"Who's there? Show yourself!" Orochimaru roared, his face twisted with rage. He had traveled all the way from the Hidden Sound Village to claim Uchiha Sasuke's body, even risking exposing himself in the Chūnin Exams. Now, when he was so close to his goal, someone dared to interfere.
Orochimaru's face was terrifying—burned, twisted, and his eyes filled with murderous intent. He looked like a demon from the depths of the underworld.
"Sakura! Get Sasuke and run!" Lee shouted, stepping out from his hiding spot.
"Ah, it's you," Orochimaru sneered, a cruel smile forming on his lips. "Last time, I let you live, thinking you might be useful. But you dare to stand in my way again?"
Lee kept a calm expression, even though his heart was pounding. "You might be strong, but Sasuke isn't alone. He's the last of the Uchiha clan, and Naruto is the son of the Fourth Hokage. Don't think Konoha wouldn't take measures to protect them!"
Orochimaru paused, clearly unsettled by Lee's words. He knew his former teacher Sarutobi Hiruzen well. While the Hokage might seem lenient, he was a true strategist and wouldn't leave the village's most valuable young shinobi unprotected. Orochimaru's gaze narrowed in thought.
"Sakura!" Lee's words had momentarily thrown Orochimaru off, but Sakura still stood there, frozen in fear, tears streaming down her face. Lee grit his teeth, fighting the urge to go slap some sense into her.
Quickly, he flicked a stone at her.
"Ow!" Sakura cried, snapping back to reality. "What's the big idea? Why are you here?" She looked around, seeming to finally realize the danger.
"Run! Get Sasuke and go!" Lee shouted again.
Sakura trembled, clearly furious, but when she saw Orochimaru's long, snake-like neck staring her down, she scooped Sasuke onto her shoulders and began running toward Naruto.
"Put him down, or die," Orochimaru's voice was deadly, his gaze locking onto them.
"Run! I'll hold him off!" Lee yelled.
"Then, I'll just kill all of you," Orochimaru hissed, his neck coiling back like a snake ready to strike.
"Don't look back! Just run!" Lee yelled as he threw a wall of shuriken between Orochimaru and Sakura.
"You foolish child!" Orochimaru's gaze shifted to Lee, abandoning his pursuit of Sakura for the moment.
"If you think killing me will be easy, you're mistaken," Lee said, forcing himself to look unbothered despite the tension in his voice.
"You're strong for a Genin, perhaps even able to escape from a Jōnin… but you're out of your league," Orochimaru sneered. "I might have taken you to the Hidden Sound Village, but if you're so eager to die, I'll grant your wish."
"It's an honor to face Orochimaru of the Legendary Sannin," Lee replied with a small smile.
"You know my name?" Orochimaru looked surprised for a moment. "Pity. Die!"
Orochimaru's neck twisted again, moving at an impossible speed as he lunged for Lee.
Lee's eyes narrowed, and with a swift movement, he threw all the shuriken he had left in his bag, forming a barrage around Orochimaru.
"You think shuriken alone can stop me?" Orochimaru mocked. "You even left a gap, just for me to strike."
Without hesitation, Orochimaru transformed into a shadowy figure, aiming to slip through the opening Lee had left.
"The Peacock Spreads Its Tail!" Lee murmured.
In an instant, the shurikens changed direction, ricocheting off each other to cover every possible escape route, the openings disappearing as they swarmed in a dense, deadly pattern.
The Peacock Spreads Its Tail was a hidden weapon technique Lee had learned from his martial arts knowledge. It was simple in theory—leave an opening to lure the enemy in, then activate internal force to make each shuriken collide, creating a deadly web. It required precise timing and control, and only someone with refined inner strength could execute it.
"This shuriken technique… it's almost like Itachi's!" Orochimaru's eyes widened as he struggled to react in time.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Three of Lee's shurikens managed to hit Orochimaru's extended neck, drawing blood.
"Did… did that work?" Lee was stunned. He'd hoped the move would at least throw Orochimaru off balance, but he hadn't expected it to actually injure him. However, he knew better than to stay in one place. Orochimaru would get serious now, and Lee would need every second to escape.
Without a second thought, Lee turned and sprinted toward the forest, his figure blending with the trees.