Within the Forest of Death, Orochimaru glared at Sakura Haruno, his frustration mounting. She had interfered with his plans twice now, and time was running out. If he delayed any longer, Konoha reinforcements would arrive. While Orochimaru didn't fear them, planting the Cursed Seal on Sasuke would become significantly more difficult.
Sakura saw a flash of white light, followed by a searing pain in her chest.
Looking down with difficulty, she saw a long sword protruding from her chest, piercing straight through her back. It was the Sword of Kusanagi.
"Heh, that Orochimaru, always so unpredictable," Sakura muttered with a bitter smile.
"Sakura-chan!!!" Naruto's distant roar echoed through the forest. The summoning of Katsuyu had already dissipated.
Naruto's eyes had transformed into the slitted pupils of the Nine-Tails, and he radiated a crimson chakra aura. He charged towards Orochimaru with the force of a thunderclap.
Sakura glanced sideways at Naruto, noticing the unstable red chakra bubbling around him. "What the...? Is Naruto going to lose it again...? It's not like I'm dying or anything..."
With a monumental effort, Sakura raised her hands and formed seals. "Ninja Art: Creation Rebirth!"
Sakura would never use this life-force-draining technique unless absolutely necessary. But the situation was dire. Orochimaru was starting to get serious, and the sheer killing intent radiating from him was terrifying. If she didn't use it now, she'd die here.
For the first time, genuine surprise flickered across Orochimaru's face. Neither Katsuyu nor Sakura's monstrous strength had startled him, but Tsunade's signature jutsu was enough to make him pause.
"So, Tsunade found a truly gifted apprentice. Your talent rivals even Minato Namikaze... But you will die here today," Orochimaru hissed, his voice dripping with malice. He tilted his head to the side, ready to slice Sakura in two.
Sakura wasn't about to let that happen. Channeling every ounce of chakra into her hands, she used Hardening Jutsu to its absolute limit and grabbed the Kusanagi. Orochimaru felt an incredible resistance, halting the blade's movement completely.
At that moment, Naruto reached Orochimaru and sent him flying with a single punch.
The Sword of Kusanagi was still lodged in Sakura's chest. As Orochimaru was flung backward, the sword ripped free.
Sakura's grip on the blade resulted in two deep gashes across her palms, and a jet of blood spurted from her chest as the sword was withdrawn.
However, thanks to Creation Rebirth, her wounds began to knit themselves together almost instantly, leaving no visible trace of injury.
"Naruto, you idiot!" Sakura was utterly exasperated. Was he trying to save her or kill her? If she hadn't known Creation Rebirth, that secondary injury would have finished her off. But the Sword truly was sharp, it easily cut through her chakra enhanced hands.
Hearing Sakura's voice behind him, Naruto stopped his pursuit of Orochimaru and turned back, concern etched across his face. "Sakura-chan, are you okay?" he asked anxiously.
She was about to yell at Naruto some more, but seeing the genuine worry in his eyes, Sakura decided against it.
Looking back at Sasuke, she saw him staring at her, still in a daze. However, his Sharingan had clearly evolved to the three-tomoe stage.
"If you're alright, get up. Orochimaru's still nearby," Sakura said, lightly slapping Sasuke's face to snap him out of it.
Sasuke stood up and scanned their surroundings. "It's no use. Orochimaru's already gone."
"Gone?" Sakura was puzzled. She expanded her senses, confirming that Orochimaru's chakra was indeed absent. Instead, she felt several unfamiliar chakra signatures rapidly approaching.
That explained Orochimaru's attempt on her life – it had been his last chance.
It seemed the Anbu had arrived. Mitarashi Anko was the first to reach them, looking slightly confused at the sight of the three genin.
"Where is the person you were fighting?" Anko demanded.
"Hehe, you mean that Orochimaru guy? We drove him off," Naruto boasted immediately, still holding a grudge against Anko for scaring him before they entered the Forest of Death.
"Kid, I don't know where you heard that name, but lying isn't a good look," Anko replied, clearly disbelieving.
"I'm not lying! I drove Orochimaru away!" And to be fair, it wasn't entirely wrong to say Naruto had driven him off; after that last punch, Orochimaru hadn't reappeared.
"Don't be ridiculous, kid. It was clearly Lady Tsunade fighting Orochimaru here. I saw Lady Tsunade's summon," Anko said, preparing to expose Naruto's lie.
"That was me. I summoned Katsuyu," Sakura interjected, not wanting to waste any more breath. The recent battle had left her utterly exhausted. Their team had obtained both the Heaven and Earth Scrolls, and she had deliberately moved closer to the central tower during the fight with Orochimaru. They were now very close.
"I'm Lady Tsunade's apprentice. I summoned Katsuyu. We were fighting Orochimaru. We're exhausted. We've collected both scrolls. We need to get to the tower to rest," Sakura stated in one breath.
Anko was stunned. She hadn't expected this young girl to be Tsunade's disciple, let alone capable of driving off Orochimaru. Did that mean her strength surpassed even Anko's own?
While Sakura hadn't intentionally hidden her apprenticeship with Tsunade, she didn't exactly announce it to everyone she met.
Sakura had been misunderstood again. Orochimaru, in order to avoid attracting attention, hadn't fought at full strength. His primary goal was Sasuke, and he had focused on restraining Sakura rather than outright killing her. Even so, Sakura had barely survived, taking a blade to the chest just to prevent Orochimaru from placing the Cursed Seal on Sasuke.
"Which way did Orochimaru escape?" Anko asked.
"I don't know. Sasuke, do you?" Sakura figured that since Sasuke had noticed Orochimaru's absence, he might know the direction he'd fled.
"That way," Sasuke said, pointing in a specific direction for the Anbu and Anko.
"Let's go. You three, continue with the exam," Anko said curtly, leading the Anbu squad into the forest to track Orochimaru.
"Um, Sakura-chan, what should we do? Maybe we should rest here for the night?" Naruto asked, noticing Sakura's pale complexion after the Anbu departed.
"We keep moving. We reach the central tower before nightfall," Sakura said through gritted teeth.
Their only option was to continue to the central tower. Even with the Anbu in pursuit, Orochimaru wouldn't be easy to catch. The longer they stayed here, the greater the risk. If Orochimaru decided to double back, Sakura's sacrifice would have been for nothing.
They needed to reach the central tower before complete darkness fell. With more personnel there, Orochimaru would be less likely to attempt a direct assault.
And so, the three genin pressed onward, their journey to the central tower far from over.