Naruto: I am Ninja World Ghost Story, who are you?

"How strong?"

"At least I'm no match for him."

"What happened during the battle?" Tobirama Senju asked, puzzled.

Orochimaru said expressionlessly, "In short, very strong."

Senju Tobirama: ...

What's the difference between what you said and not saying anything at all?

As they talked, the first exam ended without any 'surprises'; out of forty-seven teams, only sixteen passed.

After receiving news of Orochimaru's appearance, Tsunade immediately rushed to the Hokage Building.

At the same time, Orochimaru's former disciple, Mitarashi Anko, also arrived.

"Lady Tsunade..." Mitarashi Anko clutched her neck, feeling somewhat uncomfortable.

"Anko." Tsunade recognized this female ninja; she was Nawaki's junior sister, but now that Anko was older than Nawaki, it was a bit awkward.

"Call her Sister Red Bean."

“Sister Anko.” Nawaki looked at Anko curiously, and seeing her beautiful appearance, he couldn’t help but stroke his chin and ask about Orochimaru: “Speaking of which, what’s Orochimaru-sensei’s situation now? Why did you look so upset when you heard about Orochimaru-sensei?”

As Anko walked down the corridor, her face darkened: "Orochimaru is no longer a ninja of Konoha."

"?" Nawaki was somewhat taken aback. "What do you mean by 'not a ninja'..."

Tsunade's expression was grave: "Orochimaru was discovered by Sarutobi-sensei for using village ninjas for experiments... and after Sarutobi-sensei's attempt to capture him failed, he successfully defected from the village."

"This...this..." Nawaki couldn't help but shrink his pupils. The Orochimaru he knew was cold, but he was actually a good ninja. He was a warm-hearted person despite his cold exterior, and even towards the ninjas in the village and himself. How could he do such a thing?

"Could there be some misunderstanding..."

Tsunade shook her head slightly: "This matter was witnessed by Sarutobi-sensei himself, there is no mistake about it."

"Moreover, the village also has a 'test subject' created by Orochimaru, a ninja who mastered his grandfather's Wood Release."

"Wood Release?!" Nawaki exclaimed in surprise, then his expression became complicated: "Then... wouldn't that mean he's more suited to inherit the Senju clan..."

"You're overthinking it. The Senju clan can only be inherited by those born with the Senju bloodline. He's just a lucky kid who survived."

Upon hearing Tsunade's words, Nawaki couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, almost thinking that he, the heir to the Senju name, was about to step down.

Tsunade then explained, "Furthermore, his Wood Release skills are far inferior to his grandfather's; at most, he's a Jonin, and that's about it."

Chapter 31 A Moment of Friendliness Broke the Strongest Illusion (Please Read On and Vote!)

The three chatted casually for a while, and soon they arrived at the Hokage's office.

At this moment, Tobirama Senju had returned to the monitoring room, intending to keep a close watch on Konan and leave some space for the younger generation to interact.

"Fifth Hokage, teacher." After Tsunade greeted everyone, Anko and Nawaki also greeted the others.

Immediately, Anko looked at Orochimaru, who had a cool demeanor but was smiling at her.

"Orochimaru!"

Seeing that Anko was about to make a move, Tsunade quickly stopped her, saying, "Don't get excited. Whatever your grudges are, wait until we finish talking before you take action."

"Red Bean, long time no see." Orochimaru smiled as he looked at his disciple, then turned to the earlier disciple: "Little Rope Tree, I didn't expect you to be resurrected as well."

"Orochimaru-sensei..." Upon learning that his master had become a rogue ninja of the village, Nawaki was not in a good mood, and his tone was somewhat complicated.

"Don't worry, I'm on Konoha's side now." Orochimaru said with a smile, then turned to Anko, who was clutching her neck: "Anko, you must be feeling really bad."

"Don't worry, I'll help you solve it."

Orochimaru stepped forward without hesitation, extended his right hand, and placed it on the Heavenly Curse Seal.

He reclaimed his own soul, so that he would not suffer any discomfort due to the malice of the Heavenly Curse Seal, and the seal owner could choose whether or not to use it.

He doesn't need another 'resurrection point'.

But the next second, a memory that shouldn't exist was overwritten by the consciousness generated by the appearance of this soul.

