Suguru raised his hand, silencing the murmurs that rippled through the crowd of genin. His silver eyes gleamed with mischief as he surveyed his fellow young shinobi before him before darting towards the older ones in the crowd.
"There's one more thing you should know before receiving your scrolls," he announced, his voice carrying across the clearing.
"I've made some... modifications to the traditional format."
He pulled out a scroll from his pouch, unfurling it with a flick of his wrist. Complex Fuinjutsu markings sprawled across the parchment, intricate patterns that seemed to shift and change as they caught the light.
Just looking at it made the freshly tortured psyches of every genin cry. Whatever was written on each scroll was another level above what they had just gone through.
"These aren't the Heaven and Earth scrolls you'll be carrying around and hunting for," Suguru continued, tracing a finger along the seals. "I've decided to add a few gimmicks using Fuinjutsu. They can be used as either a bane or a boon, depending on your understanding."
He rolled the scroll back up, tucking it away.
"Long story short, these scrolls are a roulette of good and bad for those who don't understand. But for those who do..."
A sly smile spread across his face. "It's like playing shogi. Victory and defeat could be decided just from the extra scrolls in your possession."
Suguru created a shadow clone, which produced three different colored scrolls—red, blue, and green.
"Each team will start with three extra scrolls: one Offensive, one Defensive, and one Supportive. Each team has different versions of each type, and more scrolls are scattered throughout the forest."
He tossed one scroll into the air, catching it with practiced ease.
"Some of these scrolls can even be brought to the next part of the exams, making them an important commodity beyond just passing this stage."
A ripple spread across the crowd. Bringing these scrolls to the next stage? Suddenly, their eyes flashed with a hint of greed.
"The Fuinjutsu may seem complex," Suguru added, "but those who can glean their use will secure an overwhelming advantage:"
His gaze swept over the crowd, lingering momentarily on Orochimaru's disguised form.
For a moment, Suguru's lips twitched. Flexing in front of his teacher felt… rude.
"I'll demonstrate."
The scroll Suguru was holding unfurled itself, revealing intricate patterns that began to glow with an eerie blue light.
The Fuinjutsu markings shifted and rearranged themselves, forming a complex array. The dance of symbols was, in a way, mesmerizing.
"This is an Offensive scroll containing the Self-Cursing Seal," Suguru explained, pouring chakra into the scroll and placing it on the ground.
—Bwoop!
"Once activated, it spreads throughout the area around it, paralyzing anyone caught within its range completely."
Suddenly, the entire crowd of genin found themselves unable to move. Bound by markings that snaked around their bodies, rooted to the earth.
—Crack.
"Of course, a strong enough chakra burst can break the seal," Suguru continued, naturally breaking the seals that had hit him as well. "But that requires both knowledge of what's happening and sufficient chakra control to execute under pressure."
Kakashi's visible eye narrowed as he observed this spectacle. He'd seen similar seals before, and these were elegant, compact, and brought about several implications: For example, using such scrolls in combat could indeed turn the tide in the blink of an eye.
It was a tool that could immobilize a large group of opponents without causing permanent damage… yet it was still effective enough to end a fight instantly.
Kurenai, standing beside him, couldn't hide her intrigue either. "That's not standard issue," she whispered. "Did he develop that himself?"
Kakashi shrugged, but his gaze remained fixed on the scroll. In the brief moment that Suguru had made the demonstration, he had already picked up a few hints and thus would say, "Probably. The application method is heavily modified for those who understand what the seals mean in the first place."
Meanwhile, among the genin, Naruto's eyes widened with suppressed awe, while Sasuke calculated the tactical advantages such a tool would provide. Even Gaara and Tatsuya, typically impassive since earlier, showed a flicker of interest.
Suguru rolled the scroll back up with a satisfied smile, cancelling the entire jutsu and noting the hunger in the eyes of both participants and observers.
The jounin weren't immune to the allure of such a versatile tool—exactly as he'd intended. The scroll disappeared into his pouch with a casual flick of his wrist.
"And that's just one example," he said, his silver eyes gleaming. "Each scroll has its own unique properties."
***
Suguru watched with satisfaction as the genin teams lined up to receive their scrolls. Each team approached his clones with varying degrees of trepidation and excitement, accepting the Heaven or Earth scrolls along with the three specialized scrolls he'd created.
"Remember," he called out, his voice carrying across the clearing, "You need both a Heaven and Earth scroll to pass. Everything else is just... extra credit."
Suguru smiled and waved, letting the genin move on their own as they dispersed to their designated gates, clutching their scrolls with determination.
Suguru observed their varying expressions with delight.
Some were calculating, others nervous, a few seemed downright terrified. He'd given them something new to consider, a variable that would separate the truly skilled from the merely lucky.
Suguru nodded to himself upon seeing these expressions. Chaos-making was fun indeed.
"Now, time to watch a good show…"
When the timer completed its countdown, the gates swung open, and the teams rushed into the Forest of Death. Suguru waited until the last team had disappeared into the dense foliage before forming a hand sign.
'Shadow Clone Jutsu,'
A dozen perfect copies of himself appeared in a circle around him.
"You know what to do," he told them, and they nodded in unison before scattering in different directions, each taking a section of the forest to monitor.
Suguru himself flickered away, his body dissolving into nothing but a blur as he positioned himself at the highest point in the forest. From here, one of his clones activated his Kaisu-Byakugan and expanded its vision to encompass the entire training ground.
Through this enhanced sight, Suguru's clone observed the genin teams spreading throughout the forest.
Some moved cautiously, setting traps and establishing perimeters. Others charged forward, eager to confront their opponents and claim their scrolls.
His attention was drawn to a particular confrontation brewing in the eastern section. Team 7—Sasuke, Sakura, and Mitsuko—had encountered a lone Kusa-nin. Something about the shinobi's chakra signature made Suguru's clone narrow its eyes.
"Almost the same as in the original," Suguru whispered, a smile playing at his lips as he recognized the disguised form of his former teacher.
Orochimaru stood before Team 7, his tongue sliding out to lick his lips in that unsettling manner Suguru remembered so well. The Sannin's chakra was masterfully suppressed, but not enough to fool his own.
These were all-seeing eyes, after all.
Meanwhile, Sasuke stepped forward, his Sharingan activated and spinning slowly as he assessed the threat. Beside him, Mitsuko's Byakugan bulged with veins, while Sakura prepared a genjutsu, her hands forming the first seal.
'It seems like, without Naruto's antics, Team 7 is a lot more aloof and serious. They've got such fearsome expressions.' Suguru mused and leaned forward, intrigued by this characteristic development.
Suguru hadn't anticipated that Orochimaru would make his move so soon, but it presented a fascinating opportunity to observe the upcoming dynamic.
After all, all four of them had learned under Hiruzen. The genin simply weren't aware of who their jounin-sensei truly was.
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