Chunin Exams (9)

Anko finally discovered the corpses of three Grass Ninja and confirmed that Orochimaru had arrived. She immediately ordered someone to notify the Third Hokage and requested that two Anbu squads be dispatched to the Forest of Death, after which she entered the forest herself to hunt for Orochimaru.

It's probably better if I go find Naruto. After some thought, Yin Xiang began searching the forest for traces of Naruto. Since they had entered through Gate 16, Yin Xiang headed there first to track them down.

Seeing the ground torn up by Wind Release: Great Breakthrough—a technique whose power far exceeded his own—Yin Xiang followed the trail and arrived just in time to see Naruto blocking the giant snake in front of Sasuke.

"Yo, you're not hurt, are you, coward?" Naruto panted, speaking to Sasuke. His eyes were already red—the eyes of the Nine-Tails.

Naruto's use of the word "coward" stung Sasuke; it was the very insult Sasuke had leveled at Naruto earlier, and now Naruto was throwing it right back at him.

"A coward like that is definitely not the Sasuke I know," Naruto said to him. Sasuke had been paralyzed by Orochimaru's killing intent, standing frozen in place until that moment.

However, no sooner had Naruto finished speaking than Orochimaru extended his long tongue, snatched Naruto up, and suspended him in mid-air.

"Damn it! Let me go! You snake demon!" Naruto struggled violently against the tongue. Meanwhile, Orochimaru formed a seal with his hands—the seal for the Five Elements Seal.

So this is Orochimaru... his killing intent is truly immense. Yin Xiang's entire body trembled, though it was a tremor of excitement. Was he actually going to fight Orochimaru? He knew he was no match for him.

Orochimaru's tongue lifted Naruto's shirt, revealing the Eight Trigrams Sealing Style, upon which he added the Five Elements Seal. Naruto's eyes reverted to blue, and he promptly lost consciousness.

Orochimaru then retrieved the Scroll of Heaven from Naruto's ninja tool pouch and tossed the boy aside.

"Naruto!" Sakura screamed, preparing to throw a kunai to save him, but Yin Xiang moved faster, catching Naruto and landing on a tree branch.

"Yin Xiang..." Seeing him, Sakura felt a surge of hope. If Yin Xiang was here, perhaps they could defeat this person... but she was clearly overestimating the situation.

"What's wrong, Sasuke!" Sakura looked toward Sasuke, who remained standing in the same spot, his expression vacant, unable to move.

"Oh? Namikaze Yin Xiang, I was just about to go looking for you." Seeing Yin Xiang, Orochimaru spoke, licking the corner of his mouth.

"You're the Sound Ninja I fought outside Konoha a year ago, aren't you?" Yin Xiang placed Naruto on the branch and stared at Orochimaru.

"Indeed." Orochimaru did not deny it, offering a slight nod.

"Naruto is different from Sasuke! Even if he's clumsy and a nuisance, at least he isn't a coward! Right? Isn't that so!" Sakura shouted at Sasuke.

At that moment, the image of that man flashed through Sasuke's mind, his voice echoing in his head. "No!" Sasuke suddenly snapped out of it, and Orochimaru turned his gaze back to him.

"Stay there and don't move. Once I finish with this, I'll properly engage you in battle," Orochimaru said to Yin Xiang. He formed a seal, the snake beneath his feet vanished, and he stood on the branch, watching Sasuke.

"As expected of the Uchiha Clan, your blood is starting to boil, isn't it? Let me slowly verify your strength!"

Sasuke's gaze was now exceptionally firm. He bit down on a kunai and charged toward Orochimaru at high speed, leaping off the trees to flip through the air while throwing several kunai and shuriken, all of which Orochimaru dodged with ease.

Sasuke continued to use the trees to launch himself at Orochimaru, throwing a punch at his head. Orochimaru raised an arm to block it, using the momentum to push Sasuke away, but Sasuke countered by kicking out in mid-air.

Orochimaru naturally blocked it, raising his own leg to meet the strike. The two legs collided, and this time it was Sasuke who used the force to retreat. Orochimaru immediately gave chase, and the two engaged in a flurry of taijutsu across the tree branches.

Relying on his Sharingan, Sasuke could clearly track Orochimaru's attacks and return them in kind.

However, just as Sasuke thought he could keep up with Orochimaru's movements, the ninja's speed suddenly increased. He moved through the surrounding trees with such velocity that even Yin Xiang could no longer follow his actions.

Yin Xiang dared not intervene; if his interference forced Orochimaru to change his plans and he accidentally killed Sasuke, it would be a disaster.

BOOM!

Orochimaru slammed into the spot where Sasuke had been standing, but Sasuke leaped away just in time. "I can see it!" Sasuke muttered. It was good to have the Sharingan after all.

Sasuke didn't just jump away; he formed seals in mid-air and, upon landing, unleashed a torrent of fire at Orochimaru, following it up with another blast that created a vortex of flames.

Orochimaru merely smiled amidst the fire. The next moment, he used Earth Release to burst from the tree trunk, throwing a punch at Sasuke, who barely managed to dodge.

"Whew..." After landing, Sasuke exhaled deeply, keeping his guard up as he watched Orochimaru. Neither moved, and a brief silence fell over the clearing.

He's barely passable. He predicted my movements and launched precise attacks. He can see them now, Orochimaru thought to himself while watching Sasuke.

This isn't going well. Orochimaru probably hasn't even used twenty percent of his strength, Yin Xiang thought, beginning to form seals. "Lightning Release: Earth Flash!"

Yin Xiang sent a bolt of lightning along the ground toward Orochimaru, who leaped away to dodge the attack. "You two, take Naruto and get out of here! He's not someone you can handle! Go notify a Jonin!" Yin Xiang jumped in front of Sasuke, his back to them.

"Oh? Do you happen to know who I am?" Orochimaru asked, intrigued by Yin Xiang's mention of a Jonin.

"How could I not? I can see his movements clearly now; I'll be able to defeat him soon!" Sasuke, no longer afraid, was eager to continue the fight.

"Don't you understand yet? Summoning Jutsu, Sealing Jutsu, Body Flicker Technique, Earth Release, and that strange body of his—do you have any idea how much chakra that consumes? He's no Genin!" Yin Xiang said to Sasuke, though the words were also meant to mislead Orochimaru. He couldn't let him realize that he knew exactly who he was.