Afterward, from Naruto's brief report and the snake skin left at the scene, the Third Hokage confirmed that Orochimaru had indeed escaped.
A deep sense of remorse welled up in his heart; he ultimately failed to personally bring this misguided disciple back... or rather, bring him to justice.
At the same time, his heart was filled with indescribable complex emotions.
Orochimaru, this genius disciple who once made him immensely proud, fought alongside Jiraiya and Tsunade, forging the reputation of the "Legendary Sannin" amidst the smoke of the Third Shinobi World War, and even together, they earned the right to survive against Hanzou, the "Demigod."
In terms of strength and intelligence, Orochimaru had undoubtedly long possessed the qualifications to serve as a Kage of a Village.
Unfortunately, his character ultimately deviated from the right path; his obsession with forbidden Ninjutsu and his disregard for life ultimately led to the severance of their Master and Apprentice (master-disciple) relationship and his defection.
However, such a formidable individual, feared by the entire Ninja World, was today beaten and forced to flee by a Konoha Genin who had only graduated from the Ninja Academy a few months ago?
No, it wasn't that Orochimaru was too weak; it was that the Nine-Tailed's power was too terrifying, and Naruto... he could control this power so perfectly!
The Third's gaze fell on Naruto, watching him, even after demonstrating such power, still respectfully and clearly explaining the situation to him, his eyes clear, devoid of the savagery or arrogance of being corrupted by power.
The Third's worries in his heart slightly eased, replaced by an even deeper shock.
Just now, through his Telescope Ninjutsu, he clearly saw Naruto's elusive movement — that was by no means an ordinary Body Flicker Technique, but the S-rank space-time Ninjutsu [Flying Thunder God Technique] popularized by his father, Minato Namikaze!
Naruto... he actually mastered this Ninjutsu solely based on the records in the scroll of seals?
Considering Naruto's previously demonstrated powerful sealing Ninjutsu talent, his immense vitality, and now his confirmed space-time Ninjutsu talent, along with his calm and humble demeanor... he almost perfectly inherited the strengths of Minato and Kushina!
It could be said that Naruto's only "shortcoming" now was his young age.
After the remorse of failing to capture Orochimaru gradually subsided, the more the Third pondered, the more excited he became, even feeling an urgent desire to "immediately entrust the Hokage position" to him.
And... since Naruto already possessed such powerful self-preservation abilities, should he... reveal Naruto's true identity to the public?
Once this thought surfaced, it could no longer be suppressed.
However, when he thought of the villagers' prejudice and cold treatment of Naruto due to ignorance over the years, a deep regret clutched his heart.
Hopefully... now that Naruto and Uchiha Satsuki have formed a deep bond, Naruto's sense of belonging to Konoha will be stronger than before...
Subsequently, the Third Hokage solemnly instructed Team 7 to continue participating in the Chunin Exams, and then specifically turned to Naruto, adding in a serious tone that the power Naruto used just now must never be easily employed unless encountering Sunagakure's Ichibi Jinchuriki or in a truly life-threatening situation.
The Third was truly worried that if Naruto lost control and unleashed another hot-blooded Tailed Beast Bomb, the examinees in the Forest of Death would likely be indiscriminately cleared out.
After giving his instructions, Hiruzen Sarutobi rendezvoused with Kakashi and Anko Mitarashi, who had rushed over furiously to search for Orochimaru's tracks after learning that an examinee had been replaced.
The Konoha Anbu also quickly infiltrated the depths of the forest, attempting to track the clues left by the escaping snake.
Even though it was confirmed that Orochimaru had infiltrated, and he even had a premonition that Sunagakure might have ill intentions, why did the Third not call off the Chunin Exams and still choose to continue them?
This decision seemed risky, but if one carefully considers the political and strategic implications behind it, one can understand its helplessness and inevitability.
Firstly, this joint Chunin Exams, which brought together many Ninja Villages from the Ninja World, was an extremely important diplomatic event.
Konoha's unilateral suspicion and an unidentified snake skin as evidence were simply not enough to convince everyone.
To rashly announce its cancellation unilaterally would undoubtedly be a great insult and provocation to all the participating Villages who had traveled far, inevitably leading to serious diplomatic disputes.
Secondly, as the leader of the Five Great Ninja Villages, if Konoha were to cancel the grand event like a startled bird merely because of an unverified "potential threat," it would severely damage the Village's international prestige and image of strength.
As Hokage, the Third must always demonstrate Konoha's composure and absolute control over its power in any situation.
Furthermore, even if the Chunin Exams were forcefully called off despite diplomatic pressure, would Orochimaru's long-planned scheme be halted?
The answer is clearly no.
If the Chunin Exams were suddenly interrupted, it would be akin to alerting the enemy, directly telling Orochimaru, who was hiding in the shadows, "I've found you!"
At that point, this cunning snake would only hide deeper, and his subsequent attacks would become even more unpredictable and difficult to prevent.
Wait... Naruto suddenly snapped out of this strategic analysis.
Why am I pondering these things?
I don't plan to become Hokage, so why worry about these high-level decisions?
He shook his head, casting aside the distracting thoughts.
Since the Chunin Exams were proceeding as usual and Orochimaru had temporarily retreated, then completing the assessment as planned was all that was needed.
He turned around, about to call Satsuki and Sakura to continue towards the Central Tower.
But he happened to meet Satsuki's dark eyes, which were now fixed on him with a clearly annoyed expression.
Naruto was slightly taken aback at first, somewhat confused, but then a memory surfaced — he seemed to have... indeed told Satsuki that using this Tailed Beast Chakra might cause a considerable burden and damage to his body.
Recalling this, he immediately understood the source of Satsuki's anger at this moment.
After witnessing that world-destroying terrifying power, Satsuki's face showed no trace of fear, nor did she feel any jealousy or alienation.
Mixed in with her angry gaze was something purer and deeper — heartache.
Clearly, with the Third Hokage, Kakashi, and numerous Anbu present earlier, Satsuki had carefully hidden her emotions, maintaining an outwardly calm demeanor.
Now, the inconvenient people had finally left... she needed to get Sakura out of the way first.
This thought naturally surfaced.
Satsuki almost subconsciously, even in the midst of preparing for a "reckoning" and with emotions surging, first considered preserving Naruto's dignity, unwilling to embarrass him in front of a third person.
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