Naruto: Different Path

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After everything was settled, Naruto and the others returned to the Hidden Leaf Village. 

The fact that they had encountered Zabuza, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, surprised many, but fortunately, no one was seriously hurt. 

At the same time, everyone was shocked by how much Naruto and his team had improved. 

Once they were back, they resumed the usual mundane D-rank missions, though it was clear that the Chunin Exams were approaching.

Naruto wasn't particularly concerned about the upcoming exams, even if he had to face Gaara, the strongest opponent. 

However, the exams would also introduce a much more dangerous foe: Orochimaru. 

With Naruto's current strength, even if he used Rasengan, Flying Raijin, and all his techniques, he is still not confident he can defeat Orochimaru. 

The gap between a Jonin and a Kage-level ninja was insurmountable for now. 

If Orochimaru managed to hit Naruto with the Five Elements Seal, it would be troublesome—though Jiraiya would later help him undo it, Naruto didn't want to take that risk. 

It seemed his best option would be to escape using the Flying Raijin, but even then, he wouldn't run away right from the start. 

Orochimaru was too rare of an opponent for that. Naruto decided he needed to work on his Lightning Release techniques. 

Lightning Release was Kakashi's speciality, and having copied over a thousand jutsu, Kakashi deeply understood it. 

When Naruto expressed his desire to learn, Kakashi explained the various transformations of Lightning Release, which differed from simply learning a single technique.

Naruto, however, wanted to develop his unique jutsu. Specifically, he wanted to create something similar to the techniques used by the Raikage. 

He would need to start by mastering the shape transformation of the lightning chakra, unlike Kakashi's technique, which focused on concentrating it on the hand. 

Naruto aimed to create an armour of lightning covering his entire body. 

This was risky, though—if not done properly, Naruto could seriously injure himself with his jutsu, so he only dared to practice using his Shadow Clones.

Seeing Naruto's training method, Kakashi almost felt envious. 

Most people didn't have that much chakra to spare—just maintaining a Shadow Clone was difficult, let alone using it for intense jutsu training. 

Even though Naruto used clones to train, controlling lightning chakra to such an extent was incredibly difficult, especially since Lightning Release wasn't Naruto's primary affinity. 

After a month of training, Naruto could only manage to cover his head and torso with lightning, and it still didn't extend to his limbs. 

He had initially hoped to fully master the shape transformation before moving on to nature transformation, but it was clear he didn't have enough time.

Naruto decided to start learning nature transformation instead. 

Even with his immense talent and the help of multiple Shadow Clones, it took him an entire week to grasp nature's transformation. 

But mastering nature transformation wasn't enough—he also needed to integrate it with the shape transformation. 

This was the most challenging part, and only by succeeding in this step would the jutsu be considered complete.

Naruto found it nearly impossible to control the powerful chakra during the fusion process. 

Managing both shape and nature transformations simultaneously was incredibly hard. 

Lowering the chakra amount made control easier but also reduced the jutsu's power. 

The only solution was to persist through relentless practice. Naruto also discovered that the larger the area the jutsu covered, the harder it was to control.

While carrying out dull missions, Naruto kept pondering his new jutsu. 

He couldn't help but think about the Raikage's technique, which formed lightning armour and activated his cells, dramatically increasing his speed. 

The Raikage's technique seemed to originate from his entire body. Suddenly, Naruto realized something important.

A method similar to Chidori, where chakra was released from the hand, was feasible for standard jutsu. 

But Naruto's jutsu required not just release but to be sustained. In fact, maintaining the jutsu was more crucial than simply executing it. 

No wonder he kept failing; his approach had been wrong from the start. 

With this new insight, Naruto began training to gather chakra in other parts of his body.

While the difficulty wasn't too high, maintaining it for extended periods was challenging. 

Luckily, Naruto had already developed strong chakra control, and once he had the right idea, it only took him a day to achieve it. 

Although he couldn't yet cover his entire body, he could protect his vital areas. 

Naruto also had a faint feeling that improving his control further might enhance his speed.

However, the Chunin Exams were fast approaching. When Naruto saw Kankuro appear in the village, he knew the exams were about to begin. 

Upon arriving, Kankuro's first act was to bully some of the Leaf's children. 

Naruto swiftly kicked Kankuro back and shielded Konohamaru behind him. "Picking on kids as soon as you arrive in the Leaf? I won't stand for that."

Ignoring Konohamaru's look of admiration, Naruto's actions caught Gaara's attention, who arrived shortly after. "My name is Gaara. What's yours?"

"Uzumaki Naruto."

As the three of them walked away, Gaara said, "Uzumaki Naruto, huh? You've piqued my interest."

Naruto chuckled to himself, thinking, I thought Gaara was supposed to be interested in Sasuke.

The Third Hokage soon summoned Kakashi to discuss the Chunin Exams. 

Kakashi had great confidence in his team, especially Naruto, so he recommended all three for the exams. 

To be cautious, Sasuke and Sakura underwent a quick test, but they passed with ease. Thus, all three of them registered for the Chunin Exams.

After some chaos, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura went to submit their applications for the Chunin Exams. 

Sasuke and Sakura easily dispelled the low-level genjutsu at the entrance, while Naruto remained silent. 

Rock Lee nodded at Naruto, acknowledging his presence. 

