Naruto :Madam, You Don't Want Anything To Happen To Sasuke, Right? Chapter 164 : Hidden Grass Village! Progressive Timeline!

Uchiha Haru remained silent this ti.

Everyone has their own ambitions.

Jiraiya's ambition was not to beco Hokage.

That was sowhat similar to Haru's own feelings.

Being a Kage wasn't as comfortable as being a hands-off boss.

Especially after seeing i Terumi working tirelessly in the Hidden Mist Village, Haru gave up on the idea entirely.

In that case...

Danzo must not be allowed to stay!

...

anwhile, in the Death Forest—the battleground for the second stage of the Chunin Exam—

Kimimaro, Uzumaki Karin, and Chojuro faced the grueling survival test.

This stage was a fierce contest for survival. The teams would compete to seize the Heaven Scroll and Earth Scroll. The team that succeeded would receive the matching scrolls of heaven and earth.

Even if victorious, the exam duration was 120 hours—five full days.

During that ti, the teams were forced to remain deep inside the Death Forest.

Countless venomous snakes, wild beasts, and enemies constantly stalked the forest.

Compared to the first stage of the Chunin Exam, which tested individual strength and teamwork, this stage placed a heavier emphasis on survival skills, team coordination, and ergency response.

On the first day inside the Death Forest, Kimimaro, Uzumaki Karin, and Chojuro had already obtained the scrolls they needed by overcoming other competitors who tried to take advantage.

They quickly handled a few reckless Genin who had thought they could bully them simply because of numbers.

Before long, the three young Hidden Mist ninjas had made a na for themselves.

Kimimaro's terrifying Kekkei Genkai, the Shikotsumyaku—his deadly bone veins that blended offense and defense seamlessly—was unmatched.

Uzumaki Karin's powerful sensory abilities and healing techniques were impressive.

And Chojuro's skill with the sword was both swift and deadly.

Yet, on the third day inside the forest, a problem erged.

They encountered a lone ninja wearing a bamboo hat and a Hidden Grass Village (Kusagakure) forehead protector.

Perhaps he had been separated from his comrades and was now alone.

Kimimaro, Uzumaki Karin, and Chojuro had already obtained their scrolls and weren't interested in bullying a lone ninja.

If you want a real fight, go find the strong ones.

They did not stoop to bullying the weak or overwhelm soone unfairly.

Only Uzumaki Karin's expression shifted thoughtfully when she saw the lone Hidden Grass ninja.

She felt an eerie familiarity—not with his face, but with his chakra signature.

Karin's ability to distinguish people by chakra was unique.

The chakra of this Hidden Grass ninja made her skin crawl, as if being stared at by a venomous serpent.

Her back chilled with discomfort.

Yet, she kept silent.

In this competition between the young ninja of the major villages, none feared anyone.

Just as they passed the lone Hidden Grass ninja, he sneered coldly.

That sneer was chilling, almost shocking.

Kimimaro, Uzumaki Karin, and Chojuro sensed danger imdiately.

They moved swiftly to place so distance between themselves and the man, taking defensive stances.

"Who are you?" Kimimaro demanded.

Among the three, Kimimaro was the eldest and the son of the Kaguya clan chief.

Trained rigorously since childhood in traditional ninjutsu, and ntored by the chief of the Uchiha clan, Kimimaro's mind was sharp and his adaptability strong.

Naturally, he had beco the backbone of this Hidden Mist team.

"There's sothing off about him. Stay alert!" Uzumaki Karin warned deeply.

Chojuro drew his sword, ready for battle.

But the Hidden Grass ninja stood perfectly still.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew away the bamboo hat and the matted hair concealing his face.

Revealed were a pair of snake-like eyes—cruel, vicious, and malevolent.

"Hehehe..." the Hidden Grass ninja sneered.

At once, Kimimaro, Uzumaki Karin, and Chojuro, ready to strike monts ago, froze as if struck by lightning.

It felt like their bodies had lost all control.

They struggled to move—but their limbs refused to obey.

At that critical mont, three giant green pythons appeared behind them, slithering forward with mouths dripping blood.

Then, Kimimaro moved.

Bone spurs erupted through his skin, growing rapidly in an instant.

The Kekkei Genkai of the Kaguya clan: the Shikotsumyaku—corpse bone pulse!

The bone spurs elongated further and further.

Especially those shooting out from his legs, pushing dangerously close to piercing his own arms.

Kimimaro ignored the pain and focused his chakra to continue growing the deadly bones.

Sizzle!

The bone spurs pierced his palms.

Bright red blood sprayed imdiately.

Behind him, the giant green pythons sensed sothing strange.

