Though Sasuke instinctively sensed that the Yakushi Kabuto before him was dangerous, he didn't take it too seriously.
As a Mangekyo Uchiha, only the very top tier of shinobi in the world warranted his full attention—everyone else was beneath him.
Moreover, Kabuto had previously taken Sakura hostage, lowering Sasuke's opinion of him even further. If Kabuto weren't afraid of him, why resort to such a lowly tactic?
In turn, didn't taking Sakura hostage prove Kabuto's lack of confidence against him?
Zzt zzt. The high-pitched hum of electric current blended with the quiet night, adding a spark of light to the darkness.
At the heart of that light was Sasuke, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan activated, charging forward with his right hand gripping a crackling Chidori, poised to strike!
Though he looked down on Kabuto, he maintained his vigilance, using his Sharingan to track Kabuto's every move.
Facing Sasuke's aggressive advance, Kabuto glanced around with his peripheral vision, assessing the battlefield while forming hand seals.
"That's…"
Sasuke froze slightly, staring at Kabuto's hands.
The sequence of Kabuto's seals left Sasuke unable to discern what ninjutsu he was preparing. As the distance between them closed rapidly, the unease in Sasuke's gut grew, yet he couldn't pinpoint its source!
Kabuto, having completed his seals, smirked. "Sage Art, White Shock Technique!"
Swish. In an instant, a phantom red dragon burst from Kabuto's mouth, its claws clutching a black orb. The orb trembled violently, emitting a blinding light and a piercing, ear-splitting screech!
The sudden light and sound disrupted Sasuke's attack instantly.
He halted, raising his left hand to shield his eyes. To his horror, even with his Mangekyo Sharingan, glancing at the light caused a sharp, burning pain in his eyes, forcing tears to stream down.
The next moment, the screeching sound hit, and Sasuke couldn't help but cry out in pain.
The sound waves not only assaulted his eardrums but reverberated through his body, causing excruciating pain that made it impossible to focus.
Swish. At that moment, a hand shot out from the blinding light, seizing Sasuke's throat. Using the momentum, it lifted him high and slammed him brutally into the ground.
"Pfft!"
The immense impact forced a spurt of blood from Sasuke's throat.
As the light and screech faded, the phantom red dragon carrying the black orb vanished. Sasuke, heavily injured, struggled to open his eyes, seeing Kabuto's face framed by purple eyeshadow.
"Damn… damn it!"
Sasuke was furious, but the agony coursing through his body left him unable to resist. Kabuto's grip on his throat made even breathing difficult.
Kabuto smiled faintly. "Sasuke-kun, it seems I won't get to witness the wonders of your Mangekyo Sharingan's dojutsu after all!"
Seeing Kabuto's mocking expression, Sasuke's anger flared. "You damned bastard!"
A sense of absurdity flooded his mind. He couldn't fathom why Kabuto, so overwhelmingly strong, had resorted to taking a hostage earlier. It made him feel like Kabuto had been toying with him from the start!
Orochimaru approached slowly, first glancing at Sasuke in Kabuto's grip, then shifting his gaze to Kabuto. "The Dragon Cave?"
"Yes." Kabuto nodded respectfully before explaining, "I'm sorry, I entered it without your permission to rescue you."
Sasuke, growing oxygen-deprived, vaguely caught their exchange, thinking, The Dragon Cave? What's that place? Did Kabuto become this strong because of it?
"No need to apologize," Orochimaru said, shaking his head. He then ordered, "Let him go."
"Yes, sir!"
Kabuto promptly dropped Sasuke to the ground.
With a glance at Sasuke, Orochimaru said no more and led Kabuto away.
In different circumstances, Orochimaru wouldn't have passed up a chance at Sasuke, who had practically delivered himself. But now, he needed to complete his deal with the Akatsuki.
The Akatsuki's 'B,' overseeing this transaction, was a Mangekyo Uchiha. Taking Sasuke could cause complications, so Orochimaru decisively left him behind.
Cough cough cough. Sasuke, sprawled on the ground, coughed violently.
In Sage Mode, Kabuto's speed and strength were among the shinobi world's elite. Combined with his mastery of medical ninjutsu and intimate knowledge of human anatomy, his earlier strike had precisely targeted Sasuke's liver, leaving him in too much pain to recover quickly.
Forget forming seals for ninjutsu—he couldn't even muster the focus to use his seal-less dojutsu.
Soon, as Sasuke struggled to his feet, Kakashi's reinforcement team caught up.
Seeing Sasuke hunched over, Kakashi rushed to him. "Sasuke, are you okay?"
"I'm fine!"
Sasuke shook his head darkly, wiping blood from his mouth.
Kakashi pressed, "Who injured you?"
"Yakushi Kabuto!"
Sasuke gritted his teeth.
This crushing defeat infuriated him. Kabuto was indeed strong, but Sasuke didn't believe he had no chance, especially since he hadn't even used his Mangekyo Sharingan's dojutsu.
"As expected!" Kakashi sighed, scolding, "Sasuke, you were too reckless! Chasing Orochimaru alone? This time they were in a hurry to escape, but if they weren't, your fate could've been dire!"
Sasuke argued, "I was just caught off guard!"
Kakashi shook his head. "Asuma, Kurenai, and over a dozen others were all defeated by Kabuto. With your Sharingan power depleted, you can't use your Mangekyo. You're no match for him, let alone Orochimaru!"
Sasuke opened his mouth but swallowed his words, as the fact that he'd recovered half his Sharingan power was still a secret.
Seeing Sasuke's frustration, Kakashi knew he wouldn't return quietly. "Follow me. We keep pursuing!"
"Got it!"
Sasuke agreed without hesitation.
…
Elsewhere.
Having temporarily evaded Hidden Leaf's pursuers, Orochimaru finally met 'B' in her red-cloud cloak. "Let's begin the deal."
Karin glanced at Kabuto, standing respectfully behind Orochimaru, then looked away. "Mm."