Outside, the terrifying aura of the giant ape suddenly dissipated. Its massive body rapidly shrank, deflating like a balloon losing air.
In just a few seconds, it reverted back to Naruto's original form.
It completely defied the law of mass conservation.
Where had all that muscle and fur come from? And where had it gone?
And most mysteriously—how did his clothes remain perfectly intact after transforming back from something that huge?
---
"Naruto!"
Seeing that Naruto had returned to normal, Sasuke was overjoyed and immediately let down his guard. Orochimaru seized the moment, summoning a massive snake to block Sasuke's path before escaping in the form of a puddle of mud via Earth Style Substitution.
With Sasuke now wielding the Mangekyō Sharingan, he was a hard counter to Orochimaru. Not only was Genjutsu ineffective, it could be reflected back; ninjutsu also offered little advantage. And now, with Naruto hosting an unknown tailed beast transformation on top of that, Orochimaru had no intention of revealing his trump cards just to stay in the fight.
"Eyes just like Itachi's… tch."
"Seems the only way to acquire Uchiha blood is to cultivate a vessel myself. Good thing Danzo gave me such a generous gift."
"I wonder what will happen when Hashirama's cells are combined with Uchiha eyes…"
With his Earth Release escape, Orochimaru moved quickly—reaching the edge of the Forest of Death in the blink of an eye.
---
"Ugh… so sore…"
Naruto, now fully conscious, stretched his body—and immediately sucked in a sharp breath. His whole body ached, muscles twitching and cramping. Even his calves trembled.
He looked exactly like someone who had overtrained to exhaustion.
When was the last time I felt like this?
Oh, right—when I first started training in the Turtle Hermit style.
Ever since he completed the basics of the Turtle School, Naruto hadn't even broken a sweat—much less felt muscle fatigue like this.
He quickly retracted his ki, suppressing it to its lowest level.
That ape transformation had definitely attracted a lot of attention. He wasn't ready to reveal his hand just yet.
From the moment he sealed the giant ape to when he returned to normal, it had only been a few minutes—but to most sensory ninja in the area, it felt like a nightmare. He had drawn nearly everyone's attention.
ANBU and Root operatives would soon arrive.
But since Orochimaru had appeared in the Forest of Death, Naruto had the perfect scapegoat.
Just blame it all on him.
He's the one always experimenting with forbidden jutsu anyway.
Don't ask questions.
It was Orochimaru's fault.
---
Sasuke walked up and carefully looked Naruto over to confirm he wasn't injured, then said with his usual cool demeanor:
"You okay?"
But the deep concern in his eyes was impossible to hide.
Naruto waved him off reassuringly.
"Just a little drained. Nothing serious."
Then, Naruto noticed the peculiar pattern in Sasuke's eyes.
"Your eyes?!"
Sasuke had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Twelve years old—with Mangekyō. Terrifying.
But the shape of Sasuke's Mangekyō was very different from what Naruto knew.
It wasn't the standard "chrysanthemum" pattern—it was far more mysterious and complex, like a double-layered circle with a pentagram at its center, but the "circles" weren't perfect either. They were covered in runes.
Its intricacy surpassed every other Mangekyō Naruto had ever seen.
Which made sense. The Sharingan was known as the "eye that reflects the heart."
Sasuke's current strength and mentality were vastly different from his original counterpart, so it would've been strange if his Mangekyō looked exactly the same.
Naruto also noticed a faint hexagram symbol floating just one centimeter in front of Sasuke's left eye—almost like a six-pointed star was overlapping the five-pointed star in his pupil.
Sasuke gave a firm nod.
"I awakened the Mangekyō."
"Good for you. Gold star." Naruto replied with a teasing smirk.
With this, Sasuke's power had jumped significantly. Combined with the fact that Mangekyō Sharingan hard-countered Orochimaru, it made perfect sense that Orochimaru would retreat.
The only downside was that, until Sasuke acquired Eternal Mangekyō, frequent use would risk blindness.
---
"So, what's your ability?"
Naruto asked.
As Sasuke looked at Naruto, the hexagram in his left eye began to rotate slowly.
> "Entity: Analysis."
"Unable to comprehend. High-density physical structure. Danger level: Extremely High."
"Weakness: Unknown."
A mechanical, emotionless voice echoed in Sasuke's mind.
"My left eye can analyze a target's abilities, power level, and weaknesses—though only within the limits of my own comprehension and strength. The stronger I become, the more I can perceive."
Naruto blinked.
Isn't that basically an upgraded scouter?
A support-type ability, similar to Itachi's Kagutsuchi, but far more versatile. Kagutsuchi could only manipulate Amaterasu's form, but this eye had broader applications.
---
"Can you display someone's strength numerically?"
Sasuke nodded. "Yes."
He activated his left eye again and focused it on Naruto.
"Entity: Analysis."
"Power Level: ???"
Even with Mangekyō active—he couldn't get a number.
"Power Level: ???9"
Sasuke: "…"
---
"Saaaasukeeee~"
Sakura, who had been standing nearby this whole time, looked on with grievance in her eyes—like a wife abandoned by her husband.
Sasuke glanced at her and simply said:
"Thanks."
Naruto added jokingly, "What he means is: 'Thank you—because of you, the four seasons are warm.'"
"You're awful~!"
Sakura blushed deeply and playfully smacked Sasuke, nearly sending him flying.
Sasuke: Wait, that's what I meant...?
---
"Nato~!"
A lilac blur dashed through the dense forest and dove into Naruto's arms.
It was Hinata—she had arrived.
Naruto gently patted her back and, with a deep inhale, took in the faint, salty-sweet scent of her sweat from the run.
"I'm fine. Don't worry."
Most kunoichi didn't wear perfume—strong scents made them easier to track.
---
"Naruto."
"Naruto!"
Moments later, Lee and Neji also rushed to the scene.
"Naruto, you really had us worried!"
A slightly annoyed voice came from above—it was Karin, along with her temporary squad.
Everyone started bombarding him with questions about what had just happened.
Seeing all these comrades who had rushed to him out of concern, Naruto couldn't help but smile—a genuine, heartfelt smile.
"Sorry, everyone—for making you worry."
These were the comrades he had earned through his journey.
They were his people, the core of Uzumaki Naruto's circle.
Being free of malice…
was such a wonderful feeling.
After Naruto gave a brief explanation, everyone understood that the giant ape was indeed connected to him—but seeing that he was unharmed, they all sighed in relief.
---
"Let's go. We still have the second round of the Chūnin Exams to complete."
Naruto waved a hand, signaling that this wasn't a time for socializing.
"Stick to the plan. Everything proceeds as normal."
"Yes!"
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