The written test obviously placed even less pressure on the other members of the Hinata Group. Sasuke had the Sharingan, so he easily selected one of the planted agents who knew the answers and copied them in an unusual way by reproducing the man's writing movements.
Sakura was a top student and had no need to copy anyone else. She simply crushed the test head-on. Kiba relied on Akamaru, while Shino relied on his insects. The two of them perfectly demonstrated the importance of mastering a foreign language, copying other people's answers through the sight of insects and a dog without the slightest pressure.
The Ino-Shika-Cho trio was slightly weaker in that respect. Shikamaru might have an extremely high IQ, but that did not mean his theoretical knowledge was good. Ino was attentive, but she was not an academic type either. As for Choji... asking him to memorize the brands and flavors of different potato chips would be no problem, but when it came to mathematics and geometry, there was no need to make things difficult for him.
Fortunately, Hiden (Secret Techniques) were not inherited for nothing. As the heir to mental techniques, Ino easily used the Mind Body Switch Technique to enter her close friend Sakura's body and pass by copying Sakura's answers. Afterward, she separately passed one set of answers to Shikamaru and another to Choji. Carrying two teammates through the exam clearly posed no difficulty at all.
With that, all nine members of the Hinata Group passed the written test, exactly as Hinata had predicted earlier.
Meanwhile, outside the village, inside the office building at Akihabara.
"The last time I could stand above ground and breathe this freely was several years ago. Thinking about it now still leaves me with quite a few feelings."
Standing before the office window, Shimura Danzo looked toward Konohagakure's tall walls and buildings in the distance. His exposed left eye carried an unshakable gloom and determination. Although political maneuvering inside the village had now given him control of Akihabara, that was absolutely not enough to satisfy him.
"Hehehehe~~ This is quite a good place. As long as prosperous economic activity continues here, your Root will recover its strength within only a few years."
Danzo was clearly not alone. A rather dangerous guest was sitting on the sofa behind him.
The pale yellow shinobi robe looked ordinary at first glance. What stood out was the enormous purple rope knot tied behind his waist. When he raised his head, an eerie and terrifying atmosphere seemed to spread in every direction. His appearance was not particularly strange and could even be called sinisterly handsome, but his face was so deathly pale that not a trace of blood could be seen, giving him the horrifying impression of a living corpse.
"Orochimaru, you're exactly the same as before. Whether it's the way you speak or the way you act, you're thoroughly unpleasant."
Turning around, Danzo looked coldly at the person before him. Without question, this was one of the widely renowned Legendary Sannin, one of the Third Hokage's three Direct Disciples, a former member of Akatsuki, and the man who had once competed with the Fourth Hokage for the position of Hokage—Orochimaru.
"My apologies. I've always had a habit of telling the truth. It's only natural that people find me unpleasant."
Orochimaru clearly did not fear Danzo. Besides, since he was sitting in the man's office rather than inside one of his prison cells, there was even less reason for concern.
After all, an office was precisely where people discussed the things that could never be said inside a prison cell.
"I'll make this clear in advance. I don't care what you intend to do to Konohagakure. In my eyes, the Konoha that has rotted under Sarutobi's leadership lost the value of continuing to exist long ago. But..."
Danzo tightened his grip slightly around his Cane, his voice becoming especially cold. "My Akihabara, and the Konoha Publishing Factory inside the Uchiha Compound, are not to be damaged by those foolish allies of yours. Otherwise, I won't mind using all of you for a little exercise. You understand what I mean, don't you?"
The threat caused Orochimaru's vertical pupils to contract slightly. Danzo's Root had not fully recovered its strength yet, but it was still a force that could not be ignored. If such a force became an enemy, it would at the very least create unnecessary inconvenience.
As for the Uchiha Compound itself, it was far from the center of Konohagakure and had become mostly abandoned. There truly was no reason to go out of their way to destroy it.
"Naturally. I have no desire to turn a collaborator into an enemy for no reason. I returned this time only to settle things with Sarutobi-sensei and then destroy the village neither you nor I can stand. Whether you rebuild Konoha afterward or make yourself Hokage has nothing to do with me."
Orochimaru rose to his feet, understanding that Danzo had probably said everything he wanted to say. Akihabara and the Konoha Publishing Factory were now places capable of generating enormous amounts of money. They were tied directly to Danzo's future development, which was why he had specifically summoned Orochimaru here.
