Orochimaru, standing on a branch, watched the Team 7 from a distance while licking his lips.
His gaze fixed on the blonde-haired boy: Naruto Uzumaki, the Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi.
A chill ran down his spine when the boy turned around and stared directly into his eyes.
How had he noticed him from so far away?
Wait... Could it be...? The Mind's Eye of Kagura?
Orochimaru licked his lips again.
Maybe he should mark him with the Heavenly Curse Seal, as he had planned to do with Sasuke?
He shook his head.
If he weren't a Jinchūriki, he wouldn't have hesitated.
Then he remembered the other Uzumaki lurking around the Forest of Death.
If he couldn't get one, he would take the other.
With a sigh, Orochimaru concealed his presence and moved away. It was better to wait for a more favorable opportunity.
Although they were still kids, he was starting to understand that he couldn't underestimate them. Especially Naruto Uzumaki.
And according to what Kabuto had informed him, Sasuke had also become very strong.
...
"Naruto, what's going on?" asked Sakura, noticing him stop and look in another direction.
"Stay here," Naruto replied, jumping to a nearby branch.
"Wait!" Sasuke stopped him. "We need a password! Anyone could pretend to be one of us!"
Naruto nodded.
"The password is 'crossdresser.' We'll meet in half an hour, I won't take longer than that."
And with that, he disappeared in a yellow flash.
Sasuke's face immediately turned red, knowing exactly what Naruto meant by that password.
"What a strange password..." Sakura murmured. She didn't give it much thought. She was just happy to be alone with Sasuke.
"Let's go," Sasuke said, turning around. They both continued their way to the tower.
...
Naruto, flashing yellow, appeared and disappeared in different parts of the Forest of Death.
From the moment they entered, he had sent a dozen clones to place markers everywhere to make his movement easier.
The Flying Thunder God Technique, combined with the Shadow Clone Technique, was perfect.
Thanks to the Mind's Eye of Kagura, he quickly located the Dosu Team.
For now, he would ignore Orochimaru.
If he distanced himself from Sasuke and Sakura, Orochimaru would most likely try to attack them.
A shame for him, because Naruto had already marked them discreetly. That note on their backs before the second exam was just an excuse to place his mark on them.
Naruto could teleport to them at any time.
That's why he didn't worry about leaving them behind.
Finding the Dosu Team was easier than expected.
He didn't even try to hide. He appeared directly in front of them.
He landed on a branch, smiling confidently at them.
"Well, well..." Kin Tsuchi was the first to notice his presence. "What do we have here? A lost kid who thinks he can take us on alone?"
Naruto rolled his eyes. He was older than her, but she still called him a kid.
Instead of responding, he dropped a three-pronged kunai a few meters from Kin, who looked at it confused.
"What bad aim," Kin mocked with a light laugh.
[Madara Uchiha: Finally! Make him bleed! Make him truly feel despair! Give me some entertainment, brat!]
[Hashirama Senju: Madara... The Pure World hasn't done you any good.]
[Mito Uzumaki: He's always been this crazy.]
Tobirama Senju: Wow, it seems my sister-in-law is starting to share my hatred for Madara. What a comfort!
[Madara Uchiha: Tobirama, now that Izuna is gone, you're acting brave!]
[Tobirama Senju: Even with Izuna here, I have no problem making it clear how much I hate you.]
[Naruto Uzumaki: Oh, look, isn't that Izuna over there?]
[Tobirama Senju: WHERE?!]
[Naruto Uzumaki: Pfff…]
[Madara Uchiha: What an irony... An Uchiha has managed to put a leash on Tobirama Senju.]
[Tobirama Senju: THIS ISN'T FUNNY! And you, brat, stop being an idiot in the group and pay attention to those Sound ninjas.]
[Hashirama Senju: Actually... it's been funny.]
[Mito Uzumaki: Even I laughed, fufu~]
[Tobirama Senju: …]
Naruto closed the chat group and focused his gaze on Kin Tsuchi.
