Obito was very satisfied with the group of four he had trained, and he nodded in quiet approval as he left.
Kimimaro, Haku, Hinata, and Karin—between them, they covered melee, close combat, mid-range offense, Byakugan, medical treatment, perception, and sealing.
Taken together, they formed an already frighteningly complete four-person team.
In this way, sometime later, at the gate of the fortress, the team heading for the Chunin Exams fastened the forehead protectors of Snow Hidden Village and officially set off.
The polished metal plates gleamed faintly under the pale snowlight as they stepped beyond the gates.
For a brief moment, the scene almost looked… normal.
Almost.
Karin was the first to break the silence.
She walked ahead with her hands in her jacket pockets, chin slightly raised, red hair fluttering confidently behind her. The Snow headband sat proudly on her forehead, like she'd been born wearing it.
"Hah~ finally, some fresh air," she said smugly. "The famous Chunin Exams… Konoha's little playground."
She glanced back over her shoulder, lips curling into a knowing grin.
"Hope they're ready for a little…"
a brief pause, eyes gleaming,
"…chain play."
Hinata flinched slightly at that wording.
"U-Um… Karin-chan," she said softly, fingers nervously gripping the hem of her sleeve. "I think… we shouldn't underestimate them…"
"That's what losers say before they lose," Karin replied instantly, not even slowing down.
Hinata shrank by about two centimeters.
Haku chuckled lightly, walking beside Hinata with an easy smile. Snow crunched softly beneath their sandals.
"Karin isn't entirely wrong," Haku said gently. "But Hinata is correct too. Overconfidence creates blind spots."
Karin clicked her tongue.
"Wow, listen to you sound all mature. What are you, a traveling life coach?"
"I'm just saying we should enjoy the trip," Haku replied calmly. "It might be our first time traveling on our own… but it won't be the last."
Kimimaro, walking at the rear, said nothing.
His presence alone was enough—straight-backed and composed, eyes forward, hands resting calmly at his sides. He scanned the surroundings out of habit, every step measured and steady.
To anyone watching from afar, he didn't look like a genin.
He looked like a bodyguard escorting future world leaders.
Karin noticed his silence and glanced back suspiciously.
"…Creepy bone guy," she muttered. "You're way too quiet. Say something."
Kimimaro didn't even look at her.
"My focus is on the mission," he replied evenly.
Karin snorted, looking at him as if at a lost cause.
"See? Creepy. Didn't Lord tell you to loosen up a little?"
She might call him names, but they'd all grown up together. It was just how they talked to one another.
Hinata tilted her head slightly beneath the blindfold, curious.
"Kimimaro-san… are you nervous?"
The question caught him off guard.
Kimimaro paused for half a step.
"…No," he said after a moment. "I simply do not wish to fail my Lord."
Haku smiled helplessly.
"See, Karin? He's just serious."
Karin rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, yeah. 'My Lord this, my Lord that.' If our Lord sneezed, you'd probably declare war on the weather, idiot."
Kimimaro actually considered that for half a second.
"If the weather endangered him," he replied seriously, "then yes."
"…You're insane," Karin said flatly, her eye twitching. She'd been joking—and this idiot had taken it seriously.
Haku laughed softly, covering his mouth.
Hinata couldn't help giggling too — a quiet, shy sound that quickly vanished as she realized she'd laughed out loud.
Karin blinked once… then noticed it.
"…Hey."
Her gaze slid down.
Then lower.
Then back up again.
"…Why are yours that big?"
Hinata short-circuited completely.
"I—I—I don't—!!"
Karin pouted. She knew she wasn't lacking for her age but Hinata was on a completely different level.
She couldn't help wondering what it would be like to carry that kind of… burden so young.
"Tch. Unfair."
From behind them, Kimimaro spoke again, his voice calm and composed.
"Arguing will slow our pace."
Karin sighed in exaggerated defeat.
"Ughhh, fine. Commander Bones has spoken."
She cracked her neck, straightened her posture, and grinned toward the road ahead.
"Alright then. Snow Hidden Village's first Chunin Exam squad…"
Her eyes gleamed with anticipation.
"…let's go make history."
The road stretched onward, leading straight toward Konoha—
And very soon...
A generation of genin would learn a lesson they would never forget.
--
At the other side, Obito arrived at one of Orochimaru's underground bases.
The heavy stone doors slid open, revealing a long, dim laboratory lit by cold white lights.
Rows of glass tubes lined the walls, each one filled with faintly glowing liquid and something vaguely human floating inside.
