Starting as a pirate, he rose to become the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society.

Chapter 346 The Spirit Transformation Secret Technique is in Hand, and a Selection Competition of Novices Pecking Each Other.

For the next two weeks, Bane spent his time peacefully in Konoha, and no one bothered him.

The Chunin Exams officially started a few days ago, but the initial stages are not open to the public, and Bane has no interest in watching them.

With nothing to do, he had no intention of going out for a stroll. He spent his days either soaking in hot springs or studying the ninjutsu left behind by Orochimaru.

Bane wasn't very interested in ninjutsu like water, fire, and earth release techniques. After roughly mastering a few common C-rank ninjutsu, he stopped exploring them.

In comparison, he had a much stronger interest in sealing techniques and barrier techniques.

In Bane's view, these two techniques, which are completely different from ordinary elemental ninjutsu, are the essence of the ninja world!

Sitting by the window, bathed in sunlight, Bane held the scroll of "The Vajra Sealing Technique" and read it.

This is the most advanced sealing technique among the sealing techniques Orochimaru has provided him so far. It was originally a secret technique of the Uzumaki clan and its difficulty level is rated as A.

It was only after the decline of the Uzumaki clan that this sealing technique began to circulate in Konoha, but even today, few people have mastered it, and Orochimaru himself cannot perform this technique.

It's not that this sealing technique is particularly difficult to understand. On the contrary, the A-rank Vajra Seal is actually quite simple and straightforward. However, there is a prerequisite: it requires extremely strong chakra to perform. If the amount of chakra is not large enough, it is impossible to activate this sealing technique.

Orochimaru's chakra wasn't small, but it wasn't particularly outstanding either, and he couldn't use it anyway.

The reason why the Adamantine Sealing Technique was originally the signature sealing technique of the Uzumaki clan is because the Uzumaki clan has always had a vast amount of chakra.

The power of the Adamantine Sealing Technique is directly proportional to the amount of chakra; the greater the chakra, the stronger the power, and it can even suppress tailed beasts.

Bane was quite confident in his chakra, and the Diamond Seal's simple and brutal use of chakra suited his taste perfectly, which he found very enjoyable.

If nothing unexpected happens, this A-level sealing technique will become the first sealing technique he masters. In comparison, although the so-called Evil Sealing Seal is not very difficult, it has too many twists and turns. Bane studied it for several days but still couldn't figure it out, so he put it aside for the time being.

He'll figure that out when Orochimaru has time to give a lecture.

Just as Bane was looking at the scroll in his hand with great interest, there was another knock on the door of his room.

As if he already knew who was coming, Bane didn't even look up and said, "The door's unlocked, come in."

Soon, the door opened, and Kakashi walked in, saying, "Excuse me for disturbing you, Spirit Lord."

"What is it?" Bane then rolled up the scroll in his hand and looked at Kakashi to ask.

Kakashi didn't make any unnecessary movements, and his gaze showed no intention of probing what scroll Bane was looking at. He calmly said, "The trial in the Forest of Death ended the day before yesterday. Later today, a selection tournament will be held for the genin who passed the Forest of Death trial. Although the selection tournament will not be open to the public, the Third Hokage's idea is that if you, Spirit Lord, are interested, you can come with me to watch the tournament."

Bane didn't respond to that, but instead looked up at Kakashi and said, "A few days ago, I sensed Orochimaru's presence. I'm sure you've all noticed by now, haven't you?"

Hearing this, Kakashi's expression darkened slightly as he said, "Orochimaru did indeed appear in the Forest of Death and interfered with the test, but unfortunately we didn't manage to find him."

"Jiraiya should have already mentioned to you the relationship between Ryuchi Cave and Orochimaru, and my relationship with Orochimaru. Under these circumstances, are you still planning to invite me to watch this selection tournament?" Bane then asked.

A few days earlier, Bane had sensed Orochimaru's presence and vaguely heard that there had been some unrest in Konoha, and that some people were even watching him from a distance.

However, Bane didn't get involved in any of this and ignored it completely.

After a brief silence, Kakashi spoke, "The Third Hokage highly approves of what you said to Jiraiya."

Although it wasn't explicitly stated, Bane understood what Kakashi was referring to.

That is, the words Bane used when he called himself a "spirit beast".

"Is that so?" Bane then stood up, casually drawing a ripple in the air to reveal the rich dark elements within, and tossed the scroll in his hand into it.

Kakashi also witnessed this scene, his eyes showing some surprise and confusion, but he didn't ask anything out of curiosity.

"Then let's go take a look," Bane said softly after putting away the scroll.

Soon, led by Kakashi, Bane arrived at a closed training ground in Konoha.

This is where the selection trials are held. The Chunin Exams process is not complicated. It starts with a written test. After the written test, those who pass can participate in the Death Forest Trial, which tests the teamwork of squads and groups.

After the Forest of Death is over, a rigorous selection process will be conducted to assess individual strength.

The selection tournament is a one-on-one battle, and only the winner can advance to the next round. In fact, winning here is already considered to have secured a ticket to become a Chunin.

Because the final official match is not about testing who wins or loses, but about testing a ninja's mindset and will. Even if you lose, as long as you fight well and demonstrate enough talent and ability, you can still become a Chunin.

In other words, the qualifying rounds only consider ability, while the official competition is a comprehensive assessment.

