Hokage Tower.
Shihouin Naraku and Sarutobi Hiruzen quickly made their decision.
No one knew what they discussed or decided in the room at that moment.
In the following hours, Shihouin Naraku began to adjust the assignments of the Anbu personnel, recalling members who had completed their tasks to return to the village immediately, and temporarily suspending missions that required leaving Konoha.
Meanwhile, Nara Shikaku, who had received the notice, also became busy making adjustments in places unseen to most.
Soon, the injured Mitarashi Anko brought back definite news from the Forest of Death.
"Orochimaru has returned!"
As Orochimaru's former student, Mitarashi Anko would not mistake his identity. Moreover, they had fought, which further confirmed it was indeed Orochimaru.
As a well-known Sannin in the ninja world, Orochimaru's reputation among the ninjas of Konoha Village was significant.
For a moment, even some experienced ninjas began to panic.
"Should we close the gates now, seal off the village, and find Orochimaru first!"
"That's right, let's capture the traitor Orochimaru!"
"Orochimaru appeared in the Forest of Death, where Genin from each village are being tested. What about the Chūnin exams? Should we stop them?"
"But Orochimaru told Anko that we can't stop the Chūnin exam!"
"What a joke! Why would Konoha Village listen to a traitorous ninja?"
"The Chūnin Exams must not be stopped! Daimyo and nobles from all over the world will come to watch the third exam. Canceling the Chūnin Exams would make us a complete laughingstock in the ninja world."
"Even though Orochimaru was once a hero of Konoha Village, he is now a traitor. Since he dares to return, we must capture him this time."
The meeting room was filled with noise as many ninjas argued heatedly.
Fortunately, as Jōnin, their basic discipline remained intact. Although they were somewhat alarmed, no one suggested backing down.
In truth, such reactions were normal, given Orochimaru's special status.
A disciple of the Third Hokage and one of the legendary Sannin.
He had once made great contributions to Konoha Village!
To be frank, when Orochimaru was achieving greatness for Konoha Village, some of the Jōnin present might not have even graduated from the Academy yet.
There were even some who had fought against enemy ninjas under Orochimaru's leadership.
Therefore, their current composure was already quite admirable.
"Quiet!"
The Jōnin commander, Nara Shikaku, slammed his hand on the table and the meeting room immediately fell silent.
Now that Orochimaru's presence was confirmed, Konoha Village needed to determine its next steps.
"The Third Hokage's instructions are: the Chūnin exams will continue! Konoha Village will maintain a relaxed appearance but heightened internal security! All Chūnin and Jōnin vacations are canceled, and ninjas who have completed their missions must return to the village immediately."
"Re-check all village supplies and reserves, and send personnel to inspect evacuation facilities."
"Everyone else should perform their duties and ensure the safety of the village."
"Yes, sir!"
...
"Orochimaru is here?"
Shimura Danzō, as usual, remained in the dim base of the Root organization. He leaned on his cane and listened to his subordinate's report without any change in his expression.
"Yes! Mitarashi Anko has reportedly fought with Orochimaru!"
"Is that so? You may go."
"Yes, sir!"
Watching his subordinate disappear into the darkness, Shimura Danzō sat calmly in his seat without moving.
In truth, he had already suspected something was amiss with Orochimaru, but Danzo never intended to inform his old friend Sarutobi Hiruzen about it.
Though he didn't know Orochimaru's specific plan, he had no doubt that Sarutobi Hiruzen was definitely one of his targets.
So Shimura Danzō's current strategy was to wait quietly for news of his old friend's death to reach his ears, and then he would make his move.
Shimura Danzō knew very well how much their strength had declined with age, and he was certain that Sarutobi Hiruzen would not be a match for Orochimaru.
"Hiruzen, you were the one who let Orochimaru escape!"
"This is the consequence of your soft-heartedness!"
"Just like when you forcibly removed me from my position but didn't dare to eliminate me!"
"You brought this upon yourself!"
Shimura Danzō muttered to himself in the darkness. It was difficult to tell from his expression whether he felt satisfaction, glee, or sorrow.
...
Forest of Death, Konoha Village.
Shihouin Naraku walked slowly into the Tower of Trials.
By this time, several ninja teams had gathered both scrolls, survived the Forest of Death, and arrived at the tower.
As soon as he entered, Shihouin Naraku saw medical ninjas from the emergency team already prepared and waiting!
They were there to treat Genin who had been injured in the Forest of Death. Additionally, there would certainly be more injuries during the battles in the tower later, so medical ninjas had been dispatched in advance.
When the medical ninja first saw Shihouin Naraku, he immediately stood up and greeted him respectfully.
"Lord Naraku!"
"Hmm."
Shihouin Naraku walked steadily down the corridor and went directly to the monitoring room where the examiners were stationed (don't ask why there were monitoring rooms in the tower; they were simply there).
"Lord Naraku!"
"Hmm."
As soon as he pushed open the door, Shihouin Naraku saw several examiners sitting together discussing the examination process.
He spoke directly, "How are you doing, Anko? Orochimaru-sensei must have dealt you a serious blow."
Mitarashi Anko gritted her teeth, but didn't joke around as usual. Instead, she warned, "You still call him 'sensei'? He's really here! I saw him with my own eyes!"
"I know," Shihouin Naraku smiled and sat down. "You were always fearless before, but now you're finally being honest."
"As for the title, don't worry about it. Orochimaru-sensei taught me. Besides, killing one's teacher is a tradition in Konoha Village, and it's not one easily abandoned."
"Huh? What did you say?"
By this time, the other examiners present had already discreetly left, and Mitarashi Anko hadn't clearly heard Naraku's last words.
"Nothing important. How many teams have reached the Tower of Trials now?"
Mitarashi Anko checked and said, "Five teams! Based on previous Chūnin exams, no more than three teams will pass to the next round."
Shihouin Naraku nodded in agreement—these would likely be the only groups. He walked to the window and looked outside.
It was already evening; darkness had fallen, and the dangers in the forest were increasing.
Naraku could easily spot many Genin hiding nearby, waiting to ambush teams that had collected both scrolls.
Nevertheless...
Shihouin Naraku was certain that Yakushi Kabuto was not participating in this Chūnin exam. He had already become a Jōnin, arranged under Naraku's own supervision.
Well, without Yakushi Kabuto's help, could Naruto and his companions really make it through?
After all, Naruto and little Sakura, those two simpletons, had almost opened their scroll in the Forest of Death, which would have meant immediate disqualification.
But then again, Orochimaru had arranged many people for this Chūnin exam, so perhaps someone else would assist them.
And it wouldn't matter much if they failed, since Nara Shikamaru was the only one destined to be promoted to Chūnin in this exam anyway.
But if that happened, there would be no exciting show to watch.
----------------
You can read advanced chapters here: patreon.com/GregariousLion