Naruto Dream Fulfillment Master

Page 162

With his ever-present pipe dangling from his lips, he frowned and asked in a low voice, "Danzo, how are things on your end?"

Danzo, unusually, did not contradict Sarutobi, but solemnly nodded and reported, "The Root's deployment is also complete. My men will fully cooperate with the Anbu's operation!"

Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt a little relieved.

Looking at his old friend's solemn expression, he knew that the other person also understood the importance of today and had no intention of deliberately undermining him at this juncture.

"Good." Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded approvingly, then turned to Jiraiya, "What about Tsunade? Are the arrangements complete?"

“Yes,” Jiraiya replied, “I have already arranged her seat on the high platform in the venue.”

He paused briefly, then added, "Don't worry, her position has a wide view, and we've deployed people around her. She'll notice anything immediately if anything happens."

Hiruzen Sarutobi remained silent for a moment upon hearing this, the lines between his brows deepening. After a moment, he sighed and asked in a low voice, "Has Tsunade... agreed to help the village fight the enemy if necessary?"

Jiraiya slowly shook his head: "No. She still says she doesn't care about the fate of Konoha!"

"Hmph!" Danzo grunted in displeasure upon hearing this, his one eye glaring with barely concealed resentment. "As a member of Konoha! What right does she have to refuse to contribute to the village?!"

"Danzo!" Jiraiya raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, glanced at him sideways, and retorted in a deep voice, "Although Tsunade says she doesn't care, I believe that if Konoha were to face a life-or-death crisis, she would never stand idly by!"

"Hmph...it had better be that way!" Danzo snorted coldly, a forced smile playing on his lips.

Jiraiya sneered upon hearing this, and said sarcastically, "Do you think he'd be like some people who, when the village faces a crisis, lead elite Jonin special forces to evacuate the people?"

Upon hearing this, the air in the conference room suddenly froze.

Danzo glared at Jiraiya, his face instantly turning bright red with anger: "Jiraiya, what do you mean by that?!"

He braced himself on the table, stood up abruptly in anger, and his single eye flashed with a cold light.

Jiraiya stood his ground, staring directly at Danzo with a cold, sharp gaze: "My meaning is very clear—you bear undeniable responsibility for Minato's death!"

He repeated it almost word by word.

"You!" Danzo was struck where it hurt by those words, his face a mixture of anger and embarrassment, and he couldn't utter a rebuttal for a long time.

A flicker of embarrassment and anger flashed in his single eye, and he slammed his right hand on the table with a loud thud.

"Jiraiya! How dare you!"

Seeing the tension between the two escalating, Hiruzen Sarutobi's face darkened, and he suddenly raised his voice, shouting, "Enough!"

He slammed his pipe on the table and shouted angrily, "What kind of time is this to be fighting amongst yourselves?!"

Jiraiya and Danzo stopped talking at the same time, glared at each other, snorted coldly, and stopped arguing.

The meeting room fell silent again, with only Hiruzen Sarutobi's deep breathing still somewhat rapid.

He shook his head, sighed, and waved wearily: "Let's proceed according to plan."

"Yes!" Everyone responded in unison.

……

As several figures flashed out of the Hokage Building, the entire Hidden Leaf Village quickly went into a state of high alert.

Inside the spacious first training ground, examinees from Konoha and Sunagakure had taken their places, and distinguished guests and ninja spectators from various countries had also taken their seats.

On the podium, the referee, Hayate Gekko, stood up, clutching his stomach, and was about to announce the official start of the Chunin Exams finals.

However, no one noticed that in the shadows of the eaves somewhere in the vast arena, two eerie figures had been lurking for some time.

On the roof of Konoha's First Arena, a mask with tiger stripes was half-hidden in the shadows.

Obito Uchiha stood quietly beneath the mask, while beside him, Zetsu, half-exposed from the ground, looked up at the bustling arena below.

Looking at the endless stream of people entering in despair, his voice was tinged with excitement and cunning: "Today is a great opportunity to fish in troubled waters!"

He lowered his voice and said to Obito, "In such a chaotic situation, we might be able to take the opportunity to capture two tailed beasts!"

Upon hearing the words "Tailed Beasts," Obito's single eye, the only one visible outside his mask, flickered slightly. He remained silent for a long time before slowly shaking his head, his voice low and hoarse: "'Akatsuki' isn't ready yet... It's too early to expose ourselves now."

"Hehe, it's up to you!" Jue chuckled dryly, offering no further advice, his voice carrying a hint of perfunctoriness.

His black and white face still wore a strange smile as he stared at Obito with a half-smile, as if trying to see something behind that cold tiger-striped mask.

An eerie silence filled the space between the two.

After a moment, Zetsu suddenly changed the subject and slowly said, "By the way... I recently discovered traces of Kakashi Hatake in Konoha Village."

"You let him escape?"

Upon hearing this, Obito paused almost imperceptibly, a flicker of emotion flashing in his single eye, but his voice remained devoid of emotion: "Hmph, he has my other eye. Kamui Dimension can't contain him."

"There's actually such a thing?" Zetsu chuckled, his voice hoarse and tinged with amusement. "A mere Kakashi, is he really worth all this trouble? Why don't you just call some people over to help and take care of him? Didn't Lord Madara say that only a pair of Sharingan can unleash their full power?"

Obito remained silent, but his brows furrowed tightly beneath his mask.

Zetsu said, "Silence means consent? Then I'll call Sasori and Kisame over right away! He's just a Jonin; the three of us working together should be able to take him down easily!"

Before he could finish speaking, Jue felt a dark shadow flash before his eyes.

Obito suddenly lunged forward, grabbed Zetsu by the collar, and lifted him out of the shadows!

