Naruto: Limitless Sage

Yes!

This was exactly what Sasuke had planned—a classic bait tactic to lure the enemy in deeper.

The moment Orochimaru ambushed him, Sasuke had already formulated a counter-strategy in his mind.

After taking the initial hit, Sasuke—seemingly down—suddenly sprang up from the ground.

His body shot into the air with explosive agility.

As he soared, Sasuke spun midair, pulling out several Fūma Shuriken and hurling them at high speed toward Orochimaru.

"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!!!"

The massive shuriken zipped past Orochimaru—not aimed to kill.

Their true purpose wasn't to wound...

...but to entangle.

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed as he noticed the thin steel wires trailing behind the spinning weapons.

"This is the Sharingan Windmill Triple Blade Technique..." Orochimaru muttered, visibly impressed.

Under Sasuke's precise control, the steel wires wrapped around Orochimaru, binding him tightly to a nearby tree trunk.

In that moment, Orochimaru looked like a wild beast caught in a snare—completely at Sasuke's mercy.

Orochimaru stared at Sasuke, shock flickering in his eyes.

Without hesitation, Sasuke formed hand seals rapidly, inhaled deeply, and unleashed his next move.

"Katon: Ryūka no Jutsu!" (Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique!)

A stream of fire in the shape of a dragon roared from Sasuke's mouth, racing along the steel wire toward its target.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!

The ferocious flames surged forth in an instant.

The firestorm engulfed Orochimaru without mercy, the searing heat scorching his flesh and even tearing through the tree trunk behind him.

Even the steel wires melted under the intensity of the blaze.

As the flames died down, smoke curling into the sky...

Sasuke stood still, silently observing the aftermath.

Naruto and Sakura, nearby, also watched the scene unfold.

Then—

From the smoke, Orochimaru stepped out.

His face was partially melted, but he moved as though unfazed. The steel wires had been incinerated, and he broke free with ease.

He had seen everything—Sasuke's control, his timing, his power.

And he had to admit it...

The Uchiha clan truly bred monsters.

No ordinary Genin could pull off something like that.

"Hiss... hiss..."

Orochimaru licked his lips with his serpent tongue, a flicker of mania in his gaze.

His obsession with Sasuke only grew stronger.

"Sasuke... I want you even more now..." Orochimaru said, his voice low and intense.

Without warning, he completed a set of hand seals. His neck suddenly stretched unnaturally—elongating like a snake's—and lunged straight at Sasuke.

The attack was fast, vicious.

But Sasuke didn't waste time pondering Orochimaru's twisted words.

He had no interest in this lunatic.

As the snake-like head rocketed toward him, Sasuke erupted with chakra and narrowly avoided being bitten—dodging the Cursed Seal Orochimaru tried to implant.

Orochimaru's eyes flashed with surprise.

He hadn't expected Sasuke to dodge that.

But he didn't stop.

His long neck slithered between trees at high speed, weaving back and forth like a serpent in pursuit.

Sasuke leapt from trunk to trunk, maintaining distance, avoiding Orochimaru's relentless chase.

This guy was insane.

From the sidelines, Sakura's face tensed with worry.

Naruto's expression darkened.

They both understood: Orochimaru was trying to place a Cursed Seal on Sasuke.

And if things continued like this...

There was no point in letting Sasuke fight alone.

They could finish Orochimaru right here and now.

But one thing was clear—

There was no glory in defeating Orochimaru in a place with no witnesses...

And no stage.

Naruto watched Sasuke calmly dodging Orochimaru's attacks and finally spoke up:

"Sasuke, stop messing around. End it."

The moment those words left Naruto's mouth, Sasuke immediately understood.

He stopped retreating and landed firmly on a large tree trunk, no longer evading—waiting instead for Orochimaru to come to him.

Orochimaru, who heard Naruto's casual remark, narrowed his eyes.

So… Sasuke had been holding back?

Interesting.

He couldn't help but grow more curious about the true extent of Sasuke's power.

