We were told to arrive at the training ground by 11:30. The second stage start was scheduled for noon, announced well in advance. I really liked this setup. No formations at 8 a.m. and long waits for who-knows-what. Everything was crystal clear, and yeah, no buses in Konoha, no subway or other public transport. On one hand—sucks, had to get used to walking long distances. On the other, it was compensated by speed and not being stuck to roads following traffic rules. No bus stops either. Moving by all sorts of paths, no speed limits, jumping rooftops—definite plus.
Moving through Konoha, I could cover from outskirts to center by the shortest route in about an hour at a brisk walk through yards and alleys. Running and leaping like a cat in a bathtub—though not as fun as it sounds—about 10 minutes. Big time saver.
Here, plenty of time was given, considering half the village wakes at 6 a.m., the rest at 7, latest 7:30. Summers with open windows, no sleeping in. By 8, street noise is loud. House walls aren't thick like in my world. Konoha winters aren't harsh. In all my conscious years, temps never dropped below -6°C, and that only at night. Cold, sure, but no big rivers or sea nearby, low humidity, so doesn't feel as bad as in my city. With my conditioning, I didn't care—grabbed a not-too-thick blanket, slept in a t-shirt and pants, no chill.
I managed morning exercises, cooking, cleaning the apartment, and a shower before 10. Wasn't rushing. Only thing before the exam: hit shops for gear, food, water. Some proper food, clean water, three packs of local rations for a day each. Could grab shinobi pills from the pharmacy for long treks or intense fights—stay awake and unfed for three days—but at my age, no thanks to poisoning myself with meds.
I dragged my feet to the training ground, slowing way down. Not far from my place, but still managed to be five minutes late.
Don't wanna...
This is all so tiring...
Don't wanna fight monsters like Zabuza or god forbid Orochimaru from childhood. None of this should even exist!
I'm not against serving someone worthy for good pay, or even country and people. And if gotta fight, I'll fight. But not against vastly superior strength and experience. Overall, categorically against sending kids into battle or such work. Train from early childhood? Sure, makes sense if controlled by experienced mentors like in the academy, but risks of serious injury or accidental death remain. But in our case...
Due to raw power, reaction, and size difference between me and Zabuza, I could barely do anything. If I were 16, I'd swing that decapitor confidently, and the fight would look way cooler and fairer.
But who asked me...
Just act and be grateful for past-world memory advantage over locals. Not just future events, but understanding the world order and local magic in general and details. In the Academy, it let me skip known sections and focus on details.
That's why I graduated with top honors.
Otherwise, doubt my grit and talent would've sufficed. Sure, I'm awesome, handsome, strong, and most importantly humble...
But no genius like Kakashi, Sasuke, or god forbid Minato—a monster even by local standards.
Arriving at the training ground, greeting Sakura and Sasuke, I briefly outlined my awesome plan to save our (my) asses.
Main issue: getting through to Sakura, who until the end refused to see me as team leader instead of Kakashi.
Only when Sasuke pressed her and said he agreed did she waver. But even then, had to hammer it home...
"Sakura, either obey Naruto unquestioningly, or drop out now—better yet, leave the village, 'cause from this moment you're my enemy." He said calmly but viciously.
"Sasuke, what are you..."
"You've pissed me off. Stop indulging your preferences and thinking you know how it should be! Life isn't like you imagine, and if you haven't realized that, I don't want useless trash like you around. I'll tolerate your weakness and ignorance if you do something, but if you hinder my goal..."
"Enough!" I cut him off before he said something he'd regret. "Sasuke, didn't you want to scout enemy teams while we wait for examiners?" I eyed him sideways. "I'd like to hear about someone from other villages. Maybe chat with Kabuto?"
"Hm." He grunted and spun around, wandering off to spot Kabuto.
"I warned you..." I whispered, leaning close to her ear. "Don't play with fire. Isn't it simple to just listen and do as told?"
"I just... I didn't mean..." She started, but I interrupted.
"Nobody gives a fuck what you wanted, idiot! Think I wanna run through forests risking my life instead of chill D-rank or max C-rank missions? Think Sasuke and I enjoy training till we cough blood? Think he wants this life, constantly brooding he couldn't do shit for his brother who killed his dad, mom, and whole clan? Think he cares about your feelings?!" I raised my voice a bit, stepping back, eyes locked on hers. She flinched twice—coughing blood, Sasuke's parents' death. Tears flowed involuntarily. "Everything Sasuke and I do is brutal necessity, not childish whims! Wipe those damn tears..." Abruptly, I wiped her face with my thumb; she slapped my hand away and turned.
