The Cheating Prodigy, Kabuto Yakushi

Naruto watched Orochimaru leave until even the last trace of his cold chakra had completely dissipated. His fingers clenched into fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

The fire in his chest shot straight to his head.

Though he knew better than anyone that, with the strength of his current Two-Tails Mode, if he truly went all out against one of the Three Sannin like Orochimaru—who had spent half his life researching forbidden techniques and had enough hidden cards to bury the entire Forest of Death—his odds of winning would be no more than thirty percent.

If he was truly driven into a corner, he would gain no advantage at all. He might even get himself killed.

But reason was reason, and the frustration was still real!

I've already unleashed the Nine-Tails, put on the full show, and thrown my threats right in his face—yet this old bastard didn't even care about preserving the dignity of one of the Three Sannin? He just ran when he felt like it?

So that world-destroying killing intent from earlier was all an act to scare people?

The more Naruto thought about it, the angrier he became. He raised his foot and kicked a fist-sized rock at his feet into powder.

His strength could be lacking, but his spirit absolutely could not be!

Even if he could not kill that slippery snake today, he had to catch up and rip off a couple of his scales, just to let him know that Konoha's Nine-Tails was not someone he could provoke whenever he wanted and leave whenever he pleased!

Just then, Karin suddenly stiffened. Her fingers tightly gripped the corner of Naruto's clothes as she pointed toward the depths of the forest, her voice carrying a barely noticeable tension. "Brother Naruto, there's something over there!"

Naruto glanced in the direction she indicated, suppressing the anger in his heart as he asked, "What is it, Karin?"

Karin looked up at him, lowering her voice. "Brother Naruto, sense it! That presence isn't right!"

Naruto took her advice and instantly dropped his carefree expression, closing his eyes slightly.

Kagura Mind's Eye, activate!

An invisible sensory force spread out like a tide. Every trace of chakra fluctuation within several miles fell under his perception.

Naruto abruptly opened his eyes, a playful smile curling his lips. "It's... hostility! Interesting. Let's go take a look!"

Before his words had even faded, he moved first, his figure shooting forward like a gust of wind.

Sasuke gritted his teeth, suppressing the intense pain in his right arm and the agitation of the Cursed Seal. His Sharingan spun as he immediately followed. No matter how badly he had lost, there was no way he would fall behind Naruto.

Sakura and Karin exchanged a glance, not daring to delay as they gave chase with all their strength.

The four raced onward, heading along the route where Orochimaru had vanished—the direction of the tower at the center of the Forest of Death.

Naruto did not slow down, but he understood clearly.

Orochimaru had run so quickly not because he feared Naruto.

The final venue of the Chunin Ninja Exams was behind that tower. That old bastard's real target was the Third Hokage sitting in the stands.

Naruto estimated that the Konoha Crush Plan was already on the verge of being launched.

As he was thinking, a gentle voice suddenly came from a clearing ahead, warm and friendly. "Are you Konoha ninja? I'm your friend, a Konoha Genin—Kabuto Yakushi!"

The four instantly stopped and looked over.

A bespectacled youth stood in the clearing. His white coat was stained with dust, and a harmless smile hung on his face. In his hand, he held a Heaven Scroll glowing with golden light.

Behind him stood three Hidden Cloud ninja. Every one of them was tense, with hands resting on their ninja tool pouches. They were clearly a team thrown together on the spot.

Looking at that smiling face, Naruto nearly laughed out loud inside.

Kabuto Yakushi.

Orochimaru's most loyal lackey, the Ninja World's greatest undercover agent, and the dream-maker who had nearly overturned the entire Ninja World in the later stages.

Even with his eyes closed, Naruto could guess that this guy had been planted here by Orochimaru before he left. His purpose was undoubtedly to stall Naruto and prevent him from ruining Orochimaru's assassination of the Third Hokage.

A Konoha Genin?

Keep acting. Go on.

