Chapitre 582: Team 7 Vs. Orochimaru
Earth land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, the Village Hidden in the Leaves.
May 27, x788.
In the Hidden Leaf Village's Forty-Fourth Training Ground, the Forest of Death, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke were searching through the remains of the Rain Shinobi they just defeated for the scroll they needed to pass this exam.
"These guys must be pretty tough." Naruto said as he emptied out one of the Rain Genin's Ninja Backpacks. "Even after getting burned up so badly, they're still alive."
"Yeah, but just barely." Sakura replied as she checked the Rain Genin's conditions. "What do you think we should do with them? Should I stabilize their injuries?"
"No, leave them be." Sasuke replied coldly. "If it was us in this situation, they wouldn't try to help us and keep us alive, would they?"
"Probably not… But still.".." Sakura said, sounding as if she wanted to help the injured people in front of her.
"All though I don't like the idea of leaving them to die, either." Naruto said as he rummaged through all the scrolls the Rain Genin was carrying. "If we help them, they'll probably come back for revenge. Or at the very least to take their scroll back… and ours while they're at it."
Sakura knew that what Naruto said was right. however, because she had been learning [Medical Ninjutsu] from the overly kind-hearted Wendy, she had adopted some of her attitude towards saving lives. That said, she would not do anything to jeopardize her team's chances of passing to the next round of the Chunin Exam.
"This guy doesn't have it." Sasuke said while shaking his head as he turned to look at Naruto. "That means the one you're looking at should have it."
"He does!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly only a moment later. "It's this one. See, it says Earth on it. And it's just what we're---"
Before Naruto could finish his excited exclamation, a long, thin, pink ribbon like object shot down from above before wrapping around the scroll in Naruto's hand. Then, with a firm tug, it was pulled up into the sky.
At first, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke were startled by what just happened. However, it only took a moment for them to go on high alert. Then, as they took their battle formation, they looked up to where the scroll was pulled to.
"Hey, she's a kunoichi from the Grass, right?" Sakura asked quietly. "I remember seeing her in the room where the first test was held."
"Yeah…" Sasuke replied without taking his activated Sharingan off the kunoichi standing on a tree branch above them.
"Hey, guys… We need to be careful with this one." Naruto whispered. "I'm getting a bad feeling about this.'
Thanks to the fact that he has been getting along with the Nine-Tailed Fox, Kurama, Naruto has gained the ability to sense the emotions of those around him. On top of that, he has been getting more proficient in sensing the difference between himself and his enemies' relative power levels.
Hearing the uneasy tone from Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke raised their guard even higher. Despite that, they were not experienced enough to feel the difference between themselves and Orochimaru. So, they were not planning to run away.
"don't worry, Naruto." Sasuke said in a determined tone. "there's only one of her and there are three of us. So, we should be able to take her no matter how good she is. Remember, she's only a Genin like us."
"Well… Well… Well… I've finally found you." Orochimaru said as he jumped down from the branch he had been observing Team 7 from. "Unfortunately, I don't need this scroll. But I'd rather not let anyone from the Leaf have it, either."
Despite the fact that he was speaking rather clearly, Orochimaru was still holding the scroll with his tongue, the ribbon-like object that snatched it from Naruto. Then, after finishing what he had to say, Orochimaru tilted his head back before pulling his tongue, with the scroll still grasped by it, into his mouth and swallowing the scroll.
"What the…?" Naruto exclaimed in confusion. "she just swallowed it."
"Now, if you want it back, you'll have to kill me and cut it out of my stomach. Cucucu."
'Now, let me see what you'll do, Sasuke.' Orochimaru thought to himself. 'This will be a good test to see your level of progress. I hope you don't disappoint me.'
"What are we gonna do?" Sakura asked. "We need that scroll. But we don't' have to have that one. We could look for someone else if we wanna get another Earth Scroll."
"Are you suggesting we run away?" Sasuke asked with his eyebrows furrowed.
"I don't' know." Sakura replied while shaking her head. "but the last time Naruto said he had a bad idea about something was when we fought Zabuza Momochi, remember? And it took all three of us helping Kakashi-Sensei to beat him back then."
That was enough to make Sasuke stop to think. Unfortunately, he did not get much time to do so.
"If you won't decide, I'll decide for you." Orochimaru said with a hideous grin on his face.
In the next instant, Orochimaru dashed forward. Though, since he wanted to test Sasuke, he did not use his full strength.
"Scatter!" Sasuke shouted as he noticed Orochimaru's approach. "It doesn't look like she's gonna give us a choice. We have to take her down."
With that, Naruto and Sakura leapt to either side. At the same time, Sasuke unsheathed a sword that was strapped across the small of his back. Then, he seemingly disappeared from where he stood, reappearing in front of Orochimaru an instant later as he slashed his katana downwards.
*Clang!*
"Oh~, you're faster than I expected." Orochimaru said as he used a kunai to guard against Sasuke's slash. "But if this is all you have, you'll never get the scroll back."
