Encountering the Sound Ninja Trio

In the Forest of Death, on a dimly lit clearing...

"Sasuke, Sasuke!" Naruto shook Sasuke's shoulder, calling out in a low voice.

But Sasuke showed no reaction at all, as if he were dead.

Naruto touched his head and couldn't help but frown, "Sakura, he has a fever!"

"Ah?" Sakura covered her mouth, her eyes glistening with tears.

This exam had just begun. If Sasuke remained in this state, they would definitely be eliminated later. What should they do?

She turned to look at Naruto, a pleading look in her eyes.

Naruto understood her meaning, sighed helplessly, then pulled out a map and slowly closed his eyes.

"Sakura, there's a small river not far from here. I'll go get a cool towel. You stay here and take good care of him!"

Sakura nodded repeatedly without thinking.

She had never experienced a situation like this before and was at a loss for what to do.

Looking at Sasuke's contorted face, her heart ached.

"Naruto, hurry back!"

She shouted loudly at Naruto's receding figure.

"Okay!"

Naruto shook the towel and sped up even more.

Meanwhile, not far from this location, three ninjas wearing Sound Ninja headbands stopped in their tracks.

"Zaku, did you hear something?"

The only female ninja among the three asked.

Zaku, the ninja wearing a yellow outfit with the character 'death' written on it, stopped and looked around the gloomy forest, smiling.

"Koto, don't scare me. Did you hear wrong?"

Koto shook her head repeatedly. The ninja named Dosu, who was beside her, also chimed in.

"I think I heard something too."

"Alright then, let's go take a look together!" Zaku said, picking his ear. Although he was somewhat unwilling, he complied with the majority decision.

Then, the three of them ran in the direction of the sound.

On the clearing, Sakura held a kunai in her hands, looking around fearfully.

"Clatter!"

Behind her, an acorn fell to the ground.

She spun around abruptly, her body half-crouched, and scanned her surroundings vigilantly.

Once she confirmed there was no one else's presence, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"I knew it, someone's here!"

Just as she was about to sit down, a clear female voice came from a branch opposite her.

The speaker was Koto, the female ninja who had first heard the sound.

Sakura looked up, her nerves immediately tightening.

Right now, Sasuke was still unconscious, and Naruto had gone to get water.

She couldn't possibly deal with three of them alone!

And judging by their appearance, they all seemed very strong!

Her hand trembling, she slowly raised her kunai, her heart repeatedly calling out.

"Naruto, hurry back! Hurry back!"

Then, she swallowed and slowly stood up.

"Dosu, isn't it a bit unfair for the three of us to fight one?"

Koto's lips curled slightly as she smiled slyly.

Dosu scratched his head. "Doesn't seem unfair to me! I love ganging up on people!"

"Then what are we waiting for, let's go!" Zaku stomped his foot and charged out first.

"Ninjutsu: Air Cannon!" Zaku formed hand seals and pushed forward, launching two strong blasts of air from his palms.

Sakura, caught off guard, was sent flying more than ten meters by the air cannon, landing right beside Sasuke.

Looking at the unconscious Sasuke, she gritted her teeth and stood up again.

Koto leaped forward, her movements ghostly as she closed in on Sakura.

Sakura was startled and retreated repeatedly, forced to create distance between them.

However, before she could steady herself, Dosu, with a hornet's nest tied to his arm, appeared behind her.

A sharp sound came from the honeycomb-like eyes, and she instantly felt dizzy, her vision blurring considerably.

Taking advantage of her momentary lapse, Dosu brought down a heavy fist, smashing her to the ground.

Her head hit a stone on the ground, and a trickle of blood flowed.

"Naruto... hurry back!"

Sakura gritted her teeth, her fingers digging tightly into the ground.

"Dosu, kill these two and take their scrolls, then let's go!" Koto said playfully, a kunai on her finger.

"Alright!" Dosu nodded and raised his hand, grabbing Sakura by the collar.

Just at this critical moment, a loud roar echoed from the distance.

"Let them go!"

Following the sound, they saw a person in the sky, riding a broom and flying rapidly towards them.

The broom swept across the sky, leaving a trail of afterimages.

In the blink of an eye, he was in front of them, but...

"Clang..."

Due to speeding, the rider wasn't wearing a seatbelt.

Half the broom was stuck in the tree trunk, and he himself slammed hard into the tree due to inertia.

A large number of leaves fell, and he tumbled to the ground with them.

Dosu and the other two watched in a daze, three crows flying overhead.

Where did this idiot come from, rushing to give himself up like this?

Naruto rubbed his nose, tears streaming down his face.

"Ah, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts!"

"This darn broom, I haven't used it in days, and it's acting up again!"

After complaining, he tossed the towel aside and suddenly formed hand seals.

"Sasuke and Sakura are both injured, I don't have the mood to play around with you guys anymore!"

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

With two air-splitting sounds, two more identical Narutos appeared beside him.

The main body standing in the middle said sternly, "We don't have much time, just immobilize them directly!"

"Oh yeah!" The Narutos on either side raised their fists and responded loudly!

In the blink of an eye, the three Narutos charged forward together.

The three on the opposite side sneered.

The biggest characteristic of a clone is that it can't withstand an attack. As long as one hits a clone directly, the jutsu will be broken.

As the three Narutos ran, they extended their fingers.

"Sunflower - Acupoint Sealing Technique!"

The three Sound Ninja burst into laughter.

A name like that, they immediately knew it was a Body Technique.

Using Shadow Clones for Body Techniques, wasn't that asking for death?

The three were completely unprepared.

But the moment they clashed with Naruto, all three froze.

Why? Why can't my body move?

They stared ahead with wide, terrified eyes.

Naruto rubbed his chin, hesitating.

"I wonder if they'll chase us like that giant snake after they're un-immobilized?"

Then his eyes flashed, and a wicked grin appeared as he said to his clones, "Give each of these two male ninjas a combination ninjutsu, and then disappear!"

"Oh yeah!" The clones clenched their fists and formed hand seals together.

"Wood Style: Thousand Years of Impalement Technique!"

Dozens of wooden stakes fell around Dosu and Zaku, and from beneath the ground, two round wooden hands emerged.

They stared blankly ahead.

Their expressions didn't change at all.

Although there were no words, tears that touched the heart were shed.

Naruto clapped his hands and grinned wickedly at them, "Serves you right for underestimating me!"

He turned around with a smile, picked up the damp towel that had fallen on a branch, and walked towards Sasuke.

Just then, a fiery red whirlwind erupted around Sasuke, and he slowly stood up.