章節 126: Chapter 126: Chunin Exam
Asuma over there let out a sigh. Although he had a girlfriend, he couldn't help but feel like he was being fed a mouthful of dog food at this moment!
"Hey, you two, enough already! There are others here!" At this time, Shikamaru walked over with his hands in his pockets and couldn't help but speak up.
"If you're envious, you can start looking for a partner too. Otherwise, you could always be with Choji," Natsuro said, showing no signs of embarrassment.
"I don't want to!" Shikamaru hadn't said anything yet, but Choji's eyes widened as if he had heard something terrifying as he looked at Shikamaru.
Shikamaru immediately looked at Choji in disbelief and said, "Didn't you realize that Natsuro was joking? Seriously, how could that be?"
"Phew, just a joke. Natsuro is a bit too much," Choji wiped the sweat from his forehead, relieved.
"Alright, let's take a short break and then disperse," Asuma said at this time. "There are some experiences to go over tomorrow, so you all need to recover a bit."
"Okay." However, only Shikamaru responded listlessly to Asuma. Choji pulled out some snacks again and started eating, while Ino had already gone to rest with Natsuro's company.
This made Asuma let out a deep sigh, feeling that being a teacher was really tough.
On Natsuro's side, he began to give Ino a serious massage, and Ino looked on, thoroughly enjoying it, occasionally pointing to her sore spots on her arms and legs.
Natsuro helped Ino earnestly, with sparks of electricity flickering on his hands.
At this moment, Asuma's eyes twitched. No wonder he always felt that Ino's physique was improving so quickly; the reason was right here.
Asuma glanced over at Shikamaru and Choji and could only sigh, thinking about how nice it would be to have someone who could take such meticulous care of him after he recovered.
Asuma also felt a bit envious. He had trained hard to achieve his current physique, and he wished he had someone to take care of him back then. However, in the village, there didn't seem to be many people who could reach this level of Lightning Release, right?
Kakashi? Forget it, Asuma thought. He felt that if Kakashi didn't mind getting electrocuted, that would be good enough…
Soon, under Natsuro's massage, Ino had almost fully recovered. After saying goodbye to Asuma with Natsuro, she left.
"Natsuro, how come you have time to come over today?" Although Ino didn't speak, her voice echoed in Natsuro's mind.
Natsuro was already used to this. He could now see Ino's progress, as she had already mastered the mind-body transmission technique, which required a high level of chakra control.
Moreover, Natsuro had also started teaching Ino some basic medical ninjutsu, but he still wanted her to focus on the Yamanaka family's secret techniques.
"I just found out you were training here today, so I came over," Natsuro replied in his mind.
"Mm." Although Ino didn't say much, Natsuro could still feel her happiness.
After that, Ino didn't say anything else. She knew he didn't particularly like to talk and preferred to quietly accompany her like this.
Suddenly, Ino thought of something and used the mind-body transmission technique again. She wasn't very skilled with this technique yet, so conversing with Natsuro using it could also serve as practice.
"Natsuro, Asuma-sensei said we'll participate in this Chunin exam."
"Hmm? Chunin exam?" Natsuro was somewhat taken aback. He seemed to have not heard about this. However, thinking it over, he realized it made sense. He wasn't the instructor for every team nor a teacher at the ninja academy. It wouldn't be strange that he wasn't notified since he wouldn't be needed as an examiner.
"Yes! Natsuro, do you think it's a bit too early for us to take the Chunin exam?" Ino asked hesitantly. She felt like they had just graduated and hadn't learned much yet, so why were they already participating in the exam?
"Hmm, although it is a bit rushed, you guys are actually more than qualified to become Chunin. It's just that to be among the excellent ones, it's still not enough," Natsuro said after recalling the level of Chunin from his memories.
"Is that so? Then I'm relieved." Ino let out a breath of relief.
As for Natsuro, he was somewhat shaken by Ino's news. Had they already reached this point without him realizing it? Time really passed too quickly.
Thinking about it, maybe the Kazekage had already been taken down? Natsuro tapped his head; he couldn't remember clearly. Anyway, Orochimaru should have already started making moves, meaning his time was limited.
Natsuro's gaze involuntarily turned toward Hokage Rock, particularly where the Third Hokage was. He was pondering the plans for Konoha's collapse, and a smile crept onto his lips. His existence wasn't in the original story, so should he give it a try this time?