"Good that you understand. There is one more matter."
Danzo narrowed his eyes, his tone exceptionally cold. "I have no interest in stopping you from taking Uchiha Sasuke's body. But the other two members of that Uchiha survivor's team, Hyuga Hinata and Uzumaki Naruto, are off-limits. You are not to lay a hand on either of them."
"Ah~ I know. One is an adorable genius money-making expert, while the other is the important asset known as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. I understand the interests involved. If there's nothing else, then until next time. I need to make some preparations for the banquet."
With an eerie laugh, Orochimaru merged into the floor and vanished from the office. Danzo shook his head faintly and turned back toward Konohagakure, his grim eye fixing on the carved faces of Hokage Rock, still clearly visible even from here.
"Soon... this old man's face will be carved up there as well."
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"Nyahahahaha~~ So this is the Chunin Exams~~ So easy it's laughable~~"
Naruto walked with his hands behind his head, looking exactly like someone who had already forgotten how frightened he'd been now that it was over. Morino Ibiki's psychological assault had indeed been frightening, and a considerable number of candidates had withdrawn because they could not withstand the pressure. But to these unusually resilient rookies, that psychological burden was obviously a joke.
"You really do act without using your brain~ There were a full 153 candidates before the test, and now only 78 remain. Half of them were eliminated immediately. As far as I'm concerned, an exam that cuts the field in half right at the beginning is scary enough already."
Shikamaru was clearly getting a headache from Naruto's words, and the pineapple-haired boy's argument won agreement from the other members of the group.
"Indeed. We passed, but looking at the overall standard of this examination, its reputation for severity is clearly well deserved."
Shino pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. He obviously shared Shikamaru's view. "With an elimination rate approaching fifty percent in nearly every stage, how far we can ultimately go is still unknown."
"And... there's something seriously off about that female examiner with the Shikamaru-like hairstyle~"
Sakura rubbed her arms as a chill ran over her skin. Mitarashi Anko, the examiner for the second stage, had made a dramatic entrance in the classroom earlier. Aside from her provocative clothing and pretty face, the strongest impression she gave was unquestionably an ominous aura that was impossible to ignore.
"Exactly. Akamaru told me that the female examiner reeks of blood. She must have killed a lot of people. She's definitely dangerous. They're both Female Jonin, but that Anko woman and Kurenai-sensei are practically opposite extremes."
Kiba looked uneasy as well. His instructor, Yuhi Kurenai, might be extremely strict while teaching, but in ordinary interactions she was unquestionably gentle and considerate. Mitarashi Anko possessed none of that gentleness. As Orochimaru's Direct Disciple, she had clearly inherited a considerable portion of his sinister aura.
At that point, everyone paused and then looked toward the Byakugan girl walking at the front. Without question, they had already expressed their own opinions thoroughly. Now they needed her to reach a conclusion.
"There's no need to panic. Our strength is absolute. Even if people must be eliminated, we will absolutely not be among them. I took a look just now. The location this examiner is leading us toward is an enormous primeval forest. If my guess is correct, this stage should be a survival test."
Hinata deactivated her Byakugan. She had been confirming whether Karin's group had passed. Fortunately, Karin was indeed among the second wave of candidates, and her pale-gold Sage's Body Chakra was extraordinarily easy to locate. Even after entering the Forest of Death, Hinata was completely confident she could find her with the Byakugan.
"Huh? A survival test?"
Ino looked surprised. "Doesn't that mean we'll have to consider sleeping outdoors? Tch... that's terrible for the skin..."
"More than that. I suspect they'll add some additional difficulty, such as permitting unrestricted killing inside the forest. Only those who survive that should count as qualified."
Sasuke, the most battle-hungry member of the group, spoke eagerly as well. The earlier written test had obviously failed to interest him. Now he badly wanted to fight the other Genin and see exactly how strong he really was.
"Exactly. If we're required to survive while remaining on guard against enemies around us, then the difficulty of this examination is indeed very high. Add in the dangerous animals and terrain inside the forest, and there is a very real chance someone could die."
Hinata frowned slightly, her voice turning especially decisive. "So! If this really is a survival test, they'll definitely make the different teams act separately. In that case, once we enter the survival grounds, regroup around Shikamaru's team as quickly as possible, no matter what! Once all nine of us are together, we'll decide what to do next!"
"I will make sure victory in this exam is ours, decisively and without question!"