Team 7 wasn't having much luck, they kept encountering teams that, like them, carried the "Heaven Scroll." Perhaps fate intended to compensate them in some way, as they had relatively better luck in other aspects.
As they stepped out from behind a tree, Sasuke noticed a figure emerging from the shadows ahead.
"Sasuke." The young man smiled warmly at the surprised Sasuke.
"Haku-nii!" Sasuke exclaimed with joy.
"Hinata, are you alright?"
"Naruto, you didn't bully Hinata, did you?"
The two teams immediately gathered together.
The young ninjas who had trained under Masashi were thrilled to see one another. In this perilous Forest of Death, there was nothing more reassuring than running into fellow disciples. Besides, many of them shared the same clan ties.
Still, they knew they had a mission to complete. After exchanging a few words, they pulled out their scrolls for comparison.
"You guys also have the 'Heaven Scroll'?" Naruto said, a little disappointed. "Why do we keep running into the same type of team?"
"It's just bad luck," Neji remarked. "But it's only the first day, we still have chances."
"What a pity, Sasuke," Haku chuckled. "It seems we won't have a chance to test what we learned from Sensei."
"You're joking. You're way better than me, you've already awakened your bloodline limit, while I still haven't."
"The Sharingan is far stronger than Ice Release. You're already strong. Once your eyes awaken, you'll surpass me in no time."
"You're just trying to comfort me."
Sasuke and Haku continued their lighthearted banter.
Meanwhile, Naruto was curious about Karin's experiences. "Karin-nee, have you guys run into many enemies?"
"Most were weak," Karin replied. "But there was one tough Suna team. If not for Haku, we wouldn't have escaped so easily."
"Suna? Oh! Was it that guy with no eyebrows?!" Naruto's fists clenched in excitement. "If I run into him, I'm definitely gonna punch him!"
"Don't get ahead of yourself, he's way stronger than you."
Karin chuckled, but just as she was about to tease Naruto further, she suddenly sensed something. "Neji, check that direction."
Without hesitation, Neji activated his Byakugan and looked in the direction Karin pointed.
The two of them worked together seamlessly, combining sensory abilities like an open-world map. Because of this, Neji completely trusted Karin's intuition.
What he saw made his expression change, massive, violent chakra rapidly approaching their group.
A jutsu! And from long range!
"Be careful!"
He barely had time to shout before a powerful gale roared through the air. The sheer force of the wind instantly tore through the ground.
Luckily, most of the jutsu's force was directed into propulsion rather than deadly slicing winds, sparing the group from being shredded into pieces.
Still, they were helpless against the sheer power, tossed around like paper in a storm and scattered in different directions.
Once the winds settled, three Kusa ninjas emerged from the darkness. In front of them, the earth had been carved into a deep trench by the powerful attack.
"The Uchiha kid is mine. You two can go play with the others," Kusa leader said.
His presence was far beyond what a genin should have. And that jutsu, definitely not something a mere genin could perform.
With a "swish," the other two Kusa ninja vanished. Their movements were precise, nothing like the clumsy genin they were supposed to be.
"Heh, let's see how good my prey is."
The remaining Kusa ninja removed his hat. He was a long-haired, androgynous-looking man.
Tossing the hat aside, he took slow steps forward, then sank into the ground, vanishing completely.
Moments later, he reemerged with a puff, now transformed into Naruto.
His intel told him that the two Uchiha kids were close with the Fourth Hokage's son. Perfect for his little "game."
Besides, after observing Naruto for a while, he had noted how loud and impulsive the boy was, an easy persona to mimic. Then, acting just like the real Naruto, he sprinted forward.
"Damn it, that hurt!" he shouted.
Ahead, Sasuke and Haku were already on alert and immediately spotted him.
"Naruto, stop right there!" Sasuke drew a kunai. "Say the password first."
The imposter sneered internally. How predictable. How boring.
"Dust in the wind, all we are is dust in the wind!"
"Dust in the wind, everything is dust in the wind!" Sasuke replied instantly. But he still held his kunai ready, and beside him, Haku subtly formed hand seals behind Sasuke's back.
Still amused, the fake Naruto continued his act, walking forward with exaggerated casualness.
"Jeez, it really is you guys. I was just about to ambush you."
"Naruto, I told you to stop. You need to finish the password properly."
…Huh?
