Naruto: Unlocking Kaido Template

"Oh~" Zixu smirked, finally catching on. So this guy was just here to copy homework.

He glanced around and, wow—this was truly a showcase of "eight immortals crossing the sea, each displaying their unique tricks." Some candidates were blatantly using their dōjutsu to peek at answers, others signaled through coded dog barks, and some relied on various props to cheat. And, of course, there was always one guy who refused to just sit there doing nothing.

The invigilators, however, weren't amateurs. Sure, cheating was allowed in the first stage, but straight-up bribing them? That was pushing it. Those foolish enough to try were immediately disqualified—money taken, and dreams crushed. This was the perfect chance to let them experience the darker side of the ninja world.

"Alright, enough of that," Morino Ibiki finally spoke, his voice carrying a chilling authority. Many candidates had already been booted out, and he took this moment to remind them with a sinister smile, "The final question comes with special rules."

"You have a choice: attempt the last question or don't. However, if you choose to answer and fail, you'll be permanently barred from taking the Chūnin Exams ever again. If you opt out, your entire team is eliminated—but you can try again next year."

Zixu couldn't take it anymore. This grown man was dragging things out unnecessarily.

"Just get to the point already! Hurry it up," he blurted impatiently.

"I... I give up..." Many candidates crumbled under the pressure, choosing to forfeit. A few questioned whether Morino Ibiki had the authority to make such a rule, but he coldly stated, "In this exam, I am the rules."

"So, this was never about the questions themselves..." Zixu smirked as he strolled out of the classroom with his team. This test wasn't a surprise to them. It was nothing more than a measure of a ninja's courage. Those who stayed passed—even if they handed in a blank sheet.

"Huh? What the hell are you looking at?" Zixu snapped as he suddenly felt someone's gaze locked onto him.

"Cut."

He turned to find a group of examinees leaning against the wall, arms folded, sipping from their cups. Among them was the poor bastard whose eyes he had poked earlier.

Zixu was about to go say hello—maybe mess with them a little—when their next proctor arrived.

A purple-haired kunoichi in a mesh bodysuit and a light yellow trench coat crashed in through the window. Morino Ibiki sighed, stepping back to let her take over.

"I'm the proctor for the second exam, Mitarashi Anko. Now, follow me."

Before anyone could even process her flashy entrance, she was already leaping out the window again.

"Hiss... that snake smell... Is Konoha just one big snake den or what? And come to think of it, I swear I caught a whiff of that same scent among the candidates earlier..." Zixu muttered, clicking his tongue. He had a bad feeling about this. If it involved snakes, it had to be related to Orochimaru. The real question was—what was that bastard planning?

"This is the Forest of Death. It's dangerous, so before we start, you all need to sign these liability waivers. Death is a very real possibility here," Anko explained seriously.

Naruto, being Naruto, immediately started mimicking her gestures and words in an exaggerated, mocking tone.

Anko said nothing at first, simply smiling.

Then, without warning, she hurled a kunai straight at him. Naruto barely reacted in time—his cheek getting nicked as a few drops of blood trickled down.

Before he could even process what had happened, Anko was behind him, wrapping an arm around his face in a vice grip. A sharp, tiger-like grin stretched across her lips.

"Brats like you... always die first," she whispered, swiping her finger across his wound and licking the blood off.

But in that moment, her expression subtly changed—her senses flaring.

Kunai in hand, she swiftly raised it in front of her just as something lashed toward her throat. A long, slimy tongue wrapped around the kunai she had thrown earlier.

A woman in a bamboo hat stood behind Anko, a strange smirk on her face.

"Returning this to you," she said in a raspy voice.

"Much appreciated." Anko's grin never wavered.

"But..." Her eyes sharpened as she continued, "...don't stand behind me with killing intent unless you have a death wish."

She seemed satisfied with the encounter and quickly pulled out the liability waivers again.

As the candidates turned their attention to the documents and the layout of the Forest of Death, Zixu wasn't paying much attention to Anko's explanations. He let Hyūga Chinano and Aburame Hatsuizumi handle the details while his gut told him something was seriously off.

