I am the most popular character in Naruto!

Given Orochimaru's elusive nature and his exceptional counter-surveillance skills, it would be strange if he were discovered.

Since we can't find it, there's nothing we can do.

The Chunin Exams cannot be stopped, as they are related to the peaceful coexistence among the major powers and the future development of the ninja world.

Furthermore, during the final battle of the Chunin Exams, the Kage or their representatives from all the major countries will gather in Konoha to watch, which is a major event for Konoha and must be taken seriously.

From Hiruzen Sarutobi's perspective, with Chiaki and powerful figures from various nations coming together, even if things didn't go well, they should have been able to drive Orochimaru away, right?

Thinking about it from this perspective, Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't so upset about Orochimaru's disruption of the Chunin Exams.

On the contrary, he was quite looking forward to Orochimaru's appearance. If Orochimaru dared to appear in the final battle, Hiruzen Sarutobi would dare to join forces with the strongmen of other countries to take her down.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was extremely worried about his rebellious disciple.

Little did he know that this rebellious disciple, whom he had gone to great lengths to find, was now staying at Qianqiu's house.

There was nothing they could do; after all, it was Tobirama Senju who built the basement of the Senju mansion.

Running back and forth between Otogakure and Konoha was too tiring, so Orochimaru simply took over the laboratory under the Senju mansion and began his research.

The most dangerous place is the safest place.

This statement makes a lot of sense; at least even Jiraiya, who frequently frequented the Senju mansion, didn't realize that Orochimaru was hiding right under his feet.

Time passed quickly, and the Chunin Exams progressed just as they had in the original story.

Soon, it was time for a battle that Qianqiu was paying close attention to.

Rock Lee versus Gaara!

Chapter 608 Moonlight Gale

"Cough cough..."

"That's enough! Form and unform!"

A man with long brown hair and wearing a ninja hat appeared beside the two girls and stopped them from continuing their fight.

He coughed with a pale face and dark circles under his eyes, looking malnourished and suffering from kidney deficiency.

Hayate Gekko, an examiner for the Chunin Exams preliminary rounds, possesses swordsmanship that would amaze any ninja and a wife who would amaze anyone.

Well……

We've probably figured out the causes of kidney deficiency and malnutrition.

Even though Hayate Gekko seems very weak, he still holds a very high position in Konoha.

Because his wife is very beautiful...

Oh no.

Because he possessed the strength of a top-tier Jonin, coupled with his superb swordsmanship and his very beautiful wife...

!!!

Let's not talk about his wife anymore!

In short, with the enhancement of his swordsmanship, Hayate Gekko's combat power is comparable to that of an elite Jonin, and everyone is optimistic about his performance after he becomes stronger.

Under the tutelage of Hatake Sakumo, Konoha has produced many skilled swordsmen, and among them, Gekko Hayate is considered a master among masters.

His signature move, the Leaf Style swordsmanship, Crescent Moon Dance, is virtually invincible.

Originally, Hayate Gekko had become somewhat arrogant. As the number one swordsman among the younger generation in Konoha, Hayate Gekko followed the advice of his juniors and went to challenge Sakumo Hatake, who was living in seclusion as a blacksmith.

As a result, Hatake Sakumo completely ignored him. Gekko Hayate was naturally unconvinced, but after testing Hatake Sakumo a little, Gekko Hayate left with a cold sweat on his forehead.

Good heavens, before Gekko Hayate could even draw his sword, Hatake Sakumo's hammer struck the katana he was forging.

With this hammer blow, sword energy surged forth, and a large amount of killing intent suddenly appeared in the originally ordinary katana, directly scaring away Moonlight Gale.

With that kind of sword energy, Moonlight Gale couldn't even unleash it, let alone challenge Hatake Sakumo.

After receiving repeated reassurances from his wife, Gekko Hayate finally regained his composure.

From then on, Moonlight Gale began to study and practice diligently, no longer wanting to be a man who only relied on his wife.

As his health deteriorated, his superiors paid more and more attention to him.

And so, such an important task as the Chunin Exams preliminary rounds was entrusted to him.

"The winner is Sakura Haruno!"

Hayate Gekko coughed as he announced the outcome of the battle. He looked at Sakura, who still had the strength to heal Ino, with admiration. "As expected of that goddess's disciple," he thought, "her superhuman strength punch is so masterful that the little girl from the Yamanaka family had no chance to fight back."

"Sakura, you're amazing!"

