As her will faded, Ino's blurry vision caught sight of a familiar figure—
Falling from the sky.
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
"At the very end… am I still imagining you by my side?"
Her consciousness teetered on the edge of darkness, and she sent out one last thought—
"I don't want to sleep yet… Idiot, Sakiya… If I don't make it… don't be too sad…"
Then—
Everything went black.
She never realized—
That it wasn't a dream.
That Sakiya had truly come to save her.
She thought it was just her desperate longing creating an illusion.
But even so—
Seeing Sakiya one last time… wasn't so bad.
With that final thought, Ino lost consciousness.
---
Sakiya's orange-red energy field wrapped around Ino, shielding her from the smoke and dust.
She held her close, looking at the bruises on Ino's fragile body, her pale face.
A single tear slipped down Sakiya's cheek.
Her heart ached at the sight—
Ino looked like a sleeping princess, utterly vulnerable.
"…I was too late."
Sakiya's fingers brushed through Ino's golden hair, her voice soft yet resolute.
"This won't happen again. Don't worry, Ino… I'm here now."
Then—
Her gaze lifted.
Through the smoke, she saw cold, reptilian eyes watching her.
Her expression hardened.
Her right eye—hidden beneath the blindfold—began to glow.
"Now… let me show this snake what happens when you hurt someone I care about."
She opened her eye.
A golden-red flash erupted—
The very air trembled under the sheer force of her aura.
The pressure was so intense that the smoke and dust instantly dissipated.
Orochimaru—who had been calm and composed—felt a sudden chill crawl down his spine.
His eyes narrowed.
"…Terrifying," he muttered.
"This isn't just a Jinchūriki… Is this some kind of special technique?"
Before he could finish his thought—
Sakiya's right eye flashed—
A blood-red beam exploded forth!
Orochimaru had no time to react.
The beam pierced straight through his chest—
Leaving behind a charred hole, as if his flesh had been burned away by lava.
A massive explosion erupted behind him, followed by a shockwave so powerful it sent debris flying.
Orochimaru staggered, his pupils contracting.
For the first time—
He wasn't just amused.
He was taking this seriously.
His gaze locked onto the blindfolded girl holding Ino—
And this time—
His expression was grave.
At that moment, Orochimaru made a retching motion—
Then, he reached into his own mouth—
And tore himself apart.
A new, unscathed body—slick with mucus—emerged from the ruined husk.
Despite the grotesque nature of the process, it was over in less than a second.
This was Orochimaru's Body Shedding Technique—his signature ability to escape certain death.
He turned toward Sakiya, a wicked smirk on his face.
"Oh? You didn't take the opportunity to attack me? That technique of yours… not so easy to use, is it?"
Sakiya stood motionless, red energy flickering around her body.
Her right eye, glowing with brilliant crimson light, cast deep shadows over her face.
Despite her young appearance, there was an unshakable authority in her voice—
A presence that demanded obedience.
"I just don't want you to die too quickly."
The burning glow of her right eye was fueled by pure rage.
But after a moment, she exhaled, regaining her composure.
She refused to waste energy on someone beneath her.
Then—
Sakiya raised her hand and pressed it downward.
A massive seal—spanning hundreds of meters—appeared beneath them, glowing in the air.
Clang…
The seal rotated once—
Then vanished completely.
And with it—
Sakiya and Ino were gone.
Orochimaru's smile faded.
His eyes narrowed, his expression turning serious.
Because for the briefest moment when that seal activated—
His entire perception had been wiped out.
He could no longer sense anything beyond his five senses.
And that—
Was unsettling.
Just as Sakiya fired her beam of light—
More than two kilometers away, deep in the dense forest—
A streak of red energy shot through the air, unnoticed by most.
It slammed into a higher slope of the terrain—
And then—
BOOM!
A blinding flash of red light erupted, followed by an explosion of terrifying energy!
A torrent of red energy surged outward, consuming everything in its path, eroding the very ground it touched.
Even the Konoha shinobi stationed thousands of meters away noticed the sheer scale of the detonation.
One by one, they turned their heads, their expressions shifting to shock.
Far away, in the Hokage Building—
Hiruzen Sarutobi felt the explosion before he even saw it.
The ground rumbled beneath his feet, and a deep, echoing roar shook the village.
