"Izanami!!"
The sudden appearance of Izanami brought visible relief to both Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto, their expressions lighting up as if they had just been saved by a guardian angel. Especially Sasuke—he felt a strange sense of security just from her presence.
"I didn't expect you two to be this unlucky," Izanami said, her voice calm but slightly amused, "to be targeted by that guy."
She effortlessly pulled Naruto and Sasuke from the swamp, lifting them each with one hand, and tossed them safely back onto solid ground.
Wasting no time, Sasuke seized the opportunity and quickly asked, "Izanami, do you know who that is?"
"I didn't know before," she replied, her eyes fixed on their attacker. "But the moment I sensed his chakra, I realized it was far beyond what any Genin should have."
Her gaze sharpened as Orochimaru's head reformed and his body slowly rose. She narrowed her eyes. "Now it's obvious. One of the legendary Sannin. An S-rank missing-nin from Konoha—Orochimaru."
Sasuke's pupils shrank. "It's actually him...!"
A historical figure—legendary and terrifying. Why would he appear here, in the middle of the Chūnin Exams?
"I don't know why he's here, but clearly, he's targeting you," Izanami reasoned. "There's something about you that he wants."
"The Sharingan..." Sasuke muttered, his expression hardening. "It must be for the Sharingan."
He turned to Izanami. "What do we do now?"
The hidden message was clear: I'll follow your lead. Fight or flee?
"Escaping from someone of his level isn't easy. Our best option is to stall him until reinforcements arrive," she answered, smiling faintly at Sasuke. "Do you still have strength left to fight?"
"Of course." Sasuke smirked.
"This bigshot can also fight!" Naruto interjected, puffing his chest in defiance.
Izanami grinned. "In that case, let's see for ourselves—how powerful a legendary ninja really is."
"Heh heh..."
Orochimaru, observing them closely, gave a soft chuckle. "I didn't expect to find such a promising talent among this generation—not just the Uchiha brat and that loudmouth. Konoha truly breeds geniuses."
"But," his tone turned colder, "I don't have time to play your childish ninja games."
Without another word, he activated the Snake Stream Body Replacement Technique, launching himself toward the trio. His mission was urgent—he had to implant the Cursed Seal of Heaven on Sasuke before backup arrived.
But Orochimaru underestimated them—especially Izanami.
Just as he lunged forward, Izanami vanished.
She reappeared instantly in front of him, as though teleporting. A kunai crackled with electricity in her hand, and she aimed straight for Orochimaru's head.
His eyes widened—her movement was eerily familiar, but faster than Sasuke's.
Quickly reacting, Orochimaru opened his mouth and launched a sword-like tongue blade, snapping the kunai and aiming to pierce Izanami's neck.
But before he could land the strike, Izanami disappeared again.
Suddenly, Sasuke appeared in the air above him.
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
A massive flaming dragon burst from Sasuke's mouth, an advanced form of the fire style technique Izanami had trained him in—far superior to the usual Great Fireball.
Orochimaru didn't even attempt to dodge.
The fire dragon swallowed him whole—only for his body to melt into liquid.
"An Earth Release: Earth Substitute..." Sasuke muttered, landing with caution, eyes spinning with the Sharingan, watching the ground, expecting Orochimaru to re-emerge.
Whoosh—
A gust of wind, then a giant python exploded from behind a tree, mouth wide open, aiming to devour Sasuke.
But Sasuke didn't flinch. His body vanished, reappearing beneath the snake.
With a precise kick, he slammed the python's mouth shut.
His smirk faded instantly.
From the python's abdomen, Orochimaru burst out, his hand morphing into dozens of snakes.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Caught mid-movement, Sasuke was defenseless. The technique was too fast. The snakes surged toward him, about to bind him.
That's when he heard that voice again—one that gave him confidence.
"Wind Release: Wind Cutter Technique!"
Invisible wind blades slashed through the air.
Izanami's attack not only sliced the snakes apart but cleaved the python in two.
"You again, you brat!" Orochimaru growled.
He was getting irritated. This child had interfered again.
As he prepared to retaliate, something unexpected happened.
Izanami pulled his hand back into his sleeve, then spat out a sudden burst of flame, engulfing Orochimaru before he could use any escape technique.
"Arghhh—!!"
The flames consumed him, his screech echoing through the trees.
Not missing a beat, Izanami leapt high into the air.
"Sasuke, fall back!"
Sasuke obeyed immediately, teleporting to Naruto's side, who was still stunned by everything he'd witnessed.
Before Sasuke could speak, Izanami's voice echoed once more.
"Gaia Energy Cannon!"
They turned just in time to see a massive, high-speed spinning energy ball form between Izanami's hands. It shimmered blue on the outside and white on the inside.
Then—the white core turned orange-red, and the entire ball became a burning fireball.
While it looked similar in size to the Great Fireball, the energy packed within was many times more powerful.
With a mighty roar, Izanami hurled the ball straight down.
BOOM————!!
The explosion shook the entire Forest of Death.
From miles away, Special Jonin, Jonin, and even the ANBU, saw a massive fire tornado erupt into the sky, towering above the trees.
"A terrifying Fire Release! Is that... Wind-enhanced Ninjutsu?" one elite Jonin exclaimed.
Even those familiar with multi-nature transformations were stunned.
"First a massive Wind Release... then a Fire Release of this scale—wait..." one ninja whispered. "Is someone fighting Orochimaru?"
The thought chilled them.
If someone could fight Orochimaru to a standstill... or even wound him—
Then this year's Chūnin Exams had birthed a monster.
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