"When did he..."
Anko muttered to herself. The boy had arrived and departed without a sound; she hadn't sensed a thing.
"That person is a master," one of the ANBU agents said. He touched the dirt where Neji had stood, his voice trembling slightly under his mask. "Even his landing was calculated for a follow-up attack. If we hadn't interrupted, he could have kept fighting Orochimaru."
"Are you saying... we actually ruined his rhythm?" another ANBU asked in disbelief.
They all knew the truth: if that boy hadn't shown up, they would likely be dead.
"Let's focus on the present. We have a wounded comrade over there."
They looked over at the unconscious ANBU agent.
"What?!"
When they looked closer, they realized the unconscious agent's uniform was gone!
"Was it that boy?" Anko was surprised. Orochimaru wouldn't bother with something like stealing clothes.
"Regardless, he saved our lives. He took my mask too. He must want to hide his identity to continue tracking Orochimaru," Yugao said, walking over to help her fallen teammate.
"Yugao, take the wounded back to the village and inform the Hokage. You three, come with me to find Orochimaru. A man like him... won't stop until he gets what he wants!"
---
[Ding! Training Session Complete!]
[Gentle Fist: Tenketsu Striking Proficiency +4477!]
[Byakugan Proficiency +2796!]
Neji, now wearing the mask and stolen uniform, checked his results after putting some distance between himself and Anko's group.
"Incredible. Just exchanging a few blows with Orochimaru gave me this much?!"
A rush of excitement surged through him.
It was dangerous, yes. But the experience gained from fighting a top-tier opponent was something normal training couldn't replicate. Training was important, but Neji realized he was starving for high-level combat.
Judging by how eager Orochimaru was to leave, he hadn't finished his objective yet. He still needed to place the Curse Mark on Sasuke.
Neji didn't want to get involved with the Uchiha drama right now, nor did he have the power to stop it.
"I should take this chance to find him and fight him again!"
Neji murmured, holding the folded ANBU uniform. He was very satisfied.
This disguise should be enough to hide his identity, right?
He prepared to move, but suddenly his legs felt like jelly.
"Tch!"
Neji frowned. His knees were weak.
"Was I too tense back there?"
He chuckled bitterly. Even though he thought he was in control, his body's instinctual fear response was undeniable. Or maybe it was the aftereffect of Orochimaru's Killing Intent Genjutsu. Either way, his stamina was drained.
Neji decided to change plans. He needed to find Lee and Tenten first.
"I hope they haven't run into any trouble..."
He was worried about them. As he got closer to the center of the forest, the distance between them closed.
Soon, he was close enough to sense them. Neji activated his Byakugan.
Veins bulged around his eyes as he focused his Chakra.
He quickly spotted Tenten and Lee about two hundred meters away.
Unfortunately, three people were blocking their path!
And they were already fighting!
Neji frowned and stopped.
"Looks like they walked into an ambush."
Without hesitation, he popped a Soldier Pill into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed.
His stamina began to recover, but it would take time. In his current state, he wasn't sure if he could take on three opponents at once.
He decided to get closer and assess the situation first.
---
Meanwhile, Tenten and Lee were rushing toward the central tower.
Suddenly, they triggered a tripwire. The sound of ropes snapping and wood creaking put them on high alert.
"Lee!" Tenten shouted, spinning around.
"Right!" Lee responded.
They jumped back to back. A massive log, easily three meters thick, swung down from the trees between them!
CRASH!
The log smashed through several trees behind them. But it wasn't over. Where they landed, another trap triggered. Iron nets on the ground sprang up to entrap them.
"A double trap!"
Both of them were agile. They leaped away in opposite directions. Seeing the net closing in, Tenten pulled out a scroll.
"Rising Dragon Control!"
Hundreds of kunai and shuriken flew out, slicing through the wires of the net, allowing them to escape.
But the moment they landed—hiss!
Under Tenten's foot was an explosive tag, sizzling, ready to blow!
"Get down!" Lee screamed.
He threw himself at her, pushing Tenten away and diving to the side.
Poof!
It sounded like a dud. The explosion was quiet.
But when they opened their eyes, purple smoke was everywhere!
And it was spreading fast.
"Poison!"
Tenten realized it instantly. They covered their noses and mouths, retreating backward.
Two figures jumped out from the shadows.
"Don't struggle. Even a single breath of that poison is enough. It's not lethal—just a little concoction I made specifically for ninjas. It targets your nervous system and shuts down your Chakra network. You won't be able to use Ninjutsu for three days, and it weakens your mental focus."
Leading the trio was none other than Kabuto Yakushi!
Beside him was his teammate, Yoroi Akado, fully covered in his dark outfit.
"Cough, cough!"
Tenten looked up at them, realizing she couldn't mold her Chakra anymore.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but I specialize in Taijutsu!"
Lee stepped forward, reaching for his bandages to unwrap them.
Kabuto adjusted his glasses and sneered. "Oh? You plan to fight three of us alone while protecting dead weight?"
Yoroi pulled out a kunai, ready to attack.
"Lee..."
Tenten hesitated. She couldn't fight. If a battle broke out, she would only be a burden.
"I don't want to make this difficult. I know you have the scroll we need. Hand it over, and I'll let you go." Kabuto smirked, his face a mask of calculated cunning.
"You set traps near the tower right from the start?" Tenten was shocked. She hadn't expected this strategy.
Kabuto laughed coldly. "Of course. This isn't my first time taking the exams. Did you really think I wouldn't be prepared for rookies like you?"
Lee gritted his teeth. If they gave up the scroll here, they failed the exam.
But Tenten was conflicted.
"Fine. If you want to do this the hard way..."
Kabuto sighed and shrugged, a flash of killing intent in his eyes.
Swish!
With a bizarre flick of his wrist, he threw a scalpel-shaped kunai.
Clang!
It didn't hit anyone.
Instead, it was knocked off course mid-air and stabbed into the dirt.
Another kunai was now stuck in the ground next to it.
"What? Someone hit my scalpel mid-flight?"
Kabuto was startled. Everyone looked up to see a figure standing on a tree branch.
Arms crossed, wearing a Leaf ANBU uniform and a porcelain mask, looking down on them all.