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**Chapter 35: Rescuing Team 7**
The brief moment of tenderness with Momoki that morning still lingered on his fingertips. Rubik gently tucked in the exhausted Momoki, planting a soothing kiss on her smooth forehead. He whispered softly,
"I'll go handle some things. I'll be back soon—rest well."
Momoki mumbled a hazy "Mm" and drifted back into sleep.
Rubik quickly dressed and vanished in a flash, heading straight for the Hokage's office.
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was puffing on his pipe while sorting through documents. He looked up at Rubik's grim expression, his eyes sharpening.
"Rubik? So early..."
"Master, no time for small talk."
Rubik cut straight to the point, his voice low and urgent.
"Orochimaru has infiltrated the village. His target is likely Uchiha Sasuke."
The Third's fingers tightened around his pipe. Amid the swirling smoke, a glint flashed in his weathered eyes.
"Source?"
"Had a 'friendly chat' with him in a village alley yesterday."
Rubik kept it brief.
"He tried to make a move on Momoka, but I stopped him. Before leaving, he showed keen interest in the Sharingan. I suspect he's in the Forest of Death right now!"
Orochimaru hadn't mentioned the Sharingan in front of him, of course—but with Rubik's "intelligence network," Orochimaru might as well have been stripped bare. This excuse would fool the Third without issue.
The Third took a deep drag, exhaling a thick smoke ring as his wrinkles deepened.
"Forest of Death... The second exam has already begun..."
"Give me authorization!"
Rubik demanded firmly.
"I need to enter the Forest of Death. The proctors alone might not stop Orochimaru in time or handle any surprises. Sasuke's team is in grave danger."
The Third studied Rubik intently. This grand-disciple brought by Jiraiya had unfathomable strength—playful in action yet always piercing to the core, especially those eyes... He hesitated no longer, swiftly signing an order and stamping it with the Hokage seal.
"Take this to Yuhi Kurenai's subordinate, Anko Mitarashi. She's handling security patrols for the second exam. You're authorized to temporarily command her and her team. Ensure the genin's safety above all—especially stop Orochimaru!"
"Understood!" Rubik snatched the order and vanished instantly.
At the Forest of Death's perimeter, the air was thick with tension. Anko Mitarashi patrolled irritably, her snake-like instincts prickling with unease, though she couldn't pinpoint why.
Spotting Rubik with the Hokage's order, she froze, then shrank back as she read it. "Orochimaru?!"
"No time to explain, Proctor Anko." Rubik shoved the order at her. "Gather your team and follow me inside! Orochimaru's after Sasuke—we need to move fast!"
Anko had heard of Rubik, and with the Hokage's handwritten order, she swallowed her questions. She waved over a few elite chunin nearby.
"Follow him!"
The group shot into the forest like arrows from a bow. Rubik led the charge, activating his radar thing in an instant. It spread like invisible radar waves from him, scanning every direction.
Complex terrain, lurking beasts, fleeing or fighting genin... Countless chakra signatures appeared as starpoints in his sensory web. He filtered out the irrelevant ones like a seasoned hunter tracking the deadliest scent.
Suddenly, a faint chakra signal laced with terror and pain caught his attention. Direction—northeast!
"This way!" Rubik barked, accelerating sharply. His figure blurred through the dense woods. Anko and the others gritted their teeth, pushing to keep up.
Soon, desperate cries for help and a beast's savage roars echoed ahead. In a ravaged clearing, a massive, red-eyed bear swung its claws wildly at a trembling red-haired girl in cracked glasses—Karin!—huddled behind a tree.
"There she is!"
Rubik thought to himself.
Her chakra seemed to possess incredible healing properties, but against the bear's brute force, her glasses were shattered, her body covered in bloody scratches and dirt. She was clearly on the verge of collapse.
"Save her!"
Before the words left his mouth, Rubik appeared behind the bear. No hand seals—just a chakra-infused hand chop, striking precisely at its nape.
*Crack!*
A bone-shattering sound rang out. The raging bear froze mid-motion, its massive body crashing to the ground in a cloud of dust.
Karin stared in shock at the sudden arrival of Rubik and the team behind him. She gasped for air, tears spilling uncontrollably.
Rubik quickly checked her injuries. They looked messy but were superficial; her unique chakra was already mending them slowly.
"You're safe now."
He offered a curt reassurance, then turned to Anko.
"Proctor Anko, have your team escort this genin to a safe zone. She needs time to recover."
Anko glanced at Karin, then at Rubik. "And you?"
"Orochimaru's presence... deeper in! With Sasuke's team!"
