Seeing the scroll that Dan ced on the ground, Tsunade and Jiraiya couldn''t help but feel a surge of excitement. The scroll they held was the Heaven Scroll, and now, with the Earth Scroll in hand, their mission was effectivelyplete. All that was left was to head to the central tower.


    It was still the first day of the exam, and the prospect of being the first team to reach the central tower filled them with a sense of pride.


    However, Dan was clearly not happy about the situation. Even though he was unwilling, what choice did he have? He underestimated Orochimaru and paid the price for it. The same mistake had almost gotten three Konoha ninjas killed earlier, and now it had left two of his teammates severely injured. All of this was the cost of his own arrogance, and he couldn''t me anyone else.


    Faced with Orochimaru''s overwhelming strength, Dan had no choice but to offer the Earth Scroll as a way to guarantee his own safety.


    He hoped that by handing over the scroll, he could leave and perhaps find another team to steal the scrolls from, securing his team''s passage through the exam.


    Tsunadeing from the Senju n, she had always harbored a certain disdain for the Uchiha. The rtionship between the two ns had always been strained. Though they shared the same vige, there was always an undercurrent of animosity. And during moments like these, even if it wasn''t an open conflict, there was no love lost between them. If Orochimaru was making things difficult for an Uchiha, she saw no reason to intervene.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Orochimaru''s lips curled into a sly grin.


    "Alright, get moving. It seems the Uchihas aren''t as impressive as they think."


    "You bastard!" Dan snarled, his fury barely contained. His pride as an Uchihay in tatters after being forced to surrender the Earth Scroll, and now this civilian-born ninja was humiliating his n? It was unthinkable. The arrogance of the Uchiha would never permit such an insult."You''ll pay for this, Orochimaru!" Dan shouted, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword tightly. His Sharingan eyes red to life, his blood boiling with rage.


    Orochimaru remained unfazed, his cold eyes locking onto Dan''s. "You want to fight? Fine. But this will be yourst mistake."


    Without looking back, Orochimaru made a subtle gesture to Jiraiya and Tsunade, signaling them to stay out of the fight. He wanted to handle this alone.


    Tsunade and Jiraiya exchanged uneasy nces but knew better than to interfere. When Orochimaru faced a single opponent, he never allowed anyone else to step in. This was his fight, and he intended to finish it.


    Deep within the Forest of Death, another group of three led by a boy from the Inuzuka n was on the move, leaping from branch to branch with their ninken alongside them.


    "Hold on for a moment!" Inuzuka Zen ordered, raising a hand to halt his team''s advance.


    "What''s up?" Ryuichi from the Hyuga n asked.


    "I heard something up ahead. Ryuichi, can you use your Byakugan to check it out?"


    "Got it."


    With that, Ryuichi activated his Byakugan. The veins around his eyes bulged as his vision expanded, cutting through the dense forest in front of them like a knife through butter. ???????Ё?


    "It''s them!" Ryuichi said, surprised.


    "Who?" Zen asked, his interest piqued.


    "The trio from the exam room the ones with Orochimaru, Senju Tsunade and Jiraiya."


    "Orochimaru? Interesting. Who are they fighting?"


    "They''re up against Uchiha Dan''s team," Ryuichi answered.


    Zen''s eyes lit up at the mention of Uchiha Dan. "Uchiha Dan? Now that''s a surprise. If they end up weakening each other, we can swoop in and take the spoils. Let''s move!"


    "Wait, Zen!" Ryuichi stopped him, his voice tense.


    "What''s wrong?"


    "The fight''s already over."