XX-level Hokage

His soul is flawed, making him very susceptible to illusions, which is why he has a deep understanding of them.

Orochimaru quickly disrupted the flow of his own chakra in an attempt to resist the genjutsu released by Mashiro, but the genjutsu he expected did not appear, and his hand was cut off out of thin air.

Orochimaru quickly realized what was happening. "This is... the Kurama family's bloodline limit?"

Orochimaru had previously considered researching the Kurama family's bloodline limit, but the Kurama family had been small for generations, and in this generation, only Kurama Yakumo remained, who was even sealed away by the village.

With Orochimaru's hand severed, Sasuke regained his freedom and quickly ran towards Mashiro.

Orochimaru glanced sideways, and his severed hand instantly transformed into two white snakes that flew out and bit Sasuke's neck, causing indescribable pain to fill Sasuke's entire body.

"Oh, really."

Mashiro created a clone. While the original rushed towards Orochimaru, the clone picked up Sasuke and rushed towards Naruto.

Naruto had just dealt with a giant snake. Unlike snakes that were ripped open from the inside, these snakes had incredibly tough scales. Mashiro's clone appeared, striking the remaining giant snake with lightning and then handing a pained Sasuke to Naruto. "Naruto, take Sasuke and find Sakura. It's dangerous here."

Then Mashiro's clone pointed Naruto in a direction and disappeared before Naruto could ask anything. Knowing they couldn't help now, Naruto grabbed Sasuke and ran quickly in Mashiro's direction.

On the other side, Mashiro and Orochimaru were engaged in battle. "The Formation of Ten Thousand Snakes"

Orochimaru unleashed several venomous snakes, surrounding Mashiro. "Fusion Release: Heavenly Descent"

Flames instantly erupted from the ground, followed by a bolt of lightning that reduced the venomous snake to ashes.

"Hyuga Mashiro, or rather Uchiha Zero, do you have enough chakra to unleash this ninjutsu?" Orochimaru asked.

"Perhaps," Mashiro didn't give a direct answer. "Kusanagi Sword"

Orochimaru suddenly opened his mouth, and a long sword shot out instantly with incredible speed.

Although Mashiro had noticed the attack under Byakugan's gaze, she still didn't completely dodge it. The longsword tore through Mashiro's clothes, revealing one of her fair arms with a bloody gash.

Orochimaru was somewhat surprised by this. Despite the sharpness of the Kusanagi Sword, even though it was only a brief contact, it had not seriously injured Mashiro's arm.

"Is that all? Kakashi and the others will probably be here soon. Let's finish this quickly," Mashiro said calmly. "Fusion: Torrent"

Mashiro formed a hand seal and blew on it.

A mudslide, accompanied by lightning, rushed towards Orochimaru.

Seeing this, Orochimaru quickly pressed his hand to the ground. "Summoning Jutsu: Triple Rashomon"

Three enormous Rashomon gates appeared one after another.

The torrent crashed down, shattering the first Rashomon gate. The second Rashomon gate held out for a long time, finally blocking Mashiro's attack just as it was about to break.

Before Orochimaru could even rejoice, a kunai pierced his heart. Orochimaru turned around and saw a shadowy ninja standing behind him. Without a word, Orochimaru collapsed to the ground.

Mashiro walked to the side of his body, kicked it with her foot, and sure enough, he ran away.

Orochimaru clearly didn't go all out in this battle. He didn't summon the Fang Snake, nor did he reveal his true form. Of course, Mashiro was the same. We knew her greatest skill was genjutsu.

Ignoring the mess, Mashiro disappeared from the spot, now standing beside a large tree.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura are resting. This attack has severely damaged their morale, especially Sasuke, who felt a strong sense of powerlessness after witnessing the battle between Mashiro and Orochimaru.

"You three are alright, aren't you?" Mashiro suddenly appeared and asked.

Naruto and Sakura were incredibly excited to see Mashiro arrive, and Sasuke also breathed a sigh of relief.

"Mashiro-nee, are you alright? Did you defeat that Sound Ninja?" Naruto asked anxiously.

"It's alright, I've already killed that Sound Ninja. She was actually a rogue ninja who disguised herself to sabotage the Chunin Exams," Mashiro said. Sakura hugged Mashiro tightly.

"By the way, Mashiro-nee, Sasuke was injured by that rogue ninja and he's in a lot of pain right now," Naruto said, looking at Sasuke. Mashiro stepped forward and looked at the mark on Sasuke's neck; it was indeed a cursed seal.

"It's alright, I'll help Sasuke solve this problem after the exam." Mashiro didn't mention the cursed seal.

"By the way, you probably haven't collected all the Heavenly Scrolls yet, right? I happen to have one here, so that shouldn't count as cheating." Mashiro said, handing a scroll to Sakura.

