Orochimaru stared down at Naruto from the large tree branch for several seconds before a smile slowly spread across his pale face. Naruto remained completely still as he stared back at the legendary Sannin, keeping one hand close to the storage seal on his wrist while trying to determine exactly what the man wanted with him. The silence between them lasted only a few more seconds before Orochimaru slowly brought his hands together and began clapping.
"Very impressive, Naruto," Orochimaru said as he continued clapping while looking down at the blonde with an amused expression. "There are not many shinobi who would have been able to sense me following them, especially at your age."
"It wasn't like you were trying very hard to hide your presence," Naruto replied as he kept his eyes locked on the Sannin.
While speaking, Naruto slowly pushed a small amount of chakra through his feet and into the soil beneath him, causing a tiny wooden root to grow several inches below the surface before slowly taking the shape of a wood clone. Naruto continued feeding chakra into the clone while keeping his expression completely neutral, giving it a single order through their connection before allowing it to sink deeper into the ground.
"Get out of the forest and find Lord Hokage. Tell him Orochimaru is inside the Chunin Exams and get as much help as you can."
The small clone immediately began tunneling through the soil beneath them while Naruto returned his full attention to the man standing above him. Naruto knew he was strong, especially for his age, but he was not arrogant enough to believe he could defeat one of the Legendary Sannin. He had trained under Tsunade and Jiraiya for most of his life and knew better than almost anyone just how large the gap between an ordinary shinobi and someone at their level could be. Winning was not his objective. He only needed to keep Orochimaru occupied long enough for his clone to escape the forest and bring help.
"Perhaps," Orochimaru replied as he stepped off the branch and dropped towards the ground, landing several yards in front of Naruto without making a sound. "I must admit, Tsunade did an excellent job hiding you away all these years. I knew of your existence, of course. Minato and Kushina's child disappearing with Tsunade was hardly something I failed to notice."
His smile widened slightly as his golden eyes moved over Naruto from head to toe.
"What she managed to hide was just how... special you were," Orochimaru continued before slowly licking his lips while staring at Naruto, causing the blonde's hand to tighten slightly. "Had I known sooner, I might have dropped by for a visit years ago."
"Thanks, I guess," Naruto replied with a small smile despite how uncomfortable Orochimaru's stare was making him. "But I don't think Grandma would've appreciated an uninvited guest showing up at our house, even if it was one of her former teammates."
Orochimaru chuckled softly after hearing Naruto's response, causing the hairs on the back of Naruto's neck to stand on end. Everything about the man unnerved him, from the unnatural paleness of his skin to his golden snake-like eyes and the way he seemed to stare at Naruto like he was studying something instead of talking to another person. Growing up, Naruto had heard plenty of stories about Orochimaru from both his grandmother and godfather. Not all of them had been bad since the three of them had once been teammates and friends, but those stories had changed drastically whenever they reached the later years of Orochimaru's life in Konoha. Naruto knew about the experiments, the people who had disappeared, and the sadistic things Orochimaru had done before eventually being discovered and branded a missing ninja. Neither Tsunade nor Jiraiya spoke about their former teammate often, but when they did, they had always made one thing very clear to Naruto.
Orochimaru was extremely dangerous.
"Unfortunately, I am not here merely to reminisce about old teammates," Orochimaru said as he slowly began walking towards Naruto. "I happened to be in the neighborhood visiting your friend Sasuke and thought I would stop by to introduce myself. Perhaps leave you with a gift as well, just like the one I left him."
Naruto's eyes immediately narrowed as his mind began racing. Orochimaru had already found Sasuke, which meant whatever the Sannin had entered the exams to accomplish might have already happened. Naruto had no idea what Orochimaru meant by leaving Sasuke a gift, but considering who he was talking to, Naruto doubted it was anything Sasuke should want.
"While I appreciate the gesture," Naruto began as his fingers slowly moved towards the storage seal on his wrist, "I'm going to have to refuse."
A sick smile slowly appeared across Orochimaru's face.
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to insist."
Naruto flicked his wrist, causing the storage seal to activate before his six-foot black chakra-metal staff appeared in his hand. He wrapped both hands around the weapon and lowered himself into a fighting stance while staring directly into Orochimaru's golden eyes.
"Then I guess this is how I'm going to insist on refusing."
Orochimaru's grin widened before he suddenly disappeared from where he was standing and launched himself directly towards Naruto. Naruto tightened his grip around his staff before kicking off the ground and rushing forward to meet him. The two collided in the middle of the clearing as Naruto swung his staff towards Orochimaru's head, forcing the Sannin to duck beneath the weapon before throwing a punch towards Naruto's stomach. Naruto twisted his body enough to avoid the punch before driving the opposite end of his staff towards Orochimaru's ribs, managing to connect and force the older shinobi several steps sideways.
Orochimaru immediately recovered and swung his leg towards Naruto's head, but Naruto raised his staff and blocked the kick before stepping forward and driving his knee into the Sannin's stomach. Orochimaru slid backward before Naruto immediately followed him, swinging his staff several times while mixing punches and kicks between each attack. Orochimaru avoided most of the strikes, but Naruto managed to land several solid hits against his arms, ribs and shoulders while forcing the Sannin backward through the forest. Orochimaru responded with several attacks of his own, landing a punch against Naruto's jaw before driving his elbow into the blonde's chest.
Naruto grunted from the impact but immediately swung his staff towards Orochimaru's legs, forcing the Sannin to leap over the weapon. Naruto tried to catch him with a kick while he was airborne, only for Orochimaru's body to suddenly bend backward at an unnatural angle before twisting around Naruto's leg.
