Naruto: Reborn As Orochimaru

Time flies!

As everyone focused on their training, half a month passed in the blink of an eye, and the Chunin Exams were about to begin!

In Konoha, the Chunin Exam wasn't anything new. The villagers and ninjas had become quite used to it, since it happened twice a year like clockwork. Most of them had grown tired of watching the semi-annual selection process. Only those ninjas who didn't have any missions or were simply bored would bother to watch.

Of course, the daily tasks for many ninjas were mundane and tedious, so this event was a bit of excitement. During the Chunin Exams, they could enjoy the added thrill of gambling on the outcome. The gambling aspect injected some fun into an otherwise ordinary part of village life.

"Oh? There are so many people this time," Jiraiya said, surprised as they arrived at the waiting room for the Chunin selection.

The classroom was massive, yet it was still packed with a large crowd. It was far more crowded than Jiraiya had expected. There had to be several hundred people there, a stark contrast to the one or two hundred participants he remembered hearing about in the original story.

Orochimaru wasn't surprised in the least. He had already predicted this outcome. The gap between the real world and his memories was something he had come to terms with.

After all, think of the Fourth Great Ninja War, where the Allied Shinobi Forces numbered around 80,000. Given the distribution among the five major nations, Konoha being the most powerful had contributed at least 20,000 ninjas. Even after suffering heavy casualties from previous wars, they still managed to field such a large force.

With that in mind, Orochimaru estimated that Konoha, in its current state, likely had a total ninja population of around 30,000.

Out of those 30,000 ninjas, how many were Jounin? How many Chunin? How many were still Genin?

Jounin were the elite, the strongest fighters in the village. They made up the smallest percentage of the ninja population, less than one-tenth. Chunin and Special Jounin made up the bulk of the forces, about half. Genin, the lowest rank, accounted for roughly 30% of the total ninjas.

In other words, out of 30,000 ninjas, Konoha likely had close to 10,000 Genin. Even if only a small fraction of them signed up for the Chunin Exams, that still left one or two thousand participants in total. That's why the classroom they entered now had hundreds of people crowded inside.

The ages of the participants varied widely. Some were children around Orochimaru's age, while others were in their twenties or even uncles in their forties. 

This didn't surprise Orochimaru at all. In this world, it wasn't unusual to see such a wide age range for the Chunin Exams. After all, while every ninja might start out as a Genin at the same age, not everyone advanced to Chunin at the same pace. For some, it took years. For others, like Kakashi in the future, it could happen at a very young age. 

For some unfortunate ninjas, they might remain Genin their entire lives, unable to advance beyond that level, even into their forties or fifties. The Chunin Exams were a place where these gaps became especially visible.

As Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade entered the room, they drew attention from several participants. A few older Genin near the door smirked and exchanged mocking comments.

"Haha, looks like there's a lot of kids this year who aren't afraid of dying!" one of them snickered.

"Yeah, they should know that during peacetime, there's no rush to take the Chunin Exam. But look at them they're still eager to sign up!"

"They probably don't realize how much harder the Chunin Exam has gotten over the years. These brats will figure it out once they get a taste of the real thing."

"There's always some clueless kids who think they can make it, but they'll only understand once they've been taught a bloody lesson."

Their taunts were directed at Orochimaru and his team. However, most of the other Genin, especially those further away in the room, were too focused on their own preparations to pay attention.

"These guys don't look too weak," Tsunade said, calmly assessing the group.

Jiraiya, however, was more interested in something else. "Hey, look over there," he said, pointing excitedly to a corner of the room. "That white-haired guy was there the other day."

Orochimaru and Tsunade followed Jiraiya's gaze and saw a white-haired boy deep in conversation with a group of his companions. It was none other than Hatake Sakumo, the boy they had encountered before.

As Sakumo noticed the three of them entering the classroom, he paused, said something to his companions, and then made his way over to them.

"Hey, he's coming over!" Jiraiya said nervously, swallowing hard. "Orochimaru… do you think he heard me call him 'White haired dude'? What if he's mad and wants to beat me up?"

Jiraiya's reaction was as comedic as ever. His thought process always seemed to work differently than most people's. They hadn't even started the exam yet no one would get into a fight at this stage.

Sakumo reached them, and before Jiraiya could panic any further, he smiled at Orochimaru and said, "Oh, Orochimaru, we meet again."

"Indeed," Orochimaru replied, nodding.

"Thanks again for your help last time," Sakumo said, bowing slightly.

"You're welcome," Orochimaru said simply.

Tsunade and Jiraiya, who had been watching the exchange, were both surprised.

"Wait, you two know each other?" Tsunade asked.

"Yeah, when did that happen?" Jiraiya added. "How come I didn't know about this?"

Sakumo chuckled softly and recounted the story of how he and Orochimaru had met at the hospital. At the moment, Sakumo was still only an eleven-year-old boy, and his demeanor was much shyer and more reserved compared to the future legend he would become. Much like how Naruto met Neji during the Chunin Exams in the original series, this was just the beginning of the story for Sakumo.

"Oh, I see!" Jiraiya said, breaking into a wide grin. "I'm Jiraiya, by the way. I'm this guy's teammate. Maybe we'll run into each other during the exam!"

"Haha, if we do, go easy on me," Sakumo said with a smile.

"Don't worry, I won't go too hard on you " Jiraiya began to boast, but before he could finish, Tsunade smacked him on the head.

"Tsunade! What was that for?" Jiraiya groaned, clutching his head in pain. "Why'd you hit me?"

"Do you even need to ask?" Tsunade sighed in exasperation. "You're bragging again. You always do this…"

"Bragging? I'm not bragging! I'm just saying.."

Tsunade cut him off again, grabbing him by the ear. "Come with me, you idiot…" 

As she dragged Jiraiya away, Orochimaru and Sakumo exchanged an amused glance.