"Enjoy this exam, Sasuke-kun!"
Orochimaru smiled mysteriously.
It seemed like he thought Sasuke didn't know about his plan to destroy Konoha!
Sasuke watched as Orochimaru disappeared and raised his hand to catch the Heaven and Earth scrolls that Orochimaru had thrown into the air.
Soon after, Naruto appeared beside Sasuke.
"How's it going on your side, Sasuke?"
Sasuke casually threw the scrolls to Naruto.
"He got away, but I managed to retrieve the scrolls!"
Hearing this, Naruto breathed a sigh of relief as he caught the scrolls. "As long as we got the scrolls back, that's good."
"I've hidden her in a safe place and left a clone to take care of her. Don't worry!"
"Let's go, take Sakura with us, and head to the next location!"
The reason Sasuke had Orochimaru help him with the Sealing Book was simply to add an extra layer of security.
After all, if it was just Sasuke acting alone, it would be difficult to take the Sealing Book, and if anything went wrong, it wouldn't be good.
Having Orochimaru do the heavy lifting while Sasuke stayed in the background was naturally the better option.
Moreover, Orochimaru only had one chance to steal the Sealing Book.
That chance was when the Konoha Collapse Plan began.
And Orochimaru himself had to hold off the Third Hokage, since killing the Third was the top priority in the Konoha Collapse Plan.
So, the person who would steal the Sealing Book had to be someone else.
The only person Orochimaru trusted and who had enough strength to grab the Sealing Book was probably Kimimaro.
In any case, whether it was Kimimaro or not, once Orochimaru's people entered the Hokage Building, they would draw some of the attention.
Then, Sasuke could go after the Sealing Book.
Sasuke thought about his plan.
Before he knew it, they had found Sakura, who had fainted and was now carried by Naruto.
The three of them quickly passed through the forest.
They arrived at the venue for verifying the scrolls.
This was the preliminaries for the Chunin Exams.
As the first team to arrive, the Heaven and Earth scrolls were opened simultaneously.
The scrolls summoned the examiner, confirming that Sasuke and his team had successfully passed.
However, the preliminaries wouldn't start immediately, as they needed to wait for the other participants to arrive.
Kakashi and the others weren't surprised that Sasuke's team was the first to pass. After all, Sasuke was no longer the same as before.
His combat strength was now far beyond that of ordinary genin.
Especially for Kakashi and Kurenai, they were well aware of just how extraordinary Sasuke had become.
The participants who passed the Forest of Death were the same as in the original story.
The only difference was the order in which they appeared.
Sasuke, Naruto, and their team were the first to pass, followed by the team of Rock Lee, Tenten, and Neji.
Next came Kurenai's team with Kiba, Shino, and Hinata, along with a small group of Sound ninja who managed to scrape by.
Afterward, Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji's team made it through.
Finally, the Sand trio, led by Gaara, arrived.
Perhaps due to the blow Sasuke had dealt him earlier, Gaara remained sullen and withdrawn, even upon seeing Sasuke again.
His eyes lacked their usual intensity, and his demeanor seemed lifeless.
Initially, Sasuke hadn't paid much attention to the preliminaries, but his interest was piqued when the matchups were announced.
The first match was Sasuke himself against Rock Lee!
Lee looked at the board displaying his name following Sasuke's.
"Finally, it's my turn!"
Lee tilted his head, glancing at Sasuke beside him.
'All my training has been for the chance to challenge this genius...'
"Lee~! Good luck!" Neji cheered him on.
After all, Neji's target was also Sasuke, aligning his goals with Lee's for the time being.
Lee's enthusiasm was palpable, but his teacher, Might Guy, appeared uneasy.
Still, he couldn't voice any discouraging words now.
His disciple was full of confidence, determined to prove that hard work could surpass natural talent. This belief had fueled Lee's relentless training.
Guy couldn't bear to dampen Lee's spirits at such a crucial moment.
"At last, I have my chance to face you head-on!"
"Sasuke-kun... bring it on!"
Lee leapt into the arena, looking up at Sasuke.
On the sidelines, Sasuke sighed. Weren't preliminary matches supposed to pair him against some nameless, insignificant ninja?
But now that it was Lee, he realized he needed to take this seriously.
At this stage, Lee was arguably the strongest genin, possibly even more dangerous than Gaara in certain respects.
Sasuke jumped down, landing opposite Lee.
He faced Lee, who was brimming with fighting spirit.
"Do we really have to go all out?"
Lee paused, confused by Sasuke's question.
Was Sasuke planning to hold back?
"Sasuke-kun, ever since I lost to you, I've resolved to surpass you!"
"I've spent all my time since then training, just so I can face you in a fair fight!"
"My goal is to defeat you head-on, to prove that even without ninjutsu or genjutsu, with just taijutsu, I can still become a powerful ninja!"
Lee's words left Sasuke momentarily speechless.
With such noble and determined reasoning, Sasuke found it hard to argue.
"Alright, both fighters, prepare!"
"Three, two, one... begin!"
At this moment, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, entered with Orochimaru disguised as the Fourth Kazekage.
Walking into the observation area, they turned their attention to the two fighters below.
Even Hiruzen paused for a moment upon seeing the pairing: Sasuke versus Rock Lee.
'Now this will be interesting!'
'One excels at only taijutsu, and the other is slightly less proficient in it. A perfect matchup!'
The spectators, including Shikamaru, Kiba, Shino, Choji, and Ino, began discussing the fight.
"Only taijutsu? Against Sasuke, isn't that an automatic loss?"
However, Neji couldn't help but interject, "Just wait and see. Even a ninja who relies solely on taijutsu isn't easy to defeat!"