Hiruzen Sarutobi's death had been one of Kyoshin's regrets when reading the original story in his previous life.
Because his sacrifice truly lived up to the title of "Hero of the Shinobi."
In the original story, Orochimaru, the First Hokage, and the Second Hokage, three Kage-level fighters.
Along with several Curse Mark users from Otogakure and those fools from Sunagakure.
So many people had joined forces just to hold a grand funeral for him.
Orochimaru really was too filial.
Did Hiruzen Sarutobi deserve that?
His ending should have been growing old alone while watching the village slowly decline.
In truth, using such vicious words to describe an old man who had genuinely devoted his entire life to Konoha was sowhat inappropriate.
But the results of his rule truly deserved such a vicious curse.
As a shinobi. As the Kage of a village.
Because of the weakness in his heart, he repeatedly failed to make the correct choices when faced with important situations, while also allowing Danzo to slowly erode Konoha from within.
He had been handed an excellent set of cards and played them terribly.
This was absolutely not slander against Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Kyoshin withdrew his thoughts, put on his ANBU mask, and walked out of the room.
Onoki, Akatsuchi, Kitsuchi, three elite jonin, along with Kyoshin and his squad.
Once everyone had assembled, they departed for the arena where the final round of the Chunin Exams would be held.
Under Asuma Sarutobi's reception, Onoki led Iwagakure's elite forces toward the Kage viewing platform, where Hiruzen Sarutobi was already waiting. A few minutes later, the "Kazekage" arrived as well.
anwhile, Kyoshin led his squad to the waiting area and quietly waited for the plot to unfold.
To Kyoshin's left, Deidara crossed his arms and impatiently scanned the surroundings.
"So boring~ I thought we'd run into so real experts, but what a disappointnt."
To his right, Karin quietly whispered to Kurotsuchi, "Big Brother Kintsuchi seems really serious today."
"Don't overthink it," Kurotsuchi reminded her. "No matter what happens, we just follow orders."
Karin nodded, her red eyes quietly observing the surroundings.
One after another, the spectators entered the open-air arena.
Perhaps they were waiting for more people to gather nearby.
Or perhaps they were making preparations before putting the plan into motion.
At the start of the exams, everything appeared calm and peaceful.
Kankuro faced off against Neji Hyuga.
Because puppet users naturally countered taijutsu specialists to so extent, Neji couldn't fully display his true abilities.
The two actually fought evenly back and forth.
In the audience stands, Ino glanced at her father before looking toward Kyoshin in the distance.
In the end, she still couldn't hold herself back and quietly said, "Dad, there's sothing... I need to go for a bit."
Inoichi Yamanaka gave a slight nod. She imdiately turned and left, circling toward Kyoshin's position.
Inoichi's sharp, clear eyes shifted subtly, his peripheral vision locking onto Kyoshin as his eyes narrowed slightly.
'That person...'
Lord Hokage had already begun suspecting Kyoshin's true identity.
And the mont Ino headed over, Inoichi was almost completely certain.
———
[Elsewhere]
Kurotsuchi looked at the youthful and beautiful Ino with annoyance.
"Why are you here again? Didn't we say we'd talk after the exams?"
Ino gave a light snort. "I didn't co to see you~"
Kyoshin himself showed no reaction to her arrival.
It didn't matter anymore.
The real business was about to begin. Even if his identity were exposed now, it wouldn't matter.
At the sa ti, Naruto also wanted to co over, but Kakashi stopped him.
Naruto was curious about his true background. What Karin had said earlier had already made him feel sothing was wrong, and after returning, the more he thought about it, the harder it beca to sleep.
Naruto's condition was poor. His mood was low.
Seeing him like this, Kakashi reassured him.
"For now, focus on the exams. Trust the Hokage. He has his own judgnt. There'll be an answer afterward."
Naruto could only nod.
———
[Down In The Arena]
Neji finally defeated Kankuro through sheer superiority in basic ability, far beyond the level of ordinary genin.
The chief proctor had changed from Hayate Gekko to the mysterious toothpick-chewing Genma Shiranui.
He announced, "Winner: Neji Hyuga."
"Next match: Gaara vs Kintsuchi."
'It's starting!'
Beneath the mask, Kyoshin's eyes sharpened as he stood up. At the sa ti, he quietly told Karin, "Stay alert."
He stepped into the arena and stood opposite Gaara.
Genma Shiranui spoke up, "If neither of you has anything to say, then begin the match."
Gaara did not move.
Neither did Kyoshin.
The entire arena fell silent. Everyone could practically hear their own heartbeat.
A faint smile curved across Gaara's lips.
"Thank you. But... sorry."
This bizarre scene drew everyone's attention.
Black feathers began materializing in the air one after another, slowly drifting downward.
Kyoshin activated his Sharingan to resist the genjutsu.
Gaara, anwhile, completely relaxed himself, his gaze fixed on the falling feathers.
He closed his eyes and drifted into sleep. Violent tailed beast chakra rapidly surfaced across his body.
All around the audience stands, waves of ninja and civilians collapsed unconscious.
The Konoha Crush Plan had begun.
At the sa ti, massive explosions echoed from all around Konoha.
Above the viewing platform, Hiruzen Sarutobi instantly sensed sothing was wrong. Lowering the brim of his Hokage hat, he shot a sharp gaze toward Rasa and Onoki.
"What is the aning of this?"
"I'd like to know the sa thing." Onoki's tone carried a trace of mockery. "Even Iwagakure obtained intelligence about this, yet you noticed nothing."
Hiruzen's pupils contracted slightly.
"Hehehe~" The cold chakra around "Rasa" no longer hid itself. "I didn't expect Iwagakure's intelligence network to be this strong."
"Fortunately... I made preparations as well. Otherwise the plan really would've been forced to stop."
Hiruzen frowned deeply and rose to his feet, staring at "Rasa."
"Orochimaru?!"
Orochimaru tossed aside the Kazekage's hat, revealing a pair of snake-like eyes.
The awakened Konoha and Iwagakure jonin were already rushing toward them.
But suddenly, a purple barrier rose up, sealing the entire structure inside.
———
[Outside]
The instant Kyoshin saw the feathers, he activated his Sharingan and ford hand seals, creating a shadow clone.
The clone imdiately rushed toward the waiting area and woke Kurotsuchi, Karin, and Ino, who had all fallen unconscious nearby.
After briefly explaining the situation, the shadow clone ordered, "Deidara, take them and leave. The farther away the better. Don't get involved."
Deidara looked around excitedly. "Alright!"
"What about ? What's happening? Kyoshin..." Ino looked at him blankly, completely confused.
Kyoshin casually replied, "You're a Konoha ninja. Right now, you should be waking up the Konoha shinobi affected by the genjutsu."
"Ah?" Ino's breathing quickened. It was her first ti facing a situation like this, but she still forced herself to stay calm. "Okay!"
On Kyoshin's main body's side, the elite jonin Yakage appeared beside him and said, "Kintsuchi-sama, Kumiko and Nobutoshi are already in position. Shall we begin the plan as well?"
Kyoshin nodded and cast the Light-Weight Rock Technique on himself, floating up into the air.
At the sa ti, he said to Yakage, "Yakage-san, please protect Deidara and the others."
Yakage did not hesitate. With a few rapid movents, he appeared beside the retreating Iwagakure squad.
Kyoshin himself flew high into the sky, analyzing everything below.
As long as the situation remained under control and the plan advanced steadily, then he could finally settle accounts with Danzo.
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