XX-level Hokage

"I was indeed hit by a trap, but luckily Mashiro saved me," Namino said, still somewhat shaken.

Then she suddenly remembered the scrolls and hurriedly asked, "We haven't collected all the scrolls yet, what should we do?"

Just as Ino was getting anxious, Shikamaru took out an Earth Scroll and explained, "When we were looking for you, we encountered that group of Takigakure ninja again, but there were only two of them left. It seems they encountered Iwa ninja. Choji and I defeated them and found the Earth Scroll on them."

Only then did Namino feel relieved.

At this moment, Mashiro said, "Since there's nothing else, I'll be going now. I have some things to report to the Hokage." After saying that, Mashiro turned and left.

Seeing that Mashiro was about to leave, Namino hurriedly said, "Mashiro, let's go shopping together after the Chunin Exams. I'll treat you to cake." "Okay," Mashiro turned and agreed, then disappeared from the spot.

"Then I brought Ino to the entrance of the venue, that's how it was," Mashiro recounted.

At this moment, the Third Hokage, Homura Mitokado, and Koharu Utatane were all in the Hokage's office.

Upon hearing Mashiro's words, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu's expressions immediately turned grim. Mitokado Homura said in a deep voice, "It's Orochimaru. I didn't expect him to sneak into Konoha during the Chunin Exams."

"What do we do now? Should we stop the Chunin Exams? Sarutobi," Koharu asked the Third Hokage.

The Third Hokage, smoking a cigarette, said very seriously, "The Chunin Exams cannot be stopped easily. If it were just Orochimaru, that would be fine, but what I'm most worried about now is..."

The third generation didn't finish speaking, but Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu understood what he meant, and their expressions changed drastically.

"You did very well this time, Mashiro. It's already quite an achievement to escape from Orochimaru's clutches. Go and inform Kakashi and the others to increase their vigilance," the Third Hokage said to Mashiro with a smile.

Even Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu had to admit that Mashiro had done an excellent job. Not only did she manage to keep the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and the Uchiha orphan from Orochimaru's clutches, she also brought back very important information.

"Okay, teacher." Mashiro said, then left the Hokage's office.

After Mashiro left, Mitokado Homura asked, "Hibiki, what are your plans to do against Orochimaru?"

The Third Hokage lit his pipe, took a drag, and said, "I will raise the alert level of the entire village. If Orochimaru really shows up, I will personally take care of him."

Hearing the Third Generation's words, Mitokado Yan and Koharu, who had been infected, finally felt relieved. Walking down the street, a cold wind blew, and the once clear sky began to cloud over.

Mashiro admired Orochimaru immensely, both in his past and present lives, because he possessed a rare quality in the entire Naruto world: a spirit of scientific research. This quality was crucial to Mashiro's plans, and many subsequent research projects required it.

Orochimaru's personality makes him naturally difficult to control, as evidenced by his temporary betrayal in his previous life.

Although Mashiro desperately needs Orochimaru, it's not essential. He's not the only one with this trait, if Orochimaru keeps persuading him.

Mashiro's eyes darkened.

The water is so deep that even fish would drown.

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Preliminaries

Because of Orochimaru, many examinees died in the Forest of Death. Combined with the many eliminated examinees, only 22 examinees remained to participate in the third preliminary round.

Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Ino, Shikamaru, Choji, Tenten, Rock Lee, Neji, Kurotsuchi, Akatsuchi, Kishimoto, Temari, Gaara, Kankuro, Akakuri, Misumi, Kabuto Yakushi, Zaku, Kintsuchi, and Tosu.

After all the candidates had gathered in the venue, Moonlight Gale appeared to give the final expulsion.

"The preliminary rounds are about to begin. I'll ask one last time: are there any candidates who wish to withdraw?" Gekko Hayate asked listlessly. "I withdraw," Kabuto Yakushi said, raising his hand amidst everyone's astonished gazes.

"Brother Kabuto!?" Naruto was even more puzzled, because he had a very good impression of Kabuto when he introduced the other examinees to them.

"My strength is limited; I only managed to get through the Forest of Death by luck, so I'm not going to continue. You have to do your best," Kabuto said to Naruto before leaving.

"Anyone else quitting?" Moonlight Gale continued to ask. No one answered.

"There are now twenty-three people. This is the preliminary round. Tomorrow, the results will be randomly drawn for 1v1 matches. The winners will advance to the main competition, and the losers will be eliminated. Of course, due to the limited number of participants, one lucky person among you will not advance directly to the main competition. Now, all candidates may leave." Moonlight Gale finished speaking and left.

The candidates then left as well.

At night, Mashiro looked at the preliminary round match list in his hand: First match: Uchiha Sasuke VS Akara Armor

Match 2: Zaku vs. Shino Aburame; Match 3: Misumi Tsurugi vs. Kankuro; Match 4: Sakura Haruno vs. Ino Yamanaka; Match 5: Tenten vs. Kurotsuchi.

