Chakra Powers Up 500,000 Volts!

The Forest of Death, a forbidden zone surrounded by layers upon layers of steel wire mesh.

The seven-meter-tall steel wire mesh barely reached the same height as the sprawling roots and vines of the giant trees within.

Occasionally, exaggeratedly large, salivating beasts would leap over, centipedes tens of meters long, confirming the forest's name.

The rules were simple: 26 teams, half with "Heaven" scrolls, half with "Earth." Once a pair was acquired, they had five days to reach the central tower in the forest. Success meant passing the exam.

Anko Mitarashi produced consent forms, asking everyone present to sign their lives away. In essence, it was a single sentence: enter at your own risk.

Naruto was simply buzzing with excitement.

He felt a surge of hostility directed at him.

It was because they were newcomers, the youngest.

After collecting the consent forms, Anko Mitarashi said with great enthusiasm, "Here's a secret for you all—don't die!"

Immediately, each team proceeded to their assigned entrance to the forest.

Kakashi was absent, so Haruno Sakura naturally looked to Naruto as their leader.

"What do we do now?"

Sasuke also looked at Naruto, awaiting a response.

Shifting his perspective away from Haruno Sakura, Naruto had already completely viewed the two of them as subordinates.

He would bear this trust.

"Completing the objective won't be difficult. The key is speed. Reach the central tower first, secure the finish line, and scrolls will naturally come to us."

Naruto immediately leaped onto a tree, running.

Sasuke gritted his teeth and followed.

He had always been recognized as a genius. Before entering, he had memorized the movements of each team and devised numerous strategies for ambushes and interceptions, intending to compare himself with Naruto.

But the moment Naruto spoke, all his plans crumbled.

What kind of confidence was this, so direct.

Securing the finish line.

He couldn't have come up with that idea even if he racked his brain.

The three of them raced along, replenishing their stamina only twice along the way before reaching the center of the forest, a tower that looked like houses stacked on top of each other.

Sitting on a thick tree crown, the three of them ate and waited.

Naruto calmed himself, his senses fully open, listening to the slightest rustle in the surroundings.

As his mind and body almost forgot themselves, merging with nature.

A bone-chilling coldness crept up from his tailbone, climbing his spine.

His eyes swept towards the yellow mud ground beneath a distant patch of grass. No matter how he looked, there was nothing unusual about the yellow mud.

He felt a cold, evil gaze upon him.

In his mind, from the lurking darkness, two large, vertical pupils stared at them.

A strange laugh echoed authentically through the forest.

Naruto's pupils instantly dilated like the barrels of two guns, his eyebrows furrowed into an inverted V. Without thinking, he roared, "Run! Run south!"

He then drew the Kubikiribōchō, unleashed all his Chakra, and stood alone in the path.

Haruno Sakura had never seen Naruto like this before. Trust made her obey, and she turned to flee.

But after running nearly a hundred meters, she realized she was the only one running. She stopped and looked back.

Sasuke stood beside Naruto, activating his two-tomoe Sharingan. "I have ocular jutsu! I can help you see the enemy!"

"Fine! Don't blame me if you die!"

Naruto formed a sword finger with his left hand, and a crescent-shaped Hell Sword Qi whistled towards the yellow mud ground.

The earth churned, and a soft, elongated human form twisted and leaped onto a tree. It lowered its pale, sharp face, hidden by long black hair, and said, "Impressive. You still know where I am."

It opened its mouth, and a tongue thicker than its mouth protruded, coiling a mucus-covered scroll. "Come and get it, the 'Earth' scroll you desire."

Naruto didn't move, gripping his greatsword tightly. "Haruno Sakura! Are you trying to die standing there?! Run! Call Examiner Anko! Have him notify Grandpa Hokage to come rescue us!"

Haruno Sakura ran.

The two people she liked were behind her, yet she could only run. She couldn't protect them, couldn't fight alongside them, because she was weak.

The long-tongued man asked in a strange voice, "You came to hunt competitors? And when I appeared, you called for help?"

"I'm hunting people! Not a ghoul like you!" Naruto mobilized every ounce of strength within him.

Looking at the forehead protector, the opponent was a ninja from Kusagakure.

