The Plot in the Forest of Death

"Oh~" Zi Xu wore an expression of dawning understanding. So they really had come to copy the answers.

He glanced around. Good grief, he was getting a firsthand look at how the Eight Immortals crossed the sea, each showing off their own powers.

Some openly used the Byakugan to see through things, some used barking dogs to pass signals, and some cheated with all kinds of tools. Of course, there were also those who simply sat there in a daze without answering a single question.

The proctors weren't pushovers, either. The first test was meant to allow cheating, but directly bribing a proctor for the answers went too far. They wouldn't tolerate such blatant cheating. They took the money, disqualified the cheaters, and gave them a taste of the darkness of the ninja world.

"Everyone, you're almost done, right?" Morino Ibiki asked with a smile, seeing that quite a few candidates had been driven out of the exam room. But the scars all over his face only made his smile more frightening.

"You can choose whether or not to answer the final question, but there are additional rules for this one."

"If you choose to answer the final question and get it wrong, you'll be disqualified immediately and will never be allowed to take the Chunin Ninja Exams again. If you give up, your entire team will be disqualified, but you'll be allowed to take the exam next year..."

Zi Xu was starting to lose patience. This grown man was dragging it out so much. Just answer already. Hurry up.

"I... I give up..." One by one, quite a few candidates buckled under the pressure and chose to forfeit. Some questioned whether Morino Ibiki had the authority to make such a decision, but he said that in this exam, he was the rules.

"So the question itself had nothing to do with it..." Zi Xu's team strolled out of the classroom with ease. The exam had gone just as they expected. It was simply a test of a ninja's courage. Any ninja who stayed and refused to forfeit had passed, even if they'd handed in a blank paper.

"Hmm? What are you looking at?" Zi Xu had a feeling someone was watching him, so he casually called out, flushing them out at once.

"Tch."

"It's you." Zi Xu looked over at the Gourd Baby, who was leaning against the wall with his arms folded, putting on airs. The guy was the unlucky one whose eyeball Zi Xu had stabbed earlier.

Zi Xu was just about to go over and say hello to the Gourd Baby when, by sheer coincidence, the instructor for their second test arrived.

A purple-haired beauty in a fishnet bodysuit and a pale yellow coat burst in through the window. Morino Ibiki stepped back helplessly, leaving the blackboard to her.

"I'm the examiner for the next test, Mitaraishi Anko. Follow me." Anko spoke boldly. Before the others had even recovered from her dramatic entrance through the window, she jumped back out through it.

"Yikes, she reeks of snakes. Is Konoha a snake pit or something? Come to think of it, I caught a whiff of snakes among the candidates just now, too..." Zi Xu really wanted to complain. He guessed this definitely had something to do with Orochimaru, though he had no idea what Orochimaru was planning.

"This is the Forest of Death. It's extremely dangerous, so you must sign this Death Waiver before you can take the exam. If you die in there, that's perfectly normal..." Anko explained with a serious expression, but Naruto chose that moment to start asking for trouble again.

He imitated Anko's words and gestures in an exaggerated, goofy manner, twisting his body as he pointed at her.

Anko smiled without saying a word. The next second, she threw a kunai at Naruto. By the time he noticed it, a small cut had already opened on his cheek, leaving a few drops of blood.

Then she took the opportunity to circle behind him, wrapped her arms around his face from behind, and spoke with a smile like a two-faced tiger:

"Kids like you... usually die the earliest." Her finger wiped the blood from Naruto's cheek.

A moment later, Anko seemed to sense danger behind her. She quickly raised the kunai in her hand to block. The next instant, a tongue curled around the kunai she had thrown earlier and appeared against her neck.

"Your kunai... Here it is." A woman wearing a conical hat stood behind Anko, her expression strange.

"Sorry for the trouble. Thank you." Anko was still smiling.

"But don't stand behind me with killing intent... if you don't want to die young." Anko seemed quite satisfied with the candidates. The next second, she took out the Death Waivers.

The candidates quickly turned their attention to the Death Waivers and the terrain inside the Forest of Death. Zi Xu hadn't paid attention to Anko's explanation; Chino and the others could listen for him. He just had a bad feeling. A very bad feeling.

"Orochimaru?" He stared at the woman who had been behind Anko. It had only been for an instant, but the aura she'd revealed was definitely Orochimaru's, though something about it felt strange.

