After Naruto unleashed his ultimate move, the raging storm of wind hurtled toward the snake trio. They tried desperately to flee but it was far too late. Caught completely off guard and far too close, they had no chance to escape.
The jutsu tore through the battlefield, a massive hundred-meter-wide wave of razor-sharp slicing force. Nothing survived in its path. Trees, rocks, and anything unfortunate enough to stand before it were reduced to shreds before the wave finally reached its limit and dissipated on its own.
The snakes never stood a chance. Those with the strength to endure even a fraction of the jutsu's power still bled out within moments from countless deep cuts. The weaker ones were simply carved into multiple pieces the instant the wave passed through them.
One snake had managed to get half its body outside the range, but the rest was shredded in seconds. Wailing in agony, it let out a final mournful cry before its eyes lost their light and the last of the trio met its end.
The jutsu, Sky Annihilation, was so devastating that everything in front of Naruto was razed to the ground. Nothing remained only the barren earth stretching before him.
Watching them all die from his jutsu, Naruto tried to smile yet even that was impossible. His body was covered in countless cuts, and he collapsed moments later. Blood poured from his wounds at a frightening speed, his condition quickly turning critical.
But then, his body reacted instinctively, rapidly accelerating its self-healing and halting the bleeding. But it wasn't just his own body at work at that very moment, the Nine-Tails' chakra also surged forward to heal him.
Inside the Eight Trigrams Seal
Kurama had been watching the entire spectacle ever since Orochimaru arrived. The seal had loosened from Naruto's frequent emotional fluctuations throughout the battle, not to mention his injuries.
He had seen everything with great interest. If he could have popcorn, he'd gladly watch this chaos like a movie. All the while, he'd been supplying Naruto with chakra, observing the fight from start to finish.
"Hmph! He wouldn't have survived until now without my help," Kurama roared as Naruto smiled faintly before passing out. "That brat should thank me," he muttered, his voice echoing through the cage, one paw jabbing toward the ceiling.
Even for that final jutsu, Kurama had supplied a massive amount of chakra. Without it, Naruto would have released only a far smaller version nowhere near enough to wipe out all his targets in one strike.
"But then again… not a bad jutsu. Where did he even learn that?" Kurama stroked his chin, sinking deep into thought as he watched Naruto's wounds slowly close.
Then something caught his eye.
Wait. That brat's hair is red. Since when? Kurama's eyes narrowed.
He had never seen anything like this before. but His train of thought was abruptly cut short, as he heard something and this time, he didn't even look impressed.
Kurama let out a long, dramatic sigh as the all-too-familiar scene unfolded.
Noticing the approaching presence, Kurama leaned back lazily inside his cage. "Hold up. Before we deal with this nonsense… how about a round of chess? I'll even let you go first this time."
"…"
The commotion from the battle had drawn a lot of attention. The Forest of Death might have been large, but it wasn't so vast that others couldn't hear the sounds of such a massive fight. Soon, people began heading toward the source of the noise.
While Naruto lay unconscious, the first to stumble upon the scene was Karin. Her squad had wandered into the range of the jutsu and was instantly wiped out when they got too close. Only Karin survived, thanks to her abilities, as she had been a few meters outside its range.
It had all started just a few minutes ago.
Karin's team had been debating their next move when the sounds of fierce fighting erupted nearby, mixed with the sharp blasts of detonating tags. The noise came from dangerously close, and it brought wide grins to her teammates' faces.
"Hehe… I smell blood nearby. There's definitely a fight going on. Let's go," said the leader, a mature man, grinning as he looked toward the source of the battle.
"Yes, boss. I just hope both teams kill each other it'll make our job easier," the second member added, still feeling faint tremors from the earlier explosions.
"But I think there's more than just two teams fighting. The battle sounds way too intense," the leader mused, his tone shifting to caution.
"Boss, don't worry. We can observe first, then act when the timing's right."
The leader thought for a moment, then nodded. "Okay. Let's go." They started forward then both glanced back at Karin, who still stood rooted to the spot.
"Hey, you blood bag! Do we need to send you an invitation? Move it, you bitch!"
Karin flinched at the threat but couldn't move. Her body was frozen in fear as her senses picked up four enormous chakras clashing somewhere ahead. The whole area felt battered, yet the dense forest blocked any view of the fight taking place beyond.
"Hey, bitch, are you....."
Before the leader could finish, something terrifying unfolded in Karin's eyes. A slow gust of wind brushed past her, but in the very next instant right as she blinked both of her teammates were swept away by a sudden storm tearing through the area.
It was over in moments. The storm passed, leaving only Karin standing. Her teammates lay dead, their bodies riddled with wounds from stones and debris hurled at lethal speed.
She stood frozen, stunned, unable to decide her next move.
Her trembling only grew worse as a chilling thought crossed her mind: there had been only two teams from the Grass Village this time. When she returned, they would surely blame her for her teammates' deaths… and punish her, just like they had punished her mother.