"Alright, you guys go take the second exam. I have something to do." Mashiro said, secretly pinching Sakura's buttocks before disappearing from the spot. Only a happy Naruto, a shy Sakura, and a dejected Sasuke remained.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Forest of Death, Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji were being attacked by a combined force of Grass Ninja and Sound Ninja. "Ino, you take the scroll and leave first. Choji and I will hold them off," Shikamaru said, using his Shadow Binding Technique to restrain the attackers. "Then be careful. We'll meet at the venue entrance in a bit," Ino said without hesitation, grabbing the scroll and running into the forest.

Ino ran for a long time when suddenly a ninja from Taki blocked her path. "Hand over the scroll."

Namino quickly used the "Mind Transfer Technique" to control the Taki ninja's body to crash into the tree.

But just as Ino returned to her body, a female Takigakure ninja suddenly jumped out from the tree behind her. The female Takigakure ninja struck Ino on the neck with a palm, and Ino automatically fainted. Just as she was about to take Ino's scroll, she suddenly collapsed to the ground.

"Oh dear!"

Mashiro walked over from not far away.

Namino Shizuka opened her eyes and immediately assumed a fighting stance. She looked ahead and saw a small river. "How did I end up here?"

While Ino was wondering what was going on, she noticed that Mashiro was swimming in the river without any clothes on.

"No, you must be dreaming."

Ino stared intently at Mashiro in the river, muttering to herself. Just then, Mashiro stepped out of the river and onto the bank.

Looking at the snow-white Mashiro, Namino was momentarily stunned. "Ino, are you satisfied with what you see?" Mashiro said with a half-smile. Namino didn't speak, and blood started flowing from his nose.

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Fish's Struggle

Mashiro's scheme against Namino had been brewing for a long time. During the time she and Sakura were at school, Mashiro deliberately made Namino aware of it. In the following year, she also intentionally or unintentionally made Ino notice her many intimate interactions with Sakura.

Ino doesn't only like men; Mashiro discovered this when they were at the Ninja Academy. Therefore, Ino feels intense curiosity and excitement about Mashiro and Sakura's behavior.

As Mashiro mentioned before, many bookstores in Konoha have investments from the Hyuga clan, including the one near Ino's house. During that time, the bookstore near Ino's house placed some LGBTQ+ themed books that were rarely seen in normal times in a more prominent position, which gradually changed Namino's mindset.

And among Ino's circle, there's only one person who perfectly matches her aesthetic criteria: Hinata Mashiro. Now, it's time to close the net.

Namino pinched her nose to stop the bleeding, then turned the light away and asked, "Mashiro, what are you doing here, and why aren't you dressed?"

“There were some rogue ninja causing trouble in the Forest of Death just now, and they even attacked Naruto and the others. I happened to find out and dealt with that rogue ninja. After settling Naruto and the others, I was a little worried about your safety, so I rushed over. I didn’t expect to witness you being ambushed by the Takigakure ninja. After dealing with that Takigakure ninja, I brought you here. There’s a stream here, and I’m covered in some injuries and dust from the battle, so I washed myself here.” Mashiro said as she put on her clothes after using the Wind Deflector to dry herself.

"Yamano Ino's favorability +20, reward: improved perception ability."

"Are you injured? Is it serious? Are you alright?" Ino blushed slightly after hearing Mashiro's words, and then asked with concern.

"It's nothing, just a minor injury," Mashiro said, looking at Ino. [Name: Yamanaka Ino]

Gender: Female Age: 12 Affection Level: 60 Relationship: Friends

Favorability Reward (50): Increased Perception Ability Favorability Reward (90): Mind Transfer Technique "It's good that you're alright." Ino breathed a sigh of relief.

"Where are Shikamaru and Choji? Should I take you there?" Mashiro asked with a smile.

"Take me to the entrance of the venue. Shikamaru and Choji should be waiting for me there." Namino looked at Mashiro's smile and said somewhat mysteriously, "Alright, let's go."

Mashiro took Namino's hand and walked towards the venue.

The two chatted along the way, discussing clothes, desserts, and flowers. Ino's gaze towards Mashiro grew increasingly gentle, yet also increasingly complex. "Let's speed things up."

Mashiro suddenly spoke, then picked up Namino, jumped onto the big tree, and began to leap and dart about.

Namino was startled at first, then wrapped her arms tightly around Mashiro's neck. "Yamano Ino's affection level +5"

Mashiro was very fast and soon arrived near the venue, where Shikamaru and Choji were already waiting.

Upon reaching the two, Masamichi put Namino down.

Seeing that Namino was alright, Shikamaru and Choji were overjoyed. However, when Shikamaru saw that it was Mashiro carrying Namino, a doubt arose in his heart. Was it just his imagination? "Shikamaru, Choji, I'm so glad you're both alright," Namino said happily upon seeing that they were both safe.

"After you left with the scroll, those Takigakure ninja didn't attack us because they didn't have the scroll. I was worried that they weren't chasing you, so I took Choji to check in the direction you left, but we didn't see you," Shikamaru recounted the situation.

"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.