With these thoughts, Natsuro pulled out a strange black stick with a button and handed it to Ino, saying, "You can take this. Just press the button if you encounter any threats."
"What's this?" Ino accepted the black stick and curiously asked.
"It's a way to notify me. Once you press it, I'll sense it and definitely come to protect you."
"Okay." Ino smiled, reluctantly letting go of the hand she had been holding onto Natsuro and carefully placing the black stick away.
There was no need to refuse anything between them anymore. Ino knew that if she rejected it, Natsuro would only worry more. It was better to work a little harder afterward to make him worry less.
After putting it away, Ino noticed Natsuro slightly bent down and pointed at her cheek with his finger. She couldn't help but blush but didn't refuse, leaning forward.
Then, Ino continued to hold onto Natsuro's arm as they walked toward her home.
Natsuro felt a sense of contentment as he enjoyed the recent touch and the occasional sensations returning from his arm. He finally felt like he was experiencing the feeling of having a neighbor's daughter growing up.
As for the black stick he had just given to Ino, it was a little device Natsuro had recently tinkered with, somewhat like a self-destruct device. However, it was engraved with the Flying Thunder God technique.
As soon as the button was pressed, the Flying Thunder God technique would immediately be dispelled, and Natsuro would be able to teleport directly to the scene based on the kunai with the Flying Thunder God technique on Ino.
It seemed very practical, but it had limited use. Only he could make use of it since he could maintain his Void State normally now, allowing him to have a certain range of perception even without deliberately sensing.
So, when the Flying Thunder God seal disappears from his sensing range, he could perceive it, and he used that principle to create the black rod.
Only he could maintain that kind of sensing state, which meant even the Fourth Hokage couldn't use this method.
But its utility was limited because Natsuro's sensing range is small. It was only because the Chunin Exam were being held in Konoha, and he could apply to be in the center of the Forest of Death, which allowed so purpose to be achieved.
The range of the Flying Thunder God is quite different; Natsuro's sensing range is circular, so it was not very large, but the Flying Thunder God's sensing distance was a straight line. As long as it can connect to the Flying Thunder God kunai, it meant he could convert the circular sensing area into a very thin line— technically expanding the range.
"Is that Naruto over there? He seems to be in a conflict with someone," Ino pointed in a direction and said to Natsuro.
"Yeah, that's them." Natsuro had noticed them earlier than Ino; he was watching the familiar figure of Gaara from Sunagakure, along with the two people accompanying him, which he remembered to be Kankuro and Temari. "Let's go check it out."
"Okay." Ino closely followed Natsuro.
"What's going on?" Natsuro asked when he arrived.
"Natsuro, unidentified individuals have arrived in Konoha," Sakura said, her eyes brightening when she saw Natsuro.
"What do you mean by unidentified individuals? Don't you know? The Chunin Exam has started, and this time the host is your Konoha. We came here because we received your invitation," said Kankuro, who was dressed in black, with some hair peeking out from his completely bandaged back and a lot of face paint on.
After he finished speaking, he looked at Natsuro and asked, "Are you a Chunin from Konoha? Your village's kid ran into me."
"I already apologized," said the child Kankuro mentioned, who was Konohamaru, the grandson of the Third Hokage.
"Since you've already apologized, there's no need to pursue a child's playful antics," Natsuro replied. An apology should be enough if it was just a collision.
"That's enough, Kankuro." At that moment, Gaara, who had red short hair, spoke, shifting his gaze from Naruto and Sasuke to Natsuro, and directly stated, "You're strong."
Gaara's words surprised Kankuro and Temari, and they looked at Natsuro with some astonishment. To be called strong by Gaara meant he must be truly formidable.
"Well, I guess so. You're not bad either," Natsuro said, looking at Gaara. The killing intent emanating from him made Natsuro realize that just after he left the Anbu, the Third Hokage and his father-in-law probably saw him in a similar way to how Gaara was now.
"Unfortunately, you can't participate in the Chunin Exam; otherwise, it would be more interesting." Gaara said, glancing at the Jonin vest Natsuro was wearing, and then his gaze shifted to Sasuke and Naruto.
He sensed that Sasuke was likely strong, while he felt something strange from Naruto...
Although Gaara didn't understand what that feeling was, he still began to pay attention to Naruto.
"It's no loss for me; you should be the ones feeling lucky," Natsuro yawned.
Gaara showed no intent to linger any longer and left with Kankuro and Temari.
