Naruto carefully tucked away the summoning scroll he had swindled from Orochimaru. 'Ryuchi Cave contract, secured,' he thought with a flicker of satisfaction.
He had no real interest in the summon beasts from the three great sage lands, the scroll was something he'd prepared specifically for Sasuke. That said, he was deeply curious about the Sage Mode those places offered. He wanted to explore whether there was any link between it and ki. A vague hunch told him that cracking this mystery could push his strength to an entirely new height.
--**--**
At the site of the first exam, just as Ibiki Morino announced its end, a figure crashed through the window. "I'm the head proctor for the second exam, Anko Mitarashi," she declared, her astonishing presence intimidating every student in the hall. "Now, the rest of you, follow me."
Back then, Anko carried herself with a sharp, stylish edge that made it hard to picture her someday becoming chubby aunty.
"Forty teams?" Anko scoffed, clearly unimpressed. "Ibiki, you went way too easy on them."
Given the unusual number of villages participating in this year's Chunin Exams, the roster was several times its normal size. Even Ibiki's psychological test during the tenth question hadn't thinned the herd as much as she'd expected.
"They're a promising group," Ibiki said, his gaze sweeping over the remaining examinees.
"Whatever," Anko muttered. "I'll be failing at least half of them anyway."
--**--**
The second exam took place in Konoha Training Ground 44, better known as the Forest of Death. It was one of the few spots in the ninja world that had kept its raw, untouched ecosystem alive. Towering ancient trees, some over a thousand years old, dominated the landscape, and the undergrowth teemed with giant insects, venomous snakes and savage beasts. For most people, stepping inside was a death sentence, let alone trying to cross it.
But for Naruto and his team, who occasionally used it for their own unsanctioned training, the forest felt more like a backyard than a deathtrap. If they headed straight for the central tower, they could probably make it in under an hour.
The exam itself was a simple scroll-snatching battle. Each team had to acquire a scroll from an opposing team and reach the tower within five days to pass.
As soon as they stepped into the Forest of Death, Naruto turned to Sasuke. He'd already swapped back from his shadow clone to his real body.
"Sasuke, I've lined up another solid opponent for you. This one's seriously tough, especially for where you're at right now."
Sasuke stopped in his tracks at that. "Stronger than Kakashi-sensei?"
Naruto nodded. "Definitely. He's one of the Sannin, Orochimaru. An S-rank missing-nin, right up there with Itachi... though Itachi did beat him once."
Whether Orochimaru had some hidden ace up his sleeve or not, a defeat was still a defeat. And that loss had come at the hands of a fourteen-year-old Itachi.
The mention of Itachi's name hit Sasuke like a spark. His eyes flushed red in an instant. He gave a solemn nod. "Got it."
"If you put on a good show and impress me, I'll hook you up with a solid reward."
The reward in question: that Ryuchi Cave Summoning Scroll. Whatever Orochimaru thought of Sasuke's new summon beast was his problem, none of Naruto's business. 'This was all Danzo-sama's design, Danzo-sama's plan through and through. Danzo-sama knew best. Hahaha! It is fun acting like a fanatic.'
And if Sasuke could pick up Sage Mode in the process? Sage Sasuke... Sage Susanoo? The possiblity alone was enough to make Naruto grin.
"What about me? Don't forget me!" Sakura waved her arms, calling out eagerly.
"You're on healing duty for Sasuke afterward," Naruto said flatly.
"Leave that to me!" Sakura's face lit up at the chance to stay close to him. She thumped her chest with real enthusiasm, *thump, thump*, and Naruto's eyelids twitched as he watched, half-worried she'd flatten what little she had there.
"Afterward?" A beat later, Sakura's excitement stalled. She froze in place.
Naruto stopped, his gaze fixed on the tangled roots of an ancient tree. "The enemy's already here." He raised his voice. "You've been following us for a while. You can come out now, no need to hide anymore."
A figure slowly emerged from the ground, a hoarse, rasping voice filled with amusement. "Not bad... not bad at all. To think you could sense me." Orochimaru sized them up. "Much better than the other trash."