When Bane arrived at the training ground, the selection tournament had already begun. Several Konoha Jonin and Chunin were watching the match from the high stands. Apart from that, the venue was quite empty, with no extra people around.

Kakashi led Bane to the stands, where Bane immediately saw Hyuga Neji beating up his little cousin.

To be honest, Bane wasn't interested in these battles between genin, nor did he see any value in them; he just treated them as entertainment.

"What grudge could they possibly have?" Bane couldn't help but sigh as he watched Hinata get brutally beaten by Neji, yet still refuse to give up.

On the other side of the stage, Naruto was still cheering for Hinata. There were not only the Konoha Twelve, but also genin from other villages. The only one who caught Bane's attention was Gaara, who now looked cold and aloof, like a murderer.

"Tailed Beast," Bane murmured to himself.

But as if noticing his gaze, Gaara, who was watching the scene of the Hyuga clan's genius beating up the young lady, slowly raised his head and looked at Bane in the stands.

The moment their eyes met, Gaara's face broke into a cruel yet confident smile, as if he were about to devour Bane from afar.

"Are all kids these days this arrogant?" Bane smirked and muttered to himself, amused.

Given Gaara's arrogant attitude, Bane decided to teach him a lesson later.

Just then, Jiraiya, who wasn't originally part of the selection process, walked up to Ban's side and said with a grin, "That's a genin from Sunagakure, supposedly the son of the Fourth Kazekage."

"He's also a Jinchūriki of a Tailed Beast, right? I can feel a surge of energy emanating from him." Bane said this first, then looked at Naruto Uzumaki and said, "That blond brat, he's your Konoha's Jinchūriki of a Tailed Beast, right? He has the Nine-Tailed Fox inside him?"

Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!

Jiraiya made no attempt to conceal this information. He glanced at Naruto with a slightly complicated expression before saying, "That's right, he is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."

As soon as Jiraiya finished speaking, his eyes narrowed, but he did not take any action. At the same moment, Kakashi immediately used the Body Flicker Technique to disappear from Bane's side and reappeared at the arena.

At this moment, Hyuga Neji went somewhat mad and directly harbored murderous intent towards his cousin Hinata. He unleashed a Bagua Palm strike filled with killing intent.

Then the iconic scene unfolded: a special Jonin and three elite Jonin instantly appeared in the examination hall, completely subduing Hyuga Neji.

"Oh my, it seems that young lady is of very high status," Bane teased, feigning ignorance.

Jiraiya, standing to the side, scratched his head slightly awkwardly and said, "That's the eldest daughter of the Hyuga clan's main branch. To be honest, the Hyuga clan has a huge influence in Konoha. If the clan head's eldest daughter is defeated by a member of the same clan in this kind of exam, we'll have a hard time explaining ourselves."

"Neji, calm down!" Rock Lee, with his thick eyebrows, finally reacted and couldn't help but shout from below the stage.

Watching this scene, Bane was also somewhat moved. Lee was beaten to a pulp by Gaara in this selection tournament, but no one stopped him. On the surface, it was because Lee did not admit defeat and insisted on continuing to fight.

But at this moment, Hinata has not admitted defeat at all!

The hierarchy in Konoha can be seen from this.

The farce didn't continue, and Neji ultimately won, but he still verbally abused Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuga, acting like a major villain.

Bane paid no attention to such trivial matters, instead turning to Jiraiya and asking, "Where is my Spirit Transformation Technique?"

"I knew you'd ask." Jiraiya smiled, then took out a scroll and a stack of revised manuscripts from the large scroll behind him and handed them to Bane, saying, "My 'Intimate Violence' and the Spirit Transformation Technique are both here."

As he was saying this, Kakashi, who had just come up from downstairs, suddenly perked up and stared intently at the scroll and manuscript in Bane's hand.

What the heck? Jiraiya-sama's "Intimate Violence"?!

That is a treasure of humankind!

want to!

But it was clear that neither Jiraiya nor Bane paid any attention to Kakashi at this moment.

After receiving the manuscript and the spiritualization technique, Bane showed no intention of inspecting them and casually tossed them into the dark space.

"What a convenient technique," Jiraiya remarked with a hint of envy as he watched the scene unfold.

"This isn't some kind of magic trick, you can forget about it," Bane replied casually.

Jiraiya didn't dwell on these matters, but eagerly asked, "I've already offered the sacrifice you requested, so what's the answer?"

"It's so close yet so far," Bane said, glancing at Naruto Uzumaki, who was comforting Hinata with his friends.

Jiraiya followed Bane's gaze and looked in the same direction, then asked with a surprised expression, "You don't mean to say that the Hyuga clan's little princess is the prophetic child I'm looking for, do you?"

That would be difficult. Although he was a famous one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha, and the Hyuga clan had to give him enough respect, it wasn't so simple to take the Hyuga clan's eldest daughter as a personal disciple.

"You're dreaming. It's that blond brat," Bane retorted.

Upon hearing this, Jiraiya's expression became even more complicated, and he said softly, "Naruto?"

That was the name of the protagonist in his first and only serious novel, "The Tale of the Rooted Ninja," and also the son of his most valued disciple, Minato Namikaze.

This is a bit awkward. My disciple's son has become my disciple. Doesn't that mean that the father and son have become fellow disciples?

(End of this chapter)