With greedy, predatory glints in their cold eyes, they coiled faster and lunged forward.

"Ah!"

The pain in Kimimaro's palms brought him back to full control.

Without hesitation, two bone spikes as sharp as kunai ford in his hands.

He stabbed them into Uzumaki Karin and Chojuro.

He aid to use pain to help his teammates break free from the paralysis.

The Grass ninja standing before them was the strongest enemy they had encountered since entering the Forest of Death.

His strength wasn't sothing that could be compared to ordinary Genin—or even most Chunin or Jonin.

The jutsu that had paralyzed them just monts before was known as the Temporary Paralysis Technique.

In terms of classification, it was rely a D-rank jutsu. Nothing remarkable on the surface.

They all knew this technique. But for it to produce such devastating effects... was terrifying.

At the very least, Kimimaro asked himself honestly: could he pull it off to the sa extent?

The effectiveness of the jutsu hinged on the disparity in strength between the user and the target. Without an overwhelming advantage, the jutsu would be little more than a montary distraction.

And judging by how completely they'd been suppressed, the difference in power was imnse.

It wasn't just large—it was crushing.

But even so, Kimimaro didn't retreat.

Though Uchiha Haru hadn't appeared often to personally instruct him in ninjutsu or strategy...

So lessons didn't need to be taught with words.

They could be learned just by watching.

When faced with a powerful enemy, never cower, never turn away. No matter how dire the situation, maintain absolute composure.

Only then could one seize the right opportunity—to overco strength with precision, or to survive and escape.

Clack! Clack!

Behind Kimimaro, Uzumaki Karin and Chojuro had recovered from their paralysis. They swiftly dispatched the three monstrous green snakes that had attacked earlier and returned to Kimimaro's side, forming a defensive line once more.

Together, the three Hidden Mist ninja would face this unpredictable and dangerous enemy.

"Haha, interesting," the Grass ninja said, a twisted smirk on his face and a flicker of admiration in his eyes.

He had actually pierced his own hand to break free from the paralysis?

Using pain to override a body-bound jutsu... That kind of situational response—could a Genin really be capable of that?

These kids were sothing else.

Worth the detour, indeed.

"Shadow Snake hand!"

With a sharp shout, countless serpents erupted from the sleeves of the ninja's robe like a tidal wave.

Kimimaro responded imdiately, pulling a bone sword from his back. This was no ordinary blade—it was forged from his own spine.

His kekkei genkai, Shikotsumyaku—the Corpse Bone Pulse—was a terrifying bloodline of the Kaguya Clan.

His bones served as both blade and armor.

And this particular sword was his sharpest, hardest creation.

In terms of hardness and edge, it even surpassed that of the Kaguya clan's patriarch—despite his Kage-level strength.

That wasn't about raw power.

It was talent.

Chojuro raised his own massive sword—Hirakarei—its imposing weight resting easily in his grip. He was a weapons specialist, after all.

When he had his blade, he had confidence.

Karin stood at the center, between them.

She had the least combat experience and was the weakest in direct battle among the three. But she had unparalleled sensory ability and healing talent.

Even so, in this perilous mont, both Kimimaro and Chojuro instinctively moved to protect her.

But deep down, they all knew.

Even with all three of them, they probably weren't this mysterious Grass ninja's match.

The sea of snakes surged toward them, hissing and striking with gaping maws and glinting fangs.

Kimimaro and Chojuro slashed rapidly—bone sword and broadsword cleaving through the flood of snakes. Their teamwork was precise, their defenses tight.

But even with that, they were barely keeping the serpents at bay.

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hand!"

The enemy's voice echoed again, and with it ca a shift in atmosphere.

At first glance, this jutsu looked similar to the previous one.

But only on the surface.

In reality, they were two different techniques.

The Shadow Snake Limb was a C-rank ninjutsu, a straightforward snake-based attack.

Hidden Shadow Snake Hand, on the other hand, was a B-rank—more advanced, more cunning.

This jutsu didn't just summon snakes to bite indiscriminately.

These serpents worked in unison—so targeted weak points, so acted as distractions, others coordinated attacks to pin down the enemy or trip up defenses.

In the earlier wave, Kimimaro and Chojuro had handled it with ease.

But now, their reactions were strained.

The serpents were intelligent, coordinated, relentless.

Karin tried to assist, but her limited offensive capabilities left her role minimal. She focused instead on monitoring chakra signatures and watching for flanks.

Soon, Chojuro took a bite to the leg—superficial, but painful.

A few monts later, Kimimaro suffered a slash across his side from a venomous fang.

The continuous battle was draining their stamina.

.

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