The entrance to Training Ground 44 was an imposing sight, a giant maw of dark trees that promised only pain and struggle. Anko Mitarashi's wild grin did nothing to ease the tension as she explained the rules: a five-day survival battle to capture a scroll and reach the central tower. Death was on the table. Team 7 received their Heaven Scroll and plunged into the oppressive gloom of the forest.
After a brief, efficient skirmish with a team from the Rain, they pressed deeper. It was then that Deva felt it. A presence unlike anything he had ever sensed. It was ancient, predatory, and felt utterly wrong.
"Contact!" Deva yelled, his voice sharp. "Massive power level, close!"
Before they could fully react, a massive gust of wind, impossibly strong, tore through the clearing, separating the three of them. When the wind died down, a figure stood before them. It was a Grass ninja with a long, snake-like tongue and an aura of pure, suffocating malice. The killing intent rolling off this person was so immense it was a physical weight, paralyzing Sasuke where he stood.
Deva's mind raced, his analytical brain struggling against a primal, instinctual fear. Kakashi's words... 'You think too much.' Act!
He threw a kunai, not at the enemy, but straight at Sasuke's leg. The blade embedded itself in Sasuke's thigh. The sharp, physical pain was enough to shatter the psychological assault.
"AAGH! What the hell, Deva?!" Sasuke yelled, snapping out of his trance.
"Move!" Deva commanded. "His killing intent is a form of genjutsu!"
The Grass ninja chuckled, a dry, rasping sound. "Oh? The little sensor has some nerve. And the Uchiha has potential. This will be fun."
Sasuke, now free and furious, took charge, his mind instantly formulating a strategy. "Naruto, pressure! Overwhelm him! Deva, support from range! Don't let him breathe!"
Naruto grinned, a feral excitement in his eyes. "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" In a thunderous eruption of smoke, a hundred Narutos swarmed the Grass ninja from every conceivable angle, a chaotic, overwhelming wave of orange.
The Grass ninja moved with a fluid, snake-like grace, his limbs a blur as he effortlessly dismantled clones with precise, deadly strikes. But for every one he took down, two more were there to take its place. He was bogged down, his attention completely divided.
"Now!" Sasuke yelled. While the enemy was occupied, Sasuke dashed in from the right. He used the Shadow of the Dancing Leaf, a taijutsu move he'd copied from Rock Lee, to close the distance instantly and appear in the ninja's blind spot, delivering a powerful kick to his side. The Grass ninja grunted, surprised by the advanced technique, and was thrown back a few feet.
Deva, standing back, acted as the team's turret. The moment Sasuke disengaged, Deva's hands flashed. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" A massive sphere of flame forced the Grass ninja to leap into the air. While airborne, Sasuke was already there, unleashing a web of shuriken tied with ninja wire, attempting to bind their opponent.
The Grass ninja twisted unnaturally, dodging most, but Deva was already acting. He made no hand signs. "Water Style: Water Clone Jutsu!" A perfect copy of himself formed beside the ninja and drove a kunai deep into his side. The Grass ninja grunted in pain but then dissolved into mud. A clone.
"He's above you!" Deva yelled.
The real Grass ninja descended, a look of genuine surprise on his face. The three genin, through what should have been a chaotic assault, had displayed a terrifying level of synergy and power. They had actually managed to land a few minor blows. His amusement was rapidly turning to annoyance.
He decided to stop playing. "[Summoning Jutsu!]" He slammed his palm on the ground. The earth trembled, and a giant snake, as thick as an ancient tree, erupted from the ground, its massive head crashing through the clearing. With a single sweep of its tail, it wiped out all of Naruto's remaining clones in a spray of smoke and splintered wood.
The "spam" was gone. Now Orochimaru could focus. He moved with his true speed, a blur that even Sasuke's one-tomoe Sharingan struggled to track. The giant snake, under his command, lunged, its fangs dripping with venom, its target the momentarily stunned Naruto.
"Naruto!" Sasuke screamed, seeing the danger.
There was no time for a complex plan. Sasuke, in a desperate move, leaped onto a high branch, his hands flying through seals. "Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" He spat out a barrage of small, guided fireballs. With a flick of his wrists, he sent a volley of shuriken sailing through the flames, hiding the metal within the fire, a classic Uchiha tactic. The flaming projectiles peppered the giant snake's face, causing it to roar in pain and recoil, its attack on Naruto thwarted.
At the exact same moment, Deva knew Sasuke's attack was only a distraction. He needed to deal with the true threat. He reached out with his senses, locked onto the frequency he had stolen from Zabuza, and unleashed his own A-rank jutsu. He made no hand signs. He simply commanded the water from the damp earth and the moisture in the air.
[Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!]
The battlefield exploded with power. As Sasuke's storm of fire and steel hammered the giant snake from above, a massive dragon of swirling water erupted from the ground at Deva's command. It didn't target the snake. It roared as it lunged directly at the Grass ninja who stood on its head, aiming to crush the summoner and end the fight.
The Grass ninja looked from the burning face of his summon to the colossal water dragon bearing down on him, a look of genuine fury and disbelief on his face. He was caught between two powerful, simultaneous, and perfectly coordinated attacks from two different directions.