What If 5: Orochimaru and Tenshintai
The Joint Chunin Exam was Konoha’s top priority at the moment—a kind of "unseen war," a clash between nations. Beyond honor, it also determined the allocation of practical benefits. While some nobles saw it merely as a matter of pride, the stakes went much deeper.
For Sasuke, Konoha assigned two genin teammates. Although they intended to use Sasuke to send a strong message to other villages, especially the Sand Village, Konoha wouldn’t resort to underhanded tactics like planting disguised chunin or jonin among the genin contestants. Such deception, if exposed, would bring significant backlash.
Though Sasuke possessed the strength of a jonin, he had graduated from the Academy only two months ago and still held the official rank of genin. This allowed him to compete without raising suspicions. This exam would be his first step toward promotion.
The initial exam was straightforward. Once Sasuke understood it was a test of intelligence-gathering abilities, he quickly devised a plan. With the advantage of the Sharingan, he helped his average-skilled teammates pass the first round.
The second round, however, shifted into a survival challenge in the Forest of Death. Each team received either a “Heaven” or “Earth” scroll and had to acquire the opposite scroll from another team to reach the central tower and pass the round. The elimination rate was brutal—over 50 percent.
Upon entering the forest, Sasuke’s teammates quickly turned to him for guidance.
“What should we do, Uchiha-san?” they asked, lacking any plan of their own.
Sasuke glanced at them. “I’ll be moving alone. You two won’t need to worry about collecting scrolls. If you’re lucky enough to reach the central tower, you’ll advance to the next round.”
One teammate tried to stop him. They knew this year’s exam was full of powerful participants, and without Sasuke, this forest would be a terrifying ordeal. But before they could say more, Sasuke had already disappeared into the dense forest.