"He's been dead for a while. His face... is gone."
Even the masked ANBU ninjas couldn't help but grimace at the gruesome scene. Anko frowned, her mind flashing back to that creepy examinee with the unnaturally long tongue.
She touched the curse mark on her neck, a chill running down her spine.
"Inform the Hokage immediately. I'm heading into the Forest of Death. It's him. Orochimaru is here!"
---
Inside the Forest of Death.
It was desolate.
It was silent.
The sky was gradually turning dark.
At the designated meeting spot, Tenten and Lee had already arrived.
"I found some traces of other teams nearby. There are still plenty of safe routes, but we should probably stick to the original plan and focus on moving fast," Tenten said, unstrapping the giant scroll from her back.
Lee packed the food he had gathered into his backpack. "Where's Neji?"
"I don't know."
"Neji is always punctual. And he keeps to himself; he wouldn't go out looking for trouble."
Tenten usually loved to roast Neji, but even she was starting to panic.
"Hey, Tenten. Do you remember that silver-haired guy we met outside the written exam room? Kabuto?"
"What about him?"
Lee's expression turned serious.
"The intel that Neji is the weakest Genin among the Leaf rookies... it was already leaked back then!"
Lee's words hit Tenten hard. She realized the danger.
"We have to find him!"
Realizing something was wrong, the two quickly packed up and sprinted in the direction Neji had gone.
---
Meanwhile, in another part of the forest.
"Phew... this forest is bigger than I thought. Been walking all evening and haven't seen a soul."
Neji thought to himself, It would be a shame if I don't get to fight anyone strong here.
Not far ahead, perched high on a tree branch, three ninjas from the Hidden Grass Village were watching him.
"Heh heh! Neji Hyuga. I can't believe his team let a loser like him wander off alone!"
"That guy Kabuto's intel was solid. This Neji really is the trash of the Hyuga clan! Let's grab him and trade him for a scroll!"
"This prey is ours!"
But before they could move...
Rustle, rustle.
Footsteps approached.
"Someone else is here! Leaf ninja!"
The Grass ninjas shrank back into the shadows.
"Well, well! Looks like we got lucky!"
A voice rang out. The Grass ninjas cursed silently. We got careless. A weak target like Neji is bound to attract more than just us!
Neji narrowed his eyes and took a step back.
Emerging from the bushes was none other than Kiba Inuzuka from the Hidden Leaf.
Kiba was grinning, a look of pure determination on his face—like a hunting dog that had cornered a rabbit.
Behind him were Shino and Hinata.
"Kiba..."
Hinata swallowed nervously, looking like she didn't want to do this.
Shino, however, remained indifferent. "Hinata, this is an exam."
"Y-Yes."
The three of them formed a united front. Neji hadn't expected his own village comrades to be the first to target him.
"This is bad..." Neji suddenly realized it was getting late.
"Yeah, it is bad for you! Who told you to run around alone when you're so weak?"
Kiba stepped forward, looking ready to handle this solo.
"If your two teammates were here, we might hesitate. But you're all alone!"
"Eh, wait a second!"
Neji was speechless for a moment. "How about this? You guys let me go for now. If I don't get back soon, my team is going to worry! I'll come find you tomorrow and we can fight then, okay?"
He smiled innocently. If he didn't get back soon, Tenten and Lee would be searching everywhere, and he'd never hear the end of it.
"W-What did you say? Do you take me for a fool?" Kiba gritted his teeth and charged.
"Akamaru!"
Kiba lunged, and the small dog on his shoulder leaped into action with him.
"Whoa, two against one?"
Neji executed a high jump, dodging the attack. Kiba was surprised by Neji's reaction speed.
Kiba followed up, and the two engaged in close combat.
Sounds of punches and kicks filled the air. Shino and Hinata seemed content to let Kiba handle it.
"Heh! I can take a guy like you down by myself! Having a weakling like you in this exam makes it too easy!"
Neji was backed up, about to hit a tree.
"Byakugan!"
He hurriedly formed a seal and threw a palm strike to counter Kiba.
Wham!
Kiba was blasted backward by the impact. Neji braked just in time, stopping his retreat.
"Oh? You actually have some skill, kid?"
Kiba's eyes turned serious.
But with his Byakugan active, Neji froze. In the trees nearby, he saw the Chakra signatures of three other ninjas preparing to strike!
"Hey, about that..."
Before Neji could speak, Kiba lunged again.
"Woof!"
Akamaru hadn't sensed the hidden enemies; he was just following Kiba's lead.
"I don't have time to play house with you," Neji whispered.
He casually swatted away Kiba's attack. Kiba blinked, thinking he was hallucinating.
Since when is this weakling so calm in a real fight?
"Gentle Fist!"
With a single palm strike to the left shoulder, Kiba was sent flying.
"Hmph! Finally getting serious, huh?"
Kiba scrambled up. That strike, combined with Neji's whisper, had thoroughly pissed him off.
"Ninja Art..."
"Kiba! Look out!"
"Eight Trigrams: Heavenly Rotation!"
A sphere of blue Chakra spun into existence, rotating at incredible speed.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Over a dozen kunai bounced off the spinning shield.
As the Rotation faded, several figures dropped from the trees.
"Hey, kid. Neji Hyuga is our prey. You gotta respect first come, first served!"
The Grass ninjas were masked, their faces hidden.
"Heh heh. If you don't back off, we'll deal with you three first, then take Neji!"
"Are all Grass ninjas this shady?"
Kiba realized the gravity of the situation. He forgot about Neji and locked his gaze on the new threat.
"Ninja Art: Four Legs Technique!"
"Akamaru!"
"Woof!"
Poof!
Akamaru transformed, turning red and looking feral. His combat power spiked instantly.
"Fang Over Fang!"
"Grass Style: Explosive Palm!"
The quiet forest erupted into a chaotic battlefield. Shino, naturally, wouldn't let Kiba fight three-on-one, so he joined the fray with his bugs.
Neji frowned and took a step back. It looked like Kiba and Shino could handle this, so he didn't need to intervene.
He was just about to slip away when he heard a scream.
"Ah!"
While everyone was distracted, one of the masked Grass ninjas had used Earth Style to tunnel behind Hinata.
He held a kunai to her throat, grinning maliciously. "Heh heh! Don't move, or the girl dies!"
"Damn it! You Grass cowards!" Kiba cursed furiously.
Kiba and Shino froze, unsure what to do. Suddenly, a sharp whistling sound cut through the air past them.
almost in the same instant, the Grass ninja holding Hinata was blasted away by an invisible force. He flew several meters and slammed into a tree trunk.
"Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm..."
Everyone turned in shock.
Neji stood there, his hands slowly lowering from the strike, his gaze cold and piercing.