This Naruto is too easily persuaded.

"There's more than one monster of that level in this forest."

Naruto looked at the three members of Team 10, his tone calm and resolute, without the slightest hint of alarm:

"This exam has lost its original purpose; the Death Forest is now extremely dangerous."

"With your current capabilities, continuing like this would be quite risky."

Shikamaru scratched his head, looking into Naruto's serious eyes.

He could tell that Naruto wasn't showing off his strength, nor was he mocking their cowardice.

They were genuinely worried about their safety.

That's why Shikamaru felt even worse.

That feeling is like thinking everyone is jogging on the same starting line.

When I looked up, I realized I couldn't even see the other person's butt anymore.

This feeling of being completely left behind is more frustrating than any mockery.

"This is such a hassle..."

Shikamaru gave a wry smile, sighed, and glanced around at the chaotic battlefield:

"It's just a regular Chunin Exam, how did so many monsters get in?"

Although he was afraid of trouble, he was even more afraid of death, and he was also very pragmatic.

So Shikamaru patted Choji on the shoulder, signaling that they should prepare to retreat:

"Indeed, we are not even qualified to intervene in a battle of that level."

"Thanks, Naruto. We'll seriously consider your suggestion..."

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name: 202ᴋᴋs.ᴄᴏᴍ]

Naruto watched Team 10 leave, looking somewhat dejected, before turning his gaze away.

"Cough cough..."

Just then, a noise came from under the tree.

With the help of the shadow clones, Sasuke and Sakura, who had been in a semi-comatose state, finally regained their ability to move.

……

Mitarashi Azumi nimbly darted through the woods.

She and the proctors have discovered the brutally murdered corpses in Kusagakure.

Moreover, through that cruel ninjutsu, the attacker's identity was confirmed—Orochimaru!

After sending her subordinates to seek help from the Third Hokage, Anko personally entered the Forest of Death to find Orochimaru.

As she went deeper, she keenly sensed that familiar chakra.

"Found it!"

Red Bean suddenly stopped on a horizontal branch of a giant tree.

In front of her, the pale-faced man was leaning against a tree trunk, one hand covering his chest.

And... he doesn't look too good.

Orochimaru!

Red Bean formed hand seals, her eyes filled with rage:

"You actually dared to come back to the village! This Chunin Exams..."

"Long time no see, Red Bean."

Orochimaru raised his head, his golden pupils still cold, but his face seemed paler than ever before.

Due to the backlash from the soul fragments, he now had a splitting headache and was in a terrible mood.

"I don't have time to catch up with you right now."

Orochimaru's voice was hoarse, even carrying a hint of impatient killing intent:

"Listen, if you dare to stop this exam... I will destroy Konoha."

"you……"

Just as Hongdou was about to rush forward and perish together with him, the Heavenly Curse Mark on her neck suddenly throbbed with pain.

"Waaah..."

Hongdou groaned, then stiffened and knelt down on the ground, clutching her neck in pain.

Orochimaru appeared behind her in an instant and delivered a heavy chop to the back of her neck.

"Go to sleep, the real show is just beginning... Don't disturb my game."

Looking at the fallen red beans.

Orochimaru clutched his chest, his eyes dark and unfathomable, a maniacal smile playing on his lips.

"Naruto-kun... since you've taken my soul..."

"Then let me see... how far your gust of wind can blow."

……

Sasuke sat bolt upright, panting heavily, his fingers instinctively reaching for his ninja tool pouch.

The fear he felt when facing Orochimaru still lingered in his eyes.

"Where...is that monster?"

"Calm down, Sasuke."

A steady voice came from the side.

Sasuke turned his head and saw Naruto leaning against a tree trunk, and... the surroundings looked like a scene from a war.

A massive crater, scorched earth, and the head of a giant, unseeing, vengeful serpent.

Sasuke's pupils contracted violently.

"These signs of battle... could it be... Naruto?"

A strong sense of disbelief welled up inside me.

That monster that he didn't dare to move was actually... defeated by Naruto?

"Naruto... what happened?"

Sakura sat up, rubbing her throbbing head. "Where's that Grass Ninja?"

"I'm gone."

Naruto didn't explain too many details, he just said:

"They just came to say hello; they didn't necessarily intend to kill us. We were just unlucky."

Bad luck?

Sasuke stared at the dead snake, gritting his teeth.

How could monsters of this caliber possibly be attacked by luck?

"I was scared like a coward, while he fought that monster and even repelled it...?"

"Alright, we shouldn't stay here any longer."

Naruto stood up, interrupting Sasuke's reverie.

He then turned to the side, revealing the red-haired girl hiding behind him.

"Let me introduce you, this is Karin."

Naruto pointed at Karin and then said:

"She is a member of my tribe whom I recently discovered, and she will be our temporary teammate from now on."

"teammate……"

Sakura felt an instinctive sense of repulsion towards the girl wearing the headband from another village.

"But she's from Kusagakure..."

"Sakura".

Naruto looked at her. "She's an orphan of my Uzumaki clan, a distant relative. Do you have a problem with that?"

Upon hearing the words "distant relative," Sakura immediately shut her mouth.

She glanced at Karin somewhat embarrassedly.

Sasuke merely glanced at Karin without saying anything more.

He's currently consumed by frustration with his own abilities and doesn't care at all whether there's one more person on the team.

He wouldn't care even if there were ten more.

"The smell of blood here is too strong and will cause unnecessary trouble."

"Let's find a safe place to spend the night and discuss our tactics."

After Naruto gave the order, no one else objected.

……

An hour later.

Class 7 moved to a huge tree hole.

Naruto's clones were on guard, Karin was organizing supplies, and Sakura was setting up traps.

Sasuke sat alone in the corner.

He hugged his knees, staring intently at the flickering campfire in front of him.

He kept replaying Orochimaru's contemptuous gaze in his mind, as well as Naruto's back as he stood in front of him.

"Damn it...damn it! Damn it!"

Sasuke's fingers sank deep into the soil.

As a genius of the Uchiha clan, he was determined to kill that man...

Faced with a truly powerful opponent, they were utterly powerless to fight back!

Weak, so weak!

Could someone as weak as myself really possibly take revenge?

A violent rage, a desire to destroy everything to prove himself, was building up wildly in his chest.

Just then, Naruto suddenly raised his head and looked towards the cave entrance.

"Enemy attack, be on guard."

"What's wrong, Naruto?"

Sakura gripped her kunai tightly in nervousness.

"Three streams of malevolent chakra are rapidly approaching."

Naruto pushed up his glasses.

Could it be that Orochimaru sent them?

In the corner, Sasuke, who had been silent all along, suddenly raised his head.

Under the firelight, the three magatama were slowly rotating, emitting a faint red glow.