Seeing Naruto charging toward him, Orochimaru couldn't help but feel a bit intrigued.
"This sinister chakra... how very familiar."
Naruto, now mostly devoid of rationality, had completely abandoned tactics. Driven purely by instinct and passion, he fought with kicks, punches, even bites—but against a serpentine behemoth, these efforts proved utterly ineffective.
Meanwhile, Sasuke, who had been paralyzed in fear by Orochimaru, finally regained his mobility. Seeing Naruto's frantic attacks having absolutely no effect, Sasuke realized the huge gap between them and Orochimaru. This wasn't something that could be overcome by numbers alone—their survival as a trio completely depended on whether Orochimaru chose to spare them or not.
"Even so, I will never surrender," resolved Sasuke, quickly taking action despite his exhausted body. Activating his Sharingan once again, he joined the fight alongside Naruto, rushing forward into close combat against Orochimaru.
Though Orochimaru was especially skilled in ninjutsu, at this level of ninja there were no obvious weaknesses. Combining his modified Soft-body Technique, he left neither Sasuke nor Naruto any openings whatsoever. As for Sakura, who had just recovered, she didn't even have the strength to engage directly—only throwing kunai and shuriken uselessly without even managing to disrupt the battle.
After judging that enough time had passed, Orochimaru decided not to waste more effort. He now clearly understood Sasuke's current skill level, while Naruto was giving him an increasingly unsettling feeling. As Naruto charged in once again, Orochimaru suddenly extended his long serpentine tongue from his mouth, binding Naruto tightly. With his left hand, he used his left hand to pull open his shirt, revealing the seal on his abdomen.
"So it's true—you are the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Didn't expect you'd still be alive. The old man Third is still as naive as ever."
Then, channeling chakra with his right hand, he struck Naruto hard.
[Five Elements Seal!]
As Orochimaru's sealing technique took effect, Naruto, who had been full of energy moments ago, immediately collapsed in unbearable pain, losing consciousness as the Nine-Tails' chakra around him instantly dissipated.
Witnessing this, Sasuke desperately tried to rush over to rescue him, only to be caught precisely by Orochimaru's Hidden Shadow Snake Hands.
"No need to be too anxious, Sasuke-kun. Soon I shall give you a gift perfectly suited for you, after which you'll truly understand what power means." Speaking, Orochimaru suddenly extended his neck like a snake and opened his mouth wide, biting down hard on Sasuke's shoulder.
Intense, excruciating pain surged through Sasuke, his screams echoing all around. After just managing to lay down the heavily injured and unconscious Naruto, Sakura could do nothing but watch helplessly as Sasuke endured cruel treatment—herself barely capable of drawing Orochimaru's attention with her own abilities.
Finally, all fell silent. Pain-stricken, Sasuke knelt on the ground, crying out in agony until soon the unbearable suffering rendered him unconscious.
"Be grateful for my gift. If one day you find yourself lacking in power, come find me—I'll give you the power to seek revenge." With these words, Orochimaru sank into the tree trunk and disappeared, leaving behind only the helpless Sakura and the unconscious Naruto and Sasuke.
Anko Mitarashi staggered through the jungle-like depths of the Forest of Death, guided by the cursed seal on her neck that let her sense Orochimaru's presence. Finally, she had located his trail. She had once believed that after all these years and with her current strength, she could at least annihilate together with the man who had caused her suffering. But it turned out to be nothing more than an arrogant, wishful thought. That sense of despair felt just as crushing as it had been years ago.
"Was I spared simply because he pitied me—a person he didn't even consider worth acknowledging? Should I really continue participating in the Chunin Exams?" Anko couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.
Back in Konoha village, well past midnight, no one arrived to notify Mizuki of any missions. In truth, Mizuki had misunderstood—he was still recovering from serious injuries. Konoha wasn't desperate enough to send him into battle while he was still convalescing. If that was the case, then Mizuki was quite content with the break.
[This failed space-time experiment did provide some useful data.] The theory is feasible, but how do I make the teleportation stable and safe? It's such a hassle. Can't expect me to rely on Sage Mode every time I attempt spatial shifting, right? I haven't heard of techniques like the Flying Thunder God or Kamui being this troublesome. Did I miss something here?
In Mizuki's view, space-based jutsu shouldn't have been this difficult in this world. Take someone like himself—aside from complex spatial positioning, the sheer amount of energy needed just to tear open space was already unimaginably massive, and the turbulence within the space itself was extremely dangerous. And that's without mentioning high-level jutsu with names including the word "god." Mid- to low-tier space-based jutsu capable of spatial manipulation weren't even that rare.
The Shifting Body Technique was considered an advanced-level technique, enabling short-distance spatial movement with unclear principles. Even the basic Substitution Jutsu—an entry-level move—somehow achieved similar spatial displacement effects, yet its underlying mechanics remained a mystery. These were two fairly common examples of space-related ninja techniques, though Mizuki wasn't entirely sure whether they truly qualified as space-based jutsu.
What the hell kind of screwed-up world is this? There should at least be some logic to it! How am I supposed to survive as a methodical engineering nerd in a place like this?
On top of the Hokage Rock, Jiraiya sat under the moonlight, observing the night view of Konoha.
"Konoha's reputation has taken a huge hit. Fine if it's just Orochimaru, but now even those rogue demons and monsters dare to come and fight openly in the village," Jiraiya murmured with a headache. "Even our allies are getting restless. This Chunin Exam won't end peacefully, I'm afraid." Bearing the responsibility of guiding the Chosen One, Jiraiya couldn't help but worry about the fate of the village.
In the central tower deep within the Forest of Death, the Suna trio finally reached their destination, bringing relief to both Kankuro and Temari.
"Finally made it through unscathed. Now that we're here, things should be fine, right?" Temari said with lingering anxiety.
"We still don't know if there'll be battles ahead. If Gaara takes lives again, I can't even imagine what might follow." Kankuro replied worriedly. "But since we got here so fast, probably no one else will arrive for a while. We'll have time to rest and let Gaara settle down. Let's just hope nothing worse happens."
The three Suna shinobi managed to escape the danger, but other candidates weren't so lucky—especially Karin. Lacking sufficient strength, she barely survived thanks to her keen sense of danger. However, now alone, she lacked even basic survival skills in the deadly Forest of Death.
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