The forest was a blur to any other eye, but to Shorai, the world was crystal clear. His body streaked through the ancient, twisting trees, but the air felt heavy—viscous, as if he were running through cooling wax.
Suddenly, a curtain of thick needles rained down from the canopy.
Shorai's right hand snapped into a claw, compressing wind-natured chakra into a tight spiral. With a swift arc, he unleashed a pulse of air that sent the projectiles clattering harmlessly to the forest floor. He skidded to an abrupt halt.
Two shadows detached themselves from the darkness of the trees, landing with a heavy thud that cracked the earth beneath them.
'Orochimaru's subordinates...'
Shorai watched as the two Grass ninjas blocked his path. One wore a tattered straw hat with a "Crime" tag dangling from the brim, his face lost in shadow. The other wore a grim, porcelain mask, his hat slung across his back. They didn't appear to breathe; they simply hovered there like specters.
"Move," Shorai said, his voice dropping into a low, dangerous vibration.
"You should turn back, kid," the straw-hatted ninja murmured, his voice sounding like dry leaves skittering over a gravestone.
The masked one's strange, claw-like hands twitched toward his pouches. "Go no further if you value the integrity of your soul."
Shorai's eyes narrowed into turquoise slits. "Your 'Lady' is busy with my friends up ahead."
Neither ninja flinched. The straw-hatted one gave a dry, rattling chuckle. "It doesn't matter who is behind us. You will have to wait."
Shorai didn't wait. He forced his warped perception outward, piercing through the dense foliage. His mind processed the scene in an instant: Naruto pinned to a trunk, his chakra flow disrupted by a jagged seal. Sakura, paralyzed in terror. And Sasuke—bleeding, desperate, his Sharingan spinning with two tomoe as he faced the monstrosity that was the black-eyed woman in a frantic battle.
They're stalling me, Shorai realized.
"Out of my way," Shorai hissed, his killing intent flaring so sharply it caused the nearby leaves to wither. "Or be sliced to pieces."
"Arrogant," the straw-hatted ninja noted. "Recalling the reports... A-rank associate. Lone participant. A spy, perhaps? A Jonin in a child's skin?"
Shorai didn't answer. He focused his chakra, wind swirling around him as azure sparks danced across his skin.
"He's preparing," the masked ninja commented.
They moved with a synchronized lethality that far exceeded the Genin level. Shorai blurred into a Swift Release dash, reaching for the straw-hatted ninja's throat, but a sudden, crystalline CHIME echoed through his skull.
Ding.
The sound of a hidden bell shattered his concentration. The world suddenly inverted—the trees transformed into rising plumes of skin that stretched apart to reveal mouths filled with jagged teeth. The ground became a void, and Shorai felt himself slipping into nothingness.
Genjutsu?
In that split second of disorientation, a hidden blade whistled toward his neck. The wind-fused chakra surrounding his body alerted him to the displacement of air. Mixing instinct with training, he twisted his body mid-air. The cold steel grazed his collarbone, drawing a thin line of red.
"Kaih!" Shorai roared, flaring his chakra in a violent surge to shatter the illusion.
He landed hard, skidding back. A few drops of blood splashed onto the grass. The world snapped back to reality just as a hail of thick needles rained down from the masked ninja above. Shorai unleashed a pulse of wind to knock them aside.
Swift Release: Shadowless Flight!
He distorted again, dashing past them, but his perception screamed a warning. He was forced to pivot mid-air, standing vertically on a nearby trunk.
Across the only viable path forward, a complex web of high-tension wires had been woven. Dozens of explosive tags hung from the lines, their seals glowing with a faint, ominous red light.
"You're fast. I'll give you that," the masked ninja said, landing softly beside his partner. "But speed is useless when the world is a cage."
Shorai looked at the web, then at the two men. "You think a few tags will keep me from them?"
"It's not about keeping you away from them," the straw-hatted ninja replied, tipping his hat. "It's about keeping you away from Him."
"Be a good boy and wait," the masked ninja added. "It shouldn't take much longer."
Shorai's chakra flared again, more violent this time. Azure sparks danced across his skin as he reached for the Reality Stone's power to find the structural weakness in their trap.
'Reality Stone, scan body state and chakra reserves.Keep track of the latter.'
[Host's body: Minor laceration to the neck. Chakra capacity: 79%...]
Suddenly, the two Grass ninjas' eyes darted toward the side. They tilted their heads, as if listening to a distant frequency.
'Now!' Shorai prepared to strike.