"What the hell?" Naruto thought as his eyes widened slightly.
Orochimaru's body continued bending in a way that should have been impossible before his leg suddenly whipped around and slammed into Naruto's chest with tremendous force. Naruto was sent flying backward before crashing into one of the enormous trees hard enough to crack the bark around his body. Pain spread through Naruto's back and chest as he dropped to the ground, but his body had already begun healing the damage before he pushed himself back onto his feet.
"Interesting," Orochimaru said as he watched Naruto recover. "Tsunade's influence is becoming more obvious by the second."
"You haven't seen anything yet," Naruto replied before stabbing his staff into the soil. He quickly formed two hand seals before gripping the weapon again and pulling it upward, causing a massive chunk of earth to rip free from the ground and attach itself to the end of his staff.
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow as Naruto kicked off the ground and launched himself high into the air before beginning to swing the makeshift hammer over his head. Naruto could see Orochimaru preparing to dodge and immediately flared his chakra outward as hard as he could. Orochimaru's eyes widened as a sudden wave of pain tore through his body, causing him to freeze for a fraction of a second.
Naruto immediately noticed the reaction as his eyes narrowed. It was almost identical to the reaction Danzo had shown inside the council chambers when Naruto released his chakra.
"That's the same reaction Danzo had," Naruto thought as he stared at Orochimaru for a split second. "Why?"
Naruto quickly pushed the question aside. Whatever the reason was, he could figure it out later. Right now, Orochimaru had given him an opening, and Naruto had no intention of wasting it.
Naruto poured chakra through the staff and into the massive chunk of earth before bringing the weapon down with everything he had, incorporating the same chakra-enhanced strength technique his grandmother had spent years drilling into him. Orochimaru recovered quickly enough to throw himself away from the direct impact, but the moment the makeshift hammer slammed into the ground, the entire area exploded outward with tremendous force. The shockwave ripped through the surrounding trees and sent Orochimaru flying through the air before he crashed back-first into a massive trunk. A crater nearly twenty feet wide formed around Naruto as broken earth and debris flew in every direction while a thick cloud of dust immediately covered the clearing.
A low chuckle came from somewhere inside the dust cloud.
"Excellent, Naruto," Orochimaru's voice called out as Naruto tightened his grip around his staff. "Tsunade taught you very well."
Naruto did not give him another opportunity to speak before launching himself through the dust cloud towards the sound of his voice. Orochimaru became visible several yards ahead, and Naruto immediately thrust the end of his staff towards the Sannin's chest. Orochimaru casually raised one hand and caught the weapon before it could strike him, stopping Naruto completely.
"Too slow."
Naruto stared at him for a moment before smiling. Orochimaru's expression changed slightly as wind chakra suddenly rushed through the chakra-metal staff, creating a sharp edge around the weapon that immediately began cutting into his palm. Naruto shoved forward with everything he had, causing Orochimaru's grip to slip before the wind-coated staff pierced directly through his shoulder. The Sannin's eyes widened slightly as blood ran down the weapon before he released it and jumped backward, pulling the staff free from his shoulder while flashing through several hand seals.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Orochimaru shouted before launching a massive ball of fire towards Naruto.
"Water Style: Water Bullet!" Naruto shouted after quickly weaving through several hand seals and firing a powerful stream of water from his mouth.
The two attacks collided between them, causing the fire to immediately begin evaporating the water as a massive cloud of steam spread throughout the surrounding forest. Naruto narrowed his eyes as visibility disappeared almost completely and slowly moved his staff in front of himself while extending his senses through the area. Before he could locate Orochimaru's chakra, every instinct in Naruto's body suddenly screamed at him to move.
Naruto threw himself to the right just as a mouth filled with sharp teeth snapped shut exactly where his neck had been a moment earlier. Naruto's eyes widened in horror as he landed several feet away and turned towards the attack, only to find Orochimaru's head floating several feet off the ground while his neck stretched through the fog like some kind of enormous snake.
"So close," Orochimaru said as his tongue flicked out between his lips.
"What the fuck?" Naruto muttered as he swung his staff through the air while channeling wind chakra through it, creating a powerful gust that quickly cleared away the remaining fog. His eyes followed Orochimaru's impossibly long neck through the clearing until he found the Sannin's body standing nearly twenty-five feet away.
"His neck can stretch that far?" Naruto thought as his eyes moved between Orochimaru's head and body. "Then his body shouldn't be able to defend itself properly while his head is over here."
Naruto kicked off the ground and rushed directly towards Orochimaru's body. The Sannin's golden eyes followed him before an amused smile appeared across his face, and with incredible speed his neck suddenly whipped around Naruto before bringing his head directly between the blonde and his body. Orochimaru opened his mouth and exposed his fangs as Naruto continued rushing forward, but Naruto merely smiled before flooding his staff with wind chakra and planting one foot firmly against the ground. He swung the weapon in a wide arc towards Orochimaru's body, forcing the Sannin to move backward just enough for the staff to miss and slam into the ground.
Orochimaru's smile widened as his neck shot forward. Naruto's eyes widened as Orochimaru's mouth opened directly beside his neck before the Sannin's fangs came down.
POOF!
The blonde disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
Orochimaru's eyes widened slightly as his teeth snapped shut on empty air, immediately realizing that the Naruto he had been fighting was nothing more than a Shadow Clone. Before he could locate the original, a high-pitched whirring sound began filling the clearing behind him. Orochimaru slowly turned his head and saw Naruto standing directly behind his defenseless body, dirt covering his clothes and hair from tunneling beneath the battlefield while a glowing sphere of condensed chakra violently spun in the palm of his outstretched hand.
