"Was that guy... really ANBU?" Lee asked, handing a canteen of water to Tenten.
They had found a large tree near a stream to rest.
Tenten took a sip. "I don't know, but his movement skills were definitely Jonin level."
"I just wonder why someone that powerful is in the Forest of Death. Did something happen here?"
As they spoke, they heard footsteps.
Lee instantly went on alert, only to realize it was Neji.
Neji stood on the opposite bank of the stream, smiling at them. "I thought you guys were in trouble. Why did you stop so suddenly?"
Lee and Tenten filled him in on what happened.
Tenten sighed. "Neji, seriously, when are you going to improve your Byakugan? We weren't that far away. How could you not notice what was happening to us?"
Neji gave an embarrassed smile. "Sorry about that."
Lee laughed and smoothed things over. "It's fine! Neji-kun has been training hard. He hasn't dragged us down once during this exam!"
"By the way, Tenten, you were poisoned? Actually..."
Neji fumbled in his pouch and pulled out a few crumpled herbs.
He stripped off the withered outer leaves and handed them to Tenten. "I saw these on the way here. I recognized them as antidotes, so I picked some. Who knew they'd actually be useful?"
"Neji, you know about herbs?" Lee asked, surprised.
"Yeah, the clan elders made us study herbal medicine and crafting..."
Tenten frowned as she examined the plant. "This is Time Crow Fern? It's a rare species. I can't believe it grows in the Forest of Death."
She looked at Neji with disbelief.
Neji froze for a second, then quickly explained, "Yeah, I only saw that one plant. Got lucky, I guess. Probably won't find another one."
Lee handed the herbs to Tenten. She seemed to know what she was doing; she mixed the fern with some water in a bamboo tube, processed it simply, and drank the mixture.
"Lee, you take this part. The poison has lingering effects on mental focus."
Lee exhaled. "Neji really saved us this time. If we were still poisoned, we would have been sitting ducks for another ambush."
"Mmh. Let's rest here for tonight. Tomorrow we head for the center!"
"Right!"
They decided to camp nearby. It was the second night of the three-day exam. Tomorrow was the deadline; they had to hustle.
But Neji had to hustle for a different reason.
He went to sleep early, but woke up shortly after nightfall.
He had only slept for an hour. He was still tired, but he couldn't delay any longer.
While Lee and Tenten were asleep, he left a note saying he was going ahead to scout the path and that they shouldn't wait for him.
Neji's target, naturally, was Orochimaru.
He failed to catch him on day one, so Orochimaru was bound to make a move on day two. At this point in the timeline, Orochimaru was probably frantically searching for Sasuke. Neji wondered if Anko and her team would make it in time.
If he didn't hurry, Orochimaru might leave the Forest of Death entirely.
[Ding! Training Session Complete!]
[Tenketsu Striking Proficiency +499! Rotation Proficiency +443!]
Neji finally checked the rewards from his fight with Kabuto's team.
[Congratulations! Gentle Fist: Tenketsu Striking has reached 30,000 Proficiency! Promoted to 'Mastery' (Ronghui Guantong) stage!]
[Reward: Speed Boost! Explosive Tags x10! Special Crow Fern Herbs x10!]
Neji was thrilled. Fighting experts really paid off.
Explosive tags were always useful. But these Crow Fern herbs... were they less potent than the Time Crow Fern? "Special" herbs... did they boost mental power?
"System, what does the Crow Fern do?"
[System: Crow Fern cures poison. The Special Herbs relieve fatigue and resist sleepiness.]
Neji didn't hesitate. He ate two of the herbs immediately.
They tasted slightly sweet but mostly bitter.
However, the drowsiness vanished instantly. That was exactly what he needed.
Neji opened his status panel.
[Host: Neji Hyuga]
Age: 13
Basic Ninja Skills: 7% (Reach 100% to complete Novice Phase and activate Stamina/Proficiency Consumption System!)
Rank: Genin
Ninjutsu: None
Taijutsu:
Gentle Fist: Tenketsu Striking: (30,001 / 30,000 - Mastery)
Eight Trigrams: Heavenly Rotation: (23,429 / 30,000)
Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms: (16,799 / 30,000)
Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm: (11,043 / 30,000)
Eight Trigrams: Body Blow: (9,044 / 10,000)
Genjutsu: None
Bloodline Limit: Byakugan (25,508 / 30,000)
Inventory: Soldier Pills x7, Special Crow Fern Herbs x10, Explosive Tags x10
Special Items: None
---
"Ah... Aaaahh!"
Sasuke Uchiha collapsed, clutching his neck in agony.
Sakura watched with eyes wide, filled with terror and rage.
"You bastard! What did you do to Sasuke-kun?!"
Orochimaru spoke in a chilling, melodic voice. "I just gave him a little gift. A gift he needs very much right now..."
"You monster!"
Sakura screamed in impotent fury, holding onto Sasuke, unable to do anything.
Nearby, Naruto, who had been leaking Nine-Tails Chakra, had been easily subdued by Orochimaru and sealed with the Five Elements Seal.
In the shadows of the bushes, Neji silently appeared.
Looks like I made it! But...
"Don't you run away!"
As Naruto hit the ground, Sakura—driven by desperation—actually charged at Orochimaru.
"What is that idiot doing?"
Neji cursed internally. His presence in this world had already messed with the timeline. Anything could happen now, and the butterfly effect could be irreversible!
Running at him like that was suicide!
"Annoying little girl. If you want to die so badly, I'll help you along!" Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, killing intent flaring.
Neji had planned to wait until it was over, but now he had no choice. He had to intervene to save her.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Sakura, her mind already pushed to the breaking point by seeing her teammates fall, was running on pure adrenaline and fear. She didn't even notice the venomous snakes striking toward her!
Shhhk!
A kunai slashed through the air, cutting a thick branch above her. The heavy wood crashed down.
Thud!
It landed squarely on the snakes, pinning them to the ground just inches from Sakura.
Blocked by the branch and the writhing snakes, Sakura snapped back to reality and stumbled backward in terror.
She looked to the side and saw a figure walking slowly out of the shadows.
"ANBU?"
She had never seen an ANBU member this small before. He was barely taller than her—he could easily be her age.
"Heh heh heh... You again, boy? You really are persistent!"
Orochimaru's raspy voice made Sakura's skin crawl.
"Take your teammates and leave. Take this!"
Sakura caught the object Neji threw to her. It was a Soldier Pill.
"But you..." Sakura gritted her teeth, unsure of what to do.
Neji said coldly, "Cut the chatter. If you don't go now, your friends are going to die. This guy is an S-Class criminal. Staying here will only get in my way."