Orochimaru drew back his absurdly long neck, stuck out his tongue, and licked his lips in satisfaction.
Looking at Sasuke, who had three black Tomoe emerging on his neck and had completely passed out, 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 finishing all that did he slowly turn around.
His gaze fell upon Naruto, who lay unable to rise not far away.
And the Chainsword that had fallen beside him, its roar completely silenced.
This brat was even more interesting than Sasuke.
That fighting style that did not belong to this world, those blazing, crazed eyes, and that violently raging chakra within him, suppressed to its absolute limit...
Orochimaru's greed was ignited once more.
Sasuke was the perfect vessel, while Naruto Uzumaki was the finest experimental material.
"Hehe, I cannot play favorites."
He started walking 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, giving off an ominous glow.
Five Elements Seal.
With this technique, he could disrupt the Nine-Tails' chakra and make it behave a little more obediently.
Then he would take this interesting brat, along with his peculiar weapon, back to his laboratory and slowly dissect them for study, piece by piece.
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 crystal-clear ice mirrors, gleaming with a cold light, appeared out of nowhere without warning.
At perfectly precise angles, they instantly separated Orochimaru from Naruto, forming an impassable prison of ice crystals.
Orochimaru's movements abruptly stopped. His fingertips touched the icy mirror surface, and a bone-chilling cold seeped through his skin.
This was...
A Kekkei Genkai?
A youth in pale pink casual clothes slowly stepped out from one of the mirrors, as though emerging from the surface of water.
His features were delicate and androgynous, but his expression carried a coldness and killing intent never seen before.
It was Haku.
He stood firmly before Naruto. His eyes, always gentle, were now like a freezing wind.
A week earlier, he had received Naruto's orders and come to the Chunin Ninja Exams grounds to handle unforeseen situations Naruto could not deal with.
At the same time.
A black figure drifted silently down from the treetops 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 fluctuation of chakra, not a trace of killing intent leaking out—only an assassination technique existing purely to Harvest lives.
Its target was the back of Orochimaru's neck.
Orochimaru's pupils suddenly contracted.
Before he could think, his body twisted with an unnatural softness and instantly turned into a puddle of sludge, narrowly evading the deadly blow.
The mud gathered again several meters away.
Orochimaru regained his footing and met up with the hurriedly arriving Kabuto Yakushi, his expression turning solemn.
He looked uncertainly at the two reinforcements who had suddenly appeared before him.
The youth who used ice, and the assassin wearing a blank ceramic mask and radiating the aura of death.
"Lord Orochimaru."
Kabuto Yakushi adjusted his glasses, his gaze behind the lenses rapidly analyzing the situation before him.
"Are they Root?"
He voiced his speculation quietly.
"I do not recognize this style of mask, though that is normal. I am no longer very familiar with Root."
Zero said nothing, merely adjusting his grip on his blade.
Haku slowly raised his head, fixing Orochimaru with an icy stare.
"By order of the Political Commissar, eliminate the threat."
His voice was not loud, yet it reached everyone's ears with perfect clarity.
"You have crossed the line."
Political Commissar?
Orochimaru's brow furrowed tightly. It was another term he had never heard before.
Yet he could hear the unquestionable, absolute authority contained within those two words.
He looked at Haku, then glanced at the strange Zero. Finally, his gaze fell on Sasuke, who lay unconscious with the Curse Mark already planted upon him.
His objective had been achieved.
There was no need to reveal more of his cards here for material that was still in the research stage.
Besides, he had more important plans to arrange.
"Hehehehe..."
Orochimaru's trademark sinister smile returned to his face.
"We will meet again, my dear Sasuke..."
His gaze lingered one final time on Naruto, protected behind Haku.
"And you... interesting Naruto Uzumaki."
Before his words had even faded.
He and Kabuto Yakushi sank silently into the ground like ink dissolving into water, vanishing without a trace.
The forest returned once more to deathly silence.
Only the shattered ground, the stench of blood, and severed snake tails still twitching where they had been abandoned proved that the battle had not been an illusion.
Only after confirming that Orochimaru's presence had completely vanished did Haku finally let out a breath.
He knelt on one knee and carefully lifted Naruto, letting him lean against him.
His movements were gentle, his eyes filled with worry and self-reproach.
"Political Commissar..."
Zero also dropped his combat stance and stepped closer, his voice low and hoarse.
He looked at Naruto lying on the ground. Beneath the blank mask, no one knew what emotions he felt.
Haku did not answer. He reached out to check Naruto's carotid pulse, then lifted his eyelids to examine him.
The nerve-paralyzing poison, combined with Orochimaru's final heavy blow, would have been enough to kill any ordinary ninja on the spot.
Fortunately, the Political 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 robes, poured out a pill, and carefully placed it in Naruto's mouth.
Zero stood silently nearby, keeping watch over their surroundings.
He crouched down and picked up the heavy Chainsword.
The cold touch of metal passed through his palm. He could feel the weapon's pure aesthetic of violence, utterly unlike every assassination technique he had learned.
This was the Political Commissar's power.
On the other side, Sakura finally snapped out of her daze.
She looked at the suddenly appearing Haku and Zero, then at the unconscious Naruto and Sasuke. Tears surged out uncontrollably.
She threw herself beside Sasuke. Seeing the strange black Curse Mark on his neck, she was so frightened that she could not form a complete sentence.
"S-Sasuke... how... how are you..."
Haku glanced at her without speaking.
His mission was to ensure the Political Commissar's safety.
As for that Uchiha who had already been "Polluted," he was not among Haku's priorities.
"We must take the Political Commissar away from here immediately."
Zero's voice rang out.
"The second exam has not ended. New enemies could appear here at any time."
Haku nodded.
He was about to carry Naruto on his back when Naruto's eyelids trembled faintly.
He struggled to open them into a narrow slit. Confusion from interrupted commands still lingered in his ice-blue eyes.
"...Protocol... terminated..."
"...Recover... soldiers..."
"...Assess... Pollution level..."
The fragmented words were like sleep-talking.
But Haku and Zero heard them with perfect clarity.
These were the final orders the Political Commissar had given before losing consciousness.
Haku's hand supporting Naruto paused slightly.
His gaze turned toward Sasuke Uchiha, held in Sakura's arms, the Curse Mark faintly visible on his neck.
Even in that state, the Political Commissar had not abandoned his "soldier."
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