Orochimaru

Hearing Anko say that, Sakura subconsciously asked, "So that means the remaining thirteen teams will be eliminated?"

Anko nodded. "That's right. But it has to happen within the allotted time. The second exam lasts one hundred and twenty hours. You'll be competing for a full five days."

However, upon hearing that the exam would last five days, the food-loving Akimichi Choji immediately asked, "Then what about food and water?"

Anko did not take Choji's question seriously. "Provide for yourselves. The wilderness is a natural treasure trove. There's plenty of food."

But just as Anko finished speaking, Yakushi Kabuto refuted her. "What about man-eating beasts, poisonous insects, and toxic plants everywhere?"

"Hehe~" Anko said with a strange expression. "In the scroll-grabbing competition, people won't just get hurt. There will be deaths as well. What are a few poisonous bugs worth worrying about?"

Then Shikamaru raised his hand and asked, "Can we give up midway?"

Anko looked at Shikamaru and said seriously, "According to the rules, giving up midway is strictly forbidden. You'll spend those five days in the forest."

Shikamaru rubbed his forehead and shook his head. "Just as I thought. What a troublesome exam."

Anko stopped looking at him and addressed everyone. "As for the conditions for elimination: first, any team that fails to reach the Central Tower within the allotted time with all three members carrying both the Heaven and Earth scrolls. Second, any team that loses a member or has a member unable to act. Finally, there's one additional rule: you must never look at the contents of either scroll before reaching the Central Tower. Otherwise, the consequences won't be something you want to see."

Anko continued, "If you become Chunin, you may have the chance to come into contact with top-secret documents. This is a test of whether you're trustworthy. All right, once you've signed the three consent forms, you can exchange them over there for a random scroll, then choose the entrance you'll use. Your entire team must set off together."

"Ah~ I'm exhausted." After saying so much in one breath, the naturally lively Mitarashi Anko let out a long sigh. "One last piece of advice: don't die."

Everyone received a consent form and went off to read and sign it. When Sasuke saw that the scroll exchange area was hidden behind curtains, he immediately understood. "I see. The type of scroll each team receives, as well as which of the three members keeps it, are things no one else knows. Just like Ibiki-sensei said, in this exam, people will risk their lives to obtain intelligence. Everyone here will be an enemy. And judging by how determined these people are, they might even kill each other."

When it was time to exchange scrolls, everyone entered the curtained area in groups of three to receive their scrolls, then were assigned to an entrance and led inside by the person in charge.

At Anko's command, the rookies all rushed into the Forest of Death. What they did not know was that some ninja specifically targeted rookies like them.

Less than a few minutes after it began, every team was looking for somewhere to hide, hoping to avoid being discovered by enemies right away. After all, they had to spend five days in the Forest of Death. No one wanted to enter combat so quickly.

The most relaxed team was probably Hinata's. After all, all three of them were sensory-type ninja, so finding enemies was effortless. Sure enough, right after the exam began, they used the terrain and insect habits to easily take down a nameless team and claim the first kill.

Compared to the tension among the other teams, Naruto's group seemed completely out of place in this tense environment. They strolled through the forest, and Naruto even wanted to take out lunch and have a picnic.

Naruto's sightseeing squad was making its way toward the Central Tower when they were startled by the dying screams of the team Hinata's group had taken out first.

"Oh, it's started already? It hasn't even been ten minutes, has it?" Naruto stopped with his hands behind his head.

Sakura spoke up. "Hey, Naruto, can't you be a little more nervous? You're making me feel like I'm out on a trip too. There's no tension at all."

"Eh, what's wrong with that? Do we really have to fight to the death for it to be good?" Naruto asked in confusion.

Sasuke watched them without speaking. He was still thinking about what Wu Liang had told him the previous night, his eyes absentmindedly sweeping the surroundings. That disgusting guy from the Grass Ninja Village... Didn't A Liang say he'd come looking for us as soon as we entered? Why hasn't he appeared?

Sakura, whose attention had always been on Sasuke, noticed his distraction as well. "What's wrong, Sasuke? Did you spot an enemy?"

Sasuke, who had been lost in thought, instantly snapped awake at Sakura's question. He shook his head. "No, I just have something on my mind. By the way, Sakura, Naruto, if you run into anyone from the Grass Ninja Village, get as far away as you can. I'll find you later."

Naruto's smile faded when he heard Sasuke speak so seriously. He asked doubtfully, "Sasuke, why do we have to run if we encounter people from the Grass Ninja Village? Are they that strong? Even if they are, if we join forces, there probably aren't many people in this forest who can stand against us."

Sasuke's expression immediately turned serious. "No, you don't understand, Naruto. That person isn't someone we can stand against."

Sasuke recalled the information Wu Liang had handed him before leaving the night before. When he had read about that person's deeds and strength, he had been extremely afraid. After all, he was going to encounter him today, and Sasuke could not guarantee that the man would spare Naruto and Sakura.

