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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章節 128: Chapter 128: The Curse Seal of Heaven
As the three of them marveled at the situation, they thought, surely this should be the end, right? There couldn't possibly be any more twists, could there?
However, Natsuro did not think so. He had just used the Chidori Sharp Spear for a quick thrust, and now he wanted to directly sever Orochimaru's neck to feel at ease.
But no one expected that even after Natsuro's Chidori Sharp Spear pierced through Orochimaru's neck, that head paused for a moment and then continued to move!
Orochimaru's grotesque face opened its mouth, and, to Sasuke's wide-eyed astonishment, another small snake emerged from within!
However, since it was just a small snake, Sasuke had regained a bit of strength during that brief moment. He gripped his kunai and slashed at it, successfully cutting the small snake in half.
Finally, it should be over now, right? Watching the severed snake, Sasuke gasped for breath, feeling a bit sluggish from all the sudden changes.
"Sa-Sasuke!!"
However, Naruto's scream rang out again.
What now?
Sasuke knew something must have happened again, but what could it be? He didn't have time to turn around before he felt a sharp pain in his neck. It turned out that a small snake he hadn't managed to eliminate yet had seized the opportunity to climb up a nearby tree and bite him on the neck.
That snake was quickly cut down by Sasuke with his kunai, but it was already too late.
After Natsuro severed the long, extended neck of Orochimaru, he brought Naruto and Sakura to Sasuke's side. Watching the curse mark slowly manifesting on Sasuke's neck, he couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy.
This Orochimaru was not only difficult to kill but also had an outrageous number of tricks up his sleeve. Natsuro had just severed his neck, and yet he could still move…
Despite what seemed like Natsuro having the upper hand in those few moments, Orochimaru's focus had never really been on him; he had been fixated on Sasuke. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to do all this.
After all, he was one of the legendary Sannin. Without the right countermeasures, Natsuro was not someone he could easily deal with at this moment.
"Is he finally dead now?" Sasuke asked hoarsely, clutching his neck.
"Not necessarily…" Natsuro said gravely, while Sakura began to heal Sasuke with her simple medical ninjutsu.
"Not necessarily?" Sasuke gritted his teeth. How could that be…?
Everyone turned their eyes to the pit, and what they saw sent shivers down their spines…
As the dust settled, a headless corpse sat kneeling there, which should have prompted them to breathe a sigh of relief. But the scene that followed made them widen their eyes in shock.
Suddenly, from the severed neck, two perfectly intact hands emerged. The hands were extremely pale and delicate, completely unlike the skin a man should possess.
In the next moment, those hands clawed at the headless corpse, as if the small neck was obstructing its path, tearing the flesh apart and ultimately revealing a body covered in slime.
The most shocking part was that this figure was identical to the one before, even wearing the same undamaged clothes…
"What is this?!" Naruto swallowed hard, his eyes filled with a hint of fear of the unknown. This was clearly a monster!
"Hehe…"
A strange laugh emanated from the now-androgynous Orochimaru, who gazed at Natsuro and said, "If I'm not mistaken, you're the famed Konoha's Little White Fang, right? It seems the rumors were wrong."
As Orochimaru spoke, he licked his long tongue over his lips, causing Natsuro to feel a bit nauseous.
"Konoha's Little White Fang?!" Both Sasuke and Sakura were taken aback and turned to look at Natsuro's silhouette. They had clearly heard of this reputation but never expected him to be Natsuro. Furthermore, they hadn't seen Natsuro wielding a sword recently…
"What's Little White Fang?" Naruto scratched his head, looking completely clueless. He had never paid much attention to these matters.
"It's truly an honor to be recognized by Orochimaru, one of the legendary Sannin, who enjoys toying with three genin," Natsuro interjected, standing protectively in front of Team 7, his expression serious as he looked at Orochimaru with a mocking tone.
Natsuro had sensed the surge of the Nine-Tails' chakra within Naruto and rushed over using the Flying Thunder God technique.
Had he arrived from the very beginning, it would not have led to Sasuke being cursed.
Although this curse might not necessarily be a bad thing for Sasuke, Natsuro initially intended to let things unfold naturally. However, after that feeling of disgust arose, he decided to intervene.
Yet, he still couldn't stop it. By the time he arrived, Orochimaru had already completed most of his preparations. While Natsuro's presence had greatly affected Orochimaru, he didn't have the time to clear away all of Orochimaru's preparations, resulting in Sasuke still getting caught.
Natsuro contemplated that since Sasuke had his Flying Thunder God kunai, perhaps he should have used the Flying Thunder God instead of the Chidori Sharp Spear. Would that have been better?
However, Natsuro also felt a bit of desire to take this opportunity to deal with Orochimaru directly, which was why he had chosen the Chidori Sharp Spear. But now it seemed rather unrealistic.