Match 6: Nara Shikamaru vs. Kintsuchi; Match 7: Uzumaki Naruto vs. Inuya Kiba; Match 8: Hyuga Hinata vs. Temari; Match 9: Gaara vs. Rock Lee; Match 10: Akatsuchi vs. Akimichi Choji; Match 11: Tosu vs. Hyuga Choji; Kishimoto called Iwaoku.

"This is not good," Mashiro muttered, glancing at the contents of the watch.

Because of the involvement of the Land of Rock, this list does not match Mashiro's memory.

But the list is static, while people are dynamic. Mashiro pulled out a pen and rewrote the list: First match: Uchiha Sasuke VS Akabane Armor

Match 2: Zaku vs. Shino Aburame; Match 3: Misumi Tsurugi vs. Kankuro; Match 4: Sakura Haruno vs. Ino Yamanaka; Match 5: Tenten vs. Kurotsuchi.

Match 6: Nara Shikamaru vs. Kintsuchi; Match 7: Uzumaki Naruto vs. Inuya Kiba; Match 8: Kishimoto Naruto vs. Teihan; Match 9: Gaara vs. Rock Lee.

Match 10: Akatsuchi vs. Akimichi Choji; Match 11: Toshi vs. Hyuga Neji; Hyuga Vito misses out.

After Mashiro finished writing, he threw the list on the ground. A gray-black hand reached out from the shadows, picked up the list, and then disappeared into the shadows. This list will go to the Third Hokage's office as the preliminary round match list.

After Mashiro finished doing all this, she disappeared into the darkness. The next day, the preliminary rounds officially began.

First match: Sasuke, despite the pain from the Kang Seal, defeated the Red Copper Armor.

Mashiro watched Sasuke from the audience and thought, "It seems I need to find a way to resolve the cursed seal issue quickly."

Second match: Shino displayed unexpected strength, and Aburame Shino won. Third match: Kankuro demonstrated superb puppetry skills, and Kankuro won.

Fourth match: Sakura vs. Namino. This time, the two are not best friends. After using all their tricks, Namino wins with her Mind Transfer Technique. Mashiro watches the two fighting below the stage, pondering which one to go after later.

Fifth match: Tenten is very strong, but she is facing the granddaughter of the Third Tsuchikage. Kurotsuchi wins.

Looking at Kurotsuchi's Lava Release, Mashiro muttered to himself, "Among the contestants, apart from Gaara and Sasuke, there shouldn't be anyone who can fight against this kind of bloodline limit. No, Shikamaru should be able to as well."

Match 6: Shikamaru maneuvered for a while and then won without any pressure.

Mashiro admires Shikamaru, or rather, she admires everyone in the Nara family; she likes intelligent people.

"Of all the participants, it seems only Shikamaru understands that ninja battles aren't just about using ninjutsu, secret techniques, and chakra; brains are also extremely important," Mashiro remarked with a sigh.

Match 7: Naruto vs. Kiba. Without Naruto using the Nine-Tails, the two are actually evenly matched. However, Naruto is slightly at a disadvantage due to Kiba's secret technique.

But Naruto is Naruto after all; he came up with the idea of ​​using a fart to defeat Kiba. Sometimes an advantage can also be a disadvantage; an overly sensitive sense of smell isn't always a good thing. Naruto Uzumaki wins.

Eighth match: With Mashiro's human intervention, Kishimoto Naruichi, who should have lost, faced Temari. Kishimoto Naruichi used the traditional Rock Release and his skill level was not low. Unfortunately, he was up against Temari. With the help of the Kamaitachi Technique, Temari won.

Match 9: Gaara vs. Lee.

Lee started with his standard Leaf Whirlwind Kick, followed by a series of rapid moves, unleashing a fierce taijutsu attack on Gaara. However, Gaara's sand in his gourd provided automatic defense and ranged attacks, rendering his attacks ineffective, and Lee found himself at a disadvantage.

After Kai agreed, Lee removed the weights binding his legs, unleashing an even faster attack speed, although Gaara's sand was still automatically defending.

Lee tried to defend, but his speed was too fast. The automatic defense couldn't keep up with him. Lee successfully attacked Gaara, almost shattering the Sand Armor. However, Lee's final blow missed Gaara. With his stamina exhausted and Gaara counterattacking, Lee was almost defeated.

In the end, Lee unleashed his final burst of willpower. To unleash his hidden ultimate technique, the Reverse Lotus, he opened five of the Eight Gates, causing a surge in power that inflicted continuous heavy damage on Gaara. His final strike landed squarely on Gaara, but Lee himself collapsed from exhaustion due to the damage inflicted by opening the Eight Gates.

Looking at Rock Lee in his Eight Gates form, Mashiro remarked, "As expected of the Eight Gates, it's just a pity it's so damaging to the body, and I wonder how high its potential is."

In Mashiro's previous life, due to him, Kai suffered an irreparable injury at a young age, so he was unable to witness "Night Kai". In Li Mo's memory, Mashiro only vaguely knew that Kai had opened the Eight Gates, but he was not clear about the specific power. Therefore, his understanding of the Eight Gates was not accurate.