Seeing that the newcomer didn't immediately respond, Sasuke didn't hesitate, he hurled his kunai straight at the imposter's throat, without holding back.
"Ahhh!" Naruto fell face-first into the dirt in a rather humiliating manner. He first stared blankly at the kunai now embedded in the ground before him, then shouted in anger, "What the hell?! You almost hit me!"
Suddenly, the temperature dropped.
A series of ice spikes erupted from the ground where Naruto was lying!
These two kids are sharp... Interesting!
The Naruto's face changed as he awkwardly scrambled to his feet, barely leaping high enough to avoid being impaled by the ice. As soon as he reached the peak of his jump, he "clumsily" fell back to the ground.
"You two..."
He couldn't finish his sentence. Sasuke and Haku had already launched their attacks from both sides.
Having trained together since childhood and living next door to each other, Sasuke and Haku's teamwork was just as seamless as Sasuke's with Naruto.
As their combination jutsu was unleashed, Haku simultaneously shattered the ice spikes blocking the fake Naruto's path, leaving him completely exposed.
A smirk appeared on Naruto's face. There was no point in pretending anymore. He didn't know how they had figured him out, but it was clear he had slipped up somewhere.
Water clashed violently with fire, creating a thick mist. As the fog cleared, the long-haired Kusa ninja stood leisurely in his true form.
"How did you figure it out?" he asked, amused.
"This song," Sasuke replied coldly. "Naruto and I listen to it all the time. The real Naruto wouldn't forget the next line. You did a terrible job pretending to be him."
"I see..." The Kusa ninja nodded in satisfaction. "So even if an enemy overheard your password, they wouldn't be able to complete it. Clever."
"Of course! Now state your name!" Sasuke's face remained serious, as did Haku's.
That brief exchange had already proven one thing, this man was an incredibly strong opponent.
"Hmm, putting that aside, your thought process is impressive. I can see it clearly now." The Kusa ninja licked his lips, his abnormally long tongue making both Sasuke and Haku frown. "But let's see how well you can fight."
"Haku-nii... this guy is strange," Sasuke muttered.
"Be careful, Sasuke. He's not an ordinary person."
The Kusa ninja didn't seem to hear their whispers. Instead, he pulled out a scroll. The word "Earth" was written on it. Exactly what Sasuke and Haku needed.
"You want this scroll, don't you? Well then..." His lips curled into a twisted grin. "You'll have to kill me and cut open my stomach to get it."
With that, he threw his head back and opened his mouth far wider than any normal human could. His tongue wrapped around the "Earth Scroll," and inch by inch, he swallowed it whole.
Sasuke stared in disbelief. Dude, seriously? You just ate it?
The Kusa ninja didn't bother explaining. Instead, he touched his face and peeled back a small section of his skin, revealing something unnatural underneath.
"Now... let's have a good fight!"
In an instant, a dense, overwhelming killing intent surged toward Sasuke and Haku.
Sasuke's vision turned blood-red. It felt as if he had been thrown into a battlefield of slaughter, his body pierced by countless blades. He felt death.
Haku, however, stood firm. He had once witnessed an entire clan of Yuki ninjas being massacred by a single person. The murderous aura that day had been just as terrifying as this.
"Oh?" The Kusa ninja's gaze sharpened as he looked at Haku with intrigue.
Not all Uchihas had the same hair and eye color, but black hair and black eyes were the marks of a pureblood Uchiha.
Two for the price of one. What a lucky day.
Excitement flickered in his eyes.
"Excellent, excellent. You're both fine prey. Now, entertain me."
"..." Unlike Haku, Sasuke had never experienced such overwhelming bloodlust before. He was completely paralyzed, unable to move.
Haku placed a hand on Sasuke's back.
Masashi had once taught him how to handle this situation. A sudden burst of chakra surged into Sasuke's body, breaking him free from the paralysis.
"Sasuke, run!"
Haku grabbed Sasuke's arm and pulled him toward a nearby ice mirror. The moment they entered, the mirror swallowed them whole. At the exact same time, a stone spear shot up, shattering the ice mirror into pieces.
Shards of ice scattered to the ground, but Sasuke and Haku had already vanished.
I see... so he's the boy Masashi picked up in Kiri...
The Kusa ninja chuckled as he watched the ice slowly melt.
Meanwhile, far away in the tower, Masashi stepped out of his room.
Just moments ago, the Flying Thunder God mark he had placed on Sasuke sent him a warning.
