Anko

At the other end of the Forest of Death.

Sasuke's breathing was still heavy. The weakness after the curse mark receded washed over him like a tide. His legs buckled with every step, but he gritted his teeth and refused to stop.

Sakura supported Naruto's left arm while Sasuke held up his right. The three struggled through the dense forest. Naruto's eyes were closed and his face was pale, but his breathing remained steady.

"Sasuke, are you all right?" Sakura couldn't help asking.

"I'm fine."

"You look terrible—"

"I said I'm fine."

Sasuke's tone was harsh, but Sakura wasn't angry. She could hear the exhaustion in his voice. He wasn't putting on a brave face; he was genuinely forcing himself to hold on.

After another ten minutes or so, Naruto's eyelids twitched slightly.

"Ugh..."

"Naruto!" Sakura cried in delight.

Naruto slowly opened his eyes, his blue pupils still somewhat unfocused. He shook his head as his memories pieced themselves together like scattered fragments—Orochimaru, that terrifying man, and then everything went black.

"Sasuke... Sakura..." Naruto rasped. "Where's that guy?"

"He's gone," Sasuke answered shortly.

Naruto tried to straighten up, only to find his legs weak and his chakra running wild through his body like a herd of uncontrolled horses. He frowned, took a deep breath, and forcibly suppressed the chaotic chakra.

"I can walk now." Naruto let go of Sakura's hand and rolled his shoulders. "I'm just a little... drained."

Sasuke glanced at him without saying anything, then released his grip.

Naruto staggered but caught himself. He looked around, his gaze settling on the injury on Sakura's face and the black mark on Sasuke's neck. His fists clenched unconsciously.

"That bastard..." Naruto muttered. "One day, I'm going to beat the crap out of him."

"Let's worry about getting out of the Forest of Death alive first." Sasuke turned around. "Let's go."

The three set off again. Naruto's chakra was still somewhat unstable, but he had no problem with basic movement or combat. Sakura's injuries weren't light, but she could still endure.

Less than fifteen minutes later, the sounds of fighting came from ahead.

Sasuke raised a hand. The three immediately stopped and slipped into the bushes.

In a clearing ahead, two teams of ninja were fighting—one was a three-man squad from the Rain Hidden Village, while the other had two people? No, there had originally been three, but one of them was already lying on the ground with several kunai embedded in his body. He appeared to have lost the ability to fight.

"Rain Hidden Village," Sasuke said quietly. "Do they have a scroll?"

Sakura observed them for a moment. "The one on the ground... seems to have a scroll."

"Take it." Sasuke said only one word.

Naruto grinned. "Finally, some action."

Though Sasuke was weak, his Sharingan could still track the enemies' movements. He quickly assessed the situation—the three Rain Hidden ninja were average in strength, their coordination was poor, and the battle had already consumed a considerable amount of their chakra.

"Naruto, feint from the front. Sakura, circle around from the right and take the scroll. I'll deal with them."

"Got it!"

Naruto shouted and charged out of the bushes.

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

More than a dozen Narutos appeared out of thin air, shouting as they rushed at the three Rain Hidden ninja. The enemy jumped in alarm and frantically tried to fend off attacks from every direction. Each shadow clone wasn't very strong, but there were too many of them, and they were irritating.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Sakura circled around from the right to the fallen Rain Hidden ninja and yanked the scroll from his chest—an Earth Scroll.

"Got it!"

The Rain Hidden captain spotted Sakura and turned to chase after her.

Sasuke moved.

Even weakened, his speed was still beyond that of ordinary genin. A chop struck the back of the man's neck, and he collapsed at once. When the remaining two saw their captain taken down in an instant, their morale shattered and they turned to flee.

Naruto's shadow clones pursued them for a few steps before Sasuke called them back.

"That's enough. We have the scroll."

Sakura ran back holding the Earth Scroll, then pulled Team 7's original Heaven Scroll from her clothes.

"Heaven and Earth. We've got both."

Sasuke nodded. "To the Central Tower."

The three didn't waste any time and hurried along the forest path. Sasuke walked at the front, keeping his Sharingan activated as he remained vigilant of every corner around them.

Naruto followed behind him. Though his chakra was still unstable, his spirits had recovered considerably.

"Sasuke, that thing on your neck..."

"Shut up."

Naruto curled his lip and said no more.

About an hour later, the three finally emerged from the dense forest and saw the outline of the Central Tower.

The tower stood at the heart of the Forest of Death, its gray stone walls covered in vines.

"We made it." Sakura breathed a sigh of relief.

Sasuke stopped and looked back at the path they had taken.

Within the shadows of the Forest of Death, something seemed to still be watching them.

He didn't dwell on it and turned to enter the tower.

Meanwhile, in a corner of the Forest of Death.

Anko Mitarashi stood on the branch of a massive tree, her brows tightly furrowed.

She was one of the proctors for the second stage of the exam, responsible for patrolling the Forest of Death, monitoring the candidates' movements, and intervening when necessary. Just now, she had sensed a familiar, unsettling chakra.

It was cold, clammy, and felt like a snake.

She would never forget it for as long as she lived.

Anko followed the chakra trail for nearly twenty minutes before finally finding her target amid a dense canopy.

A middle-aged male ninja dressed in Grass Hidden Village attire leaned against a tree trunk, seemingly waiting for someone.

Anko landed on a branch opposite him, both hands already gripping kunai.

"Who are you?" Her voice was cold and sharp with scrutiny.

That "Grass ninja" slowly turned his head, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

"It's been a long time, Anko."

That voice—deep and drawn-out, like a snake flicking its tongue.