"I get it..." She said, grabbing a tissue and calming quick. "Sorry, Naruto. I'll do everything... as you say."
***
Sasuke cooled off and returned soon. Around then, examiners arrived led by Anko.
"Well, ready to die, kiddos?" She started instead of hello, grinning. "This is the village's biggest training ground. Forest of Death. Closed to visitors due to extreme danger." She pointed at the fence behind her. "Here you'll do the second stage of the Chunin selection! Come closer, I don't bite." Sasuke and I grunted in unison, but approached. All teams clustered. "First, sign these." She handed a stack to an examiner who passed out three sheets each.
"Consent to life risk? Waiver of life/health insurance? Consent to participate and liability waiver?" Some read aloud.
"Yup-yup..." Anko nodded. "This ain't classroom bullshit. All signed?!" She barked. "Hurry and hand 'em back!" I doubted Sakura, but she skimmed and signed quick. Sasuke and I didn't even read. "Alright!" Anko resumed once collected. "Each team gets one scroll from those tents." She showed a white "Heaven" scroll and black "Earth" scroll.
"Half teams get Heaven scrolls, half Earth. Start from opposite sides of the ground, min 1.5 km apart. You'll get numbers for gates. Enter from all sides. Goal: reach central tower 15 km from gates, dead center. To finish, need two scrolls. Surrender? Come without or with one."
"So figure out who has our scroll, take it by force if needed, deliver to tower?" Sasuke clarified.
"Right. All ninja techniques and weapons allowed during exam. Even kill your own village shinobi if necessary!" Everyone freaked. License to kill. Sakura surprised but expecting it—swallowed, eyed my unsurprised face. She knew I foresaw it, and my knowledge scared her. "Five days. After, anyone not at tower or gates is dead. No jokes. Lucky if you just fail. Shinobi walk with death—be ready to kill and die. Dismissed to tents—no trouble, or disqualified!"
No idiots argued Anko. All lined up patiently—plenty scrolls/numbers—and headed in.
Half hour later, all had scrolls, back to Anko wishing luck, return intact; team minus one disqualifies.
We headed to our gates with Heaven scroll. About 20-min walk.
"Stick to plan, all good. Worked on Zabuza, it'll work on yesterday's genin for sure." Sakura and Sasuke nodded. Last minutes, recapped plan, revealed details, discussed scenarios.
Mostly like Land of Waves, slight tweaks.
Sent two clone groups ahead this time. West start from east gates. Clones northwest and southwest. We go west casual, keep distance, watch surroundings. Sakura rear guard, carries some gear.
Attack on clone group? Sasuke and my clone first. Enemy advantage? Sakura and I reinforce. Both groups? Sasuke to one, me to other; if needed, Sakura helps him, I solo; if they lose, I help regardless. Hard convincing Sasuke I'd handle ANY foe (except Orochimaru) or escape with clones in time. Scroll stays with me as leader.
Alerts via clones. Sub-clones for updates if needed.
***
Start!
Did it: sped 300m, split with transformed clones, then strolled. Twenty minutes in, burst clone signaled attack.
"Sasuke." I said. "Northwest group. One shinobi. Tried binding, failed, attacked with explosive kunai from range. Go!" He nodded, dashed off.
For the Rain shinobi in vague hazmat gear, respirator, goggles—hard to ID—attack was disaster. Sasuke unleashed rage from recent loss. First, blanketed him and my clones with five Fireballs from above. Smaller than standard—my clone threw shuriken, added three explosive seal kunai. Blasts forced max speed evasion, missed Sasuke behind.
Sasuke activated Sharingan, flame punch to face, gut/punch/groin/trip combo. Substitution useless vs Sharingan. Sasuke saw real foe, who fought dirty—genjutsu illusion face-to-face, fled into copied Guy/Lee shadow swap from Sasuke on branch post-jump. Sleeve kunai slashed shoulder/chest, shredding muscle link. Twisted, yanked out—added bleed.
"Aaaargh!" Distorted respirator scream; fled opposite way panicked.
Per agreement, no chase singles.
First, weak attack/wound could be trap, lead to ambush.
Second, no proactive attacks planned. Kakashi right: "Attacking harder than defending." Defensive tactic. We had scroll someone needs—someone attacks. If not full team we can't beat fair, capture and extort enemy team's scroll. Release prisoner intact. So Sasuke non-lethal, but Rain shinobi bolted too fast to grab. Sasuke dropped from trees, 10m glide.