But first— Orochimaru's gaze sharpened as he locked eyes with Sasuke, who now stood completely still before him.

He decided:

He would imprint the Cursed Seal of Heaven on Sasuke no matter what!

"Hissss!"

Orochimaru lunged forward, his mouth opening unnaturally wide to reveal his venomous snake-like fangs, ready to bite.

But—!

In that exact moment—

Sasuke's Sharingan spun violently in his eyes.

Suddenly—

A terrifying surge of lightning exploded from his hand!

"Zzzzt!"

The shrill crackle of high-voltage chakra echoed through the trees, like the cry of a thousand birds.

"Chidori."

Sasuke muttered calmly.

In a flash, he dodged Orochimaru's bite and countered—

—striking clean through Orochimaru's neck.

"SHUNK!"

With a burst of speed and power, Sasuke's Chidori sliced through flesh and bone.

Orochimaru's head was severed in an instant.

Thud.

The head hit the ground, rolling away and trailing a smear of blood behind it.

Sakura gasped, frozen in place.

Her shock wasn't from the gore.

It was from the terrifying power Sasuke had just unleashed.

Just moments ago, he'd seemed overwhelmed.

And now?

In a single strike, he had decapitated one of the Legendary Sannin.

Naruto, however, remained unfazed.

He knew better.

That wasn't even Sasuke's full strength.

But Orochimaru wasn't dead.

Of course he wasn't.

If he could be finished off so easily, how could he still be one of Konoha's Legendary Three?

Moments later—

Orochimaru's body still stood where it was.

Then, with a grotesque squelch, it began to rupture and peel.

Like a snake molting, he shed his old, damaged body—

—revealing a new, uninjured form beneath, coated in thick slime.

At the very last second before decapitation, Orochimaru had used his signature Body Shedding Technique—a modified version of the Substitution Jutsu unique to him.

He had escaped death once again.

Sakura grimaced in disgust at the sight of the mucus-covered figure that emerged.

"Ugh… He's seriously disgusting…" she thought, her expression twisting.

Sasuke, on the other hand, didn't react.

He had seen far worse when dealing with Naruto's training or transformations.

This wasn't even the most disturbing thing he'd witnessed.

Just another trick. Nothing to be surprised about.

Naruto, too, wasn't fazed in the slightest.

At that moment, Orochimaru finally reformed fully.

He fixed his snake-like eyes on Sasuke with a dark glint...

...and then turned his gaze toward Naruto.

Orochimaru hadn't expected this.

The strength of Sasuke—and even his teammates—far surpassed his assumptions.

If he wanted to place the Cursed Seal on Sasuke discreetly, without attracting unwanted attention...

...that now seemed completely impossible.

"Chidori…"

He recalled the flash of lightning from moments ago.

That jutsu...

He couldn't help but admire it.

Sasuke's Chidori was sharp, controlled, and deadly.

Kakashi… You taught such high-level ninjutsu to a Genin already?

That man really is too reckless.

Realizing the situation had changed, Orochimaru adjusted his plan.

If quietly cursing Sasuke wouldn't work—

Why not take him by force?

After all, even if Konoha caught wind that Orochimaru had shown up…

There was no way they'd cancel the Chūnin Exams.

His plan could still move forward.

"Hissss…"

A cold smile tugged at the corners of Orochimaru's mouth.

He licked his lips and slammed his hand onto the tree trunk.

"Summoning Jutsu: Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

The summoning seal instantly spread across the bark beneath his palm—

A massive cloud of white smoke exploded into the air.

When the smoke cleared...

A colossal snake, larger than a house and with eyes gleaming like amber, coiled beside him.

Its body rivaled the size of the towering trees around them.

"A summoning beast... It's huge!" Sakura exclaimed in shock.

Even Sasuke couldn't help but be taken aback.

It wasn't just the snake's presence—but the sheer scale of it.

Only Naruto remained calm, his eyes locked on the snake, expression unreadable.

Then—without warning—

Orochimaru commanded the summoned beast to strike.

Boom!

The enormous serpent lunged with shocking speed, its size doing nothing to hinder its velocity.

