Sakura stared in fear at Sasuke Uchiha, who radiated eerie chakra. Exhausted from the long night's effort, Sakura was abruptly awakened by a chilling presence right beside her. Initially thinking it was an intruder, she was shocked to discover that the source was none other than the still unconscious Sasuke Uchiha moving. The area where Orochimaru had bitten Sasuke began spreading strange, cloud-like markings across his body, while visible waves of dark purple chakra poured out from him, emitting a growing sense of dread.
Unnoticed by Sakura in the corner, the surrounding seal array began to activate. The air thickened with Sasuke's chakra, which slowly got absorbed away.
Gradually, however, the barrier's isolation effect started faltering. Considering Sakura's skill level, setting up a usable barrier was already extremely rare. But the power of the cursed seal was simply too terrifying—Sasuke's surge of chakra far exceeded what the seal array could handle. As the seal struggled under pressure, some chakra trickled out in small amounts, meaning it was only a matter of time before others detected it.
As dawn broke the next day, Konoha's Team Inuzuka—comprising Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, and Hinata Hyuga—set off early and smoothly reached the heart of the Forest of Death. All three members of this squad excelled in scouting and enemy tracking, and their combat abilities were no slouch either, making them a well-rounded team capable of both ranged and close combat. Having gathered their scrolls quickly, it wasn't surprising that they arrived early at their destination—but even they weren't the fastest, as a Sand ninja team had beaten them there. For now, they would need to tread carefully while sharing space with these frightening opponents.
Another team, which included a member possessing the Byakugan—Neji Hyuga—was led by Might Guy, a Jonin instructor. Setting aside Jinchuriki and extremely dangerous individuals like Orochimaru, Team Guy—consisting of Neji Hyuga, Tenten, and Rock Lee—represented the strongest force currently in the Forest of Death without question. Given their strength, the three together could dominate every other team—including Kabuto Yakushi's spy group. The reason so many competitors hadn't yet been eliminated was due solely to Hyuga Neji's refusal to fight against those he considered weak.
While traveling forward, suddenly a powerful battle fluctuation erupted ahead. Judging from its intensity, the fighters couldn't have been weak. Immediately increasing their pace, the team arrived only to find the clash long over—aside from the battered Ino–Shika–Cho trio, no one else was left at the scene.
Nara Shikamaru regained consciousness first. Coming from a family running Konoha's largest medicinal herb business, Shikamaru pulled out a secret family remedy and applied it to himself, Choji, and Ino. Choji's tough physique made him the least injured; after slight recovery, he casually munched snacks like nothing had happened. Shikamaru also seemed okay—he had dodged much of the damage through quick reflexes. The most severe case was Ino, whose external wounds were minor but suffered serious internal injuries likely affecting her combat effectiveness for quite some time. Fortunately, since Yamanaka clan specialists rarely engaged in direct frontline combat, her mental techniques remained largely unaffected.
While the three recovered, they saw Neji Hyuga's trio approach.
"Today's really been a lousy day," Shikamaru muttered, doubting his own luck. "If things keep going like this, maybe we should just hand over our scroll."
Choji Akimichi and Ino Yamanaka could only nod silently — they knew too well what it meant to be outmatched.
"You there," Neji Hyuga called down from his perch on a tree branch, "who were you fighting earlier?"
"The three Otogakure ninja," Shikamaru answered. Despite having the best mind among them, even if he lacked motivation, he had naturally become the leader of the Ino–Shika–Cho trio.
"Which direction did they go?"
"This way." Shikamaru pointed.
"Let's move out." Neji turned to leave.
"Aren't we taking their scroll?" Tenten's question made the three below tense up.
"Hardly worth the effort of beating up weaklings like them," Neji said with disdain as he continued walking, "especially when they're from our own village. We'd lose face otherwise. You should understand one thing," he added, looking back at them, "newcomers need to know their place. If you can't handle it, you'd better withdraw now. Struggling on like this will only bring shame to the village."
With that, Neji led Rock Lee and Tenten away, leaving behind the thoroughly humiliated Ino–Shika–Cho trio.
Choji munched on his snacks and muttered, "Shikamaru, even though what he said was true, why does it still feel so bad?"
"Because we got looked down on," Shikamaru replied. "Though he has the right to be proud as last year's top student, we aren't as terrible as he made us sound. We'll still get our chance."
"This must be the place," Sakon declared loudly, having finally found the correct location. "Talk about failing to see what's right under your nose! It was this close to us all along, and we've even passed by several times."
"Stop whining," Dosu told him. "Who would've guessed someone here could set up a small barrier? It's practically unthinkable for genin. Our oversight wasn't unreasonable. If it weren't for them apparently having some kind of problem themselves, we never would've imagined they were hiding right here."
"Let's just finish this mission already so we can return early," Kunoichi Kin had been eager to complete the mission quickly. "Maybe we'll even earn Lord Orochimaru's praise."
Meanwhile, Sakura Haruno remained consumed by worry over Sasuke Uchiha. The cursed seals had now spread across his entire body, but after exhausting its violent fluctuations, his chakra had gradually stabilized. The seal array operated more smoothly, and much of the eerie, sinister energy had dissipated. But Sakura mistakenly believed this was natural dissipation. Her full attention focused on Sasuke, she completely missed everything else — even the arrival of uninvited guests outside.
A tremendous crash suddenly shattered the silence. A massive shockwave rolled through, obliterating outer traps before striking the barrier. Where nothing seemed to exist before, glowing ripples of a barrier now shimmered.
"There it is," Sakon declared satisfaction. "No more hiding for that little rat. Come out quietly and die."
[Decapitating Airwaves]
Then another Decapitating Airwave was unleashed. The already strained barrier shattered with a loud boom, revealing inside: Sakura Haruno, and unconscious Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha.
Looking at the three Otogakure ninjas outside, Sakura Haruno felt her heart sink. She knew she stood no chance of stopping them in a direct fight—the powerful Ninjutsu they had used to shatter the barrier made that perfectly clear. Still, glancing back at Sasuke and Naruto standing protectively behind her, she sighed inwardly.
"Sometimes... you just can't run away from things."
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