Anko's pupils contracted sharply.

"Oro... chi... maru..."

Orochimaru released his Transformation Technique and returned to his true appearance—pale skin, golden snake eyes, purple eye shadow, and long black hair drifting in the wind.

He tilted his head slightly as he looked at Anko, as though examining an old toy he had not taken out to play with in a long time.

"You're still so perceptive," Orochimaru said. "I had planned to quietly watch the rest of this exam."

Cold sweat instantly drenched Anko's back.

Orochimaru—an S-rank rogue ninja, one of the Three Legendary Sannin, and her former teacher. She knew how dangerous he was. She knew he would stop at nothing to achieve his goals. When Orochimaru defected from Konoha, she had still been a genin, and she had watched the ANBU sent after him fall one after another.

"What are you doing in Konoha?" Anko gritted her teeth, pointing her kunai at Orochimaru's throat. "What scheme are you plotting this time?"

Orochimaru chuckled softly.

"A scheme?" He repeated the phrase. "I merely came to take the Chunin Exams."

"Bullshit!"

Anko leaned forward slightly, chakra surging through her body. She knew Orochimaru was far stronger than she was, but she could not retreat. This was Konoha. She was a ninja of Konoha. It was her duty to stop this traitor.

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

Several venomous snakes shot out from Anko's sleeves and lunged for Orochimaru's face.

Orochimaru did not even move.

The snakes suddenly froze less than half a meter from him, then dangled limply as if all their strength had been drained away.

"You still like using snakes," Orochimaru said, a trace of nostalgia in his tone. "You remembered what I taught you quite well."

Anko's heart sank.

She drew a kunai from her waist and charged at Orochimaru like an arrow loosed from a bow. Close combat—this was the only way she might find an opening.

Orochimaru shifted aside, easily evading her first strike. Anko spun and swept her arm across, her kunai grazing Orochimaru's clothes and cutting off a small piece of fabric. So close, just a little closer.

"Not bad speed," Orochimaru commented. "Much faster than before."

Anko did not answer. She stabbed seven times in rapid succession, every strike aimed at Orochimaru's vital points—his throat, heart, liver, and kidneys. Yet Orochimaru moved with the supple flexibility of a snake, evading every attack by the narrowest margin.

"Is this all you've got, Anko?" Orochimaru's voice was mocking. "You used to be one of my most prized students."

Anko clenched her teeth and drove her kunai backward toward Orochimaru's abdomen.

This strike hit.

But Anko's expression changed instantly—the sensation was wrong. It did not feel like piercing flesh and blood, but like stabbing into something hard and smooth.

Orochimaru's clothes tore open, revealing not skin, but layer upon layer of green scales.

Snake scales.

"Kusanagi Sword."

Orochimaru drew a longsword from his mouth—the Kusanagi Sword. Its blade reflected a chilling gleam beneath the sunlight, its tip aimed at Anko's throat.

Anko instinctively retreated, but Orochimaru was too fast. The sword tip cut a shallow line across her neck. If she had moved any slower, that strike would have slit her windpipe.

Orochimaru did not pursue. He simply stood where he was, holding the sword, that faintly amused curve lingering at the corners of his mouth.

"I'll kill you." Anko wiped away her tears, her eyes turning cold. "One day, I'll kill you with my own hands."

Orochimaru smiled.

"I look forward to it, Anko."

He put away the Kusanagi Sword, turned his back on Anko, and gradually walked away.

Anko wanted to pursue him, but Orochimaru's figure had already vanished into the canopy.

She dropped to her knees on the branch, gasping for breath as blood continued to flow from her neck.

Outside the Central Tower, within a concealed thicket.

Yunju placed the unconscious Zaku and Kin beneath a large tree and examined their injuries. Sasuke had crippled Zaku's hands. Though the broken bones had been roughly secured with bandages, he would not be able to fight again anytime soon. Kin was in better condition; Sasuke had merely knocked her unconscious, and she should wake up before long.

Yunju sat on a rock, considering his next move.

He should have led the team into the tower, but with Zaku and Kin in their current state, they would only be burdens. Besides, Orochimaru had not yet given him any further instructions.

"Yunju."

A familiar voice came from behind him.

Yunju spun around—Orochimaru stood not far behind him, pale-skinned and golden-eyed, that signature smile at the corner of his mouth.

"Lord Orochimaru, I fought Neji Hyuga." Yunju dropped to one knee and lowered his head, his tone respectful.

"Get up." There was a hint of pleasure in Orochimaru's voice, something rarely heard from him.

Yunju rose, waiting for Orochimaru's instructions.

"You encountered Neji Hyuga?" Orochimaru asked.

"Yes," Yunju said. "Following your instructions, I fought Neji and collected data on the Byakugan."

"And the results?"

"The Byakugan's abilities are formidable—three-hundred-and-sixty-degree vision, the ability to see chakra flow, and the Gentle Fist can seal chakra points. Rotation is an almost perfect defensive ninjutsu." Yunju paused. "However... it has one crucial weakness."

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow slightly. "Oh?"

"Bright light," Yunju said. "The intense flash produced by Lightning Release: Quick Flash can temporarily blind the Byakugan. It doesn't counter the Byakugan's perception itself, but exploits biological instinct—any eye will blink in bright light. The Byakugan is no exception."

The interest in Orochimaru's eyes deepened.

"You verified this?"

"I did. Neji was blinded twice by my Quick Flash. The second time, I successfully subdued him."

Orochimaru licked his lips, the expression of someone who had found something interesting.

"Interesting. You're even more useful than I imagined, Yunju."