Battle

Orochimaru had appeared behind him at some point, his cold lips pressed against his neck.

"Ah—!!"

Sasuke Uchiha let out a scream and dropped to his knees.

The Curse Mark of Heaven slowly spread across Sasuke's neck, forming a black pattern of three tomoe.

Sakura screamed and rushed forward, only for Orochimaru to casually wave her aside. She crashed into a tree root and lost consciousness.

Naruto struggled to his feet, fury blazing in his blue eyes. Red, ominous chakra began to surge from his body—the power of the Nine-Tails, awakening in response to his rage and the danger.

"Oh?" Orochimaru narrowed his eyes slightly. "The Nine-Tails' jinchuriki. How interesting."

But Orochimaru did not allow that chakra to continue awakening.

He reached out and pressed a hand against Naruto's abdomen, where the Nine-Tails was sealed. Black chakra poured from his palm and flowed into Naruto's seal.

"Five Elements Seal."

Naruto screamed. The red chakra around him instantly dispersed, and his whole body went limp as he fell unconscious.

Orochimaru rose to his feet and looked at the three genin lying on the ground. A complicated emotion flashed through his golden snake eyes.

He bent down and retrieved Team 7's Heaven Scroll and Earth Scroll from Sasuke.

Then he did nothing more.

He turned his back on the unconscious trio, his voice low and clear.

"Sasuke-kun, you desire power, don't you?"

"For the sake of revenge, you will come looking for me."

"I'll be waiting for you."

With a flicker, Orochimaru vanished.

Only the three unconscious children remained in the clearing, along with the black mark on Sasuke's neck—a symbol of curse and temptation.

Deep within the forest.

Yunju was leading his team in a search when he suddenly saw a purple signal flare rise into the sky in the distance.

It was Orochimaru's summons signal.

"This way." Yunju turned and led Zaku and Kin toward the signal.

The three raced through the treetops at high speed. About ten minutes later, they drew closer and closer to the place where the signal had been sent.

Suddenly, Yunju came to an abrupt stop.

Three people stood on the forest path ahead.

No, they were not standing there—they were walking toward them.

Neji Hyuga.

At the head was a boy with white eyes and long black hair cascading down his back. He wore a Konoha forehead protector, and beneath it, a green mark was faintly visible. His steps were steady, his presence restrained, yet an oppressive air far beyond his age emanated from him.

Two Konoha genin followed behind him.

One was a rough-featured boy in a green jumpsuit, his hands wrapped in bandages and fierce fighting spirit burning in his eyes—Rock Lee.

The other was a girl with two buns in her hair, wearing a pink Chinese-style top. A massive scroll was strapped to her back, and she already held several kunai in her hand—Tenten.

Yunju recognized them.

Team Guy. One of Konoha's strongest taijutsu teams.

Neji Hyuga also stopped.

The two teams faced each other on the forest path, less than ten meters apart.

Neji's Byakugan slowly shifted as he swept his gaze across Yunju's group, finally settling on Yunju himself.

"Sound ninja." Neji's voice was calm and cold. "Have you gathered your scrolls?"

Yunju did not answer.

His gaze fell upon Neji's eyes.

White eyes.

The Byakugan.

This was the Konoha genin Orochimaru had called the strongest.

Zaku and Kin both looked at Yunju, waiting for his orders. According to the principles of ninja squad operations, if both sides possessed scrolls, there was no need for a pointless fight—high risk, low reward, nothing but needless attrition.

Yunju understood that.

But he spoke anyway.

"Fight."

Zaku froze for a moment, then grinned. "It's about time."

Kin said nothing. She merely removed the scroll from her back.

Neji frowned slightly, seemingly puzzled by the Sound ninja's choice. But he did not retreat. He simply adjusted his stance and entered a combat posture.

"Lee, Tenten, don't let your guard down."

Lee's eyes instantly lit up. His entire body seemed to ignite as a green current of chakra surged around him.

"Finally, a fight! Neji!"

Tenten said nothing. She lightly tossed the kunai in her hand, spinning it deftly between her fingers as she locked her eyes on Kin.