With that, Orochimaru drew a second kunai and began trading blows with Sasuke, the sound of metal meeting metal ringing out through the surroundings.
At the same time, Naruto had used the [Shadow Clone Jutsu] and created enough [Shadow Clones to completely surround Orochimaru and Sasuke. Then, he commanded four of them to attack Orochimaru from his front left, front right, back left, and back right simultaneously.
As a result of Naruto's attack, Orochimaru was forced to divert his attention from Sasuke, though it was not an issue for him, to deflect the two attacks from behind. An instant later, he swept his kunai at the throats of the two [Shadow Clones] who attack from the front.
Needless to say, Naruto's four clones were easily dispatched. However, just before the two attacking from the front were killed, they managed to push Sasuke away from Orochimaru.
*Boom!*
As soon as Sasuke was pushed away, Sakura fell from above, slamming her right leg down at the top of Orochimaru's head. As a result, a large dust cloud was kicked up, covering Naruto and Sasuke's view of the situation.
Meanwhile, Alfonzo, who had been watching the exchange, was impressed by the teamwork shown by Team 7. And the reason he had not acted so far was simple, like Orochimaru, he wanted to see their level of progress. However, as soon as Orochimaru started getting serious, he would act to make sure that Sasuke did not end up with a [Cursed Seal of Heaven] on his neck.
"Did we get him?" Naruto asked as he kept his eyes trained on the dust cloud.
'Not if you're gonna keep chanting revival spells like that.' Alfonzo thought to himself. 'Then again, that was nowhere near enough to take out Orochimaru in the first place. Still, I guess I'll have to act soon. Sakura's not in the most favorable position right now.
As soon as that thought finished, Sakura came flying out of the dust cloud. However, it was clear she had no control of her flight. Luckily, before she could slam head first into a tree, Sasuke used his speed to catch her.
"Sakura, are you okay?" Sasuke asked as he lowered Sakura to the ground.
"Yeah, I'm not hurt." Sakura replied. "but I don't' think my full-powered kick hurt her at all."
"Cucucu. You've done better than I expected." Orochimaru said as he swung his arm, dispersing the cloud of dust with his movement. "but if you can't do better, you are all going to die here."
At that point, all of Naruto's [Shadow Clones] were dispelled, greatly surprising Orochimaru, Sakura, and Sasuke. However, when they looked over to see what happened to Naruto, they were even more surprised.
At the moment, Naruto was cloaked in billowing, ominous red magic power. On top of that, his eyes had turned red with slitted pupils, the whisker marks on his face had become more pronounced, and his canine teeth and fingernails had grown, making them look like fangs and claws.
"Is that… Naruto?" Sakura asked in a dumbfounded, frightened tone.
"Yeah, but I have no idea what that power is." Sasuke replied while narrowing his eyes.
"OH, because of your heightened emotions, it looks like some of its power has leaked through the [Seal]." Orochimaru said as he licked his lips. "Well, we can't have that. If too much leaks, it would be dangerous, even for me."
"No one gets away with threatening my friends!" Naruto shouted as he dropped down to all fours and started running towards Orochimaru like a feral beast.
Orochimaru, on the other hand, seemed completely unconcerned with Naruto's increase in strength. Despite that, he was cautious while engaging in hand-to-hand combat with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
Meanwhile, Sakura and Sasuke recovered from their shock while watching the high-intensity exchange. So, they prepared to help Naruto once they noticed an opening.
Unfortunately, the first opening they happened to see was one left open by Naruto. One that Orochimaru did not miss. With the tips of his fingers glowing with the light of his magic power, Orochimaru jammed the fingers of his right hand onto Naruto's abdomen, around the Nine-Tailed Fox's [Seal], cutting off the flow of the Tailed Beast's magic power.
"Ugh!" Naruto grunted in pain as his forward momentum was stopped completely and his body bent around Orochimaru's hand.
"Cucucu! Without the extra boost from the beast, you're nothing but trash." Orochimaru said as he prepared to throw Naruto's body to the side. "but I won't kill you now. I don't want that thing to come out---"
*Poof!*
*Bang!*
*Bang!*
Before Orochimaru could finish what he wanted to say, the Naruto in his hand poofed out of existence, alerting Orochimaru to the fact that it was a [Shadow Clone]. However, before he could react, another Naruto, this one also cloaked in the Nine-Tailed Fox's magic power, broke through the ground under Orochimaru. Then, with great momentum, he slammed an uppercut into Orochimaru's chin, sending him rocketing up into the air.
"Now!" Sasuke shouted as he sheathed his katana and placed the sheath on his left hip. "[Flying Heaven's Sword-Style: Sōryūsen]."
In the next instant, Sasuke disappeared from where he stood in a burst of speed. Then, when he reappeared, he had already unsheathed his katana, slashing it at Orochimaru. And despite the speed of his slash, Orochimaru was able to tilt his body back to avoid the majority of the blow.
*Bang!*
However, he was still slashed across the face. On top of that, Orochimaru was not expecting the follow up strike Sasuke delivered to his torso with the sheath. As a result, his balance in mid-air was disrupted. Another thing to take note of was the fact that there was no blood leaking from the wound on Orochimaru's face. Though no one other than Alfonzo noticed it at the time.
