Naruto :Madam, You Don’t Want Anything To Happen To Sasuke, Right?

"He's just Orochimaru. I can handle him."

Konan stood up confidently.

"You don't have to do anything."

Nagato glanced at Konan. "Send one of the Pains to deal with him."

Konan was the person he valued most now. He didn't want her in danger.

The masked man said, "If it's only Orochimaru, there's nothing to worry about."

"But don't forget Orochimaru's ninjutsu—Impure World Reincarnation!"

"After all these years, if he's truly advanced this technique further, our plan could face unimaginable changes this time."

Immortal Reincarnation!

As core members of Akatsuki, they certainly wouldn't forget this forbidden jutsu.

In fact, they brought Orochimaru into Akatsuki largely for this technique. It was supposed to be a key to their later plans.

But after Orochimaru's defection, the original plan became invalid.

That's why both the masked man and Nagato wanted Orochimaru to pay the price.

"What are you going to do?" Nagato asked.

Within Akatsuki, although Nagato was nominally the leader, the real decisions were always made by the man claiming to be Uchiha Madara.

The masked man thought for a moment and said, "We don't have to be enemies with Orochimaru."

"He does his business; we do ours."

"Orochimaru has his own agenda, so he shouldn't cause more trouble."

"Besides, although we don't know what Orochimaru wants to do…"

"Right now, we have an advantage: we operate in the shadows, while Orochimaru acts in the open."

"We can adapt according to his movements."

"We can even wait for Orochimaru to make the first move. When he and others are both weakened, we strike. Perhaps Orochimaru will help us solve many problems."

"But… what if Orochimaru isn't prepared for a head-on confrontation?" Nagato asked again.

"No?"

"We can help him. When Orochimaru appears in Konoha, there will be many who want to attack him."

Beneath the mask, the masked man's Sharingan flared bright red—charming and eerie.

...

Uchiha Haru, who had just taught Akatsuchi a lesson, returned to his residence.

A few hours later, Kimimaro, Chōjūrō, and Uzumaki Karin—participants in the first stage of the Chunin Exam—returned.

There was no doubt.

With their abilities, passing the first stage was not difficult.

Kimimaro, Chōjūrō, and Uzumaki Karin were all academic prodigies, masters of modern knowledge.

Cheating and plagiarism?

They didn't exist in their world.

They passed the level simply by answering the questions with their own skills, without any tricks.

Though this differed somewhat from what the first stage of the ninja exam was meant to test, for an exam, results matter most—not the process.

Uchiha Haru still remembered a rule from the first stage of the Chunin Exam:

If any member of a team failed to answer a question, the entire team would be eliminated and lose the qualification to continue in the Chunin Exam.

Failing meant giving up the chance to pass this time, but there would be future opportunities.

This rule discouraged many teams.

But Kimimaro, Chōjūrō, and Uzumaki Karin knew each other well.

Such a test wasn't difficult for them.

They had enough trust in each other.

Passing the first stage was normal.

Uchiha Haru was not surprised.

Kimimaro, Chōjūrō, and Uzumaki Karin were not overly happy about passing the first stage, because their ambitions were much greater.

After the first stage came the second, which would begin soon.

The second stage wasn't just theoretical—it involved actual combat.

So unlike the first stage, Uchiha Haru did not ask any questions this time.

Before the exam, he left some extra things for them.

Of course, these weren't to help them cheat or smooth their passage.

There was no need for that.

Even if Kimimaro, Chōjūrō, and Uzumaki Karin faced Gaara—the strongest on the field and the One-Tail Jinchūriki—Uchiha Haru was confident they could handle it.

However...

Among those entering the second stage was a major wild card—Orochimaru.

Uchiha Haru did not care about the younger generation's clashes, but if Orochimaru took action, he couldn't ignore it.

Though he knew Orochimaru's main target was Sasuke Uchiha, the situation was still dangerous.

After all, in the Naruto storyline, both Kimimaro and Uzumaki Karin were selected by Orochimaru.

It was hard to say whether Orochimaru would suddenly make a move against them.

Kimimaro, Uzumaki Karin, and Chōjūrō were not weak by any means, but it was clear none of them could stand against a Kage-level powerhouse.

