SHINOBI EXAM

With a despicable move, the three giant pythons summoned by Orochimaru attacked Sasuke, who was unconscious and unable to move, Sakura, who was so focused on the battle that she ignored her own safety, and Itama, who was meeting Naruto and the others for the first time!

Naruto's Shadow Clones alone couldn't defend against such powerful attacks.

"Sa! Let's make a choice, Uzumaki Naruto!!" Orochimaru taunted, asking Naruto to choose whom to save: "Who will you save? Who will you abandon?!"

Naruto's beast-like eyes glared at Orochimaru with cold fury. "Is this how you've always made choices? Abandoning your comrades?"

Even Orochimaru was angered by this statement.

He threw three kunai at random, killing the three Sound Ninjas who had been ignored.

"You are right, Naruto-kun," Orochimaru sneered, "Life has no meaning, but only by living can you witness interesting things. The lives of the weak and those who die early have no meaning, right?"

Naruto, staring at the lifeless bodies of the Sound Ninjas, seethed with anger. "I'm so angry with you that I don't even know what to say. My answer is - I will never abandon anyone, no matter who they are!!"

Naruto immediately summoned more Shadow Clones. They formed a human wall, and as the massive snakes collided with them, the sound of "Bang! Bang! Bang!" echoed through the forest, with each clone dissipating into smoke and returning to Naruto's body.

But Naruto wouldn't give up. The endless wave of clones blocked the snakes' movements, preventing them from harming Sasuke, Sakura, and Itama.

Orochimaru wasn't in a hurry. He knew that sooner or later, Naruto's strength would run out. All he had to do was wait for Naruto to make his final choice.

Naruto, though, was panicking. He was struggling to keep up, but no matter what, he wouldn't give up on anyone.

While his persistence might not have impressed Orochimaru, it certainly made an impression on the Sand Shinobi siblings.

Quicksand enveloped Haruno Sakura, providing absolute defense. Even Orochimaru's summoned snakes couldn't easily break through!

Temari unsheathed her fan, and Kankuro released his puppet from behind.

The two siblings stood protectively in front of Sasuke. If Orochimaru dared to move closer, Temari was ready to test his resistance to her "Zhanzhan Dance!"

Naruto, surprised to see the Sand Shinobi siblings step in to help, moved toward the kid who had been calling Itama.

Unfortunately for him, Orochimaru wasn't about to let that happen. "That's too naive, Naruto-kun."

Suddenly, Orochimaru's neck stretched like a snake, and he sank his fangs into Itama's neck!

"I won't let you get away with this, you bastard!!" Naruto shouted, even though he was some distance away. His determination to save his friends remained unwavering.

Just as everyone thought it was too late, Naruto had a sudden idea. He used his other Shadow Clones as a slingshot, propelling himself toward Orochimaru with incredible force.

"Boom!!" A loud thud echoed as Naruto used his head to knock Orochimaru away!

Naruto had aimed for Orochimaru's true form, and it worked. The impact caused Orochimaru to cry out in pain and choke on blood.

But Orochimaru didn't back down. Before he could acknowledge that Naruto had hurt one of the legendary Sannin, he became more serious and placed a curse seal on Naruto.

A surge of Chakra, powerful enough to even make Orochimaru tremble, slammed into him like a tsunami!

"How dare you————!!!" Orochimaru growled in a low, furious tone before anyone could see who was attacking him.

Orochimaru was lifted into the air like a ragdoll, tossed around by an unseen force.

He couldn't even scream, as he was repeatedly slammed and spun through the air.

Naruto and the others stood frozen, dumbfounded by the sudden change. Fortunately, Naruto reacted quickly enough to save Itama.

"Hey, kid, are you okay?" Naruto asked, checking on the boy.

Itama shook his head. This man, this Uzumaki, had just saved him.

"Thanks," Itama said, grateful.

"It's nothing!" Naruto flashed his trademark smile and gave Itama a thumbs-up. "But you've got to be careful. There are some dangerous people around. By the way, you're not from Konoha Shinobi Village, are you? We're currently taking the Chūnin exams, I said."

"Konoha Shinobi Village? Chūnin exam? What are you talking about?" Itama tilted his head, clearly confused. This information didn't fit with anything he had known up to this point.

The two had barely exchanged a word when the one-sided battle against Orochimaru's snake summoning had ended.

Orochimaru, now controlled by the sealing technique and knocked unconscious by the Flying Thunder God, lay limp on the ground.

The person who had attacked Orochimaru in fury approached Naruto.

Once Naruto saw the figure clearly, he exclaimed, "Second Generation! I knew the voice sounded familiar."

Tobirama sighed, having long given up on correcting Naruto's misnaming. He wasn't about to get angry with someone like his elder brother.

"Naruto," Tobirama said, his voice softening, "I want to thank you this time. I owe you a favor."

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