Northwest of the forest, colossal trees scraped the sky.
Naruto stood on a thick limb, hands in his pockets, looking down on the farce below.
He hadn't bothered to mask his presence, but the people beneath him were so weak they never noticed the watcher overhead.
In his line of sight, a bespectacled red-haired girl was fleeing in disheveled panic through the underbrush.
Behind her, an enormous brown bear roared as it snapped trees, only inches from her heels.
"Aah! Don't come any closer! Don't!"
The girl shrieked in terror, tripped by a root, and slammed to the ground.
Her glasses flew off; her world blurred.
She shut her eyes in despair, covered her head, and trembled, waiting for death.
In the treetops, Naruto didn't intervene at once.
He frowned slightly, eyes behind his lenses showing pity—and exasperation.
"Chakra reserves and life force like that... she ought to be a rare prodigy even among the Uzumaki."
Naruto watched the girl lying there, resigned to die, and sighed inwardly.
"Such startling potential, yet without proper guidance she's nothing but beast fodder."
"Truly..."
Below, the bear opened its maw to bite.
Bang—
A dull crash.
The expected pain never came.
The girl quivered her eyes open; her pupils dilated.
The fierce giant bear now looked like a rag doll, half its body embedded in a pile of rock.
Before her stood only a blond youth in dark-blue battle dress.
Naruto didn't help Karin up; he stood over her, studying her from above.
"Red hair, immense vitality... you're a stray of the Uzumaki clan, aren't you? Why is an animal of this level chasing you?"
"Eh? Uzu... Uzumaki?"
Karin fumbled for her glasses and finally saw the fuzzy figure clearly.
Though the boy's tone was stern, Karin instinctively felt a blood-deep connection.
It soothed her; she almost wanted to cry.
"Take these."
Naruto tossed her a stack of Kibaku Fuda he'd drawn himself.
"Find a hidey-hole, stay put, don't wander."
"W-who are you? Why save me?"
Karin clutched the tags, voice shaking.
Naruto didn't answer.
He jerked his head toward the way he'd come, expression hardening.
Just now he'd felt a surge of vile Chakra burst from Sasuke direction.
"Don't die."
With that curt warning, he vanished as if he'd never been there.
Only Karin remained, motionless.
Had she not held the thick wad of Kibaku Fuda, she'd have thought it a dream.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the forest...
Gale-force winds, murderous intent.
"W-what is this...?"
Sasuke stood frozen, legs shaking.
In his eyes the world had turned crimson.
The Kusagakure ninja in the conical hat released only a wisp of killing intent, yet Sasuke saw visions of himself beheaded and mutilated.
Pure mental crush.
"Ugh..."
Beside him, Sakura couldn't bear the pressure; she knelt retching, tears streaming.
"How disappointing, little Uchiha."
The Kusagakure ninja stepped closer; each footfall matched Sasuke heartbeat, stealing his breath.
"Move—move, damn it! I'll die! I'll really die!"
Sasuke screamed inside, but his body felt cast in lead.
The ninja unhurriedly drew a kunai and flicked it at the paralyzed Sakura.
Cornered, Sasuke twin tomoe spun, and a third tomoe slowly emerged.
Sharingan—three tomoe awakened!
With a squelch, he drove a kunai into his own thigh.
Blood spurted; the sharp pain shattered fear's chains.
He lunged, knocked Sakura aside, and dodged the blade.
"Katon: Fengsenka no Jutsu!"
Using the pain's clarity, he spat fireballs for cover, scooped up Sakura, and retreated.
"Oh? Using pain to break killing intent? Not bad."
The Kusagakure ninja sidestepped the flames, faint praise in his eyes.
But it had only begun.
After setting Sakura down, Sasuke didn't flee.
With his Sharingan's perception, he flung shuriken attached to wire, boxing in the enemy's movement.
"Decent skill—and he can track my speed..."
The ninja dodged lazily, amused.
Suddenly his gaze sharpened.
"Wire?"
When he noticed the fine steel wires trailing the kunai and shuriken he'd avoided, it was too late.
The wires snaked round and bound him fast to a tree.
"Now!"
Sasuke eyes widened; hands flashed through seals.
"Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu!"
Scorching flame shot along the wire, turning into a dragon that swallowed the ninja.
"Hah... hah..."
Sasuke panted, blood still dripping from his thigh, eyes fixed on the inferno.
"D-did I get him?"
But when the blaze died, the terrifying figure still stood.
Only the burnt skin peeled away, revealing the true face beneath.
Slit golden pupils, purple eyeshadow.
One of the Densetsu no Sannin—Orochimaru.
"Fine eyes... impressive for your age."
Orochimaru tore off the ruined mask, greed gleaming.
"But not enough."
Sasuke felt despair choke him.
His full combo hadn't even scuffed the man.
"Now it's my turn."
Orochimaru vanished.
Thud!
Agony exploded in Sasuke gut; he was kicked like a cannonball.
He slammed into a tree and coughed up blood.
"Sasuke-kun!"
Sakura cried, rushing forward.
"Stay back! Run!"
Sasuke croaked.
He tried to rise, but Orochimaru's foot pinned his chest.
"It's over, Sasuke-kun."
Orochimaru's neck stretched unnaturally, fangs bared.
"Accept the gift I give you."
Sasuke stared at the descending head, fear and frustration in his eyes.
"So this... is my limit?"
"Damn it—if it were that guy..."
At that critical instant—
Boom—!!!
A tremendous crash tore through the air.
Orochimaru sensed danger and retracted his neck, leaping back.
A huge object grazed him and slammed to the ground.
Smoke cleared; Sasuke and Sakura stared in shock.
What had fallen was a massive, bloody snake head.
The serpent was dead, eyes still glazed with bewilderment.
Standing atop the head, a figure calmly wiped blood from his hand with a handkerchief.
"Cough... Naruto-kun..."
Sasuke watched that back.
An emotion he hadn't felt in ages—relief—welled up.
Naruto tossed the handkerchief aside and regarded Orochimaru, lenses flashing coldly.
"Didn't expect your target to be Sasuke-kun..."
"That hideous form... hardly befitting a senior, don't you think?"