The first exam concluded swiftly.
The final question, posed by the proctor, Morino Ibiki, used the harsh condition of 'being forever relegated to Genin' to pressure those lacking confidence in their intelligence-gathering abilities, effectively filtering them out.
The second exam followed immediately after.
The proctor was a whirlwind of a woman who made a flashy entrance by leaping through a window, drawing everyone's attention.
She led the crowd to the next exam location.
Meanwhile, Sasuke walked alone on the relatively quiet streets of Konoha, tuning out the noisy commotion coming from the direction of the Academy.
The Chunin Exams...
To him, it was truly just a boring game of make-believe.
Rather than waste time, it was better to find a quiet place to continue attempting deeper communication with Takemikazuchi and explore the path to Bankai.
So many years had passed, and he still hadn't returned to that world.
He had quietly begun to prepare himself for the possibility that he might never go back.
In that case, becoming stronger in this world was the only option.
Just as he was pondering which training ground to go to, a figure emerged without warning from an alleyway ahead, brushing past him.
It was a tall Kusagakure's Shinobi wearing a sedge hat, with long hair reaching his waist. His walk possessed an androgynous, chill-like presence.
Sasuke's steps halted abruptly.
He slowly turned his head, his dark eyes sharpening instantly, locking onto the retreating figure.
'Something was wrong.'
Sasuke's gaze sharpened.
'This person's Chakra...'
'It was filled with an unpleasant chill, and the quality of his Chakra far surpassed Kakashi's.'
Within the Shinobi Power System, the only ones he had encountered with such strength were Hiruzen and the Uchiha from his memories.
'A powerhouse of this caliber, disguised as a Genin to participate in the Chunin Exams?'
Driven by instinctive curiosity, Sasuke didn't hesitate. His figure flickered, and he silently followed.
Concealing all his presence, he trailed the Kusagakure's Shinobi from a distance, moving through streets and eventually entering together that ominous, forbidden zone… the Forest of Death.
The forest light was dim, shadows of trees dancing.
The figure ahead flickered a few times before silently vanishing without a trace.
Sasuke stopped, his eyes cautiously scanning the surroundings. The three-tomoe Sharingan slowly surfaced.
Just then, a familiar voice came from not far away.
"Sasuke? What are you doing here?"
Sasuke followed the sound and saw Naruto standing together with Sakura and a few other Genin from different teams, all looking at him with surprise.
"Are you here for the second exam too?" Naruto asked excitedly.
Sasuke didn't answer. His attention wasn't on these kids at all.
He could sense that the chilling presence hadn't left. It was still lurking somewhere in the surroundings, waiting.
Crackle…
"Hehehe... were you looking for me?"
A hoarse voice sounded without warning from the ground right beside Sasuke.
The earth writhed and churned like a living thing, gradually coalescing into a complete human form.
It was the Kusagakure's Shinobi with the sedge hat from before.
He slowly straightened up, a strange smile on his face. His unnaturally long tongue flicked out, licking his lips.
"I wonder... was there something you needed, following me all this way?"
Sasuke slowly raised his hand, gripping the hilt of the sword at his waist, his eyes cold.
"You're not a Genin here to take the exam."
"I noticed you staring at me earlier at the Academy's gates." Sasuke added, a trace of impatience in his voice.
The smile on the Kusagakure's Shinobi's face widened, a flash of admiration in his eyes, "Hehe, as expected of the Uchiha Clan. Those eyes are truly captivating."
"Your identity." Sasuke's tone grew even more impatient.
"My identity?"
The Kusagakure's Shinobi's body leaned forward slightly. He extended his absurdly long tongue, lightly licking his lips. His entire aura turned gloomy, "If you want to know... then show me your 'capacity'."
"Let me see if you have the qualifications."
The moment the words fell, a massive wave of Chakra erupted violently!
Killing intent saturated the air. Insects and birds in the forest instantly fell silent.
Under this tangible killing intent, Naruto couldn't even stand steadily. His hands instinctively covered his forehead, his legs trembling uncontrollably.
He felt...
like he was about to die.
It was a fear born from instinct.
Sakura was completely pressed to the ground by this invisible pressure.
Yet, at the center of this suffocating killing intent, Sasuke merely lifted his eyelids dismissively.
"Is that all?"
His voice was light. This so-called killing intent was full of deliberately crafted intimidation.
Compared to Kenpachi's killing intent, which could make souls tremble just by him standing there, this was child's play.
A trace of disappointment even appeared on Sasuke's face, his eyes filled with undisguised scorn.
"So this is your so-called 'capacity'."
Shing!
He drew his blade. The light blue edge of Takemikazuchi traced a cold arc through the air, meeting the kunai the Kusagakure's Shinobi hastily raised to block.
Clang!
The sound of metal clashing rang out, but Sasuke's heart tightened.
'So fast!'
'This person's Body Flicker speed far surpassed Kakashi's.'
His blade struck again, the force unleashed far exceeding what a mere kunai could withstand.
The Kusagakure's Shinobi's figure was forced back half a step, but Sasuke's offensive followed like a shadow.
The moment the blades made contact...
Sasuke murmured inwardly. A black-and-white intertwined lightning instantly flickered and conducted along the blade, shooting directly towards the opponent's arm through the point of contact.
The Kusagakure's Shinobi before him was clearly no ordinary Shinobi. His reaction speed almost defied logic.
The instant the lightning began to flash, the hand holding the kunai disintegrated in a manner that defied physiological structure, bursting into a swarm of white snakes, each the size of a finger.
They scattered and slid away, perfectly evading the lightning's conduction.
It had no effect on them.
"What kind of technique was that?" The Kusagakure's Shinobi retreated several meters, his arm reforming. His eyes were filled with shock and uncertainty.
No hand seals...
That wasn't particularly novel, as he could do the same for some common Ninjutsu.
What was strange was the lightning on the blade.
Although its energy was composed of Chakra, it seemed vastly different from ordinary lightning.
Within that electric arc, there was a purer, more destructive aura.
Faced with the Kusagakure's Shinobi's question, Sasuke only snorted coldly, showing no interest in answering.
"Hehehe... an interesting brat." The Kusagakure's Shinobi's smile grew increasingly morbid and greedy, "It seems the secrets on your body are even more than I imagined..."
He stopped testing and launched an attack initiative!
His neck stretched out at a horrifying angle, like a poised venomous snake, instantly covering over ten meters.
From his wide-open mouth, the gleaming tip of a sword shot out, stabbing straight for Sasuke's heart!
Kusanagi Sword!
Sasuke's pupils constricted sharply. The Sharingan captured the trajectory of this bizarre attack perfectly.
He jerked sideways. The sword blade grazed past his chest, slicing through his clothes.
However, before he could counter, countless venomous snakes surged wildly from the Kusagakure's Shinobi's sleeves, like a black tide, completely sealing off all of Sasuke's escape routes from all sides.
Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!
"Hmph, petty tricks."
Sasuke snorted coldly, leaping high into the air, hovering mid-flight.
"Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! On the wall of blue flame, inscribe a twin lotus. In the abyss of conflagration, wait at the far heavens!"
"Hado #73: Soren Sokatsui!"
A double pentagram pattern appeared in Sasuke's palm. A wave of destruction, with a diameter of thirty meters, exploded outwards, incinerating all those snakes to ashes.
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