Acting Alone! Searching for Orochimaru

Just then, a figure burst through the window.

It was a woman in a beige trench coat over a black mesh bodysuit. Her short hair whipped in the wind, and a sharp, playful smile tugged at her lips.

Konoha Special Jōnin, Mitaraishi Anko.

"Everybody, quiet!"

Anko swept out an arm, flaring her coat open to reveal a tactical vest laden with Kunai and Shuriken.

She looked over the candidates packed into the hall. Her grin widened, excitement gleaming in her eyes.

"I'm your examiner for the second test, Mitaraishi Anko!"

"Seventy-nine of you? Far too many. I'll cut that number by more than half in the second test!"

She licked her lips, looking as though she both anticipated and relished the cruelty to come.

Before long, the candidates arrived at the gathering point outside the Forest of Death.

Anko stood before the chain-link gate.

"Before you go in, sign these liability waivers."

She slapped the stack of papers onto a nearby table with a sharp crack.

"The second test takes place at Konoha's Training Ground 44, also known as the Forest of Death."

"You're signing these forms because you could die during this test."

"I'm not forcing anyone. If you don't want to die, you can quit right now."

"But if you sign and die in there, that's on you."

A stir ran through the candidates.

Some gasped, some clenched their fists, and some had already begun to tremble.

In the end, not one of them withdrew.

They all signed.

Anko nodded in satisfaction and unfolded a huge map showing the terrain of the Forest of Death and a winding river.

"Now for the rules of the second test."

She raised one finger.

"First, this is a scroll-grabbing contest. Each team will receive one scroll before entering, either a Heaven Scroll or an Earth Scroll."

She raised a second finger.

"Second, your task is to collect both scrolls within five days and bring them to the tower at the center of the Forest of Death. Any team missing either scroll fails."

She raised a third finger, her smile turning crueler.

"Third, any team that doesn't reach the tower within five days is eliminated. If any member of your team dies or becomes unable to continue, you're eliminated. If your scroll is stolen or lost, you're eliminated."

"In short, at least two-thirds of the seventy-nine of you will be eliminated here. You need to survive for five days, take another team's scroll, and reach the central tower."

She licked her lips, excitement shining in her eyes.

"Come forward in order to collect your scrolls."

Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura stood in the middle of the line, each wearing a different expression.

Naruto clenched his fists, visibly eager to get started.

Sakura was pale, her lips pressed into a thin line.

Sasuke appeared calm, but his Sharingan was already sweeping over the other teams, especially the three from Sunagakure.

As for Zuo Hao...

He wasn't in line.

While Anko had been explaining the rules, he had stood at the edge of the crowd with his hands in his pockets. His black eyes seemed to roam idly over the candidates, but his gaze was sharp as a blade.

He was looking for someone.

Someone disguised as a Genin from Kusagakure.

Orochimaru.

Zuo Hao remembered nearly every detail of the original story.

During these Chunin Ninja Exams, Orochimaru disguised himself as a candidate from Kusagakure and slipped into the Forest of Death.

In the forest, Orochimaru would place a Cursed Seal on Sasuke, then haunt him like a shadow for years.

Back when he had watched Naruto in his previous life, Orochimaru had been one of Zuo Hao's favorite villains.

It was because of his devotion to Ninjutsu and his nearly obsessive hunger for knowledge.

He had betrayed Konoha, joined the Akatsuki, studied Forbidden Technique, and pursued immortality, all to master every Ninjutsu in the world.

But things were different now.

Now Sasuke was his younger brother.

Zuo Hao's gaze settled on an inconspicuous corner at the edge of the crowd.

Three Kusagakure ninja stood there. The one in the middle wore a conical hat, its brim pulled low enough to hide most of his face.

He was tall and thin, and nothing about his stance seemed unusual. But Zuo Hao noticed one detail: his fingers were long and pale.

That's him.

Once they had collected their scrolls, the candidates filed through the chain-link gate and entered the Forest of Death along their assigned routes.

Each team had been given a different entrance to ensure they started far enough apart.

Zuo Hao strode up to Sasuke, turned slightly, and lowered his voice. "Once we're inside the Forest of Death, you three stick together. I'm going on my own."

Sasuke frowned, confusion entering his eyes. "Why? It's dangerous in there. Going alone..."

Zuo Hao patted his shoulder and gave him a gentle but resolute smile. "Don't ask. There's something I have to handle by myself. Don't worry, I'll find you afterward."

Sasuke studied him for a moment, then nodded firmly. "All right, I understand. Focus on what you need to do. I'll take care of things here."

Ten minutes later, deep in the Forest of Death.

Towering trees blocked out the sun. The damp smell of decaying leaves mingled with the scent of blood.

Zuo Hao sped through the tangled forest like a bolt of lightning, his keen eyes searching every shadow and treetop for the slightest trace of Orochimaru.

He clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. "Damn it. I lost him..."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Forest of Death.

Shikamaru leaned against a tree trunk with a blade of grass between his lips, his eyes half-lidded.

"What a pain. Fighting over scrolls for five days, running around a place like this..."

Ino crouched beside him with her chin propped on her hands, her blond ponytail hanging over one shoulder. Impatience was written all over her face.

"Shikamaru, can't you take this seriously? The other teams are fighting tooth and nail for scrolls, and here we are, hiding like three turtles in their shells!"

"It's called strategic observation." Shikamaru spat out the grass and raised a finger, explaining at his usual leisurely pace. "Think about it. Every team just entered the forest. They're full of energy and itching for a fight. If we attack now, it'll be a straight-up brawl."

"Give them a few days to wear each other down. They'll be tired and injured, and most of the scrolls will have ended up with a few strong teams. Then we move in and take the scrolls we need with the least effort. That's efficiency."

Choji sat on a tree root, pulled a bag of potato chips from his ninja pouch, tore it open, and began crunching away.

"Shikamaru's right. Besides, we already have a Heaven Scroll. We only need to grab an Earth Scroll. What's the rush?"

Ino rolled her eyes and was about to argue when Shikamaru suddenly clapped a hand over her mouth.

His expression changed in an instant.

His once-lazy eyes sharpened, his pupils narrowing as he stared into the dense forest ahead.

"Someone's coming," he whispered rapidly. "Three people. Moving fast. Their chakra... there's a lot of it."