He Was Never Restrained in the First Place

Mitarashi Anko didn't take a detour; she followed the Kakkō and muffled sounds to reach the nearby area.

The person was right under my nose.

She muttered something in a low voice.

The closer you get, the stronger the scent of Orochimaru's Chakra becomes.

The direction is correct.

But where is he?

She glanced up and swept her eyes across the grove of trees ahead, where arcs of electricity were still flashing.

As I walked through the bushes and raised my head, I froze.

That's not...

Orochimaru?

How did it get into this state?

Anko stared wide-eyed at Orochimaru, who was trapped in the lightning net, her face filled with undisguised astonishment.

The snake on the other side also heard the commotion; the sound of its footsteps on the fallen leaves did not escape its ears.

He tilted his head, a very strange movement, and his gaze swept over the person who had just arrived.

Long time no see, Anko.

The sound was flat, without any rise or fall.

His entire body was crackling with electric arcs, yet he stood very relaxed.

His face showed no sign of distress, let alone any pain or discomfort.

This little bit of jelly seemed to be just a side dish served to him, something to eat for fun.

Indeed, there's really nothing he can do against an attack of this magnitude.

He continued to savor the aftertaste of his newly acquired item.

That's right.

Her mind was still racing with thoughts of that white-haired boy.

Humans are sometimes incredibly amusing.

They always come up with something you'd never guess.

Who is that kid?

That's some really weird way of thinking.

This was completely unexpected.

White hair, bandaged, and he seemed to recognize Sasuke Uchiha.

Are they friends?

That's such a coincidence.

His body seems to be big enough to serve as a container.

Orochimaru found the idea increasingly intriguing, the gold in his snake-like eyes gleaming.

A murderous aura emanated from his body in concentric circles.

Orochimaru.

Anko's voice turned cold.

Her pupils constricted, her gaze fixed on the figure opposite her.

What are you doing here?

What are they planning?

What's so great about Konoha?

Besides...

What's with this awful state of being?

The Orochimaru before them was covered in powerful arcs of electricity.

The surging lightning held him tightly.

What genius was so audacious as to come up with this idea?

Anko lowered her gaze and quickly spotted the scattered Kunai and the fragments left from the Explosive Tag on the ground.

These are...

Judging from the pattern, it's the standard equipment of those kids from Konoha.

In other words, it was people from Konoha who bound Orochimaru.

Are you kidding me?

She had also scanned the group of children from Konoha.

Genius is genius, but to produce something like this, that skill is simply not enough.

She carefully traced the wiring again and figured out the trick.

The root of every arc of light is tied to the Kunai on the ground.

So it really was created by the examinees from Konoha.

Anko's mind was suddenly filled with question marks.

Can you smell it?

Orochimaru slowly stepped out of the lightning net.

This line of thinking is absolutely brilliant.

You were nothing like this back then.

As soon as Anko's voice reached Orochimaru's ears, she immediately gripped the Kunai in her hand tighter.

He wasn't tied up.

You don't really think this piece of junk can keep me here.

Orochimaru noticed Anko's wary expression and chuckled softly.

He simply took some time to slowly swallow this rare sense of defeat.

Anko understood, and her gaze darkened.

That's true. Someone of Orochimaru's caliber wouldn't be easily defeated.

What is he planning to do here?

The more you stir the Anko, the more chaotic it becomes.

What exactly are you planning to do by coming all this way?

Could it be that they're targeting the Lord Hokage?

Orochimaru shook his head, his words carrying a different meaning.

I just want to leave my mark on the promising young talents in this village.

There's a child here, and I want him.

Unlike yours, this batch of seedlings is truly excellent.

He's handsome too, he'd be perfect to impersonate me.

So please don't try to stop this exam for me.

If they take away my fun, then the head of Konoha Ninja Village should probably be cut off too.

??

At the same time, Wu Chiwu and Sasuke's group had already completely withdrawn from their original location.