Sasuke glanced at Naruto, a silent question in his eyes.
Naruto gave a slight nod. 'That's him.'
*Poof.*
Sasuke produced a scroll from his pouch while drawing a tachi with his other hand.
"Fufufu..." Orochimaru hung back, watching Sasuke with patient amusement. He produced the Earth Scroll, then extended his unnaturally long tongue to coil around it, swallowing the thing down in a slow, repulsive display. "If you want this scroll, you'll have to take it from me."
Staring at Orochimaru, Naruto couldn't help but think that, when it came to sheer creep factor, the Orochimaru was on his own league.
A cold, bloodthirsty killing intent washed over them, so immense that birds burst from the trees in a panic. It made Zabuza's aura feel like a flickering candle against the moon.
This was Orochimaru's specialty: crushing an opponent's will with pure killing intent, a genjutsu woven from fear itself. He watched Sasuke's body tremble, and a flicker of disappointment crossed his mind. 'Even as brothers, he is nothing like Itachi...'
But as the thought formed, something in Sasuke snapped, as if sensing being compared to Itachi. The trembling stopped, and a fierce, aggressive chakra erupted from him. His eyes, now spinning with three tomoe, locked onto Orochimaru.
"Don't you dare," Sasuke snarled, "even think his name."
"Dance of the Crescent Moon!"
He moved instantly, using his most polished Konoha-style swordsmanship. He split into three figures, slashing at Orochimaru from different angles with speed and power that far surpassed his fight with Zabuza.
'The three-tomoe Sharingan,' Orochimaru thought, licking his lips with excitement. 'This body... I must have it. The technique is impressive, but against me... it's not enough.'
The three blades struck home, but Orochimaru's body dissolved into a pool of mud. A moment later, the real one emerged from a nearby tree trunk. It was his one of his signature trick: the Earth Clone Substitution.
"Impressive jutsu," Orochimaru said, praising it openly. He didn't rush to strike, more like a snake savoring the hunt.
Sasuke wasn't one to wait around. He flickered using Body Flicker, closing the gap in a blink, and brought his tachi down in a vicious arc. His legs followed through with a crushing kick.
Sasuke's growth had been explosive since graduation, he was leagues stronger now.
Among all shinobi categories, genjutsu and taijutsu was Orochimaru's weak spot due to his Living Corpse Reincarnation Jutsu, as this wasn't his body, it would take years to be able to build it up. But he'd countered that with his own Orochimaru-style Soft Physique Modification, letting his body flow and bend to shrug off blows. Sasuke's taijutsu hit hard, but it barely left a mark.
If close combat wouldn't stick, Sasuke switched gears to ninjutsu.
"Chidori!"
A storm of electricity erupted from Sasuke's right hand, filling the air with the sound of a thousand chirping birds.
'Kakashi's jutsu,' Orochimaru noted. 'Too slow.'
The strike landed square, only for Orochimaru's form to melt into mud once more. Another Earth Clone Substitution.
The real Orochimaru's upper body emerged from a tree trunk nearby.
Sasuke didn't flinch at the miss, he'd seen it coming.
He pulled back his hand and thrust two fingers forward.
"Chidori Sharp Spear!"
A beam of pure lightning, thick as a wrist, shot out and pinned Orochimaru to the tree trunk. Blue electricity crackled around the wound, paralyzing him.
"With the Sharingan," Sasuke said, his voice cold and steady, "your tricks are useless."
A blue arc of lightning coursed along the beam, locking Orochimaru's body in paralysis against the tree. Lightning overpowered earth, the Chidori Sharp Spear sealed off any chance for another substitution.
"Fufufu... Sasuke-kun, you truly are magnificent." Orochimaru pinned in place showed no fear, just a hungry stare fixed on Sasuke as the lightning coursed through him.
'Sasuke has improved a lot,' Naruto thought, nodding in approval.
That's when Kurama's voice boomed from within the sealed space.
'Hey, brat, get over here!' Kurama yelled from within the seal. 'Something's off with the tailed kid.'
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