Whoooosh…
A ferocious wind howled, sounding like a typhoon sweeping through. The roar spread across a large portion of the Forest of Death.
In particular, any exam candidates who were close to Team 7 only had time to glance toward the source of the gale before the howling gusts slammed into them.
Those who were mid-leap—hopping from tree to tree—got blown off course, crashing into the towering trunks. Those on the ground suddenly felt as if someone had shoved them from behind, causing them to sprawl onto the forest floor.
Crack…
Boom…
Mixed within the screaming winds were the sharp snaps and thunderous crashes of breaking, collapsing objects. Zoom in closer, and you'd see that the swirling air in one particular area had twisted into something like a whirlpool on the ocean's surface.
Trees towering tall enough to need a dozen people just to circle them were bending under the relentless gusts. Eventually, some of them gave way, snapping at their trunks and slamming to the ground. Clouds of dust billowed up in all directions.
Fortunately, these winds weren't razor-sharp, and the Forest of Death was full of primeval trees—massive and tough beyond belief. Otherwise, the destruction would have been far worse, possibly clearing the entire area into a barren wasteland.
Even so, the scene wasn't any less dramatic than the Wind Release: Air Current Wild Dance unleashed by Temari and her wind team against the Ten-Tails in the Fourth Great Ninja War—maybe it was even stronger.
Once the wind subsided, the part of the forest where Team 7 stood was in total disarray. Naruto's three hundred shadow clones had all vanished, blown away by his own Wind Release.
"Th-this is what the 'dead last' can do?"
Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno, who'd been carried behind a massive tree for cover by the clones, stared out at the wreckage, their eyes trembling in disbelief. Clearly, Sasuke hadn't expected Naruto to have such overwhelming power.
"This is nuts! How is Naruto this strong?!" Sakura gasped, covering her mouth, eyes wide in astonishment.
Because they hadn't fought Zabuza in the Land of Waves in this timeline, Sasuke and Sakura's impressions of Naruto were still stuck on how Kakashi toyed with him in training or how he froze when faced with the Demon Brothers. The only standout thing they ever noticed was that Naruto had a huge chakra reserve and somehow knew the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu.
But never, ever, had they expected he could create such a cataclysmic force of nature. If he was supposed to be the "dead last," then what did that make her, the so-called top student?
Turns out...she was actually the weakest on the team!
"Hahahaha…"
A burst of laughter jarred them from their thoughts. They looked in the direction of the sound to see Naruto, hands on his hips, standing proudly atop a fallen tree.
"See that? That's the real power of yours truly!" he crowed, brimming with confidence. "Doesn't matter if it's Izayoi, Hinata, that stuck-up Sasuke, or even Bushy Brows—none of 'em stand a chance against me!"
"Not a bad combo attack at all. You nearly killed me with it," a voice suddenly whispered in Naruto's ear, abruptly cutting off his laughter.
Before Naruto could turn around or dodge, two serpents shot out like ropes, binding his arms and torso, leaving only his stomach exposed.
Then, a completely unharmed figure slowly emerged from underground, flashing Naruto a playful, mocking smile.
"Damn it, let me go!"
Naruto struggled frantically, his eyes unconsciously shifting into crimson slits.
Orochimaru, recognizing those eyes, gave a cold smile. "So it really is you, kid."
"What's that even mean? Hey, if you've got guts, let me go and fight me fair and square!" Naruto shouted at him.
"Heh…" Orochimaru chuckled. "If you hadn't used that combo jutsu, I might've played along. But for now, just stay quiet."
With that, he lifted Naruto's shirt with one hand, while the other hand's five fingers began to glow with bluish chakra—shaping the characters for Wind, Fire, Water, Earth, and Lightning.
"Let go of Naruto!"
Just then, Sasuke's voice came hurtling closer. A moment later, Sasuke himself appeared out of thin air, launching a kick at Orochimaru.
Unfortunately, he was still a split second too late.
"Five Elements Seal!"
Orochimaru's clawed hand struck Naruto's stomach, even as he raised his other arm to block Sasuke's kick. The blow sent Naruto flying, but Sasuke's kick also sent Orochimaru skidding back.
"Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
Seizing the moment, Sasuke sped through a sequence of hand signs. A spark of flame flew from his lips, expanding into a roaring fire dragon that lunged straight at Orochimaru.