Realizing that his slash was only a glancing blow, Sasuke clicked his tongue internally. Then, he dropped his sheath before he raised his katana over his head with both hands wrapped around the hilt.
"[Flying Heaven's Sword-Style: Ryūtsui-Shōsen]." Sasuke chanted as he swung his katana downwards.
In the next instant, Sasuke swung his katana with great force. Unfortunately, Orochimaru, despite his unstable posture, was able to react quickly, blocking the slash with his kunai.
Even so, despite his successful defense, Orochimaru was launched down towards the ground, with gravity causing Sasuke to follow him closely. However, because he was not injured by Sasuke's slash, he landed on his feet stably. Then, he hopped backwards to distance himself from Sasuke's landing point.
"[Rasengan]!"
Unfortunately, right before Orochimaru landed again, Naruto appeared behind him with a [Rasengan] rotating in his palm before slamming it into Orochimaru's back. As a result, Orochimaru was sent back towards where he first landed.
As soon as Orochimaru was back where he started, Sasuke landed on the ground and finished his combo attack, slashing his sword upwards, cutting into Orochimaru's torso and launching him back into the air.
This time, unlike when Sasuke cut his face, there was a splash of blood from Orochimaru's torso, though the cut was not too deep. On top of that, before Orochimaru could regain his balance, Sakura fell from the sky, once again slamming her right leg down with the [magic Power Strengthening Technique].
*Boom~~~!*
Once again, a dust cloud was kicked up by Sakura's monstrous strength. Unlike last time, however, when Sakura came flying out of the cloud, she seemed to be doing so on her own volition. A moment later, Naruto, still wrapped in the Nine-Tail Fox's magic power and Sasuke gathered with Sakura.
"Well, those kids really have gotten pretty good." Alfonzo said with a smile. "Unfortunately, that's still not enough to deal with that Pedo-Snake."
And just as Alfonzo said, the dust cloud was once again swept away by a swing of Orochimaru's arm. And when he was once again visible, the three Genin could see that he we was covered in blood, his clothes were torn, and there was a slash on his face. Though, there was no blood leaking from that gash.
"What the…?" Naruto exclaimed once again in confusion. "How is his face not bleeding with that big cut on it."
"Cucucu! Magnificent." Orochimaru said in a jubilant tone as he reached up to grab his face. "You might be even better than Itachi at this age. You'll make the perfect vessel, Sasuke."
*Rip!*
Gritting his teeth at the mention of his older brother, all the rage that was building up vanished immediately when he saw Orochimaru rip off the female Grass Genin's face, revealing a completely different face of a man with feminine, snake-like features. Not only Sasuke, but Naruto and Sakura were also completely dumbfounded.
Adding to the three Genin's confusion, Orochimaru tilted his head back. Then, he opened his mouth much further than should be possible for a human, his mouth looking like the unhinged jaws of a snake.
A moment later, a pair of pale-skinned hands popped out from Orochimaru's mouth before pulling out a completely uninjured Orochimaru and letting the old one fall to the ground like the shed skin of a snake.
However, before anyone from Team 7 could ask any questions, or in Naruto's case, empty the contents of his stomach in disgust, a suffocating magic power pressure mixed with a potent killing intent was unleashed, causing Sakura and Sasuke to freeze. And while Naruto did not freeze, mostly thanks to the Kurama's influence, he was hit by a powerful [Genjutsu] that made him stand still for a few moments while Kurama tried to help him dispel it.
On a side note, had Kurama's [Seal] been lifted, he would have been able to dispel Orochimaru's [Genjutsu] in an instant.
"Cucucu! I'll definitely make you mine, Sasuke." Orochimaru said as his neck elongated at high speed.
On top of his neck elongating, Orochimaru opened his mouth wide, revealing a pair of long, sharp fangs that were aimed at the side of Sasuke's neck.
"Alright, I think that's enough, little Pedo-Snake."
*Boom!*
Less than a foot away from Sasuke, a violet flash intercepted Orochimaru before slamming his head into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust for a third time. And that was enough to snap Sakura and Sasuke out of their fear-induced frozen states. At the same time, Kurama succeeded in dispelling the [Genjutsu] placed on Naruto. So, the three jumped back away from the dust cloud.
"Hey, didn't the voice of the person that just saved us sound like Big Bro Alfonzo?" Naruto asked while not letting his guard down.
"You three don't' need to guess." Alfonzo replied from the dust cloud. "it really is me. I found out that the little Pedo-Snake had entered the village and your Hokage asked me to deal with him. You know, since I kicked his ass once before."
With that, Alfonzo swept his arm like Orochimaru had done, dispersing the dust cloud. And when he did, the Genin of Team 7 could see Alfonzo, with his right foot arching with violent electricity, trampling Orochimaru's head.
"Now, you three should just leave this guy to me." Alfonzo said with a smile. "I'll even get that scroll he swallowed back for you.'
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