Naruto Birdcage

The Day of the Chunin Exams

On the day the Chunin Exams were held, Orochimaru finally deigned to step out of his laboratory, representing the village as he met with numerous individuals.

During the conclusion of the first written test, he made an appearance before the examinees, delivering a few words of encouragement.

The so-called written test assessed the theoretical knowledge, personal character, and teamwork values of the Genin.

After the written exam came the second stage, which tested team coordination, followed by the third stage, which evaluated individual strength.

This structure is the fixed format of the Chunin Exams.

Regardless of how the content of the exams may vary from one year to the next, the core principles remain unchanged.

The first exam alone eliminated nearly half of the examinees.

Many spectators hoped that their village's ninja would perform well, but Makoto himself wasn't particularly interested in the exams.

His only concern was that the Chunin Exams proceeded smoothly.

During the second stage of the exams, all the Genin from smaller villages were eliminated, which was entirely expected.

By the time the third and final stage arrived, only participants from Konoha and Sunagakure remained.

Makoto also met with Pakura of Sunagakure and, amidst the formalities, casually inquired about the current situation between Sunagakure and Kirigakure.

Pakura was surprised that Makoto would directly ask her about such matters, but he went on to say that if Sunagakure ever needed assistance from Konoha, they could feel free to ask.

Makoto mentioned that Sunagakure had once offered aid during Konoha's time of crisis, and Konoha wished to reciprocate this goodwill.

After a brief moment of thought, Pakura responded vaguely, saying only that Sunagakure would surely prevail, and assured him that she would relay Konoha's sentiments to the Kazekage.

Meanwhile, Anko, having passed the second stage, excitedly rushed to Orochimaru to ask how well she had performed.

Orochimaru simply smiled and patted her head, offering some words of encouragement.

Anko, feeling proud, then turned to Makoto and smugly asked if he had paid close attention to her heroic performance earlier.

Makoto gave a perfunctory reply, saying, "Very impressive," which left Anko somewhat dissatisfied.

She kicked him lightly on the shin in protest.

.......

Root Base.

"Hmph! Danzo, you'll regret this!"

Watching Hiruzen storm off in anger, Danzo felt little emotion.

In fact, he thought Hiruzen had grown rather foolish.

Right now, Danzo controlled half of the police force, holding the village's lifeline firmly in his grasp.

Who could touch him?

Orochimaru? With just a few Hyuga Anbu under his command?

Danzo sneered inwardly.

Once he completely consolidated his control over the police force, he could gradually infiltrate every department of the village.

When the time came, orchestrating another coup would be a walk in the park.

No wonder Hiruzen had been forced to step down—ultimately, it was because he was too weak.

In this world, power doesn't always belong to those who hold leverage or evidence.

With these so-called accusations, as long as Danzo refused to admit anything, they would remain baseless rumors.

In the current state of the village, who had the strength to openly oppose him?

Hiruzen's urgency in warning him about this matter was nothing more than an attempt to protect himself from being implicated and tarnishing his illustrious image as the Third Hokage.

Back when Danzo had done those unsavory tasks for him, did Hiruzen not anticipate this day would come?

Danzo dismissed Hiruzen's words entirely.

He was now perplexed as to why the subordinates he had sent to Amegakure had not returned, nor even sent a message.

According to the original plan, the Akatsuki organization should have been eliminated by now.

Aburame Ryoma he had dispatched was one of his most capable operatives.

Assisting Amegakure in taking down a small mercenary group should have been a straightforward task.

Could something have gone wrong...?

Danzo mulled it over repeatedly, and the only plausible explanation he could think of was the Rinnegan.

Feeling uneasy, he sent another team to the Land of Rain to investigate the situation.

......

In the dead of night,

Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had been resting, suddenly opened his eyes wide.

He jumped out of bed and rushed out the window.

The cold wind blew fiercely, but no figures could be seen.

On the windowsill, a white note was pressed under a stone.

Hiruzen scanned the area for a long time, before furrowing his brow and picking up the note.

[Shimura Danzo is conspiring with Amegakure to rebel.]

The words exploded in Hiruzen's mind like a thunderclap, leaving him frozen in place, his scalp tingling.

"What's wrong?" Biwako, who was inside the house, asked as she walked over to the window..

Hiruzen took a deep breath, quickly calming himself.

This couldn't be true.

Danzo would never do such a thing!

He returned to the room, his mind in a state of confusion.

"What happened?" Biwako closed the window and noticed the note in Hiruzen's hand.

She reached out to take it, but he immediately clenched it in his palm.

"Accuse a crime, accuse a crime..." Hiruzen muttered to himself.

