Conspiracy in the Forest of Death

"Oh~" Zi Xu's expression shifted to one of understanding. So they really came to copy homework.

He glanced around. Good grief, this was truly witnessing the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea, each showing their own prowess.

Some openly activated their Byakugan for X-ray vision, others used dog barks to relay coded signals, and many employed various tools to cheat. Of course, there were also those who sat blankly, unable to solve a single problem.

The proctors weren't pushovers either. While the first round was technically designed to allow cheating, directly bribing the proctors with money for answers was going too far. They didn't tolerate such blatant cheating—they pocketed the cash and eliminated the cheaters, giving them a firsthand taste of the darkness in the ninja world.

"Everyone, you should be just about done." Morino Ibiki smiled as he noticed quite a few examinees being escorted out, but his scar-covered face only made his smile more terrifying.

"For the final question, you may choose to answer or not. But this question comes with additional rules."

"If you choose to answer the final question and get it wrong, you'll be eliminated immediately and barred from ever taking the Chunin Exam again. If you choose to abstain, your entire team will be eliminated, but you can retake the exam next year..."

Zi Xu couldn't listen anymore. A grown man being this long-winded—just say it already. Hurry up.

"I... I give up..." One by one, examinees couldn't bear the pressure and chose to withdraw. Some questioned whether Morino Ibiki had the authority to enforce such rules, but he simply stated that in this exam, he was the rule.

"So it had nothing to do with the actual questions, huh..." Zi Xu's team walked out of the classroom with ease. This exam was exactly as they'd expected—nothing more than a test of a ninja's courage. Anyone who stayed and didn't forfeit passed, even with a blank paper.

"Hm? What are you looking at?" Zi Xu felt a gaze on him. He casually threw out the words, and it flushed someone out.

"Tch."

"Oh, it's you." Zi Xu looked at the Gourd Baby leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, trying to look cool. This guy was the unlucky one whose eye he'd jabbed earlier.

Zi Xu was about to go over and greet this Gourd Baby, but as luck would have it, their second-round instructor arrived at that moment.

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

"I'm the proctor for the next exam, Mitarashi Anko. Follow me now." Anko declared boldly. Before the crowd could even recover from her window-shattering entrance, she had already jumped back out.

"Tch, a snake-like smell? Is Konoha a snake nest? Speaking of which, I caught a whiff of snake among the examinees just now too..." Zi Xu wanted to complain. He guessed this definitely had something to do with Orochimaru, though he didn't know what the latter's goal was.

"This is the Forest of Death. The danger level here is extremely high, so you must sign this Death Waiver before taking the exam. Dying here with your current strength is perfectly normal..." Anko explained seriously, but Naruto chose that moment to start his antics.

He mimicked Anko's movements and words in a goofy manner, twisting his body and pointing at her.

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

Then she seized the chance to circle behind him, grabbing his face from behind, and spoke with a smile like a hidden dagger:

"Kids like you... are usually the first to die." Her fingers wiped away the blood on Naruto's face.

A moment later, Anko seemed to sense a threat behind her. She quickly raised a kunai to block, and the next second, a tongue coiled around the kunai she had thrown earlier, silently pressing against her throat.

"Kunai... returning it to you." A woman with a strange expression and a bamboo hat stood behind Anko.

"Much obliged. Thank you." Anko still wore her smile.

"But don't stand behind me with killing intent... if you don't want to die young." Anko seemed satisfied with the examinees. The next moment, she pulled out the Death Waiver.

The examinees quickly focused on the Death Waiver and the terrain of the Forest of Death. Zi Xu didn't pay attention to what Anko was explaining—Chino and the others could listen. He only felt that something was wrong, very wrong.

"Orochimaru?" He stared at the woman who had been behind Anko. Though it was just a flash, the aura she gave off was indeed Orochimaru's, albeit a bit strange.

The ninja suspected to be Orochimaru seemed to notice Zi Xu as well. She turned her head and mouthed something to him.

