Hum~~
The glowing sphere in Naruto's mouth condensed tighter and tighter. Then—
He opened wide.
"TAILED BEAST BOOOOMB!!"
BOOOOM~~
As the spiraling mass of destruction surged forward, the light expanded like a dying sun. Trees that barely grazed its edge disintegrated into dust, blown away like confetti in the wind.
"NANI?!"
Orochimaru's eyes bulged.
"What kind of cracked jutsu is this?!"
Panic-mode: engaged. He didn't waste a second. Orochimaru chomped down on both thumbs—crunch—blood gushed.
"Summoning Jutsu – Triple Rashomon!!"
With a slap to the ground, black markings flared from his hands. The earth cracked in rings as if something monstrous was coming from below.
CRACK–BOOM!
Five meters ahead, the ground erupted. A massive iron gate with a blue demon face roared into the sky. Then another. Then a third. Each more menacing than the last.
Then—impact.
KABOOOOOM!!
The Tailed Beast Bomb slammed into the gates with a blast that could give Deidara performance anxiety. The entire forest lit up red, like hell had turned on its neon signs.
Trees vanished. Earth flew. Vision? Gone. All that remained was noise and light.
As the dust finally began to clear, the wind picked up, whispering through the silence. Broken trees, shattered rocks, and regret floated in the air.
The Triple Rashomon gates had been blasted backward, their terrifying demon faces now shattered and dumbfounded—like even they didn't sign up for this fight.
The ground was cratered in a fifty-meter radius, as if God himself had dropped a boulder just to make a point.
And Orochimaru?
He was ten meters away. Head buried in the dirt. Legs twitching.
...No movement.
Until—
Twitch. Twitch.
Orochimaru groaned, wrenched his head out of the dirt like an undead turnip, and spat sand.
"Haaah—huff—haaah… That damned brat… really pushed me this far?"
His skin looked like it had lost an argument with acid and fire at the same time. Burnt, blistered, and looking like rejected Halloween makeup.
"Gaaak!"
Suddenly, his mouth unhinged like a B-movie horror villain. Wider. Wider.
Then—a pale hand reached out of his own throat.
Yes. A hand.
Out came another Orochimaru. Wet. Slime-drenched. Wheezing like a dying vacuum cleaner.
He had just force-used Living Corpse Reincarnation, and it showed. He didn't even have the energy to monologue.
Instead, he slithered away into the forest like a soggy lizard.
Naruto appeared at the top of the crumbling Rashomon gates, scanning the area below.
He saw the trail of slime and one look at the gaping jaw told him: Orochimaru had bailed. Classic snake move.
As Nine Tails' chakra began to recede, Naruto's skin reappeared beneath the fading red aura—red and blue burns marked every inch. His breathing was ragged.
"Can't… keep… going…"
His body gave out.
PLOP.
He dropped straight from the gate like a sack of ramen and crashed into the crater with a puff of dirt. Out cold.
Meanwhile, on the lookout towers surrounding the Forest of Death…
Two Konoha shinobi were still staring, binoculars shaking in their hands.
"...What level of battle even was that?"
"Don't care. Not our pay grade. Reporting to HQ!"
The two vanished with a poof, sprinting toward the Hokage Tower like it was payday.
On the road, they nearly collided with a familiar figure.
"Yo! Why the panic sprint?!"
Anko Mitarashi, still chewing on her dango stick, looked way too casual for what was about to happen.
"Captain Anko! Massive explosion in the Forest of Death! Tailed Beast transformation. We think it was Naruto—he fought someone controlling a giant snake!"
"...Nani?"
Her dango hit the dirt.
Anko's cheerful demeanor evaporated. Her hand drifted to her back, fingers brushing the cursed mark she hadn't thought about in years.
"A giant snake user… Orochimaru."
Her voice dropped. Serious now.
She turned to the shinobi.
"Tell the Third Hokage. Full ANBU deployment. I'll go ahead."
"Yes, Captain!"
The two vanished. Anko took one last glance toward the forest, her gaze sharp as kunai.
"Orochimaru… what the hell are you doing back in my village?"
Inside the forest, genin from across the world stood frozen, staring at the explosion site like deer in ninja headlights.
"Did… did someone just nuke the Chunin Exams?"
"I think my pants just promoted themselves to Jonin."
A few started heading toward the crater, curiosity outweighing fear. For now.
Back near the epicenter, the shockwave had stirred something else.
Sakura, still unconscious on a tree branch, finally stirred.
She sat up, eyes wide—then immediately bolted down when she spotted the two boys on the ground.
Sasuke was covered in dark curse marks. Naruto was unconscious and twitching.
Her voice cracked.
"Sasuke… Naruto… What happened to you both?!"
She dropped to her knees beside Sasuke, tears spilling down her cheeks.
"Don't die… please, don't die…"
Alone. Surrounded by danger. Her protectors down.
Sakura realized something terrifying:
It was all on her now.
(End of Chapter)