The next second, countless snakes as thick as arms surged out from underground, the treetops, and cracks in the rocks, rushing toward the Iwa-nin like a tidal wave.
Their bodies were pitch-black, their scales covered in dense brown stripes, and purple poisonous mist spewed from their mouths.
The snakes were astonishingly fast. In the blink of an eye, they had coiled around several Chunin who were watching. Their sharp fangs sank into flesh, and the Chunin collapsed, twitching, before they could even scream. They were dead in an instant!
"Mandara Formation!"
Gari's expression finally changed.
The few Jonin present were all familiar with this technique.
It was the signature ninjutsu of one of the Konoha Sannin, Orochimaru, the Cold-blooded One!
An overwhelming tide of snakes swallowed the entire forest.
Poisonous mist filled the air, and countless serpentine shadows writhed all around.
Even a single bite was enough to rob a Chunin of the ability to fight within a few breaths.
The Iwa-nin's attack had been thrown completely into disarray.
One Iwa-nin Chunin tried to use Fire Release to drive back the snakes, but there were simply too many. For every ten he burned to death, a hundred more surged forward. There was no end to them.
Uchiha Jun took advantage of the chaos to retreat to the side. He leaned against a rock, panting heavily, his face full of lingering fear at having survived by the skin of his teeth.
In truth, however, Uchiha Jun had already sensed that cold chakra—Orochimaru was nearby!
At that moment, he stood atop the tallest tree in the southeast, watching the battle like a spectator.
Clearly, Orochimaru had been waiting all along.
Waiting for an opportunity he deemed worth stepping in for!
For example, the Iwa-nin Jonin whom Uchiha Jun had ambushed.
The snake attack continued for about fifteen minutes. All the Iwa-nin Chunin in the pursuing force fell, and only Gari managed to blast open a bloody path with the power of Explosion Release. He withdrew from the battlefield with another Iwa-nin Jonin whom Uchiha Jun had ambushed.
A figure appeared in the middle of the battlefield and raised a hand, recalling the snakes.
Orochimaru turned to look at Uchiha Jun, then at Yamazaki Kengo.
"Sorry I'm late."
Orochimaru's tone was so calm that he might as well have been stating a fact. A faintly amused smile hung on his face, and there was not the slightest trace of apology.
Yamazaki Kengo fell silent for a moment, then bowed to him. "Thank you for coming to our aid, Lord Orochimaru."
Orochimaru gave no reply. Instead, he walked over to Uchiha Jun.
Uchiha Jun looked up and met those golden, serpentine eyes.
Orochimaru stared at him for a long moment, then suddenly spoke.
"You passed."
Uchiha Jun froze.
"What?"
Orochimaru didn't repeat himself. He only curled his lips into a meaningful smile.
"You knew I was there from the very beginning, didn't you?"
Uchiha Jun's heart jolted, but he wore just the right look of confusion.
"Lord Orochimaru, what are you talking about? I was nearly killed by that Iwa-nin just now. If you were there, how could you have—"
"That trap." Orochimaru cut him off. "You laid Explosive Tag traps around the perimeter of the base, but you didn't arrange them in the usual circle. You left a path open."
"The direction of that path happened to lead to where I was standing before I left."
Uchiha Jun fell silent.
He had indeed known Orochimaru was watching from the shadows, so he had deliberately left a path for him to enter through. But that wasn't the point.
The point was that Orochimaru had never intended to truly abandon them.
He had only been testing Uchiha Jun, testing what he would do in a desperate situation: run or fight.
If Uchiha Jun had chosen to run just then, Orochimaru would never have shown himself.
"You can keep pretending." Orochimaru turned and headed toward the forest. "But I'm very pleased with how you performed just now."
Uchiha Jun watched Orochimaru's retreating figure and let out a silent sigh of relief.
But all he did was scratch the back of his head and put on the honest smile expected of a twelve-year-old Genin.
"Then... Lord Orochimaru, does that mean I passed the test?"
Orochimaru didn't answer. His figure disappeared into the forest.
But the notifications that popped up on the system panel gave Uchiha Jun his answer.
[Ding! Orochimaru's Favorability +15, current Favorability: 35 (Interest → Approval)] [Ding! Mission complete: First Mission (A-Rank)] [Rewards: A-Rank Ninja Fragment ×5, Ninja World Recruitment Scroll ×3, Copper Coin ×10,000,000] [Current number of completed A-Rank Missions: 1/7] [Copper Coin balance: 17,000,000] [Ninja World Recruitment Scroll balance: 9]
Uchiha Jun almost couldn't keep his composure.
Ten million Copper Coins!
