"It's like a demon crawled out of hell!" Kiba Inuzuka whispered, his heart still pounding wildly and his face deathly pale as he watched the Sand Siblings easily take the scroll and leave. Akamaru, nestled in his jacket, was so frightened that he trembled all over and dared not make a sound.
Sakura was also terrified. "Let's change direction immediately," she urged. "We have to make sure we don't run into them again..."
"Agreed..." Shino said, his voice grim.
On the other side of the forest, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio from Team 10 encountered Team 3. Ino originally intended to use her charm to persuade Neji Hyuga to let them go, but he had absolutely no interest in what he perceived as a weak team. He simply said, "Get lost," and walked away. The three members of Team 10 actually breathed a sigh of relief.
Ino exclaimed angrily, "Damn it, what an insensitive man! But at least we escaped a disaster. Now all we need to do is find a team weaker than us!"
Choji, munching on potato chips, muttered, "A team weaker than us? Does that really exist?" Ino was left speechless, and Shikamaru simply yawned.
The fighting continued throughout the Forest of Death. Team 7, however, finally had some good fortune. The next Sunagakure team they encountered was easily defeated and handed over their scroll. It was an Earth Scroll!
Naruto was overjoyed. "Great! That completes the mission! Next, all we need to do is get to the tower in the center of the forest as soon as possible!"
Hinata nodded. "Yes, but we still need to be careful, Naruto..."
Suddenly, Sasuke's expression changed. "Enemy attack!" he shouted. Hinata's Byakugan grew tired from constant use, so she had switched with Sasuke to maintain vigilance. Before the words were even finished, the entire earth seemed to rumble and shake.
"What kind of monster is this?!" Naruto exclaimed. "How could there be such a loud commotion?!"
The next moment, the sound of trees snapping echoed continuously as an enormous python burst through the jungle, charging straight at them.
"Whoa, it's huge!" Naruto couldn't help but exclaim.
Hinata frowned. "Even in the Forest of Death, there shouldn't be a python this massive... What is this?"
Sasuke said in a deep voice, "Now is not the time for questions! It's coming!" Even a well-trained ninja might struggle against such a colossal beast. At this moment, Team 7 was filled with trepidation, but there was no panic or fear.
The giant snake charged forward with tremendous force, like a small mountain crashing through the forest, its impact shaking the heavens and the earth. Hinata struck first, her hands a blur as she unleashed the power of the Gentle Fist, somewhat mitigating the snake's initial attack.
Naruto unleashed a powerful burst of chakra. "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!" Instantly, a violent gale howled out, sweeping across the land. The earth shook, and sand and stones flew everywhere, forcing the giant snake to temporarily halt its advance and retreat. Seizing the opportunity, Sasuke unleashed his own ninjutsu.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
The wind fanned the flames, and the fire, in turn, fed on the wind, instantly enveloping the snake's enormous body. The forest floor, covered in shrubs and fallen leaves, immediately ignited. The snake hissed and screamed as it was burned, its massive body writhing in agony, crushing trees and shaking the earth. However, it was not defeated. Instead, with its body still burning, it continued to charge toward Team 7.
*ROAR!* The enormous snake head crashed down like a runaway train.
"Damn it! Let's go together!" Naruto yelled.
"Konoha Whirlwind!"
"Guardian Gentle Fist!"
"Konoha Whirlwind!"
With the combined efforts of the three, a deafening roar brought the snake's charge to a complete halt. The terrifying force of the recoil left the giant beast completely bewildered, and it collapsed to the ground, unable to move.
As Naruto caught his breath, he exclaimed, "Wait a minute! Sasuke, how did you just use my Konoha Whirlwind?!"
Sasuke replied coldly but with a hint of arrogance, "With these Sharingan, I have already copied your taijutsu."
Naruto was stunned. "You bastard... isn't that cheating?!"
Sasuke proudly declared, "This is the power of the Uchiha clan's Sharingan. If you're not happy about it, then you can regret your destiny of not being born with it."
Naruto couldn't help but grit his teeth. The profound taijutsu techniques he had painstakingly cultivated were copied so easily. Fortunately, it was just physical combat. His own shadow clones and Wind Style ninjutsu couldn't be copied without the corresponding chakra nature. *The Sharingan... Kakashi-sensei has one, which is why he's called the Copy Ninja. It seems Sasuke has learned from him.*
Just then, the crisp sound of clapping echoed through the trees. The three students of Team 7 were startled and looked up sharply, only to find a tall, slender man with a strange face perched on a high branch, looking down at them with a sinister smile.
"When... did he get there?!" Sasuke was shocked; his Sharingan had failed to detect the lurking enemy. This was unprecedented. In an instant, cold sweat soaked his clothes. "Naruto, Hinata, that man... is extremely dangerous!"
Even if Sasuke hadn't said it, Naruto and Hinata had already sensed it. His distorted features, ferocious expression, and chilling aura sent a shiver down their spines. His pupils were vertical and long, exuding a terrifying aura like that of a giant snake.
"So that is the eye power of the Uchiha clan's Sharingan," the man mused. "This is truly an extraordinary power..." He stopped clapping, stuck out a long tongue, and licked the corner of his mouth, revealing the greed of a predator that had discovered its most wanted prey.
When Sasuke was stared at by him, he suddenly felt an aura more terrifying than death itself. A murderous intent so real it felt tangible swept over him, threatening to tear his very soul apart. In an instant, Sasuke seemed to be completely frozen, his body trembling uncontrollably as he lost the will to fight.
"Sasuke!" Naruto realized something was wrong and immediately unleashed a barrage of shuriken at the monstrous figure high above.
However, the man dodged everything with a single, fluid motion. His body then strangely stretched out, coiling around the tree trunk like a giant snake as he quickly descended to the ground. His serpent-like body transformed back into legs, but his tongue licked his lips as his pupils remained fixed on Sasuke. Without a doubt, Sasuke was his only target.
Naruto recognized him; this was the man who had helped Anko pick up her kunai earlier. However, he was now a thousand times more terrifying. The man, Orochimaru, gazed greedily at Sasuke, as if he wanted to memorize every inch of him before swallowing him whole—a sight that sent chills down one's spine.
"Sasuke, you are mine..." he hissed.
Naruto flew into a rage. "You bastard! You giant snake-like monster! Don't even think about harming our comrade!"
In an instant, Naruto formed a hand seal. "Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
*Poof! Poof! Poof!*
Hundreds upon hundreds of shadow clones suddenly appeared, accompanied by wisps of white smoke, covering the surrounding land and tree trunks, completely surrounding the serpent-like monster in the middle.
The man blinked in shock, his expression turning to one of genuine surprise. "Oh? You can even do that? The growth of the Nine-Tails' vessel is truly astonishing..."
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