After a few tense moments during which the forest seems to hold its breath, everyone finally confirms the fact that Orochimaru left the area once and for all.
They didn't know the reason why, but it was still good news for the group, and they immediately relaxed their tense bodies.
Satsuki, who secretly exhaled in relief, turned her attention to her twin brother. She didn't waste another second and dash toward Sasuke and appeared before him instantly.
Her arms quickly wrapped around Sasuke as tightly as she could, as if she feared he would suddenly disappear before her eyes.
"Sasuke... are you okay?" Satsuki asks while staring at her twin brother's eyes, her voice filled with unspoken worry.
"Yeah," Sasuke responds softly, staring at his twin sister with care, and his Sharingan slowly deactivates.
The Cursed Seal of Heaven on his neck began to recede. The dark markings that spread violently across his skin shrank back into the original dark three-tomoe pattern.
The oppressive presence he previously radiated dissipated and returned back to normal.
Sasuke felt pain all over his body, but he didn't let his pain show in his face to avoid worrying his twin sister, standing straight with a calm expression on his face with sheer willpower alone.
Satsuki slowly releases her arms and thoroughly checks her twin brother's condition to make sure the latter is really okay. Satsuk knows that Sasuke will definitely hide his true feelings to avoid being seen as weak by others.
She wouldn't let such an act deceive her, which caused Sasuke to secretly sweat, but a warm feeling rose in his heart at this moment.
Meanwhile, Hinata's attention had shifted to Kaori. She deactivated her Byakugan and swiftly made her way to Kaori, who currently sits on the forest ground and leans her back on the tree trunk.
"Kaori, are you okay?" Hinata softly asks while scanning Kaori's body.
It was clear to Hinata that before she and her teammates arrived in this area, Kaori and Sasuke already suffered various levels of injuries after fighting Orochimaru.
The fact that Hisateru isn't here means that Orochimaru launched a sneak attack on Team 11, forcing them to fight a Kage-level ninja on their own.
"I'll be fine," Kaori responds.
While her body did suffer various injuries, they weren't really serious or lethal enough to need immediate medical action. Still, she felt frustrated, unable to defeat Orochimaru.
She's been training so hard these past few years in hope of defeating Orochimaru, who kidnapped her sister, and right now Kaori doesn't even know the condition her sister currently has.
Hinata brought out her first aid kit and helped Kaori wrap the bandages around her wounds to avoid infections and worsening the injuries.
As she worked, her thoughts drifted. She couldn't help but notice Naruto standing on a branch above, detached, observing a distant point with unflinching focus. Her heart tightened slightly, the ache sharpening within her chest.
'Why hadn't he intervened? Why wasn't he fighting alongside them, helping Satsuki, helping them all? ' Hinata thought inwardly while feeling frustrated.
Naruto's inaction really hurt and disappointed Hinata.
In the Land of the Waves, Naruto healed both her and Satsuki after they suffered injuries fighting Zabuza and his partner, but this time when fighting Orochimaru, Naruto didn't make a move; in fact, he didn't even heal everyone's injuries despite having such an ability.
Her mother's words echoed in her mind, a memory she had buried but now resurfaced with unsettling clarity.
"Naruto… he's always alone during missions. Rarely teams up with others because he's… the strongest."
Hinata swallowed hard, understanding the cruel logic yet feeling the sting of exclusion. He hadn't moved because he couldn't—he was on his path, and they were just… in the way.
Despite their own training, despite all the strength they had cultivated, they were unable to truly fight alongside him. Not because they lacked skill, but because their presence couldn't match the scale of the battles he faced.
Elsewhere, Keimei found herself surrounded by Hikari and Karin, their expressions etched with concern.
"Are you okay?" Hikari asks, his voice filled with worry as his eyes scan Keimei's body for any kind of injuries.
If Keimei didn't know Hikari's personality, she would, without hesitation, slap his face since his actions are like a pervert's without shame.
"I'm fine. Really," Keimei said calmly and with a reassured smile on her face.