"Hehe, instead of being called Konoha's Little White Fang, you should more rightly bear the title of the Fourth Hokage's heir. After all, both that Chō Oodama (Giant Rasengan) and the suddenly appearing Flying Thunder God technique are among the most famous jutsu of the Fourth Hokage," Orochimaru nonchalantly revealed Natsuro's ninjutsu.
This time, even Naruto understood, for that was the Fourth Hokage! His gaze towards Natsuro filled with astonishment.
"Yeah, you really have good eyesight," Natsuro replied openly, not having intended to hide it from Orochimaru.
"Tsk, tsk. So you're a disciple of Jiraiya?" Orochimaru's tone was questioning but already certain. "That guy isn't very gifted himself, but the disciples he takes on are all incredibly talented."
As Orochimaru continued speaking, he licked his lips again, surveying Natsuro's body. "What a pity. If it weren't for the fact that you don't possess a bloodline limit, your potential would be limited to this level. I almost wanted to take your body."
"I don't believe my potential is limited to this. That's just your personal opinion," Natsuro replied.
"Ha ha ha!" Orochimaru suddenly burst into wild laughter, the madness in his voice making the already eerie environment feel even more bizarre.
The members of Team 7 felt a chill run down their spines at the sight of such madness.
Suddenly, the laughter stopped abruptly. Orochimaru lowered his head and looked at Natsuro, saying, "I used to be as confident as you are until I met that man…"
As he spoke, Orochimaru's gaze fell upon Sasuke, saying, "Forget it. After all, I've already achieved my goal this time. With the golden flash successor here, I doubt I'll be able to take him today. However, I believe he will come to find me on his own one day."
"I don't think that's the case, Orochimaru. You really overestimate yourself," Natsuro said with a slight smile, mocking him. "You were just defeated once by someone with a bloodline limit, and you didn't even lose your life. It's a pity for the title of the Sannin."
"Ha ha, one day you'll understand when you reach a point where there's nowhere left to go," Orochimaru replied, unperturbed. He had heard all sorts of words before, and nothing could shake his composure.
As he spoke, Orochimaru slowly began to retreat. Clearly, after successfully planting the curse mark on Sasuke, he didn't want to continue, as it wouldn't be wise to fight a ninja who had the Flying Thunder God technique without a guaranteed way to kill him.
Once Orochimaru left, Team Seven finally breathed a sigh of relief. Sasuke immediately collapsed to the ground, while Sakura continued to help treat him.
"Natsuro, who was that person just now?" Sasuke asked, having learned Orochimaru's name but knowing nothing else about him.
"Orochimaru, a disciple of the Third Hokage," Natsuro replied after a moment's thought, choosing not to hide the information.
"What?!"
Natsuro understood their surprise and continued, "He betrayed Konoha for some reasons and is now a rogue ninja wanted by the village. As for his strength, it should be comparable to that of the current Third Hokage."
At this point, Team Seven was once again shocked, as they believed that the Hokage was the strongest person in the village. So, Orochimaru was nearly as strong as the Hokage?
"So, Naruto, Sasuke, you've done well," Natsuro said, glancing at Sakura. "Sakura, your choice was wise; you just couldn't hold out in the end."
Sasuke's expression eased slightly. If the enemy was at that level, then it was understandable that he couldn't handle it. He wasn't arrogant enough to think he could trade blows with a Hokage-level enemy.
Naruto scratched his chin, pondering, "The Third Hokage... is that old man really that strong?"
Sakura gave a wry smile and added, "It's just that Natsuro gives us such a strong sense of reassurance, so I couldn't help but relax when I saw you…"
"Oh, so it's my fault for not being strong enough?" Natsuro teased.
"Of course not." Sakura realized he was joking and relaxed a little.
"Alright, I'll take over," Natsuro said as he stepped in to help. He placed one hand on Sasuke's neck, and soon, with a hint of envy in Sakura's eyes, the Healing Technique closed the two puncture wounds left by the snake bite.
However, the three black dots remained, showing no sign of disappearing.
Feeling his instinctive disgust, Natsuro sighed inwardly, realizing it was due to the curse mark. He then said, "Follow me; I need to prepare for Sasuke's injury."
"Is it serious?" Both Sakura and Naruto began to worry.
"Hmm, it should be alright, but don't worry; everything will be fine." Natsuro smiled reassuringly before picking up Sasuke.
"I can do it myself…" Sasuke tried to refuse but found he couldn't resist at all.
"Alright, since your body is having issues, you should rely on your teammates more. With me here, you could even take a nap," Natsuro said. He wasn't joking; even if Orochimaru returned, he could just use the Flying Thunder God technique to take Team Seven away.
"Hmm…" Sasuke accepted reality after realizing he couldn't resist. He felt the pain in his neck but didn't feel worried.
Because he believed that Natsuro had a way to solve the problems he was facing.
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