Naruto: Drinking Makes You Stronger

Haruki Hyuga adjusted his sunglasses, trying to appear calm.

As soon as he spoke, the chaotic scene fell eerily silent.

The red glow in the eyes of the enemies village Genin quickly faded, replaced by deep-seated fear.

"Kisame, what should we do?"

Haneda Kaito turned to Kisame, his voice trembling.

Kisame remained silent.

They were now faced with another gamble: whether the Konoha group could truly contact Leo or not.

If they could, then Leo's wrath would be upon them in no time.

"Konoha, why don't you share some of those red flowers with us? Let's keep things peaceful, shall we?"

A Genin from the Hidden Cloud Village spoke with a terrified expression.

Cloud Village had sent three teams to participate in the Chūnin Exams. One team had been completely annihilated by Leo, leaving only him as the sole survivor from his squad.

The other teams had been luckier, with some members still intact. But those who hadn't encountered Leo couldn't comprehend the sheer terror of his power.

That constant dread, the feeling of a blade hanging over your neck, not knowing when it might strike, was far worse than death itself.

"We just want to survive!"

Time passed, and tension mounted. Eventually, someone broke down, crying and screaming.

"We'll trade all of our scrolls for the flowers!"

Suddenly, Haneda Kaito's eyes widened. He trembled violently and shouted in desperation.

"Please! Hurry! That monster is coming!"

He could feel it—an enormous, terrifying chakra was approaching rapidly.

"What do we do?"

Inuzuka Aki looked at the sobbing and kneeling ninjas from the enemy villages, his face conflicted.

"Give them the flowers or take their scrolls," Haruki suggested, pushing his sunglasses up as his mind raced.

There was only one way these participating village ninjas could have found their location so easily.

It was because Konoha didn't want them to die at Leo's hands.

Haruki quickly explained the situation to the Konoha group, leaving everyone stunned.

"Put the scrolls on the ground!"

Aki, his face still covered in small red flowers, shouted authoritatively.

It was a stark contrast to how much he had disliked the red flowers at the start of the exam.

"Thank you! Thank you!"

The other village ninjas nearly wept with relief as they frantically gathered their scrolls and threw them onto the ground. Their eyes were filled with desperate hope as they looked at the Konoha team.

At this point, they no longer cared about the outcome of the Chūnin Exams.

All they wanted was to survive.

"Take this!"

Aki pulled out a small red flower and tossed it to the ground.

The ninjas from the other village descended into chaos, scrambling to grab the flower.

"That's mine!"

"Get your hands off it!"

"Damn it, give me one!"

Even Kisame gritted his teeth and joined the fray, unable to hold back.

"Whoosh!"

"Outer village scum, I'm here."

A voice rang out, chilling the participating village ninjas to their very core.

They froze mid-fight, clutching the red flowers they had just snatched. Slowly, they turned their heads.

It was as if they were staring into the abyss itself. Their eyes widened in terror, cold sweat drenched their bodies, and they began trembling uncontrollably.

"I will kill you all, and this nightmare of an exam will finally end."

Leo's mouth curved into a sinister smile, one that the participating village ninjas would forever remember as the stuff of nightmares.

"Huff—"

A brilliant dark purple light flared to life.

"Boom!"

"No!!!"

The participating village ninjas screamed in despair as Leo's devastating slash surged toward them, obliterating everything in its path.

Just as the ninjas from the participating village faced the brink of annihilation, salvation seemed only one step away.

"Summoning Jutsu—Rashomon!"

Boom!

A massive, ghost-faced gate erupted from the ground, standing tall to shield the ninjas from the incoming onslaught.

The violent dark purple slash, ten meters high and three meters wide, resembled a furious giant carving a monstrous scar into the earth.

Even the Konoha ninjas hurriedly moved aside, a trace of fear etched on their faces.

For the first time, they truly understood the despair the participatingvillage ninjas had endured.

Seeing the devastating slash approach, Kisame's expression darkened. Gritting his teeth, he ignored the pain and began weaving hand seals.

"Damn it!"

But the slash's speed was overwhelming. There wasn't enough time to complete the ninjutsu.

A glimmer of despair appeared in Kisame's shark-like eyes.

Was this the end?

The Arrival of Rashomon

"Summoning Jutsu—Rashomon!"

A massive ghost-faced gate rose dramatically, its size dwarfing everything around it. It stood as an impenetrable wall before the outer village ninjas.

Boom!

The terrifying slash collided with Rashomon, shaking the earth with its impact.

The ground trembled violently, and the outer village ninjas collapsed to the ground, their faces pale but filled with relief for having narrowly escaped death.

Watching from the Hokage's Office

In Konoha's Hokage office, Sarutobi Hiruzen observed the scene unfold through a crystal ball, surrounded by senior Konoha ninjas.