"We wouldn't be in this trouble if both of you just listened to my warning!" Karin said, finally managing to calm her nerves after Orochimaru's disappearance.
Still, she keeps distance from Naruto in fear of the latter's action, but her condition is still much better compared to the first time she and her team arrived in the area.
"Sorry..." Keimei and Hikari said, but not seriously about it.
They both understand that Karin might be against going into this area due to what she sensed before, but if she learns that her acquaintances are in trouble, she will definitely be the first one to dash into this area without hesitation.
Of course after the ordeal she will definitely complain, trying to hide her concern.
While Keimei continues to interact with her teammates, she secretly observes Naruto, who is still at the top of the tree branch, standing still while his head faces a specific direction.
The way he stared in such a direction is clearly unusual, especially the fact that before Orochimaru disappeared, he also stared in a similar direction for less than a moment.
At first Keimei thought she was just seeing things, but after looking at Naruto for a moment, Keimei knew that there were reasons why both Naruto and Orochimaru stared in such a direction, and the reason behind it was likely the cause of why Orochimaru immediately vanished in front of them despite the fact that Orochimaru clearly didn't have the intention of leaving yet.
Outside Training Ground 44, the area is eerily quiet, as though something is watching. Anko crouched low, her sharp eyes scanning the area where three bloody corpses were found.
A small group of ANBU are already searching the nearby area for any possible clue that they might have missed during their initial investigation.
Moments later everyone heard footsteps and turned their heads to the source to see Minato arrive. Anko and the ANBU instinctively straighten, bowing slightly in disciplined respect.
"Minato-sama," one of the ANBU reported swiftly, his tone clipped but grave. "The three casualties are possibly caused by Orochimaru."
"Are you sure about it?" Minato asks softly.
"Yes," Anko chimed in. "With the traces left behind, it matched Orochimaru's usual work."
While Anko is reporting, she couldn't help but notice the weird expression on Minato's face, causing her to slightly raise one of her eyebrows.
"I didn't expect you to stay here and wait for my arrival," Minato answered. "I initially expected that you would be gone and immediately went inside the forest to face Orochimaru."
Anko remains silent for a few moments, her fist tightly clenched so that blood slowly flows on her fist. Finally she spoke, her voice steady but carrying an undercurrent of frustration. "I know my strength very well. Even if I rush into the forest and luckily find him, there's little I could do."
"There might be a small chance that I somehow slow him down, but such odds are incredibly low that my death is probably the only outcome if I recklessly go inside the forest."
Minato nods inwardly. He initially feared that Anko might be blinded by her anger towards her former sensei and ignore the gap between their capabilities.
While Minato believes that her survival is guaranteed even if she faces Orochimaru since the latter had a weird reaction about her that even Minato couldn't comprehend, if by chance Anko died, then it would definitely be a great loss for the village, especially with her great interrogation skills that are only slightly below Ibiki's.
"Anko, do you have any slight idea of the reason why he shows up?" Minato asks in a low voice.
"I don't know if this was his goal, but I believe it was probably related to the three teenagers from the Uchiha Clan," Anko replied, her voice slightly filled with hesitation.
Anko knows that this idea was a stretch since if Orochimaru wanted the Sharingan, he could easily defeat the weaker ninja from the Uchiha Clan that is still alive after the massacre Itachi did.
She couldn't imagine the reason why Orochimaru would decide to target teenagers.
Minato, though, had a different thought than Anko. Minato believes that Anko's idea is probably close to the truth since Orochimaru had great desire for the Sharingan as it was the way to complete his goal, but also because Orochimaru is always eager to see talented young people.
Minato believes that Orochimaru is probably planning to kidnap the talented young ninjas who participate in the exams to increase his forces, and this is something he has to solve before other villages know this to avoid further conflict from them.
Minato vanished from his spot before anyone could react. His disappearance caused no surprise since everyone knew Minato's signature technique and the reason why he was called the Yellow Flash.