Zaku made the first move. He thrust both arms forward, and the air tubes on his arms began to hum—

"Air Cutter!"

An invisible shockwave blasted toward Neji.

Neji's pupils contracted slightly. His Byakugan had already seen through Zaku's movements. Just before the shockwave arrived, he shifted aside, evading the frontal strike by a hair, then sprang forward toward Zaku.

"Eight Trigrams: Air Palm."

He struck from a distance. Gentle Fist chakra became an invisible blast and hit Zaku squarely in the chest. Zaku grunted as he was sent flying backward, snapping a small tree behind him.

Lee moved almost at the same instant.

His speed was astonishing. No hand seals, no ninjutsu—just the explosive force of pure taijutsu. While Zaku was still in midair, Lee had already appeared at his landing point and kicked him skyward.

"Leaf Great Whirlwind!"

Zaku screamed, spinning several times through the air before crashing heavily to the ground. He did not get back up.

Kin tried to help, but Tenten's kunai rained down from above, forcing her back like a storm.

"Tool Manipulation: Twin Rising Dragons!"

Tenten summoned even more ninja tools from her scroll—shuriken, kunai, caltrops—and fired them at Kin in a sweeping barrage. Kin barely managed to deflect some of them with sound waves, but a kunai still sliced open her left arm, sending blood spraying.

Yunju stood where he was and watched.

He did not make a move.

It was not because he could not defeat them—or at least, that was what he believed. It was because he wanted to observe how Neji and his teammates fought.

The Byakugan's field of vision, the power of the Gentle Fist, the defensive range of Rotation, and Lee's taijutsu and Tenten's weapon control.

He wanted to gather data.

After dealing with Zaku, Lee turned his attention to Kin. He moved so quickly that she had no time to react. A heavy punch slammed into her abdomen, and she spat out blood before collapsing to the ground.

"Too weak." Lee frowned, seeming somewhat disappointed. "That didn't even count as a warm-up."

Tenten jumped down from the treetops and clapped her hands. "Done."

The two of them looked at Yunju at the same time.

Yunju still stood where he was, his only exposed left eye calmly watching them through the gap in his bandages.

Neji walked over to Lee and Tenten. The three formed a triangular formation, surrounding Yunju in the middle.

"Your teammates are already down." Neji's voice remained calm. "You have no chance of winning. Hand over your scrolls, and I can let you leave."

Yunju said nothing.

His gaze moved from one of them to the next.

Lee—taijutsu type, fast and powerful, but apparently unable to use ninjutsu.

Tenten—weapon type, specializing in ranged attacks; her close-combat ability was likely weaker.

Neji—all-around type. Byakugan plus Gentle Fist, invincible in close combat, but Rotation consumed chakra and could not be maintained continuously.

If he faced these three alone, he had no confidence in winning.

No, it would be more accurate to say that he had almost no chance at all.

But Yunju did not retreat.

Because he had noticed something just now—when Neji looked at him, his Byakugan had shifted slightly, as though he had seen something very interesting.

Neji was looking at him.

Or rather, at his chakra.

Yunju's left eye met Neji's Byakugan through the gap in his bandages.

"You..." Neji suddenly said, a trace of confusion in his voice. "Your chakra is strange."

Yunju remained silent.

"It doesn't have the style of a Sound ninja." Neji continued. "It isn't even the chakra of an ordinary ninja. Your chakra reserves... are enormous."

Lee and Tenten exchanged glances, seemingly unable to understand what Neji meant.

Yunju still said nothing.

He merely stood there, allowing Neji's Byakugan to inspect him.

He knew Neji had not seen through his identity—the bandages and armor could not block the Byakugan, but the Transformation Technique could. Orochimaru's medicine maintained his Grass ninja appearance. In Neji's eyes, he was merely "a Sound ninja with enormous chakra reserves," and Neji did not know him to begin with.

At last, Yunju spoke, his voice very, very low.

"Neji Hyuga."

He said the name.

It was not a provocation or a declaration of war. It was more like... a confirmation.

Neji's expression changed slightly.