'I see. ’

'I actually fell for that Uchiha brat's genjutsu...'

Orochimaru remained calm and composed, showing no shame at nearly becoming a dog of Konoha due to being hit by a spell. Instead, he smiled and said, "Anko, I will leave this cursed seal in your body. After all, it is a power I researched based on Sage Chakra. If you can master it, you might become even stronger."

After hearing Orochimaru's words, Anko, who had always considered herself a victim, was stunned.

"What did you say?"

“Red Bean. Your teacher has never harmed you... You know, if you worked under your teacher and didn’t become an ‘experiment’... do you know what the price would be?” Orochimaru’s voice carried a deeper meaning as he looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, whose expression was complex: “Right, teacher?”

“Orochimaru…” Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed softly. He knew he had been tricked, but it was an open scheme, and Orochimaru’s last resort to preserve his disciple.

Upon hearing this news, Hongdou looked incredulous: "No... I don't believe it... Then why didn't you take me with you back then!"

"I'm not confident I can take you with me, Anko," Orochimaru sighed. "Back then, I was severely injured while being pursued by the Third Hokage, and there were so many ninjas with us..."

Then, Orochimaru's voice carried a hint of mockery: "But I still thank the Third Hokage. If it weren't for his orders, I would probably be nothing but a corpse."

After hearing this, everyone present realized that Orochimaru had been deliberately let go by the Third Hokage.

Anko understood that if she had gone with Orochimaru, only Orochimaru would have survived leaving Konoha.

"So that's how it is..." Anko felt ashamed. If her teacher hadn't deliberately left a curse mark on her, she would have become one of the targets of the village's purge... and she wouldn't be standing here as a special Jonin of the village.

"As expected, you're still the same as ever." Jiraiya couldn't help but step forward and pat Orochimaru on the shoulder: "What exactly happened back then?"

Orochimaru spread his hands: "That's complicated. I don't think Sarutobi-sensei wants me to explain."

Everyone couldn't help but look at Hiruzen Sarutobi, who looked completely bewildered and said, "What does this have to do with me?"

Then, seeing that no one believed him, he added, "After the Third Shinobi World War, I forbade any further human experiments involving the First Hokage's cells. Orochimaru secretly sought cooperation with Danzo, something I was unaware of."

"You really don't know, Sarutobi-sensei?" Orochimaru's tone was meaningful.

"Orochimaru, stop smearing the teacher. The teacher didn't do it, and that's that." Hiruzen Sarutobi said helplessly.

"Fine, let's just pretend the teacher doesn't know."

Hiruzen Sarutobi: ? ? ?

He couldn't help but regret his past actions. Why had he allowed Danzo to kill Shisui? Why had he allowed Danzo to send Itachi to destroy the Uchiha clan...?

otherwise.

He couldn't help but look at the special seat he had sat in for so long...

Inside the Hokage's office, everyone temporarily set aside their prejudices against Orochimaru and chose to believe him.

Only after Orochimaru left the Hokage Building did he truly marvel at his own acting skills, which were simply flawless.

If it weren't for 'Zhishui's' 'help,' he might still be that researcher who could only rely on himself.

Now, things have taken a turn for the worse. He's inexplicably returned to the village, and he actually quite likes it now...

Except for certain 'Uchiha ninjas'.

As they passed by a street, fifteen-year-old Kabuto brushed past Orochimaru, who was dressed as the representative of the Sound Village. Orochimaru then stopped, looked at the extra note in his pocket, and turned around to say, "Kabuto."

"You don't need to secretly send me messages anymore."

"I have abandoned darkness and embraced the light, and have become a member of Konoha once again."

"You can give me information openly and honestly."

Kabuto, who was cautiously looking around, heard Orochimaru's voice and a huge question mark appeared on his face.

Is Orochimaru testing me?

A smile appeared on his face, and he said in a low voice, "Lord Orochimaru, rest assured, I will not betray you."

"Kabuto, I'm serious."

"Didn't you see I just came out of the Hokage Building?" Orochimaru couldn't help but rub his forehead. During their conversation, Kabuto Yakushi's spy team had been exposed, so it was easier to play it safe.

#

night.

Uchiha Bufan also spent the day playing, but still invited Shikamaru and Naruto to go fishing in a river near the Uchiha clan's territory the next day.