Right after Lee lost consciousness, Gaara, driven by murderous intent, used his remaining chakra to manipulate sand and used the Sand Binding Technique on the defenseless Lee, breaking Lee's left hand and left leg, and intending to finish him off.

Just as Kai was about to step in to organize the attack, a dark figure appeared on the sidelines. "Enough."

Mashiro arrived off the field, and Gaara's sand shattered instantly, catching Lee's blood-soaked body. Mashiro glanced at Gaara, then spoke to Hayate Gekko.

"Rock Lee abstains. Announce the results."

Hayate Gekko didn't expect Mashiro to be the one to win, but he nodded nonetheless: "Gaara wins."

"Thank you so much, Mashiro."

After announcing the results, Kai quickly came to the sidelines, took Lee from Mashiro's arms, and said with tears in his eyes, "Who are you?" Gaara stared at Mashiro with a grim expression.

"The emptiness in your heart seems impossible to dispel, it's truly pitiful." Mashiro turned to Gaara and said calmly. "What are you talking about?" Gaara's sand began to swirl around Mashiro.

Mashiro looked at Gaara, all the sand in his eyes instantly falling to the ground. He walked to Gaara's side and said softly, "I hate this attitude. You seem to be wallowing in self-pity all the time, you pathetic wretch."

After speaking, Mashiro turned and returned to the audience seats. Then, the tenth scene began.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Turbulent Currents

Match 10: Akatsuchi vs. Choji. Akatsuchi used his superhuman strength to catch Choji's human bomb, then used Earth Release to knock Choji unconscious, resulting in Akatsuchi's victory. Match 11: Neji vs. Dosu. With his Byakugan, Neji easily saw through the sonic attack created by the multi-hole armor on Dosu's right hand, and then...

He was easily defeated using Baguazhang.

Neji Hyuga wins.

All the duelists had already made their appearances, and Hinata, who had been worried, was pleasantly surprised to find that she had failed to advance. Kiba and Shino happily offered their blessings to Hinata.

At this moment, Moonlight Gale arrived at the center of the venue and announced: "All the winners of the preliminary rounds have been determined. The winners will begin the official competition tomorrow. The official competition will be the same as the preliminary rounds, still using the 1V1 format. However, the match-up list will only be announced before each match, and then the two match-ups will have two days to prepare and improve their strength as much as possible."

After saying that, he turned and left, thus ending the preliminary rounds.

"You orchestrated Hinata's failure, didn't you?" Kurenai appeared beside Mashiro at some point and said. "Why do you say that?" Mashiro asked softly without turning around.

“I don’t want to think like this either. After all, Hinata is my student, and I’m happy that she’s taken another step forward. But whenever I see you, I always start thinking about all sorts of things,” Kurenai said, leaning against the railing with a can of beer in her hand.

"The list was issued by the Hokage, how could I possibly have the power to change it?" Mashiro said, watching the dispersing crowd. "Kapoo!"

Hong pulled the tab on a can of beer, took a sip, and said, "I don't know how you did it, I don't know why, but I never doubted you could do it."

"You seem to have changed?" Mashiro turned to look at Kurenai.

Kurenai turned to look at Mashiro. Looking into Mashiro's eyes, Kurenai still seemed somewhat timid, but she no longer avoided the question.

“That dream has haunted me to this day. I’m terrified of you, really. I don’t understand why I became like that for you in that dream, so I’m horrified. I’m afraid of becoming like that, especially after discovering that you really exist,” Red said self-deprecatingly, then looked at her right hand, which was now wrapped in bandages.

Hong continued, "And I also understand one thing: I like you in my dream. Although I really don't want to admit it, I know myself. No matter how much I threaten or force you, no one can make me become like that through coercion."

Unless, I like that person, yesterday I punched the wall, blood gushing out. When I got home, the pain in my hand made me realize who I am. I'm afraid of you, and even more terrified of myself, especially the fact that you exist in this world.

“I’m surprised you could think of that,” Mashiro said, looking at Kurenai with admiration.

"Because I am not the person I am in my dream. Even if that dream might become reality because of your existence, I am Kurenai Yuhi, and I shouldn't be afraid."

Fear—whether I fall in love with you, whether I become your possession, should be my own choice. Red laughed as she drank her beer.

“Red, that’s what I like about you. You always know yourself.” Mashiro smiled too. She held Red’s injured hand, a green light appeared and then disappeared. Mashiro turned and left.

After Mashiro left, Kurenai removed the bandages from her hands, and the wounds on them had completely healed.

Hong Jiang downed his beer in one gulp, rested his chin on his hand, and gazed at the distant sunset, lost in thought.

Mashiro was glad that Kurenai had come to her senses. She could force and threaten many people to fall in love with her, but no one wanted to be surrounded by such people. Although overwhelming Kurenai with fear could easily make her her possession, only a doll could be completely corrupted.

You can't get satisfaction or gain favor from dolls.

While the Chunin Exams were in full swing, some undercurrents were still surging beneath the surface.

“Come out.” Danzo suddenly said at the Shimura family mansion. Then, a snake slithered out from the corner.

The snake slithered in front of Danzo, then opened its mouth wide, and Orochimaru emerged from it.