"To think you've actually awakened Wood Style; it seems the bloodline of the Senju Clan truly flows strongly within you," Jiraiya said, his expression softening with a mixture of nostalgia and gratification.
He took another sip of sake before his expression turned deadly serious.
"However, you had better be incredibly cautious during these Chunin Exams, Shiro. An... old associate of mine might have his eye on you."
Shiro didn't even need to guess to know that Jiraiya was talking about the snake Sannin, Orochimaru.
But it didn't really matter to Shiro. In the face of a max-level Wood Style user, a snake couldn't do a damn thing but slither away or get crushed.
"I appreciate the warning, Lord Jiraiya," Shiro nodded respectfully.
"Alright! I still need to take this loudmouth brat to do some training. See you around, kid!" Jiraiya laughed, paying the bill and dragging a complaining Naruto out of the shop by his collar.
Watching them leave, Shiro processed a very important piece of logistical intelligence.
If Jiraiya was actively back in the village and training Naruto, it meant the timeline was progressing steadily toward the 'Konoha Crush' arc. And more importantly, it meant that the search for Tsunade would begin shortly after.
Unlike the conservative, politically stagnant Hiruzen Sarutobi, if Tsunade were to take power as the Fifth Hokage, the landscape of Konoha would likely undergo a massive, positive shift. When that time came, those ancient, meddling Hokage Advisors and the rotting cancer known as Danzo probably wouldn't meet a good end.
"Why am I even worrying about village politics right now?" Shiro muttered to himself, shaking his head.
Having awakened the Senju Clan's ultimate bloodline limit, regardless of whether Hiruzen or Tsunade sat in the big chair, his status as the village's untouchable golden goose was secure.
---
Soon, the time for the second stage of the Chunin Exams arrived.
Compared to the psychological torture of the written test, the rules for the second stage were refreshingly simple and brutally straightforward: a lethal game of capture the flag.
The objective was to seize both a 'Heaven' and an 'Earth' scroll. There were 13 Heaven scrolls and 13 Earth scrolls randomly distributed among the 26 remaining teams. Each team that successfully obtained a matching pair and reached the central tower through the hazardous Forest of Death within five days would pass.
"Shiro! Shiro! Are you really going in as a one-man team?!"
Just as the competitors were gathering outside the chain-link fence of Training Ground 44, Sakura and Ino jogged over, looking at him with worried, expectant eyes.
In a survival exam like this, lacking teammates to take watches or cover blind spots was a massive, potentially fatal disadvantage.
"I prefer working alone," Shiro replied, his gaze exceptionally firm.
As for the scrolls? He didn't care which one he was given at the gate. Once the gates opened, he would just see which unlucky team had the misfortune of running into him first.
"Sigh... what a pity. I'm afraid this stage of the exam is going to be an absolute bloodbath for some people," Kabuto Yakushi muttered from nearby, adjusting his glasses nervously.
By now, Kabuto had essentially become the number one president of the Shiro terrified-fanboy club.
But Shiro paid no attention to Kabuto. Instead, his sharp eyes locked onto an unnervingly pale, androgynous-looking Grass Ninja standing quietly with their team.
Shiro slowly walked over to the disguised Orochimaru.
"Hey. You," Shiro said bluntly, stopping a few feet away. "Do you want to ditch your team and partner up with me?"
Shiro figured teaming up with Orochimaru right at the gate would save him the tedious trouble of hunting the Sannin down in the vast, dense forest later. Once they got inside and away from the cameras, Shiro planned to find a nice, secluded clearing and turn this guy into a dead snake.
"Oh?"
Orochimaru's golden, slitted eyes widened slightly in genuine surprise. He hadn't expected the boy to approach him directly, let alone proposition him.
*As expected of Konoha's Number One Genius... he must have sensed something,* Orochimaru thought, a thrill of excitement running through him. He subconsciously dragged his abnormally long tongue across his lips, his eyes filled with dark, predatory interest as he evaluated the Senju vessel.
