Orochimaru had arrived. But he seemed completely uninterested in Sasuke, ignoring him entirely. His vertical pupils locked solely onto Naruto.
A wave of killing intent filled the air, and Naruto trembled slightly.
"My, my... So weak," Orochimaru chuckled. "Well then, let my little darling play with you first."
As he spoke, he weaved hand signs and unleashed a Summoning Jutsu.
With a puff of white smoke, a giant snake appeared, its tongue flickering as it lunged straight toward Naruto.
...
Meanwhile, among the proctors overseeing the exam, Mitarashi Anko had spotted traces of Orochimaru's presence. Her expression twisted between anger and something like... anticipation. The cursed mark on her neck throbbed with pain.
"Quickly inform the Hokage! Request to terminate the exam immediately!"
...
"Will Konoha call off the exam because of Orochimaru's infiltration?"
"Of course not."
"The higher-ups already knew that Orochimaru's return spelled nothing but trouble. But they suppressed the news and pressed on with the exam anyway. They didn't even take any precautions to protect the clueless villagers. Are they too confident... or are they underestimating how destructive Orochimaru can be?"
"Don't overestimate a ninja's sense of morality. The Chūnin Exams carry major political significance. And you know how Konoha's leadership operates. They'll convince themselves—and everyone else—with lines like, 'If we don't do this, the future consequences will be worse,' and then quietly turn the victims into nothing more than cold names on the Memorial Stone. They've done it many times before."
This conversation took place inside Ichiraku Ramen. Recently, Teuchi and Ayame had been busy—business was booming, ingredients running short. Sometimes they even had to pay out of pocket to buy real pork.
But they didn't mind. Konoha was doomed anyway. They considered it a farewell gift to the village.
...
Back in the Forest of Death, Naruto fought fiercely. He summoned shadow clones to exhaust the summoned snake and then drove a Rasengan straight into Orochimaru.
But Orochimaru only smiled—grinning wider than humanly possible—as a new, slime-covered body crawled out of his own gaping mouth.The whole scene was indescribably grotesque.
The Orochimaru that emerged looked completely different from the previous attacker—heavy purple eye shadow, and two magatama-shaped earrings dangling from his ears. His raspy, unmistakable voice echoed:
"Naruto... With your lineage, I expected far more. You're disappointing."
Naruto froze. "You know who I am?"
Orochimaru licked his lips slowly.
"I'm quite interested in you. Let me give you a little... welcoming gift."
Suddenly, his neck stretched unnaturally, and with a snap, he sank his fangs into Naruto's neck.
Agonizing pain tore through Naruto. On his skin, three magatama marks appeared.
After biting him, Orochimaru released him and turned his head meaningfully toward Sasuke. Without saying a word, he disappeared into the shadows.
"Getting noticed by Orochimaru feels like utter shit," Sasuke muttered under his breath.
Sakura stayed silent, her thoughts unreadable.
...
Meanwhile, Mitarashi Anko raced through the Forest of Death.
"It's almost sunset. If I don't find him before nightfall, it'll only get harder..."
Mid-sprint, she suddenly lunged toward a direction, unleashing snakes from her arms. The serpents struck fast, sinking their fangs into someone and dragging them toward her.
Without hesitation, Anko plunged her kunai through both her own hand and her target's.
"Got you. Let's die together, Orochimaru-sensei!"
But the body she captured crumbled into mud.
"You still rely on the techniques I taught you, Anko," came a hoarse voice from behind.
...
Anko stiffened and took a few shaky steps back.
"You came back to the village... for what?"
From a high perch, Orochimaru sneered.
"Anko, you wound me. I only returned... to do what must be done."
The cursed mark on Anko's neck flared in agony again. Her words came out broken:
"I'll... stop your... conspiracy..."
"You should worry about yourself first," Orochimaru said coldly. "When disaster strikes, the weak are the first to be eliminated. And it's very clear which category you fall into."
Anko glared at him, furious. She wasn't the smartest, and she still believed the so-called "disaster" was something Orochimaru himself was bringing.
She was almost doubled over in pain now, her mind growing fuzzy.
When Orochimaru defected all those years ago, he hadn't taken Anko with him. And ever since then, she'd been caught in an endless tangle of regret—choosing between following him and staying in Konoha had been a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't kind of choice. No matter what she chose, it would never sit right.
Orochimaru studied her for a moment, a rare flash of hesitation in his gaze. Then he summoned a giant snake, which gently picked Anko up in its jaws.
With another puff of smoke, the snake disappeared—taking her with it.
...
Back in the forest, Naruto writhed in pain for a long time after being bitten. Eventually, he returned to normal.
Sasuke had been keeping a close eye on him but didn't notice anything unusual.
Natural energy was just too mysterious—far different from chakra, which at least had a universal logic to it.
After that, Team 7 encountered no further attacks—no Sound ninja, no Gaara—nothing. They breezed through the second round of the exam like the calm before a storm.
When they finally reached the central tower, they found Yakushi Kabuto smiling amiably at a group of Konoha Genin.
"Since you're here, do your best from here on, everyone."
...
Inside the tower, the first thing they saw was a large scroll calligraphy piece. Sasuke couldn't make sense of it.
Once they tore open the Heaven and Earth scrolls, a familiar figure appeared in a puff of smoke.
It was Iruka.
He glanced around, confirming they were in the right place, then cleared his throat:
"Congratulations on passing the second stage of the Chūnin Exams!"
Hidden inside the scroll was a summoning jutsu—meant to summon Iruka's shadow clone. If someone opened it at the wrong time or place, it would have been an automatic failure.
Iruka patiently explained the meaning of the calligraphy on the wall—the spirit of the Chūnin.
Sasuke clearly wasn't listening. Sakura kept her head down, silent since they arrived. Only Naruto seemed genuinely excited.
Watching them, Iruka was struck by a deep, uneasy feeling. Why did it seem like there was almost no bond between Team 7 members? Even Sakura and Sasuke seemed... more distant than before.
...
After Iruka's lecture ended, they moved into the central hall. On stage stood Jōnin from various villages. It was unclear whether Orochimaru had slipped in among them.
Below the stage were the Genin who had passed the second round. There were... quite a lot of them.
Soon, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, walked up to the podium and began another long speech—full of grand phrases about how noble and important the Chūnin Exams were. It sounded just like a government official lecturing a bunch of elementary schoolers:
"You are the hope of the future, the future leaders of our society..."
To be fair, Hiruzen truly had a way with words. His oratory skills probably surpassed even the First and Second Hokages.
Being able to talk circles around others was a strength in itself. If Uchiha Madara—the hotheaded fool—had possessed this level of charisma, maybe he would've ended up as the First Hokage instead.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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