---
After laughing, the long-haired Kusa ninja began to slowly enjoy the thrill of the hunt. He was waiting for someone he wanted to meet. Of course, he was no ordinary Kusa ninja. If Kusa could produce a ninja like him, it wouldn't be in such a pathetic state.
He was Orochimaru.
Just like in the original timeline, he had easily snuck into Konoha.
In the current shinobi world, only he could accomplish such a feat right under the nose of the security forces.
To be fair, he greatly enjoyed researching and discussing ninjutsu with Masashi. He felt that their perspectives aligned well.
Through the development of the curse mark, both he and Masashi had achieved their desired results. The sealing technique they developed far exceeded his expectations, giving him even more abilities. After all, he was one of the rare few who had fully studied the Scroll of Seals.
However, he didn't want to give up the joy of continuing his discussions with Masashi, nor was he willing to watch the shinobi world remain in its current stagnant state. If things continued like this, Oto would never reach its full potential, which was unacceptable.
He was an adult, so he wanted it all.
In his view, this was entirely possible. Masashi was strong, but he had limitations, too many attachments within the village.
Orochimaru was different. Oto served him, not the other way around. He had no burdens of family, embodying the philosophy of "one man eats his fill, the whole family stays fed."
These were things Masashi could never achieve.
So, when the factions that could no longer tolerate Konoha's growing power approached Oto, and even directly sought him out, he readily agreed.
And took advantage of the situation, enjoying every bit of it.
Orochimaru was still quite sociable. Between Konoha and the shinobi world, he chose the latter.
With a summoning jutsu, he called forth a massive snake.
But that was just his mount. He then summoned a swarm of smaller snakes, commanding them to disperse and search for his prey.
The traditions of Ryūchi Cave were all about fierce battles and gluttony, until they met Orochimaru. This guy had an unconventional approach, preferring to use the more intelligent snakes for reconnaissance. Under his training, these snakes had become highly proficient in their tasks.
Although, their most practiced skill now was being summoned into a large room to retrieve scrolls, brushes, and other materials.
It wasn't an easy job. The dominant female human who ruled that room was extremely fierce, and if they got caught, their dear friend would get beaten mercilessly.
Among the snakes Orochimaru summoned, one stood out, it had a tiny red flower tied around it. Not just any snake could earn such an honor! This was the exclusive badge of the annual champion!
This little snake clearly valued its red flower greatly. If any other snake dared to touch it, it would angrily hiss in protest.
At this moment, Orochimaru's orders reached the minds of the snake swarm. They began familiarizing themselves with the scent he provided. It smelled familiar, but due to mixed signals, they couldn't immediately recall what it was.
Nevertheless, a contract was a contract. The "little red flower" snake straightened its body, first making sure its companions saw its prestigious decoration, asserting its leadership, before hissing to announce the start of the operation.
The snakes quickly scattered. Orochimaru felt that something seemed off, but he didn't dwell on it.
After all, the snakes from Ryūchi Cave had never been "normal." If they suddenly started behaving normally, he'd be more concerned. He controlled them through sheer power anyway.
When fighting Masashi, he could only send brainless, low-tier snakes to attack. Many of his techniques couldn't be used. But against others, his snake-based ninjutsu was incredibly powerful.
Leaping onto the massive snake's head, hr issued a command, ordering it to follow the scent trail.
The snake slithered forward, pushing aside thick trees as it moved through the forest.
Let's see how long it takes for you to come… He mused to himself.
---
At the same time, Masashi had also left the tower.
The first chakra signature he sensed was Gaara's. However, after circling the area around the tower, Gaara eventually returned.
Maybe he wasn't satisfied with his fight yet?
But since it was within the normal exam rules, Masashi had no reason to interfere. So, he ignored it and entered the forest.
He focused on his Flying Thunder God mark.
Through his research on the curse mark with Orochimaru, he had gained many insights. Now, his Flying Thunder God mark functioned as his "eye."
A slight probe was all it took, he had already pinpointed three locations.
Naruto and Hinata were together with Neji and Karin.
Sasuke was with Haku.
Orochimaru was nowhere near them.
That was strange. He had definitely sensed the Sannin's chakra surge near Sasuke earlier.
Escaping from Orochimaru? That was impossible. That guy might not be the strongest in direct combat, but outside of battle, he was undoubtedly the best in the shinobi world.
