The battlefield exploded. As Sasuke's storm of flaming shuriken hammered the giant snake from above, Deva's massive water dragon, summoned without a single hand seal, roared as it lunged directly at the Grass ninja.
Orochimaru, caught between two powerful, simultaneous, and perfectly coordinated attacks, made a split-second decision. He was a Sannin. He was not about to be taken down by a group of genin, no matter how talented.
He sacrificed his summon.
As the Water Dragon was about to crash into him, his body went strangely limp. His jaw unhinged to an impossible degree, and a new figure, slick and covered in fluid, slithered out from his mouth, leaving the old "skin" behind to take the full force of the attack. At the same moment, the giant snake, blinded and roaring in pain from Sasuke's fire jutsu, was dismissed by its master, vanishing in a massive puff of smoke.
Deva's Water Dragon crashed into the empty shell, gouging a massive, water-filled crater in the earth where Orochimaru had been standing. The clearing was devastated. Team 7 stood panting, having thrown their best coordinated attack at their enemy, only for him to shed it like a dead skin.
They searched the chaos for his signature. "Where did he go?!" Naruto yelled.
From the shadows of the trees, Orochimaru emerged. His clothes were torn from the force of the explosion, and his disguise as a Grass ninja was completely gone, revealing his true, pale, serpentine face. The amused, playful demeanor was gone, replaced by a cold, reptilian fury. The game was over.
"You brats," he hissed, his voice a low, dangerous whisper that promised nothing but pain. "You have forced my hand. I was going to take my time, but now... I will simply break my new toys."
He moved. He wasn't just fast; he was a flicker of motion, a distortion in reality. Before Naruto could even finish forming a hand seal, Orochimaru was in front of him. A single, precise strike to a pressure point in his neck caused Naruto's eyes to roll back, and he collapsed, unconscious. One down.
"Naruto!" Sasuke screamed, his Sharingan spinning as he tried to track Orochimaru's movements. But it was too late. The Sannin was already on him.
Sasuke's taijutsu, which had seemed so advanced minutes before, was now a child's flailing. Orochimaru moved with a fluid, contemptuous grace, his body twisting and contorting around Sasuke's strikes. He didn't just dodge; he dissected his style, mocking the proud Uchiha's form.
"Is this the power of the Uchiha clan?" Orochimaru taunted, catching Sasuke's fist. "Pathetic. Your brother was ten times the prodigy you are at this age."
The words hit Sasuke harder than any physical blow. In his moment of rage-filled distraction, Orochimaru moved. He disarmed Sasuke of his kunai and, in a single fluid motion, pinned him to a tree, driving the boy's own weapon through his shoulder. Sasuke cried out in pain, trapped and defeated. Two down.
Deva was now alone, standing in a field of his fallen comrades, facing a truly serious Orochimaru. He was panting, the Water Dragon jutsu having taken a significant amount of his chakra. He stood protectively in front of his teammates, his silver eyes narrowed.
Orochimaru looked at him with a new, hungry interest, his snake-like tongue flicking out. "The Jinchuriki has stamina. The Uchiha has the eyes I desire... but you..." His golden eyes seemed to pierce through Deva, analyzing him on a fundamental level. "You are something else entirely. A body that can hold immense chakra, and an ability to replicate any jutsu without seals. You would make an even finer vessel."
Deva's blood ran cold. This monster didn't just want to fight him; he wanted to become him.
"But first," Orochimaru hissed, his gaze shifting back to the pinned and helpless Sasuke, "a gift. A mark to remind him of the power he seeks."
He lunged, his neck stretching to an unnatural length, his fangs extending, aimed directly at Sasuke's neck.
Deva moved, attempting to form another Water Wall, but he knew he would be too late. The world seemed to slow down, the sight of the fangs descending, the look of terror and fury on Sasuke's face—
[Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!]
A massive, overwhelming torrent of fire, far larger and more intense than any of Sasuke's jutsus, erupted from the edge of the clearing. It formed a roaring wall of flame between Orochimaru and Team 7, forcing the Sannin to leap back to avoid being incinerated.
A massive, oppressive pressure descended upon the entire forest. It was an energy far beyond Orochimaru's, ancient, vast, and carrying the undeniable weight of absolute authority.
Standing on a high branch, his robes billowing in the heat of his own jutsu, was the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, flanked by two masked ANBU.
"It has been a long time, Orochimaru," the Hokage said, his voice quiet, yet carrying an authority that made the very air tremble.
Orochimaru landed, his face a mask of pure fury, his plan completely ruined. "Sensei," he hissed. "To what do I owe the pleasure? Come to watch the exams?"
"I was alerted to a disturbance," Hiruzen replied, his gaze hard as he dropped to the ground, the ANBU fanning out to protect the fallen genin. "A power level that had no place in this exam. I see I was not mistaken. To attack my village's genin, on my own soil... have you fallen so far?"
Orochimaru let out a dry, rasping laugh. "I was simply testing the new crop of leaves. And I must say, Sensei, they are fascinating." His golden eyes flickered between the three boys, a final assessment.
He knew he could not fight his old master and the ANBU forces that were now undoubtedly swarming the forest. His opportunity was lost.
"Another time, then," Orochimaru said with a final, chilling smile. He gave the pinned Sasuke a last, hungry look of frustration. "The boy will come to me eventually. They always do, when they seek power."
With that, he melted into the ground, his sinister presence vanishing as quickly as it had come.
The immediate threat was gone. The Hokage himself stood in the clearing, his expression grave as medics were summoned. Deva stood exhausted, his body aching, staring at the spot where the Sannin had vanished. They had survived. They had fought a legend and been utterly, completely defeated, saved only by the intervention of their leader. The serpent's price for this encounter was a chilling new reality: they were no longer just genin on a test. They were prey.