If it were just a Jonin-level threat, he could dismiss it as a disguised foe. But this level of power, stronger than Hiruzen Sarutobi, and they called this a candidate from a small village?

Rustle rustle~!

A gray-spotted snake head, as large as two train engines, hung down from the treetop above the long-tongued man's head, its body like train carriages following behind.

Naruto saw the long-tongued man throw two kunai at him. Just as he was about to swing his blade to block them, the kunai instantly appeared before his forehead, half-embedded in his brow.

Blood flowed all over his face, warm and scalding.

"Damn Genjutsu! Get out of my way!"

Naruto continued to swing his blade along its original trajectory. With two clang sounds, the kunai were knocked away, and the blood on his face vanished.

Beside him, Sasuke clutched his throat, curled up, and stood trembling.

Genjutsu that directly affects a person?

Naruto shook Sasuke violently, "Don't let your Sharingan be for show!"

Sasuke's eyes were filled with fear, even showing a vulnerable and pitiful expression. "Naruto... what do I do?"

The long-tongued man stood atop the giant snake's head, supported as he descended to the ground. "When prey is before a predator, only extreme caution allows escape!"

"I never planned on escaping!"

Naruto charged forward, leaping eight meters high, right before the long-tongued man, and slashed diagonally with his great sword. "Three Hundred Thousand Volts of Chakra! Snake Slaying Hegemonic Blade!"

A taijutsu that manipulates chakra without hand seals? The long-tongued man had never seen such a move, but instinct made him instantly dive into the giant snake's body.

The great sword fell. The snake scales, harder than iron plates, shattered layer by layer. Blood erupted upwards for ten meters, splitting the entire head in two.

Naruto's movements didn't stop as he attacked the snake's tail, continuing to swing his blade.

Sure enough, the snake skin on the tail split open, and the long-tongued man, who had already formed hand seals, emerged. "Shadow Snake Hand."

From his sleeves, four poisonous snakes emerged, opening their sharp fangs and coiling around Naruto.

Naruto swept his great sword horizontally, striking heavily with the flat of the blade.

The poisonous snakes were smashed by the blade, scattering a rain of blood that withered grass and rotted the earth upon landing.

"Kid, just like Guy, you won't get another chance to get close." The long-tongued man exhaled a gust of wind, blowing back a hundred meters, and stood atop the forest trees.

"Ninjutsu: Flipping Technique!"

WHOOSH!

White smoke billowed and churned from the soil. A white snake, twice the size of the giant snake Naruto had just killed, opened its gaping maw and swallowed Naruto whole.

The scarlet stomach lining contracted, squeezing Naruto tightly. Acid was rapidly secreted, and his hair and trench coat hissed.

He struggled, struggled violently, but only released chakra to protect his body. His movements were broad, not focused on explosive bursts.

Outside, Sasuke watched this all blankly, his body still unable to move.

Killing intent filled the entire world. The chirping of insects fell silent. Leaves fell from the trees in swathes.

Sasuke felt as if any movement would turn the killing intent into blades, cutting him into pieces as if in a genjutsu.

But his foot moved.

He wanted to save Naruto.

If you're not willing to risk your life at a time like this, how can you talk about defeating your brother?

The white snake, whose pupils were larger than his height, looked at him coldly. Orochimaru also looked at him.

Sasuke, aiming for the spot where he had noted the white snake's wriggling had stopped, formed a hand seal. "Great Fireball Technique!"

The white snake swayed, its scales blocking the attack, only slightly scorched. It writhed and charged, attempting to swallow Sasuke again.

"Don't eat him."

The long-tongued man leaped onto a branch. "How brave, worthy of being Itachi's brother."

"Who exactly are you!" Sasuke roared as he charged the white snake again.

"Want to know? Work hard and pass the exam." The long-tongued man formed hand seals. His neck stretched like rubber for dozens of meters, his head opening its fangs and lunging towards Sasuke.

At this moment, a muffled sound like thunder.

"Chakra pushing Hundred Thousand Volts!"

"Hell Dismemberment Sword!!"

The white snake let out a piercing shriek as its abdomen burst open.

A silver light shot out from the blood waterfall. Naruto, with a mangled scalp and a ferocious face, his blade tip transformed into a sword, pointed at the flying neck.