Forget it, better to go find him directly.
Masashi activated the Flying Thunder God Technique, teleporting to the closest location near Orochimaru's chakra before pursuing him on foot.
Since there was no Flying Thunder God mark in that area, he had to run the rest of the way. But that wasn't a problem, he knew the speed of the giant snake well.
Sure enough, it didn't take long before he spotted the massive serpent wandering through the forest.
With crackling arcs of electricity trailing behind him, Masashi landed on the main branch of a tree, right in front of the snake.
Upon seeing Masashi, the snake halted its movement.
"Orochimaru, come out."
There was no one on the snake's head, but Orochimaru's chakra was unmistakably present inside the beast, completely unhidden.
Honestly, he never quite understood the point of some of Orochimaru's techniques.
Like this one.
Aside from being creepy, what else did it accomplish? It might intimidate weaker opponents, but anyone on the same level wouldn't be fazed, so wasn't this just a technique for bullying the weak? For someone on the level of the Five Kage, why did he have so many techniques designed for low-level opponents?
"You arrived later than I expected," Orochimaru said as he slithered out from the snake's back.
"The Kusa team… I suppose that's a total wipeout now?" Masashi looked at him.
Sure enough, Orochimaru had been wearing a disguise.
"But you didn't try to expose me," Orochimaru said as he peeled off the fake human skin on his face. "Ever since you returned to the village, you've had too many concerns."
"It's fine. Right now is a good opportunity. If it's you, I believe the village would be willing to organize another exam."
Orochimaru chuckled at that. "Oh? That's not necessarily true. My history with the Third Hokage… do you think others would accept me?"
"You still love twisting words, huh, Orochimaru?"
"Not this time." Orochimaru leaped from the snake's head and landed beside Masashi. "Last time, there were too many people around. This time, let's have a proper conversation."
"You don't take leadership seriously, do you? I'm the ANBU commander now!"
"Besides the remnants of Root, how many people can you actually command? And don't even mention Minato, he has even fewer people under his control than you do. Relax, I've already left them a little 'gift.' They'll manage just fine."
With that, Orochimaru sat down cross-legged, looking completely confident.
Masashi thought for a moment, then decided not to attack immediately. He sat down as well.
"If you've got something to say, say it clearly. No cryptic nonsense."
"Masashi, are you interested in destroying Suna with me?"
"Oh?" Masashi let out a cold laugh. "I knew you weren't up to anything good. Rasa approached you, didn't he?"
"Of course. I verbally agreed to his proposal, too. But… he's too indecisive. Someone like that can't be part of the 'windmill.' Besides, Suna has been looking quite impressive these past few years. It's making a lot of people uneasy."
"Do you really think you look like the kind of person who, after defecting from his village, still cares about its interests?"
"I'm not acting for Konoha's sake. You know exactly what I pursue, don't you?"
Masashi scoffed, "Don't put words in my mouth. I have no idea what goes on in that twisted mind of yours."
In the original timeline, Orochimaru's "Konoha Crush" plan had the vibe of a top student rebelling against his goofy teacher to prove himself. And that wasn't just a random assumption. After all the years Masashi had dealt with Orochimaru, he was fairly certain about one thing.
The Snake Sannin pursued ninjutsu, sought out unique powers, and even craved knowledge of ultimate truths, but he had no real interest in war, nor did he care about the political power that came with the Hokage title.
The Sarutobi faction was the largest force in Konoha, but it was also a chaotic mix of various interests. Hiruzen was still the leader of this faction, but even his own Sarutobi clan had to engage in political maneuvering within it.
A position so exhausting and full of compromises wasn't something Orochimaru would ever be interested in. After all, when it came to power, he already had plenty. Before defecting, he had been one of the top military figures in the Sarutobi faction.
In matters of war and authority, Orochimaru preferred to be an observer rather than a decision-maker or a participant.
But his relationship with Hiruzen? It wasn't just strained, it was outright conflicting. That was why he had insisted on conducting human experiments in the village, using its own ninjas as test subjects.
No one but Orochimaru and Hiruzen likely knew when their master-student relationship had first started falling apart. But Masashi was certain of one thing, deep down, Orochimaru still had a desire to prove something to Hiruzen.
"Destroying Suna? That doesn't sound very convincing," Masashi shook his head. "Be honest, or we won't be able to talk."
---
---
Currently 80 advance chapters!
[email protected]/Malphegor