"We meet again..."

"..." Zi Xu said nothing. He was different from back then. Maybe he didn't need to fear Orochimaru's methods so much anymore.

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

He mouthed back, his gaze sharper than ever. In that instant, the other examinees around felt as if the temperature had dropped to freezing, as if a ferocious beast was about to break free from its cage.

"So this is the aura of the Forest of Death. It lives up to its reputation. Just standing here makes me break out in cold sweat..."

"Heaven and Earth Scrolls, huh. A brutal test. Each team only gets one scroll. You need both Heaven and Earth to pass."

"Can't leave for five days. This is raising monsters in a jar..."

The crowd buzzed with chatter. The gates of the Forest of Death opened for them. Watching batch after batch of examinees enter, Anko's smile faded. She scratched her head with a sigh.

"I wonder how many will make it out alive. And that guy... it couldn't be you, could it..."

Once Zi Xu's team entered the Forest of Death, they quickly concealed themselves. Fighting in an unfamiliar environment was a disadvantage. Hearing about it a hundred times wasn't as good as seeing it once—Anko's words could only serve as a reference.

The trees here were absurdly large, each one like a pillar supporting heaven and earth. Bungee jumping from the treetops would take minutes just to reach the bottom. At the very center of the forest stood a tall tower—the final submission point for the mission.

Zi Xu and the others had initially planned to lie in wait near the tower, ambushing teams that had collected a full set of scrolls. But since everyone was scattered widely upon entering, direct theft would be faster.

"Chino, use your Byakugan to scout the environment. Hatsumi, release your bugs for surveillance and reconnaissance. If you find a team coming, attack. Don't bother checking what scroll they have. Don't hold back. I don't need to teach you about life-or-death battles..." Zi Xu quickly assigned tasks to the team. This was their first life-or-death fight against another squad, and he was eager to see just how strong his team had become.

[Host has triggered a mission...]

"Trigger my ass. Hundred Beasts... no, Jin Organization. Let's go. Fight and be done with it." Zi Xu shoved the system prompt to the back of his mind. Why overthink it? Just fight.

Chino sent word that there were several unknown chakra signatures ahead. Zi Xu quickly signaled the two to crouch down. Three-on-one, enemy in the open, us in the shadows—this was a perfect opportunity to strike.

"Tch... this damn chakra..." Zi Xu's expression turned subtle. He had run into the guy he least wanted to meet.

"Chino, Hatsumi, leave here immediately. Go anywhere, just get as far away from here as possible. I'll contact you through the bugs later. Now, run!" Zi Xu issued rapid orders to the two.

Though they had plenty of questions, Zi Xu wouldn't do anything pointless. If he said this, he had his reasons. They just needed to follow his orders. Hatsumi was especially good at this—so good that even if Zi Xu were in mortal danger and told her to run, she would do so without a second thought.

The two quickly left their current location. The hidden figure didn't stop them, instead approaching Zi Xu at a leisurely pace.

"You figured out who I am? Not bad..." The figure gradually emerged from the shadows, leaping a few steps onto the tree branch where Zi Xu stood. It was none other than the long-tongued woman who had held the kunai with her tongue earlier!

"A snake stench so strong you can't ignore it. What's with this look? Planning something?"

The long-tongued woman, Orochimaru, was surprised by Zi Xu's question. The kid had changed a lot since their last meeting—clearly speaking with much more confidence now.

"So confident? Not afraid I'll take your body?" Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, step by step closing in on Zi Xu. Five meters, three meters, two meters...

"You can try." Zi Xu spoke calmly. Silent Power slowly swirled around him, lightning energy coiled about his body, Eight Gates Modified stood ready at all times, and wisps of black pressure manifested around him like solid matter.

A faint purple eye shadow appeared, sharpening Zi Xu's perception of his surroundings.

Orochimaru studied Zi Xu, now inches away, with keen interest, as if examining a creature thought long extinct. He stepped back a few paces, signaling he didn't want to fight.