Forest trees monsters. Thick branches sometimes bigger than trunks, up to 70m. Academy said tallest 120m rare; none in Konoha.
Dense too. Narrow paths max two abreast. Clearings up to soccer field size.
Wildlife... Better none. Huge snakes, bears, wolves. Crows normal-ish, but ancient ones possible. Iruka said ancient crows size of two adults; saw one near Konoha.
Tiger size of truck interest you?
Not me...
Plenty herbivore but deadly crap. Northern fields: buffalo. Sizes... Pass.
Clones mimicking Sasuke/Sakura/mine dispersed.
Scenario: approach Sasuke one-by-one. Sakura + my clone first, me + clone five mins later.
Sasuke's extra: password pre-split, detect eavesdroppers.
Two mins: Sakura + my clone. Right password, Sharingan check, dispelled to save chakra.
Two more: north wind gusts strengthening. I nearby, halted, chakra feet to hold tree.
Sasuke knew no weather forecast.
"Sakura, Naruto! Quick, behind me!" To her/my clone. Made shadow clone leap 10m ahead, tiger seal, elbows-bent horizontal palms out—flame formed 2m Fire Shield.
Wind unrelenting, uprooted roots/plowed ground/sliced thick branches. Trees parted like hit by massive force.
Shield held five secs max; couldn't block despite element edge.
"Fire: Great Fireball Technique!" Sasuke full blast counter, engulfing clone/shield. Worked... Fire > Wind. Attacker forced defense. Sasuke's flame hit wall 50m out, pillar sky-high.
Wind died; minute later, Naruto from same side as Sakura. Shadow clone dispersed alert.
"Whoa, stopped that wind?!" He gawked. Sasuke smirked, kunai toss. Naruto dodged high side-jump, hooked tree trunk feet, dropped. "Sasuke?! What?!" Sakura shocked, jumped beside Sasuke.
"Password first." He grinned.
"Ideal moment for shinobi attack: enemy unaware, injured/resting, weapons sheathed, relaxed/safe. Then shinobi strikes." Naruto recited.
Sasuke grinned wider at right password.
"Masquerade over. Show true face!"
"What?! Right password!" He yelled.
"Then where's your shadow clone? Supposed to be two. Naruto doesn't move like that, plus..."
"Wind blew my clone to hell. Nitpicking jerk."
"Again... Real Naruto'd curse by now. What'd you gift sensei for birthday?"
"Huh?"
"Quick!"
"Mmm..." He licked lips long tongue, grinning. "Attentive boy, huh? Hm-hm-hm-hm-hm..." Chuckled muffled, dispelling henge.
Tall woman, waist-long hair. Straw hat, pale yellow long-sleeved tunic crossed, purple rope belt bow like rope.
Tossed hat, grinned predatorily at Sasuke/Sakura. Bandana: Hidden Grass symbol.
"Didn't think so many eager to clash right away." Sasuke half-lidded. "Hope we don't hunt your teammates for the scroll later."
"Ha-ha-ha... No." She pulled Earth scroll from pouch—exact need. "You need this 'cause you have Heaven, right?" Brought to mouth, tongue coiled snake-like. Mouth unnaturally wide, shoved in mouth then forced down throat.
Sasuke/Sakura grimaced disgust.
She gulped loud, face relaxed.
"Then..." Slow. "Deathmatch? Winner takes all, loser..." Hand to face, thumbed left eye down—revealed amber slit-pupil under disguise.
Seeing it, Sasuke/Sakura saw their deaths.
Sakura felt throat slit, gutted navel-to-chest, blood-sprayed face. Hair stood; real/imagined, knees buckled. Tears/snot/drool uncontrollable; limbs cotton, immovable as mountain.
Sasuke envisioned too.
Couldn't save Sakura; two kunai per limb hilt-deep, eyes gouged—yet saw dark-toned.
Death illusion ended kunai to forehead center.
Heart pounded wild; cold sweat forehead-to-feet.
"What is... Genjutsu? No, I'd see! Blood lust? Just blood lust?! No! Kyū too! Somehow focuses Kyū targeted—effect. But aware, body... Damn!" Sasuke one-knee drop. Drew leg kunai—hand shook, fingers tangled unresponsive.
Not just hand—whole body trembled/chilled, toes to scalp hairs.
"Damn... Where the hell is Naruto wandering off to! No! I shouldn't rely only on him! I'll handle him, even if he's no ordinary genin, it's just some ability! I'll deal with this, no matter who he is!" Sasuke convinced himself. "Move! Move! Move!" He screamed at himself in his head.
