The Forest of Death fell silent as Orochimaru's puppet dissolved into nothingness, leaving only a faint chemical odour lingering in the air.
Suguru stood motionless for a moment, savouring the encounter with his teacher. It was quite an eventful first meeting.
Did he pay his respects correctly? Should he have gone… crazier?
Orochimaru had given him an opportunity that no one else would have. The nature of the snake's findings, locked up in seals, all waiting to be opened.
It had been one of the greatest boons that Suguru had encountered, as that's what had formed his foundations.
Without Orochimaru's benevolence…
'Progress would have been slow…'
Suguru would have been forced into walking the perilous path one step at a time.
It was only on the shoulders of a giant that he was able to soar.
'I wonder if I'll have a student of my own, someday….'
Suguru gazed into the sky beyond the thick canopy and sighed.
These complicated thoughts swirled in his mind as he, too, disappeared into the depths of the forest.
* * *
A slight movement in the underbrush caught Kabuto's attention while moving with his squad. Out of the corner of his eyes, he spotted the moment his proctor's clone flickered into existence, carefully observing from a distance.
"Hm?"
Without sunlight peering through the dense ceiling of green above, Kabuto's glasses lacked any sort of gleam. To think that he would be one of those who could effectively sabotage the Chuunin Exams…
There was no hint of it.
The apparent innocence in Kabuto's expression made Suguru chuckle.
Kabuto was indeed worthy of his deceptions.
Hiding in plain sight.
"Sssssso,"
Suguru's clone hissed softly, mimicking Orochimaru's serpentine mannerisms.
"Fancy meeting you here."
Suguru's voice drew the attention of the genin squad. The two other genin stopped in their tracks to look back at their isolated teammate.
"Proctor..?" Kabuto asked, with a smile donned on his face.
"Hello, Kabuto-senpai," Suguru's clone whispered, its voice carrying just enough to reach the hidden spy. "Enjoying the show before you raise hell?"
Kabuto's eyes widened behind his glasses. What was that hiss about?
…Suspicion?
'No…'
Kabuto shifted his weight.
'That hiss…. Does the proctor know something about my connection to Orochimaru? Have I blown my cover?'
A flurry of emotions crossed the medical-nin's face. Facing the curious emptiness of a hungry abyss, he knew not what to do. All he could do was act ignorant of all accusations.
Even if Suguru eyed him like prey.
"…What do you want, Proctor-sama?"
Kabuto decided to play it safe, probing how much information the child in front of him had.
In response, Suguru's clone merely chuckled, waving dismissively.
"Oh, it's nothing. Just saying hello to my snake senior. No need to worry."
Before Kabuto could respond, the clone dissipated into smoke, leaving the medical-nin frozen in place, mind racing through every interaction, every piece of information he might have accidentally revealed.
Wasn't this silver-haired boy a jounin of Konoha? Why did the proctor just call him senpai? They had never encountered each other anywhere else.
Was he being toyed with?
Questions plagued his mind as he glanced at his oblivious teammates.
"Let's continue," He began his lies with a natural smile. "The proctor just warned us not to go to a certain part of the forest."
Inwardly, however, his expression was dark.
'I need to find Orochimaru-sama…'
* * *
Meanwhile, deeper in the Forest of Death, the jinchuriki team and Team 7 huddled together, comparing their scrolls.
"We both have Heaven Scrolls," Naruto sighed in relief.
Tatsuya, who was eyeing his unconscious relative, nodded, his gaze drifting towards the mark on Sasuke's neck. "Our teams both need to find an Earth Scroll."
"And quickly," Mitsuko added, her Byakugan scanning the surroundings. "Sasuke-kun needs medical attention... I have a bad feeling about that bruise."
Gaara's sand shifted restlessly around him. "The proctor mentioned special scrolls hidden throughout the forest."
Tatsuya's Sharingan spun as he considered their options. "Those gimmick scrolls might give us an advantage. If we find a Supportive one, it could help with Sasuke's condition."
Sakura nodded eagerly. "And the Offensive scrolls could help us take down stronger… no, the other teams."
