The Tenseigan started from the Hyuga main family.

Sasuke's neck was marked with two round wounds and the Heavenly Curse Seal, which was in the form of three tomoe.

"What did you do to Sasuke?"

Seeing Sasuke clutching his wound and contorting in pain, Sakura couldn't help but shout at Orochimaru.

"I gave him a little parting gift: as long as Sasuke needs power, he will come back to me one day!"

As Orochimaru spoke, ripples spread across the ground beneath his feet, and his entire body gradually sank into the depths of the earth.

"Actually, I'd rather give this cursed seal to you..."

Just before he was about to disappear, Orochimaru turned his head and looked at Hyuga Sawatatsu.

"Any external force, even if it can bring temporary strength, will eventually come at a price that is hundreds or thousands of times greater in the future."

Hyuga Zetsu naturally had no interest in the cursed seal. If Orochimaru dared to pounce, he would surely face a thunderous attack from Hyuga Zetsu.

"Orochimaru, stop right there!"

A loud shout came from afar, shaking down a shower of fallen leaves.

The newcomer had white hair and wore a red outer jacket and a brown ninja outfit; it was none other than Jiraiya.

Behind Jiraiya followed an elderly man wearing a ninja hat and a black, tight-fitting combat suit; this was none other than the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Chapter 38 Exit

The two were clearly too late. Orochimaru, with only his head sticking out of the ground, suddenly accelerated his descent and disappeared completely before the two could land.

Can the Byakugan still pinpoint Orochimaru's location?

Seeing Orochimaru escape, Jiraiya's gaze fell on Hyuga Sawatatsu.

"It has already penetrated nearly 300 meters underground, and it is still moving at high speed..."

Hinata Sawatatsu spread his hands, indicating that he was powerless to help.

"I can sense that Orochimaru's chakra remains in this child's body..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't seem to care about Orochimaru's departure; instead, he focused his attention on Sasuke, who had fainted from the pain.

Sasuke was not only the last surviving member of the Uchiha clan in Konoha, but also Itachi's only concern. If anything happened to him, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Lord Hokage, please save Sasuke!"

When Sakura saw Hiruzen Sarutobi, her eyes lit up with renewed hope. She carefully lifted Sasuke's head with both arms, revealing the cursed seal on his neck to the two of them.

"Orochimaru's cursed seal? This is a huge problem!"

Jiraiya extended his palm, channeled chakra into Sasuke's body, closed his eyes to sense it for a while, and then shook his head at Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Once the curse mark is implanted, it cannot be removed, and the survivor has only a one in ten chance of survival.

Neither sealing techniques nor medical ninjutsu can provide any help; the recipient can only rely on their own will to survive.

Of course, as long as Sasuke can withstand the test of the cursed seal, Konoha will naturally have the ability to seal the cursed seal with sealing techniques.

"Orochimaru, have you fallen so low?"

Jiraiya, standing to the side, looked utterly dejected.

Jiraiya, who had never given up on tracking Orochimaru, felt an overwhelming sense of loss at this moment.

"Now that the Hokage and Jiraiya are here, I will continue with the Chunin Exams."

Hinata Zechen didn't care how the two handled the aftermath. After leaving a message, he leaped onto a tree and disappeared after a few jumps.

"Seeing your comrades in distress, yet feeling no pity, still preoccupied with the unimportant Chunin Exams?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi lowered his eyes, concealing the disappointment within them.

As expected, another genius who didn't inherit the Will of Fire.

After the Chunin Exams are over, we might need to devise a new strategy to deal with this situation...

-----------------

Half an hour later, Hyuga Zechen, holding two scrolls in his hand, arrived at the central tower of the Death Forest.

"A Konoha ninja?"

Inside the tower's main hall, besides the Chunin Exam staff, a ninja squad had already arrived—Gaara's squad from Sunagakure.

"The scroll has been verified. Hyuga Zechen, you may choose to wait in the tower's lounge for the remaining exam time, but you cannot leave this place, otherwise you will be disqualified from the exam."

After hearing the staff member wearing a Chunin vest finish speaking, Hyuga Zechen frowned, but didn't say anything more.

"You're really something!"

Just as Hinata Sawatatsu turned around, yellow sand suddenly swirled on the ground and then condensed into Gaara, who had short red hair, a love symbol carved on his forehead, heavy dark circles around his eyes, and carried a huge gourd on his back.

Tell me your name.

Although Hinata Tsuru didn't show any particular aura, my intuition told me that the opponent was very strong.

"Hyuga Sawatatsu".

