Hold him?
Looking at Sasuke's confident expression, Orochimaru couldn't help but laugh.
A mere Chūnin thinks he can hold him off?!
"Alright, I'll give you a chance."
He calmly looked at the group, his voice indifferent. "Just in time, I can witness the remnants of the Uchiha bloodline."
As his words fell, a chilling, abyss-like pressure flooded the air, like a roaring tide crashing through the forest.
The falling leaves scattered in the wild wind, a tangible, cold killing intent that sharply pricked at their nerves. The weight of the pressure was even heavier than before, making it hard to breathe.
"Move!"
Sasuke gripped her kunai tightly and urged the others.
However, the immense psychological pressure of facing an unknown, terrifying enemy made her palms sweat uncontrollably, and the cold sweat on her forehead grew like raindrops.
"But—"
Naruto's inner pride wouldn't allow him to abandon his comrades and run away.
"The time for talk is over."
Orochimaru slowly opened his mouth, and as if regurgitating something, he spat out a sword from within his body.
The sword in his hand exuded a fierce aura that immediately enveloped the entire area. With a sinister smile, he looked at them like a hunter chasing its prey, tauntingly saying, "Run, run with all your might. That's what makes it fun."
Swish!
The branches trembled lightly as the enemy's figure suddenly disappeared from their sight.
A flash of sharp sword light came at them, swift and deadly, and neither Naruto nor Sakura even had time to react.
Clang!
A violent spark exploded right in front of Naruto's eyes.
It was Sasuke. She had blocked the enemy's sword strike with her kunai. The tremendous force was too much for her to withstand, and her hands began to numb from the impact.
Thanks to the precondition of practicing "Shunko," her original single-tomoe Sharingan had evolved into a double-tomoe, allowing her to barely catch the movement trajectory of the person just now.
"Sasuke?!" Naruto's pupils contracted, belatedly realizing the danger, and seeing the cold glint on the sword's edge, his heart skipped a beat!
If it weren't for Sasuke's quick reaction just now, both he and Sakura would have been sliced in half by that sword!
"Stop talking, run!" Sasuke growled, interrupting Naruto, who was still hesitating. Her voice was harsh, "Don't you understand? Even if you stay, you'll only be a burden!"
"Sasuke..." Sakura's face darkened.
Anyone would feel uncomfortable being criticized to their face for their lack of strength and being told they were just a burden.
"Go!"
But Naruto gritted his teeth, grabbing Sakura and running off.
"Make sure you come back, Sasuke. This time, I won't hold it against you!"
The two figures rapidly moved away, and Sasuke's tense expression finally eased... just a little.
But it was only a little.
She understood that the hardest part was still ahead.
"Now you're relieved?" Orochimaru paid no attention to the two leaving, his voice laced with amusement. "Show me your true abilities. If I'm not satisfied, those two will be in danger."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed, the two tomoe slowly spinning. "I won't let you catch up to them!"
Shing!
The harsh sound of metal clashing echoed as the blade met the kunai, creating a brilliant spark.
Sasuke's pupils narrowed, and she immediately felt an increased pressure as the kunai was pushed half an inch into the blade.
"Not good!"
The girl quickly discarded her kunai, and her figure vanished in an instant.
The next moment, the sword smoothly cut through the kunai, cleanly slicing through the air and leaving a faint, glowing trail behind.
Crack!
A thick tree trunk, surrounded by several people, was suddenly slashed diagonally in two.
Sasuke looked at the smooth surface of the broken tree trunk, which was as flawless as a mirror, and a cold sweat beaded on her forehead. If she hadn't reacted so quickly, she would've been split in two by now.
"An impressive Body Flicker Technique. It must have been taught to you by Uchiha Shisui, right?"
Orochimaru's eyes filled with admiration as he shifted his gaze to another direction.
Such speed could only come from either Minato Namikaze's 'Flying Thunder God' or Uchiha Shisui's Body Flicker Technique. From the looks of it, Sasuke had clearly inherited the name of 'Body Flicker.'
Impressive, considering her age.
But... not enough!
Orochimaru slightly squinted his eyes, eager to push further and test Sasuke's limits.
He slowly raised his hand, the corner of his mouth curling into a smile. "Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Several vicious snakes suddenly emerged from his sleeves, heading straight for Sasuke.
Watching the snakes, their mouths dripping with venom and their sharp, gleaming teeth, Sasuke knew she couldn't afford to be caught. She quickly placed chakra beneath her feet and leaped backward.
At the same time, she swiftly formed hand seals. Before the snakes could reach her, she opened her mouth and unleashed a massive fireball.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
The scorching flames consumed the snakes, releasing the aroma of roasted meat.
At the same time, Sasuke pulled several shuriken from her pouch and, using the openings while swiftly moving through the trees, threw them from the blind spots of her opponent's vision with a special technique.
Shua shua shua shua
Shurikens flew from all directions through the forest, forming a giant net that surrounded Orochimaru in the center.
However, he showed no sign of panic. With his sword in hand, he effortlessly sliced through all the shurikens.
"What sharp weapons. I need to come up with a plan," Sasuke, hiding her presence, observed the scene and quickly formulated a plan in her mind.
Suddenly, a figure darted out from the forest, accompanied by shurikens and kunai, raining down on Orochimaru like a storm.
"Too slow. Too inaccurate."
Orochimaru calmly dodged the attack and commented.
"Is that so?!"
Sasuke pulled hard with both hands, the thread she was biting on tightening with a sharp sound: "Sharingan Windmill—Three Big Swords!"
The shurikens and kunai that had been dodged earlier suddenly turned in a large circle under the influence of the string.
The thread swiftly bound Orochimaru, trapped in the 'trap,' directly against the tree trunk.
"Now's the time!"
Sasuke quickly formed the hand seals for the Snake, Dragon, Rabbit, and Tiger, biting the string. A burst of high-heat fire shot out from his mouth.
Whoosh—!
The flames were concentrated into a straight line, speeding along the thread toward the enemy.
The intense heat of the fire melted through the thick tree trunk, and Orochimaru, bound to the tree, screamed in agony as he twisted in the flames, eventually turning to ashes.
However, Sasuke looked at the charred remains of the enemy without any emotion, showing no sign of hesitation. Without a second thought, she turned and ran deeper into the forest.
She wasn't foolish. Someone as powerful as that couldn't be taken down so easily.
Unless that person was doing it on purpose!
Just as she stepped onto a branch, a voice suddenly echoed in her ears — unique, unforgettable, hoarse, and gloomy:
"Not bad, I'm really starting to like you more and more."
Boom!
A blast of strong wind exploded by her ear, causing Sasuke's eardrum to ache.
In a panic, she could only raise her arms to block, and then felt a heavy strike to her abdomen, causing her to fall uncontrollably, plummeting straight down.
She broke several branches on the way down and crashed heavily to the ground.
********
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