"Rasengan!" Naruto shouted as he slammed the sphere directly into Orochimaru's back.
The Rasengan tore into the Sannin's body as the rotating chakra ripped apart his clothing and flesh before Naruto drove the attack forward with everything he had. Orochimaru was ripped off his feet and launched through the forest like a cannonball, smashing through one enormous tree before crashing through another and another as splintered wood exploded in every direction. Naruto finally released the technique as Orochimaru disappeared into the distance, leaving a path of broken trees behind him.
Naruto remained where he was for several seconds while breathing heavily, his eyes never leaving the destruction in front of him. Some distance away, Orochimaru's body lay face down across a pile of shattered trees without moving. Naruto didn't relax as he stared at Orochimaru's motionless body. There was no chance in hell one Rasengan had killed one of the Legendary Sannin.
Tightening his grip around his chakra-metal staff, Naruto extended his senses through the surrounding forest while trying to determine what Orochimaru would do next. Somewhere beneath the ground and hopefully far away by now, his wood clone was still tunneling towards the edge of the Forest of Death.
"Come on," Naruto thought as his eyes narrowed at Orochimaru's unmoving body. "Hurry up and get help."
**Few Minutes Earlier With Naruto's Clone**
About fifty feet away from where Naruto and Orochimaru were fighting, the ground suddenly cracked apart as a full-sized wood clone burst out of the soil. Dirt and pieces of earth fell from its clothes as it landed on its feet, but the clone barely took a second to orient itself before immediately taking off through the forest at full speed. The original's order was clear: get out of the Forest of Death, find Lord Hokage, and bring back as much help as possible. There was no reason to worry about concealing its presence anymore, so the clone pushed chakra into its legs and raced through the trees as quickly as it could.
It moved from branch to branch before eventually passing through the clearing where Naruto had fought the three Stone shinobi earlier. Their bodies remained exactly where the original had left them, one lying near a tree while another still had blood staining the ground beneath his neck. The clone spared them only a quick glance as it passed overhead. Whatever happened to their bodies was no longer Naruto's concern. One of the Legendary Sannin was currently trying to do something to the original, and every second the clone wasted was another second Naruto had to fight Orochimaru alone.
Several minutes later, Gate 27 finally came into view. The clone dropped from the trees and landed near the entrance before immediately noticing that something was wrong. The Chunin who had been stationed there when Naruto entered the forest was nowhere to be seen. The clone quickly looked around the area, but there was no sign of the man anywhere.
"Where the hell did he go?" the clone thought.
Naruto would have liked to know the answer, but he didn't have time to search for him. The clone immediately took off again, leaving Training Ground 44 behind as it raced towards the village.
Once it reached the populated sections of Konoha, the clone took to the rooftops and continued moving at full speed. Several civilians and shinobi looked up as Naruto raced past them, but he ignored every confused look directed his way. The Hokage Tower eventually came into view, and the clone jumped from the final rooftop before landing near the entrance and rushing straight inside.
Several shinobi standing in the lobby turned towards Naruto as he ran past them, but none had enough time to stop him before he reached the stairs. The clone quickly made its way to the floor containing the Hokage's office, taking several steps at a time before reaching the hallway. The secretary sitting outside the office looked up from her desk just in time to see Naruto running directly towards her.
"Naruto, wait"
The clone ran straight past her and threw open the doors.
"Lord Hokage!"
Naruto stopped when he found the office completely empty. The clone stared at the empty chair for a second before immediately turning around and walking back into the hallway, finding the secretary still sitting behind her desk and staring at him with a stunned expression after Naruto had suddenly stormed into the Hokage's office.
"Where's Lord Hokage?" Naruto asked.
The woman continued staring at him.
Naruto frowned.
"Where is Lord Hokage?"
The sharper tone finally snapped the woman out of her stupor.
"The council chambers," she answered quickly. "A council session was called earlier. He's downstairs."
"Thanks!"
The clone immediately took off towards the stairs before she could say anything else. Instead of going up, Naruto raced down towards the basement levels of the Hokage Tower, moving quickly enough that several shinobi he passed turned to watch him before continuing whatever they had been doing. Naruto ignored all of them as he reached the hallway leading towards the council chambers.
The large doors came into view, but Naruto didn't bother knocking or waiting for anyone to announce him. The clone pushed the doors open and burst directly into the chamber.
Every head in the room snapped towards him as several chairs scraped loudly against the floor. The shinobi side of the council immediately rose to their feet, with Hiruzen standing at the head of the chamber as his expression changed the moment he saw Naruto. Almost at the same time, several masked Anbu dropped from the shadows above and landed around the Hokage, placing themselves between him and the unexpected intruder. The civilian members of the council remained seated, most of them staring at Naruto in complete confusion.
"Naruto? What are you doing here?" Hiruzen asked as he narrowed his eyes. "You should be inside the Chunin Exams."
"I'm not the original," Naruto replied immediately. "I'm a wood clone."
Several people around the chamber visibly relaxed, but Naruto didn't give them time to ask any questions.
"Orochimaru is inside the Forest of Death," Naruto continued. "He's confronting the original right now."
The room went completely silent as nearly everyone inside the chamber froze, the meaning of Naruto's words settling over them. Several clan heads stared at him with widened eyes while others immediately became tense. Even Danzo showed a reaction, his visible eye widening slightly at the mention of Orochimaru.