As Temari was leaving, she couldn't help but glance at Sasuke and Natsuro, marveling at how many handsome guys there were in Konoha; she had just seen two.
Once Gaara and his group left, Naruto asked, "Natsuro, what is this Chunin Exam they're talking about?"
Sasuke and Sakura also looked at Natsuro. Although they knew what it meant, they still wanted to get some information from him.
"The Chunin Exam? Kakashi should already know about it, and he probably signed you up; he just hasn't notified you yet. You just need to wait for Kakashi's notification," Natsuro thought for a moment and decided to pass the task of explaining this troublesome matter to Kakashi.
When Naruto and the others heard Natsuro's words, they thought of Kakashi's habit of being late, and a white line appeared on their foreheads. It wasn't surprising that such a teacher might forget to notify them!
"So if we pass the Chunin Exam, we can become Chunins, right? That would bring us closer to Natsuro?!" Naruto's eyes lit up with excitement.
"You guys should focus on passing the Chunin Exam first; it's not that easy to get through," Ino couldn't help but retort.
"Hmph, I'll definitely pass it!" Naruto shouted, waving his fist, attracting the attention of many people.
His companions nearby felt a bit helpless; it was still that carefree personality of his—no wonder it was Naruto.
"Well, good luck; I'm looking forward to you all catching up with me," Natsuro said, his gaze not stopping at Naruto but also looking at the others around.
This time, not just Naruto, Sasuke tightened his fist a bit, and the corner of his mouth slightly curled up, as if he had gained another reason to pass the Chunin Exam and be promoted.
Ino also looked at Natsuro, secretly making a decision to work hard, persuade Shikamaru not to be so lazy, and prepare more snacks for Choji.
Then, the group dispersed, and after Natsuro sent Ino home, he walked on the road back home.
He was thinking about the plans for Konoha's collapse, but no matter how he thought about it, he could only recall Orochimaru, the curse mark on Sasuke's neck, and the fall of the Third Hokage...
Natsuro really couldn't remember much else, but it didn't matter. He looked at the setting sun in the distance and revealed a confident smile.
This time, he was here, right?
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章節 127: Chapter 127: Orochimaru
At night, in the central tower of the Forest of Death, Natsuro was meditating.
Several days had passed since that day, and the second round of the Chunin Exam had arrived, which took place in the Forest of Death, so he found himself here.
As for the first round, Natsuro was somewhat interested, but the chief examiner was Morino Ibiki, the interrogator ninja. He had his own set of theories for the test, and Natsuro didn't want to take his place.
Moreover, Natsuro was too lazy to deal with such troublesome matters. However, after the exam, he did take a look at the papers of people he was familiar with.
Sure enough, even with such difficult questions, Sakura still got a perfect score. Sasuke, on the other hand, fell short compared to her, as he had done poorly in the past when the questions were easier. Now that they were difficult, the gap in their abilities became evident.
However, when Natsuro saw Naruto's score, he was stunned; it was identical to Sakura's. Then, when he looked at Ino's paper, it all made sense.
Thanks to his presence, Ino had a partner from the beginning, which naturally made her lose interest in Sasuke, and any conflicts with Sakura were completely gone.
So, Ino probably used the Mind Body Switch Technique to communicate with Sakura, and Sakura had likely asked Ino to share the answers with Naruto, and probably even with Sasuke.
Ino would never refuse Sakura, and knowing her good relationship with Sasuke and Naruto, she had even more reason not to refuse.
However, given Sasuke's personality, he probably didn't want to rely on such "leftover food," so he did it himself.
Afterward, Natsuro also checked Chōji's exam paper, and it was just as he expected.
Shikamaru… Natsuro looked at his paper; most of the answers were correct, and the brevity was even higher than Sakura's.
Natsuro had also learned about what happened during the exam from Morino Ibiki, including Naruto's astonishing remarks that had diminished the effectiveness of this exam, leaving him a bit troubled.
Natsuro then recalled the events that had occurred in the original story and smiled, shaking his head. It was no surprise that Naruto was the ninja who always brought unexpected developments.
As the second round of the exam approached, Natsuro asked the Third Hokage to take him to the various candidates' locations in the Forest of Death, specifically to the central tower.
In the meantime, Natsuro also met the proctor for the second exam, Mitarashi Anko…
At this thought, Natsuro couldn't help but frown. Upon seeing Anko, he felt a wave of disgust and revulsion, as if she was covered in filth. In that moment, countless feelings of aversion surged within him.
