#37 Divine Reward System

“Boy, your ninjutsu skills are impressive,” Orochimaru mused, his sharp eyes narrowing. “But what about your taijutsu?”

Without warning, he lunged forward, his fist shooting toward Tatsuya's face with lethal precision.

Sasuke and Naruto barely had time to react. The sheer speed of the attack was terrifying.

But Tatsuya dodged effortlessly, tilting his head just enough for Orochimaru’s punch to graze past. He hadn’t even activated the Sharingan—yet his reflexes were that sharp.

Orochimaru’s eyes gleamed with intrigue. “Oh? You’re quick.”

He followed up with a rapid barrage of strikes, testing Tatsuya’s reaction speed, power, and technique. Fists clashed against open air, Tatsuya slipping just beyond Orochimaru’s reach every time. He wasn't just dodging—he was adapting. Countering. Learning Orochimaru's fighting style as they fought.

Naruto watched in stunned silence. “Holy crap, he’s keeping up with him!”

Sasuke gritted his teeth. This wasn’t just “keeping up.” Tatsuya was improving as they fought. With every exchange, his movements became sharper, his footwork more precise. His talent was on full display.

Orochimaru smirked, stepping back. “You’re not just some random genin, are you?”

He wasn’t wrong. Tatsuya had been improving at an astonishing rate, his skills developing mid-battle in a way that defied all logic. But despite his rapid growth, there was still a gap between him and a Sannin.

Orochimaru knew it. Tatsuya knew it.

And yet—

“Tch,” Orochimaru clicked his tongue, finally putting some distance between them. “Interesting.”

Sasuke and Naruto barely processed what had just happened. “Did Orochimaru just… back off?” Naruto whispered.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. “That’s never a good sign.”

Orochimaru gazed at Tatsuya, thoughts racing. “What are you, really?” he muttered under his breath. “I’ve never heard of you before… and yet you fight like this.”

His lips curled into a sinister smile. “I must have you.”

Without hesitation, he bit his thumb and slammed his palm onto the ground.

[Summoning Jutsu!]

A massive cloud of white smoke burst forth, and a shadow loomed within. The earth trembled as an enormous serpent, several times larger than before, emerged, its golden eyes gleaming with hunger.

“That’s… a boss summon?!” Naruto yelped, scrambling back.

Sasuke’s jaw tightened. “This just got worse.”

Tatsuya stared up at the towering snake, a flicker of excitement in his eyes. He wasn’t afraid—he was intrigued.

Perched atop the snake’s head, Orochimaru chuckled. “I haven’t been this excited in a long time. Let’s see what else you can do.”

His focus on Sasuke had been completely replaced by Tatsuya. The desire to take his body, to uncover his secrets, burned in his mind.

But Tatsuya wasn’t just going to sit and wait.

“You want to see?” His voice was steady, controlled. “Then I’ll show you.”

Without hesitation, he formed hand seals.

[Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!]

A massive orb of flames roared to life, surging toward the colossal snake. Orochimaru merely scoffed.

“That little flame won’t hurt my summon.”

The giant snake reared back and exhaled a thick, gray-black mist, smothering the flames effortlessly. But as the fireball was extinguished, something gleamed within.

“Oh?” Orochimaru’s eyes flickered with amusement. “Shuriken hidden in the flames?”

He tilted his head just slightly, avoiding them with ease.

But then—

Tatsuya vanished.

Orochimaru’s smirk faltered.

“What?!”

Before he could react, Tatsuya reappeared—directly behind him.

Sasuke and Naruto barely saw it happen.

“How did he—?” Sasuke started, but then realization hit him like a brick.

[The Flying Thunder God Technique.]

Orochimaru’s pupils shrank. He recognized it instantly. A shuriken—marked with an intricate seal—had landed exactly where Tatsuya had reappeared.

The very same technique used by the Fourth Hokage.

Orochimaru had no time to dodge.

The kunai in Tatsuya’s grip plunged forward.

SHLICK!

Blood sprayed.

Naruto and Sasuke stood frozen, their minds refusing to process what had just happened.

Orochimaru staggered, his body trembling. His breath hitched, his face contorted in shock and pain.

Tatsuya didn’t hesitate. He followed up with a brutal kick, sending Orochimaru hurtling toward the ground.

BOOM!

Orochimaru crashed with a deafening impact, dust and debris flying everywhere. As the smoke cleared, something rolled from his mouth.

Naruto’s eyes widened.

“The Earth Scroll!”

The very same scroll Orochimaru had swallowed earlier now lay in the dirt, proof that his defeat was real.

Tatsuya stood above, his expression unreadable.

Orochimaru, one of the legendary Sannin, had just been outplayed.

Sasuke clenched his fists. Naruto’s breath came out in ragged gasps.

When the smoke and dust settled, Orochimaru’s body was finally revealed. But what was truly shocking was that his form was still writhing, shifting unnaturally. The sight sent chills down the spine.

The next moment, the corpse’s mouth suddenly gaped open—wider than it should have been. From within, another Orochimaru slithered out, unscathed and eerily calm.

Sasuke and Naruto stood frozen, their eyes widening in disbelief. If Tatsuya hadn’t already known about Orochimaru’s deceptive tricks, he would have been just as stunned as Sasuke.

“Snake Shedding Technique,” Tatsuya muttered.

[Snake Shedding Technique]: Utilizing a discarded body as a decoy, the user transfers themselves through their own mouth, bypassing seals entirely. This is the pinnacle of substitution techniques! This technique can even escape Amaterasu. However, outside of Orochimaru himself, the chakra cost is extremely high.

