At that moment, Orochimaru forced himself back to his feet through the hail of bullets.
He waved a hand toward Uchiha Sora.
At once, a flood of tiny white snakes poured down like raindrops.
They formed a sea of serpents,
threatening to swallow everyone present.
"Damn it! You think this little trick can hurt me? It's not enough!"
Orochimaru roared furiously.
Getting beaten to a pulp by a junior was downright humiliating.
But Uchiha Sora answered in a cold voice.
"Is that so? I've got something with a bigger caliber!"
"Take a look at this fusion of an anti-tank rocket launcher and a Tomahawk cruise missile!"
At those words, Orochimaru's scalp tingled.
Uchiha Sora held his hands up as if carrying something on his shoulders.
The others could just make out a purple cylinder resembling Susanoo, its interior carved with spiraling ridges and grooves.
At the far end of the barrel, a dark object was pointed outward!
"What is that now?"
Orochimaru was nearly speechless.
But the next second, he found out.
The rocket launcher fired with a deafening roar.
A rocket, infused with one-tenth of Uchiha Sora's chakra, shot out like lightning. Its penetrating power rivaled an armor-piercing shell, while its explosive payload matched a cruise missile!
It struck Orochimaru in an instant,
burying him beneath the sea of snakes.
BOOM!
The next second, a pillar of flame shot skyward, accompanied by rings of air-shaking shock waves.
The giant snakes were blown to pieces, and Orochimaru bore the brunt of the blast.
Engulfed in a sea of fire, he took a direct hit from an RPG. No matter how tough he was, he was now scattered in pieces!
He had no time to dodge and could only watch as the explosion swallowed him.
The air filled with the smell of gunpowder. The earth was scorched, leaving behind a huge, pitch-black crater.
By then, Orochimaru had vanished—no one knew where.
All that remained was the sound of people drawing sharp breaths, along with the acrid stench of roasted, charred snake.
"Gah... Uchiha Sora, we're both from Konoha. Don't go shooting your own people!"
Choji pleaded, terrified that Uchiha Sora might turn around and fire at him next.
Naruto's teeth were chattering, too.
"You're a freak! The whole Uchiha Clan is full of freaks!"
Everyone present was stunned. They never would have guessed that the usually calm, low-key friend of women—Konoha's famous Uchiha dead weight—
would make such a spectacular debut today.
Sure, they were tools, but nobody in the Ninja World looked down on you for using tools.
On the contrary, if you made the tools yourself, your standing in the village would rise.
After all, if equipment this powerful could be mass-produced, wouldn't everyone be able to take down Orochimaru in an instant?
Meanwhile,
in the Hokage's office in Konoha,
Hiruzen Sarutobi's whole face trembled with shock.
"No way... What is that? Some kind of ninja tool? Contact Tenten's father and have him come take a look!"
The Hokage and the other senior officials of Konoha had been watching the fight for some time.
When they saw how powerful Orochimaru was, nearly wiping out all the promising young ninja in the area, the Hokage and the others had been ready to intervene themselves. But just as they were about to set out, they witnessed Uchiha Sora's bizarre techniques.
With one shot and one blast, he had torn Orochimaru apart on the spot. They had no idea whether Orochimaru was dead, but even Kakashi and the Hokage would have been hard-pressed to match that kind of destructive power.
"The younger generation is impressive. Now I understand why Ibiki asked me for this boy. With skills like those, if he invented those weapons, he'd deserve to be promoted straight to Jonin, let alone assigned to Anbu!"
As Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi understood how important a skilled toolmaker was in the Ninja World.
Asuma's expression shifted several times.
"That kid barely moved just now, and he didn't seem to use chakra. Does that mean those tools work through physical force?"
His words stunned everyone all over again.
"What? You mean anyone can use those things?"
Might Guy was so shocked his jaw nearly dropped.
"Does that mean Rock Lee and I could use them too?"
Kurenai's expression was grave.
"That boy has real talent. I suggest we protect him at once, fast-track him to Chunin, and then train him in Anbu!"
"We should give him some resources and let him do his own research."
Just then, an old man wrapped in bandages slowly emerged from behind the office door.
It was Danzo.
"His name is Uchiha Sora, right? He's an Uchiha, and he's so talented. Why not let him work under me?"
The Hokage narrowed his eyes.
"No. He's still a child. He can't follow you to such a dark place."
After a moment's thought, the Hokage continued.
"Let him take the Chunin Ninja Exams on his own. If he passes, and his inventions prove useful, we can establish a new department for him."
Hiruzen Sarutobi knew Danzo well. He was a dangerous man in the village.
It was true that he was devoted to the village.
But Danzo was an old hand, dating back to the previous era, all the way to the time of the Second Hokage.
His views were bound to be a little warped.
"Heh, is that so? Still, I'd advise you to go take a look. There's no doubt that man is Orochimaru!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded.
"I noticed. Kakashi should already be there. You don't need to worry about it!"
Danzo snorted. As he left, he took another long look at Uchiha Sora in the crystal ball.
He clearly didn't want to let the boy go.
Meanwhile, at the Chunin Ninja Exams, Kakashi and Mitaraishi Anko stood in a tree not far away.
They looked down at the crater and smelled the charred stench rising from below. Both of them were stunned.
"Well, well! The kid's pretty impressive. Maybe I should take him on after he graduates?"
Anko was just as shocked.
"What's that thing in his hand? I've never seen anything like it. Could he have invented it himself?"
As the two were talking, someone suddenly emerged from the corner.
It was the proctor, Ibiki.
"Heh heh! It'd be an outrage if this kid didn't join Anbu!"
Ibiki had been watching from a distance the whole time.
As an Anbu operative, he was very good at hiding.
Now his eyes were shining. He wished he could snatch Uchiha Sora away right then and there.
"By the way... was that Orochimaru? My teacher?"
Anko looked heartbroken.
She glanced at the corpses scattered below.
Even so, Anko knew Orochimaru probably wouldn't die that easily.
"He's probably still alive. Hurry and protect Uchiha Sora and the others. For now, we'll count this exam as a victory for Uchiha Sora's team."
Kakashi's expression was grave.
Ibiki immediately agreed.
"Absolutely! Plenty of Jonin couldn't match the power he just showed. Promoting him is the obvious choice!"
Uchiha Sora had no idea that the big names had already set their eyes on him.
Right now, he only knew that he had completed the system's task.
"Ding! Congratulations, host. You completed the task: drive off Orochimaru!"
Before you continue