At that moment, the Sandaime Hokage, Hiruzen, hurried over with several Jōnin in tow.
"Is everyone alright? Where is Orochimaru?"
His face was grave as he scanned the scene, but Orochimaru was nowhere to be seen. Several examinees lay on the ground, and many others looked like they had experienced severe shock. The worst off appeared to be Anko.
Kakashi, Kurenai, Aoba, Asuma, and Guy had also arrived, rushing to the front. Once they confirmed that their students were safe, they breathed a sigh of relief and went to check on Anko.
Thankfully, it was just her curse mark acting up. The wound on her hand was minor in comparison.
"What exactly happened here?!"
Hiruzen immediately questioned the proctors present. In response, they quickly explained everything.
That included how Natsuki had discovered Orochimaru, engaged in an intense fight with him, with support from Tenten and Shino. Anko had even attempted to fight to the death against him.
As for the rest of the examinees, they were mostly overwhelmed by Orochimaru's killing intent. While it wasn't a physical injury, some of them might carry psychological scars. Regardless, today's exam couldn't continue.
Once Hiruzen confirmed that there were no casualties, he finally relaxed and immediately arranged for medical-nin to treat the unconscious or frightened examinees.
Anko was also slowly recovering, though she still appeared dazed. Hiruzen didn't press her for answers, simply telling her to rest.
Then Hiruzen looked at Natsuki with a smile of satisfaction.
"Natsuki, I didn't expect you to have grown this much already. I remember when you first came to me with those ninja card designs, I could already tell your future wouldn't be ordinary. Who would've thought, at just twelve years old, you'd already shine so brightly!"
Yeah, right!
You old schemer, quit the act!
Back then, I only went to see you to confirm some details about the cards. If those cards hadn't been ninja-related, do you really think I would've bothered to come to you?
I was hiding my strength so well at the time—how could you possibly tell I was special?
If I hadn't started revealing parts of my power, you probably wouldn't have paid me any mind!
Natsuki silently ranted, but on the surface, he looked bashful.
"Thank you for the compliment, Hokage-sama. It was mostly luck."
"Haha, no, this isn't luck. It's real strength."
Hiruzen clearly acknowledged Natsuki's power. To be able to hold his own against Orochimaru was not something luck alone could achieve. Without solid skills, he wouldn't have lasted more than a few exchanges.
Just look at the other proctors, or even Anko, a Tokubetsu Jōnin. Against Orochimaru, they didn't stand a chance at all—not even enough to hold him back.
But Natsuki did it.
If that doesn't count as strength, what does?
"By the way, how did you recognize Orochimaru?" Hiruzen asked curiously.
"Oh, just instinct," Natsuki replied seriously. "Back when I was making the cards, I studied a lot of historic figures and learned quite a bit about Orochimaru, including his connection to Anko-sensei. Just now, when the female Grass-nin disguised as him teased Anko-sensei, something felt off in his eyes. Instinctively, the name 'Orochimaru' popped into my head, and I acted without thinking."
"I see. Very perceptive—that's an essential trait for an excellent ninja."
Hiruzen gave him a nod of approval. Even though Natsuki's explanation had some holes, the Grass-nin in question was definitely Orochimaru. Maybe Natsuki's instincts really were just that sharp.
Most importantly, Natsuki had backed it up with strength.
At the very least, he had Tokubetsu Jōnin-level ability. Possibly even stronger than Anko. Not to mention, he'd learned Kakashi's kenjutsu and Guy's Hachimon Tonkō (Eight Gates Technique). That demanded attention.
Strength earns respect.
And in Hiruzen's eyes, Natsuki—still a youth of Konoha—represented the village's future. As long as he remained loyal, nothing else mattered.
Also, Tenten—his little girlfriend—was quite skilled herself. Her talent in handling ninja tools was impressive, and with special tools, she could unleash remarkable combat potential. She'd even helped delay Orochimaru a bit.
Compared to the other examinees, her performance was outstanding.
Shino from the Aburame clan and the Uchiha orphan also did well.
Konoha's new generation was showing great promise. It was a huge blessing for the village.
Thinking this, Hiruzen's originally tense mood lightened significantly.
He may have once been a shady politician, but in these later years of his life, all he wanted was for Konoha to have more strong seedlings… and to reach the peak of the ninja world again.
"Ahem! Alright, you've all been through a lot today. You must be exhausted. Go home and rest. As for the exam, we'll notify you later."
With that, Hiruzen dismissed everyone.
However, the Fifteen Young Genin were pulled aside by a few teachers for some final instructions.
Guy beamed as he ruffled Natsuki and Tenten's hair.
"You two little rascals, you did amazingly! I'm proud of you!"
Kurenai added, "Shino did great too."
Kakashi shrugged. "Well, anyone who didn't pass out from that killing intent is already doing pretty well. Sasuke could still move—pretty impressive. But Natsuki, you're a bit beyond expectations. You've already mastered kenjutsu to that level… you're Jōnin material. Aoba's lucky to have such a student."
Yamashiro Aoba couldn't hide his grin but still tried to act humble.
"I didn't really teach him much. It's mainly you two—Kakashi and Guy—who brought him up."
Yeah, yeah, you two might've trained him…
But he's still my student!
And I'm proud!
The teachers continued to compete over whose student was better.
Only Asuma stayed quiet. What could he say?
His three students didn't faint, sure… but they were also the first to run away. When they saw Natsuki fighting Orochimaru, they didn't even consider helping—they just hid and peeked out from behind cover.
What could Asuma say?
Natsuki and the others just stood there, listening to the teachers bicker. It was kind of exhausting.
Luckily, the teachers had more pressing matters to attend to. Orochimaru's invasion was a serious issue—they needed to investigate it immediately. Without that, the exams couldn't continue.
"We should get going too. Everyone head home and get some rest," Natsuki said, reminding his friends to stay alert.
Then he took Tenten's hand, and the two of them left together.
However, he couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching him.
He turned around—and sure enough, it was Gaara.
Those panda eyes of his were practically glowing with bloodlust and anticipation.
Natsuki didn't think much of it.
Gaara wasn't mentally stable these days. He was obsessed with killing people, especially the strong ones.
Clearly, Natsuki's performance had caught his eye.
Gaara's hands were already itching to kill…
(End of Chapter)
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