149. Upgrade

Hmm... it seems that for Shikamaru and the others, dealing with Orochimaru is still a bit beyond their capabilities. And... Orochimaru's curse mark seems to be a necessary enhancement for Sasuke right now.

About three hundred meters from the battlefield, Hinata quietly observed the area where Shikamaru and the others were with her Byakugan. It was hard not to notice such a large ninjutsu commotion earlier. She had originally wanted to go and assist, but after seeing Orochimaru being disoriented by a pile of ninjutsu scrolls, she felt there was probably no need for her to appear.

Fighting Orochimaru would clearly bring no benefits. Although he wasn't the type to hold grudges, needlessly confronting a Kage-level expert was not a wise move.

Furthermore, from the outcome, what Orochimaru did had no negative consequences. Sasuke could gain a cheat-like Heavenly Curse Mark in the early stages, a two-stage transformation comparable to Naruto's one-tailed form, which was indeed very suitable for an impatient person like Sasuke.

Of course, the most important thing was...

"Currently, I don't have the confidence to kill him. Moreover... judging by his resurrection methods later on, as long as someone carrying the curse mark exists, he can resurrect at any time from any curse mark user. In other words... killing him would be pointless."

Nodding, Hinata confirmed her thoughts. In her eyes, the meaning of engaging Orochimaru was like a tasteless chicken bone. And according to her past experience, the best way to handle such matters was to have a clear conclusion: either decisively kill Orochimaru here with confidence, or simply avoid confronting him and wait for a future opportunity.

Since she currently had no confidence in killing Orochimaru, there was no need to do something useless.

However, even knowing this, there was still a subtle feeling of displeasure, probably a sense of unwillingness due to her own power being unable to achieve the optimal choice.

After hesitating for a few seconds, Hinata ultimately lowered her finger, which was poised to summon Suigin Tou. For her, she had passed the age of trying things she knew she couldn't achieve.

However, because of this unwillingness, her obsession with seeking power would likely be further fueled.

Shaking her head, Hinata headed directly towards the area where Shikamaru and the others were. Since it was over, there was no need to delay any further.

"Sasuke-kun, consider this my gift to you..."

Looking at Sasuke, who was on the ground in pain, clutching his neck, the female Grass ninja gently tore off the human skin mask on her face, revealing a pair of greedy, golden snake eyes to Sasuke. "My name is Orochimaru. If you crave greater power, then come find me again. Well then~ goodbye."

As he finished speaking, Orochimaru's body sank back into the ground. His goal achieved, there was no need to remain here.

"Sasuke~!!!"

A pale-faced Sakura and Ino rushed over almost frantically, then embraced the suffering Sasuke from the ground. Shikamaru, gritting his teeth, along with Shino and Choji, also hurried over. Seeing Sasuke's painful state, everyone undoubtedly fell into an extremely low mood.

"First, put him down. Let me see if he's poisoned!"

Even the usually calm Shino uncharacteristically showed signs of panic. Ino, wiping away tears, quickly laid Sasuke flat on the ground, letting the painful black-haired boy rest his head on her lap to slightly ease his suffering.

"I have a special antidote here. Anyway, let's give it to Sasuke first!"

Fumbling, Choji took out an exquisite glass box from his ninja tool pouch, no longer caring about anything else. He stuffed it into Sasuke's mouth, then took out a waterskin to help the black-haired boy swallow it.

"Damn it!... Why?... I tried my best..."

Gritting his teeth, Shikamaru punched the nearby tree, completely disregarding the blood that immediately welled from his fingers. For the pineapple-headed boy, having Sasuke deliver the final blow was exactly his plan. Use the Sharingan to lock onto Orochimaru's chakra, then kill him with the Chidori Sharp Spear, which had the strongest direct killing power.

However, judging by the outcome, Sasuke was undoubtedly attacked and succeeded upon by the enemy because of his strategy, which led him to rashly approach Orochimaru.

Mm, good. At least this will help these guys, who haven't experienced setbacks, grow better.

As she descended from the tree branch, Hinata didn't forget to observe the expressions of these rookies. Undoubtedly, if they had previously approached this exam with a somewhat carefree attitude, now, the pain Sasuke endured had truly made them understand frustration and humiliation.

"What happened? How did it get like this?"

Hinata's calm words made everyone instinctively turn around. After confirming it was Hinata herself, the team's atmosphere became exceptionally somber.

After about a second of silence, Shikamaru, who was leading, suddenly knelt down on one knee. The pineapple-headed boy, who usually paid little attention to the Hinata team's etiquette, now clearly seemed very serious.

"I am truly sorry. It was due to my improper command that Sasuke-kun was injured. Please punish me!"

