In the Forest of Death, within a dim clearing...
"Sasuke, Sasuke!" Naruto shook Sasuke by the shoulders and called out softly.
But Sasuke showed no reaction at all, as if he were dead.
Naruto felt his forehead and could not help frowning. "Sakura, he has a fever!"
"Ah?" Sakura covered her lips, tears glimmering in her eyes.
The exam had only just begun. If Sasuke remained like this, they would definitely be eliminated later on. What were they supposed to do?
She turned to Naruto, her eyes filled with a plea for help.
Naruto understood what she meant. He sighed helplessly, then pulled out the map and slowly closed his eyes.
"Sakura, there's a small river not far from here. I'll get a cold towel. Take good care of him while I'm gone!"
Without a second thought, Sakura nodded repeatedly.
She had never encountered a situation like this before, and for a moment, she was completely at a loss.
Looking at Sasuke's twisted expression, her heart ached without pause.
"Naruto, come back quickly!"
She shouted loudly at Naruto's retreating figure.
"Okay!"
Naruto shook out the towel and picked up his pace.
Meanwhile, not far from there, three ninjas wearing Sound Ninja forehead protectors came to a stop.
"Zaku, did you hear something?"
The only female ninja among the three asked.
The ninja named Zaku, dressed in a yellow shirt bearing the character for death, stopped and looked around at the gloomy forest with a smile.
"Koto, don't scare us. Did you hear wrong?"
Koto shook her head repeatedly, while the ninja named Dosu beside her chimed in.
"I think I heard something too."
"Fine, then let's go take a look together!" Zaku picked at his ear. Though somewhat unwilling, he went along with the majority.
Then, the three ran toward the source of the sound.
In the clearing, Sakura gripped a kunai with both hands, watching her surroundings fearfully.
Plop!
Behind her, an acorn fell to the ground.
She spun around abruptly, half crouching as she cautiously searched the area.
After confirming that she could sense no one else nearby, she let out a sigh of relief.
"I told you, there really is someone here!"
Just as she was about to sit down, a woman's crisp voice came from the branch opposite her.
The speaker was Koto, the female ninja who had first noticed the sound.
Sakura looked up, and her nerves instantly tightened.
Sasuke was still unconscious, and Naruto had gone to fetch water.
There was no way she could handle all three of them alone!
And judging by their appearance, each of them seemed strong!
Her hand trembled as she slowly raised her kunai, crying out in her heart.
Naruto, come back quickly! Come back quickly!
Then she swallowed hard and slowly rose to her feet.
"Dosu, isn't it a little unfair for the three of us to fight one person?"
Koto curled her lips slightly and smiled wickedly.
Dosu scratched his head. "What's wrong with that? I like ganging up on people!"
"Then what are we waiting for? Get them!" Zaku stomped his foot and rushed out first.
"Ninjutsu: Air Cannon!" Zaku formed hand seals with both hands and thrust his palms forward, blasting two powerful bursts of air from them.
Caught off guard, Sakura was sent flying over ten meters, landing right beside Sasuke.
Looking at the unconscious Sasuke, she gritted her teeth and stood up again.
Koto suddenly leaped forward, moving like a ghost as she closed in and pressed right up against Sakura.
Startled, Sakura staggered backward repeatedly, forced to put some distance between them.
But before she could steady herself, Dosu, whose arm was bound with a hornet's nest, had appeared behind her.
A piercing sound came from the holes in the nest. Instantly, her head spun, and her vision became much blurrier.
Taking advantage of her daze, Dosu brought down a heavy punch, smashing her directly to the ground.
Her head struck a rock on the ground, and thin trails of blood flowed out.
"Naruto... come back quickly!"
Sakura gritted her teeth, her fingers digging tightly into the ground.
"Dosu, kill these two and take their scrolls. We need to leave quickly!" Koto said playfully, twirling a kunai around her finger.
"Fine!" Dosu nodded and reached down to grab Sakura by the collar.
At that critical moment, a loud roar came from the distance.
"Let them go!"
Looking toward the voice, they saw someone flying rapidly toward them through the sky on a broomstick.
The broom swept through the air, leaving an afterimage in its wake.
In the blink of an eye, it had arrived before them, except...
"Crash..."
The broom had been going too fast, and its rider was not wearing a seat belt.
Half the broom plunged into a tree trunk, while its rider was flung hard against the tree by inertia.
A large shower of leaves fell, and he tumbled to the ground along with them.
Dosu and the other two stared blankly, as though three crows had flown over their heads.
Where had this idiot come from, rushing over so eagerly to throw his life away?
Naruto rubbed his nose, tears streaming from his eyes.
"Ah, that hurts, hurts, hurts, hurts!"
"This damn broom! I haven't used it for a few days, and it's acting up again!"
After complaining, he tossed the towel aside and swiftly formed hand seals.
"Sasuke and Sakura are both hurt. I'm not in the mood to play with you!"
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
With two bursts of air, two identical Narutos appeared beside him.
The original standing in the middle said seriously, "There's no time. Seal their acupoints directly!"
"Woohoo!" The Narutos on either side raised their fists and shouted in response!
In an instant, all three Narutos charged out together.
The three across from them smirked.
The greatest weakness of clones was that they could not withstand attacks. As long as one hit landed on a clone, the technique would collapse.
As the three Narutos ran, they extended their fingers.
"Sunflower - Acupoint Sealing Technique!"
The three Sound Ninjas burst into laughter.
A name like that was obviously taijutsu.
Using Shadow Clones for taijutsu was practically suicide, wasn't it?
The three did not guard themselves at all.
But at the instant they collided with Naruto, all three froze.
Why? Why could their bodies no longer move?
They stared wide-eyed in terror.
Naruto rubbed his chin, hesitating.
"I wonder, after their paralysis wears off, will they chase after us and fight us like the Giant White Snake did?"
Then his eyes flashed, and a wicked grin spread across his face as he said to his clones.
"Give each of those male ninjas a set of combined ninjutsu, then you can disappear!"
"Woohoo!" The clones clenched their fists and formed hand seals together.
"Wood Style: Thousand Years of Impalement Technique!"
More than a dozen wooden stakes dropped around Dosu and Zaku, while two rounded Wood Release Hands emerged from beneath the ground.
They stared blankly ahead.
Not a trace of expression could be seen on their faces.
Though they said not a word, deeply moving tears streamed down their faces.
Naruto clapped his hands and gave them a lecherous grin. "That's what you get for underestimating me. Learned your lesson, huh?"
Laughing, he turned around, picked up the wet towel that had landed on a branch, and walked toward Sasuke.
Just then, a crimson whirlwind rose around Sasuke, and he slowly stood up.
Before you continue