"Which blind idiot dared set his sights on me, the 'examiner'?"
Sen narrowed his eyes, the deadly Wooden Spikes at his fingertip flickering in and out of view.
But to his surprise...
The cold, sinister chakra creeping closer did not launch an attack on him.
It simply stopped behind a tree a hundred meters away, with extraordinary cunning.
Like a patient venomous snake, it lay quietly in wait, watching.
"Interesting. Someone who likes lurking in the shadows."
Sen's lips curled as he instantly grasped the intruder's intent.
This guy wasn't here for him.
He was here for... Orochimaru!
"Crooks robbing crooks? Or a predator waiting to snatch another predator's prey?"
Sen was amused.
He simply withdrew the Wooden Spikes and lay back down on his comfortable bed of leaves.
Since someone wanted to steal his kill, he might as well sit back and enjoy the show.
Meanwhile.
On the eastern side of the Forest of Death.
The three members of Team 7 were making their way cautiously through the dense forest.
They held an Earth Scroll.
"Damn it! We've been walking forever, and we haven't seen a single soul!"
Naruto clawed irritably at his hair and kicked a stone away.
"Where are all the guys with Heaven Scrolls hiding?"
"Shut up, dead last."
Sasuke shot him a cold glance.
"This is the Forest of Death, not your backyard. Keep your voice down."
Sakura gripped her kunai nervously as well, watching their surroundings.
"Sasuke-kun is right. It's too quiet here. Unnaturally quiet."
Just then.
An incredibly fierce gust of wind swept over their heads without warning!
Boom!
Their vision went black as an enormous force slammed all three of them into the ground.
"Cough, cough... What was that?!"
Naruto struggled out of a pile of fallen leaves and spat out