Hinata didn't dare to lower her guard after seeing the explosion tag set off, as her gut feeling was telling her that their opponent isn't an ordinary person, especially after she heard Kaori scream.
With her Byakugan, she immediately sees what's going on in the epicenter of the explosion despite being hidden in the cloud of smoke.
And as she expected, there's nothing within the epicenter, and she immediately scans the surrounding area where the Grass Ninja might possibly hide himself.
"Hinata dodge!" Kaori screams at the top of her lungs.
Hinata, who heard Kaori, immediately knows that the Grass Ninja is currently behind her, and just as she is about to turn her body and attack the Grass Ninja's chakra points, she believes with such a short distance between them she is definitely able to hit her opponent.
Yet before her body could even turn, when she suddenly was sent flying, her cheeks turned red from the attack.
Seeing Hinata sent flying, Satsuki, who managed to stick herself to the branch of the tree above, stared at the grass ninja with great killing intent.
"How dare you!" Satsuki gritted her teeth, and she quickly weaves hand signs.
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!" Satsuki shouted as her hands formed the signs rapidly.
A massive torrent of fire erupted from her palms, twisting and coiling like a living dragon. Its scales glowed bright crimson, and each roar of flame crackled with a terrifying intensity, lighting up the surrounding trees. The dragon shot forward, leaving a trail of burning embers in its wake, aimed straight at the Grass Ninja.
The Grass Ninja smirked, his eyes glinting with amusement. With a swift, snake-like movement, he slithered to the side, letting the firestorm roar past him. The flames scorched the ground where he had been, sending smoke and sparks swirling into the air.
"You're reckless, Satsuki," the Grass Ninja called mockingly, his voice cold and smooth. "Your twin brother, Sasuke, fights with more intensity than this. You can't even scratch me."
Satsuki's hands tensed, frustration flashing across her face as the fire faded into smoke.
Meanwhile, Hinata had regained her balance, her Byakugan scanning the Grass Ninja's movements. With a deep breath, she focused her chakra and thrust her palms forward.
"Lightning Style: Lightning Ball!"
Dozens of crackling spheres of blue lightning shot from her palms, streaking through the smoke like a storm of jagged meteors.
Each lightning ball collided with the trees and ground around the Grass Ninja, making him weave and dodge with preternatural agility. Sparks flew everywhere as some of the lightning barely missed grazing his cloak.
The Grass Ninja tilted his head, an unnerving grin forming. "Persistent, aren't you?" he hissed, dancing backward with unnatural speed, letting the lightning arcs strike harmlessly around him.
Kaori's hands moved in rapid, precise signs, her eyes blazing with determination.
"Crystal Style: Hexagonal Crystal Shuriken!" she shouted.
A swarm of sparkling, razor-sharp snowflakes formed in front of her, each one glowing faintly like frozen stars. They spun and darted forward with deadly speed, slicing through the smoke toward the Grass Ninja.
With a casual flick of his wrist, the Grass Ninja parried each crystal shuriken effortlessly with a pair of kunai, sending them scattering in every direction. The snowflakes shattered against the metal, glinting like shattered glass in the sunlight.
"Pathetic," he murmured, ignoring Kaori completely. His body coiled like a serpent, and with a sudden, fluid motion, he dashed toward Satsuki.
Satsuki's eyes narrowed, and she braced herself, fists ready. The two clashed with a series of rapid blows, each strike echoing like a thunderclap. Satsuki's fire-enhanced attacks met the Grass Ninja's lightning-fast martial arts, sparks and heat exploding on impact. The tree branches around them shook and splintered as their fists collided again and again.
Hinata, sensing the opening, leapt forward and unleashed another barrage of Lightning Style: Lightning Ball, hoping to tip the scales. The crackling spheres flew straight at the Grass Ninja, illuminating the tense battlefield.
But the Grass Ninja moved with impossible grace, evading the attacks while continuing his assault on Satsuki. Each of her strikes met his counterattacks head-on, their clash relentless.
Hinata and Satsuki fought in tandem, their attacks complementing one another, yet the Grass Ninja's skill and speed kept them constantly on the defensive. Every time they thought they could gain the upper hand, he twisted, struck, or dodged with unnerving precision.
It quickly became clear: even together, Hinata and Satsuki were still on the losing end.
The Grass Ninja's cold grin widened as he circled them both, testing their limits, while smoke and sparks from the battlefield swirled like a storm around them.
As the three Genin were fighting at the Grass Ninja, Naruto remained at the branch of the tree far away from the battle, staring at the fight with an indifferent expression.
Naruto already guessed the true identity of the Grass Ninja, and it wasn't completely hard to guess, especially after watching its snake-like movement and the person desired by the Uchiha twins.
The Grass Ninja clearly is Orochimaru, one of the three Sannins as well as a rogue ninja of the Leaf.
