Ryūzetsu looked puzzled. "What Chūnin Exam?"
Ryūran shook his head. "Now's not the time for that. What happened in this camp? Who killed all these rogue ninjas?"
This group of rogue ninjas, responsible for multiple crimes in the Land of Grass, had been on his radar for a while.
Their numbers and strength had made him, as the temporary leader of the Grass Village, hesitant to launch a full extermination.
When he received word that Ryūzetsu was tracking them, he broke into a cold sweat, fearing for her and Chino's safety. He quickly gathered elite forces and rushed to support them.
He never expected to arrive and find such a scene.
Glancing at Ryūzetsu and Chino, both stained with blood and faintly radiating a subtle killing intent, Ryūran had his suspicions but couldn't quite believe it.
Ryūzetsu answered, "These? Chino and I took them out together!"
"What!?"
The Grass Village shinobi on guard nearby turned their heads, staring at Ryūzetsu and Chino.
They had assumed another group of ninjas attacked the rogues, so even with the camp wiped out, they remained vigilant.
Hearing it was just Ryūzetsu and Chino, they were stunned, jaws dropping.
Ryūran wasn't faring much better, his lips trembling. "Really?"
Ryūzetsu nodded seriously. "They weren't that strong. Chino and I planned to ambush one or two and retreat, but their defenses were so lax, we kept succeeding and accidentally wiped them all out!"
"I see!"
"Tch, if we'd known they were this weak, we wouldn't have let them run rampant so long!"
"Good thing they're dealt with. If they'd escaped the Land of Grass, our Grass Village would've lost all face!"
The Grass shinobi were indignant.
The rogues' recent actions had severely damaged the Grass Village's reputation. A village's income relied on mission commissions, and a tarnished reputation would reduce those, drastically cutting revenue.
Ryūran stayed silent, inspecting the camp with a growingly serious expression.
Though he trusted Ryūzetsu's words, he believed more in what his eyes saw.
From his observations, the camp's sentries were well-placed, with at least eight rogues killed at makeshift posts, showing they hadn't been careless.
Further examining the bodies, his seriousness turned to shock.
Most corpses had only a single fatal wound, and the marks suggested the attacker struck decisively, leaving the victims no time to react.
Glancing back at Ryūzetsu and Chino, Ryūran thought, "What has Ryūzetsu been through lately? How did her strength improve so much?"
Suppressing his doubts, he approached them. "I was worried about sending you to the Hidden Leaf for the Chūnin Exam, but it seems unnecessary now."
Ryūzetsu asked, "Brother, what's going on?"
Ryūran explained, "To counter the Akatsuki's threat, most shinobi villages sent representatives to the Hidden Leaf for a shinobi alliance. Our Grass Village is no exception. At the alliance meeting, the five great villages proposed holding a Chūnin Exam while everyone's gathered, to select new-era elites!"
Chino asked curiously, "Will all villages send participants?"
"Yes, with the five great villages leading, smaller villages like ours have to join!" Pausing, Ryūran continued, "Including our Grass Village, at least ten villages will participate, making this Chūnin Exam unprecedentedly grand. So, I wanted you to go and gain some experience."
Ryūzetsu said wryly, "But I'm already a chūnin."
Ryūran smiled. "You were in the Anbu, and your records were lost in the village's last disaster. If I re-file you as a genin, you're eligible. Besides, do you think this Chūnin Exam is just about selecting chūnin?"
Ryūzetsu looked at Chino. "You want to go?"
"Yes, yes!" Chino's eyes sparkled.
Ryūzetsu turned to Ryūran. "Brother, you won't blame us if we lose, right?"
Ryūran said, "Losing doesn't matter. The key is the rare chance to compete with young geniuses from other villages!"
"Alright!"
Ryūzetsu nodded.
The recent battle made her realize her strength was greater than she'd thought, so the idea of facing other villages' young geniuses sparked some excitement.
Ryūran breathed a sigh of relief.
He'd planned to send Ryūzetsu to the Hidden Leaf for experience, expecting her to just go through the motions. Now, he felt a bit of anticipation.
The next day, the Grass Village team for the Hidden Leaf Chūnin Exam was assembled and set off under a jōnin's leadership.
The Grass Village didn't send only Ryūzetsu and Chino; ten other participants joined them.
The team's size was moderate.
Traveling swiftly, they reached the Land of Fire in a few days.
At night, a Grass Village genin, feeling the call of nature, left the temporary camp to relieve himself in a nearby grove.
Suddenly, soft footsteps approached from behind.
Assuming it was a teammate, the genin didn't pay much mind. But when the footsteps stopped right behind him, he turned quickly. "You—"
Before he could finish, a heavy blow struck his throat, caving it in, and he collapsed lifelessly.
Another figure emerged from the woods.
The attacker, who had just struck down the Grass genin, quickly bowed to the figure. "Lord Orochimaru, is this satisfactory?"
Undoubtedly, the attacker was Kabuto Yakushi, whose goal was to provide Orochimaru with a substitute target.
Orochimaru glanced at the dead Grass genin, nodding slightly. "Not bad."
Kabuto asked, "Are you really participating in this Chūnin Exam personally? Do you think the Akatsuki will make a move?"
"Whether they act or not doesn't matter to me. I just want to confirm something. Besides, don't you think this Chūnin Exam is interesting?"
Orochimaru licked his lips.
Kabuto asked, "Why choose to impersonate a Grass Village ninja?"
"The other villages would require effort to infiltrate, but the Grass Village is much simpler!"
As he spoke, Orochimaru touched the dead genin's face, quickly crafting a lifelike human-skin mask.