A night passed.
The sky gradually brightened.
At dawn, sunlight pierced the thick mist in the forest, seeming to awaken the forest's vitality.
Crystal-clear dewdrops adorned the leaves. The continuous rain of the past two days had brought abundant water to the Forest of Death, nourishing everything within it.
A rustling sound came from a clump of bushes.
"Hiss..."
Looking closer, one could see a colorful snake twisting and winding along the ground.
It raised its body slightly and fixed its gaze on a poisonous frog sitting quietly in front of it, its tongue flicking in and out from time to time.
The frog stared back at the snake with its large eyes. The two faced off against each other.
In this Forest of Death, both creatures were rare poisonous beasts, with extremely potent venom. Even an elite jonin could die after being bitten by one.
"Tap!" "Tap!"...
From nearby came the slow, steady sound of footsteps!
The two poisonous beasts seemed to sense something and turned their heads toward the sound. As the footsteps drew nearer, they exchanged a glance, then fled in opposite directions.
Someone gently pushed aside the bushes.
"Pat!"
A young figure stood there. His pale skin and narrow eyes gave him an eerie appearance, and his face was expressionless.
Only when he saw where the two poisonous beasts had just been did he pause slightly in surprise!
But he paid it no mind. It was as if fate favored him: even in the Forest of Death, almost no animal dared attack him. The beasts all possessed a subtle instinct that led them to keep their distance from death!
Orochimaru gently raised his head and looked toward the tower, a complicated expression in his eyes. Then, as if he had come to a decision, he continued