After the final blast, Naruto raised his hand, signaling all his clones to stop.
Smoke swirled in the center of the explosion. The ground had been gouged down by more than half a meter, and the partially collapsed tree, along with its stump, had vanished entirely, leaving only a scorched crater.
Orochimaru's remains were utterly pulverized, shattered beyond recognition.
Naruto saw a snake-shaped opening about the thickness of an adult's arm in the soil, roughly 3 feet directly beneath the bottom of the crater.
Just before the Rasengans could completely engulf him, Orochimaru had used the Summoning Technique to have himself swallowed.
Sure enough, a snake poked its head out from a crack in the ground and opened its mouth wide.
Immediately after, Orochimaru emerged dripping wet from the snake's mouth. Covered in fluid from the snake's belly and with his long hair matted together, he stood in the sunlight once more, looking as if he had been crushed and completely remolded.
His appearance had also changed, he had returned to his original form.
"Hehehe..."
"The Flying Thunder God Technique, the Rasengan, using Shadow Clones for instant mid-air evasion, and that sensory ability to locate your enemy just now..."
His eyes shone with an excitement he couldn't hide.
He wiped away the residual snake fluid from his chin with his finger. "As expected of that man's son. Uzumaki Naruto, I am highly interested in you."
Standing where he was, Naruto frowned slightly as he looked at Orochimaru. "You are Orochimaru, one of the Sannin."
Orochimaru spread his arms slightly, bowing. "I didn't expect you to know my name. I am truly honored."
Naruto said coldly, "Rogue Ninja Orochimaru, what is your purpose in sneaking into Konoha? There is no longer any place for you here. Leave this place now,"
Orochimaru tilted his head and said, "Oh? Knowing my identity, as a Konoha Ninja, shouldn't you be drawing your blade and hunting me down right now to do justice to the symbol on your forehead protector? Why are you letting me leave just like that?"
Meeting Orochimaru's gaze, Naruto said very calmly, "I am well aware that I cannot capture you right now. So, there is no point in continuing this battle. Leave this place, and don't make me say it a second time."
"Smart."
Orochimaru's raspy voice rang out. "However, you have been stalling for time to let your teammates retreat since the very beginning. Now, they have already gone far away."
"Since my identity has been exposed, what makes you think I will obediently listen to you and choose to leave, Uzumaki Naruto?"
A red Chakra Cloak surged around Naruto's entire body. In the next moment, four materialized tails unfurled behind him.
The Nine-Tails Chakra covered the entire combat zone, causing the faces of several examinee team captains who were still watching from afar to turn pale. They didn't know what was happening ahead, they only knew that the ground was shaking.
"Oh no, this feeling... could it be the Nine-Tails Chakra?"
"Damn it, has Naruto run into a powerful enemy? Did he use the Nine-Tails Chakra?"
In the Forest of Death's Central Tower, Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai, who were chatting, suddenly stood up.
"Kakashi, should we enter the Forest of Death?" Asuma asked.
"No, that would break the rules, and besides, I believe in Naruto." Kakashi shook his head.
"Alright, I respect your choice."
Asuna and Kurenai sat back down, while Kakashi looked in the direction of the Forest of Death, a trace of worry flashing in his eyes.
...
Forest of Death
"To think you can actually control the Nine-Tails Chakra to this extent while remaining conscious."
Orochimaru stared at the red Chakra radiating from Naruto, the smile finally fading from his face.
He knew very well what four tails meant. An uncontrolled rampage in this form could blast a hole right through the middle of the Forest of Death. But if Naruto possessed active control, that hole could be blasted with much greater precision.
"I've underestimated you, Uzumaki Naruto."
Orochimaru completed his calculations within a few seconds.
Continuing to fight would draw the attention of Konoha and the Third Hokage, and they would be surrounded by the Anbu dispatched by Konoha. The risk far outweighed the reward.
With this thought, Orochimaru locked eyes with Naruto for a moment. "Uzumaki Naruto, my interest in you is growing stronger and stronger. I look forward to our next meeting."
With that said, his figure gradually merged into the snake's belly, and the snake then swiftly slithered underground through the crack in the earth.
After Orochimaru's figure completely disappeared, Naruto did not immediately let down his guard. Standing in place, he swept his Negative Emotions Sensing over the area three times.
Orochimaru's cold Chakra was indeed moving away at high speed.
Only after confirming that Orochimaru had completely left did Naruto drop his combat stance.
Instead of immediately setting off to pursue Sasuke and Sakura, he cleaned up the battlefield first.
During the battle just now, he had thrown dozens of Kunai. These Kunai cost money, he couldn't just leave them scattered all over the ground.
After recovering all the Kunai, he stood before the crater created by the Rasengans, looking at the devastated ground. These traces were too obvious.
In Konoha, only a few people knew how to use the Rasengan. Any Konoha Jonin or even an experienced Chunin taking a single look here would immediately deduce that this destruction was caused by the Rasengan.
He didn't want anyone to know he could use the Rasengan yet.
A Genin who had only graduated from the Ninja Academy a few months ago, whom no one had taught this technique...
If he couldn't explain the origin of the Rasengan, Hiruzen and the Anbu's reaction wouldn't be as simple as just caring about his growth.