"Are you certain?" Hiruzen asked as his expression immediately hardened.
"Completely," Naruto replied. "The original is fighting him right now."
Hiruzen immediately turned towards one of the masked shinobi standing beside him.
"Commander, mobilize the Anbu. I want every available squad sent into the Forest of Death immediately. Locate Orochimaru and reinforce Naruto."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
The Anbu commander disappeared in a blur before Hiruzen turned towards Shikaku Nara, who was already standing and waiting for his orders.
"Shikaku, mobilize the Jonin. Send teams into the Forest of Death from multiple gates and have them search for Orochimaru. Secure the genin inside the forest while you're at it."
"Understood," Shikaku replied with a nod.
The shinobi side of the council immediately began moving as clan heads and senior shinobi headed for the doors, their previous discussion completely forgotten. Hiruzen started to follow them before stopping and looking back at Naruto's clone.
"Naruto."
The clone looked towards him.
"Will the original be alright until we get there?"
Naruto was quiet for a moment before a small smile appeared across his face.
"I can't beat someone like Orochimaru yet," Naruto said before pausing for a moment. "But I can hold my own until you get there."
Hiruzen stared at him for a few seconds before nodding.
"Then hold on."
Naruto's smile widened slightly as Hiruzen turned and hurried after the other shinobi members of the council. The remaining Anbu disappeared with him, and within moments nearly the entire shinobi side of the chamber had emptied, leaving only the civilian representatives sitting around the table.
Naruto looked around at the civilians who were still staring at him before a smile slowly appeared across his face.
Then his body collapsed into a wooden log with a dull crack as the technique was released.
**With The Original Naruto**
Naruto stood in place, breathing slightly heavily as he stared through the path of broken trees created by his Rasengan. Orochimaru remained face down in the distance, his body lying across a pile of shattered trees without moving. Despite that, Naruto didn't lower his guard for even a second. His staff remained tightly gripped in one hand while his senses were stretched across the surrounding forest, searching for any movement or unfamiliar chakra that might indicate another attack was coming. He had already decided there was no chance one Rasengan had killed Orochimaru, but the longer the Sannin remained motionless, the more Naruto wondered exactly what he was waiting for.
The body suddenly jerked, causing Naruto to immediately tighten his grip around his staff as Orochimaru's head slowly turned towards him. His golden eyes were open, but something about them caused Naruto's stomach to twist slightly. They looked completely dead, almost like Naruto was staring at a corpse rather than one of the most dangerous shinobi alive. Then Orochimaru's mouth opened, his jaw continuing to stretch wider and wider, far beyond anything that should have been possible. For a moment, it looked like Orochimaru was choking or trying to cough something up before Naruto noticed something beginning to emerge from deep inside his mouth. At first, it looked like hair.
"What the hell is he doing now?"
More black hair appeared before the top of a head emerged from Orochimaru's mouth, causing Naruto's eyes to widen. Another Orochimaru slowly pulled himself from inside the body lying across the broken trees, his head emerging first before his shoulders and arms followed. His entire body was covered in a thick layer of slime as he continued dragging himself out of his previous body until he finally stood beside it completely unharmed. The entire process reminded Naruto of a snake shedding its skin, except Naruto was fairly certain watching an actual snake do it would have been considerably less disgusting. Naruto stared at him, genuinely having no words for what he had just witnessed. What concerned him more was the fact that every injury Orochimaru had suffered was gone. The hole Naruto had driven through his shoulder with the wind-coated staff had disappeared, and there wasn't a trace of the damage caused by the Rasengan that had torn into his back only moments earlier.
Orochimaru slowly rolled his shoulders before looking towards Naruto with an amused smile.
"That was quite clever," Orochimaru said. "Using a Shadow Clone to draw my attention towards my head while you traveled underground to attack my body. You nearly had me."
Naruto didn't respond. He simply stabbed his chakra-metal staff into the ground beside him and began weaving through hand seals. Orochimaru watched the movements with obvious interest, but Naruto's attention briefly shifted elsewhere when his senses picked up numerous powerful chakra signatures rapidly approaching their location. There were far too many of them to belong to Chunin Exam participants, and several were powerful enough that Naruto immediately knew help had finally arrived. A small sense of relief washed over him as he continued moving through the seals.
"About time."
Naruto finished with the Snake seal before locking eyes with Orochimaru.
"Wood Style: Multi Wood Dragon Jutsu!"
The ground around Orochimaru exploded apart as five enormous serpentine wooden dragons erupted from beneath the soil. Their massive bodies twisted upward through the air before surrounding the Sannin from every direction, each dragon turning its head towards him as they completely encircled the area. Orochimaru looked from one dragon to another before a wide grin slowly appeared across his face. This was what he had been waiting to see since approaching Naruto: the Wood Release.
Orochimaru turned towards Naruto, clearly preparing to say something, only for his expression to change when he saw thick wooden beams rapidly growing around the blonde. Naruto's Wood Release wrapped around his body from every direction, forming a solid wooden box around him. For the first time since their fight began, Orochimaru looked genuinely confused. His golden eyes moved towards the five massive wooden dragons surrounding him before returning to Naruto as the final opening in the wooden structure began closing. Naruto smirked at the Sannin before mouthing a single word.
"Boom."
