The corpses had all been stripped of their faces, left as featureless husks. Anko Mitarashi guessed the culprit's identity with just one glance. Her normally cheerful and outgoing personality was instantly replaced by a tremor of fear at the thought of that man.
"Yes, it's him," she whispered, her voice tight. "That bastard... Orochimaru." The realization sent a chill through her. "Oh no! He's entered the Forest of Death! Everyone in there is in danger!" She quickly gave orders. "Continue your patrols and monitor all areas! Prevent Orochimaru's accomplices from causing any more trouble, and report this matter to the Hokage immediately!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
As for Anko herself, she immediately rushed back into the forest. *Orochimaru... Sensei... It's time to put an end to this.* Her determination was admirable, but she didn't yet understand that the gap between herself and the legendary Orochimaru was like an insurmountable chasm.
Soon, intelligence reports poured into the Hokage's office like raindrops. Hiruzen Sarutobi smoked his pipe, his face growing increasingly grim.
"That monster, Orochimaru... he actually dared to come back to the village?"
An ANBU operative beside him spoke urgently. "Lord Hokage, with his return, he will likely seek revenge on the village. Such a dangerous S-rank rogue ninja will inevitably cause unforeseen consequences! Should we halt the Chunin Exams immediately?"
Hiruzen remained silent for a moment, then exhaled a large smoke ring. He shook his head. "No, there's no need to stop. The Chunin Exams are a demonstration of military strength between nations. If Konoha stops the exams now, it will only lead to the entire ninja world looking down on us. Orochimaru is indeed terrifying, but as long as we plan carefully and deal with him cautiously, he won't dare to act too recklessly."
"Yes, Lord Hokage!"
Just then, the door burst open. "Lord Hokage..." Iruka and his group rushed in with the members of Team 7. "Please, take a look at Naruto and Sasuke..."
Hiruzen was startled and abruptly stood up, his eyes falling on the two unconscious boys. "This is..."
Hinata, exhausted but resolute, recounted what had happened. Hiruzen certainly knew the identity of their attacker. "It really was him! His target was Sasuke... and Naruto, too?! The mark left on them... it must be the power of a cursed seal. While it amplifies abilities, it's a dark and dangerous power. Why would Orochimaru leave something like this on both Naruto and Sasuke?"
Hinata replied hurriedly, "That monster... he said he wanted Sasuke to become his vessel..."
"Vessel?" Hiruzen's expression changed drastically. "Could it be... Quickly, bring Anko here right now!"
An ANBU member said with difficulty, "Lord Hokage, Anko has already entered the Forest of Death. She said she wants to personally settle her karma with him..."
Hiruzen paused, then sighed heavily. *That foolish child. With her current strength, it's far too much for her...* "Find her immediately! If you encounter Orochimaru, do not act rashly. Report to me at once!"
"Yes, Lord Hokage!"
Under Hiruzen's strategic command, orders were quickly issued, and teams sprang into action. The entire Hidden Leaf Village began to operate with lightning speed. The Chunin Exams, however, continued. The first to complete the second test were, naturally, the trio from Sunagakure, who did so with a record-breaking, terrifying performance. Naruto and his group came in second. In fact, if they hadn't encountered Orochimaru, Team 7 would likely have been the first to arrive, just as Naruto had declared. Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs" in the life of a shinobi.
Subsequently, the "Sound Ninja Spy Squad" led by Kabuto Yakushi also arrived, followed by the other Sound Ninja trio, Team 3, Team 8, and Team 10. The other teams either failed to collect all the scrolls or exceeded the time limit and were all eliminated. Ultimately, a total of seven teams, comprising twenty-one genin, passed the second stage.
Meanwhile, Anko discovered Orochimaru's whereabouts and challenged him, but the confrontation naturally ended in her failure. Orochimaru, however, did not kill his former disciple and simply let her go. Anko was rescued by the ANBU and soon brought to the Hokage's office. By then, Kakashi Hatake had also received the news and arrived.
"Anko, come and see Naruto and Sasuke," Hiruzen said gently.