Standing on the ground after being knocked back, Orochimaru peered at Sasuke's two-tomoe Sharingan through the wall of flame, his gaze filled with greed.
For a moment, it was as if he'd traveled back in time to when he spied on Itachi Uchiha's training. Such speed and a two-tomoe Sharingan at this age—this boy was no less impressive than Itachi himself. Orochimaru had to have this body.
Swiftly forming hand seals, Orochimaru invoked: "Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall."
Boom! A thick wall of earth surged upward, blocking the incoming fire dragon. Sasuke, who'd been using Lightning Release to boost his cellular activity and speed (even faster than Rock Lee wearing his weights), decided not to circle around. Instead, he yanked out a kunai, slashed apart the snakes restraining Naruto, and then grabbed him, dashing deeper into the forest.
"Sasuke, where are you taking me?!" shouted Naruto, still riding the adrenaline rush. "Put me down! I'm gonna pummel that snake freak!"
"Idiot, can't you see?" Sasuke hissed. "That massive jutsu of yours didn't so much as scratch him. We're not on the same level at all."
That finally snapped Naruto back to reality. Right… That single combo attack was all he had going for him, and this enemy could just slip underground with Earth Style anytime.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Sasuke was incredibly fast, and if he'd been fleeing alone, Orochimaru might have needed some time to catch up. But he was dragging along someone else. They hadn't even made it out of the devastated area into the deeper forest when Orochimaru's voice echoed right behind them.
They turned and almost had heart attacks. Orochimaru's body moved like a human-serpent hybrid, contorted and sinuous yet cutting through the air at arrow-like speed. His terrifying face and twisted smile would leave nightmares in Sasuke's and Naruto's minds for a long time—assuming they even got out of this alive.
"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Naruto quickly formed a hand seal, wanting to create hundreds of clones again. Too bad his chakra was now in complete disarray, and he could only manage about twenty clones.
Even then, these clones immediately started forming hand seals to try and unleash another Wind Release: Great Breakthrough. Yet just a second later, the result was a sad, tiny gust—like a lone beginner's Fireball when Sasuke first learned the technique.
"W-what the heck?!" Naruto's eyes almost popped out of his head.
"It's that sealing jutsu from earlier!" Sasuke muttered through clenched teeth, more convinced than ever that this enemy was no genin.
Realizing they couldn't even outrun him, Sasuke tossed Naruto aside and rushed Orochimaru, shouting, "Dead last—go find help! I'll buy you some time!"
"No way! I'm not the type to ditch my comrade!"
Once Naruto landed, he jumped straight back up, determined to fight side-by-side with Sasuke.
"Get out of here! We don't have the luxury to play hero right now!" Sasuke barked, tossing ninja tools at Orochimaru to keep him off-balance. "He's way above genin level. With the racket we made just now, the exam proctors must be on high alert. You have to go get help—then we can all make it out alive. If not, you, me, and Sakura…we all die!"
"Well if that's how it is, then I definitely won't abandon you!" Naruto declared, eyes firm. He formed another seal: "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Poof, poof! A few shadow clones appeared around Naruto and then darted off in different directions, presumably to the outskirts of the forest. The real Naruto stayed right where he was, charging Orochimaru.
Little did he know that this loyal move ended up making things worse for Sasuke. With his Sharingan and Lightning-augmented speed, Sasuke could have matched Orochimaru's movements fairly well. But now he had to worry about Naruto at every turn.
Orochimaru caught on quickly and switched tactics—he focused on Naruto instead of Sasuke. Within just a few exchanges, Sasuke found himself lured into a trap: the ground beneath them turned to swamp, trapping their legs. Serpents coiled around them both like ropes, pinning them down.
At that moment, Orochimaru formed some hand seals, stretched his neck out grotesquely, and lunged in to give Sasuke the Curse Mark.
Wham!
Something flickered into existence—a figure landing a direct punch to Orochimaru's face. The impact was so powerful it looked like the punch would sink right into his skull. Orochimaru's head snapped backward like a baseball being swatted by a bat, and his entire body was hurled away.
The one who delivered that blow? None other than Izayoi, who finally arrived on the scene—fashionably late, but with impeccable timing.
~~~
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