The final wooden beam slammed into place as all five wooden dragons began glowing with a brilliant white light. Orochimaru's eyes widened just as the dragons exploded simultaneously. The resulting blast ripped through the Forest of Death with enough force to shake the ground throughout Training Ground 44. Trees within a hundred feet of the explosion were instantly torn apart while massive chunks of earth and shattered wood were thrown high into the air. The shockwave raced outward through the surrounding forest, snapping branches and shaking trees well beyond the immediate blast zone as a massive cloud of dirt, smoke, and debris rose above the canopy.
Several minutes passed before anything moved inside the newly formed crater. The wooden box near the center slowly split apart as Naruto pushed his way out from inside. Pieces of reinforced wood fell away from his body as he stepped onto the ruined ground and immediately began searching the area. His wooden shelter had protected him from the worst of the explosion, but he could still feel the strain from the fight beginning to catch up with him. There was no sign of Orochimaru, causing Naruto to extend his senses while looking through the debris until he noticed something lying nearby. He walked towards it before realizing it was another empty skin.
"You have got to be kidding me," Naruto muttered as he stared down at it. Orochimaru had done it again.
Naruto immediately expanded his senses farther and caught a powerful chakra signature traveling away from the battlefield at tremendous speed. At the same time, the large group of powerful signatures he had sensed earlier was rapidly approaching from the opposite direction.
"He sensed them," Naruto realized. "He shed his skin again and ran."
Naruto didn't bother pursuing him. Even if he had been at full strength, chasing Orochimaru through the forest alone would have been an incredibly stupid decision. Only a few minutes later, numerous figures began appearing around the crater. Hiruzen landed first alongside several members of the shinobi council, followed almost immediately by Jonin and masked Anbu who spread throughout the surrounding area. Naruto could sense even more shinobi remaining hidden among the trees.
"Naruto!" Hiruzen called as his eyes immediately moved over the blonde. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Naruto replied, breathing slightly heavily before raising one arm and pointing towards the far side of the crater. "Orochimaru went that way. I can still sense his chakra moving away from us."
Hiruzen immediately looked towards the Anbu commander and gave him a slight nod. The commander disappeared, with every visible Anbu following him a second later while Naruto sensed several dozen more chakra signatures hidden among the surrounding trees suddenly begin moving in the same direction. With Orochimaru being pursued, Hiruzen and the remaining shinobi finally had an opportunity to look around at the battlefield. The crater stretched nearly a hundred feet across with almost everything inside it destroyed. Trees had been ripped apart, the ground had been torn open, and broken pieces of wood covered nearly every part of the area.
"What happened here?" one of the Jonin asked as he stared around the crater. "How did you survive an attack like this?"
Naruto raised an eyebrow before chuckling sheepishly.
"That was actually mine."
Everyone turned towards him.
"Yours?" one of the clan heads repeated.
"Five exploding Wood Dragons," Naruto explained. "I put myself inside a wooden barrier before setting them off."
Several of the shinobi looked around at the destruction again with noticeably different expressions.
"You did this fighting Orochimaru?" another Jonin asked in disbelief. "You actually drove off one of the Legendary Sannin?"
"I wouldn't go that far," Naruto quickly replied as his expression became more serious. "I don't think Orochimaru was actually trying to kill me. If he wanted me dead, I think I'd be dead right now. The whole fight felt like he was testing me. He wanted to see what I could do."
Hiruzen's expression darkened slightly at that statement as one of the Jonin moving through the debris suddenly stopped near Orochimaru's abandoned skin.
"What the hell is this?" he asked in disgust.
Naruto glanced over at what the man was pointing towards.
"Orochimaru."
The Jonin slowly looked back at him.
"He crawled out of his own mouth," Naruto explained, causing several expressions around the crater to change.
"He did what?" someone asked.
"Exactly what I said," Naruto replied. "His mouth stretched open, another Orochimaru crawled out from inside him, and all the damage I'd done was gone." Naruto pointed towards the second skin lying among the debris. "I'm guessing he did it again after the explosion."
"Disgusting," Tsume muttered.
Before Naruto could agree, another chakra signature approached quickly before Yamato landed beside the group.
"Lord Hokage," Yamato said. "All remaining genin inside the Forest of Death have been secured. They've been ordered to remain in their current locations until we determine whether the threat has passed."
"Good," Hiruzen replied with a nod.
Naruto suddenly remembered something Orochimaru had said earlier.
"Wait," Naruto said, causing everyone to look towards him. "He wasn't only here for me. Orochimaru told me he had already visited Sasuke. He said he left him a gift before coming to find me."
The mood immediately changed again.
"What kind of gift?" Hiruzen asked.
"He didn't say." Hiruzen's eyes narrowed.
"Who has eyes on the Uchiha heir?"
"Genma's team secured Team 7," Yamato replied. "He's with them now."
"Then Sasuke is being removed from the exam," Hiruzen said immediately.
Several members of the shinobi council nodded in agreement before Inoichi frowned slightly.
"There could be a problem with that."
Hiruzen looked towards him.
"If we remove Sasuke while allowing everyone else to continue, the other villages may accuse us of interfering with the exam to protect one of our own," Inoichi explained. "Especially after an outside threat entered a stage being hosted inside our village."
Naruto frowned as he considered the argument. He didn't particularly like it, but Inoichi had a point. The Chunin Exams weren't only about promoting shinobi. They were an international event involving several hidden villages, and appearances mattered almost as much as what actually happened. If Konoha began pulling its own genin from danger while leaving foreign teams inside the forest, it could easily look like they were using the situation to weaken everyone else's forces while protecting their own.
"We can't just leave the boy alone either," Tsume said. "We don't even know what Orochimaru did to him."
