In Naruto's eyes, Satsuki merely pursed her lips, looking sullen and waiting for an explanation from him. However, the thoughts churning in her mind were far more intense and… dangerous than they appeared on the surface.
That bastard who forced Naruto to use such power… he absolutely cannot be let off! I must find him and tear him to pieces!
A chilling, bone-piercing killing intent swirled in her heart.
"It's alright, Naruto. I will become stronger than that monster you currently rely on. Strong enough to clear away all threats. By then, you just need to stay by my side, not allowed to go anywhere, and I will protect you."
But she bit down hard on her lower lip, swallowing back this almost obsessive declaration. She knew that speaking such words would sound extremely abnormal to ordinary people.
She could only bury this surging protective urge deep in her heart, continuing to maintain that seemingly "pouty" expression.
After a moment of stalemate, she finally squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth that sounded more like a mix of concern and reproach.
"You… you mustn't ruin your body like this again…"
Naruto completely failed to perceive her intense inner struggle, nor her firm resolve to immediately investigate the nature of the power within him after the exam, and her determination to gain power that surpassed it.
Naruto simply took it as ordinary worry, and so he responded in a comforting tone, "I understand, I'll be careful from now on."
Thus, Sakura, who had been temporarily sent away, returned with a bewildered expression. "So… what should we do now?" Everything she had just experienced was simply too fantastical for her.
Ultimately, since the exam was not canceled, Naruto and his group decided to proceed towards the central tower of the Death Forest as planned.
However, the journey was unusually quiet; let alone encountering other teams, they didn't even see any animals. The direct distance from the entrance to the central tower was only ten kilometers, so it seemed the earth-shattering explosion just now had scared all the examinees and life in the nearby area far away.
— — — — — —
In the dark depths of the Death Forest, Yakushi Kabuto, after repeatedly confirming there were no Konoha Anbu tracking them, finally carefully took out a special summoning scroll from his Pregnant.
"Summoning Jutsu."
He unrolled the scroll on the ground, quickly bit his thumb, and smeared his blood on the jutsu formula in the center of the scroll. Accompanied by a thick white smoke, a dying, giant white snake with an unhealthy pale skin appeared in the clearing. Its body still had traces of mucus and weakness from its recent shedding.
The next moment, this seemingly half-dead white snake suddenly opened its gaping maw, and a figure slowly emerged from within—it was Orochimaru, who had just narrowly escaped Naruto's Tailed Beast Ball.
At this moment, he had shed all his disguises, revealing his original pale face, and was conspicuously wearing a black robe embroidered with red auspicious cloud patterns.
"Orochimaru-sama! Are you alright?"
Yakushi Kabuto quickly stepped forward to support Orochimaru, whose breathing was slightly erratic but whose expression was exceptionally excited.
However, Orochimaru completely ignored his subordinate's concern. Although his body bore the fatigue of the intense battle, his snake-like eyes gleamed with a nearly insane, fervent light, as if he had discovered some rare treasure.
Because in that brief yet shocking confrontation, one fact completely overturned his inherent understanding of the existence of "Tailed Beasts"!
So that's it… so that's it!! Those things are not brainless Chakra aggregations at all! They… are higher-level beings that can be controlled and can achieve 'cooperation' with their hosts!
Orochimaru's heart screamed frantically. As an explorer who had almost touched the threshold of "immortality," his lifelong pursuit had long since shifted to exploring all the truths and mysteries of the world.
He had witnessed the destructive scenes of Tailed Beasts going berserk and had even obtained Eight-Tails' cells for in-depth research. But they were truly difficult to control.
Ultimately, Orochimaru concluded that Tailed Beasts were "boring tools of war," devoid of beauty and depth, causing him to lose interest in them.
And today, for the first time, he personally witnessed the so-called "perfect Jinchuriki"! Although he had received relevant intelligence before, deep down he always harbored doubts—how could a power that he had expended countless efforts on yet couldn't perfectly control be wielded by a teenager?
However, facts speak louder than any argument. After that blonde boy transformed into a miniature Nine-Tailed, not only did he not lose his sanity, but he precisely controlled that world-destroying energy, even firmly protecting his teammates behind him!
Can Tailed Beasts actually achieve a "peaceful coexistence" with humans?!
This is simply… a groundbreaking discovery! It's too wonderful!! I want… I desperately want to deeply research this power! What is the principle behind the secrets hidden within?!
He forcefully suppressed the excitement and greed that almost overflowed from his face. It seemed it was time to activate the connections and resources he hadn't originally intended to use easily.
"Kabuto," Orochimaru ordered in a hoarse voice, "End your mission here immediately."
"End?" Yakushi Kabuto was stunned for a moment, pushing up his glasses. "Do we no longer need to continue gathering intelligence?"
"Hmm," Orochimaru nodded, a meaningful curve forming on his lips. "I have discovered something far more interesting and valuable than this intelligence. This boring assessment is no longer meaningful. Now, we need to leave here and prepare for the next 'plan'."
With that, their figures melted into the shadows, silently disappearing into the depths of the Death Forest.
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