In Konoha, they wiped out the Sarutobi clan at the start.

Chapter 162 The Show-Off Erzhuzi

The official venue for the Chunin Exams.

The sky was azure, with occasional white clouds drifting by. The sunlight was warm but not scorching, and a gentle breeze made one feel refreshed and invigorated.

The Chunin Exams, jointly organized by Sunagakure and Konoha, will officially begin today!

From the moment the first rays of sunlight broke through the earth's constraints and shone upon this once great village of ninjas, small groups of people dressed in various ninja costumes began to appear on the quiet streets.

These ninjas from other villages, who are rarely seen in Konoha, are appearing in large numbers today, escorting lords and even daimyo from outside Konoha into the village.

Although they came from different countries, their destination was the same: the official Chunin Exams arena standing in Konoha Village.

"It's really lively. I guess after today, even if the Chunin Exams are held again, it will never be this grand again." After disguising himself, Chiya led Yekura into the stands and found an inconspicuous spot to sit down.

Yekura replied, "It seems to be because of that brat from the Uchiha clan. But speaking of which, is the Sharingan really that powerful?"

Because Sunagakure and Konoha were allies, and before the Uchiha clan was wiped out, Konoha's leadership sent most of the Uchiha clan members to Kirigakure's battlefield, which could counter the Sharingan and Fire Release, in order to weaken the Uchiha clan's power. Therefore, Pakura never actually fought against the Sharingan.

Qianye nodded, "I guess so, but it depends on who uses it. After all, how much power a sword can unleash depends not on the sword itself, but on the person wielding it."

As they spoke, in the arena below the stands, which was enclosed by a huge circular wall, Gaara, Hyuga Neji, Kankuro, Temari, Aburame Shino, Haruno Sakura, Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and other participating genin entered one after another.

The only missing members are Tosu, Naruto, Sasuke, and Kabuto.

As for Tosu, since he has already been resurrected as the First Hokage through the Impure World Reincarnation technique, it's impossible for him to come.

Naruto, riding a giant toad, is on his way.

Erzhuzi, who had been cultivating day and night on the cliff top, was also on his way back.

As for Kabuto, he was one of the key figures in Orochimaru's plan to destroy Konoha. He had already changed into his ANBU uniform and, just like in the original story, hid in the stands and lay in wait.

Noticing the disguised Qianye and his companion, he approached and sat down beside Qianye, speaking respectfully in a voice only the three of them could hear: "Lord Qianye."

"Don't worry, I won't interfere with his battle with the Third Hokage." Chiya glanced at Orochimaru, who was disguised as the Kazekage and sitting next to Hiruzen Sarutobi, and said meaningfully, "However, after the battle is over, you'd better prepare what I need, or you'll be in big trouble afterwards."

"Of course." Yakushi Kabuto's face, drenched in cold sweat, respectfully replied and returned to the back row of the audience.

And then, the match finally began.

Perhaps it was intentional on the part of Konoha, the organizer, that the competition roster was not much different from the original work.

Sakura Haruno VS Ino Yamanaka;

Kankuro VS Aburame Shino;

Temari vs. Nara Shikamaru;

Neji Hyuga VS Naruto Uzumaki;

Gaara vs. Sasuke Uchiha.

Because neither Naruto nor Sasuke were present, their match was left until the end.

The first match was between Sakura, the weakest of the ten, and Ino.

At this point, the difference between commoners and noble families truly became apparent. Sakura, who knew almost no magic except for the Three Bodies Technique, managed to resist Ino's Mind Transfer Technique for a time due to her dual personality, but that was all.

After nearly a month of training from her family elders, Ino's Mind Turn technique has improved far beyond what she could achieve during the preliminary rounds.

Sakura was brought under control with almost no effort.

However, because of their childhood friendship, Ino ultimately did not choose to win by relying on her family's secret techniques, but instead chose to use the most basic physical techniques.

Despite this, Sakura, who had given up on herself because of Sasuke and had no one to guide her, still lost after wasting more than twenty days.

The first round thus came to a close amidst the lukewarm reception of the audience.

In the second match, Kankuro faced off against Shino Aburame. Kankuro withdrew from the match to preserve his strength, not wanting to expose the secret of the crows.

In the third match, Shikamaru faced Temari. Despite having Temari under control, Shikamaru conceded defeat due to exhaustion of chakra.

The competition has finally come down to the last two matches.

However, the competition had to be paused because Naruto and Sasuke, who were participating in the competition, were not present.

At Orochimaru's suggestion, who was disguised as the Kazekage, there would be a ten-minute pause. If neither of them showed up, they would be considered to have forfeited. In order to satisfy the audience's expectations, Neji would instead fight Gaara.

Ten minutes passed quickly.

Just as the referee, Genma Shiranui, was about to announce that Naruto and Sasuke had forfeited and that Neji would face Gaara, a whirlwind suddenly swept through the arena, stirring up dust and fallen leaves.

As the smoke and dust cleared and the leaves slowly drifted down, Kakashi and Sasuke appeared back to back in an extremely pretentious manner before the eyes of everyone present.

"Hey, Kakashi, you really can't shake this habit of being late." These were the first words Genma Shiranui, the referee, said to Kakashi and Sasuke.

"Sorry, sorry." Kakashi chuckled awkwardly, glancing around at Might Guy, Ibiki Morino, and Maki in turn. He frowned slightly, then vanished in a flash, reappearing a moment later in the stands.

When Ibiki Morino and Might Guy saw Kakashi arrive, they quickly came over.

Ibiki Morino whispered, "Kakashi, a large number of Sand Ninja and Sound Ninja have indeed gathered around Konoha, and judging from the situation, it seems that the Sound Ninja have mobilized their entire force."

"Looks like it's true." Kakashi sighed softly, his expression growing even more serious beneath his mask. He glanced around the stands, searching for Chiya, and asked, "How's it going with Hayate? Any news?"

"Not yet," Matt Kai shook his head.

"This is troublesome." Kakashi looked up at Orochimaru sitting next to Hiruzen Sarutobi and whispered, "Whether this Kazekage is real or not, this is extremely bad for Konoha."

Might Guy asked, "Kakashi, what do we do now?"

Kakashi pondered for a moment, then said, "Anyway, Ibiki, have your men relay this message to all departments. Take all necessary precautions. As for Guy, he'll stay here with me and look for that Chiya guy."

"Leave it to me." Ibiki Morino replied solemnly and disappeared into the stands.

P.S.: First update. Please vote with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Thank you to [Bookworm] for the 5000 Qidian coins!

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(End of this chapter)