Naruto: The Scourge

Introducing oneself and sharing dreams have always been traditions in Konoha.

"My name is Kushina Uzumaki. I love salty ramen, hate bitter food and tomatoes, and my future dream..."

Kushina raised her head slightly, speaking seriously: "I want to become the first female Hokage of Konoha."

Orochimaru glanced at her, nodded slightly, and gestured for the next person.

Hokuto Hoshiyo hesitated, briefly glancing at Yuji, who was looking elsewhere, then said quietly, "My name is Hokuto Hoshiyo. I like rainy days, hate sweet things, and my dream is to become a strong, upright man."

Orochimaru frowned slightly at Hokuto's timid demeanor before looking at Yuji. Realizing Orochimaru's gaze, Yuji slowly turned to face forward.

"My name is Yuji. My hobby is eating. I don't particularly dislike anything."

With a downcast gaze, Yuji said indifferently, "My dream is to find a way back."

The three were stunned by Yuji's statement. A way back?

Kushina asked in confusion, "How is that a dream?"

Hokuto also looked puzzled.

Yuji glanced at Kushina but did not explain further.

Orochimaru gave Yuji a deep look, his expression calm. He pulled three small silver bells from his pocket and said, "Find a way to take these bells from me by any means necessary. If you can't get a bell by sunset, you'll return to the Ninja Academy for retraining. If you don't want that, give it your all to seize these bells."

Hearing this, the three were taken aback. They thought graduating from the academy meant they had become genin, but it seemed their sensei had other plans.

Orochimaru had not mentioned this test. No matter what, returning to the academy was unacceptable, as it would waste three more years.

Their expressions shifted as Orochimaru observed them coldly. He stepped back and said calmly, "The test begins now. Deadline: sunset."

At Orochimaru's signal, the three disappeared at their fastest speed, hiding in predetermined spots.

One key principle of ninja training is to quickly find a hiding place for evasion or strategy.

After they vanished, Orochimaru stood motionless, staring straight ahead. Although he appeared not to notice their movements, he had already determined their hiding spots based on their immature speed and techniques.

Yuji hid in a dense bush some distance away, gripping a kunai tightly and focusing on Orochimaru's lower body to track his movements while avoiding direct eye contact, reducing the chance of being spotted.

"How can I get the bells?" Yuji pondered strategies while observing Orochimaru.

Hokuto and Kushina had chosen to hide in trees, reducing their chances of detection by observing from above.

Kushina was also formulating a plan to seize the bells, while Hokuto was contemplating how to contact the other two. He believed teamwork was the best approach.

As the three strategized, Orochimaru made an unexpected move. He raised the hand holding the bells, causing Yuji's gaze to shift despite himself.

Then…

They saw Orochimaru expressionlessly tilt his head back, open his mouth, and swallow the bells. The sound of swallowing confirmed the bells were indeed inside him.

"What the hell!"

Witnessing this, Yuji cursed under his breath, inadvertently revealing his position. Forced to act, he leaped out of hiding.

Hokuto, stunned, stared at Orochimaru's throat, his thoughts snapping like a taut string.

Kushina glanced at Yuji, who had emerged, then at Orochimaru, unfazed by his astonishing act. She sighed, covering her forehead in disbelief.

How were they supposed to retrieve the bells now? Kill him and cut him open?

Yuji, out of hiding, gave Orochimaru a strange look. After three years of knowing him, this was the first time Yuji saw such a bizarre side of him.

Facing Yuji's odd gaze, Orochimaru remained composed, speaking in his raspy voice: "Restrain me, cut me open, or even kill me. The only thing you need to consider is obtaining the bells. Ignore everything else."

His calm words conveyed a cold and ruthless reality.

Why did a mere test require such extremes?

Hokuto and Kushina didn't understand, nor did Yuji, but Orochimaru's words left no room for doubt.

Moreover, Yuji didn't believe he could kill Orochimaru. His only option was to try every possible method without giving up.

Yuji gripped his kunai and charged directly at Orochimaru.

"Head-on?" Orochimaru muttered, pulling out his own kunai.

Yuji quickly retrieved several shuriken from his pouch, throwing them alongside the kunai in different arcs toward Orochimaru.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Orochimaru deflected them all effortlessly with precise movements.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Yuji completed a hand sign. As he neared Orochimaru, he vanished in a puff of white smoke.

Whoosh!

The smoke dispersed into black sand that flew toward Orochimaru. Meanwhile, Yuji reappeared a short distance behind him, gripping another kunai and keeping his eyes fixed on Orochimaru.

"Sand? That must be…" Orochimaru leapt into the air to evade. Yuji seized the moment, hurling his kunai at Orochimaru. Without even looking, Orochimaru caught it midair before landing smoothly.

Examining the kunai, he noticed a small cut on his finger with a few drops of blood.

"A substitution technique with sand? Unconventional, but effective if unnoticed," Orochimaru remarked, scrutinizing the disappointed Yuji.

Yuji's creative use of basic jutsu reflected his limited arsenal from the academy's curriculum, which mainly included non-offensive techniques.

Orochimaru couldn't help but feel exasperated. How should he evaluate Yuji's use of substitution? If anything, it was downright cunning.

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