A look of astonishment immediately appeared on his strikingly black and white face: "You—"

Beneath the mask, the only exposed crimson Sharingan eye gleamed with murderous intent, staring intently at Zetsu: "Don't you dare lay a hand on him!"

After a brief moment of astonishment, Zetsu slowly narrowed his eyes, staring intently at the masked man so close to him: "Obito, what's wrong with you? A mere Kakashi..."

Before he could finish speaking, Obito seemed to realize his lapse in composure, and the murderous intent in his single eye gradually faded.

Two seconds later, Obito suddenly released Zetsu's collar and flung him back to the ground.

"I have other plans for Kakashi's eye," Obito said in a low voice, his tone regaining its calm indifference. "Sooner or later, I will go and get it back myself."

He turned around and said, "No one is allowed to do anything unnecessary without my orders!"

Jue spread his hands, feigning indifference with a smile: "Alright, alright, since you've put it that way, how could I dare disobey?"

Obito did not answer.

The next instant, a vortex appeared, and he vanished from the rooftop in the blink of an eye.

The rooftop was empty, with only Jue remaining, half-hidden in the shadows.

He gazed thoughtfully in the direction Obito had left, a rare seriousness appearing on his face.

"Obito seems to be acting really strange lately..."

“He’s clearly not as enthusiastic about the ‘Eye of the Moon’ project as before. Instead, he’s been agonizing over…” Jue frowned, revealing a strange expression that was both funny and exasperating, “…how to sleep?”

Jue Xin secretly pondered: the plan had probably taken some kind of turn, but where exactly did the problem lie?

What exactly did Obito do right under his nose that he didn't know about?

The smile on Hei Bai Jue's face gradually faded, and his previous nonchalance disappeared completely.

He stared in the direction where Obito had disappeared.

"Hmph, interesting..." Jue murmured softly, his eerie tone echoing across the silent rooftop, "No matter what you're up to—the Eye of the Moon Project is your inescapable fate..."

Chapter 155 Unexpectedly, the Jinchuriki on whom Sunagakure placed such high hopes turned out to be so useless.

The stands around Training Ground No. 1 were already packed.

On the central platform, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, sat on a stone chair, with Kakashi standing quietly behind him, watching the scene unfold.

At that moment, several figures walked up from the entrance of the stands.

A tall, thin man with a bandage wrapped around his forehead and a face covered by a cloth, wearing a Kazekage hat, slowly approached, accompanied by two Sand Ninja guards.

Hiruzen Sarutobi turned around upon hearing the commotion, his gaze falling on the newcomer, a slight smile playing on his lips: "The Kazekage is here? Are you settling into your new home in Konoha?"

The "Kazekage" wearing a straw hat chuckled softly, his voice hoarse: "Haha, thank you for your hospitality, Hokage. Konoha is a beautiful place, and I'm very comfortable here."

Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes and carefully examined the other person, his expression meaningful: "Is that so? But I always feel... there's a strange sense of familiarity about you."

Upon hearing this, the "Kazekage" paused for a moment, but then let out two dry laughs: "Hehe, I'm afraid it's just my imagination! Lord Hokage is getting on in years, be careful not to be paranoid, or you'll only wear yourself out."

He changed the subject, his gaze sweeping over Kakashi behind the Hokage, and chuckled, "Speaking of which, you should also consider candidates for the Fifth Hokage. I think this white-haired kid behind you is quite suitable!"

Kakashi rolled his eyes without saying a word.

Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed and waved his hand dismissively, "Heh, I'm not as old as you make me out to be. I think I can still work for at least a few more years."

When the Hokage stopped responding, a shadow crossed the Kazekage's eyes, but he quickly lowered his head and remained silent.

At this moment, everyone in the venue has arrived.

Hiruzen Sarutobi withdrew his gaze and announced loudly, "The final trial of the Chunin Exams—officially begins!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire audience erupted in thunderous cheers.

From all sides of the stands, countless spectators cheered and waved their arms, releasing their excitement and anticipation.

The Chunin Exams final, which has garnered attention from around the world, has finally begun!

Moonlight Gale, who was in charge of the exam, appeared in the center of the field, cleared his throat, and loudly announced the competition rules.

Although these procedures were already familiar to many viewers, everyone held their breath as the real highlight was about to begin, afraid of missing a single detail.

After the rules were read aloud, Hayate Gekko retreated to the sidelines and forcefully swung his arm down: "First match—Uchiha Sasuke versus Sunagakure Gaara!"

As the referee's voice echoed, two figures emerged one after the other from the players' tunnel opposite the arena.

On the central dais.

"Kazekage" was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and couldn't help but frown: "Why is Gaara the first to go on stage? Shouldn't the first round's contestants have been those two..."

The two Sand Ninja guards behind him also looked surprised. They exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of tension and doubt in each other's eyes.

Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced at the "Kazekage" beside him, stroked his beard, and chuckled, "Oh, the first round of contestants encountered a bit of an unexpected situation, so the order of appearance has been adjusted. Kazekage, you don't mind, do you?"

He downplayed the reason in his words and was unwilling to explain further.

In fact, this decision was not made on a whim.

Several days ago, Konoha's leadership, based on information obtained from the "Dream Theater," became wary of Sunagakure's plans.

Now that they knew that Sunagakure intended to make the Jinchuriki go berserk during the exam, Konoha decided to play along and bring forward the most dangerous exam, taking the initiative and seizing control of the situation.

A sinister glint flashed in Fengying's eyes. "Hmph... Is that so? Changing the match order without authorization probably violates the rules of the exam, doesn't it?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not respond immediately upon hearing this, but instead gave him a meaningful look.