If one spends enough time with a person, sometimes, just by a back or a subtle aura, one can instantly recognize their identity. The Third Hokage was facing precisely this situation at this moment.
Although the face in the crystal ball was unfamiliar, that unique sense of familiarity... he could not be mistaken!
What on earth was going on?!
A tempest raged in Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart. He could not have imagined that he would meet this renegade disciple, who had betrayed and left the village many years ago, under such circumstances.
Orochimaru!
Setting that aside, the Third Hokage couldn't think of a second person besides Orochimaru who could stand atop a giant summoned snake of that caliber.
Days earlier, intelligence reported by Kakashi had already warned him—the Hidden Sand Village had disguised the Ichibi Jinchuriki as a Genin and infiltrated the Chunin Exams. The Third Hokage knew that Sunagakure likely harbored ill intentions, aiming to break the alliance.
But... start a war? Were they not afraid of that madman coming after them?
The eerie fox mask flashed in his mind, and the Third Hokage involuntarily shivered. The terror brought by the [Ember] Organization leader's world-destroying Great Spiraling Ring still lingered in his heart.
What exactly was the Hidden Sand Village plotting? And Orochimaru... what role was he playing in all of this?
Questions intertwined like tangled threads, but the Third Hokage knew it was no longer time to wait and see. Since Orochimaru had already appeared, he must act immediately, attempting to capture his misguided disciple before he caused more destruction... especially before Naruto might accidentally kill him.
— — — — — —
In the Forest of Death, the battlefield had been reduced to a silent, scorched earth.
With the giant tree where Naruto and his two companions stood as a boundary, everything within a hundred-meter radius—towering ancient trees, jagged rocks, shrubs, and grass—all had vanished, leaving only a massive, sunken crater and fine dust lingering in the air and permeating the soil.
Sakura Haruno stared blankly at the unimaginable scene of destruction before her, then her gaze involuntarily shifted to the crimson "monster" beside her.
"Naruto... you... you... what exactly is this...?"
Under the oppressive, suffocating crimson Chakra, Sakura's face turned pale, and she instinctively shuffled back half a step. This was the most primal instinct of a human facing a terrifying power far beyond their comprehension.
However, when she saw Naruto, transformed into a miniature Nine-Tailed, turn his head—on that beastly face made of pure energy, those blue eyes were strikingly different from the wild and violent aura surrounding him, maintaining an astonishing clarity and rationality.
Furthermore, she realized that Naruto's body had remained firmly in front of her and Satsuki the entire time, shielding them from all danger.
Realizing this, the fear stemming from the unknown began to recede like a tide.
"..."
Naruto confirmed that Satsuki and Sakura behind him were safe and sound, and his heart settled slightly. He refocused his gaze on the flattened battlefield, carefully probing with the life-sensing ability shared by Gold Experience—within the range, no life signs remained.
Subsequently, the Tailed Beast Chakra covering his body began to recede and dissipate like an ebbing tide. The crimson light gradually faded, revealing Naruto's original appearance and physique. Since this activation of Tailed Beast Chakra was entirely based on the Nine-Tailed's willingness and cooperation, rather than forced extraction or uncontrolled rampage, this initial Tailed Beastification mode had almost no burden on Naruto. His clothes naturally remained intact, not damaged in the slightest by the wild energy.
"Satsuki, Sakura, stay alert, watch your surroundings!" Naruto said, his gaze sweeping over the charred ground. "Protect yourselves, I'm going to check on that guy's condition."
Although Orochimaru's life signs were absent from his perception, Naruto, knowing the opponent's endless life-saving and escape techniques from the original story, never believed this dangerous foe would fall so easily.
He quickly walked towards the most charred area at the center of the explosion—that was where Orochimaru had stood earlier. All that remained was a patch of ground scorched by high temperatures and completely vitrified. The massive summoned snake had not even left a trace of its remains, having been completely vaporized and turned to ashes by the destructive energy of the Tailed Beast Ball.
Under such a widespread destructive attack, Orochimaru's escape technique of 'I spit out a snake, the snake spits me out...' should be unusable. There were no signs of escape in the air either, so the only possibility was... After a brief deduction, Naruto quickly formed hand seals.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow River."
As his Chakra flowed into the ground beneath his feet, the charred, hardened soil in front of him rolled and surged like water, parting to both sides, revealing the relatively fresh, unaffected soil beneath.
Among the turned-over earth, several foreign objects not belonging to the natural environment stood out—and the most striking was a complete, pale, shed giant snake skin.
Naruto walked forward with a solemn expression, pulling the empty snake skin from the soil. The snake skin felt cool and slippery to the touch, with a peculiar texture, and still carried traces of uncomfortable Chakra.
What kind of bizarre Ninjutsu was this again? It seemed Orochimaru had indeed escaped. Naruto examined the snake skin in his hand, a sense of absurdity welling up inside him.
This feeling was just like in a movie, where the protagonist, after a bitter battle, defeats a formidable enemy, only to discover in a post-credits scene, after the producer credits roll, that the opponent had long since pulled a 'golden cicada shedding its skin,' laying the groundwork for a sequel... "Naruto!"
An anxious call came from a distance. Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, dressed in black combat attire, was leading dozens of Konoha Anbu members, swiftly arriving at the scene. Kakashi Hatake followed closely behind.
As Kakashi's gaze swept over this battlefield, its terrain completely reshaped and ravaged by a natural disaster, fine cold sweat involuntarily beaded on his forehead.
This child... he's too terrifying.
He looked at Naruto, standing in the center of the scorched earth, holding the snake skin, and a wave of trepidation washed over him. Thinking back now, during the bell test, he was glad he had specifically mentioned prohibiting him from using this power...
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