Anko was feeling dejected, but upon hearing the Hokage's order, she quickly nodded and went forward to examine them. "That's right," she confirmed, her voice low. "This is indeed Orochimaru's cursed seal. Moreover, it is many times more powerful than the one he left on me..."
Kakashi spoke up. "I have temporarily suppressed the seal's erosion using the Evil Sealing Jutsu. But... we'll need an expert like you to figure out how to stop it completely."
Anko shook her head. "I'm no expert. I'm just one of Orochimaru's experiments. I've only learned what I know about curse seals from my own long, painful experience with one." She stepped forward and began to use a secret technique on Naruto and Sasuke. Sure enough, the two of them quickly regained consciousness.
Naruto scratched his head, not understanding what was going on for a moment. Sasuke, however, kept his head down, his expression dark.
Anko sighed. "I only managed to wake them up temporarily. Completely removing this curse seal is not something that can be done in a day or two. With my abilities, I may never be able to do it..."
Kakashi turned to the Hokage. "Lord Hokage, you are known as the Professor, proficient in almost all of Konoha's ninjutsu. Is there really no way?"
Hiruzen said, "If I had enough time, perhaps I could do it, but I'm afraid time is something we don't have..."
Naruto looked around, confused. "Lord Hokage? Kakashi-sensei? Iruka-sensei? What's going on?"
Hinata quickly explained what had happened. Seeing that the two of them had finally woken up, she finally breathed a sigh of relief, and all her exhaustion washed over her. "Thank you, Hinata..." Naruto said, his voice filled with gratitude. Hinata gave a tired, sweet smile and shook her head.
Hiruzen spoke gravely. "Naruto, Sasuke, Orochimaru left you with cursed seals, likely to mark you as his prey. Although these seals can increase your power, they will only cause you unbearable pain in the short term. Moreover, even if you gain power in the future, you will likely be manipulated and controlled by him. If we can capture Orochimaru, or if I had enough time, it might be possible to remove the seals, but... given your current condition, I'm afraid you won't be able to continue the exam."
Naruto suddenly looked up. "What? Why?!"
Hiruzen frowned. "Is there even a question? Putting aside your own suffering, Orochimaru is now watching you, and you can't even unleash your full strength..."
Naruto resolutely declared, "Lord Hokage, I will not give up! I want to continue the exam! Sasuke, you feel the same, don't you?!"
Sasuke looked up, somewhat bewildered, and met Naruto's resolute, iron-like gaze. "I..." He gritted his teeth and nodded heavily. "Of course we won't give up!"
Hinata looked at the two with concern, but upon hearing their words, she couldn't help but smile and wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
Hiruzen's expression was conflicted. "Kakashi, as their Jonin leader, aren't you going to do something about this?"
Kakashi gave a wry smile. "Lord Hokage, there's nothing I can do. This is their decision. This is Team 7."
Naruto and Sasuke's cursed seals were temporarily suppressed. Because of their insistence, the Chunin Exams continued. At this moment, the other genin who had passed the second test had already gathered in an indoor training ground. Team 7, led by Kakashi, arrived late.
Upon seeing them, Might Guy immediately burst into laughter. "Ha! Kakashi! My eternal rival! You've finally arrived!"
Kakashi wasn't nearly as energetic; he only lazily raised his hand. "Yo. Has the match started?"
Guy shook his head. "Not yet, but it's about to!"
Naruto had regained some of his strength. Although he was still haunted by the shadow of Orochimaru and worried about the cursed seal, his boisterous personality allowed him to quickly focus on the present. "Are these all the people who passed the second stage? That's all?"
Just then, a sickly-looking, frail man stepped forward. If Kakashi merely seemed sleepy, this man looked terminally ill. He coughed twice, a rasping sound that made people worry for his health.
"Ahem, I am the proctor for this round. My name is Hayate Gekko. The number of genin who passed the Forest of Death was unexpectedly large, so now we must hold an extra round before the finals... the preliminary matches."
Naruto exclaimed, "What?! You call this a large number?!"
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