He managed it.
Straining with all his might, he forced himself to his feet with difficulty and, drawing a kunai, assumed a stance.
"Sakura! He's paralyzing us with concentrated Ki! Resist! Move!" Sasuke shouted, rising. But in response, he heard only muffled sobs. "Shit..." He muttered.
"Seems like it hit her even harder than me, in that case..." Sasuke continued his train of thought.
"What?" As if reading their minds, a female voice said. At that, the calm and coolness Sasuke had so painstakingly built crumbled, and he gave in to panic again, his body as if shackled by chains. "What do you plan to do? Even if you've figured it out, is this really all genin of the Leaf are capable of?" The enemy said, sounding almost disappointed. "Pity... Don't worry... I'll finish this quickly." With those words, she drew two kunai from her belt and hurled them straight at Sasuke and Sakura. When they had covered half the distance, an obstacle appeared in the form of a blond guy with a drawn katana and an unzipped leather jacket, who dropped in front of Sasuke and Sakura. With two very quick swings of the katana, he deflected the incoming kunai and glared at the enemy from under his brow.
***
Seeing the mess Sasuke and Sakura were in, I wanted to just walk away for the first time. I really almost chickened out, realizing WHO was standing before them. A damn monster with a shitload of abilities and experience, and way stronger than me by orders of magnitude. I doubt that even using the Fox's chakra, I could do anything against this beast.
Orochimaru.
Genius, Great Sannin, strongest shinobi of his generation.
All that is him...
He's also a fucking maniac, compared to whom even Chikatilo would step out for a smoke.
However, when he threw the kunai, everything became clear to me.
I won't abandon these kids. I won't act like a coward, and if I die here, I won't be ashamed of how I go.
Clenching my fist, I jumped down from a thick branch twenty meters above them.
I flew, knowing I might die, but in that flight, my fear was blown away somewhere.
I remembered how, in my world, I first took a weapon in my hands.
I remembered going out with one of my buddies back in high school against five thugs to cover for a girl they were tormenting for her ethnicity.
I remembered taking a kick to the face from a guy much bigger and stronger than me, but getting back up and cussing him out without showing fear.
Just before landing, I smiled.
Now I have power.
Now I can make a difference, and I won't miss this chance!
Swinging my sword, I knocked those damn kunai aside and looked into the eyes of this asshole. His smile wiped off; he clearly hadn't wanted my interference.
I'll admit, his gaze alone chilled me; I didn't even sense chakra. The gaze, the twitch of his fingers, the corners of his mouth. Every action and stance screamed of extreme danger emanating from this man. Even resolved to face him, I had to clench both balls into a metaphorical steel fist.
"Sasuke, Sakura..." I said, but Sasuke interrupted me.
"She can't hear you... Where the hell have you been?!"
"Ha..." I turned to him, closed my eyes, and tried to smile. "Not scared here without me?"
"Go to hell!" In response, I looked back at Orochimaru, who wasn't doing anything, just waiting for something several seconds now and watching me intently.
I formed the seal and, releasing my Ki to the max, shouted with all my strength at the shocked girl nearby.
"Sakura!" She heard me and, shuddering, stirred. As if waking up.
"What? Naruto..." She whispered, looking at my back. "So we're still alive?" She said in a trembling voice.
"We can die anytime. Listen to me very carefully! You too, Sasuke... The Chunin Exams are over! Now it's a fight for our lives. This isn't some ordinary genin, I think you've figured that out!" Orochimaru smiled. "Sasuke, don't even think about doubting now. Against this enemy, if you don't help me, we'll all die here!"
"You know him?" Sasuke asked.
"First time seeing him, but I've heard of him." I answered relatively honestly. "I'll say it straight... In strength, he's about Itachi's level." Orochimaru tensed at those words. But Sasuke tensed even more. Sakura swallowed and, trembling, tried to get to her feet. "Sakura. You need to get out of here as fast as you can! Warn the examiners!"
"Naruto, you want to surrender?!" Sasuke started. "He's..."
"Shut the fuck up!" I couldn't take it. "You, of all people, should understand what I mean! The moment this asshole showed up, the Chunin Exams ended. Now we just need to hold out and not die until reinforcements arrive, ideally get the Hokage here, and all the strongest jonin too!"
"Naruto..." He mumbled.
"Naruto in a panic? I've never seen him like this... He's usually always relatively relaxed, even when going all out he never showed fear... What's happening?!" Sakura thought, but her thought was interrupted by another shout from Naruto.
