Crisis! Kabuto Yakushi's Ambush

"Since when..."

Anko murmured. Whether entering or leaving the scene, that youth's movements had been utterly silent; she hadn't sensed a thing.

"This person is a master," one of the Anbu men said, touching the soil on the ground. The solemn expression beneath his mask was palpable through the sound of his trembling breath.

"Even his landing technique had follow-up maneuvers prepared. If we hadn't interrupted, he and Orochimaru could have kept fighting."

"Are you saying... we actually ruined their fun?" another Anbu asked in surprise.

They all understood that if that youth hadn't appeared, they would likely all be lying on the ground by now.

"Enough, let's set that aside. We still have a comrade lying there injured."

The group looked toward the fallen Anbu, who remained unconscious.

"What!?"

As they looked, they discovered that the fallen Anbu's clothes had also vanished into thin air!

"Was it that youth?" Anko wondered aloud, surprised. This was certainly not something Orochimaru would do.

"Regardless, he is a benefactor who saved us. My mask was taken as well; he likely wants to hide his identity to continue tracking Orochimaru." Yugao walked over and helped the fallen teammate up.

"Then, Yugao, take the injured and leave, and notify the Hokage. The three of you, come with me to find Orochimaru. A man like him... he won't stop until he achieves his goal!"

"Ding! Training session complete!"

"Gentle Fist/Tenketsu proficiency +4477! Byakugan proficiency +2796!"

Neji, wearing the mask, had distanced himself from Anko and the others to check the results of his training.

"Too strong—and that was just trading a few blows with Orochimaru!"

A surge of excitement erupted in Neji's mind.

Although it was dangerous, the experience gained from dueling a powerhouse was something ordinary training could never simulate, even though training remained a vital component.

Clearly, the current Neji lacked this level of high-stakes combat!

Judging by how anxious Orochimaru was to disengage, his objective hadn't been completed yet; he still had to go and place the Cursed Seal on Sasuke!

However, Neji didn't want to get involved in the affairs of the Uchiha Clan right now, nor did he have the ability to stop it.

"Might as well take this opportunity to go and fight him again!"

Neji murmured, picking up the folded Anbu uniform in his hand, feeling quite satisfied.

This disguise should be enough to hide his identity, right?

Just as he prepared to set off, Neji felt his body go limp.

"Tch!"

Neji frowned; his knee joints were actually feeling weak!

"Was I too tense just now?"

Neji chuckled. Even though everything had been within his control, the instinctive resistance of the body could not be eliminated.

Or perhaps it was the lingering effect of Orochimaru's genjutsu. In any case, with his current physical stamina, it would indeed be difficult to fight.

After a moment of thought, Neji slowly turned around, intending to find Rock Lee and Tenten first.

"I wonder if they've run into any enemies..."

Along the way, Neji remained somewhat worried, but the closer he got to the center point, the shorter the distance between them would become.

Before long, he was within range, and Neji activated his Byakugan.

Chakra surged through his entire body, concentrating at his field of vision, causing the veins around his eyes to bulge.

Neji quickly located the figures of Tenten and Rock Lee two hundred meters away.

But unfortunately, three people were blocking their path!

Both sides were already engaged in battle!

Neji frowned and stopped in his tracks.

"Looks like they've been ambushed."

Without hesitation, he took out a Military Ration Pill, chewed it twice, and swallowed.

His stamina was gradually recovering, but not quickly. In this state, Neji wasn't sure if he could handle the three people ahead.

He decided to head forward and assess the situation first!

On the other side, Tenten and Rock Lee were moving rapidly toward the center point.

Suddenly, the two seemed to have triggered some kind of trap; the sound of ropes rubbing against trees immediately put them on high alert.

"Rock Lee!" Tenten turned and shouted.

Rock Lee responded, "Yeah!"

The two moved toward each other, but a massive whistling sound came from between them—a tree trunk three meters thick was hurtling toward them!

With a loud "crack," several trees behind them were knocked down, but it wasn't over yet; there were traps where the two landed, and the wire mesh on the ground immediately tightened.

"It's a double trap!"

Both were agile enough to leap to the side, and seeing the wire mesh covering a wide area, Tenten immediately pulled out a scroll.

"Hidden Weapons: Rising Dragon!"

Hundreds of kunai and shuriken flew outward, slicing through several wires of the mesh, allowing the two to narrowly escape.

But immediately after they landed, a "hissing" sound reached their ears.

Underneath Tenten's feet was an explosive tag about to detonate!

Rock Lee shouted instinctively, "Get down!"

He then lunged forward, shoving Tenten away before throwing himself to the side.

With a "bang," it sounded like a dud, the noise remarkably faint.

The two opened their eyes, only to realize that smoke was filling the air!

It was purple smoke, and it was spreading at an incredible speed.

"It's poison!"

Tenten realized what was happening, and the two immediately covered their mouths and noses, retreating backward.

At that moment, two figures leaped out.

"Don't struggle. Even a single breath of that poison will take effect. It's not a lethal toxin, but one I specifically concocted for ninjas; it affects the acupuncture points and meridians, temporarily sealing off chakra. Not only will you be unable to use ninjutsu for three days, but it will also weaken your mental energy."

Leading the trio was none other than Kabuto Yakushi!

Beside him was his teammate, Akado Yoroi, who was wrapped up tightly.

"Cough, cough!"

Tenten looked up at the two, already sensing that she could no longer condense her chakra.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I am a pure taijutsu ninja!"

Rock Lee stepped forward, already intending to unwrap the bandages on his wrists.

But Kabuto tilted his head, sneering, "What? Do you intend to take on three people while looking after someone who can no longer fight?"

Beside him, Akado Yoroi had already drawn a kunai, ready to strike at any moment.

"Lee..."

Tenten was also hesitant, but she couldn't fight at all right now; if they started, she would only be a burden to him!

"I don't intend to make things difficult for you. I know you've already collected the scrolls. Hand them over, and I'll let you go." Kabuto adjusted his glasses, his face full of shrewd calculation.

"You were setting traps near the center point from the very beginning?" Tenten was shocked; she hadn't realized such tactics were even possible!

Kabuto sneered, "Of course. This isn't my first time participating in the Chunin Exams; how could I fail to outmaneuver naive little brats like you?"

Rock Lee gritted his teeth. If they handed over the scroll here, how could they pass the exam?

Tenten wanted to persuade him, but she was caught in a state of deep conflict.

"Very well, since you still want to fight..."

Kabuto took a deep breath and shrugged, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes.

Whoosh!

With a bizarre technique, he threw a specialized surgical kunai the moment he flicked his hand.

With a "ding," it failed to hit anything.

Instead, after its trajectory was altered, it embedded itself into the mud on the ground.

Another kunai pierced the ground on the other side.

"What? Did you use a kunai to strike my scalpel and force its flight path to change?"

As Kabuto was stunned, everyone else was startled to see a figure appear atop a tree trunk.

He stood with his arms crossed, dressed in the uniform of the Anbu, wearing an Anbu mask, and looking down upon them with an air of superiority!