Chapter 363: Ruthless Gaara

Boom!!

Time passed, and it had been more than two hours since the second stage of the Chunin Exams survival exercise began. From a distance in the Forest of Death, there was a huge crashing sound, as if a giant creature had broken a large tree.

"Damn it... Naruto!!"

Sasuke, who had witnessed Naruto getting knocked out by a giant snake that had appeared out of nowhere while trying to save him, was almost seething with rage. His once black eyes had turned red, and his Sharingan with its Tomoe spun rapidly. His gaze was both angry and vigilant as he fixed it on the mysterious ninja before him.

The ninja had long, jet-black hair and wore the forehead protector of the Grass Village. Although their appearance was feminine, the terrifying killing intent emanating from them made it almost impossible for both Sasuke and Sakura to move.

"Oh? The Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan..."

Seeing Sasuke not only activate the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan but also break free from the killing intent he had emitted, Orochimaru, disguised as a woman, couldn't help but extend his long tongue. "I didn't expect you to escape from my killing intent so quickly. It makes me want to possess your body even more..."

"Che..."

"If I can't even handle such a small matter, how can I possibly kill that man?!"

Unexpectedly encountering such a terrifying opponent in the Chunin Exams, Sasuke's Sharingan suddenly widened in response to the androgynous monster before him. "Besides, compared to the terrifying aura from Yakushi Yu, your killing intent is nothing!!"

Sharingan Manipulating Windmill Triple Blades!!

As he spoke, Sasuke, exploding with potential, instantly threw a kunai and shuriken bound with fine threads at Orochimaru. Using the Sharingan's powerful dynamic vision, he predicted the opponent's movements with all his might.

Yakushi Yu...

Hearing the name that Sasuke uttered, Orochimaru's gaze darkened. He hadn't expected that guy to return to Konoha at such a fortuitous time. He wondered if it would affect his upcoming plan to destroy Konoha...

Lost in thought, Orochimaru, as an experienced Kage-level ninja, lightly shook his body and effortlessly dodged the shuriken and kunai flying towards him from Uchiha Sasuke.

"He hit him!!"

But as Sakura watched from the sidelines, she gasped softly. It turned out that the kunai and shuriken Sasuke had thrown behind Orochimaru were just a diversion. With a strong pull on the threads bound to the kunai and shuriken, the hidden Fuma Shuriken suddenly spun like a whirlwind, slashing fiercely toward Orochimaru's head!

"Using the Sharingan to see my retreat so clearly, and then planning to take me down with this hidden Fuma Shuriken...?"

However, facing the vast difference in power, Orochimaru, with a wicked smile, lightly tilted his head and bit directly onto the incoming Fuma Shuriken. "Heh, but unfortunately..."

Fire Release: Dragon Fire Jutsu!!

Before Orochimaru could finish his words, Sasuke, standing in front of him, had already formed hand seals with both hands. A high-temperature, searing flame quickly traveled along the threads of the shuriken and kunai, hitting Orochimaru's head in a straight line!

"Did... did he kill him?!"

Having used the shuriken, kunai, and Fuma Shuriken to create a double diversion and finally hit the formidable opponent with his most skilled Fire Release, Sasuke felt as if he were on the verge of collapse.

"Hehehehe…"

"I didn't expect you to use the Sharingan so adeptly at such a young age…"

With a deep, sinister laugh, Orochimaru, whose entire head had been burned away by the Fire Release, revealed a completely unfamiliar face to Sasuke and Sakura. The narrow, cold snake eyes left them both utterly shocked.

"Although it doesn't match the perfect talent of Yu or Itachi, it's more than sufficient as my reincarnation vessel!!"

Whoosh…

After speaking, Orochimaru's neck twisted and elongated like a serpent. Before Sasuke and Sakura could react, the head that had been blasted off had already bitten down harshly on Sasuke's neck, continuously injecting the power of the Cursed Seal of Heaven into his body.

"Ahhhh!!"

In the horrifying scene, Sasuke's screams seemed to echo throughout the Forest of Death.

…

"That voice… it must be that kid named Uchiha Sasuke…"

"Could it be, just as Yu-sama said, that the three of them have encountered Orochimaru?"

Hearing the distant, faint screams from the deep forest, Kimimaro and Haku were leisurely making their way through the center of the Forest of Death.

"Forget it, there's no need to get involved in their matters…"

"For now, let's just focus on completing the task Yu-sama assigned to us!"

Despite the words, Kimimaro decided to continue forward with Haku. Notably, although they were a two-person team for this Chunin Exam, since everyone knew they were subordinates of the legendary ninja Scarlet Yu, no other ninjas dared to come up and steal the scrolls they carried.

"Ahhhh!!"

At that moment, several sudden screams caught their attention.

Haku looked up and saw that three ninjas seemed to be hiding and trembling behind the grass—Hyuga Hinata, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame, the members of Team 8.

"Hm? Isn't that girl Hinata, whom Yu-sama mentioned?"

"Kimimaro, let's go take a look…"

Upon recognizing Hinata, Haku immediately used Body Flicker Technique to disappear from their location with Kimimaro. As Kurenai's team, who were under Yu's command, they had no reason not to help when they saw them in trouble.

In a clearing in the Forest of Death.

The ground was covered with yellow sand and blood. Amid several desperate screams, three Rain Ninjas were entangled by yellow sand, lifted into the air, and then crushed into paste by the sand.

"Lucky…"

"The Heaven Scroll we need is right here."

Seeing Gaara use Sand Waterfall Funeral to crush the three Rain Ninjas who came to steal the scroll, Kankuro bent down and picked up the scroll from the ground. "Alright, let's head to the finish line in one go!!"

After witnessing Gaara kill the three Rain Ninjas, it seemed that he was starting to lose control of his killing intent. Kankuro felt a strong sense of unease deep inside.

"Alright, let's stop here, Gaara…"

"Don't forget that we still have a mission…"

Temari, noticing the killing intent radiating from Gaara, couldn't help but speak up to try and stop him.

"Shut up!!"

As expected, Gaara, who was completely caught up in the thrill of killing, gave them a fierce glare. "I'm not finished having fun yet…"

After saying that, Gaara's gaze briefly scanned the nearby grass, as if he had sensed someone hiding there.

"Could… could he have discovered us…"

Having witnessed Gaara's terrifying power and violent nature, Kiba Inuzuka, hiding in the grass, was already trembling with fear.

"That guy's gaze is just too frightening… We're going to be killed…"

Hinata and Shino Aburame also broke out in fine beads of sweat on their foreheads. Facing an enemy like Gaara with such power and temperament, if the three of them were discovered, it would be their end.

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