It was another Grass ninja!
While Sakura had her back turned to him—and everyone's attention was focused on the words on the ground—he suddenly hurled a kunai!!
Damn it!!
The domain barrier covered a wide area. Sasuke was too far away. Even if he threw another kunai or a shuriken now, there was no way it would reach in time to knock the Grass ninja's weapon aside!
When Naruto shouted, Sakura instinctively dodged to the side!
The kunai grazed her lower leg before striking the barrier and clattering to the ground.
"!!"
Sakura felt a sharp sting. Her hand immediately clutched the spot just above her ankle on her lower leg.
Iruka instantly understood.
Sakura had been cut by the kunai.
"Don't make a sound, Sakura!" Iruka warned.
Sakura nodded. But when she moved her hand away and saw that the blood on her fingertips had turned an unnatural bluish-black color, a wave of dizziness hit her.
The kunai had been poisoned!
Basic poisons were covered in the ninja academy curriculum, and students were required to carry a certain number of antidote pills in their ninja pouches at all times.
As one of the academy's top students, Sakura quickly opened her ninja pouch and took out two antidote pills. She swallowed one and crushed the other, applying the powder directly to the wound.
But...
When the antidote touched the wound, the poison inside it didn't weaken.
It actually started getting stronger!!
Iruka was shocked.
"The antidote isn't working?!"
The one most knowledgeable about poison here was Kankuro from the Sand. He carefully examined the changes in the wound on Sakura's leg, as well as the spasms and cold sweat spreading across her body.
"It's a poison made from a plant native to the Land of Grass. On its own it doesn't look very toxic—almost identical to ordinary poison. But if you try to neutralize it with a standard antidote…"
Naruto shouted, "What happens then, dattebayo?!"
Kankuro's expression grew serious.
"The toxicity increases by at least two times."
Sasuke exploded with rage!
He rushed straight at the Grass ninja. Before anyone could react, he had already snapped the man's arm!!
"AAAAAAH—MY HAND!!"
Unable to bear the pain, the Grass ninja screamed.
"Bang—!"
A cloud of blood mist exploded.
Chunks of flesh splattered everywhere, coating Sasuke's body and face.
At this moment, Sasuke's body, face, and hair were drenched in blood. Strange black markings crawled across the left side of his body and face.
Even the Second Hokage's temporary seal wasn't strong enough.
The Curse Mark Orochimaru had planted had broken through!
Karin curled up and hugged herself tightly, trembling.
It wasn't because of the sudden death.
It was the chakra radiating from Uchiha Sasuke…
Cold.
Dark.
Terrifying.
Corrosive.
She had never felt chakra like this before. It was like sinking into the sludge at the bottom of an abyss—no matter how hard you struggled, you couldn't climb out.
Naruto and the others were also stunned by Sasuke's condition.
"Sasuke!" Naruto slammed his fist against the barrier. Sakura looked like she was in terrible shape, and Sasuke had become incredibly strange!
Inside the barrier, Sasuke's face was dark as he felt the power surging through his body.
Naruto sensed something was very wrong with Sasuke's state. He punched the barrier again and again.
"Damn it, Sasuke! You better hold on!!"
"Bang!" "Bang!!"
"Just wait for me!" "Bang!!" "Bang!!!"
"WAIT FOR ME!!! SASUKE! SAKURA!!"
["Oh ho~ Do you already need my power again?"]
["Good. The Fourth Hokage's seal is already weakening."]
["Come on! Crave more power! Beg me to lend it to you!"]
["Uzumaki… Naruto…!"]
Standing behind Naruto, Iruka, Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro could all sense the change happening within him.
A faint red glow began to replace the pale blue chakra native to the human body.
"Naruto!"
"Naruto…"
Iruka and Gaara looked worried.
"Hey!"
"No way?!"
Temari and Kankuro had seen Gaara lose control before, and they were afraid Naruto might end up the same way.
But compared to them, the one who understood Naruto's condition best right now was Karin, thanks to her unique chakra-sensing ability.
Compared to Sasuke, whose body was already half-covered in the Curse Mark—
Naruto's chakra was even darker.
Even more evil.
Even more furious.
It felt like the embodiment of hatred itself.
Like a living volcano, ready to erupt at any moment and swallow everything it despised.
…
Why was it so angry?
Karin could sense that the chakra Uzumaki Naruto was using outside the barrier right now was like a deadly poison.
Like drinking poison to quench thirst—gaining power while harming himself.
Looking at the pink-haired girl who had just applied medicine to her wound, Karin suddenly felt a mix of envy and sadness.
The three of them saving each other, caring about each other…
That must be what the bond between comrades feels like.
Someone like her—an outsider—
would never have that kind of connection anywhere.
Right?
She should have known this long ago…
She and her mother never belonged to any village.
…
Without an effective antidote, Sakura's breathing began to grow labored.
Sasuke was struggling against the power inside his body.
Naruto had begun using the Nine-Tails' power. His eyes had turned into red, beast-like pupils. Gaara used his sand to help him attack the barrier.
The others were basically powerless to help.
The situation looked grim.
And just then—
Two more groups suddenly arrived.
"Caw! Caw!!!! Sasuke!"
"The Nine-Tails' power?! That red-haired girl is—"
"Naruto! Sasuke! Sakura!"
"You used the Nine-Tails' power again?!"
"How did this happen?!"