Inside the room, the genin gathered together. Guy lay off to the side while Yakushi Kabuto stepped forward.
"Senior Guy, I can perform some basic medical ninjutsu."
"It's fine. I just need a bit of rest."
Guy waved him off.
Earlier, both of Guy's punches had been projected using condensed chakra, striking Orochimaru through sheer force of chakra and air pressure. His body hadn't taken any recoil at all.
This was thanks to Souma.
Without Souma's gentle-fist principles, Guy never would have thought of this method to minimize strain.
"Guy-sensei, what exactly happened?" someone asked.
"Kakashi discovered an infiltrator—Orochimaru. He told me to protect you while he probed the enemy. I didn't expect it to actually be him."
Guy explained, but left Souma's involvement out.
Everyone stared in shock.
A Sannin?
No wonder Kakashi and Might Guy had both taken action.
Kabuto, Akado Yoroi, and Tsurugi Misumi were equally surprised. Nothing on the outside had shown a single flaw.
A true master infiltrator.
Souma didn't linger on the scene long; after a short glance, he looked away.
"Will the Chūnin Exams be canceled?" Neji asked, sounding resentful.
"That depends on what Kakashi can negotiate with the Kazekage."
Guy replied.
The room fell silent.
After more than ten seconds—
"No need to crowd here. Disperse."
Kakashi walked in lazily.
A shadow clone.
His real body was still negotiating with the Kazekage outside.
"At this point, Suna wants nothing more than to handle us with velvet gloves. There won't be any other incidents. Rest easy."
The clone smiled.
Souma nodded.
Indeed.
Even if Sunagakure had collaborated with Orochimaru, now that everything was exposed, they wouldn't dare move again.
ANBU were probably ready to patrol around the clock.
"We'll head out first."
Neji stood and left.
Kabuto departed with no extra movements.
Souma walked last.
Only after they left did Kakashi sigh.
"I didn't expect Orochimaru to personally infiltrate. If Souma hadn't warned me, I would never have noticed."
"Good thing you did. Otherwise, the consequences…"
Guy sat up. After resting, he looked much better.
Kakashi nodded seriously.
But something bothered him…
"Souma said Orochimaru's mental aura felt wrong. Did he develop some kind of mind-type jutsu?"
"Uh… good question."
Guy could not answer.
He knew some ninjutsu, but nothing specialized in mental or spiritual arts.
Kakashi sighed. Discussing this with Guy was pointless.
"I've already sent a message back. Maybe Lord Third will know something."
"What did the Kazekage say?"
"Rasa condemned Orochimaru for killing their shinobi and infiltrating Suna. He said Suna will 'take responsibility'—but nothing concrete."
Kakashi smirked coldly.
"So I demanded Konoha ANBU be included in exam supervision."
"Guilty or not, Suna can't defend themselves here."
Guy agreed.
But worry surfaced again.
Orochimaru's disguise was too perfect. He'd been walking among them for days, and they hadn't realized it.
What if he infiltrated the Chūnin Exams again?
"No need to worry. I've memorized his chakra signature. And I'll use the Telescope Technique to track Souma's position."
Deep in a hidden chamber in the Wind Country desert, Orochimaru writhed in pain.
"Orochimaru-sama, your injuries are severe. I've stabilized you, but your body has suffered heavy damage. You may need to switch vessels early."
Kabuto said.
"It's fine. I can last a bit longer."
Orochimaru sat up, wiping the sweat from his brow—then smiled excitedly.
He had underestimated them.
"Kabuto, look… even I suffered a loss before that boy."
"That kid?"
Kabuto pushed his glasses up, surprised.
"How did he detect you?"
"Who knows? And Kakashi and Guy seem to have learned some interesting techniques."
Orochimaru smirked.
"Konoha recently created something called the Book of Creation," Kabuto said. "Those jutsu might be from it."
"Oh? Souma-kun's work, no doubt. That old Third would never create something like that."
Orochimaru laughed coldly.
He paused, then understood instantly.
The new techniques Kakashi and Guy used must have been created by Souma.
Remarkable.
Thinking back, this infiltration didn't fail because of Kakashi or Guy—
He had lost to Souma.
Otherwise, why hadn't Kakashi noticed him earlier?
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes.
"Kabuto, can you obtain the jutsu inside the Book of Creation?"
"Orochimaru-sama, I'm just an ordinary genin in Konoha. There's no way I could access something that secret."
Kabuto said helplessly.
Stealing it was impossible.
The Third Hokage protected it closely; no one even knew where he kept it.
"A pity."
Orochimaru sighed.
Then he began analyzing.
Souma's gentle-fist principle wasn't hard to deduce.
He had taken one punch directly, and his shadow clone had taken another—two sets of symptoms enough to reverse-engineer the concept.
Soon—
A strange glint appeared in his eyes.
"His chakra control is extremely high?"
"Very. The chakra needle technique alone requires frightening precision," Kabuto said.
Orochimaru smiled but didn't elaborate.
Creating chakra needles wasn't difficult for him—
But Souma's refined gentle fist, even he could not execute perfectly.
No wonder Guy only used a crude version.
The full form was impossible for him.
From simple to complex…
"Kabuto, you should reveal a little of your talent—your medical skills, for example."
"…You want me to approach the Medical Corps?"
Kabuto asked.
"Precisely."
Orochimaru smiled faintly.
Kabuto pushed up his glasses.
"In that case, I'll try. I'm also curious about Souma-kun's creations."
He cleaned the chamber.
"Orochimaru-sama, if there's nothing else, I'll leave. About the Chūnin Exams—"
"No need. I'll handle that myself."
Orochimaru's lips curled.
Kabuto hesitated.
"He isn't easy to deal with. Please be careful."
He had interacted briefly with Souma.
Though they appeared friendly, Kabuto could tell Souma wasn't as warm as he acted.
"Indeed."
Orochimaru licked his lips.
He had suffered a major setback. His body was nearing its limits.
A new vessel would soon be required.
But…
That only made the pursuit sweeter.
"Kabuto… a genius like him is wasted in Konoha.
He needs an environment where he can truly research—
And I can give him that space."
"We are the same kind of people."
Orochimaru murmured.
"With the Third and Danzo in the way… perhaps so."
Kabuto replied.
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
patreon.com/pikachu614