However, Lee still challenged Sasuke to a fight, believing that Naruto's teammate couldn't be weak. 

Although this was their first meeting, Lee immediately became infatuated with Sakura. Unfortunately, his thick eyebrows made him the type Sakura disliked.

Sasuke, being the competitive type, quickly accepted the challenge. 

Despite activating his Sharingan and being able to see through Lee's movements, Sasuke struggled because Lee was a pure taijutsu user. 

No matter how much Sasuke could read Lee's moves, his body couldn't keep up, and Lee's continuous punches and kicks forced him on the defensive. 

Sasuke's attempts to block with his hands proved ineffective against Lee's raw strength. 

Meanwhile, Naruto didn't intervene, believing that Sasuke needed to take some hits to grow stronger. 

Just as the fight ended, Guy Sensei arrived in time to stop Lee.

Guy and Lee's bizarre antics left Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura dumbfounded. 

Despite this, Naruto fully acknowledged Guy's strength. 

Opening the Eight Gates granted power that could surpass even the Hokage, and most opponents would be annihilated instantly. 

Although the Eight Gates technique was time-limited and carried significant risks, its power was undeniable. 

However, this kind of training clearly wasn't suited for Naruto. 

Guy's appearance shocked Sasuke and Sakura and further fueled Sasuke's desire to grow stronger.

After this brief encounter, they officially entered the Chunin Exams. Walking into the exam hall, they found themselves surrounded by older participants. 

Naruto was one of the youngest, around twelve or thirteen, so the group tried not to attract attention and headed toward a corner. 

Out of kindness, Yakushi Kabuto approached them to explain the basic details of the Chunin Exams, which frightened Sakura a bit.

Soon, the first part of the exam began. 

The proctor, Ibiki Morino, introduced strict rules, and the test featured highly difficult questions, which overwhelmed many examinees. 

However, Naruto studied well enough to avoid getting a zero and passed the written exam without cheating. 

Throughout the exam, he observed a variety of impressive cheating techniques, or rather, methods for gathering information. 

Still, what caught Naruto's interest was the upcoming second part of the exam, which could involve life-and-death battles and would certainly include facing the most formidable enemy he'd ever encountered—Orochimaru.

After the first test ended, Anko Mitarashi arrived at the exam room and was surprised to find that as many as 26 teams had passed. 

She assured them that this number would definitely be cut in half in the next stage. 

Anko then led the group to the location of the second test: the Forest of Death.

The training grounds' ominous name proved accurate, as all participants were required to sign a death waiver before entering.

After signing the waivers, Anko explained the rules. 

Each team was given a scroll—either a "Heaven" or "Earth" scroll—and to pass, they had to collect both scrolls and reach the tower in the forest's centre. 

This meant that, at most, only half of the teams could pass. 

Additionally, teams had to survive in the Forest of Death for five days, managing their food and shelter. 

Once they handed over three consent forms, each team received a scroll and selected an entry point into the forest. 

They were simultaneously released into the forest, unaware of which scroll the other teams had or where they had entered. 

Naruto's team entrusted their scroll to Naruto, the strongest of the group.

As soon as the exam began, everyone quickly entered the forest. 

It wasn't long before they heard the sound of someone screaming—clearly, a team had already been defeated. 

Naruto sensed someone secretly following them, so he excused himself and left the group. 

Shortly after, an enemy disguised as Naruto tried to trick Sakura and Sasuke, but Sasuke immediately saw through the deception, and a fight broke out. 

This enemy, however, was no match for Sasuke and soon fled.

Meanwhile, Naruto remained hidden in the bushes, having sensed another enemy lying in wait. 

To Naruto's amusement, this enemy also transformed into his likeness, but Sasuke once again easily saw through the disguise. 

Realizing the transformation jutsu was useless, the enemy dispelled the technique and ordered his comrades to leave, intending to handle the situation alone.

What followed was even more baffling—the enemy somehow knew that Naruto's team possessed the Heaven Scroll and proceeded to show Sasuke his own Earth Scroll. 

This was unusual behaviour, and what came next was even stranger: the enemy swallowed his scroll. 

While this action only startled Sakura and Sasuke, Naruto's eyes narrowed in realization. 

Someone capable of swallowing an entire scroll and still provoking Sasuke had to be Orochimaru. 

He couldn't believe Orochimaru had appeared so soon.

From the current situation, it seemed Orochimaru hadn't noticed Naruto hiding. Still, any experienced fighter like Orochimaru would easily deduce that Naruto was nearby, even if they didn't know his exact location. 

Orochimaru had vast battle experience and likely chose to ignore Naruto for now. 

Knowing Itachi's power, Orochimaru believed only someone with the Sharingan, like Sasuke, had the potential to become a true warrior. 

Without the Uchiha bloodline, no one could awaken the Sharingan, and apart from Itachi, Sasuke was the only known Uchiha capable of gaining such strength.

That power, however, would only manifest once Sasuke matured. At the moment, Orochimaru's mere killing intent had already paralyzed Sasuke. 

Neither Sasuke nor Sakura could move under the pressure of Orochimaru's killing intent. 

At that moment, Orochimaru turned toward the bushes where Naruto was hiding. "How long do you plan on staying hidden? Why don't you come out?"

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