Naruto thought for several seconds before speaking.
"What if we watch him?" Naruto suggested, causing the others to turn towards him. "Put an Anbu on Sasuke. Keep them hidden and have them follow Team 7. They don't interfere with the exam, and they don't help Sasuke if another participant is about to kill him. Their only job is to watch him and figure out what Orochimaru's gift was." Hiruzen remained silent as he considered Naruto's suggestion. Naruto continued. "Team 7 stays in the exam like everyone else. That way we're not protecting Sasuke from the other participants, and we get more information before deciding what to do."
Several members of the council exchanged looks.
"That could work," Inoichi admitted.
Tsume nodded reluctantly while Hiruzen remained silent for several more seconds, his expression suggesting that he already had some suspicion about what Orochimaru might have done.
"Very well," Hiruzen finally said. "We'll proceed that way."
Some time later, several Anbu returned to the crater with their commander appearing beside Hiruzen.
"Lord Hokage," the commander said. "Orochimaru escaped. We lost his trail outside the perimeter."
Hiruzen nodded, clearly having expected the possibility.
"We're changing priorities. I want an operative assigned to Sasuke Uchiha. Observation only unless Orochimaru's actions place him in immediate danger unrelated to the exam."
"Understood."
The commander raised one hand, and another masked Anbu appeared beside him. After receiving the details of the assignment, the operative disappeared towards Team 7's location before Hiruzen turned towards Yamato.
"Resume the second stage."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Yamato reached into his pouch and removed a flare before firing it high into the sky. An orange light exploded above the forest canopy, visible throughout Training Ground 44 and signaling the examiners that the second stage could continue.
"The Anbu will continue regular patrols throughout the forest until the second stage concludes," Hiruzen announced. "If Orochimaru returns, I want to know immediately."
The remaining shinobi nodded before gradually beginning to leave. Several wished Naruto luck before disappearing into the surrounding forest, while Hiruzen gave him one final look before following them. Eventually, Naruto was alone again, causing him to look towards the sky and notice the sun beginning to set beyond the trees before letting out a tired sigh. Between killing the Stone team and fighting Orochimaru, he had more than enough excitement for one day. He already had both scrolls, so there was no reason to rush towards the tower while exhausted.
"I need a break."
Naruto made his way out of the crater before traveling some distance away from the battlefield. After making sure there were no chakra signatures nearby, he stopped in a quiet section of the forest and placed both palms against the ground. Chakra flowed from his hands into the soil, causing the earth to begin trembling as a large tree rapidly burst from the ground in front of him. Its trunk thickened as it rose while branches spread outward overhead until the tree looked as though it had been growing in the Forest of Death for decades.
Naruto stood and ran one hand across the trunk, causing the bark to shift beneath his palm before the trunk split open like a door, revealing a hollow interior large enough for Naruto to comfortably sleep inside. Naruto stepped into the opening and turned around as the bark slowly began closing behind him. Within seconds, the tree sealed itself completely, leaving no indication from the outside that Naruto was there.
Inside the hollow tree, Naruto sat down against the curved wooden wall and allowed some of the tension to finally leave his shoulders. He had already decided that he wasn't going anywhere else that night. Between the Stone shinobi, Orochimaru, and everything that had happened since entering the Forest of Death, his body had taken more punishment than he originally expected during the first day of the second stage. He wasn't exhausted enough to simply collapse, but he knew better than to keep pushing himself when there was no reason to. Naruto placed one hand against the inside of the tree and channeled a small amount of chakra through the wood, causing several thick roots to grow upward from the ground before weaving together into a small wooden bed raised a few inches above the floor.
Before lying down, Naruto formed the familiar half-Ram seal.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" A single clone appeared beside him in a puff of smoke, only for Naruto to immediately nod towards it. The clone understood what he wanted and dispelled itself almost as quickly as it had appeared, allowing the memories of Naruto's location to spread to every remaining clone through their connection. If any of the clones he had sent throughout the forest earlier managed to acquire a scroll, they would now know exactly where to find the original.
Naruto stretched out across the wooden bed and folded his arms behind his head before closing his eyes. He didn't fall asleep, instead simply allowing his body to rest while keeping his senses spread throughout the immediate area. Even surrounded by his own Wood Release, Naruto wasn't comfortable enough to completely lower his guard inside the Forest of Death, especially after discovering Orochimaru had managed to enter the exam unnoticed.
Several hours passed before the trunk of the tree quietly parted open, revealing one of Naruto's Shadow Clones standing outside. Naruto opened one eye and watched as the clone stepped inside before placing its hand against the wood and sealing the entrance behind itself. Without saying anything, the clone walked over and reached into its equipment pouch before pulling out two Earth Scrolls and placing them into Naruto's waiting hand. Naruto raised an eyebrow slightly before the clone immediately disappeared in a puff of smoke, its memories joining his own.
The new memories showed him the encounters the clone had come across while scouting the forest, though Naruto didn't spend much time reviewing them. He already had both scrolls needed to complete the stage, meaning the two Earth Scrolls were little more than extras for the moment. Still, they could become useful depending on who he encountered later. Naruto activated the storage seal on his wrist and sealed both scrolls away before settling back onto the wooden bed and closing his eyes once more.
The rest of the night passed without incident.
By the time Naruto finally sat up from the wooden bed the following morning, the sun had already been above the forest for several hours. He rubbed one hand over his face before stretching his arms above his head, in no real rush to get moving since the main objective of the second stage had already been completed. He had both a Heaven and Earth Scroll waiting inside the storage seal on his wrist, and there were still several days remaining before the time limit expired.
