On the hill outside Konoha Village, a toad as huge as a mountain squatted with an indifferent expression.
Standing nearby were Jiraiya, bruised and battered, and Naruto, who had already changed into fresh clothes.
"Gamabunta, don't be angry. I was just joking," Jiraiya laughed.
But Gamabunta kept his cold expression, exhaling mist from his tobacco pipe.
"Hmph! Jiraiya, I'm not kidding. That boy seems to have signed a summoning contract with me somehow. I can sense a connection with him!"
Jiraiya pinched his chin, puzzled.
"That doesn't make sense. I didn't teach him the summoning technique, and the contract scroll of Mt. Myoboku is still with me. Even if Naruto wanted to teach Kazuki the technique, it's impossible."
Naruto, sensing Jiraiya's gaze, quickly denied it,
"Don't look at me! I definitely didn't teach Kazuki!"
Jiraiya didn't doubt him, merely glancing his way instinctively.
"In that case, we'll have to verify it ourselves."
Jiraiya unfastened the scroll from his waist and slowly opened it.
Looking at the names written in blood, one by one, there was no "Gekko Kazuki."
Seeing this, Jiraiya scratched his head.
"Gamabunta, are you sure you didn't misperceive? His name isn't on the scroll. How could he summon you?"
"There's no name," Gamabunta confirmed after inspecting the scroll himself.
"Maybe I made a mistake."
Without evidence, Gamabunta had no choice but to doubt his own perception.
Jiraiya shrugged, not too concerned. "Maybe you're getting old, Gamabunta. Let's head back and check on the village. The battle's over, but I wonder how the Third Hokage is doing. I haven't seen him in years."
With that, Jiraiya began walking toward the Chunin Exam venue, feeling a pang of concern for his old teacher, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had taught him ninjutsu since childhood.
…
At the Chunin Exam venue, Kazuki arrived first.
The sun hung low on the horizon, casting a reddish glow over the desolate landscape, where only one wall of the arena remained standing. Bodies were strewn across the ground—Konoha ninjas, Sunagakure shinobi, nobles, and civilians.
As Kazuki stepped onto the rubble, the devastation around him unsettled him. Though he had carried out many missions and killed before, nothing compared to the horror he witnessed here.
He wandered through the ruins, searching for anything salvageable, until his eyes fell on the body of a fallen Konoha ninja. Half a pack of cigarettes peeked out from the ninja's pocket. Without thinking, Kazuki picked one up, flicked it into the air, and caught it in his mouth.
With a snap of his fingers, he ignited the cigarette and took a deep drag, exhaling slowly.
"Kazuki-kun!"
Kazuki turned to see Karin, dressed in a maid outfit, running toward him.
"Kazuki-kun, are you okay?"
Kazuki nodded, cigarette still in his mouth, and asked calmly, "What happened?"
"After you left…"
Karin explained what had occurred after Kazuki left the exam.
Sakura had unfortunately lost to Temari. Though she had mastered some of the sword techniques and Rasengan, Temari's Wind Release easily overpowered her.
Despite Sakura's efforts, Temari outclassed her in both ninjutsu and combat strategy. However, Temari didn't escape unscathed—her iron fan was damaged by Sakura's Rasengan, and she suffered two deep slashes.
Then came the battle between Gaara and Aburame Shino. Shino's insects were no match for Gaara's sand, and within seconds, Shino was forced to admit defeat.
Both battles combined lasted only fifteen minutes and a few seconds. Sakura and Temari fought for the bulk of the time, while Gaara's match with Shino lasted mere seconds.
As the Hokage prepared to praise the remaining candidates, Gaara suddenly attacked the Third Hokage. Sound and Sand ninjas sprang out, trapping Hiruzen with the Four Violet Flames Formation
The Fourth Kazekage turned out to be Orochimaru in disguise, and Gaara was revealed as a Jinchūriki of the One-Tail. Sunagakure and Orochimaru had joined forces to launch a surprise attack on Konoha.
The chaos shocked the Konoha shinobi, while civilians were placed under an illusion by Yakushi Kabuto.
Despite Sarutobi Hiruzen's valiant effort against Gaara's Shukaku form, aided by his Summoning Beast Enma, things took a dire turn when Orochimaru summoned the First and Second Hokages using the Edo Tensei technique.
There was an attempt to summon the Fourth Hokage as well, but the summoning failed for some reason.
Fighting against the revived Hokages and Shukaku proved too much for Hiruzen. Forcing Hiruzen into a desperate situation. Orochimaru dealt a fatal blow to Hiruzen, piercing his heart.
Konoha was thrown into disarray. The revived Hokages and Gaara's rampage caused countless deaths among the Konoha ninjas, while nobles and civilians perished under the chaos.
Karin paused and glanced at Kazuki. "That's why the Chunin Exam venue is like this now."
Kazuki frowned. "If things were that bad, how did Orochimaru and the others retreat?"
Karin thought for a moment. "I'm not sure. But after the Konoha collapse, several Konoha Jounin managed to suppress the First and Second Hokages temporarily. Then, a team of masked ninjas appeared and sealed the One-Tail Jinchūriki."
She added, "The leader of those masked ninjas… he was covered in bandages, and they all called him – Danzo-sama!"
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The fanfic is finished on p@treon/tambeerg