Naruto: Mizuki The Savior

Chapter 35: Beyond Reason

As Naruto charged forward, Orochimaru found himself entertained.

"This ominous chakra… how familiar."

Naruto, now driven purely by instinct and rage, abandoned any form of strategy. He struck with fists, kicked wildly, even resorted to biting—but against the thick-scaled snake summon, his attacks were meaningless.

Meanwhile, Sasuke, who had been paralyzed by Orochimaru's overwhelming killing intent, finally broke free. Watching Naruto's frenzied yet ineffective assault, he finally grasped the immense gap between their strength and Orochimaru's.

Numbers weren't going to bridge this gap.

Their survival depended entirely on whether Orochimaru chose to spare them.

"Even so… I won't just roll over and accept this."

Gritting his teeth, Sasuke forced his fatigued body into action. He activated his Sharingan once more and coordinated his attacks with Naruto's reckless assault. With newfound determination, he charged straight into close combat.

Orochimaru, though primarily a ninjutsu specialist, had no real weaknesses at his level. His mastery over the Soft Physique Modification Technique allowed him to evade and counter with inhuman flexibility, leaving Sasuke and Naruto utterly outmatched.

As for Sakura—she couldn't even get close. Her kunai and shuriken couldn't land a single hit and barely served as a distraction.

Seeing that enough time had passed, Orochimaru decided to end the fight.

Sasuke's abilities had been fully assessed, and the red chakra boiling off Naruto was beginning to feel increasingly unpleasant. It was time to wrap things up.

As Naruto lunged again, Orochimaru's unnaturally long tongue shot out, wrapping tightly around him. With his left hand, he peeled back his robe, revealing the seal on Naruto's stomach.

"So it's true—you are the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki. I'm amazed you're still alive. Hiruzen is still as naïve as ever."

His right hand pulsed with chakra, and he slammed his palm against Naruto's stomach.

"Five Elements Seal!"

The moment Orochimaru's seal took effect, Naruto's entire body convulsed. His monstrous red chakra instantly dissipated, and his consciousness faded. He collapsed to the ground, unmoving.

Sasuke, witnessing this, immediately moved to intervene, but Orochimaru's Hidden Shadow Snake Hands caught him mid-step.

"No need to rush, Sasuke-kun." Orochimaru's tone remained eerily calm. "I have a gift for you—a power perfectly suited for someone like you. You'll soon understand what true strength feels like."

As he spoke, his neck extended grotesquely, and his fanged mouth sank into Sasuke's shoulder, delivering the Curse Mark.

Pain like nothing he had ever felt before erupted in Sasuke's body. His scream echoed through the trees.

Sakura, who had just finished dragging Naruto's unconscious body to safety, turned in horror to see Sasuke writhing on the ground, his face twisted in agony.

She was powerless to stop it.

Within moments, Sasuke's body went limp, the pain overwhelming him into unconsciousness.

Orochimaru withdrew, his work complete.

"Be grateful for my gift, Sasuke-kun." His voice slithered through the air. "If the day comes when you seek true power, find me. I will give you the strength to take your revenge."

With that, he sank into the bark of a nearby tree, vanishing without a trace.

All that remained was Sakura—alone, trembling—standing over the bodies of her unconscious teammates.

---

Anko Mitarashi stumbled through the dense foliage of the Forest of Death, her breath heavy with exhaustion.

Her Curse Mark burned, guiding her directly to Orochimaru's presence.

She had been so sure that years of training had made her strong enough to stand against him, to drag him to hell with her if necessary.

She had been wrong.

The moment she faced him, she realized just how pathetically outmatched she still was.

Just like back then—when she had first received this accursed mark—she had been spared simply because Orochimaru didn't find her worth killing.

"I only survived because he didn't care enough to finish me off."

The bitter truth made her want to scream.

How could she still be this powerless?

Would she even be able to stop him this time?

---

Back in Konoha, the hours dragged on. The moon had long since risen, yet no orders had arrived for Mizuki.

He was beginning to wonder if he had miscalculated.

"Maybe I was wrong. Maybe I'm not needed."

After all, he was still technically recovering.

Konoha wasn't so desperate that they'd send a wounded shinobi to handle Orochimaru.

If that was the case…

"I suppose I can enjoy my peace for a while longer."

Still, his mind was restless.

His failed space-jump experiment had given him valuable data, proving that theory alone wasn't enough.

The concept was viable, but execution was a disaster.

"If I can't stabilize the spatial jump, it's useless. What am I missing? Do I really need Sage Mode just to make this work?"

It didn't make sense.

The space-time jutsu of this world shouldn't require this much effort.

Take Flying Thunder God and Kamui—both were practical, usable in combat.

Yet Mizuki's version? Wildly inefficient.

Some ninja techniques even had minor space-warping effects—

Body Flicker Jutsu—a high-speed movement technique with some short-range teleportation properties.

Substitution Jutsu—a beginner-level escape technique that somehow allowed instant relocation.

Neither of these had any of the extreme drawbacks he was facing.

"Something doesn't add up. There has to be another approach."

It was frustrating.

"Damn this world and its lack of logic."

---

Atop the Hokage Monument, Jiraiya gazed down at the moonlit village.

"Konoha's reputation is in shambles," he muttered. "Orochimaru aside, now even nobodies are causing havoc within our borders."

His face darkened.

"Our allies are getting restless. This Chūnin Exam… it's turning into a powder keg."

He had returned to the village to guide the Child of Prophecy—to set Naruto on the right path.

But the more he watched, the more uncertain he became.

Was Naruto really ready for what was coming?

And if not—who else could bear the weight of this world's fate?

---

At the central tower of the Forest of Death, the Suna trio finally arrived.

Kankuro and Temari let out a sigh of relief.

"Finally. We made it," Temari exhaled.

"We should be safe now, right?"

"Who knows?" Kankuro muttered. "We still don't know if there's gonna be another battle ahead."

He glanced at Gaara, who had remained disturbingly silent the entire trip.

Gaara was still on edge.

The overwhelming killing intent he had felt earlier—it had left an impression on him.

And that was not a good sign.

"If he sees blood again, we might not be able to control him," Kankuro whispered.

Temari nodded.

"For now, we just need to keep him calm… I don't think I can handle another scare like that."

---

Elsewhere in the Forest of Death, Karin was in a dire situation.

Though her ability to sense chakra had saved her from the earlier battle, she was now alone.

With no survival skills, she was helpless against the dangers lurking in the forest.

Eventually, she managed to track down her teammates—only to find them buried under rubble, barely clinging to life.

Their exam was over.

Her heart pounded.

She had only one choice.

Without hesitation, she pulled out the Earth Scroll Mizuki had given her—and opened it.

---

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