Ino leaned against Sakura's chest, her mouth agape, and said, "When will I be as strong as you?"

"If you cultivate diligently, you will definitely be able to do it too."

Sakura smiled as she treated Ino's injuries, not taking her best friend's words to heart.

A young lady from a secret arts family like Ino, who has her own life and a smooth path ahead, doesn't actually need to worry about becoming stronger.

There were plenty of people in her family who could teach her.

Although Ino, who doesn't have a strong desire to become stronger, won't become an extremely powerful ninja, her minimum level is already there; even a thug could manage that.

After all, some people are born into privilege, and that's something they can't blame others for.

Everyone has a different lower limit, but Sakura knows that what creates the upper limit of strength is not those external conditions, but whether that person can have the heart of a strong person.

Just like Sasuke, who was desperate to seek revenge on Itachi Uchiha, and Naruto, who was beaten up and still tried his best to win, they both possessed the extremely rare heart of a strong person.

With their talent and their determination to become stronger, their potential is absolutely enormous.

"Next game!"

"Rock Lee! Fight! Gaara!"

Hayate Gekko, holding the list in his hand, shouted to the genin who were preparing.

"Will it be Xiao Li next time?"

Sakura was slightly taken aback, then helped Ino back to the stands.

Although she didn't particularly like Rock Lee, Sakura had to admit that she saw in him the heart of a strong person that most people lacked.

Although Rock Lee was born with poor physical attributes and was somewhat slow-witted, his perseverance and unwavering determination perfectly embodied the qualities of a strong person.

Sakura believes that ninjas with the heart of a strong person are all ninjas worth befriending.

Moreover, Rock Lee was from his own village and could become a close partner.

The guy opposite Xiao Li, who looked rather gloomy, didn't seem like a good person.

Who would carry a big gourd on their back and have the word "love" drawn on their forehead in such an unconventional way?

Simply outrageous.

"Go for it, Xiao Li!"

After thinking for a moment, Sakura decided to give Lee some support.

As a rather precocious girl, she understood very well how much encouragement her support would give to the boys who liked her.

As Sakura expected, after receiving her support, Rock Lee seemed to burst into flames, and his eyes were burning with rage as he looked at Gaara.

It's like if a girl wearing black stockings comes to watch the game at a sports stadium and even cheers you on, the whole stadium will make way for you.

This is the passion and youth of boys!

"Eh--"

"Sakura-chan, you're actually cheering for someone else!"

Naruto, his face bruised and swollen, squatted to one side, next to Kiba, who also had a bruised and swollen face. The two had just finished a fight, but Naruto, with his thicker skin, was clearly more resilient and won.

"Stop shouting, can't you tell that Sakura doesn't like you?"

Kiba looked at the simp Naruto with disdain, "Look at Sasuke, and then look at you. How could Sakura possibly like you?"

Naruto glanced instinctively at Sasuke, who looked refreshed and completely unaffected by his victory, and kicked him in annoyance, saying, "You talk too much, you defeated opponent!"

"What did you say?!"

"I was careless this time! I definitely won't lose if we fight again!"

Kiba pounced on Naruto, and the two started wrestling in the stands.

"Two idiots..."

Sakura rolled her eyes speechlessly, looking at Rock Lee on the field with some concern.

"Li will have a tough time this game."

Neji Hyuga stood beside Hinata Hyuga and whispered to her, "Miss, please observe Lee's movements more closely. Diligent practice always has its benefits."

"Uh-huh……"

However, Hinata's mind was clearly not on the battle. She kept glancing at Naruto, who was wrestling with Kiba, her face slightly flushed.

"Kakashi, do you think Lee can win?"

Might Guy nervously asked Kakashi. Although he had great confidence in his disciple, he was still a little worried because the opponent was the strongest genius of Sunagakure in recent years.

Chapter 609 Kai's Worries

Might Guy's problem is also Kakashi's problem.

Whether Rock Lee can defeat Gaara, the genius of Sunagakure, remains to be seen.

Kakashi had a certain understanding of Rock Lee's strength.

A guy who can subdue Naruto and Sasuke with just taijutsu is definitely not a simple character.

Moreover, given Might Guy's nature, Rock Lee might have even more trump cards up his sleeve.

For example, the Eight Gates Formation, which Might Guy has clearly regarded as a secret technique passed down through generations.

Naruto and Sasuke do have powerful moves, but once Rock Lee opens the Eight Gates, his abilities will be greatly enhanced. At that time, he will still be able to easily defeat Naruto and Sasuke.