Rubik's eyes flickered as his radar technique (same thing that karin has in canon) locked onto a chilling, viscous chakra signature moving rapidly.
"He just left—I'm pursuing!"
Without waiting for a reply, Rubik vanished again, leaving only a gust of wind.
Anko eyed his direction, clenching her jaw.
"Take her with us. We'll trail at a distance, ready to support!"
...
Deep in the dense woods, at a battered battlefield.
Sasuke curled in agony on the ground, the black curse mark on his neck writhing like a living thing, exuding an ominous aura. He gritted his teeth against the searing pain and murderous urges eroding his mind.
Naruto lay nearby, exhausted from unleashing his unmastered Rasengan. Sakura knelt between them, tears streaming as she futilely tried to suppress Sasuke's curse mark, overwhelmed by despair and helplessness.
Moments ago, the man calling himself "Orochimaru"—a monstrous snake toying with prey—had effortlessly crushed them, branded Sasuke with this horrific seal, and vanished with a chilling laugh.
"Sasuke-kun..."
Sakura's voice cracked with sobs, fear and guilt drowning her.
Suddenly, a figure materialized like a teleport—Rubik!
"Big Bro Rubik!" Sakura cried out like she'd found salvation, her tears bursting forth.
Rubik scanned the scene: Sasuke's curse mark, Naruto's exhaustion, Sakura's breakdown. Just as he'd anticipated.
"You're safe now. I've got this."
He moved to Sakura's side, patting her shaking shoulder with steady reassurance.
"Leave it to me."
He knelt by Sasuke, eyeing the boy's contorted face and encroaching curse mark with gravity. His hands flew through seals, pure chakra gathering at his fingertips.
"Evil Sealing Method Formula!"
With a low shout, Rubik's fingers struck the curse mark's center. Runes spread like chains, instantly overlaying and suppressing the writhing black mark! Sasuke's convulsions eased; though pale, his pained expression softened, and his breathing steadied.
Next, Rubik turned to Naruto, pressing a hand to his stomach. Gentle, potent yang chakra flowed in. Moments later, Naruto stirred with a groan, his eyes fluttering open.
"Urgh... Big Bro Rubik!" The groggy Naruto snapped alert.
Sasuke, aided by the seal, regained consciousness too. He sat up shakily, touching the sealed curse mark, his gaze on Rubik a mix of shock, gratitude, frustration, and humiliation.
Rubik faced the three battered but alive genin and spoke gravely.
"You encountered one of the Legendary Sannin—Orochimaru. An extremely dangerous S-rank missing-nin."
"Orochimaru?!" Naruto and Sakura gasped. Sasuke's pupils contracted sharply, the man's terrifying power and venomous words flooding back.
"His target," Rubik's eyes fixed on Sasuke, blunt as ever,
"Was you, Sasuke. Your Sharingan... and Uchiha bloodline. This 'Heavenly Curse Mark' is his brand and leash. My sealing jutsu has suppressed it for now—no effects under normal conditions—but it lingers, tempting and eroding your will. Stay vigilant."
Sasuke's fists clenched white-knuckled, hatred blazing in his eyes.
"Orochimaru's gone," Rubik continued. "But the Forest of Death is still deadly. In your state... you're not fit to continue the exam."
He eyed Sasuke's pallor and Naruto's depleted chakra.
"I'll escort you straight to the central tower and end this."
"No!"
Surprisingly, the sharp refusal came from Sasuke, freshly recovered from the curse's torment.
He looked up, his dark eyes free of prior haze and pain—replaced by obsessive resolve and icy determination.
"I want to keep going!"
Naruto blinked, then leaped up, scrubbing dirt from his face. Blue eyes burned with defiance.
"Yeah! We're not quittin' like this! That snake-face bastard ambushed us—this ain't over! Plus, we gotta snag those scrolls and pass fair and square!"
Sakura watched their resolve, her fear and weakness fading. She nodded fiercely.
"Sasuke-kun, Naruto—I'm with you!"
Rubik paused, then smirked helplessly, a hint of admiration in it.
"Heh... Fine." He dropped the stern facade for his usual laid-back vibe, though his eyes stayed serious.
"If that's your call. Remember—survive above all. If things get impossible, fire a signal flare. I'll... 'appropriately' watch over you."
He said no more, giving them a deep look before flickering away, blending into the forest shadows.
Sasuke stared after him, fist clenched tight. Naruto clapped Sasuke's shoulder boisterously.
"Oi, Sasuke! Quit zoning out! Let's move—grab those scrolls and show Big Bro Rubik what we've got!"
Rubik sensed Orochimaru's aura heading toward Anko's group and raced to intercept.
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