The Forest of Death went quiet in a way that felt wrong.
Not the natural silence of predators stalking prey, but the oppressive stillness that came when something far more dangerous had entered the territory.
Team 7 felt it at the same time. The feeling was different, but the oppressive pressure was quite similar.
That malicious aura the man in front of them was emitting was like Sukuna's when he directed his killing intent at them all at once.
They all remembered that day.
---<>---
[Flash Back]
Sukuna made them line up in the clearing just after dawn.
"Today's lesson is simple," he said calmly. "Stand."
Naruto blinked. "That's it?"
Sakura frowned. "No chakra control? No drills?"
Sasuke crossed his arms. "You're joking."
Sukuna looked mildly offended. "I never joke during training."
He stepped back a single pace. "I will release my killing intent. Your task is to remain standing. That's it."
"Killing intent?" Sakura didn't get it.
"Strong shinobi can project their killing intent outwards, affecting enemies' minds and will. It's important to build resistance against this kind of attacks." Sukuna explained.
"It's like a Genjutsu?" Sasuke asked, to him it felt like that. If it was genjutsu then he didn't want to learn this, his Sharingan can handle it.
"No... you'll know soon enough. Just make sure you keep standing."
Naruto snorted. "That's easy. I stare down scary people all the time."
Sukuna rolled his eyes and let it loose.
The world collapsed. The pressure around them multi-folded.
Naruto's vision drowned in red. Blood-soaked ground stretched endlessly beneath his feet, corpses piled like mountains. The stench of death clogged his lungs. At the peak stood Sukuna, eyes cold, gaze heavy, a king presiding over slaughter.
Sakura couldn't breathe. Her knees locked, mind screaming as images of dismembered bodies and silent screams crushed her thoughts. Her hands shook violently. She wanted to breathe, but as if she forgot how to, air refused to go in.
Sasuke's Sharingan spun uselessly. Every instinct told him to run, to kneel, to beg—anything to escape that presence. His teeth clenched until they hurt.
One by one, they collapsed.
The pressure vanished instantly.
All three lay on the ground, gasping, hearts racing, minds shattered.
Their eyes widened, bodies shaking and limbs clutching themselves tight to find warmth.
Sukuna paused. "You failed. Tomorrow, we'll try again."
[Flash Back Ends]
---<>---
Yes, this feeling wasn't completely hopeless feeling, but the pressure was quite similar.
Naruto was the first to stop. "Oi… why do I feel like someone just stepped on my spine?"
Sakura tightened her grip on her kunai. "That's not funny, you idiot. Focus!"
Seeing them all seeing clearly conscious and thinking straight, Orochimaru was impressed.
"Fufufufuf... to think there are genin who can handle killing intent that well. Konoha really is the cradle of geniuses..."
Sasuke's eyes scanned the man up and down.
Tall. Pale. Long black hair hanging loosely over a face carved into a permanent, unsettling smile. Yellow, slit-pupil eyes gleamed with interest rather than hostility, as if he were browsing merchandise.
He knew this person. He remembered from the Bingo Book, he made sure to memorise that book entirely after seeing how useful it could be back when Sukuna first mentioned them in their tracking mission.
"Orochimaru," Sasuke said immediately.
Naruto blinked. "Wait—you know this creep?"
"Yes," Sakura said sharply. "Bingo Book. S-rank missing-nin. Former Leaf shinobi."
Orochimaru's smile widened. "How delightful. Studying criminals already?"
Yes, this genin team wasn't like others. Orochimaru smirked.
He did not disguise himself. No borrowed face. No pretense. Just Orochimaru, standing openly before three genin in the middle of the Forest of Death.
Naruto pointed at him. "Hey! Aren't you, like… super wanted?"
Sasuke didn't look away. "Get serious, Naruto. This guy is near Kage-level shinobi. We are in real danger here..."
Sakura gulped, she herself didn't have much of an impression of this man outside what little she learned about Sannin in the academy, but if Sasuke was this cautious about him, then he would indeed be dangerous.
All three of them were already in fighting positions, ready to run if they got a chance and fight for their lives if it came down to it.
"Ah," Orochimaru said softly. "Straight to the point. I like that."
He took a slow step forward.
Team 7 moved as one. They wished to run away, but even for that they had to make an opening.
Sakura hurled a smoke bomb while Naruto split into a dozen shadow clones, scattering through the trees. Sasuke leapt backward, weaving signs.
'Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu.'
The massive fireball roared through the smoke, forcing Orochimaru to leap aside. Before he landed, Sakura snapped wire traps upward, explosive tags hidden among them.
'Sakura Blizzard'
The forest erupted.
Orochimaru twisted midair, body bending unnaturally as explosions tore through the space he'd occupied. Like a snake, he wiggled between the wires and escaped.
