- In Marvel: I Start by Marrying Scarlett Witch [Complete]
- MWM Chapter 141
“Your Highness, during your battle with Orochimaru, did he reveal any useful information?”
Inside the tower, after questioning Anko, the Third Hokage turned his attention to Leo.
Leo pretended to think for a moment, then replied:
“I think he seemed to be targeting Sasuke’s Sharingan. Maybe he’s trying to take the Sharingan. I suggest it’s best to send more people to secretly protect Sasuke.”
Currently, without having acquired the necessary information, it was essential to prevent Orochimaru from easily placing a curse mark on Sasuke.
The Third Hokage nodded and instructed Kakashi and Guy:
“We can’t let Orochimaru take Sasuke’s eyes. I need you two to go out and watch over him from the shadows again, but don’t interfere with the exams unless Orochimaru shows up.”
He couldn’t allow Sasuke to be in danger because that was his promise to Itachi. More importantly, if something happened to Sasuke, Itachi might truly become a rogue ninja.
Kakashi and Guy were both elite jonin, with one possessing a Sharingan and mastery of all five nature transformations, and the other excelling in taijutsu. Together, they could at least repel Orochimaru, even if they couldn’t defeat him.
“Yes, Lord Hokage.”
Kakashi and Guy nodded and left immediately.
After they departed, the Third Hokage turned back to Leo with a grateful expression on his face:
“Your Highness, I sincerely thank you for your help this time.”
His gratitude was genuine. If it weren’t for Leo dragging Orochimaru out, things wouldn’t have turned out this way.
Leo waved his hand and smiled:
“No need to be so formal, Lord Hokage. I consider Sasuke and the others like younger siblings. Besides, Konoha represents our Land of Fire, which is our very foundation. How could I stand by and watch a rogue ninja wreak havoc in the village, especially during such a critical time?”
He paused and sighed deliberately.
“It’s just a pity that I lack the talent and strength to capture Orochimaru; I could only barely hold him off.”
Hearing Leo’s words, the Third Hokage’s expression turned a bit peculiar, but he eventually comforted him:
“This is not your fault, Your Highness; it’s my failure as the Hokage. You’ve been formally learning ninjutsu at the Fire Temple for less than a year, and to have achieved such strength by now is indeed rare in the world.”
Upon discovering that this Prince of the Land of Fire was the very monk ninja from the Fire Temple in the Land of Waves, the Third Hokage had sent ninjas to gather information about Leo from the capital and even had his son Asuma write a letter to the abbot for details.
The findings greatly surprised him.
It turned out that Leo, the prince, hadn’t been training at the Fire Temple since childhood; he only joined the Fire Temple under Master Chiriku’s tutelage a little over nine months ago, starting his chakra refining and ninjutsu training.
In less than a year, he had reached a level close to special jonin. This talent was undoubtedly top-tier.
What’s even more astonishing was that in the short time since the mission in the Land of Waves, less than two months ago, this prince’s strength had improved considerably, enough to hold off Orochimaru, firmly placing him at jonin level.
“What!”
In the office, Tenzo, Anko, and several Anbu guards looked at Leo in shock upon hearing the Third Hokage’s statement.
They had initially thought that Leo’s strength at his age already marked him as a genius among geniuses.
However, to learn that he had only been studying ninjutsu for less than a year—this level of talent utterly overshadowed the village’s young elites of his generation.
Indeed, in this world, there was no “strongest” genius, only stronger ones.
“Hahaha, it’s not as exaggerated as it sounds. I have been practicing martial arts at the mansion since I was a child; it’s just that no one knew. While it’s true that I’ve been learning chakra refinement and ninjutsu for less than a year, I haven’t mastered much ninjutsu.”
“So, I’m not particularly skilled in ninjutsu. If there’s an opportunity, it would be great if the jonin in Konoha could give me some guidance.”
Leo laughed heartily, subtly hinting.
The Third Hokage tapped his fingers on his knee, recognizing the implication in Leo’s words, then smiled and said:
“Rest assured, Your Highness, if you wish to seek advice on ninjutsu from any jonin in Konoha, I believe they would not refuse, myself included.”
Of course, some of Konoha’s unique ninjutsu would not be taught to Leo, but there was no problem teaching some of the more common techniques known to other villages as well, including ninjutsu learning techniques, combinations, and practical experiences.
A prince who had repeatedly aided and drawn close to Konoha was certainly worth cultivating a good relationship with.
……
Five days later, on the first floor of the tower in the training hall.
The Third Hokage was on stage with all the examiners and jonin, explaining the purpose of the Chunin Selection Exam to the genin from various villages who had passed the Forest of Death test.
Meanwhile, Leo stood on the second-floor corridor, overlooking the genin below.
“It seems my interference has caused some deviation in the number of passing genin.”
He remembered that originally, twenty-eight teams entered the Forest of Death, and only seven teams passed in the end. But now, there were clearly more than seven teams—nine, to be precise.
Besides the original seven, there was an additional team from the Hidden Rain Village, including Mubi, Oboro, and Kagari, as well as a team from the Hidden Grass Village.
The Hidden Grass Village had two teams of genin that passed the first exam. The first team was killed and replaced by Orochimaru before entering the Forest of Death.
The second team was separated shortly after entering the forest, and Karin, who served as a walking medical kit, survived by sheer luck, finding dango and red bean soup to sustain herself. She later found the discarded Heaven Scroll left behind by Orochimaru after he left.
Finally, after finding the other two Grass ninjas, she managed to reach the tower just before time ran out.
“This Karin… I should consider recruiting her after this.”
Her red hair was very distinctive, and Leo immediately recognized the Grass ninja girl’s identity.
Karin was a descendant of the Uzumaki Clan. After the clan was destroyed, she and her mother fled to the Land of Grass, where they were taken in.
Because of her unique ability, inherited from her mother, to restore chakra and heal injuries with a bite, she became the village’s walking medicine jar. Recently, her mother had died from overuse.
Leo wasn’t particularly interested in Karin’s healing abilities; he had his healing magic, which was also quite effective.
What caught his eye was Karin’s other talent—her Kagura Mind’s Eye, which allowed her to sense chakra and locate enemies within dozens of kilometers—a top-tier sensory ability in this world.
There was also the Uzumaki Clan’s innate talent for sealing techniques and the secret art of the Adamantine Sealing Chains, a powerful sealing jutsu capable of binding even tailed beasts.
With mastery of the Adamantine Sealing Chains, he could attempt to seal obscurants in the Wizarding World on his next visit.
The Third Hokage finished speaking, and the preliminary match proctor, Hayate Gekko, stepped forward to announce the rules for the upcoming matches. Meanwhile, Kabuto Yakushi withdrew from the competition due to injury and left the arena.
……