Naruto: Naruto's Uchiha girlfriend is too arrogant

Chapter 218 Each Other's Plans

Afterwards, from Naruto's brief report and the snake slough left at the scene, the Third Hokage confirmed that Orochimaru had escaped. A deep sense of regret welled up in his heart; he had ultimately failed to personally bring his misguided disciple back... or rather, to bring him to justice.

At the same time, his heart was filled with indescribable complex emotions.

Orochimaru, the genius disciple who was once his greatest pride, fought alongside Jiraiya and Tsunade, forging the reputation of the "Legendary Sannin" in the smoke of the Third Shinobi World War. They even joined forces to win the right to survive against the "demigod" Hanzo of the Salamander.

In terms of strength and intelligence, Orochimaru has undoubtedly long been qualified to serve as the Kage of a village.

Unfortunately, his mind ultimately strayed from the right path. His obsession with forbidden arts and his disregard for life eventually led to the rift between master and disciple and his defection.

However, this powerful figure, who was feared by the entire ninja world, was defeated and forced to flee by a Konoha genin who had only graduated from the ninja academy a few months ago.

No, it's not that Orochimaru is too weak, but that the Nine-Tails' power is too terrifying, and Naruto... he can control this power so perfectly!

The Third Hokage's gaze fell on Naruto, watching him explain the situation to him with a respectful and clear attitude after demonstrating such power, his eyes clear, without any violence or arrogance corrupted by power.

The worries in the hearts of the three generations were slightly relieved, but were replaced by a deeper shock.

Just now, through the telescope technique, he clearly saw Naruto's elusive movement—it was no ordinary Body Flicker Technique, but the S-rank space-time ninjutsu, the Flying Thunder God Technique, which was popularized by his father, Minato Namikaze!

Naruto... he actually mastered this technique on his own, based solely on the records in the Scroll of Seals? Considering Naruto's previously displayed talent for sealing techniques, his boundless vitality, and the space-time ninjutsu skills he has now demonstrated, along with his humble and unassuming nature...

He almost perfectly inherited Minato's Kushina's strengths!

It can be said that Naruto's only "shortcoming" is that he is still young. After the frustration of failing to capture Orochimaru gradually subsided, the more the Third Hokage pondered, the more excited he became, and even felt an urgent desire to "immediately hand over the position of Hokage".

And... now that Naruto has such a strong ability to protect himself, shouldn't I... reveal Naruto's true identity to the public?

Once the thought surfaced, it could no longer be suppressed. However, when he thought of the prejudice and coldness the villagers had held towards Naruto for so many years out of ignorance, a deep sense of regret gripped his heart.

Hopefully... now that Naruto has forged a deep bond with Uchiha Sasuke, Naruto's sense of belonging to Konoha will be even stronger than before...

Then, the Third Hokage solemnly instructed Team 7 to continue participating in the exam. He then turned to Naruto and added in a serious tone that the power Naruto had just used should never be used lightly unless he encountered the One-Tailed Jinchuriki of Sunagakure or was in a life-threatening situation.

The Third Hokage was genuinely worried that if Naruto lost control and unleashed another Tailed Beast Bomb in a fit of rage, the examinees in the Forest of Death would be indiscriminately wiped out.

After giving his instructions, Hiruzen Sarutobi met up with Kakashi, and Anko Mitarashi, who had rushed to search for Orochimaru after learning that a candidate had been replaced. The Konoha Anbu members quickly infiltrated the depths of the forest, trying to find any clues left by the escaped snake.

Even though it was confirmed that Orochimaru had infiltrated the village, and there was even a premonition that Sunagakure might have ill intentions, why didn't the Third Hokage stop it and instead chose to continue the Chunin Exams?

This decision may seem risky, but a closer examination of the political and strategic considerations behind it reveals the helplessness and inevitability involved.

First of all, the Chunin Exams, a joint event bringing together numerous ninja villages across the ninja world, was an extremely important diplomatic event. Konoha's unilateral suspicion and a snakeskin of unknown origin as evidence were simply insufficient to convince the public.

A hasty and unilateral announcement of cancellation would be a great insult and provocation to all the participating villages that have traveled from afar, and would inevitably trigger a serious diplomatic dispute.

Secondly, as the head of the five great ninja villages, if Konoha cancels the grand event like a frightened bird simply because of an unconfirmed "potential threat," it will severely damage the village's international prestige and powerful image.

As Hokage, the Third Hokage had to demonstrate Konoha's composure and absolute control over its power under any circumstances.

Furthermore, even if Orochimaru withstood diplomatic pressure and forcibly stopped the exam, would his long-planned scheme be halted? The answer is clearly no.

Suddenly stopping the exam would be tantamount to alerting Orochimaru, who was lurking in the shadows, and directly telling him, "I've found you!"

At that time, this cunning snake will only hide even deeper, and its subsequent attacks will become even more unpredictable and difficult to prevent.

and many more……

Naruto snapped out of his reverie at the strategic analysis. "Why am I even thinking about this? I'm not planning to become Hokage, so why should I worry about these high-level decisions?"

He shook his head, clearing his mind of distractions. Since the exam was proceeding as scheduled and Orochimaru had temporarily left, he could simply complete the assessment step by step. He turned around, preparing to call Satsuki and Sakura to continue their journey towards the central tower.

But he happened to meet Satsuki's dark eyes, which were now staring intently at him with obvious annoyance.

Naruto was slightly taken aback, somewhat confused, but then a memory surfaced in his mind—he seemed to have... once told Sasuke that using this tailed beast chakra might cause considerable burden and damage to the body.

Recalling this, he immediately understood the source of Zuo Yue's anger.

Having witnessed the terrifying, world-destroying power firsthand, Zuo Yue's face showed no fear, nor any jealousy or alienation. Her angry gaze was mixed with something purer and deeper—heartache.

Clearly, with the Third Hokage, Kakashi, and numerous Anbu members present, Satsuki had carefully concealed his emotions, maintaining a composed exterior. Now, the obstacle had finally left…

We need to get Sakura away from us first.

The thought came to mind naturally. Almost subconsciously, even when she was preparing to confront him and her emotions were running high, Satsuki first considered protecting Naruto's face and didn't want to embarrass him in front of a third party.

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(The assessment will end in the next chapter, and the competition will begin. The author is trying to speed up the pace.)