Naruto: Unlocking Kaido Template

"Hey, this spot is hidden enough, right? If we climb any higher, we'll almost reach the top of the tree." A few blades of grass poked out from between the leaves above Aburame Hatsuizumi's head.

"It's quite secluded. I didn't spot any other teams nearby." Hyuga Chinano activated her Byakugan (White Eye), scanning the area. After confirming there were no threats, she pushed Aburame Hatsuizumi, who had her head sticking out, back into cover.

"It's not just enemy teams we need to worry about here. But why don't we take the initiative and attack first?" Hatsuizumi casually swatted away a centipede that had crawled onto her shoulder. The insects she had scattered along the way had already detected multiple unfamiliar chakra signatures. Though they couldn't pinpoint exact locations, they had a rough idea of the general area.

"We're far enough from that place, so we can consider it. But we're one person short, so a two-versus-three fight will be tough." Hyūga Chinano was more cautious. Their odds of winning would be better when Zixu returned.

"But Chinano, if I remember correctly, two members of the Hyuga clan are taking the exam this time. The one named Hinata... What are you going to do?" Hatsuizumi asked knowingly. She was fully aware of Hinata's status—heir to the Hyuga main family, practically the little princess of Chinano's clan.

"There aren't many chances like this. In the Chunin Exams, life and death are uncertain." Hatsuizumi's tone carried a sinister edge. Perhaps it was lingering resentment—revenge for the time Chinano had scared her by saying there was a mother worm growing inside her. That incident had shaken her so badly that it completely altered her worldview.

"Come on, what's the point of killing her? She doesn't even know the Caged Bird Seal (Juinjutsu: Sōke no Juinjutsu). Killing her would only enrage the elders of the main family. The most likely result? A bloody conflict between the main and branch families. If they have to kill someone, it won't be a girl who knows nothing." Uzumaki Hatsuizumi had long grown used to Aburame Hatsuizumi stirring up trouble. This girl looked harmless most of the time, but she had a ruthless streak.

"Ah, Zixu's back already?" Hatsuizumi muttered as a small insect in her palm twitched, making her hand itch. That was the signal—Zixu had arrived nearby.

Chinano reopened her Byakugan, and her vision pierced through the surrounding obstacles, instantly spotting Zixu under the tree.

Zixu looked better than ever. He was in an exceptionally good mood—who knew what he had just discussed with Orochimaru? One thing was clear, though: there was no way he'd let Orochimaru take his body. Instead, he even recommended a few alternatives.

"Uzumaki Naruto and the Calabash Brothers, both of them have insane vitality. Take over their bodies, and I guarantee you'll live a long life."

"If I tried to devour those two, I'd probably die on the spot..." Orochimaru muttered.

"Let's go. We're hunting teams now." Zixu grabbed Chinano and the others and jumped down. "Turn on your Byakugan and scout. I want to beat down every team we come across and finish this trial fast. I've got something important to tell you later."

Aburame Hatsuizumi and Chinano both noticed something unusual about Zixu at that moment. His eyes... They were shimmering—burning with a light they had never seen before.

"Zixu?" Chinano asked cautiously. She could tell that whatever he was about to say next was important. She wanted to know what he had just gone through.

Zixu just waved her off. "Later."

After his conversation with Orochimaru, he had made a decision—one that went against everything he had ever believed. No... It wasn't just a decision. It was a turning point.

He was done pretending. From now on, he would dominate. And he would start with these so-called ninja peers.

---

Elsewhere, on the outskirts of the Forest of Death, several Konoha shinobi, including Mitarashi Anko, stood over a few corpses, examining them.

"These bodies belong to the participants of the Chunin Exams," a masked shinobi reported. "Someone killed them and took their identities to sneak into the exam."

Anko's face darkened upon hearing the report. When she looked at the wounds on the corpses, her expression grew even grimmer. She thought back to the gossipy woman she had encountered earlier... and realization dawned.

