Chapter 209: Love
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Outside the exam grounds, Izumo Kamizuki led his team to a stone pillar where three corpses of Grass Ninja lay slumped.
"Ninjas from the Hidden Grass. Judging by the state of the bodies, they've been dead for a while—likely before the exam even started. Go notify the Chief Proctor immediately." After observing for a moment and gathering basic intelligence, he spoke to Koma behind him.
"Understood." Koma, sensing the gravity of the situation, turned and vanished instantly.
Izumo and his companion stood guard until Koma returned with the Chief Proctor, Anko Mitarashi. Mibu was also with them. Anko's expression grew grim as she looked at the three corpses, noting their faces were a chaotic mess of flesh—the features had completely vanished.
"This is..." A familiar, chilling sight sent a shock through Anko's heart. Memories she had suppressed for years came flooding back.
"How is it? Did you see anything wrong?" Izumo asked.
Mibu added, "The faces are gone. I'm afraid someone has infiltrated the candidates. Are they planning to make a move on the Genin inside the Forest of Death?"
If an outside force killed all the candidates without Konoha's knowledge, it would be a devastating blow to the village's reputation. Deaths are expected for ninjas, but a total massacre is an international incident, not a local one.
"Dammit. Report to the Third Hokage immediately," Anko hissed, moving out instantly.
The others exchanged looks and followed, leaving one ninja behind to handle the scene.
"Anko, what happened?" Mibu asked, looking at her with concern. It was his first time seeing her with such an expression; clearly, the intruder was no ordinary threat.
Anko's face softened slightly as she looked at him. "It's Orochimaru. He's returned to Konoha."
"The Sannin, Orochimaru?" Mibu and the two behind him were stunned into silence.
"Then this is no small matter." They increased their speed.
Hearing the name Orochimaru, Mibu reached up and touched his chest, feeling the hard surface of a tag-like object beneath his clothes. I hope I won't have to use this.
Zip! Zip!
Shuriken arced through the air, weaving around tree trunks toward a figure positioned behind the wood.
Clang! Clang!
Orochimaru wore a faint smile. His hands moved like a blur, catching the shuriken out of the air and spinning them around his fingers with casual ease. "Uchiha-style shurikenjutsu... you have some skill, but you're still far too weak." He smiled at Sasuke.
"You jerk! Watch me flatten you!" Naruto appeared above Orochimaru while the latter was distracted, driving a kunai straight down toward his skull.
Hiss!
A white python lunged from behind the Sannin. The kunai pierced the python's head, but the snake completely blocked the strike.
Splatter!
Blood sprayed. Orochimaru's smile grew more intrigued. "Little brat, your combat experience isn't bad, but you're still too weak."
"Naruto, get back!"
Whoosh!
Naruto reacted quickly, kicking off the dead python's head to retreat. Two kunai rigged with explosive tags flew from a blind spot.
Boom! Boom!
A massive explosion rocked the area. Sakura didn't stop her assault. Facing such a terrifying enemy, her training in Tonbo's "Battlefield Simulation" taught her that this was no time to relax. She swiped her hand across her tool pouch; having prepared in advance, she launched shuriken with explosive tags attached.
"Sakura Blizzard Jutsu!"
The shuriken and tags fluttered like falling cherry blossoms toward the enemy.
Hiss...
From the center of the blast came the roar of a beast. Faced with the sheer number of explosives, a shadow emerged from the smoke.
Bang! Boom! The remaining tags detonated.
"Did it work?" Sasuke landed beside Sakura, eyes fixed warily on the center of the blast. Naruto stood on a branch, looking on with equal intensity.
"Hehehe... quite the impressive coordination. But you're still a long way off. Great Breakthrough!"
Fwoom!
A voice rang out from the blast center, followed immediately by a violent gale that swept away the smoke and tore through the trees toward the three Genin. The surrounding forest buckled. The faces of the three were distorted by the pressure of the wind, and they clung to the branches with chakra, yet they were still sent flying back.
The three tumbled through the air, looking quite disheveled.
"Dammit." Sasuke wiped dust from his face. A giant python had coiled around the center of the explosion, and it was now gasping its last breath.
Poof!
The python vanished, revealing the unharmed enemy inside.
"You are good. But my target is you, Sasuke. Let me see your capacity." Orochimaru's eyes were locked on Sasuke.
Capacity. Hearing this word, Sasuke's Sharingan began to spin rapidly. He pulled a kunai from his pouch.
Zip!
"What beautiful eyes. You lack the natural talent of your brother, but do you want power? I can give you strength beyond your imagination." Orochimaru engaged Sasuke in close quarters. Compared to Sasuke's desperate intensity, Orochimaru was leisurely, parrying every strike with simple, efficient movements.
Naruto and Sakura, seeing this, prepared to rejoin the fray.
"You know Itachi?" Sasuke's hatred swelled, his voice a snarl.
"Of course. But compared to him, your strength is still a bit green. I can give you more." Orochimaru grew more satisfied the longer he looked at Sasuke. This talent... it was perfect. The way Sasuke used tools and weapons had a unique flair, just like he had in his youth.
No, it was more perfect than his own youth. This body...
"What? Orochimaru?" Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned. Why would Orochimaru appear in Konoha at this specific time?
"Lord Hokage, regardless of why he's here, we must find him and stop whatever he's planning," Anko said calmly, though she could feel the mark on her neck burning. She looked at Mibu, a look of resolve in her eyes. I'm sorry...
"Go search for any trace of him. I'll send backup shortly," Hiruzen ordered. He knew they couldn't let Orochimaru run wild, especially with foreign dignitaries and Daimyos present.
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Anko turned and walked out, her heart set. Mibu noticed her mood was off and followed quickly.
"What's wrong? You've been acting strange," Mibu asked.
"Orochimaru was my teacher. I can't let him harm Konoha again. I have to stop him," Anko replied.
Mibu paused. "...He was your teacher? I've never heard you mention that." He hadn't realized his lover was a disciple of the Sannin; neither Tonbo nor Anko had ever told him.
Anko didn't hide it, telling him briefly of her past. Finally, she said, "Don't follow me. You aren't a match for him."
As she spoke, she caught him off guard. A snake lunged out, knocking him unconscious. She caught Mibu and gently placed him outside the Forest of Death fence.
"Mibu, I'm sorry. I don't want you to die."
With the resolve to die with her former master, Anko entered the Forest. After she left, Mibu opened his eyes.
"Honestly... I think I'm actually stronger than you," he sighed.
Whoosh!
He followed her secretly. Since Anko had done this, she likely had a way to find her former master.
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