fact, many of the opponents' matches are arranged well in advance.

For example, Tsunade will soon face off against a member of the Uchiha clan, staging a "destined showdown" between the two great clans, the Senju and the Uchiha.

"So how do we fight later?"

Jiraiya scratched his head and asked.

These two kids from Sunagakure are making such a big fuss right from the start!
He's going to face Orochimaru soon, how can he steal the limelight?
That guy, Iron Smash, uses massive Magnet Release ninjutsu to alter the terrain with every move he makes. And that kid who's serious, his puppets are flashy and look incredibly powerful.

That's so unfair!
If the atmosphere gets this heated, how are the other people supposed to play?
The pressure suddenly increased!

Orochimaru watched the two fighting fiercely in the arena, then glanced at Jiraiya, who looked worried, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

They do have the ability to apply it to this situation...

That's why he specifically asked the Third Hokage to arrange for him and Jiraiya to be his rivals...

(End of this chapter)