Kakashi and Anko were even more surprised by Xia Mu.
Earlier, on the outskirts of the Death Forest, Xia Mu discovering Orochimaru and contending with him had already seemed incredible to everyone, and they had acknowledged Xia Mu's strength.
Unexpectedly, Xia Mu's strength was not just that; he had been holding back.
It wasn't until this time that he had to go all out, and to their surprise, he truly had the ability to defeat Orochimaru. He was truly amazing!
Kakashi laughed, "It seems that Might Guy and I didn't misjudge you, and teaching you swordsmanship and Eight Gates was also the right decision. You've been able to use what you've learned to this extent, protecting your comrades and repelling a strong enemy. You are already an excellent Ninja who can stand on his own. Your strength has already surpassed mine!"
Xia Mu quickly waved his hand, "Kakashi-sensei, you flatter me. I still have a long way to go and need to continue getting stronger!"
He dared not say he was stronger than Kakashi. Kakashi still had a Mangekyo Sharingan he hadn't used yet. Before learning Flying Thunder God, he had no chance of winning against Kamui.
Seeing Xia Mu like this, Kakashi nodded repeatedly.
This child's character is also excellent, humble and eager to improve. He's truly a good child!
Kakashi continued, "Since you're all fine, then continue the exam. Anko and I cannot help; that would be against the rules. But we will pursue Orochimaru, he shouldn't have another chance to cause trouble, so rest assured."
After speaking, he exchanged a look with Anko, then pursued in one direction.
Xia Mu and the others did not stay put either. They quickly found a hidden spot to conceal themselves and then began to properly rest.
Tenten took out a scroll and summoned a pile of food, distributing it. Everyone quickly ate to replenish their stamina, knowing that only by recovering well could they continue the exam.
"Oh, right, I tried to summon Badora earlier, but I failed."
Xia Mu brought this up, "However, I summoned a young hawk, and it informed me that Badora was injured. That's when I knew things weren't good on your end, so I rushed here with all my might. Thankfully, I made it in time."
Tenten immediately became worried, "Badora was ambushed by Orochimaru and pierced by the kusanagi sword. I hope it's okay."
If Badora hadn't been ambushed and injured, everyone would have flown away long ago, and they wouldn't have been bullied so badly by Orochimaru. Fortunately, Xia Mu and Tenten also avenged Badora, not only severely injuring Orochimaru but also killing two of Orochimaru's large snakes, and even killing Manda.
Orochimaru suffered immense losses!
Thinking of this, Xia Mu and Tenten also felt much happier.
This topic passed, and naturally, there were other topics: "Speaking of which, how are your scroll collections? Our Team Nine has already collected them all and can head straight to the tower."
Lee immediately raised his hand, "We've collected ours too! We were lucky earlier; after defeating a team, we just happened to get the scrolls we needed!"
Then, the six members of the two teams all looked at Sasuke and Sakura. Both of them immediately became awkward, because not only had they not collected the scrolls, but they had also unluckily encountered Orochimaru.
Now Naruto was still unconscious, so what would they do about the rest of the exam?
Xia Mu asked directly, "Sasuke, what are you planning? Kakashi-sensei said that you don't need to worry about Orochimaru's attacks anymore, so the exam should be able to proceed normally. Do you need our help?"
Sakura's heart stirred upon hearing this, but she quickly suppressed the thought.
She was already so useless; if she even needed help with the exam, she probably wouldn't have the face to continue being a Ninja, and Sasuke-kun definitely wouldn't agree.
Indeed, Sasuke shook his head and said, "You've already helped a lot. Don't worry about the exam; our Team Seven will definitely pass!"
Team Nine and Team Guy exchanged glances and didn't object: "Since that's the case, after we've rested well, we'll head to the tower first. You all be careful."
"Don't worry!"
Sasuke seemed to have regained some confidence, then remembered something and said somewhat awkwardly, "Also, thank you for this time!"
Sasuke had always been very proud. For him to actively express thanks seemed somewhat incredible, but in fact, his mind was still normal; it was right for him to say thank you after receiving such great help.
Sakura also seemed to just remember and quickly added, "Yes, thank you so much this time!"
The two teams didn't mind this and simply waved their hands.
Afterward, everyone rested and didn't say much. After a night, they had all basically recovered their spirits, so Team Nine and Team Guy immediately took their leave.
"Make sure to be careful!" Xia Mu reminded them, knowing that the Sound Ninja Trio were still out there.
"Yeah, thanks, ghana!" Sasuke's ghana made Xia Mu pause for a moment, a sense of nostalgia welling up.
After the two teams left, Sasuke's cold face returned, and he kicked Naruto: "Hey! Get up! We're so far behind, we don't have time for you to sleep!"
Naruto woke up groggily, then was suddenly startled: "Where's Orochimaru? Orochimaru..."
Sakura immediately punched him: "...Everyone else was working hard, only you were sleeping. How can you be so shameless?!"
Sasuke glanced at Sakura. Sakura had no right to scold Naruto. At least Naruto charged in to fight at first; he just fainted for some unknown reason caused by Orochimaru. As for Sakura, she just watched, trembling the whole time, and couldn't even help treat injuries. What right did she have to scold Naruto?
Meanwhile, Team Nine and Team Guy quickened their pace.
Xia Mu wasn't sure if Team Seven would be attacked by Orochimaru again, nor was he sure if Sasuke and the others could withstand the attack of the Sound Ninja Trio, but since Kakashi said it was fine, then it should be fine.
Furthermore, the current Sasuke was different from the original. He hadn't been given the Curse Mark, his condition was still good, and he had learned Hatake Swordmanship. Dealing with the Sound Ninja Trio should be no problem.
As for Team Eight and Team Ten, both teams were quite capable. As long as they didn't encounter Orochimaru or Gaara, they would basically be fine. And they were very far away now, so Xia Mu couldn't help even if he wanted to. He could only hope they would be okay.
After half a day of traveling, because Pakkun and Neji were there, they were able to avoid many unnecessary dangers and successfully reached the Tower.
Only then did they truly breathe a sigh of relief.
After entering the Tower and handing in the scrolls, there were specific teachers to welcome them, who also spoke at length about the Will of Fire. After a series of procedures, the two teams finally passed the second stage of the Chunin Exams. There were still three days left. Apart from not being allowed to leave the Tower, they could rest freely, and the Tower also provided enough food.
Everyone was not polite and quickly indulged.
In the evening, Team Eight successfully arrived. Xia Mu and Tenten quickly went to welcome their good friend, Shino.
Another day passed, and Team Ten also arrived, but Shikamaru and the others looked very battered. They said that when they were close to the Tower, they encountered Team Seven being attacked by the Sound Ninja Trio, and they also helped out, getting beaten up quite badly.