Naruto's clones charged next from three directions. "Eat this, snake freak!"
They attacked in waves—taijutsu feints, kunai strikes next, and finally explosive tags chained together for final damage.
However, the next second they saw Orochimaru turn into a mud clone. The real Orochimaru appeared somewhere else on a tree perch.
Sasuke was already behind Orochimaru, blade flashing, only for Sakura to slam her heel down, shattering the ground and disrupting Orochimaru's footing.
For a moment—
Orochimaru laughed.
He caught Sasuke's wrist effortlessly, fingers like iron. "Excellent coordination. No wonder you're Itachi's brother... I expected this much from you, but your teammates have also exceeded my expectations..."
"Itachi..." Sasuke's eyes widened. 'He knows Itachi?'
That momentary lapse of concentration was all Orochimaru needed to throw the Uchiha away with a well-placed kick to his solar plexus.
"SASUKE!" Naruto shouted, rushing towards Orochimaru.
Naruto's clones piled on, grappling him, restraining his arms.
"NOW!" Naruto shouted.
Sasuke tore free of his daze and entered into a mad run back at Orochimaru, hand sign flaring as he thrust his hand forward.
'Chidori.'
Orochimaru's eyes widened seeing that attack coming. 'That's Kakashi's attack...' He was baffled Kakashi even taught that to a genin.
The lightning arm drove straight through Orochimaru's chest.
Naruto, original this time, burst from above, chakra spiraling violently in his palm.
"RASENGAN!"
The impact obliterated the clearing.
Trees snapped. Earth exploded. The force sent Team 7 skidding backward.
"Idiot, I was in the way." Sasuke barked, he was right next to Orochimaru.
Naruto panted. "Ah, come on, gotta make sure we kill him for good."
All of their eyes went back to where Orochimaru was, and they saw a mangled body there.
"We did it?" They thought, but none actually believed it. It felt too easy. It's never that easy.
Then a wet sound echoed.
Slow clapping.
Orochimaru stepped out of his own corpse, as if nothing had happened. It was almost like a snake shedding its skin.
Naruto's jaw dropped. "That was gross..."
"On the contrary," Orochimaru replied pleasantly. "That was wonderful."
Sasuke stared, teeth clenched. "That should've killed him."
Orochimaru's eyes slid toward Sasuke, a smile appearing.
"So this is Itachi's little brother," he murmured. "And yet…"
His gaze shifted to Sakura. "Perfect battlefield awareness."
Then Naruto. "Raw power and creativity."
He smiled wider. "Almost reminds me of my own youth... yeh, sensei..." He grinned, recalling the past.
Naruto bristled. "Oi! Don't compliment us like that, it's creepy!"
They attacked again.
This time smarter.
Sakura baited Orochimaru with precise strikes, forcing him into narrow spaces. Sasuke used shuriken shadow techniques to funnel movement. Naruto's clones formed layered formations, some exploding, others grappling, others masking the real Naruto.
They fought like seasoned shinobi.
Like chunin. Hell, they were already easily Chunin rank after years of training under Sukuna.
But Orochimaru blocked, dodged, and countered all of their attacks.
A clone wrapped wire around his legs. Sakura yanked, Sasuke flashed in with another Chidori, Naruto following immediately behind with a second Rasengan.
Orochimaru was driven into the ground, buried beneath a crater again.
Silence.
Naruto slumped to his knees. "Did that do it?…"
Slowly, a hand emerged from the rubble.
Then another.
Orochimaru pulled himself free, once again shedding his skin.
"A pity," he said sincerely. "You truly exceeded my expectations."
Sasuke trembled—not from fear, but from hesitation. "Why are you here?"
Orochimaru tilted his head. "Curiosity. Possibility. Opportunity. Pick your poison, boy..."
His gaze lingered briefly on Sasuke, then moved away.
"However, enough playing around..."
The killing intent surged then—overwhelming, suffocating.
Naruto froze. Sakura felt her knees buckle. Sasuke's Sharingan spun wildly. They resisted it.
'I sometimes hate that idiot, but have to say he's a good teacher...' Sakura grumbled. If not for his brother's help, she doubted she even could have moved here. The other two were thinking something similar along that line.
"We can't fight him... we have to get out of here..." Sasuke finally spoke; it was clear they were no match for him.
xXx
A/N : Ah, didn't plan to spend the entire chapter on them fighting him, it was pointless from the start. But then I thought why not, haven't really shown how far they have gotten so far. Not to mention, the current Orochimaru has options, Sasuke is not his only way. So there has to be something to pick his interest.
Oh, by the way, I i'm very interested in those stones in your hands. Mind letting me have a look.
Promise, Just a look.
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