After a brief silence—
Hiruzen Sarutobi took out his pipe, took a puff, glanced at the jonin from Kumogakure and the jonin from Kirigakure, Hoshigaki Kushozan, and exhaled a cloud of smoke.
"No matter what, the Chunin Exams end here."
Kurenai Yuhi, standing nearby, suppressed the shock in her heart. She glanced sideways at Hoshigaki Kushozan and said, "Yes. There's only one person left, so the third round won't be held."
Kirigakure's shinobi likely intended to eliminate all other teams in the second round, ending the exams before the third round to demonstrate the terror of the Blood Mist Village. That goal was achieved, but they themselves were completely wiped out.
No one had expected that outcome.
Kurenai looked at the screen, where Kaede was putting away all the scrolls and heading toward the central lookout tower. A faint smile appeared on her face.
No matter what...
Well done, son of the White Fang. A true shinobi of Konoha!
…
outside the Central Watchtower
Kaede made his way to the entrance, carrying two scrolls. Waiting for him at the gate was Kurenai Yuhi, the proctor for the second round of the exams.
"Congratulations on passing the second round of the Chunin Exams—"
"This should also be the final round, right?"
Kaede looked at Kurenai and said, "Seems like the Hidden Mist and Hidden Cloud shinobi eliminated all the other teams. I've got all the scrolls right here."
Kurenai had already been informed of this, so she wasn't surprised. But when Kaede casually tossed out the rest of the scrolls, a glimmer of amazement flickered in her eyes.
only one person had passed the second round of the Chunin Exams.
This was the first time that had ever happened since the exams were established!
Who would've thought that Kaede, always hidden in the shadow of Kakashi's brilliance, would possess such genius-level talent? In strength, mentality, and patience, he even surpassed Kakashi.
"You're right. There won't be a third round."
Kurenai gave a slight nod after briefly marveling at his achievement. "Come with me. The Hokage is waiting for you."
So, Hiruzen Sarutobi is already here...
Kaede wasn't surprised. He nodded and followed Kurenai to the central hall on the second floor of the tower, where Hiruzen Sarutobi was standing in the middle of the room.
What caught Kaede off guard was the presence of Orochimaru standing beside him.
"Orochimaru is a proctor for the next round? No... that's unlikely."
Kaede quickly dismissed the thought. With elite jonin already supervising this exam, there was no reason to assign someone of Orochimaru's status as proctor.
Pushing aside the speculation, Kaede respectfully greeted Hiruzen, "Lord Hokage."
At the same time…
He could feel two hostile gazes aimed at him.
Those cold, unfriendly stares came from Hoshigaki Kushozan of Kirigakure and an unidentified jonin from Kumogakure.
"..."
Kaede briefly met their eyes before calmly shifting his attention back to Hiruzen. He wasn't intimidated by the high-ranking enemy jonin.
Indeed, he currently wasn't a match for them, especially someone like Kushozan, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, whose strength was near Kage-level.
But this was Konoha.
Not only were several Konoha jonin present, but Orochimaru and Hiruzen Sarutobi were also here. The enemy jonin could do nothing more than glare at him, they didn't even dare release a trace of killing intent.
As for the future...
If they met on the battlefield, with his current growth rate, he might not be weaker than them at all, he could even surpass the jonin level and reach true Kage-level power.
"Congratulations on passing the Chunin Exams."
Hiruzen smiled kindly at Kaede. "You performed exceptionally well. As of today, you are officially a Chunin of Konoha. Always remember the duty of a shinobi."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Kaede bowed respectfully.
Orochimaru, standing to the side, watched Kaede with a faint smile on his lips. "I received a favor from your father while he was still alive… Do you know who I am, Hatake Kaede?"
Seeing Orochimaru's interest, Kaede's mind raced. He bowed and replied, "You must be one of the legendary Sannin, Lord Orochimaru."
Orochimaru chuckled and spread his arms. "Good, then we can talk. With your level of strength, even most jonin wouldn't be suitable as your instructor… How about becoming my student?"
Hiruzen was slightly surprised by Orochimaru's words. He frowned slightly, paused for a moment, and then made a sudden decision:
"In that case, Kaede, you shall study under Orochimaru."
Kaede: "???"
What the hell?!
I didn't even get a chance to respond!
His mouth twitched slightly in disbelief. Internally, he was already ranting.
Becoming Orochimaru's student was undoubtedly risky. Looking at Orochimaru's past students, nearly all of them had cursed seals placed on them, it was a red flag.
But on second thought, maybe this wasn't such a bad idea. on one hand, it would help him get away from the trouble caused by Danzo. on the other hand, he might gain access to many powerful jutsu through Orochimaru.
Dealing with a tiger is dangerous… but with a snake?
Kaede sighed inwardly.
Since Hiruzen had already made the decision, he had no choice but to comply. He could even faintly guess why Hiruzen had made this move.
At this point, Hiruzen hadn't yet chosen the Fourth Hokage. Though Orochimaru was known to have a dangerous personality, Namikaze Minato was still young, his achievements and experience couldn't compare.
While Hiruzen personally leaned toward Minato, he couldn't show open favoritism just yet.
If he refused to give Kaede to Orochimaru and instead had Kakashi apprenticed to Minato, it would not only cause dissent within the village but would definitely offend Orochimaru.
And right now, the shinobi world was in turmoil.
The village needed internal stability above all else.
"..."
Orochimaru smiled faintly at Hiruzen's decision. At this time, he still held ambitions for the Hokage position. His offer to take Kaede as a student was not only because of Kaede's talent but also a test of Hiruzen's attitude.
To become Hokage, one needed a successor, a capable follower to manage the many responsibilities and help maintain the village's stability.
Hiruzen had handed Kakashi to Minato, subtly indicating that he was considering Minato as the next Hokage.
Now, Orochimaru's attempt to take Kaede as a student was a calculated test.
If Hiruzen refused, that would mean he had already rejected Orochimaru as the Fourth Hokage.
But since Hiruzen agreed…
That meant his stance was still ambiguous.
"I wonder who you'll choose in the end… Sensei."
Orochimaru looked at Hiruzen and murmured to himself.