"I must decline," Orochimaru hissed softly, his voice rasping.
The rejection took Shiro by surprise. *This dead snake actually rejected a free opening?*
But in reality, Orochimaru had another, far more pressing and immediate goal for this specific trip: testing and marking Sasuke Uchiha.
"I apologize, but I already have... commitments with my current teammates," Orochimaru added, his tone somber and polite.
Although Orochimaru deeply desired Shiro's Wood Style body, he was a pragmatic scientist and survivor above all else. He had to admit that based on his intelligence network, Shiro's current combat strength was an unpredictable, highly volatile variable. It was so potent that Orochimaru simply didn't have absolute confidence in his ability to subdue and capture the boy cleanly within the chaotic environment of the Forest of Death without drawing the entire village's Anbu down on his head.
"Oh? You mean these two pieces of disposable trash?" Shiro pushed his luck, gesturing dismissively to the sweating Grass Genin standing behind Orochimaru. "Can't you just kill them or kick them out so I can join?"
It was clear to anyone watching that Shiro was actively trying to pick a fight with the creepy Grass Ninja.
"Hey! Hey! What do you two think you're doing?!"
A loud, brash voice interrupted the tense standoff. Anko Mitarashi, the chief proctor for the second phase, marched over, glaring at them both.
"Listen up, brats! Unauthorized team shuffling or private alliances formed outside the gates are strictly prohibited! Whatever beef you have, settle it after you sign the waivers and enter the forest!" Anko barked, hands on her hips.
Right after the first exam, Ibiki had specifically pulled Anko aside and warned her to keep a very close eye on candidate 72: Shiro.
Initially, Anko hadn't taken the warning seriously. *He's a Konoha kid; what's there to be so stressed about?* she had thought. But she certainly didn't expect that before the gates even opened, this kid would be actively trying to instigate a brawl.
"I know who you are. You're supposedly Konoha's newest 'Number One Genius'," Anko sneered, leaning in close to Shiro, intentionally putting on her most cruel, intimidating expression. "But let me make this clear: in my forest, if you violate my rules, I will personally tear you to pieces!"
It was almost laughable. There was absolutely zero deterrent effect.
Standing before her was Shiro, a boy armed with god-tier system cheats, and Orochimaru, an S-rank sociopath who had slaughtered thousands. Anko actually thought she could intimidate the two most dangerous beings in the clearing with a mean glare.
"Relax, Proctor Anko. I was merely trying to engage in a polite philosophical debate with this... unique individual here," Shiro smiled smoothly, looking at the bold, fiercely attractive kunoichi. "Discussing ideals before a test shouldn't be against the rules, right?"
"Is that true?" Anko snapped, turning her glare to the pale Grass Ninja.
"It is entirely true," Orochimaru hissed, his eyes curving into crescents.
Orochimaru's creepy, overly agreeable tone only made Anko feel more annoyed and unsettled.
"Hmph. Whatever. Just sign the damn forms and get your scrolls," Anko huffed, turning back to Shiro. "And you better not die easily in there, genius. I actually quite like handsome, arrogant boys like you!"
"I appreciate the sentiment, Proctor," Shiro replied smoothly, already turning to walk away toward the exchange booth. "But don't worry about me. I don't plan on dying... and besides, I don't particularly have a preference for 'small' girls anyway."
As he spoke, Shiro walked away without looking back, leaving Anko standing there, staring at his retreating back.
"What the hell did he just mean by that?" Anko muttered, genuinely confused by Shiro's parting shot. "Was he calling me childish? Saying I'm young and beautiful?"
"Perhaps..." Orochimaru's slithering, instigating voice drifted over from her side. "...he was implying that you are a flat-chested girl."
Anko's face turned beet red. She whirled around, her killing intent exploding.
---
"What right do you have to call me flat-chested, you creepy snake-eyed freak?!" Anko roared, her hands flying through seals.
If it weren't for her official status as the head proctor, and the dozens of witnesses, Anko would have gladly initiated a lethal duel right then and there to teach the Grass Ninja a lesson in manners.
