In a matter of moments, Orochimaru completed his substitution outside the Grass Village's temporary camp, perfectly disguising himself as the recently killed Grass genin, Shinji Kozera.
"Tch, tch, your disguise is flawless!" After praising him, Kabuto handed Orochimaru a piece of intelligence. "The Grass ninja you're impersonating, Shinji Kozera, is actually an elite chūnin in the Grass Village. They deliberately altered his records to let him participate in this Chūnin Exam."
Pausing, Kabuto continued, "He specializes in taijutsu and Earth Release, and also—"
Orochimaru raised a hand to interrupt. "I don't need that. I only need his face."
"Yes, sir!"
Kabuto obediently fell silent.
Due to security concerns, everyone entering the Hidden Leaf would face strict scrutiny, making it impossible to slip through with just a Transformation Jutsu.
This was why Orochimaru went to such lengths to attack and impersonate a Grass ninja.
His handcrafted human-skin mask was so lifelike that even dojutsu or other detection methods would struggle to see through it.
Hoisting the Grass ninja's body over his shoulder, Kabuto said, "Lord Orochimaru, I'll dispose of the body. Please be careful. The Hidden Leaf is currently hosting the Five Kage, with countless strong shinobi present, and Danzō has lost his authority. If you're exposed, it'll be troublesome!"
Orochimaru smiled and waved dismissively.
Kabuto bowed again, then vanished with a whoosh, carrying the body.
Orochimaru's lips curled into a grin as he leisurely walked toward the Grass Village camp.
…
Inside the Camp.
Ryūzetsu nudged the sleeping Chino.
Chino sat up, rubbing her eyes. "What's wrong?"
"Something's off about Shinji," Ryūzetsu said, pointing to Shinji Kozera approaching the camp.
Chino studied him carefully, then nodded, whispering, "That's not Shinji. My Ketsuryugan can't affect the blood in his body. He… he's incredibly strong! He feels as powerful as our leader!"
Ryūzetsu lowered her voice. "Yeah, just by approaching the camp, I felt a sense of threat. Shinji's strong, but not this strong!"
Chino asked, confused, "Who is he? Why is he pretending to be Shinji?"
Ryūzetsu thought for a moment. "Most likely, he's trying to use Shinji's identity to infiltrate the Hidden Leaf for the Chūnin Exam!"
Chino asked, "What about the real Shinji?"
Ryūzetsu's face darkened as she shook her head.
Chino sniffed the air. "But there's no smell of blood nearby!"
"Killing doesn't always involve blood!" Pausing, Ryūzetsu said hesitantly, "Someone daring to infiltrate the Hidden Leaf at this time is likely from the Akatsuki. We shouldn't act rashly for now."
Chino urged, "Then we need to find a way to inform the Lord!"
"Shh!" Making a silencing gesture, Ryūzetsu lowered her voice further. "He's entering the camp. Let's pretend we didn't notice!"
…
On the other side, Orochimaru casually entered the Grass Village's temporary camp, his demeanor and actions indistinguishable from the real Shinji Kozera.
He never imagined that a small Grass Village camp would contain Ryūzetsu and Chino, two subordinates meticulously trained by Shinji.
Due to practicing the Twelve Palaces, Ryūzetsu's Dragon Life Bloodline Limit had been fully activated, granting her a qualitative leap in danger perception. Meanwhile, Chino, with her awakened Ketsuryugan, was highly sensitive to blood, detecting Orochimaru's ruse through this alone.
…
Hidden Leaf Hospital.
Having finished a routine checkup, Sasuke was about to leave when he ran into Kakashi.
"Come with me," Kakashi said, turning to walk outside.
Sasuke followed.
In a secluded grove outside the hospital, Kakashi asked, "Are you sure? The transplant surgery is extremely risky. You might not survive it like Yakumo did!"
Sasuke replied coldly, "If she can do it, so can I!"
Kakashi probed, "Haven't those people come up with a solution for you?"
Sasuke fell silent.
By "those people," Kakashi undoubtedly meant the Akatsuki, unaware that Shinji, as 'A,' hadn't contacted Sasuke in a long time.
Seeing Sasuke's silence, Kakashi, who was only probing, continued, "The surgery will have to wait until after the Chūnin Exam, so don't use your Mangekyō Sharingan during it. Preserve what little pupil power you have left!"
"I understand," Sasuke replied.
He hadn't planned to use his Mangekyō Sharingan in a mere Chūnin Exam anyway. Unless his opponent was Yakumo, he was confident no genin could match him.
Kakashi warned, "Don't be careless. I just got word from the intelligence team that many participants are chūnin or even elite chūnin from other villages, disguised as genin."
Sasuke's lips curled. "So what?"
"Just keep it in mind," Kakashi said, not pressing further. Sasuke's strength was undeniable, and even some elite chūnin might not pose a threat.
With Yakumo participating as well, it was like double insurance.
As for Shinji, Neji, and Kimimaro not joining, Kakashi wasn't concerned. A shinobi's intelligence was often classified, and overexposure wasn't ideal.
After their talk, Kakashi and Sasuke left the hospital, chatting sporadically along the way.
Suddenly, Sakura rushed over in a panic. "Sasuke, bad news!"
Sasuke, hands in pockets, stopped. "What's wrong?"
"Teacher Kakashi!" Bowing to Kakashi first, Sakura hurriedly told Sasuke, "That idiot Naruto got into a fight with a Hidden Cloud ninja!"
"Did he win or lose?" Sasuke asked, caring only about the outcome, not the reason.
Sakura said, "He… he lost!"
Sasuke's expression darkened. "What a loser. Take me to him!"
Sakura quickly led the way, jogging ahead.
"Ugh, what a bunch of troublesome kids," Kakashi sighed.
He knew that with ninjas from various villages gathered in the Hidden Leaf, trouble was inevitable. He just didn't expect it to start before the Chūnin Exam.
…
On the other side, the street was packed with onlookers—Hidden Leaf ninjas, villagers, and shinobi from other villages—forming layers around the scene.
In the center, Naruto shouted, "Apologize to Kaede now!"
Darui from the Hidden Cloud glanced at the bruised Naruto. "Let's call it quits."
Naruto rolled up his sleeves. "If the village didn't ban tailed beast transformations, I wouldn't have lost to you!"
Shaking his head, Darui turned to leave. "If it was Uchiha Shinji, I'd be interested in a spar. You? Forget it."
At that moment, Sasuke's figure appeared behind Darui. "Oh? Who gave you that kind of confidence?"