The day after the Chunin Exam preliminaries ended, Konoha settled into a quieter rhythm. Ninja from Konoha and the other villages threw themselves into training, determined to unleash their full potential in the upcoming elimination rounds.
This was a rare spectacle, with the five great nations converging, an event unseen for years.
Konoha placed immense importance on the Chunin Exams, and for the elimination rounds a month away, Hiruzen and his advisors were already meticulously planning to ensure nothing went wrong.
Deep within a forested area of Konoha, Tengen paused.
"Is this the place?" He murmured. Orochimaru had summoned him here.
In the past, Tengen might have hesitated, wary of Orochimaru turning on him. But now, armed with his Mangekyo Sharingan, he felt no fear of his teacher's schemes.
Hiss. A serpentine sound echoed nearby. A massive snake, several meters long, slithered toward him, snapping trees in its path.
"Orochimaru's summoned beast, a giant snake?" Tengen's eyes narrowed. It couldn't be Manda, Orochimaru hadn't tamed that beast yet.
"A test, huh?" Tengen said with a faint smile. "Orochimaru-sensei, you couldn't resist probing me."
"Since I'm here, let's try out this jutsu." As the giant snake lunged, Tengen raised his hand, channeling potent chakra.
A whirlwind seemed to erupt in his palm, coalescing into a pale blue orb that swelled to nearly half his height before stabilizing.
The sphere appeared calm on the surface, but it thrummed with terrifying power.
"Great Rasengan." Tengen said coolly.
The Great Rasengan, an enhanced version of the Rasengan, boasted even greater destructive force. Crushing this snake would be effortless.
Tengen kicked off the ground, rocketing toward the snake and closing the distance in an instant.
Hiss. The snake's tail whipped toward him.
"Let's go head-on." Tengen said, slamming the Great Rasengan into the snake's body. The beast's flesh was torn apart by the jutsu's ferocious energy, spirals of force rippling across its form.
Boom. The snake was hurled backward, crashing to the ground, lifeless. The Great Rasengan's overwhelming power had snuffed out its vitality.
From a distance, Orochimaru's pupils contracted as he saw Tengen form the blue orb.
"Rasengan." He identified instantly.
Then he watched as Tengen obliterated the giant snake with the Great Rasengan. "Such formidable power. That strength is nearly on par with a Jonin."
Orochimaru had suspected Tengen was hiding something, but he hadn't expected such raw, violent force.
It was already approaching Jonin-level prowess.
Continuing the test would mean openly breaking ties with Tengen. For now, Orochimaru could still offer excuses to maintain their facade.
Tengen, having dispatched the snake, gave a light chuckle. "Orochimaru-sensei, you're here, aren't you?"
Clap, clap, clap. Applause rang out as Orochimaru emerged from the shadows, a smile on his face. "Impressive, Tengen. To kill a giant snake with a Rasengan, you're already brushing against Jonin-level strength."
"Still a ways to go, Sensei." Tengen said, shaking his head.
"No need for modesty. That was a Rasengan, wasn't it?" Orochimaru asked, his smile sharp.
"Yes, the Rasengan. I learned it from Jiraiya-sensei." Tengen admitted. There was no point hiding it, he had no intention of keeping the Rasengan a secret forever.
"But that's not your full strength, is it?" Orochimaru said, eyes narrowing.
"Sensei, doesn't everyone have their secrets?" Tengen replied evenly. "Maybe this isn't my full power."
"Even from your sensei?" Orochimaru chuckled lightly. "You don't trust me, do you?"
"It's not that." Tengen said. "You know my so-called sixth sense is pretty sharp, right?"
"Hm." Orochimaru nodded, recalling how Tengen's instincts had guided him against ninja from the Sunagakure and Kumogakure.
"My sixth sense tells me you've got plenty of secrets yourself, Sensei." Tengen said with a grin. "So I'll keep a few of my own."
Orochimaru's fingers twitched, a fleeting urge to act flaring within him. He did have secrets, his experiments with human subjects in pursuit of immortality, using Konoha's own ninja no less.
If the Third Hokage discovered this, Orochimaru would face exile or worse.
"I see, Tengen. It seems you don't trust your sensei." Orochimaru said softly. "So, you plan to train alone for the next month?"
"Maybe." Tengen said, shrugging. "Sensei, I'll take my leave."
With that, Tengen departed.
The moment Orochimaru sent the giant snake to test Tengen, their teacher-student bond had frayed. They might still be master and disciple in name, but neither trusted the other.
Watching Tengen's retreating figure, Orochimaru's eyes flickered. Even as Tengen vanished from sight, he refrained from acting.
They were too close to Konoha, and after witnessing Tengen's display, Orochimaru wasn't confident he could subdue him quickly.
Back in Konoha, Tengen checked his system and noticed a signal.
It was an ordinary video, low in resolution, suggesting slim chances of valuable rewards. Still, Tengen decided to collect it, why pass up something within reach?
There was a certain thrill in chasing the unknown.
***
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