"Like a devil straight from hell…"
Inuzuka Kiba stood frozen in place, watching the trio from the Hidden Sand Village calmly take the parchment and disappear into the depths of the forest.
Only after they were completely gone did he realize that his entire body was trembling.
His heart was pounding violently, his face drained of color.
Akamaru, clutched tightly in his arms, whimpered in fear, his small body shaking nonstop. The usually fearless ninja hound didn't even dare poke his head out.
Sakura Haruno wasn't doing much better.
Her breathing was uneven, her hands clenched tightly into fists.
"We… we need to change direction immediately," Sakura said, her voice shaking. "We absolutely cannot run into them again."
"We agreed," Kiba replied hoarsely.
That team from the Sand… they were monsters.
Elsewhere – Forest of Death
Meanwhile, Team 10—Ino–Shika–Cho—had encountered Team Guy.
At first, Ino Yamanaka attempted to resolve the situation peacefully.
With a confident smile, she tried to use what she believed to be her greatest weapon—"seduction"—to convince Hyuga Neji to release them.
Unfortunately for her…
Neji Hyuga showed absolutely no interest.
He looked at her coldly, as though staring at an insignificant insect.
"Get lost," he said flatly.
Then he turned around and walked away without a second glance.
The three members of Team 10 stood there, stunned.
After several seconds passed, they finally released the breath they had been holding.
"That guy is seriously unromantic!" Ino snapped angrily.
"But hey, at least we survived," Shikamaru said lazily, stretching his arms. "Now all we need to do is find a weaker team."
Choji paused mid-bite, potato chips crumbling between his fingers.
"A weaker team… than us?" he muttered.
"…Does something like that even exist?"
"..."
Shikamaru yawned.
Battles continued erupting throughout the Forest of Death.
Team 7 – A Brief Opportunity
Eventually, Team 7 encountered another Hidden Sand Village team.
This time, however, the fight was short.
The opposing team was swiftly defeated, completely overwhelmed by Team 7's coordination and strength. With no choice left, they surrendered their scrolls.
Yes—
It was the Heaven Scroll.
Naruto Uzumaki nearly jumped for joy.
"Yes! We did it!" he shouted. "Mission accomplished!"
"Now we just need to reach the central tower as fast as possible," Sasuke added.
Hinata Hyuga nodded.
"Yes… but we still need to stay cautious, Naruto-kun."
Suddenly, Sasuke's expression changed dramatically.
"Enemy!"
Hinata's Byakugan was too draining to keep active constantly, so Sasuke had taken on the role of detection using his Sharingan.
Before he could say anything more—
The ground began to shake.
The forest trembled violently.
Naruto's eyes widened.
"What the hell is that?!"
"How could something cause this much noise?!"
Crunch—
Crunch—!
The deafening sound of trees snapping echoed endlessly.
Then—
A massive python burst from the forest, its colossal body smashing through trees as it lunged straight toward Team 7!
"It's huge—huge!" Naruto cried instinctively.
Hinata frowned deeply.
"Even in the Forest of Death… there shouldn't be a snake this large."
"What… is it?"
"Now's not the time to panic!" Sasuke shouted. "Move!"
"Okay, my love!" Naruto replied without thinking.
Even elite jonin would struggle against a creature of this size.
In the original timeline, during the Konoha Crush, Morino Ibiki and several Anbu had barely managed to hold off one of Orochimaru's summoned serpents—until Jiraiya arrived.
Facing such a monster head-on made even Team 7 feel a chill crawl up their spines.
But—
They didn't run.
They didn't freeze.
The massive python surged forward like a living mountain, shaking the sky and earth with every movement!
Hinata moved first.
Her palms struck out rapidly, unleashing the Guardian Gentle Fist—Eight Trigrams Palm in a flurry of precise blows, disrupting the flow of chakra through the snake's body and weakening its attack.
Naruto followed immediately.
He erupted with chakra.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A violent storm burst forth, tearing through the forest. The earth shook, rocks and debris flew wildly, and the massive wind pressure forced the giant snake to halt its charge and retreat several steps.