"Sakura, run! Run with everything you've got, to the gates we came through or whatever, find damn Anko or any examiner and tell them this shinobi is here! The exams need to be stopped immediately!" At those words, Sakura swallowed again, but the shout seemed to pull her head and ass together, and she nodded. "Tell them... Tell them his name. Tell them Orochimaru attacked us!"
"Hmmm..." Came from his side.
"Orochimaru..." She whispered.
"Go!" I shouted, and she nodded, turned, and headed toward the gates. It was about three kilometers to run there. In theory, she should bring help in half an hour.
"You really are an interesting kid..." He said, still in the female voice. "But what makes you think I'll let her get there alive?"
"Because I won't let you kill her." I stepped forward and maxed out my Ki, sorting out Sasuke too. After all, I have a shit-ton of chakra; it should be enough for him to shake off Orochimaru's paralysis a bit.
"Shall we test that?" He said questioningly. "Summoning Technique!" He bit his finger and ran it over the tattoo on his arm. A massive snake the size of a truck, if not a train, appeared under his feet.
Riding this beast, he shot after Sakura.
"Mass Shadow Clone Technique!" I unleashed, summoning about a hundred clones that started flying at the snake from all sides with swords and bare hands.
The snake tried to slither between me and Sasuke at massive speed, its head plowing the ground and demolishing small branches and thick tree roots like a scheduled demolition of rundown housing.
A hundred copies of me surrounded the beast. Some tried to grab it with chakra-concentrated hands and feet, but they were just dragged along the ground. Some blocked its head. Several clones pierced it with swords, others grabbed the tail, and with combined effort, we managed to stop this damn train in its tracks. About fifteen clones still popped.
"Sasuke!" I shouted.
"Fire Style: Fireball Technique!" While the clones stopped the snake, he ran vertically up a tree and from above engulfed the snake rider in fire.
Orochimaru didn't give a shit. He just turned his head toward the fireball and with a shadow substitution appeared behind Sasuke. From memories of how Lee did it, his Sharingan activated, and in the last second, jumping, he avoided the grab.
In mid-air, drawing eight kunai, he launched them at the enemy, who smilingly dodged easily, caught a few mid-flight, and hurled them back at Sasuke while lunging toward him with a long jump.
Sasuke made a shadow clone and, copying me, pushed off it in the air, leaping back and up from Orochimaru, shifting the battlefield a level higher. Several kunai flying at him he deflected with his own kunai bearing explosive seals. They exploded almost point-blank to the enemy, but such damage meant nothing to him, merely slightly altering his flight path.
Hooking his feet to a tree trunk, Orochimaru threw his kunai. Several normal mixed with explosive ones. Seeing this, Sasuke caught one normal kunai with his sole, concentrated chakra, did a somersault, and sent the kunai back.
The explosive ones hit the branch, forcing Sasuke to leap long again to a neighboring branch a bit higher.
Orochimaru also rose a level higher in one jump. They stood on parallel branches, exchanging kunai, and he asked...
"And this is all the genius of the Uchiha clan is capable of? Don't disappoint your brother, Sasuke-kun... You know, he has high hopes for you!"
"You..." Sasuke's body began treacherously trembling again.
"What a stupid and weak brother I have!" Itachi's voice echoed in his head.
"You're weak because you can't kill me. To do that, you must hate me! But if you can't, then run! Run and cling to your pathetic life!"
"NOOO!" Sasuke shouted, clutching his head. Orochimaru seized the moment and lunged forward at him with a kunai in hand, but several of my clones appeared before him, forcing extra moves to slit their throats, and only then did he land on the branch with Sasuke, but twenty meters away. The surviving clones still held positions, surrounding the enemy, and the original me jumped to them, standing between Orochimaru and Sasuke. I gripped the sword hilt with all my strength, trying to quell the damn fear.
This asshole looked at us with Sasuke and smiled. Damn maniac, he didn't give a shit about our efforts. Pointing the sword at him, I shouted...
"Sasuke! Don't fall for his provocations! Together we'll beat him, and then Itachi falls too! Don't you dare give up on me now! You still have to restore your clan! Hear me?!"
"Shut up..." Sasuke replied with a smile, lifting his gaze from the ground to me and the enemy. "Hey, Naruto... Thanks. I... Now I know what I must do. How the hell can I face my brother if I can't do shit against him?!"