*It is undeniably flat,* Orochimaru thought, amused by the outburst. He was naturally extremely familiar with his former disciple's anatomy and fiery personality; he had watched her grow up, after all. Her explosive temper was impossible to hide from him.
Chuckling darkly, Orochimaru turned and led his 'team' toward their designated gate, leaving Anko fuming and momentarily dazed in the center of the clearing.
"Is it... is it really that small?" Anko muttered, subconsciously glancing down at her chest. It wasn't nearly as bad as they were implying!
"Tch. I hope that arrogant brat doesn't get himself killed in there," Anko sighed, her anger fading quickly. Thinking of Shiro's handsome, confident face, she actually found herself genuinely worrying about his survival as a solo participant.
Watching this bizarre, almost comical interaction from the sidelines left Kabuto Yakushi staring in blank disbelief.
*Is that loud, easily provoked woman really Lord Orochimaru's former elite disciple?* Kabuto thought, adjusting his glasses. *Why doesn't she act like a professional?* To think Kabuto had sacrificed so much, gathered so much intelligence, and operated in the darkest shadows for years to serve Orochimaru, yet he had never been officially granted the prestigious title of 'disciple'. But this foolish, hot-headed woman had been? It baffled him.
However, there was no time for Kabuto to dwell on the unfairness of Orochimaru's mentorship choices. The sirens blared, and the gates slammed open. The Genin teams surged into the Forest of Death.
As the chaotic rush subsided, a few of the assistant Chunin proctors walked over to where Anko was standing near the central monitoring tent.
"Hey, Anko," Kotetsu asked, leaning against a post. "Do you seriously not know anything about that kid, Shiro?"
"I know the Hokage calls him our 'Number One Genius'," Anko replied, crossing her arms. "But I don't know the specifics. I've been drowning in paperwork organizing this death trap for the past month."
"You should really read the updated internal Bingo Books," Izumo chimed in, looking serious. "That kid? He independently invented an S-rank, physical cloning ninjutsu during his academy graduation exam. The Hokage couldn't even see through it."
"And that's not even the crazy part," Kotetsu added, lowering his voice. "On his very first C-rank escort mission last week... he encountered Zabuza Momochi. The Demon of the Mist."
"What?!" Anko gasped.
"Shiro fought him single-handedly... and absolutely crushed him. Heavily injured the mercenary and forced a full retreat," Izumo finished.
Anko was stunned silent by the revelation of Shiro's true combat record. She hadn't expected that besides being exceptionally handsome and arrogant, the kid was actually a certified monster.
"Wait... if he's capable of defeating a legendary Elite Jonin like Zabuza... that means his baseline combat power is already Kage-adjacent," Anko reasoned, her eyes widening in realization. "Why the hell would someone with that level of power participate in a Genin exam?!"
"We heard a rumor," Kotetsu whispered. "It was Lord Hokage himself who practically begged Shiro to enter, just to ensure Konoha dominated the tournament."
Upon hearing this, Anko was even more shocked. She looked toward the dark tree line where Shiro had disappeared.
In the end, it could only be summed up in one sentence: *That boy is terrifyingly formidable.*
---
Meanwhile, deep within the humid, overgrown canopy of the Forest of Death, Shiro completely let loose.
"Alright. Let's see which unlucky team spawned closest to my gate," Shiro murmured, cracking his neck. He rubbed his palms together in anticipation, looking like a predator ready to hunt.
Closing his eyes, Shiro didn't bother moving. Instead, he simply flared his massive chakra reserves. His Wood Style sensory abilities expanded outward like an invisible tidal wave, instantly washing over the entire radius of the Forest of Death.
Because the entire training ground was essentially one massive, interconnected forest ecosystem, Shiro's affinity with nature allowed his perception to meld seamlessly with the trees.
It could be said that absolutely nothing happening within the forty-four gates of the forest could escape Shiro's omniscient vision.
*Found them.*
---
Over on Orochimaru's side of the forest...