In the blink of an eye—

Its massive jaws opened wide—

And slammed shut over Sasuke.

Crash!

The snake swallowed him whole in one swift motion.

"Sasuke!"

Sakura cried out in horror, her hands flying to her mouth.

She thought—he was gone.

Orochimaru smirked.

Perfect.

With Sasuke secured inside the summon, he could now flee before the Konoha forces arrived.

But—

Naruto still didn't move.

His gaze was steady, unfazed.

Because—

The very next second—

A sharp voice echoed from inside the snake:

"Chidori: Nagashi!" (Chidori Current – also known as Chidori Sharp Spear)

ZZZZT!!

A piercing spear of lightning burst from the belly of the massive serpent.

Then—

Slash!

The sharp electric blade tore through the beast from the inside, splitting its flesh.

A figure shot out of the ruptured belly—

It was none other than Uchiha Sasuke.

Unscathed.

Lightning still danced across his arm.

Orochimaru's eyes widened in disbelief.

How?

How did he destroy the summoning beast from the inside—so quickly?

This serpent wasn't something even a typical Jōnin could handle easily.

And yet Sasuke—still a Genin—had just slain it in seconds.

"The genius of the Uchiha Clan…" Orochimaru muttered under his breath.

Once again, he felt the dangerous allure of Sasuke's potential.

Sasuke landed cleanly on a thick tree branch, his eyes fixed on Orochimaru.

By now, he had pieced it together.

This wasn't one of Orochimaru's subordinates.

This was Orochimaru himself.

The summoning snake had given him away.

Sasuke had learned enough to know that Manda, or any giant serpent of this caliber, only answered one master in all of Konoha's Bingo Book.

Still—

He said nothing.

He understood Naruto's plan.

They still needed Orochimaru to make his move.

So Sasuke merely narrowed his eyes and said:

"You want to keep going?"

"Someone's coming."

His voice was calm, but his meaning was clear.

Orochimaru's pupils narrowed.

What did he mean by that?

Had Sasuke seen through his disguise?

Orochimaru believed Sasuke was sharp—but surely not that sharp.

There was no reason he should know Orochimaru's true identity.

And yet—

Something about Sasuke's tone...

...unsettled him.

As though the boy knew more than he should.

Orochimaru didn't like that feeling.

Even though logic told him Sasuke shouldn't have the full picture...

He couldn't shake the unease crawling up his spine.

At that moment—

Orochimaru sensed movement nearby.

Several Konoha shinobi were already closing in on their position.

Clicking his tongue in mild irritation, he suppressed his remaining thoughts.

His golden eyes flicked between Naruto and Sasuke.

A cold, serpentine grin curled on his lips.

"We'll meet again…"

His gaze locked on Sasuke.

"…Sasuke."

With that, Orochimaru's body slowly dissolved into the earth, sinking below the forest floor like a snake retreating into its burrow.

Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura watched in silence.

None of them moved to stop him.

A few seconds passed.

Once Sasuke confirmed that Orochimaru's chakra had completely vanished, he turned back to the others.

He glanced at Naruto.

"That was him… wasn't it?"

His voice was low. He didn't speak the name out loud.

Even though he was sure Orochimaru was gone, he remained cautious—just in case.

Naruto gave a small nod.

It didn't surprise him that Sasuke had figured it out.

The presence of a giant summoned snake had been a dead giveaway.

Sakura had been watching quietly, but seeing their exchange finally made everything click in her mind.

Her eyes widened in sudden realization.

"Wait… That was him?! That was Orochimaru?!"

The pieces fell into place.

The overwhelming pressure…

The deadly summoned snake that was far beyond what any Genin could face…

That had to be Orochimaru—the infamous Sannin—and the exact target of their plan.

Naruto nodded again, confirming it.

But he quickly added:

"Don't dwell on it for now."

"We've already got both scrolls—the Heaven and the Earth Scroll. Let's head to the central tower."

Sasuke and Sakura both nodded in agreement.