Without hesitation, he leaped out of the building.
And then he saw it—
A massive mushroom cloud of red energy rising into the sky.
His eyes darkened.
This level of destruction...
There was only one thing he could compare it to—
A Tailed Beast Bomb.
Within moments, several ANBU operatives landed beside him.
"Lord Third! The explosion originated within the Forest of Death!"
Hiruzen's expression grew grave as he turned his gaze toward the towering mushroom cloud.
"The Chunin Exams…?" he muttered under his breath.
Before he could process the situation further, more ANBU arrived.
"Report!" one of them called out urgently.
"Lord Third! We have confirmed Orochimaru's presence inside the Forest of Death!"
Hiruzen's fists clenched.
That snake… What is he planning?
Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression darkened.
He could no longer remain seated.
His jaw clenched as the weight of the situation sank in.
"Orochimaru…?!"
A flicker of urgency crossed his face before he barked out orders.
"Quickly! Mobilize the ANBU to the Forest of Death! Ensure the safety of the exam participants—at all costs!"
"Understood!"
As the ANBU vanished to carry out his command, Hiruzen turned on his heel and strode back into the Hokage Building.
In moments, he donned his combat vest, adjusting it with a firm grip.
His gaze was sharp, filled with unwavering resolve.
"This mistake… I will correct it myself."
---
Meanwhile, deep inside the Forest of Death—
Hinata's team had successfully collected both the Heaven and Earth scrolls.
Wasting no time, they raced toward the central tower, leaping swiftly between the trees.
Among them, Kiba was the fastest, effortlessly bounding ahead with Akamaru perched on his back.
Akamaru barked excitedly, eager to reach their destination.
But just as they neared a particular area of the forest—
Kiba's nose twitched.
Something felt... off.
His sharp sense of smell, usually his greatest asset, suddenly became unreliable.
It was faint, but unmistakable.
What the hell? Why does everything smell… wrong?
A ripple of unease spread through him.
Before he could voice his concerns—
WHAM!
Kiba slammed into something invisible—hard.
His vision blurred as he tumbled backward, hitting the ground with a heavy thud.
Even Akamaru yelped in surprise as he was thrown aside.
Dazed, Kiba groaned and shook his head.
What the hell did I just hit…?
The scene left Hinata and Shino momentarily stunned.
"Kiba? Are you okay?" Hinata asked, concern evident in her voice.
Kiba shook his head, still dazed. His brows furrowed in confusion.
"I… I don't know. It felt like I ran into something, but there was nothing there."
Hinata and Shino exchanged glances.
Kiba, now more alert, climbed back onto the tree branch he had just leaped from—determined to figure out what happened.
But the moment he stepped forward—
His foot landed on… nothing.
His eyes widened in shock as he plunged downward.
"What—?!"
Before he could hit the ground, Shino caught him, steadying him before he fell.
Now, with clearer eyes, all three could see what was happening.
A strange unease settled over them.
Kiba cautiously approached the tree he had supposedly stepped on and slowly reached out a hand.
His fingers passed right through it.
Like it wasn't even there.
"What… is this?" Kiba murmured.
The three stood in silence, their expressions filled with confusion.
"An illusion?" Shino suggested, his voice calm but tense.
Without hesitation, he stepped forward, reaching out carefully with both hands.
Kiba and Hinata followed suit, curiosity overcoming hesitation.
Shino moved his hands through the air, as though tracing an invisible wall.
"Kiba, Hinata—this isn't just thin air. My insects can sense it… There's something here."
Kiba and Hinata exchanged puzzled looks.
Hesitantly, they reached out and touched the space where Shino's hands hovered.
Their fingers met rough, uneven textures—like bark.
Their eyes widened.
"It feels like a tree," Kiba whispered.
Hinata took a step back, her expression serious.
"Hinata, use your Byakugan!" Shino urged.
Realizing the urgency, she focused her chakra.
"Byakugan!"
The veins around her eyes pulsed.
The moment her vision expanded—
Hinata's breath caught in her throat.
Her face paled.
Shino and Kiba noticed her shock immediately.
"Hinata? What is it?" Kiba asked.
Eyes still locked on what she was seeing, Hinata whispered in disbelief—
"That… That's not a tree at all…"
_____________
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