Naruto's sudden attack stunned everyone present. Even the undercover operatives from Sunagakure and Otogakure failed to react in time.
Three straight punches carrying mountain-shattering force struck their targets almost simultaneously.
Among them, the sinister-looking female Ninja didn't manage to dodge but bent backward like a snake, her body twisting bonelessly to mitigate the impact.
However, despite her quick reaction, the Armament Haki and Chakra coating Naruto's fist still tore a deep gash across her face.
But what was revealed underneath wasn't flesh and blood… it was another layer of skin.
The other two also employed their own methods to dodge.
One abruptly transformed into a flock of crows, scattering into the air before reappearing unharmed in the distance.
While the other seemed intent on testing Naruto's strength head-on and chose to take the punch.
As a result, he became the unluckiest of the three.
Even after using Chakra to reinforce his defense, the fist still landed squarely on his face, sinking deep into it.
Then, his entire body was sent spinning through the air like an insect struck by a train before crashing through the Forest of Death's barrier.
"How reckless, Naruto-kun…"
At this time, the feminine 'woman' spoke again, though the voice that came out was deep and masculine, completely mismatched with their appearance.
They slowly peeled off the fake skin on their face, revealing another face adorned with purple eyeshadows.
Others might not have recognized him, but Mitarashi Anko, as Orochimaru's former student, immediately identified the person who had just been punched away by Naruto… He's her traitorous sensei.
"It's Orochimaru! All examinees, evacuate the area!"
She immediately ordered the examinees to disperse and instructed her colleagues to relay the message.
However, Orochimaru didn't even glance at Anko. Instead, he studied Naruto with keen interest.
"To act with such confidence… And this power… You've piqued my curiosity as well, Naruto-kun."
Naruto grinned, his deep blue eyes gleaming as they opened fully.
"Orochimaru? Ah… right, Jiraiya-sensei mentioned you before."
Hearing this, Orochimaru's interest only grew.
"Oh? What did that fool say about me?"
"You'll hear it from Jiraiya-sensei himself after I drag you to him."
As the last word left Naruto's mouth, his fist was already in motion.
This time, his fist carried far more power than the earlier probing strike.
Feeling the sheer pressure of the attack, Orochimaru's expression lost its earlier confidence.
[Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!]
His arms instantly transformed into multiple venomous snakes, lunging at Naruto.
However, the moment the snakes got close, they were pulverized into bloody mist, scattering in all directions.
With the combination of Armament Haki, Chakra and his already strong body, Naruto was like an unstoppable force, completely unfazed by such feeble attacks.
Orochimaru knew he couldn't stop Naruto directly, but this wasn't his killing move anyway.
The moment the bloody mist obscured Naruto's vision, Orochimaru's neck suddenly elongated like a true white serpent, silently coiling around to Naruto's back.
At the same time, his mouth opened and his tongue transformed into a snake.
The snake's maw gaped, and an extremely sharp sword extended out from it like a nesting doll-
The legendary Kusanagi Sword.
'He's just like that fool, charging in blindly without thinking…'
The thought had barely formed in Orochimaru's mind when he saw Naruto, as if anticipating this, turn around and grab the snake's head with one hand while the other clamped down on Orochimaru's neck.
Somehow, the genuine smile on Naruto's face at that moment struck Orochimaru as terrifying.
Before Orochimaru could utter another word, Naruto's hands clenched-
Squelch.
Two snake heads (Orochimaru's heads?) were torn clean off by Naruto and casually tossed aside.
However, Naruto used the opponent's clothes to wipe off the mucus on the Kusanagi Sword, then took it in his hand and started swinging it.
Anko, who had originally prepared to fight to the death, was stunned by this scene, and even her emotions were thrown into disarray.
As for the other examinees, they were equally shocked.
Though among them, a few were silently regrouping, seemingly awaiting some signal.
"Not bad at all… Hey, quit playing dead."
Naruto ran a finger along the blade. In terms of sharpness, this sword was even as good as his Mushoukou.
Its length and balance were excellent, far superior to the trashy sword Zabuza had been using back in the Land of Waves.
What surprised Naruto even more was its durability… he had initially assumed it was just an ordinary weapon.
'Luckily I picked it up today. Letting Orochimaru keep it in his mouth would've been a waste...'
Meanwhile, Orochimaru's headless body slowly rose again before a new Orochimaru tore his way out of the old husk, emerging from within.
"That's really... beyond my expectations, Naruto-kun."
"Is that all you've got left to say?"
Naruto had no intention of prolonging the conversation. Gripping the sword, his entire aura shifted instantly.
But Orochimaru seemed to be prepared.
Without any visible hand seals, he summoned a massive serpent, whose head larger than a man, and used it to quickly put distance between himself and Naruto.
Originally, Orochimaru had planned to plant a Cursed Seal on Sasuke during the Chunin Exams to secure a vessel for his future possession.
But Danzo, during their meeting, had specifically warned him to be wary of Naruto, repeatedly emphasizing that the boy's strength had surpassed expectations and that Orochimaru shouldn't waste time engaging him, as their real target was Hiruzen.
This, of course, only made Orochimaru think, 'Let me see what's going on.'
The results are also heartwarming.
Not only had he lost his sword, but he'd also been humiliated in front of his 'former colleagues' and 'former student'.
Truly, curiosity doesn't just kill cats, it kills snakes too.
"Uchiha Itachi, Hoshigaki Kisame … your target is right here. Aren't you going to make your move?"
Orochimaru suddenly raised his voice, his gaze shifting to the two figures Naruto had earlier sent flying but who had since recovered.
The two, who had their identities revealed, no longer maintained their Transformation Technique, and the Akatsuki's signature black robes with red clouds appeared in front of everyone present.
And among the onlookers was Sasuke.
"Itachi!!!!"
In Sasuke's eyes, Itachi seemed to have used 'provoke' skill, monopolizing his focus entirely.
All thoughts of retreat and tactics were forgotten at this moment.
Sakura, who was standing beside him, couldn't stop him. She saw Sasuke running faster and faster, throwing out several shurikens to distract the opponent's vision.
However, Itachi didn't even bother to look at his brother for a second. He was still looking coldly at Naruto, the unfamiliar Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki.
Meanwhile, Kisame chuckled as he drew Samehada from his back, effortlessly deflecting Sasuke's shuriken as if he were nothing more than an afterthought.