Three Recruitment Scrolls!
Five A-Rank Ninja Fragments!
That was an incredible haul!
Uchiha Jun forced down the corners of his mouth, which were threatening to rise, and pretended to be utterly exhausted as he followed Yamazaki Kengo toward their retreat route.
In his mind, he was already planning how to use his draws once he got back.
The morning mist along the border of the Land of Fire had yet to disperse.
Uchiha Jun trailed at the back of the group, stepping on grass damp with dew. Thanks to the Life Force of his Senju Bloodline, his wounds had mostly healed.
But he still had a few turns of bandage wrapped around his arm, and his face wore just the right amount of exhaustion.
If you were going to put on an act, you had to commit to it.
Yamazaki Kengo walked at the front. His steps were much lighter than they had been the previous night, since they had all thought he was about to die in battle.
Gekko Kazuichi was being carried by Akimichi Dodo. His face was still pale, but his breathing had grown much steadier.
Hyuga Shuichi's Byakugan swept over their surroundings from time to time, checking for pursuers.
"Jun, we owe you for last night."
Yamazaki Kengo suddenly slowed down and fell into step beside Uchiha Jun.
"Without you, we might not have held out until Lord Orochimaru arrived."
Uchiha Jun waved a hand, wearing an earnest expression. "You're too kind, Senior Yamazaki. I was just helping out. You were the one who held off Gari's attacks."
Yamazaki Kengo shook his head, but said nothing more.
He had seen it clearly. During last night's battle, the Uchiha kid had seemed to hang back at the edges, but every time, he had appeared at the most crucial place at the most crucial moment.
If that Iwa-nin Jonin hadn't been ambushed by Uchiha Jun and drawn away, Yamazaki Kengo would be dead by now.
That kind of battlefield instinct was beyond what an ordinary Genin could possess.
Still, Yamazaki Kengo wasn't one to pry.
Since Uchiha Jun didn't want to reveal his strength, he had no intention of pressing him.
These days, who didn't have a secret or two up their sleeve?
Especially an Uchiha.
The team continued onward.
Half a day later, the outline of Konoha appeared on the horizon.
The three enormous faces on Kage Rock glimmered faintly gold in the morning light, and a fresh group of shinobi had taken over the watch at the village entrance.
Orochimaru had arrived before them and was waiting at the entrance.
His golden, vertical pupils swept over the group before finally settling on Uchiha Jun.
"Get some good rest tonight."
Orochimaru spoke in a tone as casual as if he were giving tomorrow's weather forecast. "Tomorrow morning at eight, I'll send a Summoning Animal to find you. Report to my laboratory."
Uchiha Jun's heart tightened, but he answered promptly, "Yes, Lord Orochimaru."
Orochimaru nodded and was about to turn and leave when he suddenly stopped.
He glanced at Uchiha Jun, then reached out. A small, pitch-black snake slithered from his sleeve.
The snake slid down Orochimaru's arm and onto a patch of open ground nearby, then suddenly opened its mouth wide.
Its jaws stretched far beyond the limits of an ordinary snake. From inside, it spat out a Ninja Blade wrapped in slime.
Right there, Orochimaru treated Uchiha Jun to one of his signature sword-spitting tricks.
"Take it."
Orochimaru tossed the Ninja Blade to Uchiha Jun.
Uchiha Jun caught it instinctively. The hilt felt slick with slime in his hand, but the craftsmanship of the blade made his eyes light up. It had the standard shape of a Japanese sword, with a long, straight blade and a cutting edge curved like a new moon. A black, nonslip cord was wrapped around the hilt, and an old-fashioned serpent emblem was engraved at the end.
"The Ninja Blade you have now doesn't do your swordsmanship justice." Orochimaru licked his lips. "This blade has no name, even though it's part of the 'Kusanagi Sword' series, but its material is much better than that of an ordinary Ninja Blade. Your swordsmanship is good. Don't let a cheap weapon ruin it."
Uchiha Jun held the sword, feeling a stir in his heart.
The Kusanagi Sword series!
It was only one of the most inconspicuous blades in the series, nowhere near as impressive as the true Kusanagi Sword, the Sword of Heaven-Gathering Clouds, in Orochimaru's possession. Even so, it was a treasure most shinobi would never get their hands on.
[Equipment acquired: Kusanagi Sword (Nameless)] [Quality: A-Rank Ninja Tool] [Effect: Chakra conduction efficiency increased by 20%; damage dealt by swordsmanship skills increased by 15%] [Description: One of the Kusanagi Sword series blades personally collected by Orochimaru. Though unnamed, it is sharp enough to cut through steel.]