Because Shikaku was required to accompany the higher-ups to oversee the Chunin Exams during this period, he didn't have time to supervise Shikamaru's studies, so Shikamaru agreed without hesitation.

He's the kind of person who likes to be a couch potato and do nothing.

Naruto then nodded in agreement, but he needed to inform the Anbu who was supposed to be protecting him. So the Anbu reported it to the Fifth Hokage, Kakashi. Kakashi agreed with Naruto, saying that as long as Uchiha Bufan didn't cause any trouble during the Chunin Exams, that would be better than anything else.

As for whether Naruto would be harmed by the extraordinary 'strangeness', that is definitely impossible.

After all, the four of them had been together for so long without any problems, while it was the adults who...

"Sigh! I hope the second match tomorrow goes smoothly." As the Fifth Hokage, Kakashi has to work overtime in the office even after dark, but at least he has someone to keep him company.

"Don't worry, there are ANBU keeping an eye on those ninjas from other villages, there won't be any problems," Tobirama Senju said.

"I'm afraid of Uchiha Bufan."

Kakashi's words made Tobirama Senju's expression stiffen, and he couldn't help but nod: "Indeed, the Uchiha Bufan is a problem."

"But thankfully, the other party will be going fishing in the village tomorrow with the Fourth Hokage's son, Sasuke, and Shikamaru..."

Shikaku couldn't help but ask, "Should we send someone to protect them?"

Kakashi and Tobirama: ?

"I wouldn't dare mess with that Uchiha Bufan... Anyone who's not afraid of death, go ahead and try." Tobirama Senju sneered.

“What the Second Hokage said is true…” Kakashi nodded in agreement.

Upon hearing this, Shikaku couldn't help but shudder as he recalled the scene when the Uchiha clan caused the Nine-Tails' rampage.

"Too."

The next morning, at 10:20 AM.

Outside the Forest of Death, candidates who passed the first exam yesterday were welcomed.

The proctor in charge of the second exam is the current captain of the Dark Army, Hatake Sagumo.

He smiled and began to explain the rules of this second assessment: "In this test, we will survive in this training ground for seventy-two hours... also known as the Scroll Battle. Each person will be assigned a scroll, one for Heaven and one for Earth... Collect both scrolls to proceed to the central tower..."

Everyone now understood the content of the second Chunin Exam in Konoha. Ninjas from other villages marveled at the strictness of Konoha's exams, which consisted of three rounds.

In their village, the ranking is determined by how many ninjutsu techniques one masters, how many missions one completes, and then how many minutes one can last in a Chunin battle.

Konoha Village, however, turned the Chunin Exams into something quite elaborate.

Meanwhile, outside the village, the group of four were happily fishing.

"I've already caught two, Naruto, you're so weak~"

“Indeed, even someone like me who has never fished before caught one,” Sasuke said.

"Bufan, stop laughing at Naruto..." Shikamaru looked at Naruto, who was getting angry and starting to roll up his sleeves: "Don't jump! If you jump, we won't be able to save you."

"I'm so angry! Is this river targeting me? I used to catch fish one after another when I went fishing."

After thinking for a moment, Shikaku said, "Maybe you haven't fished in a long time and you're a bit rusty."

But the next moment, Naruto's pole moved, and he immediately swung it hard, and a large carp leaped up.

"Haha—I caught one! I won't lose today."

"Is that so? Judging by the weight of this fish, Sasuke might lose." Bu Fan said with a smile. They were just fishing for fun, and incidentally had a competition to see who could catch more, based on size and weight.

The loser has to complete three great adventures.

Sasuke had no intention of losing; he could already see the wicked grin on Bufan's face: "I, a member of the Uchiha clan, will not lose!"

"Don't worry, if you lose, I'll let you confess to Sakura. It's not a difficult thing." Bu Fan waved his hand.

"What a coincidence, I was just planning to have Sasuke confess to Ino." Shikamaru, who had caught three fish, was far ahead, and he was very happy to see Ino's expression when she found out that Sasuke only confessed because he lost.

And with such an extraordinary suggestion, things become even more interesting.

Naruto:?

"I want Sasuke to... wait a minute!" Naruto had originally planned to have Sasuke reject Sakura, but suddenly thought of a good idea and smiled slyly: "I want Sasuke to say to Sakura that he likes boys!"