Naruto unsealed some of the rations he had packed before entering the forest and ate a simple breakfast while sitting on the edge of the wooden bed. He had nearly finished when the memories of one of his clones suddenly entered his mind, immediately telling him that another clone had been dispelled. The memories played through his head almost instantly, showing him another part of the forest several kilometers away where Team 10 had encountered Sakura and the rest of Team 7.
Sakura stood exhausted and wounded in front of her two unconscious teammates while Ino stood directly in front of her, with Shikamaru and Choji positioned on either side as all three faced a team of Sound genin. Naruto's clone had been secretly following Team 10 from a distance, keeping watch without interfering unless absolutely necessary, but Naruto barely focused on the Sound shinobi as he replayed the memory.
His attention remained on Ino.
She stood in front of Sakura despite clearly knowing how dangerous the situation had become, her posture tense but determined as she faced the Sound team with Shikamaru and Choji beside her. The memory suddenly shifted when his clone sensed something else, causing it to turn towards Sasuke's unconscious body as an incredibly foul yet powerful chakra began leaking from the Uchiha. Sasuke had only just started regaining consciousness when the clone decided it had seen enough and dispelled itself to immediately return the information to Naruto.
Naruto's expression became serious as he stood from the wooden bed.
"That has to be Orochimaru's gift."
Naruto kicked off the ground at full speed, not even bothering to open the tree normally as he smashed directly through the trunk and left a large hole behind. Branches blurred past him as he moved from tree to tree at top speed, heading directly towards the location contained in the clone's memories. Naruto didn't doubt that Team 10 could hold their own against the Sound genin. Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino were far from helpless, and the three of them worked together better than most teams Naruto had seen. It was the foul chakra coming from Sasuke that worried him.
As Naruto closed the distance, he began sensing the chakra for himself. There was something almost poisonous about it, and it was far more powerful than anything he remembered sensing from Sasuke before, causing Naruto's eyes to narrow as he immediately increased his speed.
By the time Naruto reached the clearing, the situation had already changed dramatically. Two members of the Sound team were unconscious, with the girl lying motionless across the forest floor with a large bruise forming across her face while the second Sound shinobi looked considerably worse. Both of his arms were bent backward at unnatural angles, and blood leaked from the corner of his mouth as he lay face down in the dirt. Standing over him was Sasuke, a sadistic smirk stretched across his face while strange black flame-like markings covered large portions of his body. The foul chakra Naruto had sensed earlier rolled off him in waves, far stronger now that he was standing nearby.
The lone remaining member of the Sound team stood several feet away, staring at Sasuke with obvious fear, though Naruto noticed something else in his expression as well. Recognition. It looked like the Sound shinobi understood exactly what was happening to Sasuke.
Standing off to the side were Sakura, Team 10, and an injured Rock Lee, while Neji and Tenten watched from the branches of a nearby tree. Every one of them was staring at Sasuke with varying levels of shock and concern, though Sakura looked the worst. She stared at the boy she had obsessed over since childhood, but there wasn't any admiration in her expression now. There was fear. Not fear that Sasuke would attack her, but fear that whatever was happening to him might change him forever.
Naruto landed in the clearing, immediately drawing everyone's attention towards him. Ino's eyes widened when she saw him, a look of relief washing across her face.
"Naruto!" she called out, her tone making it obvious how happy she was to see him.
Naruto glanced towards her and gave her a small smile before turning his attention back towards Sasuke. The Uchiha stared at him for several seconds before the smirk on his face grew wider as he turned fully towards Naruto.
"Look who finally showed up," Sasuke said as his Sharingan spun in both eyes. "Did you come running to save your little bitch?"
Ino stared at him in shock while Naruto's expression barely changed, though his eyes narrowed slightly.
Sasuke either didn't notice or didn't care.
"You've been walking around like you're better than everyone since you came back to the village," Sasuke continued as the black markings spread farther across his skin. "All that power, all that training, everyone talking about Naruto Senju like you're something special." The foul chakra around him surged as his smirk grew wider. "I can feel it now. This power is on an entirely different level. I've surpassed you, Naruto."
Naruto remained silent as Sasuke disappeared from where he was standing and rushed towards him with impressive speed. Several people in the clearing gasped as the Uchiha crossed the distance between them, his Sharingan fully activated while he pulled one fist back and aimed directly for Naruto's face. Even with whatever boost Orochimaru's gift had given him, Sasuke was still too slow.
Naruto easily slipped inside his guard before the punch came anywhere close to landing and drove his knee directly into Sasuke's stomach. The combination of Sasuke's own momentum and the force behind Naruto's strike folded him around Naruto's knee, knocking all of the air from his lungs as his eyes widened and a small amount of blood left his mouth.
"Know your place," Naruto said quietly in a menacing tone as he stared directly into Sasuke's Sharingan. "And don't ever call Ino a bitch again."
Naruto pulled his knee away before driving the edge of his hand into the back of Sasuke's neck, immediately knocking him unconscious. Sasuke's body hit the forest floor as the foul chakra surrounding him began fading almost immediately. The black flame-like markings covering his skin slowly receded as well, drawing back across his body until they disappeared beneath the collar of his shirt.
Naruto frowned before kneeling beside him and pulling Sasuke's collar back slightly, revealing a strange mark on the side of his neck. Three black tomoe formed a circular pattern against his skin, looking vaguely similar to the Sharingan. Naruto stared at the mark for several seconds in confusion, having never seen anything like it before.
