These guys are too cowardly, Kaguya thought as she kicked the Rain ninja at her feet. They lay motionless like dead dogs, having fainted from fear.
And these people can take the Chunin Exam?
Kaguya raised an eyebrow, speechless.
She had merely cut their throats with a kunai, causing a lot of blood but no fatal wounds. Yet, they fainted, and one even wet his pants.
"Disgusting," Kaguya muttered, removing her mask with a look of disdain, pinching her nose to fan away the stench. She rummaged through one of them and found a scroll.
"Heaven Scroll," she noted with disappointment. She pulled out the scroll she had received from the teacher upon entering the exam, also a Heaven Scroll.
To pass, she needed both a Heaven Scroll and an Earth Scroll, so having two Heaven Scrolls was pointless.
Kaguya tossed the extra Heaven Scroll into the bushes. Keeping it was useless and took up space.
"Looks like I need to keep searching."
Without a glance at the unconscious "bugs" on the ground, Kaguya continued toward the central tower.
As she moved forward, she noticed more signs of human presence—footprints, food scraps, and pieces of cloth snagged on branches, indicating many people had passed through.
The further she walked, the more evident the traces became. Battles were inevitable as competitors fought for scrolls, turning the forest into a battleground.
"They fought quite fiercely," Kaguya observed, crouching to examine the bloodstains and kunai embedded in the trees.
As the sky darkened, the surroundings became pitch black. The dense forest, shrouded in darkness, felt even more eerie.
Deciding to rest for the night and with her stomach growling from a day's hunger, Kaguya halted.
Skillfully, she used a firestone to ignite some dry grass. She skewered some rations on sticks and placed them near the campfire, letting a fragrant aroma waft through the air.
Removing her fox mask, Kaguya took a sip from a bamboo flask, wiped her mouth, and bit into the heated rations. It tasted good.
Ordinarily, lighting a fire in such situations was unwise as it could easily reveal her location, bringing danger.
But Kaguya wanted just that effect—to attract hidden enemies. This way, she wouldn't need to exhaust herself searching for targets.
This was called fishing.
Suddenly, a noise came from behind her.
"Finally, someone has come," Kaguya smiled slightly, turning her head, "I thought—"
Kaguya froze, her eyes widening and pupils shrinking.
A figure emerged from the bushes, illuminated by the campfire, revealing his features.
He had long hair, pale skin, snake-like eyes, and a slender build. Through her Byakugan, Kaguya could see his immense chakra, far beyond that of an ordinary person.
It was Orochimaru.
"What's wrong?" Orochimaru's voice was hoarse and low, "Were you expecting me?"
She had intended to catch a small fish but had hooked a big shark. Meeting Orochimaru here was unexpected.
Kaguya sprang up from the ground, swiftly donning her fox mask and gripping her kunai tightly.
Her mind raced, already planning her escape route.
Orochimaru was not someone to be trifled with. Even the Hokage might struggle against him, and she had no confidence in defeating one of the legendary Sannin.
"I have a gift for you," Kaguya suddenly said, pulling out a scroll from her bosom and tossing it to Orochimaru, "Catch."
It was the Heaven Scroll.
"Oh?" Orochimaru caught the Heaven Scroll and was about to speak.
"Boom!"
The Heaven Scroll exploded instantly, flames and thick smoke billowing up, blasting everything within several meters.
Kaguya had attached an explosive tag to it beforehand.
Kaguya didn't even look back; she turned and ran. She knew that this might work against others, but it was unlikely to even slightly injure Orochimaru.
"Why are you in such a hurry to run?"
Sure enough, Orochimaru's figure suddenly appeared in front of Kaguya, unscathed, his clothes barely damaged.
Kaguya stopped abruptly, drawing her kunai, and watched Orochimaru warily. At this point, fighting was the only option; it seemed that escaping would not work.
"You seem to know me," Orochimaru said with a smirk, extending his long tongue to lick his lips.
"I don't," Kaguya replied casually, though her palm holding the kunai was slightly sweaty.
"Is that so?" Orochimaru chuckled hoarsely.
Suddenly, Orochimaru's figure flashed, rushing towards Kaguya with incredible speed, making it hard to track his movements with the naked eye, like a black arrow.
"Byakugan!"
The intricate blood vessels appeared around Kaguya's eyes, allowing her to see Orochimaru's movements clearly.
Everyone thinks that the Sharingan can capture fast-moving targets, but the Byakugan can too.
A swift wind attacked from behind.
"Here."
Kaguya turned and struck, her palm colliding with Orochimaru's fist.
With a bang, Orochimaru was forced back, sliding away, while Kaguya also took a few steps back. Orochimaru's strength was immense; Kaguya's palm felt slightly numb.
"You can see it, as expected," Orochimaru smiled slightly, "That's quite a good eye. How about this?"
Orochimaru accelerated again, rushing straight at Kaguya, a punch carrying a strong wind. Kaguya didn't take it head-on; she tilted her body, dodging, and struck back with her palm towards Orochimaru's chest. Orochimaru's body bent at a bizarre angle, causing Kaguya's palm to miss, and he spun around to kick.
But Orochimaru's kick also missed as Kaguya suddenly disappeared from where she should have been.
"Body Flicker Technique!"
"What?"
Orochimaru was shocked, as he hadn't seen Kaguya form any hand signs.
What he didn't know was that Kaguya didn't need to form hand signs to cast jutsu.
"Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms," a crisp, tender voice called out from behind Orochimaru.
Caught off guard, Orochimaru was struck in the back, followed by a flurry of attacks like a storm.
"Two palms!"
"Four palms!"
"Eight palms!"
"Sixteen palms!"
"Thirty-two palms!"
Palm after palm, Kaguya's attacks were so fast that only the afterimages of her hands could be seen. Under the rapid assault, Orochimaru's body shook like a sieve, unable to resist.
Finally, the last palm struck hard, sending Orochimaru flying like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily to the ground.
But it wasn't over yet.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
A huge, scorching fireball shot from Kaguya's mouth, heading straight for the distant Orochimaru.
"Boom!"