It was a technique perfectly tailored to Orochimaru. Without it, he would have died countless times. He only used it when truly endangered, as the chakra consumption was no small price to pay.

Against most ninjutsu, Orochimaru’s reflexes were enough to evade. But against the [Flying Thunder God Technique], things were different. A single misstep meant death. Of course, his overconfidence played a part—he hadn’t considered Tatsuya an opponent on his level. That mistake had led to this moment.

Above them, standing atop a giant serpent’s head, Tatsuya looked down at Orochimaru. The legendary Sannin’s eyes flickered with shock and something deeper—jealousy.

He was astonished. How could someone so young possess such monstrous talent? Not only did Tatsuya master two chakra natures, but he also wielded the elusive art of Space-Time Ninjutsu. There was no doubt about it—Tatsuya had versatility that most ninjas above Jonin rank just don't have. And he was only twelve.

An Elite Jonin prodigy at such an age… it was simply absurd. The sheer potential of such a ninja made even Orochimaru envious. He now understood that fighting Tatsuya any further would be too great of a risk.

'If the fight escalates further, the old man might even reveal himself.'

What troubled Orochimaru even more was Tatsuya’s stamina. Despite the intense battle, Tatsuya stood there, completely composed, not even breathing heavily. His chakra reserves seemed untouched. It was inhuman. No—it was monstrous.

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. "Boy, we will meet again."

And with that, his form flickered and vanished, leaving Tatsuya, Naruto, and Sasuke standing in the clearing. As soon as he disappeared, his summoned beast—a massive black snake—dissipated into smoke, returning to the Ryūchi Cave.

Tatsuya knew that defeating Orochimaru wasn’t the hard part. Though the Sannin hadn’t used his forbidden techniques—[Eight-Headed Serpent Jutsu] or [Edo Tensei]—Tatsuya still had his own hidden powers: his [Kekkei Genkai] and [Tailed Beast Chakra].

But capturing him? That was a different story.

Orochimaru was always one step ahead in escape tactics. In the future, he would be sealed away by Itachi, who wielded the [Totsuka Blade] hidden within his [Susanoo]. That legendary blade had sealing powers that even Orochimaru hadn't anticipated.

With his mastery of Earth Release, Orochimaru could merge into the ground and escape through terrain with ease. Unless countered with Lightning Release, he was nearly impossible to track. Unfortunately, Tatsuya had yet to master the lightning nature—his chakra affinities were complete except for Lightning and Yin Release.

If only he had the [Byakugan] or [Nine-Tails Chakra], things might have been different.

Still, this battle was a humiliation for Orochimaru. One of the Legendary Sannin—Konoha’s infamous mad scientist—had been bested by a mere Genin. If word spread, it would shake the entire shinobi world.

Long after the battle ended, Sasuke and Naruto remained in shock.

It wasn’t until Tatsuya approached them that they snapped out of it. Both turned to him, eyes filled with admiration.

“Tatsuya, that was incredible!” Naruto practically bounced with excitement. As Tatsuya’s closest friend, he was bursting with pride.

Tatsuya shrugged. “It was nothing.”

His casual response left both Naruto and Sasuke speechless.

Sasuke crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes. “When did you get this strong?”

Naruto nodded in agreement. “Yeah! Back at the academy, you were just like me!”

“I just didn’t want to stand out before,” Tatsuya replied simply.

That answer only made them more frustrated.

“Alright,” Tatsuya continued. “Now that we’ve gathered all the scrolls, there’s no need to stick around.”

Naruto scratched his head. “Then what now?”

Sasuke sighed. “If you had half a brain, you’d know the answer. Obviously, we go to the [Central Tower].”

“Not yet.” Tatsuya’s tone was firm.

Naruto and Sasuke exchanged glances. “Why not?” they asked in unison.

“You’ll see.”

Tatsuya knew that without Orochimaru, the [Sound Trio] would eventually come looking for them. Instead of waiting, he would take the fight to them.

Luckily, before the first exam, Tatsuya had secretly marked Dosu and his team with his chakra. Finding them in this vast Forest of Death would have been difficult otherwise.

With a determined stride, Tatsuya took off. Sasuke and Naruto hesitated for only a moment before following him.

Their steps quickened instinctively, as if they were walking in the footsteps of a legend.

As they moved, they unexpectedly came across another fight.

Up ahead, a familiar trio was locked in combat: the Ino-Shika-Chō team.

Shikamaru, Ino, and Chōji were struggling against a group of Ame-nin. Normally, with Shikamaru’s tactical mind and Ino’s support jutsu, a standard three-on-three battle wouldn’t be difficult.

But this wasn’t three-on-three. It was five against three.

Or rather, six against three. One of the Ame-nin wasn’t fighting—not because he didn’t want to, but because he physically couldn’t. He lay sprawled on the ground, unconscious.

Tatsuya immediately recognized him.

It was the same Ame-nin who had crossed their path earlier—the one Orochimaru had blasted away with [Wind Release: Great Breakthrough].

Coincidence? No. Fate.

Clearly, the Ino-Shika-Chō trio had spotted the weakened Ame-nin and tried to take out his squad. But they hadn’t expected reinforcements.

Just as Naruto spotted the uneven fight, his frustration boiled over.

“Five against three?! That’s not fair!” he shouted, charging straight in.

Shikamaru, Ino, and Chōji lit up with relief. If Naruto was here, that meant Sasuke and Tatsuya weren’t far behind. With their help, they could turn the tide of battle.

As expected, the very next moment, Sasuke and Tatsuya stepped into view. Unlike Naruto, they didn’t announce their arrival.

They didn’t need to.