บท 61: Chapter 61: Start

Tsunade dragged Jiraiya away, the anger on her face showing no signs of fading.

After all, she and Orochimaru had already seen Sakumo's strength. If Sakumo were to use his sword, Jiraiya wouldn't stand a chance against him. Yet, here was Jiraiya, shamelessly claiming that he wouldn't go too hard on the guy?

So shameless.

This guy really had no filter when he spoke.

Orochimaru wasn't the least bit surprised by this. It was no wonder that Tsunade never liked Jiraiya when they were kids. He wasn't just an idiot he was carefree, loved to brag, and often acted without thinking. What woman would ever be interested in a man who was frivolous, lacked strength, and boasted all the time?

Even if a woman were blind, wouldn't she at least go for someone handsome?

In Tsunade's eyes, the only real advantage Jiraiya had was that he was always full of energy and constantly tried to improve himself. Beyond that, there wasn't much to say.

"Haha, Orochimaru, your friend is quite interesting!" Sakumo chuckled, watching as Tsunade dragged Jiraiya away.

"He's always like that," Orochimaru replied, unfazed.

"Well, I won't take up any more of your time. My teammates are waiting for me. See you during the exam," Sakumo said with a friendly nod.

Orochimaru gave a slight nod in return, watching as Sakumo walked back to his team.

He noticed that Sakumo's teammates looked somewhat… weak. Could it be that Sakumo was being held back by them?

"Damn it, Orochimaru's here too…"

In another corner of the classroom, a boy in a black shirt muttered unhappily. On his shirt, the emblem of the Uchiha clan the red and white fan was prominently displayed.

"Orochimaru? That's the kid who beat you up, right?" another young man next to him, wearing the same Uchiha emblem, asked.

"Yeah. It was ridiculous. He's a freak! He was able to create shadow clones before we even graduated!" the first boy complained. "And not just any clones he could make shadow clones! I still can't even do that…"

"Every ninja has their own strengths. Just because he knows shadow clones doesn't mean much," the other Uchiha consoled him. "The fact that he can use them just means he has a lot of chakra. It doesn't guarantee victory."

"That's true. Ninja battles aren't won just because of some clones."

"Even so, this guy…"

"Don't worry," the second Uchiha said confidently. "If you run into him during the exam, I'll help you get your revenge."

"You will? You're that confident?" the first Uchiha asked, surprised.

"Well, of course." he replied smugly.

Meanwhile, Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya found a quiet corner of the classroom and waited for the first part of the exam to start. The room was buzzing with activity, and the voices of the other examinees filled the air. Some were discussing exam strategies, others were talking about ninjutsu or missions, and a few were even gossiping about girls. The room was chaotic, a whirlwind of conversation.

After what seemed like forever, the classroom door swung open, and a uniformed Konoha examiner entered, his presence immediately silencing the room.

"I am your proctor for this part of the Chunin Exams. My name is Nakagawa," the examiner introduced himself sternly.

He wasted no time, quickly explaining the details of the first exam. It was a written test, but unlike the one from the original story, this wasn't some elaborate test of cheating skills. It was a real written exam, designed to test a ninja's knowledge of battlefield strategy, mission leadership, how to handle enemies, and how to make decisions during emergencies.

The war had ended less than a year ago, and Konoha wasn't sure when another conflict might break out. As a result, the village had adjusted the exam content to focus heavily on skills that would be useful in times of war.

The test would last for an hour, and any incorrect answers would result in elimination. The passing score was 60 out of 100, but that wasn't all. For a team to advance to the next round, all three members had to pass.

Once Nakagawa finished explaining the rules, he instructed everyone to find their assigned seats, and the exam began.

Compared to the elaborate cheating scheme from the original show, this kind of written exam was straightforward. For many ninjas, it wasn't particularly difficult. But of course, there were always some who weren't so academically inclined.

For instance, Jiraiya.

Less than ten years old, with a carefree attitude and a lack of attention to theory, Jiraiya struggled with these kinds of tests. Traps, strategies, battlefield tactics he barely knew anything about them. His usual approach to problems was simple: if there's an enemy, charge straight at them.

"Damn it… How am I supposed to answer this? I don't remember the teacher going over this in class…"

Jiraiya stared at the test paper, feeling increasingly frustrated. He scratched his head, glancing over at Orochimaru, who was calmly answering questions, and then at Tsunade, who was equally focused.

"What? They're just flying through this…"

Orochimaru, already anticipating Jiraiya's struggles, had discreetly sent an invisible fly to land on Jiraiya's shoulder.

He'll probably score around 40 or 50 points on his own better than Naruto did in the original timeline when he handed in a blank test. But I'd better help him cheat a little, just in case, Orochimaru thought.

"Alright, projection…" Orochimaru muttered under his breath, ready to send Jiraiya the answers without raising any suspicion.