In the Forest of Death.
The sheer power of the Spiral Punch had caught the attention of many ninjas. Most of the genin chose to stay far away; whoever was fighting over there had to be a monster.
Team 10 was huddled together in a patch of tall grass.
Shikamaru Nara's expression grew tense. He pressed his hands over his mouth as cold sweat trickled down his forehead. "You saw the power of that jutsu, right? The battle isn't far from us. We could get caught in the crossfire at any moment..."
"We have to get out of here!" Ino Yamanaka nodded, her heart still pounding with fear. They were dangerously close to Team 7's battle zone. If the enemy moved even slightly, their hiding spot would be engulfed in the destruction.
But Shikamaru had a different take. He was still calmly analyzing the situation. "The problem is, who in this Chunin Exam can even use a jutsu of that level? Just based on strength, the user is probably stronger than a Jonin, strong enough to take out several squads by themselves."
"Strategy is useless against that kind of power... If we can't identify them, what if it's an enemy who infiltrated the exam and is hiding in the forest to hunt genin? That would be even more dangerous for us."
"Shikamaru..." Ino turned to look at the billowing dust and smoke, her face pale. "This is too dangerous. If we get any closer, we could be killed by their attacks without even seeing who it is!"
Shikamaru sighed. "If only we could find Team 8. They have the best sensory abilities. We could use their help to gather information..."
-----
The members of Team 8—Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame—each possessed unique skills for gathering intelligence. Leveraging those skills, they had already used the forest environment to their advantage, defeated a squad, and successfully collected both a Heaven and an Earth scroll.
They were over ten kilometers away from Team 7's battle and hadn't noticed a thing. Their section of the forest was peaceful. Now, all they had to do was take the scrolls to the central tower, and they would pass the exam.
"Hinata, Shino, should we go check out other places?" Kiba asked excitedly.
Hinata nervously started, "I..."
"Don't cause trouble," Shino interrupted, raising a finger where a small black insect rested. He shook his head. "Insects are slow, but they are also incredibly sensitive. And right now... they are afraid."
-----
While some ninjas retreated, others, unafraid of danger, rushed toward it. Team 3, with Rock Lee and Neji Hyuga, was one such group. When they noticed the commotion, they decisively headed for the battle. Perhaps thanks to Might Guy's teachings, Rock Lee was never one to back down from a challenge.
The actual battle was far more intense than anyone imagined.
The Spiral Punch was powerful enough to severely injure even Gamabunta from Mount Myoboku; these ordinary snake summons couldn't possibly withstand a single hit. Naruto Uzumaki had already used it three times in a row, killing three giant yellow-spotted snakes. Now, he and Sasuke were attacking the female Grass ninja together.
"Sakura, watch out for her teammates!" Sasuke yelled, then clenched his hands together, his eyes flashing. "Body Flicker Technique!"
Dozens of clones flickered into existence around him, each one charging forward with a short sword.
The Grass ninja's expression shifted slightly, but she quickly concealed her surprise with a smile. "Oh, you've even mastered the jutsu left by Shisui of the Body Flicker? You're... becoming more and more likable!"
The constant clash of metal filled the air.
With his Body Flicker Technique, Sasuke briefly gained the upper hand, even managing to land several wounds on the enemy.
"Naruto, leave this woman to me!" A triumphant smile touched Sasuke's lips. He glanced at his teammate, who stood ready with the Spiral Round Dance Umbrella. "You take care of the giant snakes approaching us."
Using the Body Flicker, he had already gained an advantage. If he just played it smart, he could defeat the Grass ninja all by himself.
However, more giant snakes were continuously surrounding them, and smaller ones were slithering in as well. That Grass ninja was still summoning them to the battlefield.
Naruto nodded. In his vision, the treetops were covered with long snakes flicking their tongues, a sight that made his scalp tingle. The swarm of snakes reminded him of another enemy, except that guy was a rather handsome man...
Is this woman a disciple of Orochimaru?
Unfortunately, there was no time to think. Snakes of all sizes hissed and charged. Even when he used a Spiral Shockwave to clear out a batch, another would quickly rush in to take its place.
Beside him, Sakura was doing her best to help by throwing shuriken, but her face was pale with fear. "What do we do, Naruto?"
"Don't worry. As long as Sasuke defeats that woman, the things she summoned will retreat," Naruto comforted her, then risked a glance back. Just as he expected, Sasuke had completely gained the upper hand and was overwhelming the woman.
A piercing sound, like a thousand birds chirping, suddenly rang out.
Sasuke Uchiha had finally used his still-unmastered Lightning Release: Chidori, striking the woman square in the chest. Blood splattered onto his body.
"Ha, too slow, Naruto!"
After killing the female ninja, Sasuke still had enough strength to help them. He formed hand seals and unleashed a fire jutsu. "Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!"
A ball of fierce flame erupted from his mouth, scorching the area and roasting the nearby snakes to a crisp.
Sakura breathed a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat from her forehead. "It's finally over. Sasuke-kun is the most reliable, as always!"
Naruto just stood there. ...If it were me, this fight would have been over much earlier.
Sasuke's chakra was nearly depleted, but after hearing Sakura's praise, he couldn't help but lift his chin proudly. "Don't worry, Naruto! I won't look down on you..."
"Well, thanks for that... Watch out!" The blond genin shot him an annoyed glance, then his eyes widened in horror. The female ninja's neck was stretching out, her head appearing right beside Sasuke.
Before Sasuke could react, her mouth, now full of fangs, opened wide and bit down hard on his neck. After leaving a mark, the Grass ninja's head retracted along with her neck.
"That is..." Naruto leaped to Sasuke's side, nervously watching the woman who had come back to life. Under her feet lay what looked like a corpse with its mouth wide open. Or rather, it was an empty, shed skin.
"On the battlefield, never let your guard down," the Grass ninja smiled, her gaze lingering on Sasuke with a greedy look. "What a nice body, Sasuke Uchiha. You're even more satisfying than I imagined..."
Body Flicker Technique. Uchiha-style taijutsu. Exquisite combat skills.
The mark on Sasuke's neck burned like fire. He finally couldn't hold back a pained roar. "Ahhhhh..."
For an Uchiha, pain is power.
Sasuke's face filled with hatred as he glared at the Grass ninja, his anger practically pouring out of him.
This sight brought a crazed look to the Grass ninja's eyes. But she wasn't the only one who was delighted. Another, unseen entity was even more thrilled.
Inside Naruto Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails had finally gotten what it was waiting for. Its joy nearly overflowed its cage. "Naruto, use Sealing Jutsu: Devour to extract the chakra from the cursed seal on Sasuke's body! That's natural energy!"
It had waited a long time for this moment. Because Sasuke and Naruto's combat power was so high, the Nine-Tails had even started to think this opportunity would never come. But now, it had finally arrived.
As long as he obtained that natural energy, he could make Naruto learn Sage Mode.
-----
Bonus:
Orochimaru: What the— you set me up?
Nine-Tails: I had no choice...
Orochimaru: You set me up? Are you even human?
Nine-Tails: I really had no choice!
Orochimaru: How could you set me up? If I hadn't sent him back...
Nine-Tails: Are you done yet? You're lucky I'm letting you live.