This feeling surprised him. Why did he feel this way?
He was well aware that he didn't dislike Anko in the original story; in fact, he found her quite cute as a food lover who enjoyed dango…
So, this emotion must stem from something special about Anko. After rummaging through his memories, Natsuro finally recalled that Anko was somehow related to Orochimaru and was even his disciple.
In that case, it was likely that Anko bore Orochimaru's curse mark. As he thought about it, Natsuro became convinced.
What he detested must be the curse mark. Natsuro remembered quite a bit about the curse mark, especially since it was a small detail from the earlier stages of Sasuke's story.
Though called a curse mark, it resembled a sage transformation state. The normal sage mode was something like that from Mount Myōboku, while Orochimaru had developed this bizarre sage transformation curse mark.
Just thinking about Sasuke in his second form should make it clear that this curse mark was definitely abnormal; it had to have used some unconventional means to convert natural energy into impure sage chakra.
Using such chakra would alter one's form, similar to how the sage of Mount Myōboku turned into a frog.
Therefore, Natsuro was puzzled: even if that was the case, why did he instinctively despise the curse mark? Could it be that something was wrong with him?
To be honest, Natsuro was quite interested in studying Orochimaru's curse mark. After all, being able to absorb natural energy from the environment and transform it into sage chakra was intriguing. There were very few things in this world capable of storing chakra, and Tsunade's Yin Seal was notoriously difficult to learn…
But now, Natsuro sighed. Even if he managed to study it, if he continued to instinctively despise it, he couldn't imprint it onto himself; constantly going against one's instincts wouldn't lead to anything good.
At this moment, Natsuro was also pondering the exam. In the second round, Sasuke and Naruto should encounter Orochimaru, right?
That guy wasn't easy to deal with. Although Naruto and Sasuke had made significant progress, for Orochimaru, this level of progress was as good as standing still.
Natsuro sighed again. He had to expose Orochimaru's existence in the second round; otherwise, he wouldn't have a reason to mobilize any forces. Up to now, he had already marked the Flying Thunder God seals all over Konoha, but his individual influence wouldn't be substantial.
Therefore, he still needed to mobilize the overall power of Konoha.
He hoped he could make it in time. Natsuro closed his eyes and entered a deeper into his Void State. He felt that it was also on the verge of a breakthrough.
...
The Forest of Death was dark and seemed to reveal some unspeakable secrets.
At this moment, Orochimaru had set his sights on Sasuke, and a confrontation had occurred.
Orochimaru observed Sasuke and Naruto, who could still move freely under his killing intent, and a look of appreciation appeared in his eyes. Truly worthy of being a descendant of the Uchiha clan, and this one beside him… is the Nine-Tails brat? He also seemed quite impressive.
What surprised him even more was that he couldn't casually deflect Naruto's attacks. The wind enveloping him made him a bit taken aback.
That is… Wind Release: Gale Palm? The Nine-Tails brat had actually mastered it to this extent; this level of difficulty had already reached B-rank ninjutsu, right? And with so many shadow clones, the Nine-Tails brat's talent was evidently not weak.
Unfortunately, the attack system was a bit lacking. Orochimaru easily dodged all of Naruto's attacks, but he didn't notice that Naruto showed no signs of impatience; instead, he wore a faint smile.
"What?" Orochimaru's face showed surprise, and the next moment, a sound like thousands of birds chirping filled his ears, causing his eyes to widen.
It turned out that all of Naruto's attacks were feints, meant to buy time for Sasuke to unleash Chidori.
"That's Chidori, isn't it?" Upon seeing this, Orochimaru didn't exhibit any fear; rather, a deeper greed appeared on his face, startling both Naruto and Sasuke.
He had only graduated for a short while and had already learned Chidori under Kakashi; Sasuke of the Uchiha clan truly lived up to his reputation. Orochimaru was increasingly satisfied with Sasuke's body, so let's exert a bit more effort!
The next moment, countless snakes erupted from Orochimaru's body—out of his clothes, shoes, hair, and even from his mouth!
If someone with a phobia of clusters saw this scene, they might just die from fright.
At that moment, Sasuke's Chidori lost its target due to the overwhelming number of small snakes. Chidori was not suitable for dealing with such a large quantity, and Sasuke could not maintain Chidori indefinitely, so it naturally dissipated. Watching the snakes, he continually retreated, searching for an opportunity to unleash Fire Release.