"What the hell did Orochimaru put on him?"
Naruto released Sasuke's collar before standing and turning towards the remaining Sound shinobi. The boy visibly stiffened as Naruto approached him.
"Your scroll."
The Sound genin didn't hesitate, immediately reaching into his pouch and pulling out a Heaven Scroll before holding it towards Naruto. Naruto took it and looked down at the scroll briefly before returning his attention to the boy.
"Take your teammates and get lost while I'm still feeling generous."
The Sound genin nodded rapidly before moving towards his unconscious teammates while Naruto turned back towards the Leaf genin.
"Which scroll do you need?"
"Earth," Shikamaru replied after glancing towards Ino and Choji.
Naruto activated the storage seal on his wrist and unsealed the two Earth Scrolls his clone had delivered during the night. He tossed one towards Shikamaru before throwing the second towards Sakura. "That should cover both teams."
Sakura caught the scroll and looked down at it before smiling slightly.
"Thanks."
Naruto nodded before glancing towards Neji and Tenten, who had climbed down from the tree and were now helping support the injured Lee.
"You three need a Heaven Scroll?"
Neji remained silent as he stared at Naruto, causing Tenten to answer instead.
"Yeah."
Naruto tossed her the Heaven Scroll he had just taken from the Sound genin, which Tenten caught with a surprised look on her face. With all three teams now having the scrolls they needed, Naruto's attention shifted towards the hollow tree where Sakura had apparently been sheltering during the night. One member of Team 7 was still lying inside.
"Sai," Naruto called out as he stared into the darkness, receiving no response. "How much longer are you planning on pretending to be unconscious?"
Several heads turned towards the tree as a few seconds passed before Sai finally opened his eyes and calmly sat up as if nothing had happened. Sakura's face immediately turned red when she realized what he had been doing.
"You were awake?!" Sakura yelled.
Sai stepped out of the hollow tree wearing his usual fake smile. "I was conserving energy."
"CONSERVING ENERGY?!"
Naruto shook his head while Shikamaru sighed.
"What a drag."
Once Sakura finished shouting at Sai, Naruto looked around at the gathered Leaf genin.
"I'm heading to the tower," Naruto announced. "All of you have the scrolls you need now, so you can come with me if you want."
"We'll pass," Neji immediately replied, causing Naruto to look towards him. "We'll reach the tower ourselves."
Naruto shrugged. "Suit yourself."
"We're coming," Ino said almost immediately.
Shikamaru nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Traveling in a bigger group sounds less troublesome right now."
Choji agreed as well, while Sakura glanced towards her unconscious teammate before nodding. "We'll come too."
Naruto turned towards Sai.
"Since you're so well rested, you can carry Sasuke."
Sai gave him his usual artificial smile. "Of course."
The group began moving shortly afterward, with Sai carrying the unconscious Sasuke while Sakura stayed close beside him and Shikamaru and Choji traveled nearby. Ino remained beside Naruto for almost the entire journey. They stopped every couple of hours to rest, eat and check Sasuke's condition, but the strange mark remained on his neck without the black markings returning, and Naruto couldn't sense the foul chakra again.
Most of the journey passed quietly, though the group occasionally talked amongst themselves as they traveled. Ino repeatedly tried to get more details from Naruto about what had happened since entering the forest, causing Naruto to tell them about acquiring both scrolls and briefly mention fighting the Stone team, though he left out several details and said even less about Orochimaru. Naruto originally remained alert for other participants who might attempt to steal their scrolls, but no one approached them throughout the journey. He eventually assumed their numbers were enough to discourage anyone from trying. Any team capable of sensing them probably decided that attacking several Leaf teams traveling together wasn't worth the risk.
By the time the central tower finally appeared through the trees, everyone looked relieved. They entered through one of the large doors and found themselves inside a decent-sized room that was completely empty. Naruto looked around before noticing an inscription hanging on one wall that seemed to be telling them to open both scrolls.
"Looks like we're supposed to open the scrolls," Naruto said.
"Seems that way," Shikamaru replied.
Each team removed their Heaven and Earth Scrolls before opening them simultaneously, causing smoke to immediately fill the room as Naruto instinctively stepped back. When the smoke cleared, three figures were standing in front of them. Yamato stood in front of Naruto, Asuma appeared in front of Team 10, and Kakashi stood beside Team 7.
"Congratulations," Yamato said as he looked towards Naruto with a slight smile. "You passed the second stage."
Asuma gave Team 10 a similar announcement, but Kakashi barely finished speaking before his attention shifted towards the unconscious Sasuke hanging across Sai's back. His visible eye narrowed as he stepped forward.
"I'll take him."
Sai handed Sasuke over without argument before Kakashi lifted him and looked towards Sakura and Sai.
"You two are coming with me."
Sakura immediately followed while Sai gave everyone another fake smile before walking behind them. Naruto watched as the three disappeared through one of the hallways inside the tower.
"They're probably going to have that mark looked at," Naruto thought. "Or they're taking him straight to Lord Hokage."
Yamato stepped closer to Naruto and Team 10.
"There are still three days remaining before the second stage officially ends," Yamato explained. "Until then, everyone who has completed the stage is required to remain inside the tower. There are rooms available for participants, along with showers, medical facilities, and a cafeteria."
Naruto and Team 10 collectively let out sighs of relief, though Choji's expression immediately brightened at the mention of the cafeteria. After everything that had happened in the Forest of Death, Naruto couldn't complain about spending the next three days resting inside the tower.
**Chapter End**
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