There was no point in lingering.

They had completed their objective.

With that, Team 7 resumed their journey—

Moving swiftly toward the tower at the center of the Forest of Death.

——

Not long after they departed—

A team of Konoha proctors arrived at the scene of the battle.

Their eyes scanned the wreckage—the scorched bark, the torn-up terrain, the remnants of summoning jutsu.

Each of them grew tense.

Their analysis led to a grim conclusion:

Someone not registered for the Chūnin Exams… had interfered.

And judging by the scale of destruction—

It wasn't just any rogue ninja.

It was someone powerful.

Someone dangerous.

And the identity of that person...

Within Konoha, he had become something close to a taboo.

The proctor on the scene didn't dare make a decision on his own. He quickly left the Forest of Death and rushed to report the situation directly to the chief examiner—Anko Mitarashi.

—

Thus, the dangerous encounter with Orochimaru came to an end for now.

Team 7—Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura—successfully reached the central tower, having passed the Forest of Death stage.

Over the next several days, more genin teams managed to collect both the Heaven and Earth Scrolls and arrived at the tower to complete the second test.

This included Hinata's team, Shikamaru's, Neji's, and others.

Eventually, the second stage of the Chūnin Exams officially ended.

Out of all the participants, seven teams—twenty-one genin in total— had passed the trial of the Forest of Death.

—

But the test wasn't over.

Inside the tower, Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi personally addressed the remaining candidates.

He explained that the third stage of the Chūnin Exams wasn't just a promotion test.

It was also a public display of strength for the major shinobi nations.

Daimyō and high-ranking officials from across the elemental countries would be attending.

Because of this, the final matches couldn't be drawn out for too long.

There were too many candidates.

To resolve this, Konoha had decided to hold preliminary matches right here, in the tower.

Only ten would advance.

At that moment, Kabuto Yakushi—who was secretly working as a spy—chose to withdraw from the exams.

This conveniently left exactly 20 genin, allowing for ten 1v1 matches in the preliminaries.

And with so much at stake, none of the remaining genin wanted to give up now—especially not when the final stage was in sight.

—

The matchups for the preliminaries were quickly announced:

First match: Uchiha Sasuke vs. Yoroi Akadō.

Sasuke quickly defeated Yoroi with skill and precision.

—

Second match: Aburame Shino vs. Zaku Abumi.

Shino's analytical thinking and insect-based tactics overwhelmed Zaku, earning him a decisive win.

—

Third match: Haruno Sakura vs. Tenten.

Despite both fighting with all they had, the match ended in a draw. With no victor, both were disqualified from advancing.

—

Fourth match: Hyuga Neji vs. Hyuga Hinata.

This time, however, Hinata—bolstered by Naruto's encouragement—didn't shrink away like she had in the original timeline.

Instead, she displayed the true strength of the Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist technique.

With firm determination and improved chakra control, Hinata narrowly defeated Neji, leaving the audience stunned.

—

Fifth match: Gaara vs. Rock Lee.

Lee surprised everyone by revealing the strength of his taijutsu. Even without ninjutsu or genjutsu, his speed and power pushed Gaara to the limit.

But in the end, Gaara's absolute defense and terrifying sand techniques secured his victory.

—

Sixth match: Nara Shikamaru vs. Jin.

With his usual laziness masking his brilliance, Shikamaru quickly analyzed his opponent's movements.

Using a clever setup, he defeated Jin with his Shadow Possession Technique.

—

Then it was finally time—

Seventh match: Uzumaki Naruto vs. Kankurō of the Sand.

The same Kankurō who had previously antagonized Team 7 back in the village.

Though Kankurō was a skilled puppet user, his tricks weren't enough to fool Naruto.

With overwhelming strength and unrelenting pressure, Naruto defeated him cleanly.

—

While Naruto and the others fought their way through the preliminaries—

Jiraiya and Tsunade, who had been tracked down by one of Naruto's shadow clones, returned to Konoha almost simultaneously—and in secret.

Their arrival would soon change the course of the village's future.

...

TN:

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