Bowing his head deeply, Shikamaru's choice of words and tone were undoubtedly identical to the formal apology of a vassal to their lord. It was clear that he intended to bear the responsibility entirely himself.

"No, it was our collective mistake, not solely Shikamaru-kun's."

Shino and Choji also knelt down on one knee. As Shikamaru's friends, they clearly didn't want him to bear this responsibility alone.

Wiping away her tears haphazardly, Ino and Sakura also put Sasuke down and both knelt before Hinata. As the two weakest members, they didn't even have the initiative to speak.

"...Is that so? It seems you encountered an enemy."

Hinata didn't rush to respond to Shikamaru and the others' plea. She walked directly past them to Sasuke's side and cleanly struck him on the neck, knocking the intensely suffering black-haired boy unconscious. The strange three-tomoe curse mark on his neck also came into the Byakugan user's view.

"This... is a curse mark jutsu. It seems different from what the Hyuga clan uses... This failure cannot be blamed on you, because according to my knowledge, a ninja who can apply a curse mark to others without tools must be at least Kage-level in strength. In other words, the enemy you just fought was a Kage-level expert."

Turning around, Hinata began to deliver her conclusion. Her words undoubtedly made the previously somber team members show expressions of extreme astonishment. For them, a Jonin was already an unattainable existence, but now Hinata was telling them that the enemy they had just fought was a Kage-level expert?

"...Kage-level... But... my command error is undeniable..."

Shikamaru tried to process the information Hinata had given him, but he didn't intend to excuse himself. Clearly, even if he was usually lazy and carefree, this adherence to his duties and persistence was precisely the unique charm of this pineapple-headed boy.

"Since you insist on saying that, you're not entirely wrong. If you admit it this way, then think carefully about how to deal with such an enemy next time. For now, your punishment will be postponed. What I want to ask is..."

Raising her hand to brush away a strand of hair from her neck, Hinata spoke calmly, "Where are Kiba and Naruto?"

With hasty footsteps, Naruto and Kiba indeed felt an indescribable sense of panic. Sakon and Jirobo, who had been entangled with them earlier, had quickly retreated after receiving orders. The two, who had been unable to break through the obstruction, soon saw the completely ruined camp and then followed the trail of battle.

"Hey~~ Everyone~! Are you okay?? Damn it, we were held up!"

Naruto, running in the lead, subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief as he spotted Shikamaru and the others from afar. However, Kiba, who was following him, was clearly more sensitive. His intuition told him that everyone's mood was very off.

"Huh? What's wrong? Why isn't anyone talking?"

Running up to the group, Naruto looked at everyone strangely, but upon seeing Sasuke lying on the ground in agony, the blonde boy's gaze involuntarily froze.

"Kiba, did you also encounter an enemy? I had two, what about you?"

Hinata spoke coldly, vaguely guessing some things, but she needed confirmation.

"Yes! Also two strange ninjas. Their headbands had a musical note. If I'm not mistaken, they should be the Sound Village ninjas that Senior Kabuto mentioned earlier."

Kiba promptly knelt on one knee, his voice carrying a hint of shame. "I'm truly sorry... we couldn't break through their obstruction in time..."

"I severely wounded those two Sound ninjas who blocked me and found the last Earth Scroll on the way. Now, tell me the process and details of how you were held back."

Looking up at Naruto, Hinata's tone was devoid of emotion.

"Everything!"

"Yes! It went like this..."

Kiba's fingers subconsciously tightened slightly, and he began to recount the details of their encounter little by little. Naruto, watching Sasuke nearby, also fell silent. Clearly, he had more or less understood his mistake.

"So... Naruto, due to your carelessness and overconfidence, you were trapped in a barrier by the enemy from the very beginning, thus playing no role whatsoever throughout, is that right?"

Hinata's expression had become extremely cold, which made the sweating Kiba bite his lip slightly.

"Actually... it's because the enemy was truly... too powerful..."

Undoubtedly, even though Kiba usually mocked Naruto relentlessly, it was clear from these words that he was still defending Naruto.

Hinata didn't respond to Kiba's words. The Byakugan user simply took a step forward and walked in front of Naruto. The usually boisterous blonde had clearly realized something; a hint of undisguised pleading even appeared in his blue eyes.

In the midst of this pleading gaze, Hinata's right hand rose high and then swiftly descended, a loud slap landing firmly on Naruto's cheek!

Looking at the startled Naruto, Hinata spoke calmly.

"Naruto-kun, you..."

"Are truly disappointing."

(PS1: Hmm~ o(￣▽￣)o~ Since there was a BOSS battle, then collective experience points, and a collective level-up, are very necessary, right?)

(PS2: Roughly, the Death Forest arc should be ending soon. Hmm~ First update~)