Ibiki Morino announced the end of the written exam and congratulated the remaining candidates.
When Naruto learned he'd passed the first round, he finally let out a breath of relief.
This test had been terrifyingly stressful.
After all—if even one person failed, the entire team would be eliminated.
Ibiki collected the papers one by one. When he reached Naruto's desk, he paused.
A blank paper… and he still passed?
Uzumaki Naruto… what an interesting kid.
As soon as the Chunin Exams began, Tsunade suggested that Uchiha Yusuke go with her to see the Third Hokage and request an examiner role—just to join the fun.
Yusuke wasn't interested.
Genin and chunin-level fighting was simply too boring.
What he actually wanted to see was the clash between two true Kage-level monsters—
Orochimaru vs. Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Orochimaru was never the type to behave.
After infiltrating Konoha, he strolled around without restraint, treating the village like his personal backyard.
This time, Orochimaru came to Konoha for two main reasons:
Revenge—to settle things with the Third Hokage.
A new vessel—to find a suitable body to serve as his next container.
The forbidden technique he possessed—Living Corpse Reincarnation—could grant him a form of immortality…
…but it came with a price: he had to switch bodies every so often.
His ideal new vessel had been Kimimaro.
Unfortunately, Kimimaro was already terminally ill—beyond saving.
So Orochimaru had to look for a replacement, and quickly.
He was extremely picky about his vessels.
Only someone with a special kekkei genkai—someone like Kimimaro—could truly meet his standards.
Even the Hozuki Clan's famous Hydrification, in Orochimaru's eyes, wasn't quite "worthy" of being his new body.
But lacking the qualifications to be a vessel didn't mean lacking research value.
As an experimental specimen, Suigetsu Hozuki was still something Orochimaru found very satisfying.
After observing Konoha for a while, Orochimaru's gaze finally settled on a young Uchiha:
Sasuke.
Itachi had once taken one of Orochimaru's arms.
And Sasuke—Itachi's full-blooded younger brother—surely wouldn't have poor talent.
The Uchiha were a clan famed alongside the Senju… and they had once produced a god-tier legend like Uchiha Madara.
For Sasuke as a vessel, Orochimaru's expectations were high.
But if he wanted to touch Sasuke…
Uchiha Yusuke was a problem he couldn't avoid.
Even though Yusuke had stayed out of politics for years, Orochimaru knew one thing clearly:
Yusuke cared deeply about his clan.
And Fugaku had long ago arranged for Sasuke to become Yusuke's disciple.
If Orochimaru targeted someone's student…
Would that teacher really just watch?
Orochimaru was wary of Yusuke—yet he couldn't bear to let Sasuke go.
After thinking it through, he decided to meet Yusuke personally.
To test his reaction.
That Night
After spending an entire day shopping with Tsunade and Kurenai, Uchiha Yusuke was about to go to sleep—
When a small white snake entered his sensory range.
After stepping into the "god realm," Yusuke's perception was already comparable to the current head of the Yamanaka Clan.
Orochimaru's little trick of hiding his presence?
To Yusuke, it was a joke.
Even though he had noticed Orochimaru long ago…
Yusuke had no intention of attacking.
Strictly speaking, there was no real grudge between them.
During the Third Shinobi World War, they had even fought as comrades who could trust each other's backs.
Whatever "bad blood" existed now mostly came from Orochimaru's obsession with the Uchiha bloodline.
Ever since witnessing seven-year-old Itachi's shuriken skill, Orochimaru had become madly obsessed with the Sharingan.
Back in the village, Hiruzen's presence kept him from daring to touch his comrades.
After defecting, he tried anyway—
And he failed twice.
Once against Uchiha Yusuke, and once against Uchiha Itachi.
Losing to Yusuke wasn't that humiliating.
Yusuke was famous, and he had even left Orochimaru a shred of dignity during the fight.
But losing to Itachi?
That was unbearable.
Itachi wasn't just a junior—he severed Orochimaru's arm during that encounter.
To Orochimaru, it was lifelong shame.
His current plot for Sasuke's body also carried another purpose:
One day, he intended to use it to take revenge on Itachi.
And as for Hiruzen—
Back when Orochimaru defected, Hiruzen had used explosive tags to injure him.
That was why Orochimaru now partnered with Sunagakure to launch the so-called "Konoha Crush."
Fall where you fell…
Rise where you fell.
That was Orochimaru's creed.
When it came to grudges, Orochimaru ranked near the very top of the shinobi world.
Orochimaru silently entered the villa's first-floor living room.
Yusuke remained unmoving, as if he hadn't noticed the intruder at all.
Orochimaru crept like a thief.
Yusuke felt nothing but contempt.
You're one of the Legendary Sannin. Could you be any less shameless?
Jiraiya and Tsunade at least had some dignity.
Because of Tsunade, Jiraiya and Yusuke were practically close friends now.
And Tsunade?
She came to Yusuke's place even more casually than she stayed in her own home.