Sakura had realized something mid-sentence. It was clear that the strength of both Naruto and Gaara was on a different level already. Tatsuya, who was lingering with them, hadn't shown much earlier…
…However, the Uchiha was leading the two jinchuriki forward. To earn the respect and obedience from the strong, it was clear that he hid a talent of a different nature.
"Then it's settled," Naruto declared, his usual enthusiasm returning. "Let's hunt for Suguru's special scrolls first, then go after an Earth Scroll for each team!"
* * *
At the edge of the forest, Anko stood with her arms crossed, tension visible in her shoulders.
The encounter with Orochimaru had left her on edge, old memories threatening to surface. It was only when she felt the Sannin's chakra signature fade that she exhaled slowly, relief washing over her like the calm tide.
Suguru appeared beside her, looking into her eyes as if trying to peer into her soul.
"Everything has been wrapped up nicely," Suguru said blankly, as if he hadn't just battled a powerful shinobi. "No need to worry about Orochimaru-sama for now."
Anko's posture relaxed slightly. Although Suguru's mode of addressing Orochimaru was odd, it was enough that the Sannin had left.
"…You're sure?" Anko asked.
Suguru nodded, waving toward the forest. "We made a deal. He won't interfere with the exams anymore."
Then…
—Poof.
The young boy burst into a cloud of smoke, leaving Anko with a twitching lip.
'So it was just a Shadow Clone, huh?'
Now left alone at the forest's edge, Anko felt a lingering sense of unease despite Suguru's assurance. It felt like there was another layer to that deal.
A layer that meant danger.
After all…
She wasn't completely familiar with the boy. And from this meeting alone, she truly felt that he was… unconventional.
'He might be a prodigy, but he's the type whose motives are naturally hidden.'
* * *
Suguru, having just dismissed two of his clones, was only several hundred meters away from Anko, observing a particularly interesting clash.
A Konoha genin team had just encountered a different group from Amegakure.
Suguru watched as the Konoha-nins, a trio of determined but ultimately ordinary genin when compared to the main cast, had successfully triggered an Offensive Gimmick Scroll.
—Fwhip!
The Fuinjutsu seals spread out like a massive web.
A grin touched Suguru's lips.
They'd grasped the concept quickly.
Fast enough that the scroll unleashed a torrent of stormy wind, tearing through the defensive barrier the Ame-nins had thrown up.
Suguru had designed the scrolls to reward quick thinking. Thus, this particular scroll unleashed a higher tier of Offense than what it would normally show.
The Ame-nins, however, hadn't been completely caught off guard.
Their own Gimmick Scroll activated in response, a swirling Water Release jutsu. A miniature tsunami, similar to the one that Tobirama was able to spit out on his own, flooded the forest.
Suguru watched as both teams were forced back, sent practically drowning through the trees like scattered leaves. The torrent of wind and water turned into a surging cyclone.
A storm of force.
The impact of the tsunami sent shockwaves through the forest floor, shaking the very ground beneath Suguru's feet. The trees cried out in strain, and many were already uprooted.
"…" Suguru fell silent. "Did I miscalculate something?"
The Konoha-nins, caught completely off guard by the counter-attack, were sent downstream, their bodies slamming into the thick tree trunks.
The Ame-nins, while prepared given their defensive response, hadn't anticipated the sheer force of the combined jutsu and were similarly battered.
Offensive Gimmick Scrolls had no regard for friend or foe. Only the Defensive and Supportive scrolls had an inkling of safety in their make.
The scrolls were designed to be volatile, to create opportunities for strategic retreats or, in this case, a chaotic reset.
It was a test of adaptability, of quick thinking under pressure. No single scroll could determine victory if understood badly.
Suguru's gaze flicked between the two teams, assessing their injuries and reactions.
He made a mental note of the Konoha-nins' quick assessment of the situation and the Ame-nins' surprisingly effective counter.
Both showed promise despite his earlier determination that they were ultimately ordinary.
'I wonder…'
A scheme began to appear in Suguru's mind.
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