"Greymon, use Nova blast!"
Natsuki ignored Orochimaru's question, ordering Greymon to unleash a massive fireball.
He just needed to create enough chaos to attract the proctors, like Anko.
Once they arrived, Orochimaru, keen on not jeopardizing his plan to destroy Konoha, would surely retreat.
Natsuki wouldn't have to risk his life in a grueling fight.
A scorching fireball erupted, hurtling towards Orochimaru.
Standing atop Greymon, Natsuki's hands blurred in a rapid sequence of hand seals. In an instant, he unleashed a wind-style jutsu along with his signature Justsu.
"Super Invincible Thunderbolt Fireball!!
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!!"
Natsuki combined two jutsu with Greymon's Nova Blast.
The wind amplified the fire, and the fire intensified the wind's power.
The combined attack of boy and beast resulted in an explosive force greater than the sum of its parts, and the force multiplied threefold.
The Nova Blast transformed into a raging inferno, a fiery torrent engulfing Orochimaru.
"This brat!" Orochimaru gritted his teeth, plunging his hand into the earth once more.
Summoning Technique: Triple Rashōmon!
Three colossal steel gates, adorned with demonic visages as if ripped from the depths of hell, slammed into existence.
They dwarfed even the towering trees of the forest.
Everyone in the Forest of Death was drawn to the commotion.
From afar, the three demonic gates were clearly visible, standing sentinel in the middle of the forest. After all, they weren't far from the central tower.
"Look, what's that?" Chōji exclaimed, staring at the towering walls against the skyline.
"Such malevolent chakra… It feels like a jutsu," Shikamaru said, frowning.
This Chunin Exam was becoming increasingly troublesome.
"Did a participant do that? That's insane!"
"A defensive wall like a mountain range… who could break through something like that?" Ino added, her face filled with astonishment.
Her words echoed the thoughts of the surrounding examinees.
But in the next moment, a deafening roar shattered the air.
The seemingly impenetrable demonic gates, which they believed unbreakable, glowed red-hot under the onslaught of a sky-obscuring sea of flames.
Then, a massive purplish-red fireball bombarded the gates, obliterating the first two.
The third gate barely managed to withstand the impact.
The torrent of flames surged sideways, instantly incinerating countless towering trees. Instead of diminishing, the fire intensified, growing fiercer.
This level of chaos wasn't part of Orochimaru's plan.
He had to temporarily abandon his pursuit of Greymon.
As he retreated, he issued a chilling threat to Natsuki: "Brat, just you wait. I'll be back. And when I return, I will make you surrender your abilities and your summoning beast."
Natsuki scoffed, even going so far as to stick his tongue out at the retreating figure, infuriating Orochimaru to the point where he almost summoned Manda for a bloody rampage.
However, seeing Anko and other Konoha Jonin approaching, he quickly vanished.
"Child, who were you fighting just now?" Several Konoha proctors rushed to Natsuki's side, their voices urgent.
"A woman from Kusagakure," Natsuki answered directly. "She was strong."
"That chakra… There's no mistaking it. That was Orochimaru," Anko said grimly. "You all help put out the fire. I must report this to Lord Hokage immediately."
With that, she used the Body Flicker Technique and disappeared.
"Good heavens, is that yours?"
"The participants this year are each more terrifying than the last!"
The Konoha proctors stared at the blazing inferno, headaches pounding.
One after another, the Jonin dispersed, each performing water-style jutsu.
Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!
A true deluge appeared, rapidly extinguishing the burning inferno in its path.
However, the fire had spread too far, making it impossible to completely quell in a short amount of time.
Outside the Forest of Death, more and more ninja joined the firefighting effort.
"Fire! Fire! Help!"
"Water! Oh my god! I just escaped the fire, and now I'm surrounded by a flood!"
"Someone, please save me! I can't swim!"
"I forfeit! I forfeit! I'm not taking this exam anymore. It's too hard! This Chunin Exam is inhumane!"
"I forfeit too! Will a proctor please get me out of here?"
The examinees this year were truly in dire straits, facing both fire and flood.
They began to forfeit in droves.
After all, survival was paramount.
"Damn it! It's just a Chunin Exam, why are there so many strong enemies?!"
"Are those monsters really Genin?" Temari cried out in frustration.
She and Kankuro couldn't dissuade Gaara, so they had to continue pursuing Natsuki with him.
As a result, they witnessed the battle between Natsuki and that Grass ninja.
Good heavens, they thought Gaara was the strongest among the examinees this year.
Unexpectedly, an even more monstrous Natsuki appeared. And now, there was a Grass ninja who could fight Natsuki on equal footing.
Those three Rashōmon gates… aside from Gaara's One-Tailed Shukaku, there was no way they could break through them.
"It's too dangerous out there. I want to go back to Sunagakure," Temari muttered, slightly frightened.
"Shut up. I will deal with them," Gaara said, his eyes fixated on Natsuki, who had already reached the finish line - the central tower.
An unprecedented sense of defeat washed over him, further amplifying the darkness within his heart.
Even if it means unleashing Shukaku, I will defeat them!
With a large portion of the Forest of Death incinerated, the second stage of the exam ended prematurely.
All examinees who had collected both Heaven and Earth scrolls were deemed to have passed, regardless of whether they reached the central tower.
However, due to the incident, a large number of examinees forfeited, creating a heavy workload for the aftermath.
Consequently, there would be a five-day extension to the rest and adjustment period, meaning the selection for the third exam would take place ten days later.
After Team 8 left the exam site, Kiba Inuzuka immediately returned to his clan's compound.
Hinata, however, followed Natsuki to his home.
Natsuki thought his sister, Kurenai, would be there to greet him happily after the exam, but she wasn't home.
It seemed she was on a mission. That made sense, though.
Kurenai was a Jonin, and with so many people from other villages in the village for the exams, there were bound to be many places that needed extra security.
"Hinata, why don't you take a bath first?" Natsuki said gently, noticing Hinata's slightly disheveled clothes.
Although the battles in the Forest of Death had been thrilling, the major confrontations had all centered around him, inevitably affecting his teammates as well.
"Mm." Hinata nodded obediently.
She had been to Natsuki's house many times and had her own closet there.
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