Assassination-Type Ninja

Naruto had expected the two Sound Ninja Jonin to try to escape.

He flashed behind one of them with his divine power, Flash Step. The Immortal-Binding Rope in his hand pursued the man like a venomous snake.

At last, it caught his leg, then wound upward until it bound him completely.

In the blink of an eye, Naruto vanished with the captive Sound Ninja. He had used the Flying Thunder God Hand to travel a kilometer away.

The other Sound Ninja, who had rushed over to rescue his companion, froze. Naruto and the captive had disappeared right before his eyes, leaving only a Flying Thunder God Mark on the ground that he could not see.

Naruto's strategy was to use the Flying Thunder God Technique, Mind's Eye of the Kagura, and the strange abilities of his other divine powers to ambush his enemies and pick them off one by one.

He was far less confident about facing a Jonin's attacks head-on.

In that sense, he could be called an "assassination-type" ninja.

The Immortal-Binding Rope held the first Sound Ninja fast. Naruto slit his throat with a Kunai, then vanished and reappeared where he had been. The entire sequence took just one second.

The second Sound Ninja was still standing where Naruto had disappeared, scanning his surroundings. He never expected Naruto to reappear in the same spot.

Startled, he instinctively tried to dodge, but the Immortal-Binding Rope lengthened in the wind and wrapped around his waist in an instant.

And so, the second Sound Ninja Jonin died without a chance to resist.

The badly wounded Anbu Ninja watched from nearby, stunned. He tried to guess the Red-Haired Masked Female Ninja's identity.

Suddenly, realization struck him. "You're the one behind those explosions in Konoha, aren't you? The descendant of the Uzumaki Clan?"

Naruto gave him a cold look and said nothing.

Only villains and fools wasted words on enemies they were about to kill. Naruto stepped forward and finished the Anbu Ninja off.

Ding! The host has killed three Jonin and earned 300 points. Shura Field Mode is active, doubling the reward. Congratulations! The host has earned 600 points!

Six hundred points? That's enough for six Skill Upgrade Scrolls or Bloodline Upgrade Scrolls—or three Divine Power Synthesis Scrolls!

Ha! I love the Shura Field!

Just then, the Shadow Clone Naruto had left with Sasuke and Sakura was dispelled. All its memories flooded back into his mind.

His expression changed, and he sped toward them.

While Naruto had been occupied here, Orochimaru had attacked the Shadow Clone, Sasuke, and Sakura.

Orochimaru had made his entrance by unleashing a powerful Wind Release blast at the three of them.

They had dodged in time and regrouped after exchanging the password.

But dealing with them was all too easy for Orochimaru. He merely let his killing intent spill out, and it became so palpable that Sasuke and Sakura stiffened, fear plain on their faces.

The killing intent struck Naruto's Shadow Clone too. With a pop, it dissolved into smoke.

Orochimaru paused, then looked intrigued. He ran his long tongue across his face.

Sasuke and Sakura, however, were relieved. They thought Naruto had made a Shadow Clone while dodging the Wind Release attack, which meant help could now come.

That was how the real Naruto had learned what was happening and come rushing over.

Just as Orochimaru raised two Kunai, pretending he was about to kill Sasuke and Sakura, the real Naruto returned to his usual appearance and attacked from a distance.

"Wind Release: Hurricane!"

A hurricane sprang up from nowhere. It swelled rapidly as it swept toward Orochimaru, kicking up sand and stones that blocked his view.

Naruto seized the chance to reach Sasuke and Sakura and carry them away, giving their bodies time to recover.

"Who would've thought this Jinchūriki would be so interesting?" Orochimaru dodged the hurricane and watched the three flee with keen interest before following at an unhurried pace.

Would Naruto get Sasuke away safely? Of course not.

He had no objection to Orochimaru placing the Cursed Seal of Heaven on Sasuke and later tempting him to defect. Sasuke had no future in Konoha.

But that was not his main reason. What mattered most was Naruto's own plans.

He needed the Konoha Crush Plan to proceed smoothly. He also needed Sasuke and Orochimaru to draw everyone's attention over the next few years.

And he needed the two of them as potential allies and partners in the future.

Naruto had even been wavering over whether to defect alongside Sasuke when the time came.

So as Naruto helped Sasuke and Sakura regain control of their bodies, he deliberately slowed their escape, allowing Orochimaru to catch up.

Faced again with the terrifying, inhuman Orochimaru, Sasuke lost his will to fight despite being able to move. He wanted to hand over the Earth Scroll in hopes that Orochimaru would spare all three of them.

Naruto scoffed. "Sasuke, how can you even think that? If you've lost your nerve, take Sakura and run. I'll deal with him!"

Sasuke's face darkened. Aware of his own cowardice, he forced himself to summon the courage to fight Orochimaru.

As for Naruto, he only wanted Sasuke and Orochimaru to fight, just as they had in the original story. He planned to play dead.

Killing Orochimaru? That was a joke.

Even with his divine powers, Naruto was no match for him. Fighting seriously would only expose his abilities.

After all, those were the divine powers he used while traveling the Shinobi World under a false identity as a masked woman. Why would he reveal such crucial information to Orochimaru now?

Naruto pretended to charge recklessly at Orochimaru and was promptly bound by his tongue.

He feigned a struggle, but he was really comparing Orochimaru's tongue with his own Immortal-Binding Rope.

Orochimaru drew Naruto close and studied him with interest, though he did not dare kill him.

He knew Naruto was a Jinchūriki and that Akatsuki had already marked him as prey. If he killed Naruto, Akatsuki's retaliation would be endless.

Orochimaru did not want Akatsuki hunting him, but he was willing to cause the organization a little trouble.

He pulled up Naruto's shirt. Eerie flames ignited on each finger of his right hand, and he pressed it against Naruto's abdomen. "Five Elements Seal!"

Agony tore through Naruto's abdomen. He cried out, and Orochimaru casually flung him away.

Sakura rushed over and caught him.

Naruto pretended to be unconscious and did not wake no matter how Sakura called to him. What came next was Orochimaru and Sasuke's showtime!

Seeing Naruto badly hurt and unconscious, Sasuke knew he could rely only on himself. He activated his Two-Tomoe Sharingan and began a spectacular fight.

Lying in Sakura's arms, Naruto secretly opened one eye to watch Sasuke's performance.

Unfortunately, for all Sasuke's efforts, he could not kill the slippery Orochimaru.

Orochimaru held back with obvious interest, testing Sasuke's abilities.

He gazed at Sasuke with undisguised greed, as though he could already see himself occupying Sasuke's body.

"You have even more talent than your brother Itachi, Sasuke! Your eyes hold a power greater than his!" Orochimaru said in a rasping voice.

At the mention of Itachi, Sasuke's face twisted. Breathing hard, he demanded, "Who are you?"

"My name is Orochimaru. If you want to see me again, then do everything you can to stand out in this exam. Defeat the three Sound Ninja under my command."

With that, Orochimaru's neck shot forward more than ten meters. He bit Sasuke's neck, planting a little mark of "love"—the Cursed Seal of Heaven.

From where he lay, Naruto watched Orochimaru's elongated neck and felt a strong urge to cut it off.

But Orochimaru had the Orochimaru-Style Substitution Technique. He could emerge from his own body with a new one, like a snake shedding its skin. Naruto abandoned the impractical thought.