Seeing the opening, Sasuke acted without hesitation.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
The wind intensified the flames.
Fire, fueled by wind, engulfed the giant snake's enormous body in an instant.
Dry leaves, bushes, and fallen branches ignited immediately, turning the battlefield into a raging inferno.
The snake hissed in agony, its massive tongue flicking wildly as it screamed.
Its enormous body writhed, crushing trees and cracking the ground beneath it.
But—
It didn't die.
Even while burning, it continued advancing.
ROAR!!!
Its head slammed downward like a runaway train!
"Damn it!"
"Hit it with everything we've got!"
"Leaf Great Whirlwind!"
"Guardian Gentle Fist—Eight Trigrams Palm!"
"Leaf Great Whirlwind!"
With their combined assault, a thunderous explosion erupted!
The terrifying backlash finally stopped the giant snake's charge, sending it crashing to the ground, stunned and unable to move.
Naruto dropped to one knee, gasping.
Then suddenly—
"Wait! Sasuke!" Naruto shouted. "How did you just use Leaf Great Whirlwind?!"
Sasuke responded calmly, a hint of pride in his eyes.
"I already copied your taijutsu with my Sharingan."
Naruto froze.
"You— you bastard!" he yelled. "Isn't that cheating?!"
"This is the power of the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan," Sasuke replied arrogantly.
"If you're unhappy, then regret being born without it."
Naruto clenched his teeth.
The taijutsu technique he had worked so hard to master had been stolen just like that.
Thankfully, it was only taijutsu.
Even if Sasuke tried to copy his Shadow Clone or Wind Release jutsu, he wouldn't have the chakra capacity to use them properly.
"Sharingan, huh…" Naruto muttered.
"Kakashi-sensei has it too… no wonder they call him the Copy Ninja."
Just then—
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Clear applause echoed through the forest.
All three members of Team 7 stiffened and looked up.
A tall, strangely-faced man stood on a high branch, smiling down at them with a chilling expression.
"When did he get there?!" Sasuke's heart sank.
His Sharingan hadn't detected him at all.
This had never happened before.
Cold sweat soaked through his clothes.
"Naruto… Hinata…" Sasuke whispered.
"That man… is extremely dangerous."
They already knew.
His twisted facial features, eerie smile, and overwhelming presence crushed their spirits.
Most terrifying of all were his long, vertical pupils—just like a giant snake's.
"So this is the visual power of the Uchiha's Sharingan…" the man murmured.
"Truly… fascinating."
He stopped clapping.
His long tongue slid out, licking the corner of his mouth.
The greed and desire in his eyes resembled that of a serpent that had finally found its most cherished prey.
Under his gaze, Sasuke felt an aura more terrifying than death itself.
Boom—
Killing intent exploded outward.
It was so dense, so oppressive, that it nearly shattered their minds.
Sasuke froze completely.
His body trembled uncontrollably.
His will to fight vanished.
"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted.
Naruto instantly hurled a barrage of shuriken upward.
But the man casually dodged, his body bending unnaturally.
Then—
His form elongated.
His body coiled down the tree trunk like a massive snake before landing on the ground.
The snake-like body shuddered, then reshaped into human legs.
The tongue flicked again.
Those vertical pupils never left Sasuke.
Naruto finally recognized him.
He was the man who had helped Anko Mitarashi pick up her kunai earlier.
But now—
He was infinitely more terrifying.
The man stared at Sasuke as though trying to devour him with his eyes.
"Sasuke…" he whispered hoarsely. "You are mine."
Naruto exploded in rage.
"You bastard!" he shouted. "You disgusting snake monster! Don't you dare touch my teammate!"
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Bang—!
Bang bang bang—!!!
Hundreds—no, thousands—of shadow clones burst forth in clouds of white smoke, filling the forest floor and tree trunks.
They completely surrounded the serpent-like man.
No escape.
The man blinked.
Then—
He smiled in delight.
"Oh?" he said softly. "So you can do that too…"
"Nine-Tails brat…"
"What terrifying growth."
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)