Back in Konoha.
The bell rang, *"Ding ling ling!"* All examinees stood up and exited the classroom under the proctors' urging.
This was the first round of the Chunin Exams—the written test—with over two hundred participants total.
Under intense pressure and intimidation from Konoha ninja, about a third had already withdrawn from the exam. The rest took the written test together in one large room.
Time passed slowly. Outside the classroom, examinees gathered together, waiting for Konoha to announce the list of teams who had passed.
A dazzling light appeared at the corner of people's eyes, drawing many glances.
"Look! What is that in the sky..."
"A total solar eclipse? Or lunar eclipse?"
"You idiot, this isn't anything like that..."
"Eh eh eh... It's falling..."
"It's gone... gone... gone..."
The noisy crowd pressed in around her. Hinata felt a sharp pain in her eyes, blinking constantly while raising her hand to rub them.
Standing beside her, Karin and Kimimaro noticed her unusual behavior.
"Miss Hinata, are you okay?" Kimimaro asked.
"My eyes hurt a little," Hinata replied.
"Hinata, your eyes seem to have..." Karin seemed to notice something. She opened her mouth, tilted her head, and stared carefully at her.
"Is there something wrong?" Hinata endured the discomfort, lowering her hands.
"Their color changed," Kimimaro cut in.
"They look just like Hiroki's eyes," Karin added.
Hinata paused briefly, then smiled brightly. "That's great. My eyes have awakened..."
Back on Mount Myoboku, the attack came straight down from the Moon.
In an instant, Mount Myoboku's land—its mountains, trees, and vegetation—was reduced to dust, floating atop the water.
The surrounding waters rose, waves surging wildly as if this place had always been an ocean.
As for those who originally stood here…
When the attack struck, Hiroki and Kaguya had hidden themselves using the secret technique of Yomi's group.
Though the Sage of Six Paths wanted to help, without physical form, he could only shake his head helplessly before vanishing.
As for the frogs and snakes…
Shima, Gamaken, Gamahiro, the worldly frogs, Iwagakure Great Frogs, and other juniors without space-time abilities were all reduced to ashes.
Even Taiko Hime couldn't escape this fate.
Gamamaru and the White Snake Sage watched it all unfold, both seriously injured.
After the dust settled,
With a *plop*, splashing water burst upward.
One snake and one frog leapt from the water.
Gamamaru's back had turned blueish, blood threatening to seep through his skin. Standing on the surface of the water, he anxiously hopped around, searching desperately for other frogs' bodies.
He still clutched a number of [Sage Talismans].
Deep inside him remained a desperate hope—that if he found any barely alive clansmen, these talismans might save them.
As their bodies floated above the water surface, the White Snake Sage watched Gamamaru—who seemed to be losing his senses—with a complicated expression, quietly sighing.
"A thousand years of history, gone just like that. What a shame indeed… Hmm? You're both fine?" A mocking male voice sounded nearby.
The White Snake Sage glared coldly at Hiroki, her serpentine eyes gleaming with menace. "So you're after me too?"
What unsettled her more was whether Hiroki would unleash another attack on Ryuchi Cave.
"If you survive, you'll learn both your fate and that of Ryuchi Cave," Hiroki said, glancing toward Gamamaru.
Understanding the implication, the White Snake Sage sighed once again before swiftly lunging at Gamamaru, wrapping her massive body around him in a deadly constriction.
Watching this unfold, Hiroki simply smiled.
When Madara Uchiha arrived, all he found was roaring water and no sign of anyone.
"Is this place just an ocean?" Madara muttered thoughtfully, stroking his chin.
After everything concluded, Hiroki and Kaguya returned to Ryuchi Cave, taking Orochimaru and the Ten-Tails Chakra 'core' he had created.
Seeing the two figures gradually disappear into the distance, the White Snake Sage finally exhaled in relief—the weight pressing on her heart completely lifted.
On their way back, Kaguya insisted on going to the Pure Land to settle things once and for all with the Sage of Six Paths.
Hiroki shook his head. "Wait until Moon returns. With our combined strength, we can make sure there's absolutely no chance for him to escape."
Though slightly displeased, Kaguya agreed.
Back in Konoha, Hiroki brought Orochimaru before Tsunade with a cheerful smile.
"Tsunade," he said. "Your old friend has come to visit..."
Tsunade glanced at the silent Orochimaru, her expression remaining cold and unimpressed.
"Lock him up for now," she said after a moment's thought.
Orochimaru felt a complex mix of emotions—was he truly worthless in their eyes?
According to the intelligence Kabuto had given him, even someone as insignificant as Shimon Hiruko had been granted a laboratory. Yet when it came to himself, not even a hint of consideration for utilizing his talents?
With a quiet sense of unease, he was led away by Yugao Uzuki.
At the former Uchiha estate—in what used to be Itachi Uchiha's house—a White Zetsu secretly slipped inside.
"Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun—it's been a while..." the White Zetsu called out.
The two boys inside turned around, watching him warily.
Since returning to Konoha, Naruto and Sasuke had quietly taken residence here.
Sasuke believed only by staying in the very place filled with his painful past could he accelerate the evolution of his eyes.
"I'm telling you this in secret," the White Zetsu giggled. "Kaguya Otsutsuki and Hiroki Hyuga have just returned..."
Naruto and Sasuke exchanged glances. "Did you bring them here?" Naruto asked.
"No, no, no—I'm just here to tell you..." the White Zetsu hurriedly replied.
Before he could finish speaking, Sasuke's eyes suddenly transformed into Mangekyo Sharingan patterns.
"Amaterasu!"
A black flame erupted from his left eye, instantly engulfing the White Zetsu.
"Aaaaahhh!"
Letting out a sharp cry, the White Zetsu burned into ashes.
"Sasuke, what if they find out you killed him?" Naruto frowned, his voice laced with concern.
"He might not even be working for Kaguya," Sasuke replied calmly.
"Huh?" Naruto tilted his head in confusion.
"Just like Itachi before him, it's not difficult for Madara Uchiha to manipulate others into falling under his control."
"Oh, I should've asked him about the Third while I had the chance. White Zetsu might know where he went," Naruto said somewhat gloomily.
Sasuke shot him a sidelong glance. "You can ask him the next time we cross paths."
At the same time, Izumi Uchiha burst into the inn where the Iwa ninja were staying, injured several Iwa ninja, kicked through a window, and arrived in front of Onoki.
Onoki's eyes swept over the wreckage littering the floor, his face hardening as he fixed her with a frigid stare.
"Do you think you were *invited* in?"
"I've come here to cooperate with you!" Izumi Uchiha said calmly.
"Cooperate?"
"Precisely — to obliterate Konoha."
"...," Hearing this, Onoki froze.
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