A Brief End

Orochimaru drew back his impossibly long neck, stuck out his tongue, and licked his lips in satisfaction.

Looking at Sasuke, whose neck now bore three black Tomoe as he lay completely unconscious, he let out a hoarse, delighted laugh.

A perfect masterpiece.

A vessel carrying endless hatred and supreme talent had now been branded with his unique mark.

Only after doing all that did he slowly turn around.

His gaze fell upon Naruto, who lay motionless not far away.

And the Chainsword that had fallen beside him, its roar now completely silenced.

This brat was even more interesting than Sasuke.

That fighting style which did not belong to this world, those feverish eyes burning with madness, and the violent chakra within him, suppressed to its absolute limit...

Orochimaru's greed was ignited once more.

Sasuke was the perfect vessel, while Naruto was the most perfect experimental material.

"Hehe, I cannot play favorites."

He stepped toward Naruto.

"Let me add another safeguard first."

Orochimaru raised his left hand and spread his fingers. Chakra of different attributes began gathering at his fingertips, radiating an ominous glow.

Five Elements Seal.

With this technique, he could disrupt the Nine-Tails' chakra and make him behave himself for a while.

Then, he would bring this interesting brat, along with that peculiar weapon of his, back to his laboratory and slowly dismantle them piece by piece for study.

His hand slowly reached toward the seal on Naruto's abdomen.

Just as his fingertips were about to touch Naruto's clothes.

Crack!

A crisp sound rang out, like ice splitting across a frozen surface.

Several crystalline ice mirrors, gleaming with cold light, appeared out of nowhere.

At perfectly precise angles, they instantly separated Orochimaru from Naruto, forming an impassable prison of ice crystals.

Orochimaru's movement abruptly froze. His fingertips touched the frigid mirror surface, and a bone-chilling cold crept up through his skin.

This was...

A Kekkei Genkai?

A youth dressed in pale pink casual clothes slowly stepped out from one of the mirrors, as if emerging from the surface of water.

His features were delicate, his beauty almost androgynous, yet his expression carried an unprecedented coldness and killing intent.

It was Haku.

He stood firmly before Naruto. Those eyes that were always gentle now felt like a winter gale.

A week ago, he had received Naruto's orders and come to the Chunin Ninja Exams arena to deal with unforeseen circumstances Naruto could not handle.

At the same time.

A black figure drifted soundlessly down from the tree canopy above them like a weightless fallen leaf.

He held a short blade in his hand. Beneath the mottled light and shadow of the forest, its blade reflected no light at all.

Fast, precise, ruthless.

There was not the slightest chakra fluctuation, nor even a trace of killing intent. There was only an assassination technique refined to its purest form, existing solely to Harvest lives.

Its target was the back of Orochimaru's neck.

Orochimaru's pupils suddenly contracted.

Before he could think, his body instantly turned into a puddle of sludge in an unnaturally flexible motion, narrowly evading the deadly strike.

The mud reassembled several meters away.

Orochimaru regained his footing and met up with Kabuto Yakushi, who had rushed over. His expression turned grave.

He stared uncertainly at the two reinforcements who had appeared out of nowhere.

The youth who wielded ice, and the assassin in a blank ceramic mask, radiating the aura of death.

"Lord Orochimaru."

Kabuto Yakushi adjusted his glasses, his gaze behind the lenses rapidly analyzing the situation.

"Root?"

He spoke in a low voice, making a guess.

"I do not recognize this style of mask, though that is normal. I am not very familiar with Root anymore."

Zero said nothing. He merely adjusted his grip on the blade.

Haku slowly raised his head and fixed Orochimaru with an icy stare.

"By order of the Commissar, eliminate the threat."

His voice was not loud, yet it reached the ears of everyone present with perfect clarity.

"You have crossed the line."

Commissar?

Orochimaru's brow furrowed tightly. It was another term he had never heard before.

Yet he could hear the absolute, unquestionable authority contained within those two words.

He looked at Haku, then glanced at the strange Zero. Finally, his gaze fell upon Sasuke, who lay unconscious with the Curse Mark already planted.

His objective had been achieved.

There was no need to reveal more of his hand here over an experimental subject still in the research stage.

Besides, he had more important plans to arrange.

"Hehehehe..."

Orochimaru's face once again wore that trademark sinister smile.

"We will meet again, my dear Sasuke..."

His gaze lingered one final time on Naruto, sheltered behind Haku.

"And you as well... interesting, Uzumaki Naruto."

Before his words had faded.

He and Kabuto Yakushi sank silently into the ground like ink dissolving in water, vanishing without a trace.

The forest returned once more to deathly silence.

Only the shattered ground, the stench of blood, and the severed snake tails that continued twitching where they had been abandoned proved that the battle just now had not been an illusion.

Only after confirming that Orochimaru's presence had completely vanished did Haku let out a breath.

He knelt on one knee and carefully lifted Naruto, allowing him to lean against him.

His movements were gentle, and his eyes were filled with worry and self-reproach.

"Commissar..."

Zero also relaxed from his combat stance and stepped closer, his voice restrained and hoarse.

He looked at Naruto lying on the ground. Beneath the blank mask, no one knew what emotion he felt.

Haku did not answer. He reached out to check Naruto's carotid pulse, then lifted his eyelids to examine him.

The neuroparalytic toxin, combined with Orochimaru's final heavy blow, was enough to kill any ordinary ninja on the spot.

Fortunately, the Commissar's body could no longer be judged by ordinary standards.

"His pulse is stable. His breathing is normal."

A trace of gentleness returned to Haku's voice, though it still trembled with lingering fear.

"He has only fallen into a deep coma. He needs time to recover."

He took a small medicine bottle from his clothes, poured out a pill, and carefully placed it in Naruto's mouth.

Zero stood silently at the side, watching their surroundings with vigilance.

He crouched down and picked up the heavy Chainsword.

The cold touch of metal traveled through his palm. He could feel the weapon's pure aesthetic of violence, utterly different from every assassination technique he had learned.

This was the Commissar's strength.

Elsewhere, Sakura finally snapped out of her daze.

She looked at Haku and Zero, who had suddenly appeared, then at the unconscious Naruto and Sasuke. Tears began pouring out uncontrollably.

She threw herself beside Sasuke and saw the strange black Curse Mark on his neck. She was so frightened that she could not form a complete sentence.

"S-Sasuke... y-you... how are you...?"

Haku glanced at her but said nothing.

His task was to ensure the Commissar's safety.

As for that Uchiha who had already been "contaminated," he was not among Haku's priority targets.

"We must take the Commissar away immediately."

Zero's voice rang out.

"The second exam has not ended yet. New enemies may appear here at any moment."

Haku nodded.

Just as he was about to carry Naruto onto his back, Naruto's eyelids trembled faintly.

He struggled to open them a sliver. A trace of confusion from interrupted orders remained in his ice-blue eyes.

"...Protocol... terminated..."

"...Recover... soldier..."

"...Assess... contamination level..."

The fragmented words sounded like sleep-talking.

Yet Haku and Zero heard them clearly.

These were the final orders the Commissar had given before losing consciousness.

Haku's hand supporting Naruto paused slightly.

His gaze turned toward Sasuke Uchiha, who lay in Sakura's arms, the Curse Mark on his neck faintly flickering into view.

Even in that state, the Commissar had not abandoned his "soldier."