After a more in-depth conversation with Naruto, Orochimaru understood. Naruto and Konoha were destined to part ways. To be precise, Naruto would become an enemy of the entire ninja world. And as someone siding with Naruto, he too would face the entire ninja world. Such pressure… was immense, but also incredibly exciting. An excitement he hadn't felt in a long time brewed in Orochimaru's serpentine eyes.
For a ninja, what Naruto was preparing to do was undoubtedly heretical. For the ninja world, Naruto's ambition would be a reformation—a crucial step in the evolutionary process of life. If successful, perhaps human life would reach an entirely new level. Only after truly understanding Naruto's thoughts did Orochimaru feel such shock. Born from Konoha's darkness, yet possessing such a grand vision—Uzumaki Naruto was truly rare.
Even after his conversation with Naruto ended, Orochimaru remained somewhat dazed. Naruto had articulated the vague ideas he himself had been pondering. In that moment, he felt an unparalleled clarity within his mind, as if a grand path was slowly unfurling before him. His current approach to immortality was to maintain an unchanging soul, achieving continuity of life by transferring between vessels. This was the closest method to eternal life he could currently grasp. And the path Naruto offered was one he had previously dismissed due to its extreme difficulty: achieving evolution at a fundamental level to attain immortality.
It had to be said, Naruto had provided reasons compelling enough to convince him. The thought of Minato surviving in another form made Orochimaru's heart race with uncontrollable excitement. He wished he could experience Shinigamification immediately. Even this Konoha Crush plan now seemed as tasteless as chewing wax; he almost wanted to cancel it outright.
After their chat, Orochimaru and Naruto returned to the venue one after the other.
By now, the battle between Sasuke and Rock Lee had reached its climax. The field was riddled with pits and craters, cracks and rubble scattered everywhere, a testament to the intensity of the fight.
"Are you kidding me? These are genin?" The spectating genin were all dumbstruck, muttering to themselves.
"Is this what Konoha's geniuses are like? This is too despairing."
"This level of Taijutsu is already Chunin-level, isn't it?"
Discussions erupted in the stands; the battle between Sasuke and Rock Lee had thoroughly filled them with a sense of hopelessness.
"Sasuke, you've improved really quickly."
Rock Lee stood on higher ground, perfectly composed, clad in a white robe. Not a speck of dust marred his attire.
"Hmph, you're not bad yourself," Sasuke retorted with a cold snort, arms crossed.
"The warm-up should be about over, right?"
"Mm, I think so too." The two began to smirk, completely ignoring everyone else.
"What? That was just their warm-up?"
"Hiss—Konoha genin are terrifying like this."
"Konoha has way too many geniuses!" Exclamations of shock rippled through the stands.
"You all better step back a bit. I won't be responsible if you get hit by the aftershocks," Rock Lee said, rubbing his nose and shouting towards the stands.
Such a damn show-off.
That strange phrase popped into everyone's mind.
Standing on the high platform, Rock Lee looked nonchalant—a nonchalance that was deliberately feigned. Extremely slowly, as if playing a PowerPoint slideshow frame by frame, he began to undo the weights on his body. Similarly, Sasuke was also slowly undoing his weights. He casually tossed them to the ground.
"BOOM!" Instantly, the arena floor fractured. The entire venue shook violently, dust continuously falling from the ceiling. The billowing dust almost completely obscured their vision, proving just how careless Konoha's cleaning crew was.
When the dust settled, large craters had been smashed into the arena floor, cracks spreading everywhere, as if it had been ravaged by a B-rank ninjutsu. Such weight was enough to crush a person to death.
The stands erupted.
"Are you kidding me? They've been fighting with weights on this whole time?"
"Is there something wrong with my eyes, or is there something wrong with the world?"
"Swish!" Rock Lee then took off his white robe, tossed it forcefully into the air, his two well-groomed, sharp eyebrows knitting together as he bellowed, "Come on, Sasuke! Let me see what you're made of!" In that moment, he did look rather dashing.
"Vmm." Tiny sparks of lightning appeared around Sasuke's body. Facing Lee, he didn't dare to be careless. Without ninjutsu, his Taijutsu was far inferior to Lee's.
"Swish!" In an instant, Sasuke had crossed the distance to Lee, throwing a punch wreathed in lightning.
"So fast!" Lee's heart tightened as he blocked Sasuke's blow. Yet, he heard a continuous "crackle-crackle-crackle" sound, and a powerful numbing sensation spread through his arms, causing Lee a moment's hesitation.
Sasuke seized the opportunity, landing a punch on Lee's abdomen.
With a sickening thud, Lee's body shot backward like a cannonball, smashing into the wall and shaking the venue. But before any exclamations could arise, Lee shot out even faster, sending Sasuke flying into the air with a punch.
Sasuke looked utterly shocked, finding it hard to believe, his two-tomoe Sharingan spinning wildly. "How is that possible? Such terrifying speed! Even my eyes are struggling to keep up!"
