Seeing Ino Yamanaka eager to try out her moves, Naruto smiled and calmly replied, "Before we can use them for practice, these foreign Ninja will probably get a lesson from Konoha Village's Death Forest."
As expected.
A shrill scream came from the forest not far away.
"What happened?"
Ino Yamanaka asked in surprise.
"Did someone just enter the Death Forest and couldn't resist making a move?"
Hinata gave Ino Yamanaka a look.
She wondered who couldn't resist fighting just now.
"Let me see."
Hinata's eyes widened slightly, and veins bulged between her temples and the corners of her eyes.
Byakugan, open!
In an instant.
Hinata's vision extended like a dense net, passing through ancient moss-covered trees, and she saw three foreign Genin participating in the Chunin Exams about eight or nine hundred meters away in the six o'clock direction, who were attacked by leeches falling from the tree canopy and died from excessive blood loss.
"It's Konoha Leeches."
Hinata's pretty face showed a solemn expression.
She clearly "saw" thick, arm-sized leeches falling from the tree canopy in large numbers, crawling all over the Ninja's bodies, frantically sucking blood, their bodies, originally similar in color to the tree trunk, gradually turning red.
"It's actually a 'vampire'!"
Ino Yamanaka hugged her arms and shivered.
She clearly loathed Konoha Leeches.
When they had survival drills at the Ninja Academy, they naturally learned about these, including the venomous insects and wild beasts in Konoha Village and the surrounding forests.
The Konoha Leech, known as the "Forest Vampire," was one of them.
It made many villagers and Genin change their expressions at the mention of it.
Naruto said, "Once the Konoha Leeches sense the prey's sweat and body temperature, they will swarm like greedy and terrifying vampires."
"Hosting the Chunin Exams in Konoha Village certainly has the advantage of being on home ground."
"If you don't know these things, you can easily suffer losses."
Naruto suddenly thought of something and said to Hyuga Hinata, "Since you've activated your Byakugan, please find someone for me. She's a red-haired girl wearing a Grass Ninja forehead protector."
Red hair, this feature was already quite significant.
Plus the Grass Ninja forehead protector.
Naruto believed that Hyuga Hinata would definitely be able to find Karin, who was participating in this Chunin Exams.
At this time, Karin was still a Ninja from the Land of Grass, had not defected to Orochimaru, and had not yet met Sasuke.
She was the only living and unharmed girl from the Whirlpool Clan annihilated by war. After her mother, who she depended on, died, she completely became a pitiful orphan.
"Red hair, girl."
Hyuga Hinata had no doubts about Naruto's request. She remembered the two features he mentioned and immediately expanded the Byakugan's coverage.
However, before Karin was found, Hyuga Hinata discovered other enemies.
"Naruto, Ino, at the twelve o'clock direction, about seventy to eighty meters away, there are two Grass Ninja lurking."
"Ino, they're yours."
Naruto's expression was as usual, as if he had already discovered their whereabouts, and he said calmly.
"Is it finally my turn to act?"
"Hehe~ Watch me!"
Ino giggled and immediately cast Mind Body Switch Technique towards the twelve o'clock direction.
Her speed was so fast that even the two Genin hiding behind the dense foliage didn't notice, and were immediately invaded by Ino Yamanaka's mental power, taking over their bodies.
"Three snot-nosed brats, and two of them are helpless girls. This team is really weak." A Grass Ninja whispered to his companion.
"Helpless girls?"
"Are you talking about me~"
His companion suddenly became soft and playful, mischievous.
"How could you—"
Before the Grass Ninja could react, Ino Yamanaka, controlling the invaded body with Mind Body Switch Technique, plunged the kunai in her hand into the other's neck.
"Gah—"
Blood gushed, and the Grass Ninja's corpse fell limply from the branch, plummeting towards the ground of the Death Forest.
After dealing with her companion, Ino Yamanaka didn't hesitate at all. She formed a hand seal with one hand and slapped it on "her own" neck.
As Chakra was injected into the skin, a dark curse seal, like a black tadpole, swam and extended, leaving a curse mark pattern resembling an explosive tag.
It was precisely the Timed Explosive Tag Curse Seal improved by Naruto!
No need for talismans, leaving a curse seal, it could explode like an explosive tag, and the explosion time could be determined by the caster.
Although its power was no different from a single explosive tag, for the relatively fragile body of a Ninja, it was more than enough to cause destruction.
After implanting the Timed Explosive Tag Curse Seal, Ino Yamanaka immediately released Mind Body Switch Technique, and her consciousness returned to her body.
The invaded Genin thought he had zoned out and looked around suspiciously.
"Strange, why did I get distracted just now?"
"Where's my other companion? Did he act first?"
The Grass Ninja half-crouched, half-knelt, pushing aside the dense foliage, and looked towards the new Seventh Team, not too far away, finding a blonde girl with a high ponytail making a funny face at him, then patting her neck.
"Damn it! I've been discovered!!"
The Grass Ninja was greatly alarmed in his heart, preparing to strike first.
At this moment.
A stinging pain, like being burned by fire, suddenly came from the skin on his neck.
"What's going on—"
Horror appeared in the Grass Ninja's eyes, and then the Timed Explosive Tag Curse Seal on his neck lit up with a scorching color, exploding with a "boom," directly blowing his head off.
"Done!"
Ino Yamanaka clapped her hands up and down, looking proudly at Naruto, seeking his praise.
Naruto smiled and nodded, then looked towards a giant tree not far away, big enough for a dozen people to embrace, or more precisely, the ground where the giant tree was rooted.
"Your two companions are already dead. How much longer are you going to hide?"
"Wait, is there a third person here?!"
Ino Yamanaka was suddenly startled.
Even Hyuga Hinata was shocked.
Her Byakugan hadn't detected anyone else nearby.
"But that's right, a team is usually composed of three people. We only dealt with two just now, so there should be a third one."
Next to the giant ancient tree, a burst of Chakra white mist exploded.
Subsequently, a feminine woman with a shimenawa belt tied around her waist appeared on the spot.
It was Orochimaru, who had used the Vanishing Facial Copy Technique to impersonate a Grass Ninja and infiltrated the Chunin Exams!
"Hiss~ I've been discovered."
"I knew your team had a Byakugan, so I hid quite deep underground with Earth Release. Unexpectedly, I fooled the Byakugan but not you. It's incredible. Can you tell me how you did it?"
Orochimaru clapped his hands in approval, his sinister eyes carefully scrutinizing Naruto.
Naruto didn't explain anything.
He was also quite surprised, not expecting Orochimaru to come and see him before going to plant the Heaven Curse Mark on Sasuke.
Since they met, it was inevitable to have a fight and gauge the true worth of the "Legendary Sannin."