The ninja who might have been Orochimaru seemed to notice Zi Xu, too. She turned her head and mouthed something at him.

"See you again..."

"..." Zi Xu kept quiet. He wasn't the same as he'd been back then. Maybe he didn't have to be so afraid of Orochimaru's tricks anymore.

"You want my body... Fine. Let's see if you can take it!"

He moved his lips slightly, his gaze sharper than ever. For a moment, the other candidates felt the temperature plunge as if a ferocious beast were about to break free.

"So this is the Forest of Death's aura? It lives up to its name. Just standing here is enough to make me break out in a cold sweat..."

"The Heaven and Earth Scrolls? That's a brutal test. Each team only gets one scroll, and you need both the Heaven and Earth Scrolls to pass."

"Five days without being allowed out? They're raising venomous insects in here..."

Everyone chattered among themselves as the gates to the Forest of Death opened for them. Watching the candidates file inside, Anko stopped smiling. She scratched her head with a rueful look.

"I wonder how many will come out alive. And that guy... It wouldn't happen to be you, would it..."

After entering the Forest of Death, the three of them quickly hid. Fighting in an unfamiliar environment put them at a disadvantage. Seeing it for yourself was better than hearing about it, so Anko's words could only serve as a reference.

The trees here were absurdly huge, each one like a pillar holding up the heavens. It would take several minutes to fall from the treetops to the ground. In the very center of the forest stood a tower, where they would eventually turn in their mission.

At first, Zi Xu and the others had planned to lie in wait near the tower for teams that had collected a complete set of scrolls. But the moment they entered the forest, everyone scattered far and wide. It would be faster to steal the scrolls directly.

"Chino, open your Byakugan and survey the area. Hatsumi, release your insects to keep watch and scout. If you spot a team, beat them up. Don't worry about which scroll they have, and don't hold back. I don't need to tell you how to handle a fight where your lives are at stake, right..." Zi Xu quickly assigned everyone their tasks. This was their team's first life-or-death fight against another team, and he wanted to see just how strong they were now.

[Host has triggered a quest...]

"Triggered my ass. Hundred Beasts... No, the Jin Organization! Get to work! We just need to fight!" Zi Xu shoved the system notification to the back of his mind. Why think so much? They just needed to fight.

Chino sent word that there were several unfamiliar Chakra signatures up ahead. Zi Xu quickly signaled for the two of them to get down. Three against one, with the enemy out in the open and them hidden—how could they not take advantage of that?

"Ugh... that unlucky Chakra..." Zi Xu's expression turned odd. He'd run into the last person he wanted to meet.

"Chino, Hatsumi, leave this place now. Go anywhere you like; just get as far away from here as possible. I'll contact you with insects later. Now, run!" Zi Xu quickly gave them their orders.

Though the two of them had plenty of questions, Zi Xu never did anything pointless. If he said this, he had a reason. They just had to do as he said. Hatsumi was especially good at this. Even if Zi Xu were in mortal danger and told her to run, she wouldn't hesitate for a second. She'd turn and sprint.

The two of them quickly left their current location. The hidden figure didn't stop them, instead moving toward Zi Xu at an unhurried pace.

"You figured out who I am? Not bad..." The figure gradually emerged from the darkness and leaped onto the branch where Zi Xu stood in a few quick steps. It was the long-tongued woman who'd held the kunai in her mouth earlier!

"You reek of snakes. There's no ignoring it. So, what are you planning in that getup?"

The long-tongued woman—Orochimaru, in other words—was surprised by Zi Xu's question. The boy had changed a great deal since the last time they'd met. It was clear that he spoke with much more confidence now.

"So confident? Aren't you afraid I'll take your body?" Orochimaru narrowed his eyes and slowly approached Zi Xu, one step at a time. Five meters, three meters, two meters...

"You can try," Zi Xu replied calmly. Silent Power slowly swirled around him, and lightning crackled around his body. Eight Gates Modified was ready to activate at any moment, while wisps of black pressure seemed to take shape around him.

A faint purple shadow appeared around his eyes, further sharpening his senses.

Orochimaru studied Zi Xu at close range with great interest, as if looking at a creature that should have gone extinct. He took a few steps back to show that he didn't want to fight.

"Honestly, I'm very interested in your body. Would you like to become one of my research subjects?"

