Naruto, what kind of Hokage would you be if you didn't roll around!

These corpses had all been stripped of their "faces" and turned into faceless people.

Mitarashi Anko guessed the culprit's identity with just one glance.

Her normally cheerful and outgoing personality instantly trembled at the thought of that man.

"Yes, it's him..."

"That bastard Orochimaru!"

"Oh no! He's entered the Forest of Death! Everyone there is in danger!"

"Continue your patrols, monitor all areas, prevent Orochimaru's accomplices from causing trouble, and immediately report this matter to the Hokage!"

"Yes!"

As for Mitarashi Anko herself, she immediately rushed into the Forest of Death.

"Orochimaru... Sensei..."

"It's time to put an end to everything!"

Mitarashi Anko's determination is admirable, but she doesn't yet understand that the gap between herself and the legendary Orochimaru is like an insurmountable chasm...

……

Soon, intelligence reports poured in like raindrops.

In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi smoked his pipe, his face growing increasingly grim.

"That bastard Orochimaru, he actually dared to come back to the village?!"

The ANBU member beside him immediately said, "Lord Hokage, now that man has returned, he will likely seek revenge on the village. Such a dangerous and terrifying rogue ninja will inevitably cause unforeseen consequences!"

"Should we immediately halt the Chunin Exams?!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent for a moment, then exhaled a large smoke ring.

He shook his head: "No, there's no need to stop."

"The Chunin Exams are an arms race in which countries and villages compete for military strength and demonstrate their capabilities. If Konoha stops the exams, it will only lead to the entire ninja world looking down on Konoha."

"Orochimaru is indeed terrifying, but as long as we plan carefully and deal with him cautiously, he won't dare to act too recklessly!"

"Yes, Hokage-sama!"

That's when.

"Lord Hokage..."

Iruka and his group, along with Class 7, rushed over.

"Please take a look at Naruto and Sasuke..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was startled and abruptly stood up, looking at the two who had fainted.

"This is……"

Hinata recounted what had happened before.

Hiruzen Sarutobi certainly knew the identity of the murderer.

"It sure is him!"

"The target is Sasuke...and Naruto too?!"

"The mark left on his back should be the power of a cursed seal. Although it's strange, it does amplify his abilities. Why would that bastard Orochimaru leave something like this for Naruto and Sasuke?"

Hinata hurriedly said, "That monster said he wanted Sasuke to become his vessel..."

"container?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression changed drastically.

"Could it be that……"

"Quickly, call Hongdou here right now!"

An ANBU member said with difficulty, "Hokage-sama, Anko has entered the Forest of Death, saying she wants to personally settle her karma..."

Hiruzen Sarutobi paused for a moment, then sighed.

Why would she do this to herself?

"With her current strength, it's too much for her..."

"Find her immediately! If you encounter Orochimaru, do not act rashly, and report to me immediately!"

"Yes, Hokage-sama!"

Soon, under Hiruzen Sarutobi's strategic planning, orders were quickly issued, teams immediately sprang into action, and the entire Hidden Leaf Village began to operate at lightning speed.

The Chunin Exams are still ongoing.

The first to complete the second test were naturally the trio from Sunagakure, and with a record-breaking, terrifying achievement.

Naruto and his group came in second place.

In fact, if they hadn't encountered Orochimaru, Team 7 would likely have been the first to arrive, just as Naruto said.

It's a pity that there is no if.

Subsequently, the "Sound Ninja Spy Squad" led by Kabuto Yakushi also arrived.

After that, the other Sound Ninja trio, Team 3, Team 8, and Team 10 also arrived one after another...

Other teams either failed to collect all the scrolls or exceeded the mission time limit, thus all of them were declared failures.

Ultimately, a total of seven teams, comprising twenty-one genin, passed the second stage of the assessment.

Meanwhile, Mitarashi Anko discovered Orochimaru's whereabouts and went to challenge him, but naturally ended in failure, however...

Orochimaru did not kill his former disciple, but let her go.

Mitarashi Anko was rescued by the Anbu and soon arrived at the Hokage's office.

At that moment, Kakashi Hatake had also received the news and arrived.

"Red Bean, come and see Naruto and Sasuke."

Mitarashi Anko was feeling down, but upon hearing the Hokage's order, she quickly nodded and went forward to check on him.