"Honestly, I'm very interested in your body. Interested in becoming my research material?"

"...You're about to die, aren't you?" After observing for a moment, Zi Xu noticed something off about Orochimaru. There was barely any Natural Energy around his body, and even Life Energy was scarce. He looked less like a ninja and more like an old man on his last legs.

Orochimaru shrugged noncommittally. "Then just give me your body to use." His tongue stretched out, as if to bite Zi Xu.

"I don't know what you're planning, but it's probably aimed at some ninja village. If it's about dealing with someone, maybe we can talk properly." Zi Xu opened his eyes, now amber slitted pupils.

"Talk? Fine. I'd like to hear what you have to say." Despite his words, Orochimaru attacked. His neck stretched, and in an instant, fangs shot out toward Zi Xu's throat. If you're not strong enough, talking cooperation is just a dream.

But this was only a feint. The real Orochimaru had already hidden inside the extended neck, launching himself out like a snake shedding its skin. If Zi Xu chose to tank the bite, he'd shed his skin during the defense and bite again. If Zi Xu dodged, he'd block with a pre-prepared Hidden Shadow Snake Hands and bite anyway.

Orochimaru's plan was beautiful, but reality was disappointing.

Zi Xu stood motionless like a stone statue, as if planning to tank it again. But this time, Orochimaru had infused his fangs with the power of Heaven's Cursed Seal—not something Zi Xu's current body could simply withstand.

"Crackle, crackle~" Electricity flowed around Zi Xu like writhing snakes, coiling over his skin. Whether from the current or Eight Gates Modified, his hair stood on end. A red-haired hedgehog! No—Super Saiyan form, deployed.

Think that's it? No. Facing an enemy like Orochimaru, he dared not slack off. Sage Mode fully activated. Though he hadn't mastered it perfectly, he could barely maintain it for a few minutes.

In that instant, Orochimaru felt all the Natural Energy around him locked in place. The air grew heavy as a thousand jun, like a fish suddenly thrown into cement by some kind soul. His movements froze solid.

"I said, I want to talk with you." Zi Xu revealed a nuclear-friendly smile, pulling a crowbar from his storage space. Black-and-blue lightning coated it once more.

"Here we go." Zi Xu moved freely in the frozen space, even more agile than usual. He struck several poses before swinging the crowbar like a baseball bat, smacking it right into Orochimaru's face.

"Thud, thud..." Strangely, in that moment, Orochimaru suddenly recalled his childhood. Sarutobi the monkey, Tsunade the Monster Strength woman, and that white-haired idiot...

"Hm?" Orochimaru realized his mental state felt off—similar to when he'd been caught in Itachi Uchiha's Genjutsu before.

But he had precautions against Genjutsu. Orochimaru wouldn't fall in the same place twice.

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

The truth was simple: due to certain reasons, Orochimaru's mental resistance was extremely poor. On top of that, Zi Xu's thunderous strike had infused a trace of Conqueror's Haki, which worked wonders on those with weak willpower.

This didn't mean Orochimaru lacked resolve—only that his mental defenses were too fragile.

In reality, Orochimaru was sent flying by the crowbar, crashing heavily into the rough tree trunk behind him. The impact embedded him in the wood. He was dazed for a long time before recovering.

"Ugh..." He spat out a mouthful of old blood. Even if this body died, he could revive through his cursed seals, but each resurrection weakened his spirit and soul. Unless necessary, he didn't want to sacrifice a body.

"Cough... Now we can talk... cough... I'm very interested in what you have to say... ugh... interested." Orochimaru twisted, trying to crawl out of the tree, but failed after several attempts. That crowbar hit had done serious damage.

Zi Xu weighed the crowbar in his hand, thinking, This feels great—way better than any sword. But he quickly stowed it away.

"Pfft. I want to be a cool swordsman. Playing with blades is a man's romance."

He looked at Orochimaru still squirming there, then after a moment's hesitation, walked over and pried the "snake pancake" out of the tree trunk.