Before Naruto could even finish his rant, Zō arrived with a contingent of the Hokage's ANBU and a medical team. Seeing that Naruto hadn't transformed into the Nine-Tails, he and Yamato breathed a sigh of relief. After stabilizing Jiraiya, they carried him away. Zō stayed behind to comfort Naruto.
"He'll be back to teach you once he's recovered," Zō said. "Get some food before the afternoon exam."
Naruto barely heard him. He was frantically calling for Menma in his mind, demanding an explanation.
Jiraiya's two attempts had been pathetic. He'd either been severely injured by Menma or nearly killed by the sealing technique. All he could do was turn Naruto and Sasuke into toads and bully them! Honestly, Naruto seriously doubted the old man's strength now. If the stories from the Anbu were true, they had to be fake. Maybe he wasn't even as strong as Kakashi or Asuma.
When Menma didn't answer, Naruto left dejectedly. He grabbed a quick bowl of deluxe ramen at Ichiraku Ramen for lunch.
The afternoon arrived quickly. Naruto hurried to the exam hall: the Forest of Death. A large crowd of examinees had already gathered, huddled in small groups. After a brief search, Naruto spotted Sasuke and Sakura.
"Sasuke! Sakura! Over here!"
He waved and ran over. As he approached, he saw Haku talking to Sasuke, with Karin standing behind him. Seeing Haku's delicate features, Naruto's face flushed red. Even though he knew Haku was a boy, Naruto couldn't stop his mind from wandering. Haku looked just like the beautiful upperclassman from his childhood anime!
"Naruto!" Sakura's face lit up. "Thank goodness you finally came. The exam is about to start."
"How was it? Did that pervert teach you anything at noon?"
"Ugh, don't ask," Naruto replied, spreading his hands and sighing. "He said he was going to remove some seals for me, and instead I almost died. Long story."
After explaining briefly, he turned to Haku and Sasuke, his face full of curiosity.
"What are you two talking about?"
Sasuke glanced at him indifferently. Haku, however, smiled brightly.
"Nothing much. I was just inviting Sasuke to visit us later," Haku said, winking at Sasuke. "The offer stands until the exam is over."
He smiled sweetly at Naruto again, then turned to leave.
"Wait, what promise? Watch out!"
Naruto was about to stop him when he noticed a figure suddenly appear directly behind Haku. Reacting instantly, Haku slid four needles from his sleeve and thrust them at the intruder's pressure points.
Swish! Hiss!
The figure dodged with a bizarre, contorted movement, twisting like a boneless creature. Seeing how easily the stranger dodged, Haku knew this was no genin. He didn't hold back, violently twisting his wrist to launch the needles between his fingers at close range.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The four needles pierced the air and embedded themselves in the figure's chest. But the next second, the body twisted irregularly again, stretching slightly, bringing its head close to Haku's ear.
"So sorry, I meant no harm," the voice rasped. "The shuriken were blown behind you by the wind. I just wanted to retrieve them."
As the voice spoke, a tongue—dripping with saliva—stretched out before Haku's eyes. It was forked like a snake's, with one half holding four senbon needles and the other half displaying a two-hundred-ryo note.
"Whoa! What a long tongue!" Naruto exclaimed.
Sakura, standing beside him, grimaced. "And it forks! That's disgusting!"
In his mindscape, Menma's attention snapped to the figure. He immediately recognized the hat bearing the Kusagakure insignia.
Orochimaru.
He had murdered a Kusagakure examinee, impersonated him to participate in the exam, and was using the opportunity to get close to Sasuke. But why was he talking to Haku? Was he after Haku's body?
Menma was willing to cooperate with Orochimaru to target Konoha, but he didn't trust him. Orochimaru had too many tricks up his sleeve; one wrong move and he'd betray Menma without a second thought. Furthermore, Menma didn't want Hiruzen Sarutobi to die a heroic death like in the original story. Their clash would happen, but only when Hiruzen was critically injured and on the verge of death. Until then, Menma would support Orochimaru's chaos—which was why he'd sent Hidan to lead the team.
"You picked up the money way too close," Haku said coldly, stopping the hand seals he'd just formed. A chilling aura enveloped the area, freezing the moisture in the air and coating Orochimaru's long hair in frost. "Next time, I won't hold back."
"I understand, I understand. My apologies," Orochimaru forced a sinister smile and turned back to his spot.
Inside, however, he was ecstatic.
The Yuki Clan's Ice Release... I'm truly lucky.
Haku had no illness, a strong physique, and exceptional talent—far more suitable as a vessel than Kimimaro. If he couldn't get Sasuke this time, the Yuki Clan of this so-called Four Star Village would be a fine temporary solution. And there was that Uzumaki girl beside him... this village was a goldmine.
Orochimaru didn't care about the newly established Four Star Village. Just a small village that likely didn't have a single Kage-level fighter, maybe not even an Elite Jōnin. Like before, he could easily coerce them into handing over the Yuki and Uzumaki clans.
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