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Through this incident, the Sand Shinobi realized they lacked the strength to attack Konoha on their own and could only launch an invasion by allying with other hidden villages.
The appearance of Orochimaru and the Hidden Sound Village gave them hope—perhaps with his help, they could become the new masters of Konoha. But Ye Dou had no interest in their ambitions.
His true target was the scroll hidden within the Hokage Building—a scroll that recorded all of Konoha's forbidden jutsu since its founding. "It's time to change my blade," Ye Dou muttered, lightly touching the long knife at his waist.
The craftsmanship of ninja swords in this world was undeniably refined, but none could endure the full force of his power. No matter how carefully forged, they shattered upon impact. They simply couldn't keep up with him in combat.
He was looking for a weapon as strong—or even stronger—than the Kusanagi Sword, the Sword of the Thunder God, and other legendary blades.
But such a weapon didn't exist in the shinobi world. If he wanted one, he'd have to acquire it from the equivalent exchange space, and for that, he needed something valuable enough to trade.
He had tried offering the Decapitating Carving Knife, but its value wasn't sufficient. So, he set his sights on the forbidden scroll in the Hokage Building.
That scroll was priceless. It contained the Wood Release techniques of the First Hokage, all the forbidden jutsu developed by the Second Hokage, and countless powerful jutsu added over the years.
Under normal circumstances, stealing it would be impossible. Not only was it protected by Hiruzen Sarutobi himself, but also by layers of ANBU and ROOT operatives—one guard every few steps, lookouts stationed like sentries. Not even a fly could slip in unnoticed.
But the Chūnin Exams presented a rare opportunity. During the chaos caused by the Sand Shinobi's invasion, Konoha's defenses—especially those around the Hokage Building—would be stretched thin. That was when he would make his move.
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[Daily Tasks]
"Ye Dou!"
The next morning.
After freshening up, Ye Dou arrived at the training ground only to find Hyūga Hanabi already waiting there. She waved to him cheerfully.
"Good morning!"
Ye Dou responded with a simple, "Yeah," and handed her a cage hanging from his waist.
Inside was the snow hare—terrified previously by Naruto Uzumaki and nearly fainted—that he had prepared as a gift for Hanabi.
"This is...?"
"A snow hare. Just treat it like an ordinary rabbit," he replied.
He was about to clarify it was a northern snow rabbit, but after noticing its now-faded coat, he refrained. In the northern lands, their fur only turned crystalline in the dead of winter.
Bai, a ninja with Ice Release, could have created a perfect environment for the hare, but Ye Dou lacked that ability. Since their return, the hare's coat had changed.
From its appearance, it now looked no different from a normal white rabbit—except for its notably sturdier build.
Thinking of this, Ye Dou added, "It's not useless. It can be used to lure enemies."
It was the first time Hanabi had seen him appear sheepish. She wanted to laugh but held back.
Carefully opening the cage, she cradled the snow hare in her arms. "Thank you. I really like it."
Then, after a brief pause, she looked at him with concern. "Was the mission dangerous? Were you hurt?"
She had heard that Team Seven, shortly after returning to the village, had unexpectedly completed an A-rank mission. That made her anxious.
As a child of the Hyūga clan, she understood the weight of an A-rank mission better than most.
That's why she had come early today to ask in person.
"I'm fine," Ye Dou said.
The wounds Bai had given him were mostly superficial. Thanks to rigorous training, he had recovered quickly.
"That's a relief."
Hanabi sighed, clearly at ease now. As they walked together, she continued stroking the snow hare and said, "By the way, I heard my father mention the village is hosting a joint Chūnin Exam soon."
"Officially, any genin with eight completed missions can participate. Has your team reached that number yet?"
The threshold for entering the Chūnin Exam was indeed low. As Hanabi said, genin only needed to complete enough missions to qualify.
However, in the past five years, no genin had applied for the exam in their first year—not even once.
Of course, in those five years, no genin had completed an A-rank mission in their first year either—nor pursued a missing-nin like Haku.
Hanabi believed Ye Dou would definitely pass if he participated.
"You're planning to join?" Ye Dou asked.
"Yeah. I want to try. Even if I fail, it'll be good experience," Hanabi nodded sincerely.
"You… maybe you should wait a bit," Ye Dou said after a short pause.
This year's Chūnin Exam was anything but ordinary. The Sand Village was sending Gaara—someone of terrifying strength. War was inevitable.
"I know it might be smarter to wait a year… but I still want to try," she said, smiling as she met Ye Dou's gaze.
She truly was different from Hinata Hyūga—brimming with courage and confidence her sister lacked.
Looking at Hanabi's determined face, Ye Dou said no more. He respected her resolve.
"Let's go. It's almost time to gather."
"Yo, good morning! Today, I got lost on the road of life!"
"You're too slow!"
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