What he did not know was that from the moment the three of them entered the Forest of Death, Orochimaru had already set his sights on them. Along the way, he had even helped them deal with a Rain Ninja who had wanted to cause them trouble.

Because of Sasuke's words, the trio continued forward, but their initial laziness was gone. Naruto in particular glared at Sasuke irritably. It was the first time he had felt that a teammate did not trust his strength. Moreover, no matter what he asked, Sasuke refused to answer, only telling him to run if they encountered people from the Grass Ninja Village. It drove him crazy.

Sakura felt the same way. She had already been the weakest member of the team, and now that Sasuke had pointed it out so bluntly, she could not help feeling deeply dejected.

Just then, Sasuke, who was walking ahead, looked to the side. Before he could warn Naruto and Sakura, Naruto was sent flying by a powerful blast of wind pressure, while Sasuke and Sakura were also swept aside by the shockwave.

Sasuke calmed Sakura down, hid her behind a patch of bushes, and looked toward where the wind pressure had come from.

Clap, clap, clap. "Not bad~ Very sharp observation, but your strength is a little lacking." The moment Sasuke looked up, he saw a Grass Ninja wearing a straw hat walking toward him, praising him as he came.

As soon as the Grass Ninja stopped, Sasuke grabbed Sakura and flung her behind him, shouting, "Sakura, remember what I said. Find Naruto and take him away. I'll come find you."

Sakura had no time to react before Sasuke threw her toward where Naruto had disappeared. The Grass Ninja—Orochimaru—did nothing to stop Sasuke's little move. After all, Sasuke was the only one he wanted.

"Hehehe, it seems you know something." Orochimaru looked at Sasuke, his tongue casually licking the corner of his mouth.

Seeing Orochimaru's disgusting habit, Sasuke finally understood why A Liang had called Orochimaru a disgusting guy. Hearing Orochimaru's question, Sasuke subconsciously nodded. "Someone told me about you, and said that you could help me become stronger."

Orochimaru frowned at Sasuke's answer. Has someone discovered my plan? Or is this a trap?

Countless thoughts ran through Orochimaru's mind, but his expression did not change. "Oh? Who told you? Can you tell me?"

Sasuke had no intention of answering him. "Don't try to pry information out of me. That person only told me information about you. He didn't tell anyone in the village. Just tell me whether you can help me become stronger."

After hearing Sasuke's words, the unease in Orochimaru's heart lessened somewhat. That was why he did not get angry at Sasuke's rudeness. "It seems the person who told you about me knows me very well. They even knew I came to offer you guidance."

Sasuke looked at Orochimaru. After receiving his confirmation, he said, "I know he wouldn't harm me, but I still want to test your strength first and see whether you're qualified to guide me."

After saying that, Sasuke rapidly formed hand seals. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

However, Orochimaru did not move at all in response to Sasuke's Great Fireball Technique, allowing the fireball to engulf him. Once the flames passed, Orochimaru crawled out of the charred shell and said, "Oh my, the power is quite good. It just needs improvement. But why do you Uchiha always start with the Great Fireball Technique? It isn't easy to hit anyone with, and it consumes too much Chakra. In real combat, it won't have much effect. At best, it can be used to block an enemy's escape route."

Sasuke had been happy that his attack had landed, but when he saw Orochimaru crawl out of that corpse's mouth, he felt sick to his stomach. He really is a disgusting guy.

Then, ignoring Orochimaru's teasing of the Uchiha clan, Sasuke threw a Shuriken and continued forming hand seals. "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

The Shuriken flying toward Orochimaru was instantly wrapped in Phoenix Flower flames and continued hurtling toward him without losing speed. Sasuke did this because although the Phoenix Flower Jutsu covered a wide area, its flames traveled slowly. By wrapping them around Shuriken, he could use the weapons to accelerate them.

Orochimaru had clearly discovered the secret of Sasuke's technique as well. Dodging while praising him, he said, "Aha, not bad. You actually came up with that. It's quite useful."

Orochimaru was too fast; landing a ninjutsu attack on him was simply too difficult. Sasuke did not hesitate. He immediately activated his Sharingan, then hurled a kunai at the dodging Orochimaru. Because Orochimaru was not taking him seriously and Sasuke's Sharingan had caught him off guard, the kunai ultimately struck Orochimaru. But Orochimaru was undeniably Shadow Level. With a bang, the Orochimaru Sasuke had hit instantly turned into a piece of wood.

"Damn it, the Substitution Technique."

Orochimaru had vanished, but Sasuke could not find him. Even with his Sharingan activated, he could not detect any trace of him.

Just as Sasuke widened his eyes and searched for Orochimaru, Orochimaru crawled out from the mouth of a small snake not far behind him. Looking at Sasuke's back, Orochimaru remarked, "Just as expected of the Sharingan on par with Uchiha Itachi's. If I let my guard down, I could still get hit."

The moment Orochimaru crawled out, Sasuke sensed him. He turned around and said to Orochimaru, "You're really disgusting."

However, Orochimaru did not care about Sasuke's mockery. "So what if it's disgusting? As long as it works."