Naruto: The Scourge

The ninjutsu taught at the ninja academy are only the basic three body techniques: the Clone Jutsu, Substitution Jutsu, and Transformation Jutsu. These techniques are not offensive, so even though Yuji's chakra level has surpassed that of a Genin, without offensive jutsu, the chakra's effectiveness is greatly diminished. The only means of attack are physical techniques and ninja tools.

From both sides' conditions, this assessment itself seems like an unfair test, especially with Orochimaru having swallowed the bell.

Kushina thought for a moment before jumping down from the tree to Yuji's side. Since the bell had been swallowed by Orochimaru, grabbing it now was no longer an option. The issue to consider was how to subdue Orochimaru. But their strength gap was too great, and subduing him wouldn't be easy. Cooperation would only slightly increase their chances.

After Kushina appeared, Hokusei, who had originally intended to cooperate, quickly jumped down from the tree as well.

"Let's cooperate," Kushina said solemnly, glancing at the two people beside her.

Hokusei nodded repeatedly in agreement, saying, "Only by cooperating do we stand a chance."

Yuji looked at his teammates, his brows slightly furrowed. Cooperation was feasible, but they had never worked together before, so they lacked any mutual understanding. However, it seemed there was no other choice at the moment.

Seeing all three of them make their move, Orochimaru's expression remained calm. Not only did he not attack, but he also tossed away the kunai in his hand.

"This is just his shadow clone. If the damage from Yuji and the others breaks his shadow clone, the bell will still fall out. In other words, passing the test might not be as hard as expected."

"Go."

Although they agreed to cooperate, the three had no synchronization at all. There was no time for planning, so Yuji shouted as a signal and immediately rushed toward Orochimaru holding a kunai.

He leaned forward, resembling a leopard sprinting.

"Good eyes."

Orochimaru praised the eyes during the sprint, but his actions were still too immature. There was no feint at all; such an attack was basically asking for death, especially a frontal assault.

Yuji understood this himself, but he knew that Orochimaru wouldn't deal a fatal blow to him. Under these conditions, he wanted to test the difference in hand-to-hand combat with Orochimaru.

Endless training, opponents with no pressure in the ninja school assessment—these couldn't reveal the true results.

Seeing Orochimaru still standing still, Yuji's legs exploded with force, kicking up a cloud of sand, and just before reaching him, he swung his arm, throwing a kunai straight toward Orochimaru's face.

Whoosh!

Orochimaru, expressionless, tilted his head slightly, seemingly able to see the kunai's trajectory. He effortlessly let the kunai pass by his neck and into the forest.

At this point, Yuji was already close. He crouched before Orochimaru, and with Orochimaru's downward gaze, he used the recoil of his hands on the ground to give his right leg the greatest force, kicking toward Orochimaru's chin.

Since the purpose of the test was to assess the three's strength, Orochimaru chose to withstand the kick, even though he could easily avoid it.

Yuji's right leg, carrying a gust of wind, kicked toward Orochimaru, who blocked it with both hands.

Boom!

The moment the powerful force transferred through his palms, Orochimaru realized that he had underestimated Yuji's strength and was kicked away.

"Not bad."

In midair, Orochimaru had a look of surprise in his eyes. He didn't have time to think much more before his sharp ears caught the sound of shuriken slicing through the air.

Looking in the direction of the sound, he saw several shuriken flying through the dust, targeting him.

The sand here was fine and loose, easily raising dust that could block visibility. This was equally difficult for both sides, but the opponents seemed to be able to accurately track his position, which puzzled him.

Although puzzled, even as a shadow clone, Orochimaru wouldn't be easily defeated by the several shuriken coming at him.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

While in the air, Orochimaru quickly formed seals and opened his mouth to unleash a violent wind toward the incoming shuriken.

The howling wind scattered the shuriken, and then blew the dust on the ground toward Yuji.

Whoosh!

The strong wind arrived in an instant, and in a rush, the three were blown away without resistance.

Hokusei was sent flying, crashing into a tree with a cry of pain, while Yuji and Kushina, skilled in physical techniques, adjusted their posture in midair and braced themselves against the tree to land safely.

But...

As soon as they landed, a kunai landed right in front of their feet.

The two stared blankly at the kunai stuck in the ground, feeling a surge of frustration.

If this were an actual battle, the kunai would have pierced their hearts long ago.

Yuji and Kushina exchanged glances and saw the mutual frustration in each other's eyes.

Yuji turned and looked at Kushina, then walked toward Hokusei, and Kushina did the same.

Seeing their movements, they were both momentarily stunned, but then Yuji suddenly stopped, allowing Kushina to go toward Hokusei.

Both of them wanted to check on Hokusei's condition, but seeing Kushina's actions, Yuji decided to forgo checking on him. One person was enough for that.

Kushina glanced back slightly, unable to see Yuji's expression. With a sense of unease, she arrived at Hokusei and helped him up, his face filled with dejection.

This failure in the test meant that they would have to go back to the ninja academy for re-assessment.

Everything about his demeanor—his face, his heart, and his actions—was full of disappointment.

At this moment, Orochimaru disappeared with a puff of smoke, and when the smoke cleared, three small silver bells fell to the ground.

"Shadow clone?" Yuji's expression changed as he looked at the white smoke and the small bells that had fallen. Could it be that even a shadow clone was powerless against them?

Yuji's face grew slightly gloomy as he thought of this.

"I'm curious. How did you track my position through the sand fog?"

A hoarse voice suddenly came from behind, and the three jumped, quickly turning around to find Orochimaru standing calmly behind them.

The realization that someone had silently approached without them noticing sent a chill down their spines.

Hokusei weakly said, "My hearing is excellent. I heard Orochimaru-sama's murmuring and used that to judge his position. Then I had Kushina throw shuriken toward him."

Orochimaru's expression softened as he nodded in understanding. No wonder the shuriken came in a particular order, but the difference in timing wasn't significant. In various positions and through obscured vision, they still managed to hit with such accuracy and speed. This child...

Orochimaru glanced at Kushina, silently thinking. The purpose of this test was to evaluate the strength of the three. He was quite satisfied with the results. Although he hadn't seen everything, it was sufficient.

"Same time tomorrow. Meet here."

After throwing out the indifferent remark, Orochimaru vanished in a flash, leaving the three staring at each other in confusion.

Upon hearing Orochimaru's words, Yuji immediately understood. His expression became complex. Although the test had failed in terms of results, the conclusion was not what Orochimaru had said—that they would return to the academy for re-assessment.

Not having to go back to re-assessment didn't bring Yuji any joy. His mind was filled with the scenes from earlier. Thinking about how he had trained for three years and still remained so weak, he felt deeply disheartened.

When would that uncertain future ever come to pass? When would he finally see an opportunity?

Grinding his teeth slightly, he ignored Hokusei and Kushina and walked toward the residential area.

Moments later, Hokusei, who had regained his senses, cheered, "That's great!"

Kushina also sighed in relief, looking at Yuji's departing figure, wondering what he was thinking.

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