"However, eyes can deceive, but the body cannot." Lightning exploded around Sasuke's body. His speed instantly surged again, matching and even slightly exceeding Lee's.
"Bang, bang, bang!" Continuous sonic booms and the crackle of lightning filled the air. Two figures flickered endlessly around the arena, each exchange of blows kicking up massive shockwaves that shattered the ground below. In the eyes of the genin, these two figures seemed to be teleporting, constantly appearing in different locations.
During their clash, the two didn't forget to trade some awkward trash talk.
"Not bad, Sasuke. You've improved quickly, actually forcing me to remove my weights."
"You're not bad either. Be careful, I'm going all out next."
"Hahahaha!!! Then you better watch out! My fists can catch up to the speed of sound!"
"BANG!" Their fists collided. An even more violent gust of wind erupted. Many of the less sturdy genin couldn't even maintain their balance and collapsed to the ground, their faces filled with terror.
"Their progress is astonishing," Naruto nodded to himself, a look of gratification in his eyes.
"I didn't expect that Uchiha kid's growth to be so amazing. It seems I focused too much on Naruto and neglected Sasuke," the Third Hokage's brow furrowed as he thought inwardly. For Konoha, an overly powerful Uchiha was not a good sign. He needed to have all unknown factors under his control. The Third tried to recall the intelligence Kakashi had previously reported regarding Sasuke and began to reformulate his plans in his mind. He had to ensure Sasuke bore no ill will towards Konoha.
Danzo, who had returned to the venue at some unknown point, quietly watched the duel, his eyes showing considerable surprise. He hadn't expected that, aside from Sasuke and Naruto, there was also a Rock Lee worth paying attention to. Although Lee wasn't skilled in ninjutsu, when Taijutsu was cultivated to the extreme, a keen sixth sense could compensate for certain deficiencies. Only those with great perseverance could achieve great things in Taijutsu. But someone who could cultivate Taijutsu to its peak would definitely not be much weaker than a Kekkei Genkai wielder.
"This Rock Lee is a very good pawn. I should learn more about him," Danzo retracted his gaze, making a mental note. Root had always been fond of scouting talent, providing a platform for underappreciated ninja. Under Root's guidance, they would eventually become the nourishment—no, the guardians—that would allow Konoha to thrive.
By now, the battle in the arena had reached a white-hot intensity. Sasuke and Lee had transitioned from their initial showboating to an all-out fight. Lee's movements were as swift as lightning, each punch carrying the weight of many tons, the wind from every attack kicking up large swathes of rubble from the ground. His skin had even taken on a faint red hue, a sign of being in an Eight Gates state.
Meanwhile, Sasuke was wreathed in lightning. Stimulated by the Lightning Release, his cellular metabolism accelerated, enhancing all his attributes. Though his strength was less than Lee's, his speed was greater, and each of his attacks caused varying degrees of paralysis in Lee's body due to the lightning.
Over time, Lee began to fall into a disadvantage. His hair showed singed marks, and various parts of his body were numb; he looked quite battered. Sasuke wasn't faring much better. Lightning Release, while an amplifier, also consumed a massive amount of chakra. He was currently sweating profusely, panting like an ox, and he understood that if this became a battle of attrition, he would surely lose.
"Sasuke, it's over," at this moment, Lee, who had been at a disadvantage, let out a light chuckle.
As soon as he spoke, he vanished from before Sasuke with a "swish," stepping on airborne rubble to instantly appear behind him.
The panting Sasuke was about to counter when Lee kicked him high into the air. In his shock, he saw Lee already above him, the bandages wrapped around his hands suddenly unfurling. They whipped towards Sasuke's waist in mid-air, generating a rising current of air, like a tempest.
That stench of long-unwashed sweat instantly made Sasuke's face turn green.
"Primary Lotus!!"
This was a terrifying Taijutsu technique deployed through the Eight Gates. First, the opponent is kicked into the air with punches and kicks nearing the speed of sound, then wrapped with bandages around the waist, followed by a final blow to cause immense damage. This move, however, placed extreme demands on the body; a single misstep could result in torn muscles.
"What is this terrifying Taijutsu? Taijutsu can reach this level?" The onlookers exclaimed repeatedly. Even Gaara watched with rapt attention, silently making comparisons. He realized his sand might not be able to keep up with Lee's speed. This Primary Lotus could definitely break through his Armor of Sand.
Konoha has too many geniuses. I'm too weak right now, Gaara thought.
"It's over, Sasuke! This is a move I originally learned to defeat Naruto. I didn't expect you to push me this far. You can be proud of yourself," Lee declared proudly amidst the raging wind, his voice ringing out.
"Defeat Naruto? Could it be that Uzumaki Naruto is even stronger?" A commotion swept through the genin. They looked towards Naruto, as if trying to read something from his face. However, all they saw was a gentle smile, as if nothing could surprise him.
"We don't have a chance in these Chunin Exams," their hearts sank. They understood now that they were merely green leaves meant to make these few stand out.