Inside the Leviathan's cabin.
Sakura was wrapping Naruto's wounds while Sasuke leaned against the railing, the mood heavy as lead.
"Who the hell was that guy?!" Sasuke growled, arms wrapped around his knees, face buried in them.
"One of the Legendary Sannin, Orochimaru. Oh, and he used to be your brother's punching bag," Sakura said, tying off the last loop of bandage around Naruto.
The usually hyper blond kid was half-lidded, those sky-blue eyes dimmed by defeat.
Getting wrecked by Orochimaru had left both boys gutted.
But what really twisted the knife was the fact that they couldn't even keep up with Sakura's back as she fought.
"Hey, lighten up. That creep's strong enough to be in the running for Hokage."
"With where you two are right now? You'd be top-tier even among chunin!"
Sakura flashed an encouraging grin and ruffled the blond and black mop of hair.
"What about you, Sakura? You're the same age as us!"
Naruto, sprawled next to Sasuke, thrust a fist toward the sky.
He'd sworn he'd become someone everyone acknowledged, but when push came to shove?
He couldn't even protect Sasuke, let alone someone as strong as Sakura.
Hearing Naruto, Sasuke lifted his head and stared at her too. The hunger to get stronger hit its peak.
[Author's note: Remember our site, 101kan.com!]
"What do I have to do to get as strong as you?"
Sakura's Observation Haki picked up the burning desire in both boys and left her momentarily speechless.
What do I do? Find a system to bind with? Or drag them out to sea and throw them into battles?
[Notification: You may select suitable Devil Fruits for the two of them.]
"Oh, that's actually a solid idea. System, you do have your moments~"
Sakura eyed the glowing gold text in her vision, a playful glint in her eye.
[Heh. Devil Fruits are high-value items. Cost scales with power.]
[Starting at 200 Achievement Points—no upper limit!]
"You greedy jerk! I knew you were just after my points!"
[Notification: Fair prices, no scams, honest business!]
"Pfft."
She fired the system's own line back at it, then cleared her throat.
Sasuke and Naruto watched the girl in front of them, sensing she had something big to say, and quieted down.
"Okay, you two. Imagine there's a secret treasure that gives you insane powers… but the trade-off is you get weak the second you touch seawater. You in?"
Sakura plopped cross-legged on the Leviathan's deck, emerald eyes locked on them.
"I'm in!"
Sasuke didn't hesitate. A little seawater weakness? Compared to the crazy side-effects of most jutsu in their world, that was nothing.
"Same here!"
Naruto thought it over, refusing to fall behind Sasuke again, and nodded hard.
"Perfect. I'll pick the right ones for you. And keep this between us, got it?"
Sakura took the drinks Leviathan handed over and passed them to the boys.
"I swear on the Uchiha name."
Sasuke took his cup, eyes dead serious.
If it meant getting stronger—if it meant washing away the Uchiha clan's shame—he'd sell his soul to the devil without blinking.
And if the devil was Sakura… well, that didn't sound half bad.
"I'll keep it secret for Sakura too!"
Naruto's clear eyes shone with resolve as he grabbed his drink.
Sasuke, Sakura—they were the treasures he'd found in his otherwise dark life.
He'd bet his life to protect his teammates, to guard these hard-won bonds.
"Not bad, you two~"
Sakura's eyes reflected their blazing determination as she broke into a wide grin.
"For now, focus on crushing the exams ahead!"
Her gaze softened. She raised her cup.
Naruto and Sasuke grinned back, clinking their cups against hers. The sharp clink echoed through the cabin.
"Yeah!" ×2
Meanwhile, inside the Hokage's office.
"Orochimaru… of all times…"
Hiruzen Sarutobi listened to the ANBU report, pulled a pipe from under his desk, and lit it.
The chunin exams had already cranked his stress through the roof; now he was chain-smoking.
"Max out the village barrier. Double the patrols. And send someone to drag Jiraiya back here!"
A string of orders flew from his mouth. The kneeling ANBU nodded once and vanished in a flicker.
Hiruzen stood, walked to the window, and stared at the village he'd protected for over twenty years.
He never thought the mercy he'd shown over a decade ago would come back to bite the village now.
His old heart turned to ice. Killing intent boiled up.
No matter what, Orochimaru had crossed the line.
Even if he'd once been his favorite student—if he threatened the village Hiruzen had poured his life into—
he'd put him down without a shred of mercy.
"But that leaves us short on security for the exams."
A low voice cut through the murderous haze.
Hiruzen's eyes snapped to the old friend lounging on the couch. "Did you have something to do with this, Danzo?"
"You know me, Hiruzen. I'd never do anything to harm the Leaf."
Danzo leaned back with his cane, calm as ever. The one visible eye—dull and lifeless—turned toward Hiruzen.
"Good."
Hiruzen looked away, choosing to trust his old comrade… for now.
But the joint exam couldn't be compromised. They needed shinobi inside and outside the arena.
He'd already sent the ANBU to secure the village, which left only one option for the exam grounds…
"Danzo, I'm reinstating you as Root commander. You and Root will handle exam security."
Hiruzen took the pipe from his lips and exhaled a cloud of smoke. "You know how critical this exam is. No mistakes."
Danzo, seeing his goal achieved, let a faint smile slip.
He gripped the cane tighter, fingers curling one by one, and stood.
"Relax, Hiruzen. Leave it to me."
"But those two prodigies from the Aburame and Yamanaka clans…"
The hint in Danzo's tone was crystal clear: This costs extra.
With everything going on, Hiruzen was cornered. He reluctantly gave in.
"I'll sign the transfer orders. But you will not put the Curse of Silence seal on them."
The crafty old Hokage wasn't about to let Danzo win that easily.
"Fine."
Danzo paused, then nodded.
No seal? Whatever.
With his… cough… charisma, two clan geniuses would fall in line easy.
"Since you're giving me those two, how about Haruno Sakura—"
"Want me to join Root tomorrow?"
"Really? That'd be—"
"GET OUT. NOW!!!"