Although the female Kusagakure ninja kept her eyes hidden beneath her hat, Natsuki's sharp instincts and strength allowed him to easily sense something was off.
From his careful observation, Natsuki could tell that this kunoichi's main target was clearly Sasuke. It seemed she still hadn't let go of the trauma from being defeated by him in the past—she was still fixated on the Sharingan.
However, her gaze wasn't only locked on Sasuke. When her eyes passed over Natsuki, there was a flicker of greed.
Don't tell him—she was considering him as a backup vessel?
Natsuki silently analyzed the situation while subtly shifting his gaze toward Kabuto.
It had to be him. Kabuto must've leaked the intel on Konoha's rising talents to Orochimaru, and that included Natsuki's personal information.
Orochimaru was out hunting for a future vessel. Sasuke was the top candidate, but if he failed the Cursed Seal test, Orochimaru needed other options. Natsuki, whose talents had been growing more and more obvious in recent years, was naturally on that list.
And probably not just Natsuki—Orochimaru likely had his eyes on several promising individuals.
He wasn't invading Konoha just to kill his former teacher.
He also intended to take some "specimens" back for experimentation.
After all, Konoha was overflowing with talent, and Orochimaru needed those talents for his forbidden experiments.
The more he thought about it, the worse Natsuki felt.
He was very aware of how dangerous Orochimaru was. Being targeted by this kind of venomous snake was never a good thing.
Even if Orochimaru didn't come for him directly, going after Sasuke was risky enough. Rock Lee would absolutely try to save Sakura, which would likely drag Tenten into the mess. Other friends might get caught in the crossfire too.
Don't assume everything will go smoothly just because things worked out in the original story. That kind of naive optimism had no place here!
If his girlfriend and friends really got swept into a fight with Orochimaru, the danger would be real—and possibly fatal.
So, what he had to do now… was eliminate the threat.
There would be no following the original plot this time!
At that moment, Anko had just finished explaining the exam rules when Naruto, being his usual self, mimicked her speech like a fool—annoying her instantly.
Anko, once Orochimaru's student herself and someone who feared nothing and no one, was not the type to take that lying down. Even if Naruto was a Jinchūriki, she didn't care. Without hesitation, she hurled a kunai that grazed Naruto's cheek.
Then, in a flash, she appeared behind him and even licked the wound with her tongue, sending shivers down Naruto's spine.
Suddenly, Anko stiffened.
Her hand instinctively reached for another kunai—because somehow, a female Kusagakure ninja wearing a conical hat had silently appeared right behind her and extended a long, snake-like tongue to return the kunai.
"Your kunai," she hissed.
Her voice was raspy and bone-chilling.
"Don't sneak up behind me like that. Do you have a death wish?" Anko snapped, a chill running down her spine. This person felt extremely dangerous.
"You damaged my hair with it."
The Kusagakure kunoichi handed the kunai back to Anko. Her gaze was meaningful and unsettling. Just as she was about to retreat, a sudden flash of lightning-infused steel shot toward her. She tilted her head just in time to dodge, but the blade still grazed her cheek—blood dripped from the fresh cut.
Leaping back, she covered her face and stared in surprise at her attacker.
The surrounding examinees all turned their heads in shock at the commotion.
Because a Konoha examinee had just attacked someone from another village!
"What's going on? Why did a Konoha ninja suddenly strike a candidate from another village? That's not part of the exam rules, is it?!" the female Kusagakure ninja's two teammates shouted.
The rest of the non-Konoha ninjas looked over, some of them frowning in disapproval.
Even Tenten and the others were surprised when they realized the attacker was—Natsuki!
Still, Tenten and Shino, who trusted Natsuki the most, didn't hesitate. Even without knowing the reason, they stepped beside him and guardedly faced the Kusagakure candidates.
Anko quickly turned serious and barked, "What do you think you're doing?! Attacking another candidate? Are you not afraid of being disqualified?!"
Natsuki didn't even look at her. His short blade pointed directly at the female Kusagakure ninja.
"Impressive dodge... Orochimaru."
What?! O-O-Orochimaru?!
She was Orochimaru?!
Everyone who knew the name staggered back in shock. Even the other proctors quickly surrounded the kunoichi, their expressions tense and wary.
Anko's pupils shrank, and her hand instinctively clutched her shoulder.
Though the cursed mark wasn't acting up at the moment, the mention of Orochimaru's name made it ache deep into her bones.
Could it really be him? He was standing that close earlier?
But why hadn't the cursed mark reacted?
Or… had Natsuki simply made a mistake?
The female Kusagakure ninja's twisted smile appeared. Her hoarse voice denied it.
"What are you talking about? I don't understand."
Natsuki ignored her lies and stepped forward.
"Your face is fake, isn't it? Why don't we pull it off and take a look?"
"You killed the real Kusagakure ninja and took her face as a disguise. But your scent—reeking of snakes—gives you away. You can't fool me."
This was Natsuki's move.
For the safety of his girlfriend and his friends, he couldn't allow Orochimaru to participate in the exam.
So he would expose him—right now, while they were still in Konoha's territory, surrounded by Konoha ninjas.
Even if they couldn't kill Orochimaru, they could force him to retreat.
That way, the second round of the exam wouldn't become a nightmare.
He immediately called out, "Tenten, Shino, this guy's an S-rank missing-nin. Incredibly dangerous. Be careful!"
"Rinya, Megumi—fall back!"
As he spoke, he advanced another step.
The disguised ninja's eyes twitched. She realized this round was blown. But instead of panicking, she chuckled.
She reached up and wiped her face. The disguise melted away, revealing pale, bloodless skin and a pair of cold, reptilian slit pupils.
"Hehehe… I didn't expect to be exposed so soon. Konoha really is full of surprises."
"Orochimaru! It really is you!" Anko gasped.
Then she suddenly clutched her shoulder in pain and dropped to one knee. The cursed mark had begun to flare.
Rinya and Megumi instinctively rushed over to support her. Megumi quickly checked her condition but was confused—she couldn't locate the cause of the pain.
Naruto was still clueless. "What the heck is going on?!"
All he did was make fun of the proctor. How did things spiral into this?!
Sasuke immediately pulled out a kunai and snapped, "Idiot! That Kusagakure ninja is the enemy!"
By now, several Konoha proctors had surrounded Orochimaru, while others ran off to report the situation.
But Orochimaru didn't look worried at all.
Instead, he calmly stared at Natsuki and even licked the side of his face with his grotesquely long tongue, sending chills through everyone watching.
"So your name is Natsuki, huh? That sword technique of yours… looks familiar."
"White Fang's blade style, isn't it? How nostalgic."
(End of Chapter)
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