With a blank expression, Hyuga Sawatatsu met Gaara's murderous gaze for a moment, then a hint of pity flashed in his eyes as he turned to walk past Gaara.

"Your gaze is irritating!"

However, upon noticing the pity in Hyuga Zetsu's eyes, Gaara could no longer conceal the killing intent in his eyes. A large amount of yellow sand surged from the ground, gradually enveloping Hyuga Zetsu's calves and rapidly spreading upwards.

Gaara!

Seeing that Gaara was in danger of losing control, Temari, who was standing next to him, turned pale and shouted.

"This candidate, please do not attack other contestants, otherwise your exam qualification will be cancelled."

The Konoha Chunin who were nearby also noticed the situation immediately and rushed over.

Gaara slowly loosened his clenched fist, and the yellow sand on Hyuga Zetsu's calves merged back into the ground.

"I hope to be your opponent during the Chunin Exams."

Seeing that Hinata Zechen's expression hadn't changed at all, Gaara's lips curled into a sinister smile.

"I also want to see the power of Shukaku."

As they passed each other, Hinata Sawatatsu left a single sentence in a voice only Gaara could hear before quickly disappearing from Gaara's sight.

"Gaara, what's wrong?"

The observant Temari noticed that Gaara's expression was off and asked him a question.

"Killing him will definitely prove my existence..."

Seeing Gaara burst into a somewhat manic laugh, Temari, unlike Kankuro who instinctively took several steps back, dared not approach but her eyes revealed concern. Unfortunately, Gaara, immersed in his own world, did not notice this.

-----------------

Five days later, at the top floor of the central tower in the Death Forest.

"Lord Anko, twenty-two people have passed the second exam. According to the Chunin Exam rules, the third exam will use a third set of questions that has not been used in the past five years..."

Hongdou seemed somewhat distracted as she listened to the reports coming from the monitor.

"In any case, the exam will continue, and as for Orochimaru's actions, the village will do its best to search for his whereabouts."

With a pipe dangling from his mouth, Hiruzen Sarutobi hesitated for a moment before finally issuing the order.

-----------------

Half a day later, in the battleground on the first floor of the tower.

On the high platform, Hiruzen Sarutobi stood in the center of the crowd, surrounded by a group of Jonin leading the teams, including Kakashi, Kurenai Yuhi, and Baki from Sunagakure.

"First of all, congratulations on passing the second round of testing..."

Hongdou took a step forward, and paused deliberately halfway through her sentence.

"...Because there are too many people left, in order to enter the Chunin Exams finals, they will have to participate in the third selection exam!"

Seeing the smiles of the many candidates who had just shown excitement turn into deep seriousness before they could even bloom, Hongdou's face revealed a mischievous grin.

"From now on, I'm entrusting the task of the Third Hokage to you!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, took two steps forward with his hands behind his back, and coughed.

"Before explaining the rules of the third exam..."

Next, Hiruzen Sarutobi began to explain the true purpose of the Chunin Exams, delivering a long and rambling speech that made all the examinees drowsy.

"I'm very sorry, Hokage-sama. Next, I, Hayate Gekko, will explain the rules of the preliminary exam..."

Perhaps even his subordinates were getting impatient. A man with long brown hair, wearing a ninja hat and a green Chunin vest, named Hayate Gekko, leaped out, knelt down in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi, and interrupted the Hokage's speech.

"Ahem, it's up to you now."

Hiruzen Sarutobi paused for a moment before speaking.

"Alright, let's begin the preliminary round of the third exam, immediately. If anyone is feeling unwell, please let us know immediately... cough cough cough..."

In just a few words, Moonlight Gale stopped twice due to coughing, making all the candidates realize that the examiner had a health problem.

"Um...I give up..."

Just when everyone thought it was impossible for anyone to back down, Kabuto Yakushi, whose eyes were obscured by the reflection of his glasses, raised his right hand in the crowd.

Chapter 39 Useless Pretense

After coughing a few times while covering his mouth, Moonlight Gale glanced at the candidate information in his hand and then spoke.

"Then you can leave!"

Dou took off his glasses, turned and left without hesitation, without the slightest hint of lingering.

"I've seen this person several times. I remember he also withdrew midway through the formal selection last time. What exactly is he trying to do?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi took the pipe out of his mouth, his eyes dark as he watched Kabuto's retreating figure disappear, and spoke.

"Kabuto, according to the data, this is the sixth consecutive time he has failed..."

After reviewing a lot of information, Anko found nothing unusual. Whether it was the Ninja Academy or the number of missions completed, Kabuto was completely invisible.