"Ha... Right attitude, Sasuke! I'm not dying here!" With a shout, I charged the even more broadly smiling enemy, clashing with the great sannin in close combat. Though he held back hard, it was still enough for me. He matched Kakashi and Lee in speed right now. I tried to slash him quickly and precisely with the sword.
Fuck everything!
I poured chakra into every swing.
Miss after miss, but I was finding the target better and better.
Even taking one to the nose, I shook it off quick and charged again.
"Sasuke! Scenario two!" I shouted before the next attack.
Into every swing, thrust, stab, I poured my hatred for this whole situation, repeating to myself that none of this should have happened!
I was truly pissed at this world, at my weakness, and at this beast hunting twelve-year-old kids. At some point, I realized I genuinely wanted to hit him and kill him!
Even with Zabuza, it wasn't like this. There it was just fear I overcame with bravado and boasting and desire to survive, while showing everything I had.
Now I wanted to land at least one hit, but he just smiled. His fist hit me in the gut, my sword passing a centimeter from his face. Ignoring the pain and knocked breath, I tried a sweep.
He jumped.
A wild overhead sword strike to the face, but he ducked. Dancing, he kicked the sword from my hands with one foot, tossing it up. With the other foot, he delivered a perfectly precise kick to my chest, and I flew, slamming into a tree trunk.
Sasuke behind me tracked every move with Sharingan, and the moment my sword left my hands, he jumped, catching it mid-air, did a somersault, and tried a vertical strike on Orochimaru while he was off-balance. But he underestimated his acceleration, and the sword ended up between the enemy's palms. Smiling, he deflected the blade aside, raised his knee, jumped, and delivered a devastating gut punch to Sasuke, who worsened it with his own falling body. Snatching the sword from the boy, he added a kick to the face, tossing him several meters.
Enraged, I charged again, giving Sasuke time to catch his breath.
But now the sword was with a true master. My kunai strikes, hands and feet, even combos with four-five clones looked too clumsy. Clones vanished before completing a single action. With a barely noticeable motion, Orochimaru sliced my right shoulder. Tried to take half my head, but the Leaf headband and seeing the attack saved me.
The Leaf symbol was crossed out, but his attack continued, unstoppable by shuriken throws or my pathetic counterattempts against him.
Several ultra-fast swings, and my outer left thigh was deeply gashed too. The blade grazed over my hair, trimming the tips. The sword tip nicked my face a centimeter from my lower left eyelid, leaving a scratch.
Orochimaru appeared behind me and thrust the blade tip at my heart, but the chest plate saved my life. I felt his strike good, and he pierced the plate, but only grazed the skin and missed the heart.
With that, I collapsed dead, and Sasuke drew his attention with a kunai throw, which he deflected mid-air with a blade swing.
His Sharingan found the target better and better, and clashing again in close combat, Sasuke showed his eyes had adapted to Orochimaru's snakelike agility. Sacrificing a lock of hair, Sasuke dodged a blade thrust and from below landed a copied Lee kick to the chin. Though too weak to lift him, fast enough to graze the monster.
Orochimaru staggered and stepped back toward my body. I stirred, unzipped the jacket, and activated the explosive seal using substitution. In reality, only my jacket lay there, and shedding it at full speed like skin, I leaped up, detonating a dozen seals. My inner pockets had half-bitten nails too.
Realizing what was coming, Sasuke ducked, and Orochimaru felt the shrapnel bomb explode on his own skin.
It tossed him five meters aside, but he stayed on the blast-cracked branch. Blood flowed from his palm, which had covered his face and thigh. His blood! My clones finally took positions and attacked from all sides with shuriken and kunai.
At that, Orochimaru stopped smiling and got angry. Crouching, he swung the sword around himself at insane speed. My eyes started seeing phantom arms. Like he had five or six right arms with swords.
Several hundred shadow shuriken deflected in ten seconds, none reaching the target. Dancing, he batted all the weapons away.
Holy shit!
And he did it all with my sword. Fucking thief!
Sasuke tried fire again, jumping and exhaling a fireball, but missed, only fully breaking the branch, shifting the fight a level down. Sasuke was on the tree trunk, standing on it with his feet. My clones made the second move and charged en masse, creating more and more clones. Over two hundred!
Useless.
Not one of the damn two hundred even touched Orochimaru! He sliced them all with the sword and, heading for Sasuke, fought clones mid-air.
Swing!
Six clones hit by vertical strike.
Instant, accelerating in air, spinning like a tornado with sword in hands, this whirlwind destroys another dozen clones. Landing neatly on the branch with Sasuke, who engages in close combat again, maxing his Sharingan.