"...Orochimaru?" His gaze locked onto the woman from earlier. The aura she exuded was undeniably his, though... something about it felt different.

The woman smirked, turning to him and moving her lips silently.

"We meet again..."

Zixu remained silent, staring at her coldly. He wasn't the same person he had been before. If Orochimaru wanted his body... well, he could damn well try.

"Let's see if you can take it away."

His lips barely moved, but his eyes sharpened like a blade.

The air grew tense. Even the other candidates could feel it—an invisible pressure sinking into their bones. It was as if something terrifying was lurking beneath Zixu's skin, waiting to be unleashed.

"Is this the infamous Forest of Death aura? Damn, just standing here is making me sweat..."

"The Heaven and Earth Scrolls... what a brutal test. Each team only gets one scroll. To pass, we have to steal the other."

"And we have to survive in here for five days? This is like raising poison bugs in a jar..."

With the massive gates of the Forest of Death creaking open, the candidates poured in. Watching them disappear into the wilderness, Anko sighed, scratching the back of her head.

"I wonder how many of them will make it out alive..." she murmured, her usual grin fading slightly. Her gaze flickered to the woman from earlier.

"...And that guy... it can't be him..."

The moment Zixu's team entered, they immediately took cover. Fighting in an unfamiliar environment was a huge disadvantage. Anko's warnings were worth keeping in mind, but firsthand experience was more reliable.

The trees here were massive, towering like ancient giants. A single jump from the treetops to the ground could take minutes. At the very center of the forest stood a tall tower—the final checkpoint for this test.

Their first strategy had been to wait near the tower, picking off teams that had already gathered a set of scrolls. But since everyone had been scattered upon entry, a better idea came to mind.

"Hyūga Chinano, use your Byakugan to scan the area. Aburame Hatsuizumi, release your insects to track and guard. The moment you find another team, we attack. Forget about identifying the scrolls—just take them down. This is a life-or-death battle, so don't hold back."

This was their first real encounter with enemy teams in a kill-or-be-killed situation.

Zixu clenched his fists.

Time to see just how strong his team had become.

[The host has triggered the mission...]

"Come on, beasts… No, just organize yourselves and fight for me. It'll be over soon." Zixu dismissed the system prompt from his mind. No need to overthink—just fight, and everything will work out.

Hyuga Chinano sent a message, warning that several unknown chakra signatures were up ahead. Zixu quickly signaled the two to get down. It was a three-versus-one situation, with the enemy in the open while they remained hidden. A perfect chance for a counterattack.

"...Shit. Of all people." Zixu's expression turned subtle as he recognized the chakra. It was the one person he least wanted to run into.

"Chinano, Aburame Hatsuizumi, get out of here—now. Go anywhere, just as far away as possible. I'll contact you through the insects later. Run!" Zixu ordered without hesitation.

Despite their confusion, neither questioned him. Zixu never acted without reason. If he said to run, there had to be a good reason. Aburame Hatsuizumi, in particular, followed orders flawlessly—so much so that even if Zixu were on the verge of death, she'd flee without a word if he told her to.

The two quickly left, vanishing into the shadows. Meanwhile, Zixu remained, watching as a figure emerged from the darkness. In a few swift steps, the newcomer landed on the tree trunk before him.

A sickly sweet voice echoed, "Oh? Have you figured out who I am? Yes..."

The gossiping woman from before—the one who had a kunai in her tongue—stood before him.

"...This scent. I can't ignore it, even if I want to. What the hell is with this look?"

The woman, none other than Orochimaru, tilted her head in amusement. She noted how much the boy's demeanor had changed since their last encounter. There was confidence in his stance now—something intriguing.

"My, my. So bold now? Aren't you afraid I'll take your body?" Orochimaru narrowed her eyes, stepping closer. Five meters. Three meters. Two…

"You're welcome to try," Zixu responded calmly. The Power of Silence (Shizukesa no Chikara) began to flow around him, crackling with the force of lightning. His body was wrapped in electricity, his muscles tense, ready to engage Eight Gates Formation: Modified (Hachimon Tonko: Kaizō). Shadows of immense pressure flickered around him, nearly tangible.

