Chapter 63: Gaia Force

"Izayoi!!"

Seeing Izayoi suddenly appear, both Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki broke into wild grins, as if they'd just found their savior. In particular, Sasuke felt an inexplicable sense of security at Izayoi's arrival.

"Didn't expect you two to be this unlucky, getting targeted by that guy."

With one hand each, Izayoi yanked Naruto and Sasuke out of the marshy ground and set them down.

Sasuke immediately picked up on a crucial detail and asked, "Izayoi, you know who that guy is?"

"I didn't before, but I sensed his chakra and knew right away he wasn't on a genin level."

Izayoi eyed the figure whose head had just re-formed and was now slowly rising to his feet—Orochimaru. "But now it's obvious. One of the legendary Sannin, and also an S-ranked rogue ninja of Konoha Orochimaru."

"It's actually him!"

Sasuke's pupils contracted, staring at Orochimaru in shock. "A big name from the history books… Why is he here?"

"No idea. But he's clearly set his sights on you two—probably because you have something he wants."

"He's after the Sharingan?" Sasuke deduced with a tense expression. "Izayoi, what do we do next?"

His tone implied, "Whatever you say, I'll do it—fight or run?"

"Escaping from someone this strong won't be easy," Izayoi replied. "All we can do is stall until reinforcements arrive." He glanced at Sasuke and smiled. "Think you can still fight?"

"Of course." Sasuke smirked.

"And I'm still in this too!" Naruto chimed in, not wanting to be overlooked.

Izayoi grinned. "In that case, let's see for ourselves how strong a legendary ninja really is!"

"Heh…"

Meanwhile, Orochimaru was studying Izayoi. "I never imagined that in this generation—besides the last remaining Uchiha and that other kid—there'd be another standout talent. Konoha really is a cradle of geniuses."

"But I don't have time to keep playing ninja with you."

With those words, Orochimaru launched himself toward Izayoi's trio, using the Slithering Snake Mode. As Izayoi had pointed out, Orochimaru was pressed for time—he had to plant the Heaven Curse Mark on Sasuke before any backup arrived.

But Orochimaru, fixated on Sasuke, hadn't realized that this batch of new recruits contained a complete wildcard. The moment he made his move, Izayoi vanished like he'd teleported. An instant later, Izayoi appeared right in front of Orochimaru, gripping a kunai wreathed in sparks of lightning, aiming to stab Orochimaru in the head.

Orochimaru's pupils shrank slightly at the sight. This movement was similar to Sasuke's but even faster.

He reacted quickly, opening his mouth to spit out a sword that extended and snapped Izayoi's kunai in half, then attempted to pierce Izayoi's neck. This was a bizarre counter nobody would suspect without intel—it could catch many off guard.

However, the second the sword cut Izayoi's kunai in two, Izayoi vanished again.

In Orochimaru's field of vision, Sasuke appeared overhead, spewing a lick of flame that rapidly expanded into a massive fire dragon.

"Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"

Compared to the original storyline, this Sasuke boasted far more chakra, and under Izayoi's guidance, he favored and excelled at Great Dragon Fire over the standard Fireball.

Watching the fire dragon surge toward him, Orochimaru neither dodged nor blocked, letting the flames engulf him. In the midst of the blaze, Orochimaru's body melted into a puddle.

"That's… Earth Substitution!"

Still in midair, Sasuke's face grew tense. Landing, he peered at the ground, Sharingan tomoe spinning wildly, worried Orochimaru would pull the same trick again and pop out from below.

Whish—

A sudden whoosh broke the silence. A giant python shot out from behind a fallen tree, jaws open wide to swallow Sasuke whole.

Sasuke merely sneered and vanished, appearing beneath the snake in the blink of an eye. He planted a kick on the snake's jaw so hard that it snapped shut violently.

But a moment later, Sasuke's eyes went wide. The python's belly suddenly split, and a figure emerged—Orochimaru—thrusting his hand forward, transforming it into a swarm of serpents.

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

It was an ambush unlike anything Sasuke had seen, and he had no time to react. Halfway through his Leaf Shadow Dance, he was helpless as the snakes lunged to ensnare him.

Right then, the voice that made him feel safe echoed again.

"Wind Release: Wind Cutter!"

Izayoi appeared—and with him, a transparent white crescent of wind. In a flash, it sliced through the serpents and also cut the giant python clean in half.

"You again, kid!"

Seeing Izayoi foil his attempt to place the curse mark once more, Orochimaru's mood darkened. He was about to give Izayoi a harsh lesson when his expression shifted slightly.

Izayoi, who'd just unleashed the Wind Cutter, quickly withdrew his hand into his sleeve… then spat forth a stream of flames that consumed Orochimaru, who had just emerged from the python and had no time to use Substitution or Earth Release.

"Aaaaagh!"

Orochimaru shrieked, swallowed by the flames. Izayoi followed up with a leap several meters into the air.

"Sasuke, get back!"

At Izayoi's warning, Sasuke immediately vanished with the Body Flicker. He reappeared next to Naruto, who'd been standing there in stunned silence, watching Izayoi and Sasuke's display.

Sasuke hadn't even fully pulled Naruto behind a tree when Izayoi's shout echoed:

"Gaia Force!"

They turned to see Izayoi standing there, holding a massive sphere of swirling blue energy in both hands. Initially blue on the outside and white within, it suddenly turned orangey-red inside, and the whole thing became a blazing fireball.

It wasn't physically bigger than a standard Fireball Jutsu, but the sheer power it radiated was in a whole different league.

With a loud cry, Izayoi hurled the glowing orb downward.

Boom————!

An earth-shattering explosion shook half the Forest of Death. Special Jonin, Jonin, and even Anbu who had already mobilized all witnessed a towering fire cyclone rising higher than the canopy.

"What a terrifying Fire Release! Must be a composite jutsu infused with Wind Release?"

Even seasoned Jonin who had mastered multiple nature transformations were stunned.

"First there was that massive Wind Release, and now a Fire Release on this scale—could it be…someone's actually fighting Orochimaru?"

That thought made more than a few ninja go pale. Because if that were the case, that would mean there was a monster participating in this year's Chunin Exams.

~~~

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