Bonus chapter
*****
It seemed that Orochimaru's conjecture was confirmed when Tsunade and Jiraiya simply stared at the flies in his hand, curiosity apparent on their faces without a trace of incomprehension or confusion.
"Amazing, there's really something like this?" Tsunade remarked, her eyes wide in wonder.
"Yeah, it's incredible!" Jiraiya added, equally astonished.
"It's nothing special," Orochimaru replied, casually retrieving the flies. "I originally captured them for fun, but I didn't expect they'd come in handy during the exam."
"Really?" Tsunade said with a slight smirk. "That's surprising coming from you."
"Not as surprising as Jiraiya needing your help," Tsunade teased, turning toward Jiraiya. "If you paid more attention in class, you wouldn't have needed Orochimaru to bail you out."
"Hey, it's not my fault! I just can't focus during class. The teacher's too boring!" Jiraiya grumbled, scratching his head in frustration. To him, falling asleep in class was beyond his control why couldn't anyone else see that?
But, as expected of children, their interest in the flies waned quickly. Once the initial novelty wore off, neither Jiraiya nor Tsunade seemed particularly invested in understanding the deeper purpose behind Orochimaru's creation. In their eyes, scanning and projecting images or turning invisible might be fascinating for a moment, but not revolutionary.
After all, in the world of ninja, invisibility wasn't unheard of. Many in the Konoha Intelligence Department used similar techniques to gather information, and animals with camouflage abilities were not uncommon. Even Jiraiya, as he matured, would eventually learn his own stealth techniques.
So, once the excitement subsided, they moved on to other thoughts.
---
Later that afternoon, the second part of the Chunin Exam resumed.
When the written test results were posted, hundreds of participants were eliminated. While it wasn't surprising that a few teams didn't make it, the sheer number of eliminations caught many off guard. Orochimaru couldn't help but notice two familiar names among the eliminated: Might Dai and Biru.
Orochimaru was well aware of their potential or lack thereof. He knew Might Dai, the so-called "Eternal Genin," would never rise above his current rank. As for Hiruko, though he had a unique talent, becoming a chunin would be a long, difficult journey for him. At this point, Orochimaru couldn't think of a better way to describe Hiruko's participation in the exam other than "just making up the numbers."
But he didn't dwell on it too long. His own team had passed easily, and the focus now shifted to the next round.
Orochimaru had expected the infamous "Forest of Death" test, where teams would battle for Heaven and Earth scrolls, but instead, they were presented with something entirely different.
"The second round of the exam will be a team battle?" Orochimaru mused.
"Yeah," Tsunade confirmed. "There are two rounds, and if you lose, you're eliminated. Only a quarter of the ninjas will make it to the final exam."
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes in thought. This was different from what he remembered, but it made sense given the large number of participants. If the exam followed the format of the original series, the selection process would drag on forever. This faster, more brutal format, where teams could be eliminated through direct combat, was a more efficient way to reduce the numbers. It wasn't exactly fair, but in the ninja world, fairness was often a luxury.
"That works. It'll save us time," Orochimaru commented. He was confident that his team could crush the competition. There was no need to worry.
---
The second round of the Chunin Exam took place across various training grounds and school arenas, each overseen by multiple examiners. Orochimaru's team was assigned to Group A, with Jiraiya volunteering to draw their lot.
"Hahaha! We're in Group A, and our examiner is Teacher Yura!" Jiraiya announced, his usual enthusiasm bubbling to the surface.
"Teacher Yura?" Tsunade echoed. "That means we're at the training grounds."
And so, the trio made their way to the training grounds.
When they arrived, Orochimaru was unsurprised to find many familiar faces. Various clans were well-represented, with members of the Hyuga, Aburame, Inuzuka, Uchiha, and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio all participating. As was typical in Konoha, the large clans had many members taking part in the Chunin Exam, each hoping to carry on their family legacy.
Though Orochimaru recognized many of the clan names, he didn't know the individuals themselves. To him, they were simply other competitors.
Currently, a match was taking place on the field. One team, consisting of a pineapple-headed boy, a chubby red-haired boy, and a blond-haired kid, faced off against three nameless Konoha ninjas. It didn't take long for the battle to turn in favor of the trio from the Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka clans.
In a flash of seals and chakra, the Nara boy's Shadow Imitation Technique captured his opponents, while the Akimichi boy used the Multi-Size Jutsu to overwhelm them. The Yamanaka clan member finished things off by taking control of the last enemy with his Mind Transfer Jutsu.
"Ugh… I can't move!" one of the captured genin exclaimed in horror as his own kunai was turned against him by his teammate under the Yamanaka's control.
"The match is over!" the examiner called, stepping in to stop the fight before it turned deadly.
"The winner is Group A, Team Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka!"
After the results were announced, the next match was called.
"The next match: Group A's Team Inuzuka versus Group B's Team Toranosuke. Prepare yourselves!"
In a blur of motion, the Inuzuka team three ninja and a large dog leapt onto the field, ready to fight.