Warlock Invasion of Naruto.

"How is it, old man?"

Faced with Jiraiya's question, Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head: "Orochimaru did not appear."

Jiraiya frowned slightly upon hearing this, but this was within his expectations. With all the strongmen of Konoha gathered here, the probability of Orochimaru appearing here directly was indeed not high. However, it was a pity that their entire plan had been wasted.

"Old man, in my opinion, we should cancel the Chunin Exams," Jiraiya suggested again.

“No, how can we stop the exam at a time like this?” Hiruzen Sarutobi said firmly.

How can the exam be stopped halfway through?

Even if Orochimaru's current strength is as Jiraiya said, much stronger than before, it is still not enough to shake Konoha. Moreover, if the Chunin Exams are terminated now, wouldn't Konoha become a joke?

"Since Orochimaru isn't making a move now, he's very likely to cause trouble during the third exam."

At that time, dignitaries from various countries will gather, and a large number of villagers will also gather at the arena.

If he were to attack Naruto amidst the chaos, the consequences could be disastrous if something went wrong.

Jiraiya advised.

Shouldn't we be more pragmatic than concerned about saving face?

Whether it's villagers or political figures from various countries, any deaths or injuries would be a greater blow to Konoha. Moreover, Orochimaru has his eye on Naruto, so Naruto absolutely cannot be allowed to have any accidents.

"At most, we can recall Nawaki and Dai; the exam cannot be suspended." Hiruzen Sarutobi's attitude remained unwavering.

In his view, even if Orochimaru's strength far surpasses that of the past, and even if he can deal with both him and Jiraiya at the same time, Konoha now has Kage-level powerhouses such as Fugaku, Kakashi, and Itachi. Furthermore, by recalling Nawaki and Dai back to the village, they can basically guarantee that everything will be foolproof.

Could Orochimaru really be strong enough to take on all of them at once?

Even facing the worst outcome, there's still Dai's Eight Gates Formation. If Dai opens the Gate of Death, even Bai Yu and Kushina might not be able to stop it.

If Orochimaru really causes massive destruction, that will be the perfect opportunity to release Danzo.

"Third Hokage, I hope you won't regret this." Jiraiya was helpless in the face of Hiruzen Sarutobi's stubbornness.

Orochimaru hasn't made a move yet; he's definitely waiting for something.

Instead of seizing this opportunity to find him, continuing with the Chunin Exams would be a very unwise move.

"Lord Jiraiya, please rest assured."

"With the Third Hokage here, we will not let Orochimaru succeed."

"We will never allow anyone to destroy Konoha."

The Jonin standing nearby echoed their sentiments, expressing their confidence in Konoha. After all, it wasn't a direct confrontation with Uzumaki Village, but rather with Orochimaru.

Jiraiya sighed inwardly, and didn't say anything more.

Orochimaru's strength had increased far beyond his imagination, but the ninjas present had never faced Orochimaru, so how could they understand what he was saying?

......

More than half a month has passed quietly, and it's now mid-July.

Inside the circular arena, thousands of Konoha villagers and dignitaries from various countries gathered to witness the third and final Chunin Exam, jointly organized by Konoha and Sunagakure.

Nine candidates will compete in a battle under the watchful eyes of the crowd, and those who perform exceptionally well may even become famous throughout the ninja world.

This time, Hiruzen Sarutobi, wearing the Hokage hat and the Hokage robe, arrived at the high platform in the center of the arena.

Also qualified to sit on the high platform were the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, and Shiraha, the leader of the Land of Whirlpools, who sat on either side of Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Looking at the nine examinees already in place in the arena below, Luo Sha smiled and said, "Konoha really has a lot of talented people. Each of the four examinees who have entered the third exam is quite remarkable."

"Lord Kazekage, you are too kind. We only had the advantage of playing on home turf. If we're talking about talent, the three examinees from Sunagakure are the real experts. It's clear they weren't taking the exam seriously, and they almost broke the record."

Hiruzen Sarutobi responded in kind, and he and Rasa began to flatter each other. After all, now Konoha only had Sunagakure as a close ally, and the other villages were closely connected with Uzushiogakure, so they had to win over Sunagakure.

"It's a pity that if the second exam hadn't drawn an internal battle between the genin of Uzushiogakure, all three of Lord Shiraha's children should have been able to enter the third round. The fact that three of our Sunagakure villages were able to enter the third round is just because we were lucky and didn't encounter an internal battle."

Luo Sha changed the subject and glanced at Bai Yu.

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart skipped a beat, and he also looked at Bai Yu.

"Luck is also a part of strength," Bai Yu said calmly. "It's just an exam, it's not important."

"Lord Bai Yu's vision is far superior to ours," Luo Sha began to awkwardly praise Bai Yu.

Originally, he wouldn't have needed to curry favor with Bai Yu, since Sunagakure was the only village in the Snake Spirit Group's business alliance that hadn't joined. However, if Bai Yu were to intervene in the Konoha Collapse Plan, he and Orochimaru would not only likely fail, but might even lose their lives.

"You're too kind, Lord Fengying," Bai Yu replied with a smile. He naturally had to be polite to someone who was about to die.

Sensing Bai Yu's 'friendly' attitude, Rasa's smile deepened, and he frequently steered the conversation toward Bai Yu, acting as if he wanted to befriend Uzushiogakure, leaving Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was sitting between the two, out of the picture.

Bai Yu responded casually, but his gaze seemed to casually glance at the Kazekage guards standing behind Luo Sha, both of whom were Jonin with their faces covered by masks.