And what Uchiha Haru had left behind for them would surely be unleashed when they finally faced Orochimaru.

"I hope Orochimaru doesn't know what's good for him..." Haru muttered under his breath.

On the second day, Kimimaro, Uzumaki Karin, and Chōjūrō participated in the second round of the Chūnin Exams.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Haru welcomed a special visitor—Jiraiya, one of the legendary Sannin from Konoha whom Haru had first met in the Hidden Mist Village.

"I heard the toad sages talking about you up on Mount Myōboku," Jiraiya said with a grin.

"They all say you're a prodigy when it comes to Sage Arts—never seen anyone who picks them up so easily."

Haru humbly declined the compliment and invited Jiraiya inside, seating him opposite.

In terms of raw talent alone, Haru admittedly wasn't extraordinary.

But who else possessed the body of an Ōtsutsuki?

Whether it was training Sage Arts or molding chakra, Haru achieved twice the result with half the effort.

Especially when practicing Sage Arts, this was painfully obvious.

With just a little guidance, a flood of Sage chakra drilled into his body.

"You came to see me personally, Master Jiraiya. Aren't you afraid it'll raise suspicions?" Haru asked with a smile as he poured tea.

Jiraiya laughed it off.

Given his status, he was well aware of the tensions between the Uchiha clan and Konoha.

And he suspected that the clan's departure was tied to those conflicts, though the exact details remained a mystery—or perhaps one he chose not to uncover.

"So what if they get suspicious? Worst case, I leave Konoha again," Jiraiya said nonchalantly.

He had long been accustomed to wandering, caring little for fame, rank, or power—and had nothing left to lose.

This time, he returned because part of his heart still belonged to Konoha.

Jiraiya's frankness caught Haru slightly off guard.

After all, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was Jiraiya's teacher.

And though Haru had only met Jiraiya once, they had gotten along well.

Jiraiya shrugged, lifted his cup, and muttered, "Since returning, it feels like Konoha's only gotten worse."

"Same place, same people—familiar yet strange. Something's off."

"Honestly, it's not as good as when I visited the Hidden Mist Village."

Haru's heart stirred.

It seemed Jiraiya, too, was disillusioned with the village he once called home.

Yet he said no more.

After all, no matter what, Konoha was still Jiraiya's village.

Jiraiya sighed deeply, forcing a bitter smile.

"Maybe Tsunade made the right choice, not coming back."

"Knowing her temper, she'd cause a scene seeing what Konoha's become."

"But fussing changes nothing."

"Lord Jiraiya," Haru asked meaningfully, "if you had the chance to change Konoha… would you take it?"

During the Chūnin Exams, Orochimaru—disguised as the Fourth Kazekage—had launched his attack on Konoha.

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had fallen in battle.

The highest authority in Konoha was suddenly gone, leaving a power vacuum.

Now, the most likely candidate to succeed Hiruzen was Jiraiya himself—the legendary Sannin.

In the original timeline, Danzo had seized the opportunity because Jiraiya died in battle and Tsunade was incapacitated.

But now, with Jiraiya alive and present, Danzo's chance was gone.

Jiraiya paused, hesitated, then asked quietly, "You mean… I should become Hokage?"

To change Konoha, one must hold its highest position: the Hokage.

Haru smiled faintly but did not give a direct answer.

Some truths don't need to be spoken aloud, especially to someone perceptive.

He trusted Jiraiya would understand.

"No, no!" Jiraiya waved him off, "I'm reckless. Dealing with all that responsibility? I can't handle it, hahaha."

"But by becoming Hokage, you get the chance to change Konoha."

"That's what you want, isn't it?"

Haru knew Jiraiya was sincere.

Now was the time for Konoha to rise, and Haru hoped Jiraiya would take the reins.

After a moment, Jiraiya said, "Don't we still have Tsunade?"

"Konoha was left to her by her grandfather. If I care about it, she must care too."

"And among the younger generation, though Kakashi Hatake is a bit young, he's just about qualified to be Hokage. I'd be glad to have him lead."

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This Week Bonus Chapter - 200 Power stones

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