Touching the cursed mark on her neck, the reminder of her twisted bond with her former master, she immediately called for reinforcements.

"Notify the Hokage and the ANBU. Tell them we need backup. I'm going in first."

After giving her orders, Anko disappeared into the trees. Her usual mischievous smirk was gone, replaced by cold determination.

---

Meanwhile, back in the depths of the Forest of Death, Orochimaru was repairing his cracked facial skin. A sinister grin stretched across his face as he slowly peeled off his damaged flesh like melted wax.

"This kid is interesting... Partnering with him isn't a bad idea. But since I can't take his body just yet, I'll settle for something else..."

His unsettling smile widened. He had already chosen his next target.

---

With Chinano's Byakugan, Zixu's team quickly located another squad. This one wasn't from Konoha—it was a team from Amegakure (Hidden Rain Village). Even on a bright, sunny day, each of them carried an umbrella.

Zixu cracked his knuckles. "Oh, it's you guys."

Ignoring tactics or stealth, he walked straight toward them. Sometimes, strategy was only necessary when you lacked power. When you were strong, hesitation was pointless. Just attack.

The three Rain ninja looked stunned when they saw the red-haired boy marching toward them so recklessly.

"What kind of idiot rushes in alone?" one of them muttered.

The leader of the trio, a tall man with a scarred, blinded eye, smirked and reached behind him. He pulled out several umbrellas, tossing them into the air.

"Jouro Senbon" (Raining Needles of Death).

The umbrellas spun rapidly, releasing a barrage of silver needles in all directions. The combined attack of all three Rain shinobi created a storm of deadly projectiles.

The silver needles tore through the air, whistling as they rained down like a waterfall onto Zixu.

"Like a thousand drops of rain and dew..." The one-eyed man grinned confidently. He wanted to see how the reckless redhead planned to survive this.

"Die, you red-haired hedgehog! I was worried about not having a scroll, and you just waltz right up to us? Hahaha! What kind of Konoha ninja are you?" He sneered, watching the silver needles rip into the earth, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.

He was already picturing Zixu's corpse—riddled with holes, turned into a bloody sieve.

But reality was often disappointing.

Hey, kid..." As the smoke cleared, the expected sight did not appear.

"Put some effort into it. This isn't even scratching me..." Uzumaki Zixu stepped through the lingering dust, revealing the scattered Senbon embedded in the ground.

"What?"

"Impossible!"

The three Ame-nin couldn't conceal their shock. The Senbon technique they prided themselves on hadn't even managed to pierce their opponent's skin.

Zixu wasted no time taking advantage of their stunned expressions. In an instant, he appeared behind one of the Rain Ninja who had slightly lowered his guard.

Crack—

A sickening sound echoed as the man's neck twisted unnaturally, his body crumpling lifelessly to the ground. His vacant eyes were frozen in shock, as if refusing to accept his fate.

Zixu never left loose ends. Either he didn't make enemies, or he wiped them out entirely.

The one-eyed Rain Ninja, who had been leading the group, barely registered what happened. In a blink, his two comrades lay dead beside him, their eyes still open in horror. A cold sweat dripped down his face.

"I... I'll give you the scroll! Please... spare me!" The man fumbled through his belongings and hastily threw the Heaven Scroll toward Zixu, his hands trembling.

"Good, good, act pitiful. Maybe I can fool this brat and get my revenge later," the one-eyed ninja thought to himself. His face contorted with fake desperation, snot and tears running down his face as he groveled.

From behind, Hyuga Chinano and Aburame Hatsuizumi arrived just in time to see the aftermath.

Chinano frowned slightly at the pitiful display. She didn't mind killing, but watching a ninja grovel so shamelessly left a bad taste in her mouth.

"What's wrong? Feeling soft-hearted, or are you just naïve?" Hatsuizumi smirked, nudging her arm.

"Tch. As if," Chinano responded coldly.

