Chunin Exams (10)

"This..." Sasuke calmed down to think, and it was indeed as he said. If it were a summoning technique, he wouldn't have the chakra to summon something so massive, yet he had used it three times in a row, not to mention the other ninjutsu he kept casting. This was certainly not something a genin could accomplish.

"Once you understand, go quickly. I will hold him off until you can call for reinforcements!" Yin Xiang pulled out a kunai and said, facing Orochimaru.

So that's it. It wasn't that he knew my identity, but that he deduced I wasn't a genin from other observations. Orochimaru thought to himself, having been fooled by Yin Xiang's reasoning.

"Be careful." After Sasuke nodded, he ran to Naruto's side, hoisted him onto his back, and left with Sakura. Throughout this process, Orochimaru did not stop them, but instead stared fixedly at Yin Xiang.

"Who, exactly, are you?" Yin Xiang crouched slightly, holding the kunai sideways in his hand as he looked at Orochimaru and spoke with a feigned air of confidence.

"Me? My name is Orochimaru." Orochimaru reached out and peeled the skin off his face. At the same time, he wiped away the Grass Ninja forehead protector, revealing a Sound Ninja one underneath. His eyes widened sharply for a moment, releasing a powerful killing intent, while his hands formed a seal.

Following this seal, Yin Xiang's body became completely immobilized, no matter how hard he struggled.

"What is this... the Body Immobilization Technique?" Yin Xiang only felt as if his body had been seized by something, rendering him utterly unable to move.

Next, Orochimaru formed another strange seal with his hands. Seeing this, Yin Xiang screamed in his heart that things were going poorly, but he remained completely paralyzed. The next moment, Orochimaru's neck stretched out, and he sank his teeth into Yin Xiang's neck.

"Ugh..." Yin Xiang was overcome with excruciating pain, and three black tomoe appeared on the back of his neck.

"This is a little parting gift for you. Once you experience its power, I think you will thank me." After Orochimaru finished speaking, he vanished from before Yin Xiang. Yin Xiang was finally able to move; he clutched the back of his neck, knelt on the ground, and let out a shout. A moment later, he fainted from the agony.

I don't need... your trashy gift... This was Yin Xiang's final thought.

As for Orochimaru, he went to find Sasuke once more, and in the same fashion, bit the Cursed Seal into Sasuke's neck as well.

When Yin Xiang woke up again, he was under a tree with three people standing around him.

"You're awake, Yin Xiang!" It was Tenten. Seeing Yin Xiang stir, she hurried over. The three people around him were Neji, Rock Lee, and Tenten, who had kept watch over him all night.

"Ugh... Tenten." With Tenten's help, Yin Xiang stood up from the ground.

"Drink some water." Tenten retrieved a bamboo tube from the side containing fresh water they had gathered the day before, and she held it for Yin Xiang to drink.

"Yin Xiang, what happened to you? You looked to be in such a bad state yesterday," Rock Lee said to him. Yin Xiang had been in visible agony throughout the entire night.

"I ran into someone very strong. What about Naruto and the others? Have you seen them?" Yin Xiang asked, looking at Rock Lee, but all three shook their heads.

"Damn it." Yin Xiang climbed to his feet, formed several hand seals, and slammed his palm against his own neck. "Evil Sealing Method!"

"Ah... ah!!" A wave of pain surged across Yin Xiang's neck, and a circle of cursed markings manifested around him, giving the three of them a fright.

"Yi... Yin Xiang... are you alright!" After a series of shouts, Yin Xiang collapsed onto the ground, drenched in sweat. "I'm... I'm fine." Yin Xiang shook his head. Fortunately, he had learned the Evil Sealing Method beforehand; this way, he could temporarily seal the Cursed Seal.

"How did I get here?" Yin Xiang asked, looking up at Tenten.

"Yesterday, the three of us agreed to split up to scout the situation. It was Neji who found you and brought you back," Tenten explained.

"I see. Thank you, Neji," Yin Xiang said, looking at Neji, who nodded in response. "But who was it that did this to you? There shouldn't be anyone in this forest who is your match."

"We can talk about that later. I need to find Naruto and the others first." He didn't know what had happened to Naruto and the others after he passed out. Judging by the fact that Neji had to bring him back, it seemed they hadn't managed to find a jonin for support, which meant they had likely been caught by Orochimaru.

"Then let's go together," Neji said to Yin Xiang. "If that person went after Naruto and the others, you'll need our help."

"To be honest, if that guy is still there, you won't be able to help. If I go, I'll just be a meat shield. Regardless, thank you for saving me. I'm heading out now." Yin Xiang sighed. "Keep working hard, Tenten." He gave her a smile before turning and leaving.

"Is Yin Xiang really going to be okay?" Tenten asked, watching his retreating back.

"Yin Xiang is right. If even he can't handle it, it's unlikely we'll be of any use," Rock Lee said.

"Let's continue to split up and look for clues, then regroup here," Neji said with a nod, and the three of them dispersed once more.

Yin Xiang moved rapidly through the jungle and consumed a Military Ration Pill to replenish his stamina. He hadn't had a chance to eat since yesterday, so he had to rely on the pill for energy.

"Who's there?" Yin Xiang leaped down from a tree and looked toward the nearby bushes.

Damn it, I was actually discovered by this monster! Shikamaru froze in the bushes, thinking to himself.

"It's actually that Yin Xiang. There's no help for it, it looks like it's up to me." Ino stepped out from the bushes, untied her long hair, and struck a seductive pose. "Hi~ Yin Xiang, I've been watching you for a long time, you know~"

Is she trying to use a honey trap... these kids today, honestly. Yin Xiang thought to himself as he saw it was Ino and her team, and witnessed her pose. However...

"Is that so? I've been watching you for a long time, too." Yin Xiang appeared instantly beside Ino and wrapped his arms around her waist. Ino was stunned, never expecting such a reaction from him. "Even if you didn't do that, with Shikamaru here, I wouldn't have attacked you anyway."

"I have some urgent business right now, so I won't talk to you for long." Yin Xiang planted a light kiss on Ino's forehead, causing her face to flush bright red. His appearance made it impossible for her to resist. "Goodbye." With that, Yin Xiang left.

"Could they be this way?" Yin Xiang changed direction and ran off, but as luck would have it, he chased the wrong way. Meanwhile, Rock Lee, who was out gathering intelligence, stumbled upon the location of Sakura and the others, running into the Sound Ninja Trio who were attacking her.

To protect Sakura, Rock Lee engaged the three in battle using the Hidden Lotus, a technique Guy had classified as a forbidden jutsu. This move would cause significant damage to Rock Lee himself.