Kabuto Yakushi looked at the four of them, his smile deepening. He took half a step forward, his tone so sincere that no fault could be found in it. "I've already collected a Heaven Scroll. Judging by your appearance, you probably haven't gathered everything yet, right? There are too many dangers in the Forest of Death, and ninja from the other villages are forming groups to fight each other. Why don't we cooperate? We can join forces to deal with teams that have also gathered their scrolls. I guarantee that I'll get you through the trial safely. What do you say?"

Though he spoke of cooperation, his heart was full of mockery.

They were just a few immature brats. Especially this Nine-Tails Jinchuriki—he looked like a brainless hothead who could be fooled with a few sweet words.

As long as he held them here for half an hour, Lord Orochimaru's plan could proceed smoothly.

An ecstatic expression instantly appeared on Naruto's face. His eyes lit up as he rubbed his hands together and moved closer, looking like a foolish country bumpkin. "Really? Cooperation? That's great! We were just worrying about where to find a Heaven Scroll!"

As he spoke, he quickly walked toward Kabuto Yakushi.

Sasuke frowned behind him, a trace of confusion flashing through his Sharingan.

He knew Naruto too well. There was no way this guy was so easily fooled.

Sakura was also stunned for a moment and instinctively wanted to warn him, but Karin quietly tugged her arm and shook her head.

As Kabuto Yakushi watched Naruto approach, the mockery in his heart grew stronger. Yet he kept his warm smile and stepped forward to meet him, extending a hand for a handshake. "That's wonderful, then we..."

Before he could finish.

Whoosh—!

The Nine-Life Demon Tail Blade left its sheath!

It was so fast that even the air was torn apart. With a wet squelch, it stabbed straight through Kabuto Yakushi's chest!

The blade twisted viciously inside his chest cavity, instantly shredding his organs into pulp.

The entire clearing fell silent.

The Hidden Cloud ninja beside him froze at once. Their hands remained on their ninja tool pouches, and even their motions to draw their weapons came to a stop. Their eyes were filled with disbelief.

Sasuke's Sharingan suddenly contracted, its two tomoe spinning rapidly.

He had seen the blade's trajectory clearly, but he had never expected Naruto to attack the moment he chose, without wasting even a single word.

Sakura covered her mouth, nearly crying out.

Kabuto Yakushi's glasses slid down to the tip of his nose. The gentleness on his face froze completely, replaced by shock and venomous hatred.

He lowered his head to look at the bloody hole through his chest. Blood gushed out like a fountain, dripping down the blade onto the ground.

He stared at Naruto, squeezing out a curse through clenched teeth. "Wh... why?!"

Naruto casually pulled the Heaven Scroll from Kabuto Yakushi's hand and tossed it to Sasuke behind him. The excitement on his face had long vanished, leaving only a careless smile. His tone was infuriatingly casual. "Nothing. Sorry, my hand slipped."

He paused, tilting his head before adding, "You don't hurt much, right?"

That single sentence made Kabuto Yakushi tremble violently with rage. The hole in his chest spurted even more fiercely, and a mouthful of blood sprayed straight from his lips, nearly splashing Naruto.

He glared at Naruto with venom in his eyes. His body swayed before he fell stiffly to the ground. He twitched twice, then completely lost his breath.

Naruto pulled back the Nine-Life Demon Tail Blade, flicked the blood droplets from it, and waved to the other three. His tone was as casual as if he had stepped on an ant. "That guy was too strange. He might have been a spy sent by Orochimaru. Let's go."

As he spoke, he drove the blade down again, viciously stabbing until he confirmed that Kabuto Yakushi's heart had been completely shredded. Only then did he turn and head toward the tower.

The four figures disappeared into the dense forest. In the clearing, only Kabuto Yakushi's corpse and the three terrified Hidden Cloud ninja remained, too frightened to even breathe loudly.

Not long afterward.

The bloodied corpse on the ground suddenly convulsed violently.

Riiip—

A layer of bloodstained human skin peeled away from the corpse like a snake shedding its skin. A completely unharmed Kabuto Yakushi crawled out from within, his face still pale and a faint pain lingering in his chest.

He looked down at the empty skin on the ground, gritted his teeth, and spoke with venom. "That brat is ruthless! He didn't leave any room at all. He even shredded my organs!"