When Leo unleashed the monstrous dark purple slash, Sarutobi's heart froze.

If that attack had landed, the participating village ninjas would have been obliterated without a trace. Such an event would undoubtedly bring trouble to Konoha.

Fortunately, Orochimaru arrived just in time.

Sarutobi exhaled deeply and lit a cigarette, his faith in Rashomon's power unwavering.

Known as the "absolute defense," Rashomon had always been a reliable safeguard.

"This should stabilize the situation," Sarutobi murmured confidently.

The Unstoppable Slash

However, Orochimaru, standing atop Rashomon, quickly realized something was wrong.

At first, he shared Sarutobi's confidence that Rashomon had neutralized the attack. But then his pale expression darkened.

Crack—Crack—

The dark purple slash, as though enraged, flared with renewed intensity.

Boom!

A surge of even more terrifying energy emanated from the collision point, causing Orochimaru to lose his footing atop Rashomon.

Finally, the slash's energy seemed to dissipate, but Orochimaru's relief was short-lived.

Crack—Kacha—

A blinding light burst through Rashomon's center, splitting the colossal gate in two.

Orochimaru leapt from the crumbling structure, landing on the ground with a grim expression.

Crash!

The two halves of Rashomon toppled over, raising thick clouds of dust.

Back in the Hokage's office, Sarutobi froze mid-motion, his cigarette forgotten in his hand.

He had thought the situation was under control, only to realize it had spiraled out of his grasp.

"Even Rashomon was cut apart!" Jiraiya exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief as he stared at the crystal ball.

"And this… this was just a casual strike," murmured Shinku Yuhi, the chief examiner of the first trial, equally stunned by the devastating scene before her.

With just a single blow, Rashomon had been sliced open!

At the same time, Sarutobi Hiruzen frowned slightly, a conflicted smile forming on his lips. He had originally planned to give Leo a warning through Orochimaru, letting him know that Shinku Yuhi, Sarutobi's beloved student, had strong backing and shouldn't be bullied.

But now, Sarutobi had to admit—he might not even be able to defeat Leo himself.

"Exaggerated. Truly exaggerated."

Orochimaru's snake-like eyes glimmered with intrigue as Leo's figure emerged from the settling dust.

Although Sarutobi had tasked Orochimaru with delivering wine to calm Leo down, the Sannin couldn't resist testing the young man's strength.

"I can't miss this opportunity," Orochimaru murmured to himself.

Leo, on the other hand, locked his sharp gaze on Orochimaru through the haze, his crimson eyes glowing with a menacing light.

"Huh? Another one?"

Leo's drunken state only fueled his anger. He didn't recognize Orochimaru at all. All he saw was another nuisance from the participating village who dared to interfere with his plans to finish this dull exam and enjoy some fine wine.

"Since you're here, I'll deal with you quickly," Leo growled, his irritation reaching its peak.

Orochimaru's expression remained composed, though his snake-like pupils contracted slightly. He swiftly formed hand seals.

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

Hiss—Hiss—Hiss—

Dozens of venomous snakes shot out, their gaping mouths revealing sharp, glistening fangs.

"Boom!"

"What is Orochimaru doing? Didn't I tell him to calm Leo down with wine first?!" Sarutobi slammed his hand on the desk, his face red with anger.

"Perhaps Orochimaru wants to gauge Leo's strength. It could benefit Konoha," Jiraiya offered cautiously, trying to calm the Hokage.

"One or two of you! None of you ever make my life easier!" Sarutobi retorted, directing his frustration toward Jiraiya.

Jiraiya could only manage a weak smile. He knew Sarutobi's temper was flaring, and he silently prayed for Orochimaru's safety.

Deep down, Jiraiya was confident that Orochimaru wouldn't lose. After all, Orochimaru was one of the legendary Sannin, a veteran of the Second Ninja World War, and widely regarded as Konoha's second most powerful ninja.

There was no way Leo, no matter how talented, could stand a chance against Orochimaru—or so Jiraiya believed.

Back on the battlefield, Leo's instincts flared as the venomous snakes lunged toward him.

"Disgusting," Leo muttered, his grip on his blade tightening.

With three sharp slashes, streaks of silver light illuminated the air.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The venomous snakes, no matter how ferocious, were sliced apart as if they were fragile paper dolls. Their remains fell lifelessly to the ground.

"You snake bastard! Are you here just to disgust me?" Leo roared, pointing his sword at Orochimaru.

In his past life, Leo had always hated snakes. Their cold, slithering nature had never sat well with him, and seeing Orochimaru's techniques only ignited his rage further.

Orochimaru's lips curled into a smile. "Interesting. Let's see how far you can go."

The clash between the snake and the storm was just beginning.