Meanwhile, all of Naruto's shadow clones were bitten and destroyed by the surrounding snakes, and even Naruto's real body was caught by Orochimaru by the neck.
The gap was still too great.
"Naruto!!" Seeing this scene, Sasuke couldn't help but shout. Hidden in the shadows, Sakura saw this and instinctively covered her mouth, unable to make a sound. If she were to go out now, she would only become a burden, not only unable to help but also distracting Sasuke and Naruto from taking care of her…
"Let go of me, you ugly freak!" Naruto pounded on Orochimaru's hand with both hands, but it was like hitting a vice; he couldn't fight back at all.
Orochimaru looked at Naruto with interest, taking in his gradually reddening eyes. He was momentarily stunned, as if he understood something, then his other hand began to lift Naruto's shirt.
Soon, Orochimaru saw the seal he wanted to see. As expected, it had already manifested, and it seemed to have been opened quite a bit. Was it the Third Hokage's doing? He didn't expect him to have such resolve. He thought he wouldn't dare touch this seal before Jiraiya returned…
Orochimaru was also pondering this when he continued to lift Naruto's shirt and saw another sealing technique.
"What are these?"
Orochimaru paused upon seeing this. These didn't seem to be connected to the Nine-Tails' seal, and what was that technique in the middle?
Orochimaru froze for a moment; these didn't seem to be connected to the Nine-Tails' seal. Moreover, what was that technique in the middle? Suddenly, he felt something ominous rising in his heart, as if sensing something. He looked up and saw a dark figure appearing out of nowhere, holding a familiar chakra ball.
"Rasengan?!"
A voice came from Natsuro, while another scream came from Orochimaru. Even with just a glance, Orochimaru recognized this as another famous technique of the Fourth Hokage!
Taking advantage of the Flying Thunder God mark on Naruto, Natsuro arrived without hesitation. He looked down at Orochimaru, whose astonished face was still staring up, and slammed the Rasengan into his face.
"Bang!!"
In the next moment, Orochimaru was slammed down into the ground by Natsuro. The earth cracked, and dust flew everywhere, while Natsuro took Naruto to a nearby area where the ground was intact.
"Cough cough!" Naruto was now clutching his neck, coughing violently; he had nearly been choked to death.
"Natsuro, you arrived just in time!" Sakura was ecstatic upon seeing Natsuro. She finally felt relieved; with Natsuro here, she wouldn't need to worry anymore. After all, he was a Jonin, and this was the first time Sakura had spoken up.
"Be careful!" Natsuro's expression changed. He didn't believe Orochimaru would be taken out by just one Rasengan. Even if it struck him in the face, it wouldn't do much; a Rasenshuriken would be more effective.
But time was of the essence; he didn't have time to gather a Rasenshuriken.
Sure enough, in the next moment, a headless body rushed from the dust towards Sakura, looking like something out of a horror movie, as the ground beneath Natsuro's feet seemed to explode, charging toward Sakura.
He made it in time, and Natsuro sighed in relief; after all, speed was his forte.
However, just as Natsuro reached Sakura, Orochimaru's head suddenly twisted and sped towards Sasuke, revealing a twisted and eerie smile on its broken face.
Sasuke was still dealing with the countless small snakes; even Fire Release couldn't burn them all at once. When he saw Natsuro, he felt relieved, but then noticed that the extended neck was rushing towards Sakura, causing his heart to race again.
When he saw Natsuro once more stand in front of Sakura, he felt relaxed again, like riding a roller coaster. Truly, Natsuro was reliable; Sasuke's tense nerves relaxed slightly.
However, he had no idea that Orochimaru's head would suddenly turn and charge towards him.
Sasuke looked at the head that could scare a child to tears, his eyes widening. He had just used a lot of chakra to unleash Fire Style, and his body was still slightly stiff, leaving him unable to dodge!
"Chidori Sharp Spear!"
In the next moment, a lightning-fast shadow flashed by. In Sasuke's line of sight, a lightning sword pierced through Orochimaru's neck in the distance, and the sword's tip belonged to Natsuro…
As expected, very reliable.
Seeing this scene, everyone present couldn't help but think that Natsuro's sudden arrival had resolved the chaotic situation one step at a time.
If it had been them responding, they would have long been finished, right?
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