Back when Anya had just graduated, the only person he cared about was Minato. He had no real connection with any of his classmates. Traveling the battlefields with White Fang, he had remained a lone wolf.
Looking back now, he didn't regret his earlier choices. Everyone grew in their own way. If those bonds had really been that deep, following Anya into battle would have destroyed them long ago.
After three Sound Ninjas were defeated and retreated, leaving behind the Earth Scroll to flee shamefully, Tenten went to rescue Lee before departing after saying goodbye to Sakura.
Neji looked at Lee helplessly and sighed, "We're running out of time. We still need one more scroll. It's already been so long. Some teams might have reached the finish line by now."
"Here," Anya said casually tossing over a scroll, "I've got an extra. Consider it a gift."
As Neji was about to return the scroll, Anya continued, "Don't refuse. This exam is pointless for you besides wasting your time. The real battles ahead will be where true strength shines."
Neji tightened his grip on the scroll and accepted it. He recognized the truth in Anya's words.
A group of six formed an alliance and silently made their way toward the finish line.
Lee kept looking at the three newcomers beside him while quietly asking Tenten, "How did you guys form this alliance? How come I didn't know? Also, their masks look really cool. Can I..."
Before Tenten could respond, Anya pulled out a book and threw it over, "Here. Take a look. Pick whichever you like. I'll give you a mask."
Lee stared at the book in his hands. Written on its cover were four large characters: Transmorpher.
Filled with curiosity, Lee flipped open the first page and quickly became captivated, mesmerized by the strange yet fascinating drawings of machines he'd never seen before. He completely forgot about the masks.
Watching the current Lee, Sasori couldn't help but recall his childhood—how Maki constantly begged Big Brother Kurotsuchi to tell new stories. Compared to that, Lee was clearly much luckier now having access to the entire book immediately.
The group encountered no obstacles reaching the tower marking the finish line. There weren't many examinees gathered there yet; they had arrived relatively early.
Teams arriving early gained obvious advantages—they could rest to recover their energy and replenish chakra to prepare for the upcoming individual duels.
Tenten was urging Lee, "Stop reading. You're injured from Death Forest. Hurry up and treat yourself, restore to peak condition. Otherwise you might get eliminated."
Startled, Lee hastily closed the book and said enthusiastically, "You're absolutely right, Tenten! Though this book is amazing, I can't waste time anymore. I must focus entirely on preparation. This time, I'll definitely advance to Chunin and avoid disappointing Master Guy."
"He seemed overly excited," Tenten murmured as she turned to Neji, noticing his gaze fixed on Anya's trio.
"What's wrong?" Tenten asked.
Neji blinked, shook his head slightly, and replied, "Nothing."
Anya and his companions huddled together whispering about something secretly.
Anya said, "Sasori, see that electronic screen above? Do you think we can control it?"
"Trying to manipulate the system again?" Minato replied with a strange tone, instantly understanding Anya's meaning.
Sasori glanced up lazily and said, "Simple enough. What do you need me to do?"
"Hmm, first like this—let these two fight each other, then like this, finally..."
After Anya finished speaking, Minato, who had been listening nearby, nodded and said, "This arrangement is pretty good. Occasionally cheating is normal too."
Anya teased Minato, "I remember you never lost during the Third Battle. How about now?"
Minato responded uncertainly, "Depends on the circumstances."
"By the way, Sasori, who are you going to pick?"
Sasori was already prepared. He took out a ninja information card and said, "Him."
Seeing the person, Anya felt somewhat sorry for him as he murmured, "Uh... go easy on him."
"Big Brother Kurotsuchi, maybe you shouldn't participate. Although they're just a bunch of Genin, accidents might happen," Sasori advised.
Thinking about it for a moment, Anya replied, "I guess it'll be fine. I'll just play around. If things don't work out, I can always surrender."
Sasori didn't stop him, instead saying, "Then I'll arrange for you someone a bit weaker."
"That casual about it?" Minato found it slightly confusing. Anya had participated in both the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars, never losing to any Genin before. Plus, someone capable of Instant Kills would never require a second strike.
"Haven't experienced something like this before. It might not be bad to try it occasionally."
Of course others wouldn't know what Anya, as a transmigrator, was thinking—the indescribable feeling of personally experiencing scenes once seen only in animation.
After some time, teams started arriving one after another. When the final team arrived at the examination hall, those remaining were all ones who hadn't passed yet, less than half of the original number, clearly showing how difficult the Chunin Exams really were.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had already learned from Anko that Orochimaru had returned to Konoha, hiding somewhere among these examinees. After scanning the crowd with piercing eyes, he lingered briefly on Anya's trio before shifting his gaze elsewhere.
These three wearing masks looked quite mysterious; actually, they probably weren't Orochimaru since they were too conspicuous. However, it was strange indeed that Takigakure's previously obscure trio managed to pass the previous two stages.
Standing right at the front, Hiruzen looked at the gathered Genin solemnly and announced, "We will now begin the drawing of lots for the third round knockout stage of the Chunin Exam (a promotion exam for ninja)."
With Sasori secretly manipulating behind the scenes, the matchups were quickly decided.
The matchups were announced: Hornet VS Naruto Uzumaki, Megatron VS Kiba Inuzuka, and Red Spider VS Kankuro.
The rest of the matches proceeded largely as in the anime.
When he found out who his opponent was, Naruto Uzumaki immediately locked eyes with Minato.
Minato instinctively looked over and caught Naruto Uzumaki pulling a funny face at him. He couldn't help but chuckle. He gave Naruto Uzumaki a thumbs-up. Slightly taken aback, Naruto reciprocated with a thumbs-up as well, creating a very harmonious scene.
The trio from Sunagakure Village had a completely different reaction. When they heard the name "Red Spider," their expressions instantly changed. That name was far too familiar—an apprentice personally trained by Elder Chiyo from Sunagakure Village, the greatest puppet master, and also the most mysterious figure in the village. Almost nobody had ever seen him, yet everyone knew that many puppets he created had been used for the village's development, achieving excellent results. He held extremely high prestige within the village and was deeply revered by the Suna ninja, with Kankuro being one of his biggest fans.
Unfortunately, the current trio didn't yet know that those puppets within the village were merely early prototypes created by Sasori. His true masterpieces remained hidden deep inside his secret base.
Temari had some recollection of the three masked individuals and shook her head, saying, "I don't think it's him. If I remember correctly, those three are ninja from Takigakure."
Kankuro snorted coldly, "Who dares to use the same name as our village's greatest puppet master? Just wait until I take him down."
Gaara, who had remained silent, glanced at the trio—Anya included—and said coolly, "Don't underestimate them. These three aren't simple opponents."
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