[Boom!!!]
The ten-meter-long serpent was slammed to the ground by a Rasengan, grinding into the dirt with an earth-shaking impact.
Its head exploded into a bloody mess in the blink of an eye!
Blood sprayed everywhere, splattering across the cheek of the black-clothed boy standing in front of it.
A breeze blew by, stirring his golden hair, which danced elegantly in the wind.
"Naruto!!"
From above, a Rasengan dropped like a comet—
It was Uzumaki Naruto, who had returned just in time to save little Sakura!
He had left a portion of the Nine-Tails' chakra in his clone precisely for this reason—
To ensure the Nine-Tails could keep him updated and alert at all times.
After all, he understood one crucial rule:
If even one of his team members died, the entire exam would be deemed a failure!
Uchiha Obito, watching the Rasengan smash downward from above, visibly twitched.
Uchiha Obito: "Hmph! The Rasengan... what a trashy jutsu!"
But his voice shook ever so slightly.
Old trauma, perhaps?
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed.
"You... you brat... you shouldn't be here…"
Staring at Naruto, who now stood in front of him, Orochimaru instantly realized—
The two ninjas he had brought must have been killed!
Naruto smiled faintly, offering no denial.
In truth, it hadn't even been him—
The clone had effortlessly handled them both.
"Hey Naruto, be careful. That guy is Orochimaru—one of the legendary Sannin."
The voice of the Nine-Tails echoed in Naruto's mind.
Being an ancient entity, the Nine-Tails had, of course, heard of Orochimaru.
Naruto nodded calmly.
So this guy—this creep in front of him—
Was the legendary Orochimaru, who kept switching between dressing like a woman and a man...
No wonder the rumors called him a pervert. They were spot-on!
"Naruto, want me to lend you some power?"
The Nine-Tails offered lazily.
Naruto replied firmly, "No need for now, Big Fox. I want to test the limits of my current strength."
"Orochimaru is a Sannin... the perfect opponent to see how far I've come."
The Nine-Tails yawned.
This kid seemed confident.
Well, it's just Orochimaru, after all.
Orochimaru tilted his head. "Oh? So you're not planning to run away with your teammates?"
Contrary to Orochimaru's expectation, Naruto wasn't retreating.
Instead, he was preparing for a fight. With him.
---
Hatake Kakashi: "Can Naruto really hold his own against Orochimaru, one of the Sannin?"
Terumi Mei: "I'm worried for little Naruto... but it's admirable that he dares to challenge a Sannin at his age."
Orochimaru: "You can't seriously think this brat is a match for me."
Sarutobi Hiruzen: "Come now, Orochimaru. I do trust you—
but seriously, attacking Genin? That's a new low."
Orochimaru: "Oh, Master Hiruzen, so fierce today! Did I hit a nerve when I slithered around your neck earlier?"
Sarutobi Hiruzen snorted in disgust.
In truth, he was secretly hoping to see Naruto defeat Orochimaru.
The boy was indeed strong—far beyond Genin level—
But Orochimaru was Kage-tier.
A win wouldn't be easy.
---
[Black screen—Uzumaki Naruto launches his attack.]
He pulled out a shuriken and hurled it at Orochimaru.
The weapon screamed through the air at blinding speed.
"Oh?" Orochimaru murmured. "Not bad... but something like this could never hit me."
He casually tilted his head, preparing to dodge.
But just then—
Naruto clapped his hands.
"Shuriken: Shadow Clone Technique!"
The single shuriken suddenly multiplied—
From one into hundreds, even thousands, falling like a deadly rainstorm from the sky!
Orochimaru's eyes widened.
"What?! That's... the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique?! How does a Genin know that?"
It was a signature jutsu among Hokage candidates!
Indeed, since the Third Hokage's reign, there had been an unspoken rule in Konoha—
Every Hokage must know this technique.
Even Orochimaru had learned it.
He had once been the top contender for the Hokage position—
He'd even prepared his acceptance speech.
But then, the Third suddenly changed his mind and handed the title to Namikaze Minato.
And, of course, Minato had also learned the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique...
It had all been planned by the Third from the beginning!
Only those who embraced his Will of Fire could inherit the mantle of Hokage.
Orochimaru had no time for the Will of Fire.
His path was the pursuit of forbidden knowledge and science.
Minato, on the other hand, had inherited the Will of Fire beautifully—
Willing even to sacrifice his family for the village.
And so, he became the Fourth Hokage.
---
Sarutobi Hiruzen: "Lies! Orochimaru, you're talking nonsense! I didn't plan any of that!"
Namikaze Minato: "It's true I received that jutsu from the Third, but I accepted the Will of Fire on my own terms."
Senju Tobirama: "The Will of Fire has existed since Konoha's founding. Orochimaru, you alone can't extinguish it."
Orochimaru, who had been seething with rage earlier, now burst into laughter.
Seeing the panicked reaction from the Third Hokage gave him immense satisfaction.
The irritation he felt just moments ago vanished instantly.
---
Shimura Danzō: "Wait... So all I need to become Hokage is that jutsu?"
Yamanaka Wind: "I'll see what I can extract from the Sarutobi clan, Danzo-sama."
Shimura Danzō: "Excellent. With 3,000 Sarutobi members, it'll be easy to dig it out. The path to Hokage is within reach!"
---
[Back to the battle.]
Faced with the shuriken barrage, Orochimaru was pelted like a pincushion—
Or so it seemed.
But his body dissolved into a mass of tiny snakes.
"Snake Clone!"
He slithered out of a tree nearby, unharmed.
Thankfully I prepared ahead of time, he thought.
Won't be that careless again.
But before he could catch his breath—
Naruto came crashing down from above!
"Bang!"
The branch he'd been standing on shattered into pieces under Naruto's punch.
Unfortunately, Orochimaru had already slipped away into another tree.
"Tch. Slippery bastard!" Naruto muttered.
"He's just like a real snake."
Naruto immediately created dozens of shadow clones.
Using chakra perception, he stationed them around Orochimaru's hiding spots.
The moment the snake Sannin poked his head out—
"Bang!"
A clone's fist would send him flying back.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The sounds echoed through the forest, like an arcade game gone wild.
---
Nara Shikamaru: "What... what is this? Whack-a-Mole? No... it's Whack-a-Snake!"
Jiraiya: "No way! Is Naruto really pushing back Orochimaru?"
Senju Tsunade: "Don't let your guard down. Orochimaru hasn't gotten serious yet."
---
Orochimaru was livid.
Repeatedly, he tried to climb out of his hiding spots,
Only to be socked right back in.
"You brat! Stop bullying the snake already!"
This is outrageous!
A legendary Sannin, being treated like this?
What a humiliation!
Snarling, Orochimaru bit his thumb and slammed his hand onto the ground—
"Summoning Jutsu!"
A massive snake—far more terrifying than the previous one—burst onto the scene.
It swung its tail with devastating force, blowing away all of Naruto's clones at once.
Orochimaru stood confidently atop the snake's head, glaring down at Naruto.
But Naruto remained calm.
He looked up at the giant serpent and coldly asked:
"Hey, Big Fox, do you know how to cook snake soup?"
---
To be continued…