In the forest, Orochimaru, having leapt back several meters, stared at the uninvited guest with a grave expression.
He was currently feeling a mix of confusion, bewilderment, and shock.
He was confused about how this person had appeared. He had no idea when he had arrived at his side.
Given his own level of power, no one should have been able to sneak up on him so silently.
Even the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, who had mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique, needed to place a formula on him or an object nearby before he could appear instantly at his side.
But Orochimaru could clearly sense that no such formula existed in the vicinity.
He was shocked by the newcomer's strength.
Catching the Sword of Kusanagi with two fingers so effortlessly, the gentle flick that made him lose control of the blade, and the immense power that had forced his snakes to release their grip in agony—all of these proved that this person's strength was extraordinary!
"Who are you?!"
Orochimaru asked slowly, staring at the stranger with the spiky hair and orange outfit.
This man wore no forehead protector, and his attire was unlike that of a ninja, making it impossible to guess his identity.
However, there was one thing Orochimaru was certain of: just like himself, this man was definitely not a candidate taking the Chunin Exams!
Hearing the question, the man answered without hesitation, "My name is Son Goku!"
He then leaned his head forward, looking at Orochimaru with the curiosity of a child.
"Are you a human or a snake? How can your head spin around like that? And why is there a sword in your mouth? Doesn't it choke you? How do you eat?"
??
This barrage of questions nearly short-circuited Orochimaru's brain.
Fortunately, he was a man who had seen much of the world. He recovered instantly, ignoring the questions and looking at Goku with a low chuckle.
"Hehe, so you are Son Goku. I've heard a lot about you."
"Huh? You know me? But I don't know you," Goku said, scratching his cheek.
"My name is Orochimaru. Now you know me," Orochimaru said, licking his lips.
Without waiting for Goku to reply, he asked sinisterly, "So, Son Goku, what is your purpose here? Are you here to protect those three little ones?"
Upon realising the identity of the person before him, he immediately concluded that Goku was here to protect Naruto's team. Otherwise, why would the timing be so perfect?
"Ah, I guess you could say that." Hearing the question, Goku remembered why he had come, and his expression turned serious.
"You're not here to take the exam, right? I can sense that your power far exceeds everyone else in here."
"Hehe, and so what?" Orochimaru narrowed his eyes.
"I don't mind if you fight Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. But right now, their strength is still far below yours."
"How about you wait until they get a little stronger before you fight them?" Goku said with complete sincerity.
He had sensed the situation as soon as the battle between Naruto's team and Orochimaru began.
He knew that the three of them were likely no match for Orochimaru.
However, he had been in the middle of eating, and he figured they wouldn't be in immediate danger, so he decided to let them fight for a bit and test their skills.
As he ate, he monitored the situation. He noticed that Naruto's team's ki was steadily dropping, while Orochimaru's remained largely unchanged.
So, after finishing his meal, he used the moment when Orochimaru distanced himself from the genin to teleport over, intending to quietly "persuade" Orochimaru to leave.
He did this because he didn't want Naruto and the others to become dependent on him, developing a habit of expecting him to intervene whenever they faced a strong enemy.
"Hehehe, so you intend to use me as a whetstone for them," Orochimaru said, a flicker of anger rising in his heart.
He was one of the legendary Sannin of Konoha, a powerhouse renowned throughout the shinobi world.
To think that one day, someone would try to use him as a mere stepping stone for training!
"And what if I refuse?" he asked, his voice dripping with malice.
Whoosh~
A gentle breeze had been blowing through the clearing, but as soon as these words were spoken, the wind vanished, as if frozen by the sudden tension in the air.
But a moment later, the breeze returned, and the tension broke.
"Is that so? That's going to be a bit of a problem, hahaha!"
After staring at Orochimaru for a moment, Goku suddenly scratched his head and laughed, looking a bit troubled.
"..."
'What a strange man,' Orochimaru thought, sweating internally at the sight.
A gleam flashed in his eyes. "Hehe, very well. I have other business to attend to today. But next time, I won't let them off so easily."
Although Goku appeared simple-minded, Orochimaru didn't believe for a second that he would stand idly by if he continued to attack Naruto's team.
This was evident from the fact that Goku had come here specifically to stop him.
But more importantly, Goku's mysterious appearance and the formidable strength he had revealed in that brief exchange made Orochimaru wary!
Faced with a powerful opponent about whom he knew nothing, the cautious Orochimaru would not act rashly.
He decided that as soon as he left the Forest of Death, he would find Danzo and get detailed information on Son Goku. Otherwise, he would not be able to rest easy!
And so, after speaking his piece, he didn't wait for Goku's reply and quickly retreated.
"He left?"
Sensing Orochimaru's ki moving rapidly away from Naruto's team, Goku crossed his arms and smiled.
That saved him much trouble.
Although he would have liked to spar with this half-man, half-snake creature, Orochimaru was, after all, targeting Naruto and the others. It was better to leave him for them to deal with.
"Hmm... Naruto and the others are coming. I'd better get going."
Swoosh!!
In the blink of an eye, his figure vanished from the spot.
A few seconds later, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura arrived at the scene, looking at the traces around them with confusion.
"So... was someone fighting Orochimaru just now?" Sakura asked uncertainly, looking at a hole in a nearby tree that looked like a sharp weapon had pierced it.
"That's probably right. There are traces of two people here," Sasuke confirmed, looking at two shallow footprints on the ground.
After dodging Orochimaru's sudden attack earlier, they had quickly formulated a plan.
They intended to use the Solar Flare to blind him when he attacked again, and then deliver a fatal blow.
To this end, Naruto, who was most familiar with the Solar Flare, had begun gathering ki at his forehead in advance, ready to blind Orochimaru at a moment's notice.
While waiting, they had heard a commotion in the forest and assumed it was another diversion from Orochimaru.
They became even more vigilant, but also more excited, believing that this time they could show him what they were made of.
But to their surprise, they waited and waited, but Orochimaru never attacked.
Furthermore, the sense of unease they had felt suddenly vanished, leading them to suspect that Orochimaru might have left.
After agreeing on a course of action, they rushed to the source of the commotion.
They reasoned that if Orochimaru had really left, something must have happened, and that this place likely held the clue.