Naruto could easily defeat Orochimaru if he wanted to, but he doesn't have any reason to fight him since it wouldn't really bring any benefits to him.
Fighting Orochimaru would only make the higher-ups of the Leaf look at him closer, which will definitely restrict his movements. While he can easily deal with such restrictions, especially with his prowess, why bother wasting effort when he can just watch them and do nothing?
Orochimaru clearly doesn't have any intention of killing the three yet, which clearly intrigued Naruto, especially after looking at the abnormality that happened to Sasuke, who was still lying on the forest ground.
While Naruto is observing Orochimaru, so does Orochimaru, secretly looking at Naruto, especially after seeing the latter not taking any moves even though his teammates are fighting him.
Fighting Hinata, Satsuki, and Kaori are incredibly easy for Orochimaru. While the three had already surpassed Genin capabilities, it wasn't really enough to make him sweat.
Naruto was a strange person in Orochimaru's eyes. While he is only standing in the branch watching the fight indifferently, Orochimaru's instinct completely warns him about the dangers around Naruto.
This danger completely intrigued Orochimaru, but just as he was about to test Naruto, suddenly he saw his life flash in his eyes, making Orochimaru take Naruto seriously.
After experiencing that, Orochimaru decides to play it safe, and since Naruto didn't make a move, he also wouldn't launch an attack towards Naruto.
While Naruto's existence intrigues Orochimaru, he currently needs to complete today's objectives, and fighting Naruto isn't among the objectives he currently has to accomplish for his overall plan.
The Grass Ninja moved with a fluid grace that seemed almost unnatural. Smoke and sparks from the previous attacks still swirled around him, yet he appeared completely untouched, his black cloak flowing like a serpent around his body. Hinata, Satsuki, and Kaori regrouped, their chests heaving, eyes still locked on him.
Hinata launched another volley of Lightning Balls, each one crackling with a fury born from desperation. The air sizzled as the bolts streaked toward him, lighting up the battlefield in jagged blue arcs. But the Grass Ninja's movements were impossibly fast. He weaved through the storm of electricity, twisting his body in midair and letting the attacks harmlessly strike trees and rocks around him.
Satsuki, frustration flashing in her eyes, leapt forward, fists blazing with Fire Style chakra. Her Dragon Flame Jutsu had been dodged once, but now she combined it with lightning-quick strikes, aiming to corner him. Their blows clashed with an explosive force; the heat from her fire and the speed of his strikes created a deadly aura, splitting the branches of the trees they fought among.
Kaori, refusing to be sidelined, summoned another swarm of Crystal Shuriken, each snowflake glinting sharply as they shot forward. The Grass Ninja twirled, deflecting the frozen shards with a single kunai in each hand, sparks flying as metal met crystal. "Still predictable," he hissed, his serpentine eyes glinting with amusement.
But then, something unexpected happened. Kaori's kunai grazed the Grass Ninja's face, leaving a shallow cut across his cheek. Crimson streaked against his pale skin, and for a brief moment, his sinister grin widened—not with anger, but with delight.
"Ah… finally, some excitement," he whispered, tilting his head as if savoring the sensation.
The thrill of being challenged sparked a dangerous energy in him. With blinding speed, he struck back. One moment Satsuki was readying another fire attack; the next, he had slammed her into a tree, leaving a deep gash along her shoulder.
Hinata, attempting to intercept, was grabbed by the arm and hurled across the battlefield, landing hard on a boulder, her ribs aching from the impact.
Kaori tried to strike again, but the Grass Ninja darted forward, twisting her wrist and knocking the kunai from her hand. With a series of precise, brutal strikes, he left shallow cuts across her arms and legs, each one a warning of the power she faced.
The three Genin, though still conscious, were bleeding and battered, their movements slowed by the relentless onslaught.
Yet the Grass Ninja wasn't finished. He leapt between Satsuki and Hinata, his body a blur, delivering a spinning kick that sent Satsuki skidding across the ground.
Hinata tried to launch another Lightning Ball, but he caught it midair, the electric chakra dissipating harmlessly as he laughed softly, the sound chilling in the tense forest.
Despite the injuries and exhaustion, the three refused to yield. Kaori's eyes blazed, Hinata's Byakugan glowed, and Satsuki's fists trembled with barely contained fury. But the grass ninja circled them, relaxed, almost toying with his prey, yet ready to strike again at a moment's notice.
Even after being scratched, even after the brief thrill of danger, he remained in complete control—a predator savoring his advantage.
The battlefield, scarred by fire, lightning, and crystal, was silent except for their labored breathing and the faint hiss of the grass ninja's cloak as he moved like a shadow among the shattered trees.
The three Genin were alive, but barely; their bodies were battered, their attacks were slowing, and their spirits were tested like never before.