Clap, clap, clap, clap.
Lin Fan, who was in a tree, suddenly heard a round of applause from below.
The man had pale, almost bluish skin, a thin face, slit-like pupils, and an eerie smile.
It was undoubtedly Snake Uncle's true appearance.
The woman's skin, tied to the trunk of the tree opposite, quickly burned away, breaking into pieces and scattering on the wind until it disappeared.
Heh heh, beautiful. So this is the miraculous power of the Sharingan—the realm I once yearned for so desperately.
No matter how much one trained, it could never compare to the importance of the Uchiha Clan's pure bloodline.
A sinister smile curled across Orochimaru's lips as he spoke to Lin Fan and Sasuke.
Whoosh.
The next moment, Orochimaru's neck stretched out again, his head lunging toward the spot beside Lin Fan's neck.
Again?
Looks like nobody ever taught you a lesson when you were a kid.
Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique.
Lin Fan gave a low shout and instantly began weaving Hand Seals.
Roar!
In less than three seconds, a furious dragon of water burst out from behind Lin Fan, roaring as it surged toward Orochimaru's head.
Seeing the imposing water dragon bearing down on him, Orochimaru abruptly twisted his head far to the left.
He nimbly dodged the dragon's attack.
Boom!
The water dragon raced into the distance and blasted the trunk of a tree to smithereens.
Seeing his first attack fail, Orochimaru launched another.
His snake-like head changed direction and swept around Lin Fan, rushing straight toward Sasuke.
Chomp!
This time, Orochimaru finally got what he wanted.
His sharp fangs sank deep into Sasuke's neck.
"Ah!"
Sasuke cried out in pain, and a black Heaven Curse Mark soon appeared on his neck.
Then he passed out.
Orochimaru's head soon returned to his body.
But Lin Fan's assault didn't let up.
Several Kunai shot straight toward Orochimaru's heart.
Orochimaru swayed from side to side, dodging every one of them in an instant.
Just then, he suddenly saw several copies of Lin Fan appear on the Kunai.
What?!
Were all the Kunai marked with Flying Thunder God Formulas?
This is bad!
Orochimaru's pupils shrank.
He could clearly see that every Lin Fan clone charging at him had Explosive Tags stuck to its body.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
At last, the several Lin Fans gave Orochimaru a simultaneous, sinister grin, and the Explosive Tags went off.
The smoke soon cleared.
Where Orochimaru had been, Lin Fan saw a giant serpent.
Orochimaru crawled right out of its mouth, covered in slime and looking rather disheveled.
"The Flying Thunder God Technique combined with clone Explosive Tags? Fighting you really is dangerous."
"Lin Fan, you truly are the vessel I most want to claim!"
Orochimaru couldn't help laughing.
Lin Fan's real body slowly appeared in front of him.
"So this time it's a snake spitting you out? You really are great at staying alive, Snake Uncle."
Lin Fan couldn't help teasing him.
But Orochimaru's incredible ability to save his own skin only stoked the boundless fighting spirit in Lin Fan's heart.
Wood Style: Unzip the Crotch (Deep Forest Emergence).
Lin Fan shouted and began using the techniques from the Legacy Scrolls of the First and Second Hokage.
"What?!"
"You can use Wood Style too?"
"Could it be..."
"Are you descended from both the Uchiha Clan and the Senju Clan?"
"Lin Fan, your body fascinates me more and more."
Watching Lin Fan's fighting spirit grow from afar, Orochimaru couldn't help wondering.
Before long, countless thick vines and branches burst through the soil at Orochimaru's feet.
They raced toward his limbs, moving at astonishing speed to trap them.
Still shocked, Orochimaru quickly dodged.
He leaped through the air, evading the vines that were about to ensnare his limbs, while spitting a Kusanagi Sword from his mouth.
The moment he caught the sword, he swung it at the vines without hesitation.
Just then, Lin Fan suddenly sprang out from the side.
Water Style: Water Severing Wave.
Orochimaru had just cut through the vines reaching for his limbs when Lin Fan's Water Severing Wave came at him.
A jet of water, blasted from Lin Fan's mouth at tremendous pressure, shot toward Orochimaru's heart like a blade.
Orochimaru was horrified.
He clamped the Kusanagi Sword in his teeth, rapidly formed Hand Seals, then slapped his palms against the ground.
Summoning Technique: Triple Rashomon.
The next moment, the summoning formula spread across the ground.
Three Rashomon gates carved with snarling demon faces slowly rose in front of Orochimaru.
Boom! Boom!
Lin Fan's water jet pierced through all three Rashomon gates before its force finally began to fade.
By then, Orochimaru no longer wanted to linger in the Forest of Death.
He had thought Lin Fan wouldn't be all that strong at the age of twelve.
He'd expected placing the Heaven Curse Mark on him to be easy.
But reality had given him a harsh lesson.
The commotion from his fight with Lin Fan would surely draw Konoha's ninjas before long.
He had important matters to attend to, so staying in the forest any longer clearly wasn't wise.
Once Orochimaru had made up his mind, he formed Hand Seals and swiftly slapped the ground.
Summoning Technique.
Before long, a giant purple serpent burst through the earth, flicking its tongue. Orochimaru took a running leap and jumped into its mouth.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have completed the guidance mission. Rewards: Triple Rashomon Lv1, Wind Style: Great Breakthrough Lv1, Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique Lv1.]
"Lin Fan, we'll meet again. I will claim you for myself."
After saying this to Lin Fan, Orochimaru and the purple serpent burrowed into the ground and vanished from the forest.
Lin Fan didn't chase after them.
He had already completed the guidance mission and received his rewards, so there was no need to pursue Orochimaru.
Next, Lin Fan used his points to upgrade the newly acquired techniques.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, Triple Rashomon Summoning Technique upgraded to LvMax. You have gained a 50% increase in Summoning Technique affinity.] [A 50% increase in Summoning Technique affinity increases the stats of all creatures summoned by the Host by 50%!] [Ding! Congratulations, Host, Wind Style: Great Breakthrough upgraded to LvMax. You have gained a 10% increase in Wind Release technique affinity.] [Ding! Congratulations, Host, Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique upgraded to LvMax. You have gained a 50% increase in throwing technique affinity.] [A 50% increase in throwing technique affinity reduces the Host's casting time by 50% and increases the speed of thrown objects by 50%.]
Just as Lin Fan finished upgrading his techniques and was about to check on Sasuke and Naruto, a graceful figure appeared beside him.
It was the chief examiner, Mitaraishi Anko.
(With everyone heading back to school, the author's stats have started dropping like crazy. Sigh, it brings tears to my eyes just talking about it. Anyway, I hope you all study hard and keep improving after school starts!)
The Great God Shenqi Xiao Sima provided this Naruto: Starting with Infinite Skill Points.