It seemed that Orochimaru''s conjecture was confirmed when Tsunade and Jiraiya simply stared at the flies in his hand, curiosity apparent on their faces without a trace of iprehension or confusion.


    "Amazing, there''s really something like this?" Tsunade remarked, her eyes wide in wonder.


    "Yeah, it''s incredible!" Jiraiya added, equally astonished.


    "It''s nothing special," Orochimaru replied, casually retrieving the flies. "I originally captured them for fun, but I didn''t expect they''de in handy during the exam."


    "Really?" Tsunade said with a slight smirk. "That''s surprisinging from you."


    "Not as surprising as Jiraiya needing your help," Tsunade teased, turning toward Jiraiya. "If you paid more attention in ss, you wouldn''t have needed Orochimaru to bail you out."


    "Hey, it''s not my fault! I just can''t focus during ss. The teacher''s too boring!" Jiraiya grumbled, scratching his head in frustration. To him, falling asleep in ss was beyond his control why couldn''t anyone else see that?


    But, as expected of children, their interest in the flies waned quickly. Once the initial novelty wore off, neither Jiraiya nor Tsunade seemed particrly invested in understanding the deeper purpose behind Orochimaru''s creation. In their eyes, scanning and projecting images or turning invisible might be fascinating for a moment, but not revolutionary.


    After all, in the world of ninja, invisibility wasn''t unheard of. Many in the Konoha Intelligence Department used simr techniques to gather information, and animals with camouge abilities were not umon. Even Jiraiya, as he matured, would eventually learn his own stealth techniques.So, once the excitement subsided, they moved on to other thoughts.


    ---


    Later that afternoon, the second part of the Chunin Exam resumed.


    When the written test results were posted, hundreds of participants were eliminated. While it wasn''t surprising that a few teams didn''t make it, the sheer number of eliminations caught many off guard. Orochimaru couldn''t help but notice two familiar names among the eliminated: Might Dai and Hiruko.


    Orochimaru was well aware of their potential orck thereof. He knew Might Dai, the so-called "Eternal Genin," would never rise above his current rank. As for Hiruko, though he had a unique talent, bing a chunin would be a long, difficult journey for him. At this point, Orochimaru couldn''t think of a better way to describe Hiruko''s participation in the exam other than "just making up the numbers."


    But he didn''t dwell on it too long. His own team had passed easily, and the focus now shifted to the next round.


    Orochimaru had expected the infamous "Forest of Death" test, where teams would battle for Heaven and Earth scrolls, but instead, they were presented with something entirely different.


    "The second round of the exam will be a team battle?" Orochimaru mused.


    "Yeah," Tsunade confirmed. "There are two rounds, and if you lose, you''re eliminated. Only a quarter of the ninjas will make it to the final exam."


    Orochimaru narrowed his eyes in thought. This was different from what he remembered, but it made sense given therge number of participants. If the exam followed the format of the original series, the selection process would drag on forever. This faster, more brutal format, where teams could be eliminated through directbat, was a more efficient way to reduce the numbers. It wasn''t exactly fair, but in the ninja world, fairness was often a luxury.


    "That works. It''ll save us time," Orochimarumented. He was confident that his team could crush thepetition. There was no need to worry.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    ---


    The second round of the Chunin Exam took ce across various training grounds and school arenas, each overseen by multiple examiners. Orochimaru''s team was assigned to Group A, with Jiraiya volunteering to draw their lot. ?????óβě?


    "Hahaha! We''re in Group A, and our examiner is Teacher Yura!" Jiraiya announced, his usual enthusiasm bubbling to the surface.


    "Teacher Yura?" Tsunade echoed. "That means we''re at the training grounds."


    And so, the trio made their way to the training grounds.


    When they arrived, Orochimaru was unsurprised to find many familiar faces. Various ns were well-represented, with members of the Hyuga, Aburame, Inuzuka, Uchiha, and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio all participating. As was typical in Konoha, therge ns had many members taking part in the Chunin Exam, each hoping to carry on their family legacy.


    Though Orochimaru recognized many of the n names, he didn''t know the individuals themselves. To him, they were simply otherpetitors.


    Currently, a match was taking ce on the field. One team, consisting of a pineapple-headed boy, a chubby red-haired boy, and a blond-haired kid, faced off against three nameless Konoha ninjas. It didn''t take long for the battle to turn in favor of the trio from the Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka ns.


    In a sh of seals and chakra, the Nara boy''s Shadow Imitation Technique captured his opponents, while the Akimichi boy used the Multi-Size Jutsu to overwhelm them. The Yamanaka n member finished things off by taking control of thest enemy with his Mind Transfer Jutsu.


    "Ugh… I can''t move!" one of the captured genin eximed in horror as his own kunai was turned against him by his teammate under the Yamanaka''s control.


    "The match is over!" the examiner called, stepping in to stop the fight before it turned deadly.


    "The winner is Group A, Team Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka!"


    After the results were announced, the next match was called.


    "The next match: Group A''s Team Inuzuka versus Group B''s Team Toranosuke. Prepare yourselves!"


    In a blur of motion, the Inuzuka team three ninja and arge dog leapt onto the field, ready to fight.