On August 1st, various nobles, Daimyo, high-ranking officials, and dignitaries from participating villages were invited to attend.
On the eve of the third stage of the Chunin Exams, in a secret room...
"Orochimaru-sama, are we really not going to contact Danzo for this operation?"
Kabuto looked at Orochimaru, who was disguising himself as the Kazekage, and spoke in a low voice.
But Orochimaru simply chuckled coldly.
"Hahahahaha… Notify that old fool Danzo? Do you think I haven't been betrayed enough? The last operation being exposed was definitely Danzo's fault. Though I don't know what his goal was, he must have gone senile."
Just mentioning Danzo made Orochimaru grit his teeth in frustration.
As long-time partners, Orochimaru couldn't understand what Danzo was thinking.
Not only had he missed the chance to plant the Cursed Seal on Sasuke, he had also missed the opportunity to obtain Kakashi's Mangekyo Sharingan.
How could Orochimaru not hate Danzo for this?
"Orochimaru-sama, didn't you say earlier that we couldn't be sure it was Danzo's fault?"
"Hehe, regardless of what caused the leak last time, I can no longer trust him."
Orochimaru glanced at the Kazekage's hat and then turned to ask Kabuto, "By the way, is the Edo Tensei preparation complete?"
"Orochimaru-sama, since we had to abandon our previous base, the two Otogakure Ninjas we planned to use as sacrifices for Edo Tensei couldn't find us. So, I used two Otogakure Ninjas as substitutes..."
Orochimaru sneered, "Kabuto, you're really complicating things. I hope your self-willed behavior will not disrupt my plan."
"Put on the Anbu uniform. It's time to go."
"Yes! Orochimaru-sama."
Kabuto quietly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
---
"The third exam is about to begin... Danzo-sama, should we wait any longer?"
"No, we won't wait."
Danzo's face was cold. "If Orochimaru had any brains, he would have contacted me immediately after the incident…"
"For such an important plan, he actually chose not to notify me. Clearly... hmph, he's digging his own grave!"
After the fourth volume's content was updated, Danzo, who also had a phone, was among the first to learn about it.
In the beginning, security was tight, and he couldn't act. But when the defenses loosened later, he sent people to look for Orochimaru.
However, he found that the agreed-upon secret bases were all empty.
Upon realizing that Orochimaru had cut off contact with them, Danzo was so furious he nearly smashed the door of the Root's Headquarters.
Even now, on the eve of the third exam, with Danzo standing in the open, Orochimaru still hadn't reached out to him.
---
Once all the important figures had taken their seats, the Chunin Exams began.
Sitting in the spectator stands, Kakashi glanced at the unfamiliar ANBU member beside him and thought, 'This must be Yakushi Kabuto, right? His disguise is quite convincing.'
Kakashi only glanced briefly, not letting his gaze linger on Kabuto.
But Kabuto still felt something was off.
It wasn't that he had noticed Kakashi...
But...
'Why did it feel like everyone around me kept glancing my way unintentionally?'
'It was as if I had been exposed...'
After replaying Orochimaru's plan in his mind, Kabuto suppressed his doubts.
'No, there couldn't be any leaks. It must be my imagination.'
---
Soon, the first match of the third stage of the Chunin Exams began.
First Match: Kinuta Dosu vs. Haku.
The audience showed clear interest in this battle.
Both were Ninja from other Ninja Villages.
One was a secret Jutsu user from Otogakure, and the other was one of the few Kekkei Genkai users from Kirigakure!
As the battle between the two began, Haku, upon entering the arena, couldn't help but ask Dosu: "According to Boss, you should be dead by now. "
Earlier, Zabuza, impressed by Dosu's strength, had casually asked Yuto about Dosu's fate.
Yuto had offhandedly mentioned that Dosu was killed by Gaara.
As for the exact day, Yuto couldn't remember, only that it happened before the Chunin Exams.
---
Dosu also showed a rare expression of lingering fear.
"Yeah... if it weren't for the Ninjas from Konoha, I probably wouldn't be standing here right now."
At this moment, the tuberculosis-ridden Hayate couldn't help but cough a few times.
"Cough... cough... you two, the match is about to begin. Cough... stop talking for now."
Hayate would never forget that night…
During his usual patrol, it was a blood moon night. He also owned a phone, bought on Yugao's recommendation.
So he knew about the contents of the fourth volume.
When he saw the abnormal Gaara, Hayate also noticed Dosu, who was on the brink of death...
After a moment of thought, Hayate activated his Transparency Technique and, in a flash, rescued Dosu.
However, his coughing had revealed his position.
Fortunately...
As the Chunin Exams approached, Konoha had tightened its security. His patrolling teammates noticed Hayate, and the lurking Baki took Gaara away before more people could spot him.
---
As the matches progressed, the third exam heated up. By the time Sasuke faced Gaara, Sasuke, who hadn't been marked with the Cursed Seal and had already learned the Chidori from Kakashi, activated his three-tomoe Sharingan.
After several exchanges with Gaara, Sasuke leaped onto the edge of the wall, formed hand seals, and quickly charged up the Chidori.
He launched a fatal strike at Gaara...
With the three-tomoe Sharingan's boost, the Chidori pierced through Gaara's sand shield, accurately... striking his heart.
"Blood…my blood!"
Gaara screamed, and then Sasuke saw a massive eye glaring at him from within the sand shield.
On the spectator stands, the Anbu were already prepared. Kakashi exchanged a glance with Guy beside him.
'It's coming...'
All the Konoha Jonin or Anbu, who had prepared in advance, waited quietly for the inevitable outcome.
The people of Sunagakure were very nervous about this sudden change, as this wasn't part of their plan.
They didn't expect that in this 'small' Chunin Exams, there was actually someone who could break Gaara's sand shield!
'Damn it! Why did it have to be now?'
Baki cursed under his breath, scanning the area for a good position to handle the impending chaos.
At this moment, a figure dressed as an Anbu quietly appeared at the back of the spectator stands.
It's Kabuto!
Taking advantage of everyone's focus being on Gaara, Kabuto seized the moment to cast a Genjutsu.
Meanwhile, on the high platform, Orochimaru, disguised as the Kazekage, was chatting amiably with Hiruzen.
At this time, a scroll appeared in his hand.
After releasing the scroll, the Otogakure Ninjas outside the village quickly gathered.
"This is Orochimaru-sama's signal! Everyone, attack Konoha..."
In the silence, a plan that could overturn Konoha... had begun.