But the two ninjas ignored him. They leaped toward the canopy, vanishing into the trees. The straw-hatted man's voice trailed down: "Don't die on us, brat. He will be interested in you."
Shorai froze, his chakra flow for a counter-strike halting in confusion. Then—
BOOM!
The explosive web detoured behind them, clearing the path. Shorai unleashed a dark crimson shield to protect himself from the shockwave and accelerated through the smoke.
[76% chakra remaining.]
He flew past the wreckage and skidded into the clearing where Team 7 lay.
"Naruto! Sasuke is hurt! I need you! Naru—" Sakura was kneeling, clutching the unconscious Sasuke to her chest, wailing in pure despair as the last rays of the setting sun faded.
"Sakura!"
The girl jolted, her watery eyes straining to see the figure rushing toward her. One hand gripped Sasuke, the other snatched a kunai, her hand trembling violently.
"S-Shorai-kun?"
"It's me. Take a breath." Shorai stopped a few paces away, seeing the raw terror behind her green eyes.
"D-don't move..." she stammered. "Prove it's you."
Shorai sighed. "I'm the 'Prince' who accompanied you to the Land of Waves, Sakura."
Sakura released a heavy breath, sheathing her blade. "It... it's really you. I'm so glad."
Shorai scanned the area. He found Naruto still pinned to the tree trunk. "Bring Sasuke down. I'll get Naruto." He vanished in a blur, returning seconds later with the blonde boy.
They moved to a small natural enclosure where the tree trunks weaved together into a tent-like shelter. Shorai laid the two boys down.
Sakura stood over them, her emotional state a chaotic mess of guilt and fear. Shorai stepped closer and gently patted her back. "We're safe for now, Sakura-chan. You can trust me."
Suddenly, she turned and began thumping her fists against his chest with barely any strength. "W-where w-were y-you?!" she sobbed.
Shorai stood still, letting her vent. "No one can be truly prepared for the reality of being a shinobi," he said softly, gripping her arms to still her hands. "We can only be thankful no one died. You're a kunoichi, Sakura. Save your tears. Today, you were lucky."
He smiled warmly and pulled her into a brief, comforting hug. "They're alive because of you."
"No..." she whispered into his chest. "I was no help at all."
"The opponent was something beyond any ordinary ninja's reach," Shorai said, his face turning stoic. "He was a monster in disguise."
"Do you know who he was?" Sakura pleaded.
"I do. But that's for the higher-ups to handle." Shorai knelt beside the boys. He placed a palm on Naruto's forehead. "Naruto is fine. Just fatigued and chakra-strained."
Then, he moved to Sasuke. His frown deepened.
"What is it?" Sakura whispered.
"His condition is... abnormal." Shorai closed his eyes, stretching his chakra through Sasuke's system. He felt it—a pulsing, corrosive intent mixed with a foreign energy.
Natural energy? No... this is Orochimaru's chakra.
Using the Reality Stone, Shorai peered deeper. He felt a response—an emotional echo of fear and horror from the mark itself. A fragment of Orochimaru's consciousness is intertwined with the seal.
He retracted his energy and looked at Sakura. "His body is fighting a parasitic intrusion. I've stimulated his recovery, but the rest is up to him. His mind has to find its way back on its own."
Sakura looked at Naruto. "And he will wake up?"
"Yes. Naruto got the better end of this deal, believe me."
Shorai stood up, wiping sweat from his brow. [60% chakra remaining.]
"Thank you, Shorai-kun!" Sakura clutched her hands together.
"We're friends, Sakura. It's what we do." Shorai looked at his watch. 07:00 PM. He looked at the shadows. "Sakura-chan... I have to leave you for a while."
"N-no! Please don't leave us!" Her terror returned instantly.
"You're strong enough to handle this, Sakura. Use everything you've learned." He placed a hand on her shoulder.
In his mind, he began slowly formulating a complex command:
'Scan Sakura's bio-chemical, neural, and spiritual state. Record every active and dormant internal process, including cells, blood flow, bones, muscles, nerves, synapses, memory, mental condition, energy and soul signatures. Preserve it as an invisible reactive state. If her body sustains fatal damage, or if the effect is interrupted, restore her to the preserved state. Maintain the preservation as long as I remain active.'
He felt the power weave into her, a silent, god-like insurance policy.
"What did you do?" she asked, blinking.
"A small protective charm," Shorai winked. "Trust yourself. I'll be back soon."
With a final nod, he vanished into the deepening shadows of the Forest of Death, a special scroll gripped tightly in his hand.
Shorai's chest tightened.
'Anko... my presence... she won't die... right?'
