Naruto Birdcage

In the morning, many carriages slowly entered Konoha, carrying royal ministers and nobles from other countries.

They had traveled a great distance to witness the rare Chunin Exams.

The gate ninjas were diligently verifying the identities of these foreign visitors.

Afterward, specialized ninjas guided them to the Chunin Exams venue.

Under Fugaku's command, the police force maintained order in the village.

Fugaku had instructed the members of Root to blend in with his own clan members, forming small teams to be spread throughout the village.

In the Hokage Building, Hakumen delivered the Hokage's robe and hat.

"Lord Makoto, everything is almost ready."

Makoto put on the oversized robe, and when he exited the room, he had already transformed into Orochimaru's appearance.

Kakashi, standing guard outside the door, immediately bowed upon seeing this.

"Let's go."

Today is the day of the third round of the Chunin Exams, and it will also be the most exciting part of the exam.

The venue for the exam is set in a massive circular arena on the outskirts of the village, similar to a coliseum.

When Makoto, disguised as Orochimaru, arrived, he could hear the villagers in the audience seats cheering for his arrival.

"Lord Hokage." From a distance, Pakura rose and bowed.

This woman always carried herself with pride when facing him, but she would only lower that pride when seeing Orochimaru.

In a world where strength is paramount, Makoto didn't mind it at all.

He merely nodded lightly in acknowledgment and then sat in the Hokage's designated seat.

By the time the event was about to start, the audience seats were already packed.

Makoto stood up to give a speech.

With the help of the Yamanaka clan's ninjas, his voice reverberated across the entire arena.

"The third round of the Chunin Exams, now begins!"

......

Outside the arena...

"Captain doesn't have to stay with us, you can go inside and watch the match," one of the Uchiha clan members said.

Hearing his clan member's words, Fugaku could only smile helplessly.

"Yeah, leave the security matters to us. We've got it covered," another voice added.

Fugaku responded, "I'm just worried you'll get into conflict with someone. Today is an important day."

One of the Uchiha clan members replied, "Captain, you think too little of us. On an occasion like today, we'll be sure to show restraint. Besides, those guys shouldn't be looking for trouble, right?"

Fugaku sighed. "Alright, there's no point in watching a bunch of Genin fight. Focus on your patrols."

Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have to personally oversee security patrols, but today was different.

The village was holding a grand event, and who knew what might happen behind the scenes.

The streets of Konoha were mostly empty, with the vast majority having already gone to the Chunin Exams venue.

As Fugaku continued on his patrol, he suddenly caught sight of a figure swiftly darting across the rooftops.

Naturally sensitive to his surroundings, Fugaku's instincts immediately kicked in as he saw the figure and quickly used his Shunshin to intercept them.

"What's the hurry?" he asked.

"I have important news to report to Lord Hokage!" the person said, their expression urgent.

Fugaku's gaze flickered slightly. "The third round of the Chunin Exams is currently underway, and Lord Hokage is at the exam venue."

Hearing this, the person immediately changed direction and rushed toward the Chunin Exams venue.

Fugaku and the other Uchiha clan members watched the figure speed away, feeling puzzled.

"Why the urgency?" one of them asked.

"Not sure," Fugaku replied.

Unable to make sense of the situation, Fugaku shook his head and dismissed it from his mind.

"Alright, let's continue with our work."

........

At this moment, Makoto was watching with great interest as two Genin were battling below.

It was Anko and a Suna ninja.

Both of them were highly skilled, and the fight was nothing short of thrilling.

Suddenly, a Hyuga ninja disguised as a member of the Anbu appeared at his side and whispered a few words into his ear.

Makoto initially thought it was a report from Orochimaru's side, admiring how quickly Orochimaru worked.

He slowly stood up, preparing to leave.

"Such an exciting match, Lord Hokage. Where are you going?" Pakura, sitting not far away, asked when she saw him stand.

"To the restroom," Makoto replied.

Pakura: "..."

With that, Makoto left under Pakura's curious gaze, followed by two Anbu guards.

They made their way to a room at the back.

"Lord Hokage!"

There were already ninjas waiting inside, looking travel-worn.

Upon seeing Makoto, they immediately knelt and paid their respects.

Makoto looked at them thoughtfully for a moment and asked, "What's going on?"

One of the ninjas presented a scroll to him.

"Our northeastern border has detected signs of troop movements from Kumogakure."

Makoto's heart skipped a beat.

It came so quickly...

He took the scroll, unsealed it, and examined its contents carefully.

His brows furrowed as he read.

In the original story, Kumogakure and Sunagakure had joined forces to attack the Land of Fire, but now it was just Kumogakure acting alone.

It could be considered a small blessing in disguise.

The reason for this might be that Kumogakure, seeing Konoha's weakening state, rushed into action prematurely, while Sunagakure was likely still dealing with the issues concerning Kirigakure and had just established diplomatic relations with Konoha, unwilling to break that alliance.

Holding the scroll, Makoto paced back and forth, quickly calming himself down.

"Thank you for delivering this message. Go and rest for now," Makoto said to the ninja.

"Thank you, Lord Hokage!" The ninja seemed surprised to hear the words "Thank you for your hard work" from Orochimaru's mouth, and couldn't help but feel a bit emotional.

Makoto returned to the venue, and Hakumen was nowhere to be seen beside him.

The battle between Anko had already concluded, and now a Genin named Uzuki Yugao had stepped up to fight another Suna ninja.

"Such a pity, Lord Hokage didn't get to see your student win," Pakura remarked.

Makoto only smiled faintly in response.

Meanwhile, Hakumen left the Chunin Exams venue alone and headed towards the Root base.

When he pushed open the massive iron door, the first thing that came into view were two bloodied corpses.

He felt a jolt of unease but continued walking forward.

Fortunately, he didn't encounter a scene of bodies scattered everywhere.

The Root ninja were few in number at the moment, with most of them out maintaining the village's security.

"Is that you, Hakumen?"

In the dimly lit hall, Hakumen noticed a figure standing beneath two grotesque, giant statues.

He didn't bother studying the person's face carefully and immediately bowed in greeting.

"Lord Hokage!"

"Did Makoto send you here?"

Hakumen took out the scroll and held it in both hands.

He bent down, and just as he did, he heard a faint hissing sound from a snake.

A large python slithered up and snatched the scroll from his hands.

Taking advantage of the moment, Hakumen slightly raised his gaze.

In the distance, he saw Orochimaru's figure, his clothes looking somewhat torn, and a corpse lying at his feet.

"Truly never-ending," Orochimaru's voice slowly echoed.

"Where is Makoto now?"

"Lord Makoto is still at the exam venue."

Orochimaru suddenly appeared in front of Hakumen and walked past him, heading toward the hall's entrance.

It was then that Hakumen clearly saw the body on the ground, its right eye wrapped in bandages, and the elderly face now soaked in blood.

"Hakumen."

"Here, Lord Hokage!"

"Send the body to my laboratory."

"Yes!"

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