As Orochimaru reached the stairs—
The bedroom light snapped on.
Yusuke's calm voice drifted out.
"Since you're here, have a seat."
"Don't say I treated you poorly."
Orochimaru jolted, then his mouth twitched.
I'm a rogue ninja. And you're openly hosting me in your house?
Yusuke felt no burden at all.
Back when Danzo was Hokage's advisor, hosting Orochimaru inside the Hokage's office wouldn't have even been surprising.
Compared to Danzo, Yusuke was downright restrained.
Orochimaru tested him carefully.
"I've been thinking… about Konoha."
"You're not going to stop me, are you, Yusuke?"
Yusuke sipped his tea, neither confirming nor denying.
Under that quiet gaze, Orochimaru began to feel pressure.
He cleared his throat and tried again.
"From what I know… your relationship with the Third Hokage isn't exactly good."
"If I remove him… wouldn't that benefit you as well?"
Such polite phrasing was not Orochimaru's style.
But the man in front of him was Uchiha Yusuke.
Orochimaru could prepare a thousand plans—
Yet if Yusuke refused to "make room," every plan would be strangled at birth.
Most people believed Hiruzen held absolute power in Konoha.
But Orochimaru knew the truth:
The people who could truly decide Konoha's fate were Uchiha Yusuke and Tsunade.
Yusuke was a lord who controlled half the board.
And Tsunade held the ANBU in her hands.
Compared to them, Hiruzen's resources were laughable.
So Orochimaru couldn't understand one thing:
If Yusuke had such strength…
Why allow Hiruzen to still sit on top?
Yusuke had his reasons.
Hiruzen was dark and shameless, yes—
But he wasn't like Danzo, a blood enemy of the Uchiha.
In Yusuke's eyes, Hiruzen was still someone his clan could coexist with.
That didn't mean forgiveness.
If the right opportunity appeared, Yusuke would absolutely expose Hiruzen's past crimes to the public.
As for becoming Hokage?
Yusuke had no interest.
Even if Hiruzen stepped down, Yusuke would likely push Tsunade forward instead.
She was violent—but competent.
And Yusuke had already grown used to living freely.
He didn't want to be placed over a fire for the entire village to stare at.
Yusuke looked at Orochimaru and spoke flatly:
"Your feud with the Third Hokage… I don't care."
"But don't you dare target the Uchiha."
Orochimaru's face tightened.
Yusuke wasn't going to stop him from challenging Hiruzen—
But he had directly shut the door on Sasuke.
That was not the outcome Orochimaru wanted.
Ideally… he wanted both.
And after years of absence, Orochimaru's fear of Yusuke had weakened slightly.
His forbidden research had borne fruit.
He had grasped the fundamentals of "immortality."
He began to believe:
Maybe I can challenge Yusuke now.
Even if he couldn't win—
Surely he wouldn't be helpless.
He just had to test it.
If Yusuke couldn't kill him…
Then taking Sasuke would become "certain."
Seeing Orochimaru's eagerness, Yusuke sighed silently.
So I've been quiet too long… and people have started forgetting what "Konoha's Flame Demon" means.
Yusuke's gaze sharpened.
His Mangekyo Sharingan opened.
Before Orochimaru could even form a hand seal—
He was frozen in place by genjutsu.
Instantly losing control of his body, Orochimaru broke into cold sweat.
Between experts, even a fraction of a second decided life or death.
Yusuke's ocular power made Orochimaru feel… powerless.
In Orochimaru's judgment, Yusuke had already surpassed the realm of "Kage-level."
He might even be approaching the legends—
Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha.
But even that "high estimate" was still too low.
Yusuke had fully stepped into the god realm, and had already touched the threshold of Yin–Yang Release.
With that level of strength…
Orochimaru no longer had the qualification to "challenge" him.
A wave of black energy surged around Yusuke.
His Susanoo hadn't even manifested—
Yet the pressure of his chakra alone made Orochimaru's breathing feel heavy.
Yusuke stared at him, voice cold.
"Orochimaru, listen carefully."
"If I want to deal with you… it takes one move."
"But for old times' sake, I'll let tonight go."
"I'll warn you one last time: don't touch the Uchiha."
"Or I won't show mercy again."
Orochimaru's eyes flickered.
He hated giving up Sasuke.
But he couldn't ignore this warning.
If he didn't compromise…
He might not even walk out of this house alive.
Orochimaru wasn't someone who softened easily.
But he was someone who knew how to judge the situation.
A vessel could be considered later.
Crashing head-on into Yusuke now was stupidity.
After a long moment, Orochimaru made his choice.
He lowered his pride—temporarily.
"Let's end it here."
"Yusuke-kun… we'll meet again."
Orochimaru turned to leave.
Yusuke didn't stop him.
As long as he remained strong enough…
no one could stir storms under his nose.
Orochimaru might be famous in the shinobi world—
but at this level, he no longer had the right to stand on equal footing with Uchiha Yusuke.
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