Chapter 82: Sasuke Is Acting Up Again
After giving Karin a few more instructions on what to do next,
Naruto finally let her leave.
For participants who voluntarily forfeited,
Konoha had people outside waiting to receive and escort them.
So there was no need to worry too much about Karin's safety.
Once she got out, she'd be safe.
Worried that this pitiful, glasses-wearing girl might not have money for the road,
Naruto handed over all the gold coins he was carrying.
In the end, Karin left reluctantly.
She kept looking back every few steps.
Aside from her parents,
Naruto was the first person in this world who had truly been kind to her.
After Karin left,
Naruto's gaze returned to the dead black bear.
"Tsk tsk… what a huge beast."
"Now we've got plenty to replenish with."
"My blade is very sharp—you'll have to endure it."
Bang—
A puppet shadow clone was summoned.
"Thunder Transmission!"
Crackle crackle—
Golden electric currents flared up.
Though the bear's hide was thick and tough,
dismembering it with kunai would still take effort.
But cutting with ninjutsu
was much faster.
After some quick work,
Naruto looked at the result and showed a disappointed expression.
"Sigh… bad luck. It's not a male."
"Whatever—we'll just take the four bear paws back."
Even without the lightning whip,
bear paws were still a good prize.
And these four paws were quite hefty.
Enough to last for a while.
There were still four days left.
If it wasn't enough, he could hunt more.
After all, the Forest of Death was never short of prey.
After storing the four bear paws,
Naruto started heading back the way he came.
Of course, the most important thing—the Earth Scroll—was safely tucked away.
In the blink of an eye, he returned to the earlier spot.
Bang bang—
The sound of weapons clashing rang out.
Not far away, a battle was taking place.
This time it wasn't just two groups.
It was three or four groups fighting at once.
They were Sasuke, Sakura, and Konoha's Rock Lee, Yamanaka Ino, Akimichi Chōji, Nara Shikamaru, etc…
The battle had reached a white-hot stage.
Overall,
people from the same village tended to help and cover each other.
So everyone united against outsiders.
And the ones fighting against them
were the three Sound ninja that Orochimaru had sent—Dosu, Kin, and Zaku!
The reason Orochimaru sent them was simple.
She wanted to test
how strong Sasuke had become after receiving the Heaven's Curse Mark.
If he was still trash,
she might as well kill him outright.
When Orochimaru had explained the mission,
the three Sound ninja had been overjoyed.
After completing the task,
Orochimaru promised to take them as named disciples.
Whether named or not didn't matter.
Just staying beside one of Konoha's legendary Sannin
meant there would be plenty to learn.
Their strength would advance by leaps and bounds.
But Sasuke with the Heaven's Curse Mark
wasn't someone they could easily defeat.
Sharingan + Heaven's Curse Mark.
Instant Wu Hu mode!
In their plan, the three had already become disposable pawns.
They just didn't know it yet.
Back to the current battlefield situation.
Sakura was covered in dust, her face marked with several shocking cuts.
Her long, flowing pink hair
had somehow been cut short.
Uneven and ragged.
As if someone had hacked it off with a knife.
At this moment, Kin was holding Sakura by the collar with one hand,
dangling her like a dead dog.
"Hahaha… weren't you so tough earlier?"
"How come you're useless now?"
"Come on—talk big again!"
Meanwhile Naruto stood on a tree branch, watching everything.
He knew Sakura definitely wouldn't die.
Soon it would be time for Sasuke's 648 recharge to arrive.
Aside from that reason for not intervening,
there was another very important reason!
"Ding—Triggered optional quest!"
"Option 1: Intervene and deal with the three Sound ninja."
"Reward: Phoenix Sage Flower of the Fire Style (C-rank)"
"Option 2: Silently watch from the side, let events unfold, and give Sasuke a stage to perform."
"Reward: No-hand-seal version – Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Flower Claw Crimson (B-rank)"
"Hm?"
Naruto paused slightly.
The dog system didn't I tell you—
just give me the best one directly?
And at this point,
did Naruto even have a choice?
"I choose Option 2."
In the next moment—
a stream of power quickly merged into his body.
The sensation was incredibly refreshing.
Back to the battlefield.
At this moment, Sasuke had fully blackened.
Dark purple whirlwinds rose from beneath his feet.
Dark red curse marks appeared on his face and arms.
They seemed to breathe.
Once all the strange phenomena faded,
the black curse marks were branded across Sasuke's body.
But only half his body was marked.
Why not the whole thing?
Was he afraid of pain?
Of course not.
The Heaven's Curse Mark slowly corroded the user's body.
The more it was used,
the wider the corrosion spread.
Eventually covering the entire body.
Seeing this transformation,
the three Sound ninja's eyes widened.
This was the other very important reason they had been sent on this mission.
Orochimaru had also promised them:
If they completed the task,
each would receive a Heaven's Curse Mark.
After all—this thing was insanely powerful!
Only the most genius among geniuses deserved it.
Dosu panicked, his face full of horror.
"No matter what—this level of breakthrough… just feeling this oppressive chakra is enough to make anyone tremble in fear."
Zaku forced down his terror and gripped his kunai tightly.
"Don't be scared! No matter what—he's still just a kid. Nothing to fear!"
It was as if he was trying to convince himself and gather courage.
Damn it!
What kind of mouth-strong teammate was this?
At this point—what else was there to do except run?
"You idiot—stop! If you want to die, don't drag me down with you…"
Like a gust of wind passing through,
Sasuke's figure vanished from his spot.
In the next instant—he appeared beside Kin
and kicked out.
Kin hadn't expected Sasuke's speed to be so explosive.
His whole body flew backward like a kite with its string cut.
But this was far from over.
Sasuke suddenly looked up.
In a daze—his silhouette overlapped with Orochimaru's.
Dosu's heart pounded in panic.
Zaku's eyes turned red. He raised his arm and released a ninjutsu.
"Supersonic Slicer!"
A violent wind wave shot out in front of him.
It tore a huge gash in the ground.
The fierce wind made everyone's eyes water.
Once the technique was released,
Zaku panted heavily.
"Hmph. A kid is still a kid—too green after all."
"Who are you calling green?"
Sasuke's voice was like a demon from hell.
He appeared beside Zaku.
Zaku's face filled with terror. His brain couldn't keep up with what was happening.
Before he could react, Sasuke slammed an elbow into him.
Zaku was sent flying far away.
He rolled across the ground.
Dust kicked up everywhere.
He looked utterly miserable.
What was once a clear advantage
had instantly collapsed into a disadvantage!
Their high ground was broken. All that was left was to push the lane and take the crystal.
The enemy had come straight down mid-lane and was now storming the base.
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