SHINOBI EXAM

Everyone in Konoha's Team 7 knew that Sasuke's older brother, Uchiha Itachi, was his reverse scale. Because of Itachi's actions, Sasuke lost his family, his relatives, and his honor.

"Sasuke!" Naruto called out, turning around to see Sasuke activate his Sharingan and fiercely glare at the Grass Ninja before him.

Sasuke spoke with determination. "Who are you?"

Orochimaru, with a sinister grin, began a transformation right before their eyes. He shed his skin like a snake, revealing his true form. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Orochimaru, and I'm the one who can help you gain strength, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke clenched his fists in anger. "What did you say?!"

Orochimaru chuckled darkly. "Then let me test just how valuable you are as the orphan of the Uchiha clan in Konoha, compared to your brother."

Before Sasuke could respond, Naruto, filled with rage, jumped in front of him. "What value? You don't get to decide that, you bastard!!" With those words, Naruto moved to charge at Orochimaru.

But before he could make his move, Sasuke stopped him. "Naruto, I won't let you interfere. This is my fight."

Sasuke's words were filled with determination. To surpass Itachi, to grow stronger, he had to face this challenge on his own. Without power, he would continue to lose—just like when he lost his mother and his family. He couldn't afford to lose his bonds with Team 7, Naruto, or Sakura.

Meanwhile, Gaara, ever watchful and cold, used his sand to block Naruto's path. "Naruto, stay back," Gaara said, his eyes narrowed with caution. The presence of Orochimaru, exuding a murderous intent worse than his own, was something neither Sasuke nor Naruto could handle. Even Gaara would struggle against such a foe if he didn't use Shukaku's power.

Orochimaru, however, was not deterred. In a display of his dark powers, he split into two identical versions of himself. One Orochimaru attacked Sasuke head-on.

Sasuke, struggling to suppress his fear, opened his Sharingan and prepared himself for the fight. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!" he shouted, launching a massive fireball toward Orochimaru.

But Orochimaru swiftly countered, using Wind Style: Great Breakthrough to blow the fireball away. Sasuke didn't back down. "Body Replacement Technique!" he whispered, his hand flashing through the seals.

From his ninja tool bag, Sasuke retrieved a scroll, and with a swift seal, several wind shurikens appeared. "Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Technique!" he added, launching the shurikens that blazed with intense heat.

Orochimaru dodged, but Sasuke had already anticipated this. "Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique!" Sasuke manipulated the fire and directed it toward Orochimaru, ensuring the flames were tied together with steel wires. When Orochimaru tried to escape, the wires ignited and wrapped around him.

Orochimaru screamed in agony as his body caught fire, his shrill cry echoing through the air. However, his voice was twisted with madness as he laughed. "Well done, Sasuke-kun. You're much more interesting than I thought. But compared to that brat Itachi, you're still a defective product."

Sasuke was about to take another step when Orochimaru's form melted like mud, revealing the true nature of his technique—Earth Style, Body Replacement Technique!

"Impossible!" Sasuke shouted in disbelief, realizing he had been tricked. Before he could react, Orochimaru appeared behind him, his snake-like tongue ready to strike. Sasuke barely managed to dodge in time, but Orochimaru was already closing in. With lightning speed, Orochimaru's sharp teeth sunk into Sasuke's skin, and black markings spread across his body.

"Ahhhhh!" Sasuke screamed in pain, his body trembling as the poison from Orochimaru's bite coursed through him.

Naruto, filled with fury, rushed forward without thinking. "Let go of Sasuke, you bastard!!"

With a powerful fist, Naruto struck Orochimaru's face. But Orochimaru didn't let go of Sasuke, his grip tightening as Sasuke's eyes began to close in unconsciousness.

Before Sasuke completely succumbed, he gave one last glance at Naruto. "Naruto...ren..." were his last words before his body collapsed to the ground.

Seeing Sasuke lying motionless on the ground, and Itama being held captive with a kunai pressed against his neck by another Orochimaru clone, Naruto's anger reached its peak.

The roar of rage that echoed from Naruto was unlike anything anyone had ever heard. His eyes, once clear, were now filled with a fiery, blood-red fury.

The power of the Nine Tails surged within him.

"Interesting," came a voice from within Naruto, laced with sarcasm. "Let me lend you my power."

Naruto's anger flared out of control, and the chakra surrounding him exploded into a vivid orange-red aura. His once aqua blue eyes shifted to a menacing blood-red, transforming into the ferocious eyes of the Nine Tails.

Orochimaru froze, sensing the overwhelming power emanating from Naruto. "Could this kid... Could he be using the Nine Tails' chakra now?!"

Haruno Sakura, Gaara, and the others watched in shock as Naruto's transformation took hold. "Is that... Naruto?" Sakura gasped in disbelief.

Gaara, feeling a strange sense of connection to Naruto, muttered, "Is he... human?"

The power emanating from Naruto was undeniable—a chakra unlike any they had ever felt. The same, yet distinctly different from the Nine Tails' previous jinchūriki.

Temari and Kankuro exchanged worried glances. "Is this Konoha's... Jinchūriki?"

Gaara, having experienced the power of Shukaku firsthand, recognized the destructive potential of such chakra. The dark, primal energy that flooded Naruto's body made him realize that, just like himself, Naruto was becoming a force of nature.

But the overwhelming chakra didn't only affect those present. From a distance, two powerful ninjas with keen senses detected the terrifying presence.

"That chakra..." one murmured. "It's the Nine Tails!"

"The Nine Tails' chakra... could it be Kushina?!"

The fear of the Nine Tails stirred something in them, but for Naruto, it was too late. The beastly power was already coursing through him, and nothing could stop the storm he was about to unleash.

------------------------------------------------------------

Visit our Patreon for more:

patreon.com/Samurai492