His eyes sharpened, faint traces of purple pigmentation appearing around them. His senses heightened further.

Orochimaru studied him like a rare specimen, as if she were gazing at something thought to be extinct. Slowly, she took a step back—an indication that she wasn't immediately looking for a fight.

"To be honest, I'm quite interested in your body. Would you care to become one of my test subjects?"

Zixu's eyes glinted. "…You're dying, aren't you?"

Orochimaru merely spread her hands, neither confirming nor denying it.

"Then, let me use your body." She extended her tongue, preparing to strike.

Zixu smirked. "I don't know what you're planning, but I do know you want to go after a certain ninja village… or maybe a certain person. If that's the case, we can have a real conversation." His pupils shifted, turning into a golden-amber shade with vertical slits.

"Conversation?" Orochimaru chuckled, yet still lunged forward.

Her neck stretched unnaturally, fangs snapping toward Zixu's neck. It was a feint—her real body had already begun shedding its skin, launching forward like a serpent. If Zixu tried to block the bite, she would shed and attack again. If he dodged, her prepared Shadow Snake Hands (Kagehebi no Te) would stop him in place, allowing her to land the bite.

A solid strategy. But reality often disappointed.

Zixu stood motionless, seemingly frozen in place like before. Orochimaru assumed he planned to resist just as he had during their last encounter. This time, however, her fangs carried the Heaven's Curse Mark (Ten no Juin), something his body wouldn't be able to handle.

"Zzt…!" Electricity crackled violently across Zixu's body. His hair spiked upward—not unlike a red hedgehog. No… more like a Super Saiyan.

But it wasn't over. Against an enemy like Orochimaru, he couldn't afford to hold back.

Zixu activated Sage Mode (Sennin Mōdo). His control wasn't perfect, but a few minutes would be more than enough. The moment he did, the natural energy around him locked in place, as though the entire world had turned into solid concrete. Orochimaru felt it instantly—like a fish suddenly thrown onto land.

She stiffened, her movements frozen.

"I said, I want to talk," Zixu repeated, smiling as he pulled out a crowbar from his storage space. It buzzed with black and blue lightning.

Orochimaru couldn't move. Meanwhile, Zixu moved freely, more effortlessly than ever. He even took a moment to strike a few exaggerated poses before swinging the crowbar like a baseball bat.

"Boom!"

The impact sent Orochimaru flying.

Strangely, for a brief moment, memories from her youth flickered through her mind—Sarutobi-sensei, Tsunade, and that idiot Jiraiya…

"...What?" Orochimaru frowned. Something was wrong. It felt just like the time she was trapped in Uchiha Itachi's genjutsu.

But she had already prepared for illusions. Orochimaru wasn't the type to fall for the same trick twice.

"Release!" (Kai!) She formed a hand seal. Nothing happened.

The explanation was simple. Due to certain personal reasons, Orochimaru's mental resistance was weak. Zixu's lightning attack had been infused with Conqueror's Haki (Haoshoku no Haki), a force that had devastating effects on those with shaky mental defenses.

This didn't mean Orochimaru was mentally weak—just that her resistance to such effects was particularly low.

In the real world, Orochimaru crashed hard against a tree, her body embedding into the rough bark. The hit left her dazed for several moments.

"Urgh…" She coughed up blood. If this body died, she could still revive through the Curse Mark—but each resurrection weakened her soul. Losing a vessel was a last resort.

"Alright…" she wheezed, twisting her broken body slightly. "Now we can talk… I'm very… cough… interested in what you have to say."

Zixu twirled the crowbar in his hand. This felt good.

"Way better than that sword," he muttered.

But then he sighed and put the crowbar away. "Tch, but I wanna be a badass swordsman. A real man's romance is the blade."

He turned to see Orochimaru struggling again, twisting and writhing like a snake trying to shed its skin.

After a moment of contemplation, Zixu stepped forward and yanked the "Snake Cake" out of the tree trunk.

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