Cursed Seal Ninja

Explosions erupted in the immediate vicinity, triggering numerous traps; it was clear that enemies had already breached the perimeter.

"Prepare yourselves, it seems we have a fight on our hands. I hadn't expected anyone to track us this closely." Qingyun frowned.

The Forest of Death connects to the Konoha Forest, making it vast, yet the fact that enemies would actively charge in despite knowing the dangers left Qingyun somewhat surprised.

"Boom!" The traps Qingyun had set were finally fully triggered, and through the dust and smoke, three figures loomed into view.

"Who are you?" Qingyun asked directly.

"Us? We are the ones who will take your scroll." The speaker wore the headband of Kusagakure.

The Chunin Exams in Konoha this time did not only feature participants from Konoha.

There were also Rain Ninja, Grass Ninja, and Waterfall Ninja—all of whom were ostensibly allies of Konoha.

These were small nations and villages. At the end of the Second Shinobi World War, the leader of Amegakure, Hanzo of the Salamander, had bestowed the title of Legendary Sannin upon Konoha's finest and eventually formed an alliance with Konoha; other small nations had followed suit.

The three ninjas before them were Grass Ninja, and thus, ninjas from another land.

"So, it's the ninjas of Konoha. What a surprise. Who would have thought you'd be staying in such a luxurious house?"

"And what about this brat? You don't look even five years old yet. What could a kid like you possibly do?" the Kusagakure ninja sneered.

"Don't waste your breath on him, just finish them off," another Grass Ninja said.

Yoshihime spoke up, "Don't you already have a scroll? Why attack us? Logically speaking, shouldn't you avoid combat to conserve your strength?"

The other Grass Ninja laughed, "Haha! That's only by common logic. The three of us are terrifying monsters. Our goal in joining this Chunin Exam isn't to become Chunin."

"We just want to cross blades with stronger ninjas."

"I wonder, are you three the opponents we've been looking for?" The three Grass Ninja locked their killing intent onto Qingyun and his companions.

Qingyun replied, "Leave the scroll and get lost, and you might save yourselves some suffering."

"Hahaha! Did you hear that? Did you hear this brat threatening me?" The Grass Ninja roared with laughter, completely disregarding Qingyun's words.

"It seems you truly don't understand the power of the three of us." The Grass Ninja then added, "We were all born for slaughter!"

Suddenly, Qingyun noticed a distinct change in the aura of the three Grass Ninja. They had appeared to be ordinary ninjas, but now, their chakra levels surged nearly tenfold.

Not only that, but their bodies began to shift, each of them transforming into a monster.

"This is? Is this a Cursed Seal?"

Qingyun knew that Orochimaru had not yet reached the point of developing the Cursed Seal, yet these three Grass Ninja possessed the ability to transform into monsters.

Could it be like Jugo? Are they natural users of Sage Mode? Qingyun pondered, but the three ninjas before him clearly weren't giving him any room to think.

"Thump, thump, thump!" With explosive power, the three ninjas charged toward Qingyun and the others.

Qingyun immediately used the Body Replacement Technique to dodge the attack.

However, the log he had used as a substitute was completely obliterated.

"So strong!" Yoshihime couldn't help but exclaim.

These three ninjas were unlike any others they had encountered before.

"Bang, bang, bang!" The targets of these three ninjas were not just Qingyun, but Minato and Yoshihime as well. Seeing their first strike miss, they continued their relentless assault.

"Yahahaha! This feels so good! We want to kill! We want to kill!" The three Grass Ninja acted like lunatics, but Qingyun knew their state was exactly like that of Jugo.

"These guys have completely lost their minds!" Minato used the Super Body Flicker Technique to dodge rapidly.

Yoshihime attempted to use Wood Release to restrain them, but these three were not only fast but also possessed immense strength; even Yoshihime's Wood Release was easily broken through.

"In that case..." Qingyun immediately unleashed his full power, using the Super Body Flicker Technique to appear instantly in front of one of the Grass Ninja. His Big Ball Rasengan was already prepared, and he slammed it heavily into the ninja's abdomen.

The other two charged at Qingyun simultaneously, their attacks descending from above, threatening to crush him.

"Thunder Shock!" Qingyun's Shadow Clone utilized the power of the Goro Goro no Mi, and the two Grass Ninja were instantly blown away.

"What a terrifying ninjutsu!" The one who had taken the Big Ball Rasengan spoke; he had already reverted to his normal state from the Cursed Seal.

"You are the first person to break our power with brute force!" the Grass Ninja said. "But that last move must have cost a lot of chakra, right? There are two more of us—let's see how you handle that!"

"That's simple!" Qingyun didn't find dealing with them difficult at all.

"Yoshihime!" Qingyun called out. Yoshihime immediately knew what to do; after all, they had years of synergy.

"Wood Release: Deep Forest Creation!" Yoshihime used her Wood Release to bind the two Grass Ninja, and at the same time, Qingyun used his Sharingan to cast a genjutsu on them.

Even if it only held them for a second, it was enough for Qingyun to perform his ninjutsu.

"Compound Ninjutsu: Lightning Flame Soaring Dragon Explosion!"

This technique was a compound ninjutsu of wind, fire, and lightning—Qingyun's strongest. The wind fueled the fire, and the fire amplified the lightning!

In the end, it struck the two Grass Ninja squarely.

The Third Hokage had mastered compound ninjutsu to the extreme; although he couldn't create new elemental properties, combining attacks of different elements significantly increased their destructive power.

Under the careful tutelage of the Third Hokage, Qingyun had also reached the pinnacle of compound ninjutsu. With this strike, the two Grass Ninja were instantly unable to hold their ground.

"Hahahaha! What a magnificent attack! I hope your attacks can completely destroy our bodies!" The Grass Ninja felt no fear; their eyes were filled with bloodlust, and even as their bodies were being destroyed bit by bit, they remained just as insane.

"It seems the bodies and minds of these three Grass Ninja have been affected by the Cursed Seal."

"Since it wasn't Orochimaru who gave them the Cursed Seal, they must be like Jugo, having been influenced by the environment to show signs of Sage Transformation. However, they haven't mastered it well, which has led to some mental instability."

"BOOM!" Qingyun did not show mercy, for even if these three Grass Ninja remained alive, they would be in immense agony; Qingyun simply helped them find release.

Qingyun successfully obtained the scroll.

"Very good, we have the clearance scroll now. As long as we avoid combat and head straight for the Central Tower, there shouldn't be any problems," Yoshihime said immediately upon seeing this.