"I don't want to waste words with you," Naruto said, stretching his arms lazily. "Give me the Earth Scroll and you'll avoid a beating."
Kin burst into mocking laughter.
"Just you? Don't make me laugh!" Zaku also laughed, while Dosu remained silent. "You won't last five seconds..."
Naruto shrugged... and disappeared.
No smoke. No chakra trace. He simply vanished.
Kin blinked, confused... and suddenly felt a devastating blow to her stomach.
The air escaped from her lungs as she doubled over.
"Gender equality at its finest!" Naruto exclaimed.
Before hitting the ground, Naruto appeared behind her with a Rasengan in his right hand.
Kin passed out immediately.
Naruto had controlled the damage. He didn't want to kill her.
"Tsk, you lasted less than five seconds," Naruto murmured, repeating her words as he turned toward the other two.
Zaku Abumi frowned, furious.
"That useless one was good for nothing! Leave it to me, Dosu!"
The team leader glanced at him for a moment and nodded.
"Go ahead, Zaku."
Naruto sighed, putting his hands in his pockets.
"Save yourself the trouble. You'll lose in less than five seconds too. Give me the scroll and let's get this over with."
Zaku clicked his tongue.
"Shut up! I'm going to tear you apart, brat! Decapitating Waves!"
Air exploded from the conduits in his palms. The shockwave lifted dirt, leaves, and rocks, forming a real whirlwind.
When the dust settled, Naruto was still there.
Without a scratch. Just a bit disheveled.
"Hey," Naruto said with a frown, still with his hands in his pockets, looking very annoyed. "Do you know how long it takes me to fix my hair to look good for Hinata? Now I'll have to fix it..."
"You..." Zaku took a step back, but forced himself to stay firm.
"100%! Decapitating Waves!"
This time he was serious. And the result was the same.
Naruto was still unscathed... though his tracksuit had suffered a bit.
"Is that all?" Naruto yawned. "I don't know what's more sad: how weak you are or how much you boast."
"Dammit!" Zaku raised both arms. "Then try this! Extreme Decapitating Waves!"
Two massive gusts of compressed wind shot out. Trees fell like paper, and the ground cracked under the pressure.
But Naruto was no longer there.
Even he knew that taking something like that head-on wasn't a good idea, even if it wouldn't kill him.
"Where—!?" Zaku looked around, trying to find him.
An instant later, he felt a punch sink into his stomach.
He didn't even have time to scream.
Naruto spun in the air and kicked him brutally in the face.
Zaku flew off and passed out next to Kin.
Naruto landed softly and put his hands back in his pockets.
To his surprise... they came out the other end!
Zaku had managed to tear his clothes.
Embarrassed, Naruto crossed his arms quickly.
He was trying to look cool, and this had to happen!
Slightly blushing due to the embarrassment, he stared at Dosu.
"Well... do you want to be knocked out like your friends?"
Dosu clicked his tongue.
"You're stronger than I expected," he admitted, looking at his unconscious teammates. "It doesn't make sense to keep fighting."
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "You give up?"
Dosu nodded with a tense expression.
"It would be stupid to fight someone clearly stronger. But remember this, Naruto Uzumaki... today you beat me, but it won't always be like this. We'll meet again."
He tossed the Earth Scroll. Naruto caught it with a smile.
"When you want. Although you'd probably have to die and reincarnate to match me."
Without saying a word, Dosu threw his teammates over his shoulder like sacks of potatoes and disappeared into the trees.
"Tic Tac~ Orochimaru~" Naruto looked at the Heaven Scroll and the Earth Scroll with a smile on his face.
It had barely been a few hours since they entered the Forest of Death, and he already had both scrolls in his hands.
If Orochimaru didn't hurry, he would never get the chance to mark Sasuke with the Heavenly Curse Seal.
Before returning to Sakura and Sasuke, Naruto decided to pay Karin a visit.
He had been putting it off, but the time had come.