Naruto: Let the glory of the giants spread throughout the ninja world!

As the two confronted each other, a hand reached out from behind and grabbed Bai's wrist tightly.

"Alright, alright, stop hitting me!" Ryukura Akira's voice carried a deliberately lowered urgency, completely devoid of his previous nonchalance.

"Just kidding, hurry up and go!"

Before Bai could react, he was pulled backward.

Behind them, a wave of sand crashed down, creating a deep crater where the two had just stood.

Splinters of wood and dirt flew several meters high, like a blooming mud flower.

"stop--!"

Gaara's voice came from behind, carrying the annoyance of someone having their toy taken away.

The sand churned wildly beneath his feet, carrying him forward in pursuit, snapping trees along the way with a continuous cracking sound as the sand waves broke them in half.

Behind them stretched an overwhelming sandstorm, and in front of them lay an endless, deathly forest.

"Hahahaha, Bai, wasn't that exciting!"

The sound of the sandstorm behind us grew farther and farther away, becoming increasingly indistinct, until it was finally swallowed up by the clamor of the forest.

---

In front of the Tower of the End.

When Ryukura Akira and Bai Fengchen rushed to the door, a tall, "fat man" had been waiting there for a long time.

Zabuza, disguised as "Kozuki Momonosuke," crossed his arms and scanned the two of them back and forth.

His eyes were cold, so cold that Bai subconsciously lowered his head.

"Why did it take so long?" Zabuza's voice was low and serious, brooking no arguing. "Are you hiding something from me?"

Akira Ryukura rushed forward, grinning as he pushed Zabuza's back towards the tower: "Alright, alright, Mr. Zabuza, you're 'Kozuki Momonosuke' now, you can't ask me that~"

Zabuza's brows furrowed even more, but Ryukura Akira pushed him away quickly, giving him no chance to continue asking questions.

Bai followed behind, glancing back at the forest behind them.

The setting sun was turning the horizon a blood red.

---

The Hokage's office.

Mitarashi Anko, wrapped in a thick blanket, huddled on the sofa, her face as pale as paper.

The dark red marks left on her neck after the cursed seal took effect still lingered, like a winding snake.

"Orochimaru," her voice was hoarse, yet each word was clear, "one of the Legendary Sannin, the Konoha rogue ninja Orochimaru, has appeared in the Forest of Death."

The office fell into a deathly silence.

Matt Kai scratched his head, his expression unusually serious: "This is really not good news."

"He disguised himself as a candidate from Kusagakure and sneaked into the examination hall," Anko continued, her fingers unconsciously gripping the edge of the blanket. "I found him deep in the forest... We fought."

"And the result?" Sarutobi Asuma asked, a cigarette dangling from his lips, his brow furrowed.

Hongdou remained silent for a moment.

"I survived." There was even a hint of humiliation in Red Bean's voice. "If it weren't for the fact that I used to be his... if it weren't for that thing."

"If it's not what?" The Third Hokage's voice came from behind his desk.

Hongdou raised her head and met the gaze of the third generation.

"If a giant hadn't suddenly appeared, I might be dead now."

The office fell silent again.

The Third Hokage slowly put down his pipe, his expression unchanging, but something flickered deep in his eyes.

"Giants?" he repeated the word, his tone as flat as if he were confirming a trivial detail.

"It was huge, at least ten meters tall." Hongdou recalled the scene, her brows furrowing involuntarily.

"It was steaming with white vapor, as if it had just been pulled out of boiling water. It could break a tree with a single punch, and even after being hit by a thousand snakes' tail, it could still stand up and continue fighting..."

She paused, seemingly choosing her words carefully: "Its power is immense, even greater than that of the Ten Thousand Serpents."

Kakashi stood in the corner, his dead fish eyes slightly narrowed.

The third generation didn't look at him, but the corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.

"Manda?" The Third Hokage's voice came from the side, tinged with obvious surprise. "Orochimaru has even summoned that guy?"

Red Bean nodded: "Yes, that guy fought with Manda."

"And then?" the third generation asked.

"Then Orochimaru left." Anko's voice was somewhat dazed. "I don't know why, but he suddenly retreated, and the giant turned into white smoke and dissipated after he disappeared."

"No, to be precise, the giant's body began to melt away like a candle."

The third generation picked up the pipe again, lit it, and took a deep drag.

Amidst the swirling smoke, his gaze fell upon a file spread out on the table.

That was Kakashi's mission report to the Land of Waves, which was covered with dense writing.

"So there really is a connection." The Third Hokage murmured to himself, his voice so soft that only he could hear it.

He recalled the boy with emerald green eyes he had seen in the crystal ball, Zabuza's confident demeanor when he suggested they participate in the Chunin Exams, and the giant in Kakashi's report who "had the ability to suppress chakra."

Is it some kind of unknown summoned beast?

So, it seems that anyone who can be kept by Zabuza's side is not so simple after all.

The Third Hokage exhaled a puff of smoke, his gaze passing through the window to the bustling streets of Konoha in the distance.

"Continue the investigation," he said calmly. "Also, the situation here must not be leaked. There can be no mistakes in the Chunin Exams. All Jonin, be on high alert."

Outside the window, night had completely fallen.

The Death Forest lay silent in the darkness, like a lurking beast, waiting for its next hunt.

Meanwhile, inside the Tower of the End, Ryukura Akira was slumped in a chair, munching on a rice ball handed to him by Shiro, while grinning and joking with Zabuza, showing no sign of the embarrassing situation he had just been in, almost buried alive by sand.

Zabuza stared at him for a long time, but in the end he just snorted and didn't ask any more questions.

That's an intuition that only someone who has experienced too many life-and-death situations can have.

This kid must be hiding something from him.

At this moment, Ryukura Akira was simply focused on eating his rice ball, a carefree smile on his face, as if everything that happened in the Death Forest was just a "joke".

It was indeed fruitful!

[A mixture of soul obsession and sand particles was detected; pre-transformed dragon serpent blood was also detected.]

[17 routes unlocked. Please unlock the bloodline after meeting the corresponding evolution conditions.]

Ryukura Akira took another bite of his rice ball; the task ahead was arduous and the road long.

"Because there are too many people arriving, we need to select personnel for additional combat tests."

Upon arriving at the Tower of the End, everyone stared blankly at Gekko Hayate, who had announced the news.

"This isn't fair! We just arrived, and the others who arrived are already set up and ready. We're nowhere near as good as them!"

The Crispy Chicken Cutlet Lady, whose arm was broken by the tattooed Sasuke, has spoken.

"Arriving early is definitely a testament to our ability! Try running faster than me if you dare!"

Ryukura Akira had a sly grin on his face, but he quickly stopped laughing.

"In the first round, it's Ryukura Akira versus Sandstorm Gaara!"

"Are you kidding me! You bastard! Do you want me to transform right here and now?!"