Mr. Bandage, I never knew you were this strong.

Naruto raised his voice to the highest register.

He smiled, revealing a set of bright white teeth.

Those moves in the fight just now were absolutely thrilling!

It's even more dazzling than Sasuke's usual cool poses.

Yes, that's really amazing.

Sakura quickly nodded her head as well.

Unexpectedly, this person would come over to help.

Aren't they adversaries?

The scales in her heart had begun to waver.

This guy with the bandages probably isn't up to any bad intentions.

They misunderstood first.

Or is there a deeper trap hidden behind this?

So-so.

Sasuke turned his face away and said something.

Hmm.

Wu Chiwu rested his chin on his hand, looking thoroughly displeased.

What does "sloppy" mean?

The whole process was clearly very long.

He specifically chose the most photogenic angles and lighting, pushing every movement to its limit.

How did it become just so-so?

This guy is definitely jealous that others' popularity is rising faster than his own.

With your lousy acting skills, anyone who has even had a little contact with me could recognize you.

Sasuke rested his forehead on one hand, his face remaining completely still.

He was shocked that his face could still express so many emotions.

Upon hearing this, Sakura's expression also became strained.

The acting was absolutely awful, downright terrible.

But then again, being this rotten doesn't really make him seem like spy material.

There's probably no other company whose undercover agents' acting is this bad.

Sakura scratched her pink hair and carefully went through the logic.

It's... it's alright.

Wu Chiwu his head to the side, his confidence clearly fading.

That acting style of hers had been thoroughly tested and proven by many hands.

It shouldn't have fallen to this extent so quickly.

Mr. Bandage's acting was clearly superb; even that rotten snake took the bait.

Naruto immediately retorted.

It looks good no matter how you look at it.

It's flawless.

hehe...

Sakura chuckled dryly twice.

It felt like I had become invisible once again.

The fact that Orochimaru wasn't seen through meant that he simply didn't know Sasuke.

Let's try sending someone else up.

And Naruto, can we still trust your taste these days?

Seeing Wu Chiwu and Naruto sporting the same smiling faces, Sakura felt like her head was about to explode.

What should we do?

Sasuke interrupted.

Hey, which way to go next?

He asked directly.

Central Tower.

Wu Chiwu, resting his chin on his hand, gave directions.

You don't have the scroll yet.

That place has no shortage of people, uh, no, it has no shortage of scrolls to steal.

He curled his lips into a smile.

Sakura's lips twitched.

Hey, you almost forgot to mention heads, didn't you?

By the way, where are your two companions?

She turned and cast her question at Wu Chiwu.

There's no need to meet with them.

It's really fine to leave it like this.

It seems like I haven't seen him with any teammates from the beginning.

If it weren't for that skirmish just now, they should all be gathered by now.

The two of them.

Wu Chiwu tilted his head and thought seriously.

They're probably slacking off somewhere.

Once you reach the central tower, people will naturally appear.

Don't worry about it.

I had already sent them to search for the scrolls separately.

At their current speed, they're not far from the central tower.

Let's recover our energy first.

Sasuke said in a low voice.

After resting enough, push towards the central tower.

Sasuke, you're already saying you're tired?

Naruto suddenly burst out laughing at the top of his lungs.

He couldn't hide the smugness on his face.

Idiot, what do you know?

Sasuke frowned and raised his voice.

His eyes seemed to be blazing with fire.

There will only be more opponents around the central tower area.

Someone might have already staked out a good spot.

Are you going to deliver something without getting yourself in the right state of mind?

Who are you calling an idiot?

Naruto stood up and immediately fixed his gaze on Sasuke.

Of course it's you, you idiot.

You're the idiot, a super idiot.

Fool.

idiot.

Sasasa...

A rustling sound suddenly came from the haystack not far away.

What's that noise?

The two stopped arguing and turned their attention to the haystack next to them.

there...