Orochimaru's chilling and tyrannical killing intent locked onto the three Rain ninja. The moment his words fell, he crossed the ten-meter distance, flashing behind one of the Rain ninja. A sharp kunai, which had appeared on his pale, slender right hand at some unknown point, sliced across the ninja's neck as light as a willow catkin in the breeze.
Before the Rain ninja could even register the chill of death, Orochimaru flashed again, plunging the kunai in his hand fiercely into the heart of the second Rain ninja.
Pfft, shh, shh, shh—
Two crimson fountains of blood sprayed into the air. It was as if an invisible hand was using blood as ink to sketch a chillingly enchanting painting in the sky.
Orochimaru's feet continued to move rapidly. Not a single drop of blood stained his moonlight-white kimono. In the span of a single breath, he had instantly killed two people and stood calmly in front of the last Rain ninja leader, his dark-golden eyes, filled with icy killing intent, meeting the leader's gaze.
"Thump thump—" Two corpses, their faces still etched with expressions of terror, hit the ground with dull thuds.
"Hiss—" Everyone collectively inhaled sharply, only then realizing the true horror of Orochimaru.
The Rain ninja leader, seeing Orochimaru suddenly appear and then instantly kill his two subordinates before standing directly in front of him, felt as if he wasn't looking at a person but at the God of Death harvesting lives. His disbelieving eyes widened as if they would pop out of his sockets, and his dark pupils, amidst the white, were filled with boundless terror and intense shock.
Subconsciously, the Rain ninja leader tried to pull out and activate the scroll given to him by that person, but Orochimaru keenly noticed the action.
With a swift glance, Orochimaru saw the black scroll in the Rain ninja's hand, emanating rich chakra fluctuations, which the ninja had instinctively pulled out. With the speed of lightning, before the ninja could activate it, Orochimaru snatched it away.
Immediately afterward, his pale, slender left hand shot out like a bolt of lightning, instantly traversing the distance between them and clamping down on the Rain ninja leader's neck. A thick surge of chakra flooded the leader's chakra system, neutralizing him in an instant.
"Ugh, ugh, ugh—" The Rain ninja leader let out a low, hoarse cry. Orochimaru held him aloft with a single hand. The forceful grip on his neck made it increasingly difficult to breathe. Never before had he felt the approach of death so clearly.
Orochimaru watched the Rain ninja, whose face was flushed red and whose eyes were filled with desperate terror from the inhibited breathing, and asked faintly: "Do you have a mission map?"
At this moment, the boundless killing intent in Orochimaru's dark-golden snake eyes felt like sharp daggers piercing deeply into every inch of the Rain ninja leader's soul. He had no choice but to answer honestly.
The Rain ninja leader's body trembled as he nervously pulled out a mission map scroll from the pouch on his lower back.
Seeing the mission map, Orochimaru smiled wickedly and gently, licking his lips, though his eyes were as cold as an ice field. This extreme contrast and contradiction gave Orochimaru's pale, handsome face a seductive charm.
Facing the sudden spark of hope in the Rain ninja leader's eyes, Orochimaru's left hand suddenly squeezed hard. "Crack, crack, crack—" The chilling sound of crushed bone traveled through the breeze.
Orochimaru's left hand loosened. The glimmer of hope in the Rain ninja leader's eyes quickly dimmed, and his lifeless body dropped heavily to the ground.
A chilling wave of killing intent, more direct and impactful than before, instantly swept across the entire field. The minor nation ninja, terrified, jostled and took several steps back.
Manji, Jiraiya, and the other four excitedly caught up.
Orochimaru picked up the mission map that had fallen to the ground, smiled at the group, and said: "Let's go. The mission is complete!"
The five happily followed Orochimaru, slowly walking toward the exit of Training Ground 18.
None of the surrounding minor nation ninja dared to make a sound. The open grass field was terribly silent, broken only by the rustling of the breeze.
Even the ninja from the other four great nations exchanged silent glances, allowing Orochimaru and his group to depart.
The exit was right in front of them, and behind them, fierce chakra fluctuations and agonizing screams of death could be heard.
Orochimaru did not look back. He knew that the slaughter by the great nation ninja had begun.
The law of the jungle. In this moment, Manji, Jiraiya, and the others deeply understood this. Looking at the back of the figure ahead, the admiration in their eyes undoubtedly grew stronger.
In the end, only eighteen examinees from the five great nations passed the second stage of the exam, earning the title of Chūnin Elite recognized and conferred by their respective nations.
As for the ninja from the minor nations, let alone passing, only a little over a dozen even survived, all left utterly terrified. If it weren't for the Konoha proctors, such as Yūhi Rō, finally stepping in to stop the fighting, it was highly likely that none would have survived.
Orochimaru and Tsunade's group of six passed the exam and went out to celebrate together.
It wasn't until night that Orochimaru, returning home with Manji, Chi, and Aobird, heard from Hyūga Harano about the passing rate of the second exam and the events that transpired at the end. He was not surprised. As Yotsuki A had said, the ninja of the minor nations, in the eyes of the great nation ninja, lacked systematic cultivation and training. Their combat quality was low, and they lacked the practice of ninjutsu scrolls. In equivalent ranks, their combat strength was worlds apart from the great nation ninja; they were mere ants.
After all, people like Hanzō the Salamander were few and far between. Moreover, even a Kage-level expert from a minor nation like Hanzō had to tread carefully in front of the Kage leaders of the great nations.
The Kage leaders of each great nation were not only immensely powerful, but they also represented a massive entity behind them, which no minor ninja village could hope to contend with.
In this vast ninja world, only the five great nations had the right to speak and influence the continent's affairs.
Of course, there were exceptions to every rule. Orochimaru's eyes flickered as he thought of the future Akatsuki. In short, it was still the law of the jungle; power determined everything.
Orochimaru and Hyūga Harano discussed for a moment. He suddenly heard the elder mention that the final Third Exam—the competition among the successful examinees granted the Chūnin Elite title to determine their rankings—would be attended by the Kage leaders of all nations, who would come to Konoha to observe.
This made Orochimaru's heart skip a beat, but ever since his rebirth, historical events had been changing drastically, which had given him some immunity. After hearing the news, he quickly grew accustomed to it and calmed down.
After Hyūga Harano left, he returned to his bedroom and took out the final black scroll he had snatched from the dead Rain ninja leader to study it.
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