"...You're dying, aren't you?" After studying him for a moment, Zi Xu noticed something strange about Orochimaru. There was barely any Natural Energy around his body, and even his Life Energy seemed depleted. He didn't look like a ninja at all, but more like an old man in his twilight years.

Orochimaru spread his hands, neither confirming nor denying it. "Then let me use your body." His tongue stretched out, as if he intended to bite Zi Xu.

"Though I don't know what you're planning, you're probably targeting some ninja village. If you're after a particular person, maybe we can talk it over." Zi Xu opened his eyes. His pupils had turned amber, with vertical slits.

"Talk? Sure. I'd like to hear what you have in mind." Despite his words, Orochimaru attacked. His neck stretched out, fangs suddenly sprouting as he lunged for Zi Xu's neck. Without enough strength, trying to negotiate was just a pipe dream.

But it was only a feint. Orochimaru had already hidden inside his outstretched neck, preparing to launch himself like a snake shedding its skin. If Zi Xu chose to take the bite head-on, Orochimaru would emerge from his shed skin while Zi Xu was defending and bite him again. If Zi Xu dodged, Orochimaru would use the "Hidden Shadow Snake Hands" he had prepared in advance to stop him, then bite him anyway.

Orochimaru's plan was perfect, but reality always found a way to disappoint.

Zi Xu stood as motionless as a stone statue, seemingly intent on taking the attack head-on just as he had last time. But this time, Orochimaru had imbued his fangs with the power of the Heaven's Cursed Seal. Zi Xu's current body couldn't simply withstand it.

"Zzzzt, zzzzt~" The electrical currents around Zi Xu's body darted about like little snakes. Electricity coiled around his skin, and whether from the shock or Eight Gates Modified, his hair stood straight on end. Red-haired hedgehog! No, his Super Saiyan form had arrived.

Did he think that was all? No. Against an enemy like Orochimaru, Zi Xu didn't dare let his guard down for even a moment. He activated Sage Mode in full. He hadn't mastered it perfectly yet, but he could still maintain it for a few minutes.

In that instant, Orochimaru felt as if all the Natural Energy around him had been bound. The air grew as heavy as a thousand jun, like a fish in water suddenly tossed by some great benefactor into wet cement. Orochimaru's movements froze instantly.

"I told you, I want to... talk... with you." Zi Xu flashed a kindly smile and pulled a Crowbar out of his storage space. Black and blue lightning crackled across it once more.

"Take this!" Zi Xu moved freely through the frozen space, even more nimbly than usual. He even struck a few poses, then finally swung like a baseball player and smashed the Crowbar into Orochimaru's face.

"Thud, thud..." Strangely enough, at that moment Orochimaru suddenly remembered his childhood: Sarutobi, Tsunade, that Monster Strength woman, and that idiot with white hair...

"Hmm?" Orochimaru suddenly realized something was wrong with his mental state. It felt a little like when he'd once been caught in Itachi Uchiha's Genjutsu.

But he'd long since prepared against Genjutsu. He, Orochimaru, wouldn't stumble over the same spot twice.

"Release!" He formed a hand seal, but it had no effect.

The truth was simple. Because of certain issues, Orochimaru had extremely poor mental resistance. On top of that, Zi Xu's thunderous strike had carried a trace of Conqueror's Haki, which worked wonders on people with weak wills.

This didn't mean Orochimaru lacked mental fortitude. It just meant his resistance to mental attacks was too weak.

In reality, after the Crowbar sent him flying, Orochimaru slammed into the rough tree trunk behind him. The impact left him embedded in the tree. He was dazed for quite a while before he finally came around.

"Ugh..." He spat out a mouthful of blood. Even if this body died, he could still revive through the Cursed Seal he'd left behind. But each time he revived, his mind and soul grew weaker. Unless absolutely necessary, he didn't want to sacrifice a body.

"Cough... Now we can talk... cough... I'm very... ugh... interested in what you have to say." Orochimaru twisted around, trying to wriggle out of the tree, but even after struggling for a while, he couldn't. Zi Xu's Crowbar had hit him hard.

Zi Xu weighed the Crowbar in his hand, thinking, This feels pretty good. It works much better than those swords. But he quickly put it away.

"Bah, I'm going to be a handsome swordsman. Playing with swords is a man's romance."

Then he saw Orochimaru wriggling around in the tree. A moment later, he walked over and pulled the "Orochimaru pancake" out of the trunk.