Konoha, early morning, in the Forest of Death.
Sasuke had already made his decision before entering this forest.
He'd considered several response plans, but none could explain his intelligence sources. The system's existence truly exceeded ninjutsu's scope. Even if he were willing to speak about it, winning others' trust would be difficult. In some cases, he might even be misunderstood as Orochimaru's accomplice.
Therefore, to survive this crisis, he could only rely on himself!
"Let's settle here!"
"Sakura, you're responsible for setting traps. Naruto handles security. I'll scout the surrounding area."
After entering the forest, Sasuke had sprinted toward the central tower with full strength according to the original plan. About half an hour later, he stopped in an area with relatively good visibility and gave his teammates their assignments.
"Sasuke-kun, let me come with you! It's too dangerous outside—I'm worried about you being alone."
Sakura said sweetly.
"Remember what the examiner said? People really die in this exam."
Sasuke interrupted Sakura seriously, then secretly handed her the Heaven Scroll before turning and leaving.
As he ran, Sasuke reviewed the information he'd gathered:
There was a Kage-level character who wanted to test him. This person wouldn't kill him. This person was extremely dangerous.
Within this framework, the most endangered were actually Sasuke's two companions. After all, they had no guarantee of immunity from death. Once battle broke out, any outcome was possible.
Sasuke ran through the forest with no particular destination. He simply wanted to get as far from his friends as possible.
"Sasuke!" A cry interrupted his thoughts.
Stopping and looking back, he saw Sakura chasing after him with blood on her face.
"Naruto—Naruto was killed! It was three Sound ninja, waaah."
Sakura completely broke down, crying in Sasuke's arms.
"You're kidding!" Sasuke was horrified.
"Not long after you left, three Sound ninja came to steal our scroll. All the traps I set were seen through by that bandaged monster."
"Naruto went first to protect the scroll, fighting one against three."
Sakura sobbed as she described what had just happened in halting words.
"Where's the Earth Scroll? Do you still have it?" Sasuke asked.
"The scroll is still here." Sakura pulled a scroll from her clothes.
"Open it," Sasuke ordered.
"Huh? But the examiner clearly said opening it would immediately disqualify us from the exam, and something terrible would happen."
"I said open it!"
Sasuke leaped away, maintaining distance from Sakura while keeping his eyes fixed on the scroll.
"Open it. I want to see what's inside. If possible, make a copy."
"Even if something terrible happens, as long as I keep my distance, it should be fine."
"As for you—since Naruto is already dead, there's no point keeping you around!"
"Make your final contribution to Team 7! Show your resolve as a ninja!"
Sasuke kept pressing.
Sakura stared at the scroll in her hands, finally steeling herself and gritting her teeth: "No!"
Then she put the scroll away and turned to walk deeper into the forest.
Seeing this, Sasuke smiled inwardly and formed hand seals—Snake-Monkey-Boar-Horse-Tiger:
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball burst from Sasuke's mouth, striking violently toward Sakura's back.
Hearing the movement behind her, Sakura quickly leaped up, turning in midair and raising her hands to block the attack. Before she could land, Sasuke channeled chakra into his legs and burst forward with explosive speed, driving his knee into Sakura's chest.
Sakura used the impact to flip backward, blood trickling from her mouth as she glared at him:
"What the hell?!"
"Drop the act," Sasuke said coldly. "We received the Heaven Scroll, not the Earth Scroll."
The fake Sakura's eyes widened for a split second before she smirked.
"And the real Sakura would never refuse my orders after hearing Naruto was dead."
Smoke erupted around the figure, revealing a tall ninja wearing a straw hat.
"Impressive," the Straw Hat Ninja hissed, extending his unnaturally long tongue. "Most genin would never notice such details under emotional distress."
Sasuke's hand moved to his weapon pouch. "Who are you? What do you want?"
"I want to see what you're truly capable of, Sasuke-kun."
"Genjutsu: Hell Viewing Technique."
Sasuke saw the ninja's pupils rapidly contract, and suddenly felt overwhelming terror. Scenes of all Team 7 members dying tragically flashed rapidly before his eyes, and the sensation of losing everything sent Sasuke's body and mind plummeting.
While Sasuke stood frozen, the Straw Hat Ninja pressed forward, drew a kunai, and hurled it straight at his chest at high speed.
Didn't you say you wouldn't kill me?
Sasuke cursed the damn forums and netizens as he saw death approaching.
He summoned all his willpower and drove his own kunai deep into his thigh!
Using pain to break the genjutsu!
"Sharingan, activate!"
After leaping into the air to avoid the kunai, Sasuke quickly surveyed the surrounding terrain and the Straw Hat Ninja's position. His hands formed rapid seals—Rat-Tiger-Dog-Ox-Rabbit-Tiger:
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
Flames scattered like phoenix flower seeds, attacking the Straw Hat Ninja from multiple angles.
While his enemy dodged, Sasuke quickly hid behind a large tree he'd spotted earlier and tried to steady his breathing.
Until now, Sasuke had always questioned the meaning of this battle. Why should he participate in such a lopsided confrontation—a battle across power levels that was destined to end in defeat?
If he could hide, then hide. If he couldn't hide, then whatever happened would happen.
After the surprise attack failed, this sense of powerlessness reached its peak.
However, just moments ago, that person had nearly killed him during this so-called "trial."
No—the information needed to be reorganized:
From a strength perspective, in a one-on-one fight with this person, his survival probability was nearly zero. That person had almost killed him just now. According to the senior netizens, at least in some timeline, he had managed to survive.
Conclusion: This person had no murderous intent toward him, but clearly, it wouldn't matter if he accidentally died during the testing process.
To survive, he had to show his absolute best—like a fighting dog in a cage waiting to be selected. To assess the dog's spirit, the buyer would naturally choose to shake and provoke it. Though the purpose wasn't to kill, if the dog accidentally died in the process, they could only blame it for being too weak.
After sorting through everything, a tremendous sense of humiliation washed over him.
Then, fueled by adrenaline, that emotion transformed into rage.
If you want to see my potential, then I'll show you all of it!
Maybe I can't kill you, but if I risk everything, I might just make you pay a price!