It's about to end.
Not far away, Orochimaru looked at Sarutobi Enjun and shook his head in regret.
Sarutobi Enjun's performance was actually excellent; apart from an obvious lack of experience, his overall ability already surpassed most ordinary Genin. It simply hadn't reached a level that could truly impress Orochimaru.
He had graduated from the Ninja Academy at six and become a Jonin at fourteen. Compared with Orochimaru at the same age, Sarutobi Enjun was clearly far behind.
"Orochimaru-sensei, Enjun obviously still has strength left. Are we ending it just like this?"
Uzuki Ruri had long since gotten over being the first one eliminated. At the moment, she was holding a few edible wild fruits she had just picked nearby, asking Orochimaru curiously.
"He's used every move more than once; his combat thinking and awareness are only average. Nothing new can be seen, so we can end it here. Besides… time is running short. I still need to use what's left to take a personal look at Uchiha Gen's performance."
For Orochimaru, besides letting the students experience a simulated battlefield escape for the first time, the purpose of this test was to observe their individual abilities. This included combat focus, battle instincts, tactical skill, and more.
Sarutobi Enjun had shown pretty much everything he could; naturally, it was time to finish.
"Stop. Take out the bell, Enjun."
Orochimaru's voice reached Sarutobi Enjun's ears from afar, and the surrounding swarm of snakes suddenly withdrew.
"It's not over—I can keep fighting all day…"
Smack!
After a crisp knock on the head, Sarutobi Enjun toppled with a huge lump on his crown.
For Orochimaru, instantly dropping a Genin was child's play—even one like Sarutobi Enjun, whose actual combat strength was outstanding despite his lack of experience. Even combat units below Jonin level would have little chance to fight back against someone of Orochimaru's caliber. The only reason he had toyed with Uchiha Gen and the others for so long was that this was merely a training exercise with a difficulty level tailored for rookie Genin.
At least, it was not beyond the level Orochimaru deemed acceptable for students worthy of becoming his disciples.
"Let's go. Less than twenty minutes left; we need to speed up."
Orochimaru signaled the Two-Headed Snake to carry Sarutobi Enjun on its back, then formed hand seals and dropped to the ground.
"Summoning: Myriad Snake Net Array!"
Countless huge pythons surged outward from Orochimaru in a dense tide, moving far faster than the ordinary snakes from before.
Uchiha Gen could certainly run; even now, he was using Ninja Crows to carry objects with his scent and dart about the forest, misleading Orochimaru. If Orochimaru kept searching at his previous leisurely pace, there was no telling how long it would take to catch the cunning brat. It was time to get serious.
"Now that Enjun's out, the snakes have multiplied and turned more aggressive."
Within minutes, Uchiha Gen, racing through the woods, noticed the change.
The Forest of Death naturally hosted many serpents, including some enormous ones. But now their numbers had clearly spiked; several snakes within his sensory range even carried strong chakra reactions, attacking the moment they spotted him.
These snakes, steeped in rich natural energy from Ryūchi Cave, were different from ordinary Forest of Death serpents even without mastering Sage Arts. They slithered at tremendous speed and shot through the air like the wind, almost flying. Their bodies were hard as iron and stone, possessing formidable vitality.
Uchiha Gen had to hurl a kunai with full force to kill one; some still thrashed even after being pinned to trunks or the ground.
Even more unsettling, other snakes would help the impaled ones, gripping the kunai with their fangs to pull it free. The swarm moved with organized coordination—some acted as decoys, some ambushed from the flanks, and others provided rear support.
Clearly, these serpents possessed high intelligence; some pythons might even have been trained to use pheromones to direct the rest. Without doubt, Orochimaru was taking things much more seriously now. Full power was impossible, but the difficulty had definitely risen.
Sneaking around, hiding his presence, and breaking through quickly—as he had done before—was no longer feasible. The snakes were too numerous, coordinated, strong, and fast. Uchiha Gen doubted he could shake them off with his current strength.
Orochimaru clearly intended to force him out of hiding.
He dismissed the Ninja Crows circling beside him, sending them back to the forest where the Uchiha raised them. Their strength was insufficient for anything more than a warning; against these serpents, given their speed and the dense terrain, the crows might be killed before he could unsummon them.
Fortunately, after circling for so long, Uchiha Gen had memorized the route and was familiar with the surrounding terrain, allowing him to pick a suitable escape path quickly.
He flung several shuriken, clapped his hands in a seal, and condensed a blast of wind to push them forward.
"Wind Style: Gale Palm!"
He hadn't yet fully mastered the jutsu; in real combat, it was only a prototype, unusable against an equal opponent. Though the wind pressure wasn't strong, its direction was fixed and its range large—perfect for accelerating thrown ninja tools and boosting their power.
The empowered shuriken shot like bullets, instantly piercing several pythons blocking his path.
Uchiha Gen sprinted forward, bursting through the encirclement.
Run he must.
He hadn't forgotten Orochimaru's promised reward. A jutsu that came from the Snake Sannin couldn't be too shabby, could it? Especially from the present Orochimaru, who had yet to sever his bonds, betray Konoha, or begin his descent into darkness.
Uchiha Gen couldn't help but be tempted.
He dashed in the opposite direction of the coordinates his crows had relayed earlier. Every extra second counted.
Behind him, the dense tide of snakes surged like a moving calamity. Under such terrifying momentum, the beasts of the Forest of Death fled, insects hid, and birds took flight.