Obito strolled in like he owned the place, hands in his pockets, boots echoing lazily against the metal floor.
"Yo~" he called out cheerfully. "How's it going, PedoMaru?"
From deeper inside the lab came the familiar, unpleasant chuckle.
"Hehehe… what a pleasant surprise, my lord," Orochimaru replied, his pale figure slowly emerging from behind a cluster of equipment. "I didn't expect you to pay me a visit today."
Obito ignored him completely.
Instead, he stopped in front of the nearest glass tube, leaned forward, and squinted at the identification plate attached to it.
"…Oh?"
He read it out loud, clearly amused.
"Subject No. 27 — Failed Hashirama Cell Integration."
He tilted his head.
"Wow. That sucks."
He took two steps to the right.
"Subject No. 31 — Chakra Network Collapse."
Another step.
"Subject No. 34 — Unexpected Bone Mutation."
Obito winced sympathetically as he spotted the man who had bones growing out of places no one should ever have bones.
"Oof. That one's on you—no normal person would approve that design."
Orochimaru's smile twitched… just slightly.
Obito kept going.
"Let's see… Severe Mental Degradation… Cellular Rejection… Death after three minutes…"
He knocked lightly on the glass of one tube with his knuckle.
"Man, Orochimaru. Your success rate is still ass."
"…My lord, did you come here only to insult my work?" Orochimaru asked, golden eyes narrowing as he spoke with feigned helplessness.
Obito finally turned toward him, grinning under the mask.
"Oh no, no. Don't get me wrong," he said casually.
"I'm actually very impressed."
He gestured broadly at the forest of tubes.
"Look at this place. This is peak. Who cares about the results?"
Orochimaru's lips curled.
"Hehehe… praise from you is my honor. But these are all failed experiments. The successful ones are on the other side. If you want… I can—"
"I see. But I'm here for another matter," Obito said, waving a hand as he steered things back on track. "I wanted to ask—what are you planning to do in the Chunin Exams this time?"
Orochimaru's smile widened, slow and deliberate, like a snake tasting the air.
"The Chunin Exams…?" he repeated softly. "Fufufu… so even that has caught your attention."
He turned away, long sleeves swaying as he walked deeper into the lab, past cages, scrolling seals, and half-assembled bodies laid out like unfinished art projects.
"It's rare for such events to be boring," Orochimaru continued. "So many young talents gathered in one place. So many… possibilities."
Obito followed at an unhurried pace, eyes casually scanning everything like he was browsing a marketplace instead of a human butcher shop.
"Growth. Fear. Desperation," Orochimaru continued smoothly. "The moment a child realizes the enemy isn't playing games anymore… that's when evolution happens."
"Get to the point, PedoMaru. How many times do I have to tell you to stop being so mysterious? It doesn't suit you," Obito said flatly, cutting him off the moment Orochimaru started drifting back into his usual theatrical yapping.
Orochimaru froze mid-sentence.
"…Ah."
For once, he genuinely didn't know how to respond.
He stared at Obito for a solid two seconds, mouth slightly open, like a stage actor whose dramatic monologue had just been canceled due to budget cuts.
Then...
"Haaaah—"
A long, exaggerated sigh escaped him as he straightened up, shoulders slumping just a little.
"You truly are a most unromantic man, my lord," Orochimaru said tiredly. "Very well. I'll spare you the poetry."
He waved his hand, and a projection seal flickered to life, displaying rough layouts and troop movements.
"The plan is simple," Orochimaru continued, tone finally serious. "The Konoha Crush will occur during the later stages of the Chunin Exams. Sunagakure will cooperate openly. Sound Village will act from the shadows. Chaos will spread inside the arena while our forces strike critical points."
He paused, eyes narrowing.
"My true target… is the Third Hokage."
Obito glanced at the projection lazily.
"Mmm."
Orochimaru went on, voice smooth but cold now.
"I will personally face him. End him. Bring our relationship to its final conclusion."
He shut the projection down with a flick.
"That's the plan."
Silence settled between them.
Then Obito smiled faintly.
"Oh," he said lightly. "So you're going with the Konoha Crush plan after all."
Orochimaru's eyes flickered toward him.
"That's how you want to give your sensei his final ride?" Obito continued, tone almost casual.
"Using the Chunin Exams as a funeral procession?"
"He's really old, isn't he? How kind of me...to send him off in his old age." Orochimaru licked his lips slowly, golden eyes gleaming as he spoke.
His smile widened—thin and terribly pleased.
"After all," Orochimaru added softly,
"what student wouldn't want to personally close the chapter… on his teacher?"
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