A strange feeling gripped him. Was it the Stone, or something else?
The scroll in his hand flickered to life a moment later. A sealing pattern pulsed with dim azure light as he sent the intent through it.
'Need help! Mortal danger. Orochimaru of the Sannin!'
A few moments later, the pattern blinked again.
'On my way! Do not do anything stupid!'
Shorai shoved the scroll back into his bag and pushed harder, increasing his speed.
[58%... 57%... 56%]
Soon, he saw something ahead.
Orochimaru's body was slammed against a tree trunk with a heavy thud.
Anko stood before him, self-assured, smiling confidently as she prepared to place her left palm above his.
'Damn it... do I risk it? Or go with another replica of an Izanagi-like charm?'
He shook his head and forced chakra through his brain, his reserves dropping further.
[53%... 50%]
'There!'
His body steadied under another flow of power, his special bio-chemical state adjusting further as the scene began to slow before him.
Anko moved at a snail's pace, her hand descending toward Orochimaru's palm.
The proctor looked certain she had him.
But Orochimaru was already circulating chakra for some kind of method.
Shorai stretched his hand toward Anko.
'Just like before. Same scan, but for Anko Mitarashi's body. Collect and preserve her bio-chemical, neural, and spiritual state. Every active and dormant internal process—cells, blood flow, bones, muscles, nerves, synapses, memory, mental condition, energy, and soul signatures. Put that invisible imprint on her. Make it reactive. If she sustains fatal damage, restore her. Keep it active as long as mine is active.'
His mind was frantic, almost shouting the command, trying to make it precise enough to work and safe enough to avoid any unwanted side effects.
A dark crimson energy shone on his palm, and in a blinding burst it crossed the distance in an instant before sinking into her body.
Just then, Anko drove her palm into Orochimaru's and announced the forbidden jutsu.
"Twin Snake Sacrifice Jutsu!"
"That hand sign..." Orochimaru sounded both surprised and intrigued that she would use it here, on him.
"Yes... here... both of us will die!" Anko stared into his eyes, then closed them in concentration as the technique took hold.
A cold laugh echoed around her.
"Are you really this eager to die on your own? Kuhuhu..."
Shorai saw Orochimaru rise from the tree branch where he had been standing, as if he were part of the wood itself.
Anko's hollowed eyes snapped open and locked onto the Sannin.
At that moment, two snakes burst forth from her.
"Agh!"
She let out an agonized scream.
One snake began to coil slowly around her, while the other wrapped itself around empty space and stopped.
"What a foolish little girl you are..." Orochimaru said, removing the disguised face. "I didn't think my student would forget such a simple thing."
He smirked.
"Substitution."
He watched his own jutsu unfold with amused eyes. "A naughty girl trying to use my own technique against me."
Anko's desperate gaze fixed on him. "Why are you here? For Lord Hokage?"
"All in due time, my foolish student." Orochimaru made a hand sign, and Anko twisted in pain.
She clutched at her neck, grimacing as the snakes began to wither away.
Shorai froze.
He was close enough now to see everything clearly. But something felt wrong.
The two snakes had stopped moving the moment Orochimaru formed the hand sign and Anko cried out. Then they began to fade.
"Still can't forgive me?" Orochimaru stepped closer. "I saved you... and tossed you aside. Kuhuhu."
He crouched beside the fallen Anko and caressed her cheek.
"You should be thanking me for that mark. After all, you were my chosen one once."
"Agh..."
"There, there. Don't cry on me now." Orochimaru rose again, his gaze drifting toward Shorai for the first time.
His expression sharpened with interest.
"I found a suitable vessel... perhaps the perfect one. Of the Uchiha clan."
He looked back at Anko.
"This makes everything more interesting."
Then he turned slightly, his voice calm and cruel.
"Miss proctor... do not stop the exams early, no matter what. I do want to see how my followers fare against him. They are my candidates too."
He began to walk away.
"If you don't want Konoha to perish, don't deprive me of my fun."
Then he stopped.
"And you... interesting one."
Without looking back, he continued, "Whoever you are... be a good boy and don't ruin it either. I'll be keeping an eye on you. Please, entertain me more."
With those final words, he vanished in violet flames.
Shorai felt the weight of Orochimaru's killing intent coil around him like a living thing. It was the first time he had ever felt an aura so suffocating. Perhaps Zabuza had only come close to half of what he felt now.
He stood there with the Reality Stone still active, though for a moment he had almost forgotten it, his knees trembling.
"Heh... damn."
Shorai wiped the cold sweat from his brow and whispered.
"Theory and practice... yet again."