Orochimaru Appears!

The burly man's eyes widened as he turned his head in a daze, only to see a figure clad in grey robes, wearing a Land of Rain forehead protector!

"It's you!"

The burly man gasped; he knew exactly who stood before him—the very person who had caught Anko's strike with his bare hands!

Orochimaru!

"Hehe! Interesting. It seems I've stumbled upon a windfall. My thanks to you, Uchiha!"

Orochimaru let out a sinister chuckle and flicked his hand. The burly man collapsed to the ground, dead on the spot.

Orochimaru's gaze was already locked onto Uchiha Sora!

Damn it! No way, we ran into each other this quickly?

Uchiha Sora took a deep breath, grateful he hadn't fired his gun just yet.

At least he still had a trump card!

Shikamaru twitched his ears.

"Look! There were sounds of fighting over there just now!"

Choji's eyes widened, and he prepared to bolt.

"People are fighting, shouldn't we run? What if we get caught in the crossfire?"

Shikamaru wore an expression of exasperation.

"You idiot! If people are fighting and it isn't too intense, it means there are two teams involved!"

"And it's not far. If we head over, we might just be able to reap the rewards!"

Ino, standing to the side, had bright eyes.

"Exactly! And those two teams must have different scrolls, otherwise they wouldn't be fighting so easily. If we go over and pick one up, we can win!"

Shikamaru nodded, his face full of excitement.

"Right! No time to lose, let's go check it out!"

With that, the three of them changed direction and headed straight toward the distance.

Meanwhile, Naruto and Sasuke's group also widened their eyes.

"Sounds like someone is fighting! Should we go join the fun?"

Naruto rubbed his hands together, eager to head over immediately.

Sasuke analyzed the situation calmly for a moment.

"Going to take a look is fine. We might be able to pick up a bargain. If we can get the corresponding Earth scroll, it'll save us a lot of trouble!"

Having said that, the three of them also moved toward the location.

Soon enough, the two groups coincidentally ended up on the same path.

One after the other, they arrived at the same time!

Sasuke saw Shikamaru, and Choji saw Naruto and Sakura Haruno.

The two groups exchanged glances, quickly backing away and eyeing each other with caution.

"Why are you guys here too?"

Shikamaru was on high alert.

Sasuke let out a cold snort.

"We're all looking to profit from the situation. I assume you also noticed the commotion from the fighting nearby?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"True. Since we're all here, why don't we team up to take a look?"

"If we can stir up some trouble and fish in muddy waters, we can split the scrolls!"

Sasuke thought for a moment and nodded.

"Fine!"

Though they had agreed, the two groups did not get too close, continuing to advance while remaining wary of one another.

Soon, they arrived at the center of the battle and immediately laid eyes on Uchiha Sora and Orochimaru!

"Holy crap! No way, it's this lively here?"

Choji's mouth hung open, his face filled with excitement.

"Good grief! I've finally caught you! I'm not saying another word—Uchiha Sora, I'm definitely taking you down today!"

Shikamaru and his team clearly didn't understand the weight of Orochimaru's presence.

At this moment, they were still plotting against Uchiha Sora.

Sasuke, however, looked grim.

"Big brother! This one is from the Land of Rain!"

Even Naruto and Sakura Haruno gasped in shock.

"No way! You said it yourself, big brother—those three are not to be trifled with!"

In an instant, the entire exam site became lively.

Rarely, four squads had gathered in one place.

Meanwhile, inside the Hokage's office in Konoha Village.

Hiruzen Sarutobi watched the crystal ball with a strange expression on his face.

"So many people have gathered together?"

Asuma, standing to the side, laughed heartily.

"This is going to be a good show. Maybe we'll even get a free-for-all out of it!"

Kurenai glanced at Orochimaru and suddenly spoke up.

"Who is this person? He's so old, yet he's participating in the Chunin Exams? Is there no age limit?"

Asuma looked puzzled.

"He seems to be from the Land of Rain. It's normal for someone to be old; there are plenty of seventy or eighty-year-olds who still haven't passed. Besides, there's no age restriction."

Kurenai shook her head.

"No! I can't help but feel a sense of unease from him. This person might not be simple!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze deepened.

"Just as well. Since so many people are there now, we'll watch for a while longer. If there's anything suspicious about him, we'll send people to apprehend him immediately!"

Asuma nodded solemnly.

"I'll go contact Kakashi right away!"

And so, the upper echelons of Konoha Village were also keeping a close watch on this battle.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. I didn't expect it to be so lively! But it's a pity—I don't want so many people to know about this!"

Orochimaru cast a sinister glance around the area.

He was pleasantly surprised to discover that both Sasuke and his brother were actually here.

He felt a surge of excitement, feeling that his trip had not been in vain.

"Heh! Listen here, you weirdo. Our target isn't you; it's Uchiha Sora. Get lost now, and maybe we won't lay a hand on you!"

Choji looked at him with disdain.

He thought this guy Orochimaru was as thin as a monkey, nothing like his own well-rounded self.

He reckoned the man wouldn't even be able to withstand a single slap from him.

Sasuke and his group also let out a cold snort.

"Don't get too arrogant. Both of us brothers are here. Even if all of you attacked at once, what could you possibly do?"

By this time, Sasuke had already led his teammates toward Uchiha Sora's position.

Naruto and Sakura Haruno exchanged a glance; they didn't have any ill feelings toward Uchiha Sora.

After all, he had helped them once before.

Sakura, in particular, thought Uchiha Sora was incredibly handsome.

Without a second thought, she signaled her agreement.

Just like that, Uchiha Sora inexplicably gained three more teammates.

Choji and the others also realized the situation had turned against them.

Shikamaru furrowed his brows.

"This looks like trouble... why don't we just leave?"

Ino, standing nearby, was also ready to retreat.

But Choji remained persistent.

"Yeah, the two brothers are teaming up, so we can't get involved in that, but this guy from the Land of Rain!"

Without a doubt, he still wanted to pick up the scraps.

However, before he could say anything more, Orochimaru let out a cold snort.

"Heh! Newborn calves are not afraid of tigers. Today, I'll teach you all a lesson!"

Then, Orochimaru moved in an instant, though he didn't lunge toward Naruto.

Instead, he closed in on the Ino-Shika-Cho trio in a flash!

"Damn it! Fall back, quickly!"

Shikamaru's expression shifted; although he did not know the person before him was Orochimaru, he understood that anyone capable of making the proctors wary must possess formidable strength.

He retreated rapidly, his Shadow Control Jutsu already manifesting and lunging toward Orochimaru.

Beside him, Choji's arm expanded several times over, and he brought a fist crashing down toward Orochimaru.

Ino, meanwhile, unleashed her Mind Transfer Jutsu, successfully seizing control of Orochimaru's two teammates.

Yet, this sequence of control and attack, which should have been highly effective, proved completely useless against Orochimaru.

Orochimaru's body contorted, and at the very moment the fist struck, his neck stretched out, extending over ten meters in an instant.

Like a python, he lunged forward and snapped his jaws toward Choji's face!