Stabbing Out a Giant Snake

Orochimaru's speed was incredibly fast, far beyond theirs.

In just a few minutes, he had passed through the dense forest and spotted Naruto and the others in the distance.

"You all stop right there!"

Orochimaru shouted, then bit his finger, dripping a drop of blood onto his palm. He rapidly formed hand seals, and a strange pattern appeared in the air beneath him.

Immediately, a loud boom echoed through the dense forest, and a giant, earth-colored snake burst forth from the pattern.

Orochimaru stood atop the giant snake, charging forward with a fierce smile.

Sakura, being the only girl on the team, was already terrified of snakes and insects.

Seeing such a massive snake, she was even more frightened, letting out a scream and collapsing on the ground, paralyzed with fear.

Naruto, walking at the front, turned back and cursed inwardly, a furious glint flashing in his eyes.

He had just knocked the man into a pile of rocks, so how could he be here now!

Had no other teams passed by in all this time?

He stopped and turned back, shielding Sakura behind him.

The giant snake was already close. Even if he wanted to use Wood Release to control it, he probably wouldn't have enough time to form the seals.

He quickly raised his arms to block his chest, intending to withstand the snake's charge with his own body.

Sasuke stood on a branch, his face etched with anxiety, and shouted with a frown, "Idiot! Run!"

Run?

Naruto let out a long breath.

If he ran, Sakura would definitely be severely injured, or even killed, by the giant snake.

He had never had companions growing up. Now that he finally had them, how could he stand by and watch them be in danger?

He shook his head silently, his muscles tensing.

"Bang!"

A loud explosion startled countless birds in the forest.

The ground beneath Naruto's feet was gouged out, forming a trench more than a meter wide.

The giant snake, however, did not stop, continuing to push forward against Naruto.

Sakura, paralyzed with fear, had a blank mind, watching in horror as Naruto was sent flying. Her hands couldn't muster any strength.

"Idiot! Still pretending at a time like this!"

Sasuke cursed inwardly and pulled out the chili pepper from his ninja pouch, the one that could drastically increase chakra.

He had originally intended to save this pepper for the final round of the Chunin Exam.

But now, he had no choice but to eat it!

"Crunch!"

The pepper made a crisp sound as it entered his mouth.

Instantly, a scorching heat swept through his entire body. He felt as if every pore had opened, desperately radiating heat outwards.

Inside his body, dense chakra was growing continuously.

"This chili pepper really is a divine item for increasing chakra!"

He sighed inwardly, feeling a pang of regret. Then, he leaped forward and roared at Orochimaru.

"Stop right there!"

He swung his arm with all his might and landed a heavy punch on the snake's head.

A hole instantly appeared on the snake's head. It soon stopped moving, and with a whistling sound, the snake disappeared.

He flipped and landed on the ground.

Looking at him now.

His face was flushed red, and faint wisps of white steam escaped with each breath.

His two tomoe Sharingan eyes continuously emitted a chilling glow.

Orochimaru was stunned, then filled with ecstasy.

He had never imagined that a mere Genin could unleash such combat power.

If he captured him to be an experimental subject, it would be an excellent choice.

Even if Sasuke couldn't become an experimental subject, he would still be a very good vessel for his next reincarnation!

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

While Orochimaru was lost in his future fantasies, Sasuke rapidly formed hand seals, and a massive fireball erupted.

Orochimaru chuckled softly. Such a jutsu could be easily countered by him.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"

More than a dozen small fireballs spewed from his mouth again.

With the boost from the chili pepper, he felt like his chakra would never run out.

He unleashed two ninjutsu in succession.

A glint of greed flashed in Orochimaru's eyes; he was increasingly pleased with this body.

"Idiot, how are you?"

Taking advantage of the fire jutsu's effect, Sasuke tilted his head and asked nervously, looking at Naruto, whose body was half-buried in the dirt.

Naruto crawled out of the dirt pile, shook his head, and grumbled while dusting himself off.

"Damn, that giant snake is too powerful, but luckily I'm not dead yet!"

"If you're not dead, hurry up and help!" Sasuke shouted, throwing two shuriken.

Naruto let out a light breath and leaped forward. "Sunflower - Acupoint Sealing Technique!"

Seeing him approach, Orochimaru gently curled his lips.

"The same move, do you think I'll fall for it a second time?"

Then, Orochimaru suddenly leaped up, flying directly over Naruto's head.

Although the Sunflower - Acupoint Sealing Technique had an unavoidable effect, it required contact with the opponent.

Orochimaru had intentionally kept his distance, and Naruto's attack missed, causing him to stumble forward.

"My target today is Sasuke, I'll spare your life for now!" Orochimaru said without looking back, heading straight for Sasuke.

At the same time, Sasuke had already formed seals again: "Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique!"

Orochimaru didn't dodge, murmuring softly.

"Hmph, a mere Genin, unleashing three ninjutsu in a row, his chakra must be almost depleted!"

However, to his surprise, the Dragon Fire Technique's effect hadn't disappeared yet when Sasuke's voice came from not far away for the fourth time.

"Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"

Orochimaru was shocked, his steps faltering slightly.

Was this really a Genin?

It was rare for a Genin to use ninjutsu twice in a row.

Using it three times was something you wouldn't see in years.

But now, the kid opposite him had used it four times in a row!

He began to question his life choices.

This momentary hesitation was spotted by Naruto, who quickly formed hand seals.

"Wood Style: Thousand Years of Impalement Technique!"

With a roar, over a dozen wooden stakes rained down from above, firmly controlling Orochimaru.

Sasuke's Great Dragon Fire Technique also arrived quietly at this moment, engulfing Orochimaru's body.

"Impossible! Besides the First Hokage, how could anyone else use Wood Release! How could a Genin use four ninjutsu in a row! Impossible!"

As he roared, fine cracks appeared in the ground beneath his feet.

A smooth, wooden palm shot out with lightning speed, holding up two fingers.

"Pfft!"

A muffled sound of intense pain echoed.

Trapped between the flames and the wooden stakes, Orochimaru roared in despair.

Immediately after, a large, white snake emerged from the flames and lunged at Sasuke with its gaping maw.

Sasuke flung it away violently, and the white snake disappeared into the grass, vanishing in a flash.

"Sasuke, are you okay?" Naruto ran over nervously.

Sasuke bared his teeth, clutching the wound on his neck. "It's nothing, just a little painful, it'll be fine soon!"

Just then, the chili pepper's amplification effect wore off, and the side effects began to hit him like a tidal wave.

Sasuke stuck out his tongue, constantly gasping for air.

It felt like two hedgehogs were fighting in his mouth, the stinging pain relentless.

"You call this 'a little painful'? Boss, you bald turtle, you lied to me!"

He screamed with all his might, his vision went black, and he collapsed backward.

In the small shop, Wu Di sneezed while watching a few people scratch lottery tickets in front of him.

Looking at the bright, sunny weather outside, he wondered.

"That's strange, the weather hasn't changed, why did I sneeze?"