The person on the left is Orochimaru.

Seeing that Bai Yu wasn't very interested in talking, Luo Sha wasn't embarrassed and quickly steered the conversation to the exam: "It's starting!"

A deafening roar of cheers erupted in the arena.

The first match was between Naruto Namikaze, son of the Fourth Hokage, and Neji Hyuga, the genius ninja from Konoha's strongest clan.

After a fierce battle, Naruto defeated Neji as expected.

Although Neji had been trained by Hizashi, he was still far behind Naruto in terms of starting point.

Of course, if Naruto hadn't used some of the Nine-Tails' chakra, defeating Neji wouldn't have been an easy task.

After the first match ended, the atmosphere instantly reached a climax. Naruto and Neji showed everyone with their strength that Konoha is still the same Konoha.

Although Konoha is no longer the dominant force in the ninja world, even a weakened camel is bigger than a horse.

Soon, the second exam began.

Sasuke vs. Photon!

The two arrived at the center of the arena.

Sasuke walked forward calmly, now exuding confidence compared to the easily angered man he was just half a month ago.

During this time, Sasuke trained with Itachi and completely mastered the three-tomoe Sharingan, so he felt that he was capable again.

"I won't hold back!" Sasuke said in a deep voice, staring at Mitsuko opposite him. "I'll defeat you first, and then I'll defeat your brother Taichi."

Because the third exam is a round-robin tournament, there will be a second round after the first round ends. As long as Sasuke continues to win, he will definitely meet Taiichi.

Mitsuko smiled, completely ignoring Sasuke.

Upon seeing this, Sasuke's dark eyes instantly turned crimson, and the powerful eye power of his three-tomoe Sharingan was activated in an instant.

However, the next second, two beams of red light shot out from Photon's eyes, and Sasuke was instantly hit.

"You!" Sasuke stared in shock at Mitsuko as his body rapidly turned to stone.

Photon turned around and walked straight out of the arena.

"What's going on?!"

"what happened?"

"That's it?"

"My body has turned to stone! How could this be?!"

The audience in the arena were all stunned. How could this happen? Sasuke was killed in one move?

Even Genma Shiranui, who was acting as the referee, was dumbfounded. What kind of ninjutsu was this? It was extremely fast, and the body turned into a stone statue after being hit.

Upon realizing Sasuke's identity, Genma Shiranui immediately stepped forward to check on Sasuke's condition.

Just when he was at a loss and dared not make any rash moves, Sasuke's body gradually returned to normal.

thump!

Sasuke staggered, lost his balance, and knelt on the ground, covering his eyes with his hands and trembling.

"You...give me..." He pointed at Mitsuko's departing figure, wanting to call out to her, but he didn't even have the strength to speak.

"The winner is Yagami Mitsuko!" Seeing that Sasuke was only exhausted, Genma Shiranui quickly announced the result of the match.

The medical ninjas quickly lifted Sasuke onto a stretcher and sent him to the hospital.

"What a terrifying ninjutsu! Does it require expending mental energy to fight against it?" Itachi, standing in the audience, activated his Mangekyou Sharingan and looked at Mitsuko and Sasuke with a serious expression. He sensed that Sasuke's eye power was almost completely depleted and roughly guessed how to counter this ninjutsu. However, he concluded that even if he activated his Mangekyou Sharingan, he might not be immune to this ninjutsu.

"Bai Yu is not only skilled himself, but every single one of his disciples and children is also..."

Fugaku, standing to the side, frowned, a hint of doubt creeping into his mind. Was his decision to stay in Konoha the right one?

Bai Yu's strength is unfathomable, and his disciples and children are all incredibly powerful.

Sasuke was already the most outstanding ninja of the Uchiha clan in this generation. Only Shisui and Itachi could surpass him at that age, but he was instantly defeated by Koko.

Once Uchiha clan members awaken the three-tomoe Sharingan, with just a little training, they can gain combat power comparable to Jonin, which is the foundation of the Uchiha clan's strength.

Even Fugaku himself wouldn't dare say he could defeat Sasuke in an instant without using the Mangekyou Sharingan.

But the photon did it!

"The third exam, Gaara vs. Yagami Taichi!" Seeing the audience buzzing with discussion, Genma Shiranui quickly announced the start of the third exam.

The audience quieted down once Gaara and Taichi entered the arena.

At this moment, Luo Sha in the audience tensed up and subconsciously glanced at Bai Yu next to him.

Rasa's original plan was for Gaara to unleash the power of Shukaku during the exam, but he didn't expect Gaara to face Taichi instead.

Given Gaara's personality, if he were to face Taichi, he might lose his temper, disregard the plan, and prematurely use the power of the One-Tailed Beast.

After all, the scene of Photon instantly killing Sasuke had just happened.

"Gaara has actually run into Taiichi. It seems this is the end for him. Hopefully, Taiichi will show mercy."

Luo Sha chuckled softly and looked at Bai Yu beside him.

"Your Excellency Fengying can rest assured on this point. Taiyi is much more discerning than I am," Bai Yu nodded. Under his powerful perception, he could clearly feel that Luo Sha's heart rate and blood flow speed had increased significantly, and he already had an idea in mind.

boom!

While the two were chatting, Gaara and Taichi had already started fighting.

Gaara immediately used the sand in his gourd to launch a fierce attack on Taichi.

Taiyi kept dodging attacks in the center of the arena, each time seemingly managing to evade them, drawing cheers from the audience.