A Close Call

"It seems you already know about the Cursed Seal of Heaven," Orochimaru smiled, the corner of his mouth curling upwards. "That's right, Sasuke has one too."

Of course, Kaguya knew what the Cursed Seal of Heaven was.

The Cursed Seal of Heaven was a forbidden technique developed by Orochimaru. Users of the cursed seal could gain immense power when using it, but the longer they used it, the more harm it did to them.

The cursed seal had two stages: in Stage One, black markings spread over the user's body, which were related to the user's chakra. In Stage Two, the markings covered the entire body, causing significant changes to the user's skin and appearance.

Once marked with the Cursed Seal of Heaven, it was equivalent to being invaded by Orochimaru, who could use the seal to resurrect himself.

The thought of being invaded by Orochimaru made Kaguya sick, but she had no other choice since Hinata was in his hands.

"Fine." Kaguya bit her lip, making up her mind. If it could save Hinata, this small matter was nothing.

"Excellent." Orochimaru's face showed a triumphant smile. "Then let's begin." Orochimaru's neck extended, his mouth opening wide to reveal his fangs as he lunged towards Kaguya.

"Wait!"

A voice suddenly interrupted.

Kaguya was startled and leaped back, causing Orochimaru's fangs to bite into thin air.

"Naruto, why are you here?" Kaguya turned around to see a familiar blonde figure running towards her.

It was Naruto.

"Kaguya, where did you go? Hinata wants to see you," Naruto panted, then noticed the familiar figure behind Kaguya and gritted his teeth.

"Bastard!" Upon recognizing Orochimaru, Naruto angrily charged forward.

But he had barely covered half the distance when Kaguya grabbed his collar and pulled him back.

"What did you say?" Kaguya anxiously grabbed Naruto's collar, shaking him. "What happened to Hinata?"

Naruto, dizzy from being shaken, quickly replied, "Hinata is looking for you."

"You mean Hinata is safe?" Kaguya asked, unable to believe it.

"Yeah, someone attacked the medical ninja, but Hinata wasn't there. She was taken away by Kurenai-sensei," Naruto explained, confused by Kaguya's agitation. "What's going on?"

Kaguya patted her chest and exhaled a long breath of relief.

"Looks like I've been found out," Orochimaru's lips curled up. "What a pity."

Realizing that Hinata was indeed safe, Kaguya's body relaxed. Her concern had made her almost believe Orochimaru's lies.

"Kaguya," Orochimaru's gaze locked onto her like a predator eyeing its prey, "I'll continue to observe you. Don't disappoint me." With that, Orochimaru's body began to sink into the ground.

And the previously injured Dosu also vanished without a trace.

"Bastard, don't run!" Naruto yelled, gritting his teeth, ready to give chase.

Kaguya grabbed Naruto and forcefully pulled him back. "Don't be reckless, you're no match for him."

"But..." Naruto's face was filled with frustration.

A hard flick on Naruto's forehead silenced him.

"Stupid, when will you become a bit smarter?" Kaguya said with a blank expression.

Naruto held his head, his face flushing as he looked at Kaguya standing so close. He didn't know why, but Kaguya seemed especially beautiful right now.

"What are you standing there for? Let's go."

"Oh, oh."

When Kaguya and Naruto returned to the exam arena, the match had already ended.

Walking to the area, Kaguya's foot slipped on something. She looked down and picked up a food container. Due to her stepping on it, the curry and rice inside had been squeezed out.

Kaguya seemed to remember something and quickly looked around, not seeing any sign of Rock Lee or Guy-sensei.

"Kakashi-sensei, where did Rock Lee go?" Kaguya asked Kakashi.

"Rock Lee," Kakashi sighed, "he's been sent to the hospital. He really pushed himself too hard."

Rock Lee was very strong in the early stages but became less remarkable later. Besides the fact that more powerful characters appeared, a significant reason was the aftereffects left from his fight with Gaara.

Is history truly unchangeable?

Thus, the preliminaries for the third stage of the Chunin Exams ended.

The winners were Kaguya, Gaara, Neji, Naruto, Shino Aburame, Shikamaru, Kankuro, and Temari.

As for Sasuke, he disappeared after the preliminaries, likely to deal with the Cursed Seal of Heaven on his neck.

The matchups were also announced.

Gaara vs. Sasuke

Neji vs. Naruto

Shino Aburame vs. Kankuro

As for the remaining match, Kaguya would fight Shikamaru, and the winner would go on to fight Temari.

Meanwhile, in Kikyo Castle, two people were conversing. They were Orochimaru and Kabuto.

"I will now leave Uchiha Sasuke to you," Orochimaru said in his hoarse voice. "The curse mark I placed on him seems to have been sealed by Kakashi. Although it doesn't make much difference, I want you to bring him here while the darkness in his heart hasn't dissipated."

"You seem to be in a hurry," Kabuto adjusted his glasses.

"Because something unexpected happened," Orochimaru leaned against a pillar. "I discovered an even better candidate, but unfortunately..."

"Are you referring to Kaguya?"

"Unfortunately, she's part of the Anbu," Kabuto smiled. "She won't betray Konoha."

"It's just not the right time yet," Orochimaru licked his lips with his tongue. "One day she will leave Konoha, because someone has already taken notice of her."

Orochimaru paused, not continuing, but a gleam flashed in his eyes, and a wicked smile appeared on his lips.