Naruto: Mizuki The Savior

Chapter 34: The Inescapable Assault

"Why do you keep doing such dangerous things?" Shizuka asked, her tone filled with both frustration and worry. "You haven't even fully recovered from the injuries you got in the Land of Waves, and now you're getting into trouble again?"

"Relax," Mizuki reassured her. "No one saw me this time. Even Orochimaru doesn't know it was me—I escaped before he got a good look."

Hearing that the situation wasn't as dire as she feared, Shizuka finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Then stay away from the Forest of Death. If you get discovered, it'll be a disaster."

"I'm afraid that's not an option. I'm the emergency proctor for the second round of the Chūnin Exams. After such a major incident, I have to at least make an appearance."

"But with Orochimaru involved, shouldn't the ANBU be handling it?"

"Yeah, don't worry," Mizuki said. "It's getting late—let's eat first. There might be an emergency mission later, and I won't have time to grab a meal then."

---

Meanwhile, Sasuke was in an incredibly foul mood. His team had just fought off a lone genin but failed to seize their scroll. Despite the three-on-one advantage, their opponent had managed to escape.

"Even against ordinary genin, our victory was this difficult?"

Sasuke had always been the strongest in his team, clearly surpassing Naruto and Sakura. But lately, Naruto had begun demonstrating unnatural growth, wielding his Shadow Clone Jutsu with overwhelming stamina and chakra reserves. His sheer numbers made him a formidable opponent even against stronger foes.

Even more unsettling was Sakura. Once dismissed as a mere fangirl, her talent had seemed limited to book smarts and chakra control. Yet, during the pre-exam test, she had navigated layer upon layer of traps and genjutsu like an expert, leaving Sasuke astonished.

Compared to his teammates' progress, Sasuke felt like he alone was stagnating.

"Aside from awakening my Sharingan, I've been relying on nothing but academy-level basics and a couple of fire-style jutsu. I can't accept this—I won't!"

A sudden, hoarse voice cut through his thoughts:

"Your awareness is pitifully weak. How disappointing."

"Who's there?!" Sasuke instantly snapped to attention.

"Shit… I was too distracted thinking about my own weakness. I didn't even notice someone getting this close." He silently cursed himself.

Naruto and Sakura, equally startled, spun toward the direction of the voice, their bodies tensing.

"Uchiha Sasuke?" The eerie, slithering voice continued. No longer disguised as a Grass ninja, Orochimaru stared down at them from a nearby tree. "This is our first time meeting. My name is Orochimaru, and I am here to fulfill your deepest desire."

Fixated solely on Sasuke, Orochimaru didn't even acknowledge the other two. In his eyes, Naruto and Sakura were mere insects—irrelevant.

"My… desire?" Sasuke scoffed. "You think you can just say some random nonsense and make me trust you?"

He was wary of Orochimaru's overwhelming presence, but his arrogance wouldn't allow him to be swayed so easily.

"Still in denial?" Orochimaru sneered. "Didn't that last fight already show you how weak you are? Or has the peace of Konoha made you forget your family's massacre?"

At the mention of his clan's annihilation, Sasuke's Sharingan blazed to life.

"How do you know about that?!" he demanded. "Wait… Were you the one who set up all those traps earlier?"

Orochimaru let out a low chuckle. "No, that wasn't me."

"Then who was?"

"I don't know, but whoever did was merely playing around. And yet, you—the last Uchiha—fell into their traps like a fool."

Orochimaru continued his merciless taunting, attacking Sasuke's pride and stoking his resentment.

"How do you ever expect to kill that man with such pitiful skills?"

"You've seen Itachi?!" Sasuke's breath caught in his throat.

"Yes," Orochimaru admitted, his voice dripping with amusement. "He is a truly magnificent ninja. Konoha's prodigies never cease to amaze me. And yet, compared to him, you're nothing—well, aside from your similar appearance."

Sasuke clenched his fists. The boiling rage inside him blurred his vision.

"Kill? Revenge? Uchiha Itachi? What the hell are you guys talking about?" Naruto asked, growing impatient. Then, as if realizing something, he scowled. "Wait a minute—you were the one behind that insane attack earlier, weren't you?!"

Orochimaru let out an amused chuckle. "No. That was caused by whoever set up those traps. I was the one being attacked."

"Wait—WHAT?!"

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke all froze in disbelief.

It had already been inconceivable to imagine someone strong enough to cause that destruction. But to hear that Orochimaru survived it unscathed?

The implications were terrifying.

Seeing their stunned faces, Orochimaru smirked.

"You really know nothing about the real world, do you, Sasuke-kun?" He licked his lips. "Let me show you what true strength means. First, you must understand how weak and pathetic you truly are."

Without another word, he unleashed his killing intent.

---

Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura froze in place as the overwhelming pressure crashed down on them.

Orochimaru's Demonic Illusion: Death Contemplation Technique amplified their fear to an unbearable level, paralyzing them.

Just as Orochimaru was about to test Sasuke further, however…

Naruto moved first.

"…Oh?" Orochimaru's eyes gleamed with interest. "I expected Sasuke to break free first. This is… unexpected."

Naruto's body twitched uncontrollably, his breathing heavy. His face was twisted in a feral snarl, and his normally blue eyes had turned blood-red—his pupils now thin, bestial slits.

A dark red chakra bubbled around him.

Naruto wasn't just resisting Orochimaru's pressure—he was furious.

"…Interesting." Orochimaru grinned. "The Nine-Tails… So this is what you are."

Naruto, shaking with rage, formed a hand seal.

Shadow Clone Jutsu!

Hundreds of clones appeared, rushing Orochimaru from all sides. They launched a barrage of kunai and shuriken, swarming him.

Orochimaru barely reacted. He calmly performed a single hand seal.

Summoning Jutsu.

A massive white snake emerged, coiling around its master protectively. The kunai and shuriken bounced off its thick scales harmlessly.

The snake's tail lashed out, instantly wiping out dozens of clones.

Naruto's go-to attack method—overwhelming his enemy with numbers—was utterly useless.

"Not bad… but not nearly enough."

Naruto growled. The red chakra intensified, distorting the air around him.

His fingernails extended into claws. His posture became animalistic, his shoulders hunching forward as he bared his teeth.

Then—he pounced.

The air trembled as Naruto, fully embracing his feral instincts, lunged straight at Orochimaru.

---

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