The Forest of Death, the setting for the second stage of the Chunin Exams, was a place that tested the genin's nerves and skills. The atmosphere was tense, charged with the promise of danger and the desperation of survival.
However, for Satoru Gojo, who had quietly slipped into the woods to observe, it was a bit... predictable.
"My, my," Gojo muttered to himself, as he watched a team of genin flee from a giant snake. "I thought the 'ninja' exams would be more exciting. Where's the explosion? The charismatic villain? This is a glorified kindergarten!"
Just as he was about to yawn, an anomaly appeared on his radar, something his Six Eyes couldn't ignore. A presence. It wasn't ordinary chakra, but something twisted, dark, and with a malice that reminded him of certain special-grade curses, but with a human undertone. It was like a snake, a very large and very poisonous one.
"Ah, there you are!" Gojo exclaimed, an amused smile appearing on his face. "Finally, something interesting. Are you the villain of the week?"
The figure that materialized before him was tall and slender, with pale skin, slitted amber eyes, and straight, dark hair that fell over her shoulders.
Orochimaru's tongue slipped out of his mouth, whispering, "My, my... Who are you? Your 'eyes' are... unique. I've never felt a presence like yours in this world." His gaze was a mixture of wariness and almost palpable greed.
He felt Gojo's immense power, a power that couldn't be explained by chakra, and that was a treasure.
"I'm Satoru Gojo," the sorcerer replied with an indolent smile. "And you're... a snake fanatic with skin problems? You look like the type who collects doll heads."
Orochimaru was unfazed by the insolence. "My name is Orochimaru. And I'm here to perform a small... test. It seems you're one of those tests I wasn't expecting." His hands moved, and a dense air of chakra gathered, forming a small snake in his palm. "Tell me, what are you?"
"I'm the strongest," Gojo replied, shrugging. "And honestly, your little chakra snake is a bit boring. Don't you have anything bigger? Maybe a dragon?"
Orochimaru let out a hissing laugh, an icy sound that made the hairs on the back of anyone's neck stand up except Gojo. "I see. So, you're arrogant. What if I told you I could take that 'power' of yours away from you? I've always been interested in the uniqueness."
Gojo's eyes, through his glasses, flashed with a dangerous light. The fun was over. "Oh, really? How funny. The last person who tried that ended up getting chewed up." I don't recommend you try something like that."
Orochimaru attacked, extending his neck unnaturally, his mouth open to bite, revealing a sword that materialized at his throat. It was a swift, lethal movement, designed to surprise and decapitate.
But Gojo didn't move. The sword stopped millimeters from his skin, as if striking an invisible, immovable barrier. The distortion in the air around Gojo was barely perceptible, but to Orochimaru, it was an impenetrable wall of pure density.
"Well, well," Gojo said, his tone turning slightly more serious. "So you're one of those. The type who doesn't understand the concept of 'no touching'?" With a flick of his hand, without even looking, Orochimaru's sword swerved, the Sannin's neck twisted unnaturally, and he was thrown backward with an invisible force that slammed him into a tree with a thud.
Orochimaru stood up, wiping a trickle of blood from the corner of his lips. His eyes narrowed. "Interesting... very interesting. Your technique... isn't chakra." His normally cool expression now showed a mixture of astonishment and a renewed, and even more dangerous, obsession.
"It's Infinity," Gojo corrected, with a predatory grin. "And what just happened is just a small sample of what I can do. Want to see the rest? I assure you, you won't like it."
Orochimaru composed himself, his mind already racing. This individual was an enigma, a power that surpassed anything he'd ever encountered. It couldn't be absorbed, couldn't be replicated, not with his current methods.
"Perhaps another time," Orochimaru said, his voice no longer as confident as before. He had encountered a fascinating new experiment, one that required deeper investigation and, perhaps, a different strategy. "Konoha has a new... guardian."
With a hiss, Orochimaru dissolved into a swarm of snakes, disappearing into the trees. Gojo watched him go, one eyebrow raised.
"Coward," he muttered. Then his eyes flicked to the shop's interface.
[Summoning Technique Scroll: Little Toad (500 XP)]
[Unlimited Chakra Potion (Unavailable!)]
[Orochimaru's Genome Fragment (Only 1 in Stock! 10,000 XP)]
"Hmm, snake genome?" Gojo thought. "Interesting. Maybe for a rainy day." With a shrug, he decided the fun had been short-lived. "Well, at least I got some action. Now, where's my dimensional ramen?"
As Gojo resumed his role as observer, the Forest of Death had just witnessed a clash of titans, an encounter that neither Orochimaru nor Satoru Gojo would forget, and one that would change the course of events in Konoha in ways no one could have foreseen.