This cryptic remark left Naruto and Sasuke stunned.
"Yao, what's wrong? Who's there?" Naruto looked in the same direction but saw nothing. Sasuke immediately activated his Sharingan, focusing his senses. However, besides the trees, he couldn't perceive any distinct presence.
"Do you feel it?" Yao looked at Karin.
"I... I..." Karin began to tremble violently. Her small face turned deathly pale, and her eyes widened in terror behind her thick lenses. She involuntarily took a step back, staring in that direction as if she were looking at a demon from hell.
"Hey! What's wrong with you?" Naruto asked quickly. Sasuke also shifted his gaze from the woods back to Karin, his expression growing grimmer and filled with confusion. What on earth could make this woman this terrified?
Karin's voice shook. "There... over there... such a terrifying... chakra..."
Hearing this, Sasuke and Naruto immediately raised their guard, pulling out their kunai and staring warily at the spot. They didn't know how Karin could sense chakra, but the Forest of Death was full of peril; they couldn't afford to be careless.
"Hehehe..."
A raspy, cold, and eerie laugh drifted over, accompanied by a bone-chilling echo. The laugh alone seemed to carry a physical chill, causing the surrounding temperature to drop several degrees.
Under their watchful eyes, a figure wearing a wide straw hat stepped out of the shadows. She wore a Hidden Sound headband and a loose-fitting robe, her face hidden in the shadows of the hat. All they could see was a long tongue—like a snake's—constantly licking her lips. The tongue was bright red, carrying a greed reminiscent of a predator inspecting its prey.
The hat tilted up slightly, revealing golden vertical pupils that swept over the shivering Karin. "Red hair? Are you a brat from the Uzumaki clan?" The gaze then moved to Naruto before finally settling on Yao and Sasuke.
When those golden pupils saw the tomoe in Sasuke's eyes, they lit up.
"Interesting... truly interesting... the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and two survivors of the Uchiha! Now, add an Uzumaki descendant to the mix... Keke-ke!"
Orochimaru's laughter suddenly pitched higher, filled with a fanaticism and cruelty akin to finding rare experimental subjects. "This Chunin Exam is far too interesting! You've truly given me a grand surprise!"
Orochimaru was laughing, but Sasuke and Naruto's faces turned pale, their eyes filled with dread.
Killing Intent.
A killing intent so thick it was almost tangible, like an invisible sledgehammer slamming into their psypsche. They felt as if their bodies no longer belonged to them; even breathing became difficult. Their legs felt as if they were filled with lead, rooted to the spot, unable to move. Karin had already collapsed, her entire body shaking.
Among the four, only Yao remained standing tall, his expression calm. He looked at the approaching figure, completely unaffected.
"Orochimaru, you are one of the legendary Sannin after all. We shouldn't be 'bullying the youth while they're poor,'" Yao said calmly. "Lest when we retaliate in the future, you'll claim we're bullying the elderly!"
Orochimaru can act arrogant for now, but once Naruto and Sasuke grow up, either of them could easily crush him.
"Hmm?" Orochimaru paused visibly, his long tongue stopping mid-lick. His golden snake-like eyes flickered with surprise as they landed on Yao.
"Oh? It seems my reputation is still quite resonant. Even a little Konoha brat like you knows who I am? However, I am curious... how did you recognize me? My current appearance doesn't exactly match the one on the wanted posters, does it?"
"It's quite simple, really," Yao's tone remained relaxed, even carrying a hint of disdain. "In the entire shinobi world, is there anyone else besides you, Orochimaru, who can be this disgusting?"
The reason was blunt, crude, and even somewhat insulting, but it was unexpectedly... impossible to argue with.
Orochimaru froze for a second, seemingly not expecting such a "physical appearance-based" attack for an answer. Then, he let out a deeper, more rasping laugh.
"What an interesting brat... Since you know it's me, aren't you afraid?" Orochimaru's voice was like a snake's hiss. His killing intent condensed further, like a freezing tide. Being personally insulted by a kid had actually made Orochimaru quite angry.
"Afraid? Of course I'm afraid!" Yao's lips curled. "But more than being afraid of you, Orochimaru... I really want to... take you down!"
"Oh?" Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. "I'd like to see where a brat like you gets the nerve to have such an arrogant thought!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Orochimaru's figure vanished without warning!
In the next heartbeat, he appeared like a ghost behind Yao. A ferocious giant snake shot out from his wide sleeve like lightning. It instantly coiled around Yao, tightening with a bone-chilling creak. Orochimaru extended his long tongue, his cold voice whispering in Yao's ear: "You're too slow, brat!"
"Is that so?" Yao smiled.
Chidori Current!
CRACKLE!!!!
A blinding, dazzling burst of azure lightning erupted from Yao's entire body like a volcanic eruption. The brown snake coiling around him took the brunt of it, convulsing violently before charring, carbonizing, and turning into ash instantly. Orochimaru, being inches away, was struck directly by the lightning.
"Ugh!" Orochimaru let out a muffled groan, his body trembling violently within the electricity. His skin charred and cracked, his hair stood on end, and he quickly transformed into a scorched corpse.
Thud! The blackened "Orochimaru" fell backward onto the ground. Then, it dissolved into a puddle of muddy water, quickly soaking into the earth.
"Is... is he dead?" Naruto looked at the water mark on the ground with a mix of shock and joy, his voice trembling.
"No!" Yao dispersed the lightning around him, his gaze calmly scanning the surroundings. "If the legendary Orochimaru were that easy to kill, he wouldn't deserve the name!
Due to 'version updates' in the series, Orochimaru might lose his prestige as a boss later on, but in terms of survival skills, few in the shinobi world can rival 'Uncle Snake'!
Sure enough...
Hiss, hiss, hiss!!!
A scalp-numbing hiss of snakes suddenly erupted. In the next instant, under the horrified gazes of Sasuke, Naruto, and Karin, the ground in front of them exploded.
Amidst the flying soil, a giant python thicker than a water tank, covered in deep brown scales, lunged out from beneath the earth. Its body reared up high, cold reptilian eyes looking down at everyone with a flickering scarlet tongue. The giant snake then opened its maw wide, dripping with slime, and a wet figure slowly crawled out.
It was Orochimaru!
His body seemed boneless, sliding out of the snake's mouth in a way that defied the laws of physics before landing steadily. His golden vertical pupils locked onto Yao again, his long tongue licking the corner of his mouth as he spoke with undisguised admiration:
"Impressive Lightning Style... is that Kakashi's Chidori? No! It's not a simple Chidori! It's a shape transformation of it! To think of countering instantly in such a manner. Little brat, you're making me more and more interested!"
"Blegh... So disgusting! How is this guy still not dead!?" Naruto and Sasuke felt their stomachs churn. At the same time, they were terrified by this eerie, near-immortal ability. It was too sinister!
Yao had long expected this. "I appreciate the compliment, Senior Orochimaru."
"Hehehe..." Orochimaru laughed deeply, his long tongue slowly licking his lips again. "Then... let me see if you can bring me even more... surprises."
Before his voice had even faded, Orochimaru lunged forward, pressing himself against the ground, and opened his mouth wide: "Ninja Art: Many Snakes Formation!"