This Naruto is too easily persuaded.

The air in the forest seemed to freeze, and the huge snake head emitted a pungent, fishy smell.

Orochimaru stood on a high tree trunk, his golden snake eyes slightly narrowed as he surveyed the boy below.

Prior to this, his trusted subordinate, Kabuto Yakushi, had reported information about the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to him.

In Kabuto's description, Naruto and they are the same kind of people.

The same genius, the same yearning for truth, and... the same ambition.

Orochimaru scoffed at this at the time.

In his life, he has seen far too many so-called geniuses.

He himself even grew up from a so-called genius.

In his view, Naruto was merely a vessel for sealing the Nine-Tails, perhaps because the tailed beast possessed some unique characteristics.

But that's about it.

Orochimaru's interest in Naruto was far less intense than his interest in Sasuke.

Therefore, he has always turned a blind eye to Kabuto's unauthorized attempts to win over Naruto.

There was neither obstruction nor support.

But now.

Looking at the dead summoning serpent at his feet, Orochimaru suddenly became curious about Naruto.

"Able to use some high-level ninjutsu to kill the Summoning Serpent in one blow..."

For a genin, that's definitely above average.

"Could it be because of the tailed beasts? Or...?"

Orochimaru stuck out his slick, long tongue and licked a trace of blood from the cuts on his face caused by the rubble.

A flicker of interest ignited in his previously cold eyes.

"Let's test it out a bit."

"If it has sufficient value..."

Without any warning, Orochimaru's figure vanished instantly from the tree trunk.

fast!

It was so fast that it exceeded the limits of human visual perception.

When he reappeared, he was already in mid-air behind Naruto like a ghost.

He desperately tried to stab Naruto in the back at a tricky angle.

For an ordinary ninja, this would be a fatal blow.

Naruto didn't turn around, but it was as if he had eyes in the back of his head.

Just as the kunai was about to pierce him, he grabbed Orochimaru's wrist with his other hand.

Using his downward momentum, she executed a textbook-perfect over-the-shoulder throw, sending him flying.

"Um?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Orochimaru's eyes.

"Is it a sensory ability?"

Bang!

Orochimaru was slammed heavily to the ground.

But the moment he landed, his body seemed to absorb all the impact like a mollusk, and his legs landed steadily.

"It's not over yet."

Naruto's calm voice rang out.

呲味——

Orochimaru looked down and his pupils contracted slightly.

In the instant of contact, three explosive tags had somehow gotten stuck to his chest and were already burning to the end.

"When?"

Boom!!

The intense explosion and flames instantly engulfed Orochimaru's body, and the shockwave, carrying debris and dust, spread outwards.

When the smoke and dust cleared, only a pit remained on the ground.

A few meters away, near the tree roots, the ground rippled, and Orochimaru rose from the soil unharmed.

Although he wasn't injured, his gaze towards Naruto had become somewhat serious.

"Without a single superfluous movement, every strike aimed straight for vital points..."

Orochimaru patted the dirt off his body, and the smile on his face gradually widened.

"Naruto-kun, this kind of sophisticated killing technique... who taught you it? This doesn't seem like a ninja academy course."

Naruto did not answer his question.

He took off his somewhat cumbersome glasses, put them into his spatial pocket, and casually lifted the front of his hair.

In an instant, his gentle demeanor vanished.

Instead, it possesses a chilling sharpness.

Naruto raised his head, his gaze cold:

"Senior, are you done warming up?"

"Hehehe... Hahahaha!"

Orochimaru suddenly threw his head back and laughed wildly.

The chakra within him was no longer suppressed, and a murderous aura, almost tangible, erupted without reservation.

"Good! Very good!"

"In that case, I'll just... be a little more serious."

……

Five hundred meters away from the battlefield.

Three pairs of eyes watched all this in horror from within the dense bushes.

It's Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji from Class 10.

They were looking for a scroll nearby.

Then they were drawn by the first loud noise, wanting to see if they could take advantage of the situation.

At this point, let alone reaping the benefits, they didn't even dare to breathe loudly.

"That...that's Naruto?!"

Ino lay prone in the grass, her whole body soaked in cold sweat, her face pale.

Looking at Naruto, who was called the bottom of the class a year ago... no, half a year ago, he is now fighting against the Grass Ninja who exude a terrifying aura.

The aftershocks from their ninjutsu clash stung their faces.

"That grass ninja... he's a monster. Just his overwhelming aura makes it hard for us to breathe..."

Choji's hands were trembling.

"And Naruto is actually fighting this monster..."

"Has he grown to this extent without us even realizing it?"

Shikamaru watched the battle unfolding not far away, his heart filled with turmoil.

……

At this point, the battle between Naruto and Orochimaru had reached its climax.

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hand!"

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

Naruto once again used his best ninjutsu to shred the giant snake that lunged at him.

He has been patient.

If that technique is activated... [Mutual Explosion Tags], even Orochimaru would be severely injured, if not killed.

But... Naruto glanced at the messy open space behind him out of the corner of his eye.

Sasuke and Sakura were slumped under that tree.

If a multiplicative detonator were used at this distance, the area would be instantly razed to the ground.

Orochimaru might have a way to save his life, so he might not necessarily die.

But Sasuke and Sakura will definitely turn to ashes.

Sacrificing teammates for victory is the mark of an incompetent person.

Moreover, victory is not guaranteed.

"The Formation of Ten Thousand Serpents!"

Taking advantage of Naruto's momentary distraction, Orochimaru spat out countless venomous snakes from his mouth, like a tidal wave.

"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"

Naruto's clones immediately formed hand seals, and dozens of shadow clones became entangled with the dense swarm of poisonous snakes.

From time to time, the sounds of shadow clones turning into smoke and the dying hiss of venomous snakes could be heard.

Just as the two were at an impasse.

It was like the sudden sound of thousands of birds chirping.

A shadow clone of Naruto, wielding lightning, charged straight at Orochimaru at an astonishing speed.

Along the way, all the venomous snakes that blocked the way were torn to shreds by lightning.

"Chidori? Is this the technique used to kill the summoned serpent?"

Orochimaru didn't care and casually destroyed the clone that rushed in front of him.

As the smoke from the clone dissipated, a scroll fell down.

The scroll was densely covered with thousands of detonating tags.

"What!?"

"burst!"

Boom!!!

This was a precise close-range blast.

Even Orochimaru hadn't anticipated Naruto's suicidal attack and was instantly engulfed in flames.

As the smoke and dust slowly dissipated, the battlefield returned to a deathly silence.

The massive shockwave blasted a deep crater in the ground.

Orochimaru's deformed corpse lay motionless in the crater in a strange position.

Naruto stood at the edge of the pit, slightly out of breath.

Such intense combat had pushed even him to his limits.

He subconsciously pushed up glasses that weren't even there.

"Is it over?"

One step, two steps... Naruto slowly approached.

He didn't let his guard down and stopped when he was still twenty meters away from Orochimaru.

He formed hand seals, preparing to deliver the final blow and destroy the evidence.

Orochimaru remained unresponsive, as if he were truly dead.

Just as Naruto was about to complete the hand seal.

A sudden change has occurred!