"Hahaha, why are you running? If you hand over the scroll, everything will be fine!" Jiraiya laughed, his voice carrying across the dense trees as his figure blurred in pursuit of the fleeing ninja.
"Damn it, are you kidding me?" the panicked genin cursed, sprinting through the underbrush. But it was too late.
Whoosh!
Two kunai with explosive tags flew past him, embedding into the ground just ahead. The ninja barely had time to gasp before the blast threw him through the air.
Boom!
When the dust settled, the unfortunate ninja lay unconscious, and Jiraiya calmly dropped next to him, untying the scroll from the man's waist and adding it to his collection. With a smirk, he inspected his belt, now hanging heavy with three or four scrolls.
"Heh, done! Oh wait, when did we get here?" Jiraiya said, finally noticing the massive central tower looming ahead. His carefree expression shifted to confusion as he saw the Third Hokage, ANBU, and several examiners standing in front of the tower, all of them staring at him and the giant python behind him in stunned silence.
The two ANBU members who had rushed outside the tower just moments earlier were the most surprised of all.
"What's going on? Could they be the reason the other teams have failed to complete their missions?" one of them muttered, still shocked at the sight of the enormous snake and the nonchalant boy riding it.
Meanwhile, the Third Hokage blinked in disbelief. He had just stepped out to address the examiners, only to be greeted by the sight of his young disciple casually riding a massive python through the Forest of Death. But after a few moments of surprise, he chuckled.
"Orochimaru?" he mused, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of pride and curiosity. "Has his chakra really grown strong enough to summon a beast of this size?"
Clearly, this snake wasn't a wild beast from the Forest of Death it was a summoned creature.
Unbeknownst to the others, Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya could have completed their mission and reached the central tower on the first day. However, thanks to Orochimaru's suggestion, they decided to make things a bit more... entertaining.
The plan? Collect as many other teams' scrolls as possible within the five-day exam period. With Orochimaru's strategic mind, Jiraiya's enthusiasm for any thrilling challenge, and Tsunade's mischievous agreement, the three of them embarked on an absolute rampage through the forest.
Using Orochimaru's invisible flies for detection and the sheer intimidation factor of his summoned giant python, they minimized their chakra expenditure, only using it when absolutely necessary. Any team that dared resist quickly learned the consequences. Those who put up a fight were met with brute force, but in the end, resistance only resulted in defeat and occasionally a bit of pain.
While teams like Sakumo's had entered the tower early, avoiding any confrontation with Orochimaru, others hadn't been so lucky. The Nara Shikafu team and Inuzuka Zen's team had guessed at Orochimaru's intentions and wisely hurried to secure a scroll and enter the tower as fast as possible. Meanwhile, Uchiha Dan's team had survived by sheer luck, managing to avoid Orochimaru's rampage throughout the exam.
Now that the exams were nearing their conclusion, Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya arrived at the tower, standing triumphantly before the Third Hokage, ANBU, examiners, and the remaining teams.
With a wave of his hand, Orochimaru dismissed his massive python, which disappeared in a puff of smoke. The three stood at the foot of the tower, their expressions telling vastly different stories: Orochimaru looked indifferent as always, Jiraiya's face was painted with pride, and Tsunade offered an awkward smile, unsure how to explain their actions.
The Third Hokage's lips twitched as his gaze shifted to the ground in front of them, where a pile of scrolls fifty, maybe even sixty lay in a heap. The sheer number was staggering, far more than what was needed for the exam.
They stole fifty or sixty scrolls? That means they robbed at least ten teams a day…
The ANBU agents behind their masks could hardly contain their disbelief.
"This is unreal…"
"Lord Hokage's disciples really are something else."
"They didn't just complete the mission, they overachieved in the most ridiculous way possible!"
In every Chunin exam, completing the mission was the main goal. But this was the first time anyone had seen a team go above and beyond like this. Teams normally fought tooth and nail to gather just one pair of Heaven and Earth scrolls, and yet Orochimaru's team had gathered more than half of the total scrolls available in the entire exam.
Inuzuka Zen and Nara Shikafu's teams, though they had wisely predicted this outcome, were still stunned when they saw it unfold before them. They realized that if they hadn't rushed to the tower when they did, they too would have been swept up in Orochimaru's trail of destruction.
As for Hatake Sakumo, he could only stand there, amazed.
How is this even possible he thought. How did Orochimaru's team manage to rob fifty or sixty teams? Is that even within the rules of the exam?
Sakumo was no stranger to the challenges of the Chunin Exams, but this was on a different level. The sheer logistics of it were mind-boggling. Even though he knew Orochimaru was strong, the thought of taking down that many teams in such a short time seemed impossible.
What he didn't know was that it was all thanks to Orochimaru's giant python. The summoned beast provided the perfect advantage, allowing them to rest while it protected them and helped locate other teams. Its size and power meant that no team of genin stood a chance against it. In the end, they didn't just defeat teams they completely dominated them.
Now that it was over, the truth of the situation became clear to the Hokage and the others. The scroll shortage, the panic among the other teams, and the sheer chaos in the forest were all caused by Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya running rampant.
The Third Hokage shook his head, smiling wryly. "This is… unexpected, to say the least."
"Hokage-sama… what should we do?" an examiner asked nervously, unsure how to handle this unprecedented situation. "They've gathered nearly all the scrolls. How should we proceed?"
The Third Hokage glanced at his students, his smile growing wider. He looked at the jounin and examiners gathered around him.
"This situation is indeed unusual," he said thoughtfully. "But I'd like to hear your opinions. What should be done about this?"
The examiner fidgeted, unsure of what to say. But after a brief pause, he spoke up.
"Well… I think they should be promoted to Chunin directly. There's no need for them to participate in the rest of the selections."
The Third Hokage nodded, considering the idea. After all, when students exceed all expectations, there's little point in continuing the formalities.