The clone battle let him see all Orochimaru's main thrusts, attacks, counters with the short katana and predict his hand movements.
Dodging twice, he kicked from below at the wrist, knocking the sword from his hands, which the original me caught.
Above us were several thin branches and one thick one at fifty meters height. I thrust the chakra-filled sword into the middle, forming a conductor seal.
Hand-to-hand with kunai continued. Sasuke took hits because he focused on the chakra threads to the weapons too.
Heavy face punch, and Sasuke spat a tooth with blood, nearly blacking out.
Now he maxed his Uchiha Katas. Special clan hand-to-hand style like a perverted mix of capoeira and Muay Thai.
Thanks to Sharingan, he landed hits on Orochimaru too until the bastard tired of the tussle and with a quick strike sent the boy flying, staying on the branch—but Sasuke waited for exactly that.
I placed nine chakra-absorbing kunai over their heads.
This time the fire pillar should cover twenty meters radius, ideally.
Sasuke and I planned this technique to end a strong enemy team unbeatable by normal means.
But today Orochimaru stands for the whole team.
"Fire Style: Vertical Incineration Technique!" Sasuke shouted, concentrating all remaining chakra in his hands, fixing the seal over the enemy's head with Sharingan. He took a hit to pull out of the blast zone. The last tenth kunai, he would ignite. With his hands.
Now the seal was ready, accepting Sasuke's fire chakra, transforming and adding my earlier sealed chakra here.
Over Orochimaru's head, it was like firing a rocket engine.
A thick jet of fire, dragging small and large branches to hell, carried his body in a fiery whirlwind to the ground. I barely escaped, and the technique kept expanding. Sasuke and I had to retreat as it hit the ground, spreading fire in a massive flame explosion every way.
Sadly, the explosion didn't last long.
Landing on my feet, I yanked my sword with a chakra thread from that burning pile of logs under which we buried Orochimaru's body.
Did we get him?
Don't know... But it's something...
Trying to grab the sword, I predictably burned myself and left it on the ground by my feet.
The fire spread to five nearest trees. Our technique caused a small forest fire.
"He's... Dead?" Sasuke asked me, sweating and with Sharingan off. He barely held on now to not collapse from overexertion. He'd spent all his chakra and more. Surpassing his limits.
I too stood on shaky legs. Clones and forming that seal hadn't been easy. Nor the fight with this asshole.
Thanks to the Fox, I'm not bleeding out now. Pity the leather jacket, but I looked decent in the black tank top too.
"Don't know..." I answered.
"Hm-hm-hm-hm-hm-hm..." Laughter echoed from all sides. The voice was completely different now. Male, relatively low, but calm and not roughly resounding in the ears. "I'm impressed. You truly earned my respect, boys."
The flames abruptly weakened, wind rose, and the huge pile of burning wood scattered from inside in all directions. Out of the fire emerged almost unscathed Orochimaru.
His face was melted, hair smoking. Clothes covered in soot, boots bubbling skin. Hands and fingers with minor burns, sleeves smoking too, like the purple rope on his belt.
With one motion, he peeled off the melted fake face, stepping into the light, showing his real one.
Pale, almost white skin. Unlike anyone... Thin brows and lips, amber eyes with slit pupils, purple pattern around the eyes. Now his shinobi headband bore the Village of Sound symbol.
Enraged, Sasuke straightened.
"Who the hell are you..."
"Silence." He hissed, fingers first in blade seal, then tiger seal, then clasped hands in lock, and icy chakra chains bound us.
He burned with eerie, viscous purple chakra flame.
I couldn't see it, but my imagination is good.
His Ki slowly crushed and extinguished the whole fire we'd started. Trees whipped in the wind, our breath caught with every step he took.
"As that boy said, my name is Orochimaru, and I came to test you. Especially you, Sasuke. You didn't disappoint me. Yet. You lack strength. You'll find me seeking power for your revenge, but for now..."
He formed a strange seal, and his neck began elongating.
"Kurama, if you hear me, I need help!" I mentally screamed.
The Fox responded.
Behind me, as if both his eyes opened, and instantly, power filled my body. Effortlessly tearing Orochimaru's paralysis bonds, I lunged intercepting his flying head and roundhouse kicked him in the teeth, foiling his seal attempt on Sasuke.
His neck snapped back to position, and staggering, he stepped back, spitting one or two teeth.
His lips bled, which he wiped with the back of his hand.
The Fox's chakra kept surging, whirling around me forming a pseudocloak, filling my muscles with blood, growing me fangs and claws, healing all wounds and scrapes from the fight.