"That's right, this is indeed Orochimaru's cursed seal power."

"Moreover, it is many times more powerful than the curse mark left on me back then..."

Kakashi Hatake said, "I have temporarily stopped the rate at which the curse seal is eroding the seal using the Evil Sealing Technique."

"but……"

"We'll need an expert like you to figure out how to completely stop the cursed seal."

Mitarashi Anko shook her head.

"I'm no expert, I'm just one of Orochimaru's experiments..."

"It's just that I've become somewhat knowledgeable about curse seals through long illness."

She stepped forward and began to heal Naruto and Sasuke using her secret technique.

Sure enough, the two of them quickly regained consciousness.

Naruto scratched his head, not understanding what was going on for a moment.

Sasuke, however, kept his head down.

Mitarashi Azuko sighed.

"I only managed to wake them up temporarily. Completely removing the curse seal is not something that can be done in a day or two, and with my abilities, I may never be able to do it..."

"Lord Hokage, you are known as the Professor of Ninjutsu, and you are proficient in almost all of Konoha's ninjutsu and secret techniques. Is there really no way to do this?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "If I had time, perhaps I could do it, but I'm afraid it wouldn't be enough time..."

Naruto looked around: "The Hokage? Kakashi-sensei? Iruka-sensei? And..."

"How is this going?"

Hinata quickly told him what had happened. Seeing that the two of them had finally woken up, Hinata finally breathed a sigh of relief, and all her exhaustion washed over her...

"Thank you, Hinata..."

Hinata gave a tired, sweet smile and shook her head.

Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "Naruto, Sasuke, Orochimaru left you with cursed seals, probably to make you his prey. Although these cursed seals can increase your power, they will only cause you unbearable pain in the short term. Moreover, even if you gain power in the future, you will likely be manipulated and controlled by Orochimaru."

"If we can capture Orochimaru, or give me enough time, it might be possible to remove the cursed seal, but..."

"Well, given your current condition, I'm afraid you won't be able to continue the exam."

Naruto suddenly looked up: "Why, why?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned and said, "Is there even a question? Putting aside your own suffering, Orochimaru is also eyeing you covetously, and you can't even unleash your full strength..."

Naruto resolutely declared, "Hokage-sama, I will not give up!"

"I want to continue the exam!"

"Sasuke, you're the same, aren't you?!"

Sasuke looked up, somewhat bewildered, and met Naruto's resolute, iron-like eyes.

"I……"

He gritted his teeth and nodded heavily.

"Of course we won't give up!"

Hinata looked at the two with concern and worry, but upon hearing their words, she couldn't help but smile and wipe away the tears from the corners of her mouth.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression changed: "Kakashi, as the Jonin leading the team, aren't you going to do anything?"

Kakashi Hatake gave a wry smile.

"Lord Hokage, there's nothing I can do. This is their own decision..."

"So this is Class 7..."

Chapter 114 A Changed Fate! A Disrupted Preliminary Round! 10,000 words update, please vote!

Naruto and Sasuke's cursed seals were temporarily suppressed.

Because of their insistence, the Chunin Exams continued.

At this moment, the other ninjas who had passed the second test had already arrived at the indoor training ground.

Team 7, led by Kakashi Hatake, arrived late.

Upon seeing the group, Matt Kai immediately burst into laughter and greeted them.

"Ha! Kakashi! My lifelong rival! You've finally arrived!"

Kakashi Hatake wasn't as energetic as him; he only lazily raised his hand.

"What, has the match started?"

Matt Kay shook his head: "Not yet, almost there!"

Naruto regained his strength. Although he was still haunted by Orochimaru's shadow and worried about his cursed seal, his carefree personality allowed him to quickly focus on the match.

"Are these all the people who passed the second stage of the exam?"

"That's it?"

At that moment, a sickly-looking, weak man stepped forward.

If Kakashi was merely sleepy-eyed, the man before him was clearly terminally ill...

He coughed twice, which made people even more worried about his health.

"Ahem, I am the examiner for this round, my name is Moonlight Gale."

"The number of people who passed the second test, the Death Forest, was unexpectedly large, so now we need to hold an extra round before the final, which is the so-called preliminary round."

Naruto exclaimed, "What?!"

"Are there really too many people with so few?!"