Zixu didn't even glance at the Rain Ninja as he bent down and picked up the scroll. Without another word, he turned and walked away.

Chinano was puzzled by his decision. Letting an enemy live wasn't like him. But Hatsuizumi? She only grinned. She trusted that Zixu wouldn't disappoint her.

The one-eyed man, sensing his chance, started crawling away, his heart filled with a burning hatred.

"Just wait, you little bastard! One day, I'll return this humiliation a hundredfold! When that time comes, you'll beg for death!"

Of course, on the outside, he kept up the act.

"Thank you! Thank you for your mercy! I swear, I will never forget this kindness!"

Zixu casually picked at his ear, as if he had just noticed the man was still talking. He glanced at him once—just once—before continuing on his way.

The man scrambled to his feet and turned to run.

But before he could take more than a few steps, he froze. His body convulsed as if an invisible force was crushing him. His ribs cracked, his internal organs ruptured, and his bones shattered like glass, piercing his flesh from the inside out.

His ambitions died before they ever had a chance to begin.

"So much damn noise," Zixu muttered.

From the very start, he had never planned to let the man live. The delay had been intentional—if other teams had appeared, he would've taken care of them too. But since no one else had shown up, the Rain Ninja was nothing more than an afterthought.

Zixu tossed the scroll toward Chinano, stretching his arms with a series of pops from his joints.

"Alright, let's find another team. As long as we don't kill anyone from Konoha, that old man Sarutobi won't bother pursuing it. Actually... maybe even if we do kill someone from the village, he won't do anything," Zixu smirked.

Chinano narrowed her eyes, studying Zixu's back. There was something about the way he carried himself now—something... different.

"Zixu... you still have that crowbar, right?"

"Yeah. That's all you need to know. Don't worry, we're not dying here. At least, not today."

Hatsuizumi's eyes practically sparkled as she stared at Zixu. Chinano had to resist the urge to shield her eyes from how bright they were.

"I knew it!" Hatsuizumi practically bounced on her feet, excitement evident in her tone. She had been restless ever since witnessing Zixu's strength that night—the sheer force of his attack that reduced stone pillars to dust. She had realized then how weak she was in comparison, and she hated it.

If Zixu was the mysterious "crowbar man," she had to learn his secrets.

"Yeah, yeah, we'll talk about all that later," Zixu waved dismissively. "There's something more important I want to discuss with you guys after this exam. It concerns our organization. It'll determine our future."

Hatsuizumi tried to press him further, but he simply pushed her head down before she could get too close.

Chinano, however, wasn't letting him off that easily.

"Then answer me this. How the hell did you escape that night? I know that was a clone following us, but why couldn't my Byakugan detect anything off? And another thing—"

Zixu had originally planned to answer her, but the first question alone made him freeze.

That night...

Bucky's stinky socks.

He nearly gagged just thinking about them. Nope. Not answering.

"Unimportant," he deflected. "Let's just find more teams to fight. We're steamrolling everyone except those damn Calabash Brothers."

The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted them.

"...Zixu," Chinano suddenly poked his back, her voice tinged with amusement.

"Hm?" He answered without looking back.

"By 'Calabash Brothers,' you mean the red-haired guy with the symbol on his forehead, right? The one traveling with a bandaged guy and a girl with a giant fan?"

Zixu nodded. "Yeah, exactly. Good memory. You're reliable."

Chinano didn't respond. Instead, she slowly raised a finger—pointing just ahead of them.

Not far away, three figures stood. The lead one carried a massive sand gourd on his back.

Zixu blinked.

"...Is there a chance, just a small chance, that the three people over there are the exact ones you didn't want to fight?"

Hatsuizumi clutched her sides, struggling not to laugh.

"Oi, glasses girl," the tall, purple-faced boy with bandages on his back snapped. "What the hell are you laughing at?"

Hatsuizumi waved her hand. "Nothing, nothing... I just remembered something funny... Hahahaha!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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