Looked epic.
I shielded my body, already losing it from such carousels, Sasuke on his knees feeling all the shit building around him without end.
Air around me heated decently, grass and earth smoking, now even boots bubbling from Fox chakra, me slightly bent shielding with clawed paws, mentally directing chakra at the enemy as a shockwave with overflowing power, nearly knocking him off his feet. All while standing with the crossed-out Leaf symbol headband.
"No way..." Orochimaru whispered. "So the Fox spirit... Survived?!"
"Naruto..." Stunned voice of Sasuke from behind. "This is..." I didn't answer. My Ki had already blown the paralysis off him, and he could move, but standing now would be a feat.
"Interesting kid..." Orochimaru said. "Insanely interesting!" A snake slithered from his sleeve, and from its mouth dropped the Kusanagi Sword. Its blade glowed; I recognized the sword instantly.
Pointing it, Orochimaru assumed a low stance, ready for battle, revealing his true Ki too.
He was at least three times stronger than Kakashi. His chakra even colder than Haku's.
Even with this Fox power influx, I couldn't match him now. Slightly, but stronger. Kurama's chakra as red whirlwind enveloped my body, and on all fours, I simply leaped up, instantly thirty meters above him.
Sword behind back, he swung creating a chakra-enhanced slashing wave.
His swing broke the sound barrier clean.
Damn monster.
But I'm no slouch. I pushed off chakra-charged air. Crashing into a tree, I ricocheted bullet-like at Orochimaru, ready to wipe that smirk with a clawed paw strike, but he was if not as fast as me, then faster than anyone I remembered.
He flew up, landing on a tree branch.
My strike just scattered smoking logs and plowed the ground.
"Wanna play, huh?" He said, sticking out his tongue to lick. Now on all fours on the trunk. "Fine, I'm in no rush yet." He hurled the sword at me shoulder-style; I dodged, but it was a feint. Forming seals, he exhaled an ash cloud from his mouth and zipped around me at insane speed trying to gut me. Poor visibility kept me from landing hits, but he did, leaving deep gashes and piercing my hide time after time. Finally, the ash cloud hit critical temp and exploded from Kurama's chakra.
Orochimaru just hmmphed, seeing me regenerate the blast aftermath, re-enveloping in Fox chakra cloak.
With shadow substitution, he tried flanking behind, succeeding, but I was fast enough like with Haku to deflect the sword thrust from my heart barehanded. This time to the gut.
I felt blood and vomit rising up my esophagus, and coughing it up while holding Orochimaru close, I thought I'd caught him, but it was a phantom. The sword moved itself; instead of Orochimaru, I held the sword.
He burst from underground behind me. I sensed too late. A strike to the face of incredible force. He tossed me with the body-piercing sword a dozen meters, and I plowed a couple more along the ground.
The sword twisted and flew out, leaving a hole in my torso to heal before charging again, but I couldn't afford it—he aimed at Sasuke.
With Body Flicker Technique, I was between him and Sasuke, who only managed to fall on his ass.
Orochimaru tried knocking me aside, but I blocked, feeling life drain through the gut hole. I bled, but fuck it. I needed all my speed and strength now. I kicked him in the chest, shoving him back-first into the nearest tree.
Orochimaru peeled off the tree quick, my cloak vanished, and I dropped to one knee, forced to start closing the gut hole. Steam rose from the wound both sides.
Gearing to continue, he seemed to hear something distant and, smiling, said...
"So that's how... Fine, kids, I think we'll meet again later, but for now..." He snapped his fingers, and from above behind him appeared two brutes with scary mugs in straw hats. They'd caught Sakura, apparently bonked her head bloody, tied her with rope, and dragged like a potato sack.
Holding her suspended by bound hands, they thrust her body before Orochimaru, and he impaled her from behind with the sword.
"I don't lose bets, little fox... Try not letting her die now." Withdrawing the sword, he flicked the blood off and hastily leaped up, then vanished entirely with his goons.
Terrified like never before, I lunged catching her body, not letting her fall.
"I want you to finish the exam with top results..." Echoed from everywhere as I tried staunching Sakura's bleeding. "Survive and beat my kids from the Village of Sound. We'll meet again..."
Wanted to scream, but now wasn't time to curse that bastard.
Now, I must save Sakura!
"Wanderer..." Sounded in my head. "Give me control. I can save her..."
***
Read the story months ahead of the public release — early chapters are available on my Patreon: patreon.com/Granulan