Konoha's Sword Saint [82]

Hoshiyomi had felt something was off when Tsunade sensed the enemy before he did. Normally, his sensory abilities were sharper than hers.

Looking back now, it was clear—the loss of his chakra had dulled his perception.

But that was the least of his concerns.

He was in agony.

With the resurgence of the chakra flames on his back, it felt as if thousands of ants were crawling and biting across his spine. The pain radiated outward, seeping into every muscle and bone, threatening to drive him mad.

The Kumo genin facing him stood frozen in disbelief. He had thought he was done for—until Hoshiyomi suddenly collapsed like that. Overjoyed, the Kumo shinobi reached for his kunai to finish him off.

Far off, Tsunade flinched at Hoshiyomi's scream and rushed to help, but the two enemies she was fighting kept her pinned down.

In desperation, Tsunade chose to trade injury for a chance to break free. She allowed one kunai to sink into her arm, then sent her opponent flying with a full-powered punch.

With her path cleared, she unleashed her full speed and barreled toward Hoshiyomi's attacker. The genin had good instincts—he rolled aside just in time to avoid being crushed.

Tsunade had protected Hoshiyomi, but their situation had only worsened.

Hoshiyomi was completely incapacitated, and their three enemies remained standing. The one she punched had a broken arm but was still combat-capable.

That meant Tsunade would have to fend off all three while protecting Hoshiyomi. The odds weren't good.

Just as she prepared to gamble everything in a final stand, a familiar howl rang out from the distance—Lobo's.

Tsunade exhaled with relief. Help was coming.

She wasted no time. Ignoring the enemy trio, she turned and slammed a karate chop into the back of Hoshiyomi's neck, knocking him unconscious.

It worked.

As Hoshiyomi passed out, the ghostly blue chakra flames gradually faded from his back.

The three Kumo shinobi's expressions turned grim. Just as they turned to flee, Orochimaru's voice echoed from the trees:

"Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld."

The ground beneath their feet instantly turned to mire, swallowing two of them up to the knees.

Only the squad leader reacted quickly enough to escape the bog—but he didn't get far. A flash of lightning sliced through the air.

Agonizing pain erupted in his chest.

Sakumo had arrived. With a single Void Severance, he finished the fleeing genin.

Elsewhere, Jiraiya unleashed a Fire Release: Big Flame Bullet, engulfing one of the trapped Kumo ninja in flames.

He was just about to incinerate the third when Shinku shouted:

"Idiot! Leave one alive!"

Jiraiya halted just in time. The remaining Kumo genin, despite his injuries, still shouted defiantly that he'd never talk.

Shinku raised a hand and cast a genjutsu, silencing him instantly.

With the enemy neutralized, the four regrouped. Shinku stayed behind to interrogate the captive while the others ran to check on Hoshiyomi.

Tsunade had already torn open the charred remnants of Hoshiyomi's clothing and was treating the burns on his back.

"It's that cursed mark again," she explained. "I think when he tried using chakra, it activated whatever this thing is. That's why he collapsed."

Orochimaru nodded, analyzing the situation.

"I suspected it might be some kind of forbidden technique. This all but confirms it. It seems any use of chakra triggers the curse."

"Tsunade," he continued, "check his internal organs. If they've been affected, this could be much worse."

She paused, startled. She had been about to use diagnostic chakra to probe him. But after hearing Orochimaru's warning, she dispersed the jutsu and switched to manual pulse-checking.

After a few moments, she shook her head.

"No damage to his organs. His pulse is steady. But I can't say for sure what might happen later."

Orochimaru fell silent for a moment, then said,

"This isn't something we can resolve here. We'll have to wait until the exam ends and we regroup with Torifu-sensei. Maybe then we can find a solution."

Jiraiya added, "Only one day left before time runs out. Maybe we should just head for the Central Tower now."

But Shinku cut in sharply.

"No. According to the intel I just pulled from that genin, half the Kumo ninja are lying in wait at the tower for an ambush. The rest are out hunting teams like us. Heading straight there would be suicide."

"Then what do we do?" someone asked.

Sakumo spoke up after a moment's thought.

"The rules state that anyone holding a scroll can advance. That means the third round might drop the team-based format. A solo match is likely."

"There are 21 scrolls total, meaning 21 people are supposed to advance. But one of ours—Hoshiyomi's—was burned."

"So now, only 20 can pass. If we can get 11 of those spots, then Konoha wins by default."

Everyone's eyes lit up. That made sense. The whole point of this Chūnin Exam was to ensure Konoha's candidates outnumbered Kumo's in the final promotions.

As long as Konoha advanced more than half—11 or more—it would be a guaranteed victory. As long as the final bracket avoided having Konoha shinobi fight each other, they'd be unbeatable.

Shinku said, "We already have five scrolls. So we just need to collect six more?"

"No," Orochimaru interrupted, finally joining the conversation.

"Why focus on scrolls?"

"Scrolls aren't the goal. People are. Sakumo's right—if we can get more of our people to pass, we win."

"So instead of chasing scrolls, we gather our allies."

He glanced toward the Kumo genin. "Didn't he say half their forces are still out scavenging?"

"Let's take them out one by one while gathering our own. Once we've got the numbers, we eliminate the Kumo ambush at the Central Tower before it ever starts."

"Then we win—without needing a third round at all."

Everyone stared at him.

It was crazy.

For a moment, no one said anything. Then Jiraiya blinked and asked, "But how are we supposed to find our allies and fight Kumo at the same time?"

Orochimaru didn't answer. Instead, he walked over to a tree and slammed his fist into its trunk.

Fwoosh!

A flare shot out from a hidden compartment in the tree canopy, its shrill whistle cutting through the night sky.

Turning back to the group, Orochimaru gave them a bright, almost boyish smile.

"We'll use this."

Author's Note: I had a weird feeling this chapter had a logic gap, but I can't quite put my finger on it. If you catch anything that doesn't add up, let me know and I'll revise it.

P.S.: Don't worry—Hoshiyomi isn't going to lose his ability to use chakra forever. He'll recover, but the road will be a bit rough. This arc bridges the gap between the Chūnin Exams and the Second Shinobi War and opens the door for him to explore a new "map."

PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin