Watching the streaks of lightning shooting skyward in the distance, Kurotsuchi, seated on the clay bird, showed a hint of unease and asked,
"The one fighting over there… that has to be Darui from the Hidden Cloud, right?"
"Yeah,"
Deidara nodded.
Among all the genin taking part in this Chūnin Exams, only Darui of Kumogakure could unleash Lightning Release ninjutsu of that level. There was little doubt that he was the one fighting over there.
At this moment, Deidara was full of curiosity—just who had managed to push Darui to such an extreme?
Compared to Deidara's excitement, Kurotsuchi felt the violent Lightning Release chakra lingering in the air and hesitated.
"Do… do we really have to go over there?"
Lightning Release had a strong suppressive effect on Earth Release.
During the Third Great Ninja War, the Third Raikage had once single-handedly held off an army of tens of thousands of Iwagakure ninja, fighting continuously for three days and three nights before finally collapsing from exhaustion.
Because of that, as an Earth Release ninja from the Hidden Stone, Kurotsuchi instinctively disliked—and feared—powerful Lightning Release users.
Deidara shrugged indifferently.
"If you don't want to go, then I'll just leave you two here and head over by myself."
"You—!"
Kurotsuchi glared at him, then said angrily,
"You promised Grandpa you'd look after me! You can't just go back on your word!"
"What a pain…"
Deidara muttered under his breath.
Kurotsuchi suddenly remembered something and asked,
"Oh, right—haven't you always wanted to fight a Sharingan user? I remember there were members of the Uchiha clan in this Chūnin Exams, weren't there? Why not go find him instead?"
Deidara replied casually,
"That kid, Uchiha Sasuke, doesn't even have the Mangekyō Sharingan. Fighting him would be boring."
---
On the ground
Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura were racing through the Forest of Death.
The complicated terrain here wasn't unfamiliar to them. They had conducted live combat training in this forest more than once, so they had a solid understanding of the environment.
The reason Sasuke had immediately chosen to head toward Deidara at the start of the exam was simple: in his heart, avenging his father mattered far more than his personal grudges with Kimimaro of the Sound or Kirin of the Mist, and the others.
Sasuke intended to deal with Deidara first—to learn the whereabouts of the Mangekyō Sharingan taken from his father and personally reclaim his father's eyes.
But he had clearly underestimated Deidara's unpredictability.
Sakura's estimation of Deidara's direction had been accurate, but Deidara didn't move through the forest on foot like ordinary examinees. The moment he entered the exam grounds, he took to the sky on a clay bird. By the time the three of them rushed toward his supposed location, Deidara had already flown past them overhead.
Rumble…
At that moment, a faint thunderous sound echoed from far away.
"A fight's already started!"
Hearing it, the three halted abruptly, a chill running through them.
They exchanged glances, each seeing surprise in the others' eyes.
Judging from the sound alone, the battle was happening far from their current position. And with the Forest of Death's dense, towering trees greatly dampening sound, the fact that it could still reach them meant only one thing—the fighting in the distance was incredibly intense.
Suddenly, Sasuke frowned and shouted,
"Stop hiding. Come out!"
Naruto and Sakura instantly tensed up.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Three figures dropped down from above, blocking their path.
"Sound ninja…?"
After a quick glance at the newcomers, Sasuke's expression didn't change.
The three who appeared were Sakon and Ukon, Kidōmaru, and Tayuya, all wearing the attire of Otogakure.
Kidōmaru sized Sasuke up, then burst into excited laughter.
"Hahaha! Our luck is incredible!"
Tayuya laughed along.
"Yeah—this is a huge gift delivered right to our doorstep!"
Sakon and Ukon wore greedy smiles.
"Tsk, tsk. Chances to earn Lord Orochimaru's favor don't come often."
The Sound ninja didn't care whether they passed the Chūnin Exams or not. Their only concern was pleasing Orochimaru. Running into their target—Uchiha Sasuke—right away was unbelievably lucky.
Looking at the bizarre, arrogant trio, Sasuke snorted coldly.
"I don't have time for trash like you. Get lost."
Sakon licked his lips.
"I'll take him. I want to tear him apart with my own hands."
Kidōmaru glanced around and said,
"Let's attack together. Kimimaro and the others are probably on their way. We need to finish this fast, or the credit will be stolen."
At the mention of Kimimaro's terrifying strength, even the arrogant Sakon grew more cautious and nodded.
"Fine. Tayuya, you handle the other two. Kidōmaru and I will kill Uchiha Sasuke. The credit will be split between us."
Tayuya frowned in displeasure, but eventually nodded.
"Fine."
The three Sound ninja were absolutely certain that no examinee in this Chūnin Exams could stand against Kimimaro. Once he arrived, any credit they earned would vanish.
"They want to kill Sasuke?!"
Listening to their brazen conversation, not only Sasuke, but Naruto and Sakura also sensed that something was wrong.
From what they said, Sasuke was clearly their target—but aside from some past conflict with Kimimaro, Sasuke had no dealings with the Sound ninja. There was no reason for such hostility, which made the situation extremely abnormal.
Just as Sakura was about to demand an explanation, Sakon shouted,
"Attack!"
In an instant, Sakon and Ukon, along with Kidōmaru, charged at Sasuke from both sides, while Tayuya rushed toward Naruto and Sakura, flute in hand.
Facing Sakon and Ukon and Kidōmaru, Sasuke showed a contemptuous smile. His body flickered as he charged straight at them.
Naruto and Sakura didn't retreat either, engaging Tayuya head-on.
Before long, under the deliberate maneuvering of the Sound ninja, the battlefield split in two. Sasuke became entangled in a chaotic close-quarters fight with Sakon and Ukon and Kidōmaru, gradually being drawn farther away from Naruto and Sakura as they pursued.
Noticing this, Naruto and Sakura shouted at Sasuke not to fight alone and tried to catch up—but Tayuya blocked their path.
---
On a nearby tree branch
Not far away, Orochimaru, disguised in Kusagakure attire, stood with his arms crossed, leaning casually against the trunk.
A look of amused interest filled his face as he quietly watched the battle unfold…