Naruto: I Am Uchiha Sasuke!?

"Don't worry, he's gone."

Sasuke's voice was calm as he dusted himself off. "I tricked him with the Shadow Clone Technique."

"Is that so? That's a relief!"

Sakura let out a deep breath, her tense shoulders relaxing. The moment Orochimaru's killing intent had washed over her, she had been convinced they wouldn't make it out alive. But Sasuke had handled everything.

"I said... Sasuke, did you run into an enemy?"

Naruto scratched his head. "When I went to take a leak just now, I got attacked by this massive snake…"

"A giant snake?" Sakura's eyes widened. "Could it be the same person?"

"Yeah, most likely his Summoning Beast," Sasuke confirmed. "That guy's name is Orochimaru."

"Orochimaru…?"

Both Sakura and Naruto looked confused.

Sasuke shook his head slightly. So they really don't know…

Orochimaru was one of the legendary Sannin and now an S-rank criminal wanted by Konoha. But for Genin like Naruto and Sakura, knowledge of the village's darker history was limited.

"Konoha's Sannin—have you heard of them?"

Sakura's eyes widened. "You mean the Sannin? Like Tsunade-sama?"

As a renowned medical ninja known throughout the ninja world, Tsunade was also beautiful and incredibly powerful. Many kunoichi in Konoha admired her, and Sakura was no exception.

She thought back and vaguely recalled hearing about someone named Orochimaru being one of them…

"No way, the legendary Sannin?" Sakura covered her mouth in shock. Sasuke had just survived an encounter with that kind of person?

Naruto, however, looked unimpressed. "Okay, I have no idea what you guys are talking about."

Sakura sighed and quickly explained.

Once she finished, Naruto crossed his arms and grinned. "Damn! So he was that strong? Too bad I didn't get to fight him properly!"

Sasuke and Sakura gave him a blank stare.

"Naruto, are you an idiot? If you actually fought him, you'd be dead!" Sakura snapped.

Sasuke ignored them and instead focused on the bigger picture. Orochimaru wouldn't show up randomly. He had a reason for being here.

"Sasuke," Sakura asked hesitantly, "why would someone like Orochimaru come after us?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

Because he wants my body.

But he kept his expression neutral and shrugged. "Who knows?"

Rather than dwell on it, he shifted the topic. "Forget about him for now. We need to focus on the mission."

"Right!" Naruto nodded, and the three of them continued forward.

Orochimaru's Presence Discovered

Outside the Forest of Death, Anko Mitarashi lounged near a training ground, enjoying her favorite snack.

She tossed a skewer into a wooden target and licked her lips. "Ahh… no matter how many times I eat them, dango never gets old."

Just as she was about to grab another skewer, a Chūnin examiner rushed over.

"Anko! We've got a problem!"

Anko frowned. "Can't you see I'm eating? What's the rush?"

"Three bodies were just found near the exam site. And… their faces were melted off!"

Anko's expression darkened. "Lead the way."

When she arrived at the scene, several other examiners had already gathered. The air smelled of blood, and the ground was stained red. Three corpses, clad in Kusa-nin attire, lay in a heap—unrecognizable.

"Their faces are completely melted…"

"And from what we can tell, they were dead before the second exam even started."

"In other words, someone killed them and stole their identities."

A heavy silence settled over the group as the realization sank in.

Anko took one look at the Kusa-nin's uniforms and the unnatural state of their corpses, and her stomach dropped.

"This… no way."

She clenched her fists, her pulse quickening.

This technique… it can't be…

Then, a horrifying thought struck her.

"The aura I felt earlier… I knew it was familiar!"

Her breath hitched.

"Alert the Anbu! Notify Lord Hokage immediately!" she barked.

The other examiners looked surprised. "Is it really that serious?"

Anko's eyes flashed.

"It's Orochimaru!"

A chill ran through the group.

"What?!"

That name alone was enough to send shivers down their spines.

"Yes! He must have snuck into the Chūnin Exams!"

Without another word, the examiners scrambled to deliver the warning.

Anko, however, didn't wait. She took off toward the forest.

As the setting sun cast long shadows over the trees, her mind raced.

Orochimaru… what are you after this time?

She gritted her teeth.

No matter what, this time, I'll kill you—even if it costs me my life!

A Ghost from the Past

"You always were a feisty one, Anko…"

Anko's blood ran cold.

That voice—slithering, mocking—echoed from above.

She whirled around, kunai at the ready, and saw him.

Orochimaru slowly emerged from the trunk of a nearby tree, his pale skin blending into the bark like a phantom.

"Orochimaru!" Anko snarled, charging at him without hesitation.

Orochimaru barely moved as she lunged, kunai aimed straight for his throat.

But just as she was about to strike, his body melted into a puddle of mud.

"A clone…?"

Anko barely had time to process it before his voice came from behind her.

"Anko, Anko… is that any way to greet your former teacher?"

She spun around, her grip on the kunai tightening.

"Don't you dare call yourself my teacher!" she spat.

Orochimaru only chuckled. "Still so dramatic."

Anko ignored his taunts. "Why are you here?!"

"Oh, nothing much. Just found an interesting container I'd like to claim."

Anko stiffened. "Container…?"

Her eyes widened in realization.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

Orochimaru's lips curled into a smirk. "He's quite talented, far more than you ever were."

"You bastard—!"

"And," he continued, unfazed, "I've already gifted him something special—my Curse Mark."

Anko's heart pounded.

"You gave him that?!"

"Oh, don't worry." Orochimaru's tone was mocking. "If he's weak, he'll die from it. But if he survives… well, he'll become even more interesting."

Anko gritted her teeth, shaking with fury.

"You won't get away with this!"

Orochimaru chuckled.

"Tell old man Hiruzen this—if he dares to interfere, I might just cause some chaos in Konoha."

Before Anko could move, his body melted into the tree, vanishing without a trace.

She stood frozen, her knuckles white around her kunai.

Orochimaru had marked his next target.

And there was nothing she could do to stop it.

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(A/N: Advance Chapters Are Available On My Patreon... Please Think Of Joining It)