---
"Sbalaxi, I just awakened this eye technique… this is the power of the Sharingan. I didn't misjudge you, Sasuke!"
Orochimaru licked her lips with a greedy grin, eyes glinting with madness.
"The Sharingan..."
Sasuke Uchiha touched his eyes. The world around him shifted subtly—clearer, sharper. He had awakened the Two-Tomoe Sharingan.
"I can do this… No—I must. Now that I've awakened the Sharingan, there's no reason I should lose again."
A surge of determination filled his heart. Without hesitation, he charged at Orochimaru.
[Why does this guy look so smug even while fighting?]
---
"It's over."
Ye Dou opened his eyes.
By the time he arrived at the scene, Orochimaru had already disappeared, leaving only Sasuke and Naruto unconscious on the forest floor.
Sasuke had shown tremendous courage—but it had been reckless. With just a newly awakened two-tomoe Sharingan, he was no match for Orochimaru. He had pushed himself too far.
Ye Dou knelt down beside Sasuke and noticed the Cursed Seal of Heaven burned into his neck.
"What now?"
The mongoose leapt onto Sasuke's shoulder, sniffing curiously at the cursed seal.
"Let's find shelter first."
Glancing up at the sky, Ye Dou hoisted both Naruto and Sasuke over his shoulders and left the area quietly.
---
Meanwhile…
In another part of the Forest of Death, Mitarashi Anko followed the trail—and found Orochimaru.
Once her mentor, she had admired him deeply. Even after he defected and became one of Konoha's most wanted, her feelings remained painfully conflicted.
But Anko knew—she wasn't his equal.
She tried to die with him, striking in desperation, but what she'd captured was merely a shed skin—a substitution technique.
"What are you after?" she asked, panting.
Her voice trembled slightly as pain flared in her neck—the Cursed Seal of Heaven Orochimaru had branded her with long ago.
That seal, though sealed by Konoha's medics, stirred again under Orochimaru's influence. Unlike Sasuke, Anko didn't fall unconscious—but she could no longer move properly.
"So cold, even after all this time," Orochimaru murmured. His voice was calm, but laced with menace.
"Why have you come here? Are you planning to assassinate the Hokage?"
"No," he said, smiling faintly. "I came to plant a seed… on the most promising child in this village. Just like I did to you."
He turned slightly, eyes glinting. "But he's different. He's an Uchiha. Don't interfere with the Chūnin Exams, Anko. Let me enjoy the show. Otherwise, I might do… something unpredictable."
"Damn you…"
Anko clutched her neck, watching Orochimaru disappear into the shadows.
"Where the hell is ANBU? I have to report this to Lord Hokage."
---
Late that night…
In the Hokage's office, Sarutobi Hiruzen exhaled a stream of smoke from his pipe, listening quietly as an ANBU knelt before him.
"Hokage-sama, according to Mitarashi Anko's report, Orochimaru has infiltrated the second stage of the Chūnin Exams."
"Did she identify his goal?"
"He implanted a curse mark on Sasuke Uchiha. Hokage-sama, should we suspend the exam?"
Sarutobi paused, then shook his head. "No. Do as Anko suggested. I trust her judgment. Continue the exams, but tighten security around the village. Investigate Orochimaru's true purpose."
He maintained a calm demeanor, but his heart was heavy.
Orochimaru was once his student—his brightest prodigy. But now…
"The threat he poses… is immeasurable."
"Yes, sir."
The ANBU vanished from the room.
Sarutobi turned to gaze at the moon through the window.
"Orochimaru… What is your true aim this time?"
---
Back in the Forest of Death, Ye Dou had found a hollowed-out tree to shelter in. He laid Naruto and Sasuke inside and lit a small fire, grilling chunks of snake meat over it.
Orochimaru was unlike any other shinobi.
Most ninja had clear goals—power, wealth, vengeance.
But Orochimaru… he was chaos in human form. His mission seemed to be the destruction of Konoha—but even then, he had shed tears when confronting the Third Hokage.
Maybe Anko was right. Orochimaru wasn't just dangerous—he was unhinged. A man who pursued whatever desire came to him at the moment.
"Could this be connected to Danzo's schemes… that old snake?"
the mongoose muttered.
"Don't know."
Ye Dou answered quietly, eyes fixed on the fire.
--
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