Karin looked around the now-empty battlefield, tears blurring her vision. Her gaze lingered on the body of their leader the very man who, years ago, had discovered her mother's ability and exposed it to the village. That revelation had doomed her mother to a life of exploitation, the entire village draining her strength for healing until it ultimately claimed her life.
That was the day Karin's own hell began. After her mother's death, they turned to her, forcing her into the same endless cycle of treatments in the Grass Village.
Yet now… watching that vile man's lifeless body before her, she felt something she never thought she would it was relief.
She stood frozen, uncertain of her next move, until her eyes caught sight of Naruto. He was swaying on his feet, on the verge of collapse. Instinctively, she rushed toward him, intending to thank him for what he had done before making her way out of the Chūnin Exams.
She was already disqualified the moment her teammates died, and the Grass Village jōnin assigned to supervise their team would surely send her straight back the instant she returned from the Chunin Exams. And waiting for her there… was the punishment she had always feared.
Snapping out of her thoughts, she finally noticed Naruto, his body riddled with deep cuts. But what caught her attention first was his hair it was the same red as hers. Her heartbeat quickened, only for her to calm herself a moment later. There could be others with red hair besides members of the Uzumaki clan.
Still, she owed him a favor, so she decided to try healing him.
But he was already healing on his own in a fast pace a fact she didn't miss which made her feel even more hopeful.
Since he was unconscious, she first propped him against a nearby tree, then gently guided his mouth to her hand so the heal bite could work its magic. Within two minutes, Naruto's eyes fluttered open. His wounds hadn't fully disappeared, but the most dangerous ones were gone.
When Naruto first opened his eyes, the sight that greeted him was Karin's curious face leaning close.
"Uhh… who are you? Did I get eliminated from the Chunin Exams?" he asked groggily, glancing around, confused that he was still in the Forest of Death.
"I'm Karin," she said, looking at him expectantly, as if urging him to introduce himself in return.
"…"
Naruto's eye twitched at her eager expression. He finally gave in. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki."
The moment she heard his name, Karin's eyes welled up and she suddenly burst into tears.
???
What did I do? Naruto thought, bewildered.
By now, several teams had arrived at the scene of the battle, drawn by the noise.
The nearest was Neji's team, who had just finished fighting another group nearby. After securing a scroll, they made their way here and froze at the sight before them.
"What… happened here?" Neji muttered, scanning the devastated area in disbelief. But his eyes lingered most on the corpses of three enormous snakes lying ahead, their massive bodies dominating the clearing.
Tenten's face paled at the sight. "Are there snakes in the Forest of Death that big?" she asked nervously. The idea that such creatures might still be lurking in the jungle sent a shiver down her spine. She silently decided she wanted to pass this test as soon as possible because the last thing she wanted was to meet something like that face-to-face.
The other teams reacted much the same stunned and uneasy at the sight before them.
Gaara, however, gazed at the snake corpses with faint amusement. He stepped closer, wanting to see the area for himself. A small, knowing smile tugged at his lips as his eyes swept from one end of the battlefield to the other.
"There is indeed a powerful person among them," Gaara murmured, his smile widening. Something deep inside him stirred at the thought.
"It's a wind-style attack, from the looks of it," Temari observed, scanning the destruction. "No way a genin could pull that off. It must have been someone else."
"Yeah, I think so too," Kankuro agreed. While it was officially stated that only genin would be present in the Chunin Exams, the appearance of these massive snakes all but screamed Orochimaru's involvement. Their father had forbidden them from discussing such matters, so all they could do was keep quiet and watch.
But the one most intrigued by the scene was Orochimaru himself.
"So… that brat is capable of this?" he chuckled softly, licking his lips in excitement. "Hmm… he's making me want him more and more."
Orochimaru's mind wandered back to his earlier musings about Naruto how the boy had become a living example of something he had long considered impossible.
He was tempted to take Naruto for experimentation, to uncover what made the boy capable of such a feat. Orochimaru had conducted countless experiments on this very subject in the past, only to abandon the pursuit after wasting endless hours and resources with nothing to show for it.
"I'll take him along with Sasuke, if I can," Orochimaru murmured. He already had a plan for Sasuke feed his hunger for power and vengeance until he willingly followed. But Naruto… Naruto was a different matter entirely. Orochimaru wasn't yet sure what could lure someone like him.
"It seems Kabuto will have to spend more time in Konoha," he decided. Kabuto would thoroughly investigate Naruto, find the right way to manipulate him if such a way existed. Danzo, that old "Partner" would no doubt be an obstacle, but even so… it was worth the attempt.
Thinking this through, he quietly sank into the ground, sensing the approach of several nearby exam proctors. For now, it was best to disappear watch and wait while making subtle adjustments to his plans, carefully reconsidering what his next move should be.