"Hi... Hiruzen?" Biwako furrowed her brow slightly.

Hiruzen ignored her gentle call, his thoughts rapidly spinning.

No matter how extreme Danzo might be, he wouldn't conspire with outsiders to rebel.

But if someone was trying to move against Danzo, why had they come to warn him over and over again?

What were they after... what were they after...

"I need to go out for a moment," Hiruzen said to Biwako.

Biwako nodded.

Seeing Hiruzen's reaction, she could guess that something important had occurred.

She picked up a coat and draped it over his shoulders.

The winter night was especially cold.

Hiruzen stepped out of the room but paused in his tracks.

In the distance, he could see the four massive stone statues on the cliffside.

After a moment, he began walking toward the Hokage residence.

The street was eerily quiet.

The elderly man, nearing his fifties, arrived in front of Orochimaru's mansion.

The door was opened by Anko, who was wearing pajamas, clearly just out of bed.

"Third Hokage?!" she exclaimed.

"Where is the Fourth Hokage?" Hiruzen asked.

Anko looked at Hiruzen and replied, "Lord Orochimaru usually doesn't stay here. He's at his research facility."

Hiruzen nodded lightly and was about to leave.

But Anko suddenly called out to him again: "Third Hokage!"

"Lord Orochimaru told me that if you came looking for him, I should tell you that he's busy with an experiment. If you need anything, you can go find Makoto at the Hyuga family."

Hiruzen furrowed his brow upon hearing this.

Makoto... Hyuga Makoto...

He left Orochimaru's mansion and cast a complicated glance toward the Hyuga Clan's district.

With his status, Hiruzen could typically summon anyone he wished with a simple message.

The heads of the major clans in the village, even the Fourth Hokage Orochimaru, would usually come to him and respectfully listen to his guidance and instructions.

But now, the situation didn't allow him to act that way.

He no longer held the initiative in this matter.

The most critical issue was that he had no idea what the other party's intentions were.

Were they trying to take down Danzo, or were they looking to gain something from him?

Hiruzen, now alone, arrived at the Hyuga Clan's district.

The Hyuga guards, startled to see the Third Hokage, immediately escorted him to the clan leader's residence.

This wasn't his first time here.

He had developed a deep connection with both Hyuga Taikei and Hyuga Hiashi.

However, Hiruzen's impression of the Hyuga Clan had not been updated since Hiashi's death.

Or rather, by the time he had hoped to understand them better, he was no longer Hokage.

He knew that the Hyuga Clan was now aligned with Orochimaru, and the new clan leader, Hyuga Makoto, was one of Orochimaru's trusted subordinates.

Every day, he sat in the Hokage's office, helping Orochimaru handle many of the village's affairs.

Hiruzen didn't wait long in the living room before Ayano came to him, bowing respectfully.

"Third Hokage, Lord Makoto requests your presence in the study."

Hiruzen glanced at Ayano, the former fiancée of the clan leader, and couldn't help but feel a sense of contemplation.

The master of this household had changed.

Perhaps everything had changed.

Following Ayano, Hiruzen entered the study, only to find it empty.

"Where's Makoto?" Hiruzen asked.

Ayano hesitated, her expression turning awkward as she struggled to answer.

After hearing that the Third Hokage had come to visit in the middle of the night, she had rushed to summon Makoto.

But when she had arrived, Makoto simply told her to tell the Third Hokage to go to the study, then returned to sleep.

How was she supposed to respond?

Could she really say that Makoto was still sleeping...?

Hiruzen furrowed his brows as he observed her expression, then his gaze scanned the study.

Three of the walls were lined with bookshelves, and aside from the books, there was little else in the room.

On the desk, however, were three stacks of documents.

Hiruzen walked over thoughtfully and picked up one of the files.

Seeing this, Ayano quietly closed the study door behind him.

The file in Hiruzen's hand was a dossier on members of the Hyuga clan, focusing on their younger generation.

These were all ninjas in the village, and Hiruzen recognized many of the names.

He then picked up the second stack, his expression changing instantly.

This too was a file, but it contained a list of his own clan members.

The people listed held important positions in the village!

Hiruzen silently set the file down, then picked up the final stack.

This file wasn't a list at all; rather, it detailed all the shady dealings he and Danzo had engaged in.

Hiruzen's hand trembled slightly as he realized the true purpose behind this.

--------------

Exclusive access : All novel on paetron

Genshin impact 270+ch, Naruto birdcage 250+ch, Overlord Complete novel

From the apocalypse 100+ch, Fairy tail Destiny 110+ch

Join now : patreon*com/DeCakraWnloverz