If he had not prepared the Shedding Substitution Technique Lord Orochimaru had given him in advance, he truly would have died today.

He raised a hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, calculations filling his eyes. "I need to find Lord Orochimaru first and replace this vessel. And that Sage Art Body deserves some serious study too."

"I underestimated that brat."

He snorted coldly, his gaze dark and sinister. "You failed to finish me off this time, so consider yourself unlucky. From now on, I'll make sure you can neither sleep nor eat in peace!"

With that, he turned and prepared to slip into the forest to rendezvous with Orochimaru.

But at the instant he turned around, a lazy voice suddenly drifted down from a nearby tree branch, like a basin of ice water dumped over his head.

"Sorry, I didn't interrupt your little shedding-and-revival routine, did I?"

Kabuto Yakushi's entire body stiffened as he abruptly looked up.

Naruto was leaning sideways against the tree trunk on a branch above, arms folded over his chest and one leg dangling. That irritating smile hung on his lips as he looked down at Kabuto Yakushi like he was watching a clown.

When had he gotten there?!

His own sensory ability had not detected the slightest movement?!

Naruto jumped down from the branch and landed steadily on the ground. The Nine-Life Demon Tail Blade appeared in his palm again, its scarlet glow reflecting on his face. His tone was teasing. "Looks like reviving was pretty hard for you. Want me to help? I can't perform revival techniques, but killing you one more time? I'm very good at that."

Kabuto Yakushi's expression changed dramatically. Without a second thought, he turned and began forming hand seals to flee.

But before he could finish the first half of the seals.

Whoosh!

A flash of cold light streaked past, moving so fast that even the Three-Tomoe Sharingan could not keep up.

Squelch—

The Nine-Life Demon Tail Blade sliced straight across his neck, sending up a spray of scorching blood.

His head rolled across the ground, his round-framed glasses shattering apart. His eyes still held overwhelming shock and fear.

His body swayed before falling stiffly to the ground. This time, not even the faintest trace of chakra fluctuation remained.

Naruto flicked the blood from his blade and looked down at the head and corpse, clicking his tongue. "This guy really is a cheater. His organs were smashed to pieces, and he still survived. So he learned a whole set of skin-shedding tricks from that stinking snake, huh?"

[System: Detected that the host has killed Kabuto Yakushi's true body. Obtained 500 Darkness Value!]

[System: Detected that the host has cut off the core setup of Impure World Reincarnation in advance, avoiding a major risk in the Fourth Shinobi World War. Additional reward: 800 Darkness Value! Skill unlocked: Impure World Reincarnation: Release!]

[System: Detected recoverable remains left by the host. Exchange for Darkness Value?]

Naruto raised his brows, joy blossoming in his heart.

Just as expected! When the system had not given him the full reward after that first strike, he had known this guy had a backup plan. So the reason it could not be cashed in earlier was because he had only killed a substitute shell?

He silently said in his heart, "System, exchange his entire corpse for Darkness Value! Don't leave a single bit behind!"

[System: Exchange successful! Obtained an additional 120 Darkness Value! Current total Darkness Value: 13,515!]

Naruto put away his blade and kicked at the remains of the corpse, which had already completely dissipated.

In the original story, this guy had relied on Orochimaru's legacy in the later stages. He had turned Impure World Reincarnation into an art, digging up the previous Hokage, the Demigod of the Ninja World, and Kage-level ninja from every nation, forcibly turning the Fourth Shinobi World War into a massive dream-fulfillment event.

If he had not encountered Itachi Uchiha, that one-against-seven ceiling, who used Izanami to forcibly reform him, no one could say how far this guy would have gone in the end.

Naruto gave a derisive laugh and turned toward the depths of the forest.

"I'm Dark Naruto, not that Talk-no-Jutsu Naruto from the original story."

"I don't have time to accompany you back to an orphanage to find your childhood, and I definitely don't want to watch you, you dream-maker, dig graves everywhere and create an army of Impure World Reincarnation corpses to annoy me."

"Block my path? Then die."