Inside a dim underground chamber, the flickering lights brought no warmth instead, they only made the place feel even more ominous.
Orochimaru sat there with a pale, weakened expression, cold sweat constantly dripping down his face.
Tap… tap… tap…
Footsteps echoed as Kabuto Yakushi walked in from outside.
Orochimaru slowly raised his eyes and glanced at him.
His voice was hoarse as he asked,
"Well? What about Sasuke… He should be reaching the point where the curse mark begins to consume him, shouldn't he?"
Hearing this, Kabuto shook his head, his expression turning slightly grim,
"Orochimaru-sama, something unexpected has happened… Sasuke is currently training under Yagyu Sōsuke, and his strength is growing rapidly! And this growth doesn't rely on the curse mark at all."
Swish.
At those words, Orochimaru suddenly lifted his head, a terrifying killing intent flashing in his eyes.
Memories of Yagyu surfaced in his mind.
At the Forest of Death, Yagyu had stopped him from placing the curse mark on Sasuke.
Then during the Konoha Crush, Yagyu had nearly wiped out half of the Sand and Sound forces, disrupting his plans once again.
Although Orochimaru had achieved his main objective,
it still left a bitter taste in his mouth.
And finally, their clash at Tanzaku Town he had been on the verge of capturing Tsunade, only for Yagyu to ruin everything yet again.
"Heh… hehehe… HAHAHA!"
Orochimaru first chuckled softly, then threw his head back, his snake-like eyes turning slightly bloodshot.
"Hiruzen Sarutobi… just as expected of you. Even in death, you took my arms… and left behind a troublesome opponent even more difficult than Jiraiya!"
His laughter grew almost hysterical, his face deathly pale:
"Yagyu Sōsuke… truly a genius that the old man chose to nurture after the three of us. Time and time again, you've interfered with my plans. How interesting… Are you trying to stop Sasuke from becoming my vessel?"
As he spoke, Orochimaru's mind raced, analyzing the meaning behind Yagyu guiding Sasuke.
Kabuto, too, showed disbelief,
"What I find most unbelievable is this given the pride of the Uchiha clan, Sasuke actually accepts guidance from Yagyu Sōsuke… it's truly astonishing."
Orochimaru let out a cold laugh,
"That's where your weakness lies, Kabuto you don't understand human emotions. Humans are complicated creatures… Sasuke carries a sea of blood-deep hatred, yet lacks the right path to grow stronger."
"Someone like Yagyu who possesses overwhelming strength and suppressed Sasuke from the very beginning, planting a sense of admiration has a fatal attraction for him. Wanting to learn from someone far stronger than yourself… isn't that perfectly natural?"
Hearing this analysis, Kabuto nodded thoughtfully,
"Then what should we do next, Orochimaru-sama? Should we abandon Sasuke as a vessel?"
Swish.
A pair of cold eyes locked onto Kabuto Yakushi.
Orochimaru spoke in a hoarse voice:
"Give up? I went through so much trouble to plant the Cursed Seal of Heaven on Sasuke—do you think I would just abandon him? But you're right… it's time to carefully consider our next move."
After a brief pause, Orochimaru recalled his encounter with Yagyu at Tanzaku Town and continued:
"When I saw him there, his presence was clearly far stronger than during the Chūnin Exams. If my guess is correct, Yagyu-kun has already reached the level of the Five Kage."
Hearing this, Kabuto's eyes widened in shock:
"The level of the Five Kage? Has Yagyu Sōsuke really become that powerful?"
Orochimaru chuckled lightly, not dwelling further on the topic.
Looking at Kabuto, he said,
"Even if Yagyu is guiding Sasuke, we can't just sit still… Kabuto, send Sound Four to make contact with Sasuke. If they can bring him back, all the better."
"If not, then test how strong Sasuke has become. And if they die… let Kimimaro fulfill his final purpose. You know what to do, don't you?"
Kabuto's expression turned serious as he nodded,
"Yes, Orochimaru-sama. Leave it to me I'll personally confirm everything."
With that, he turned and left.
Once Kabuto was gone, the burning pain in Orochimaru's arms made him let out a low groan.
"Yagyu-kun…"
His teeth clenched so hard that blood seeped out, his voice filled with killing intent,
"As long as you live… it seems I can never obtain Sasuke's body…"
Those terrifying, blood-red snake eyes gradually disappeared into the darkness of the underground chamber.
Evening.
Boom!
The sound of a fire-style jutsu exploding echoed across the training ground.
A massive crater appeared in the field.
Beside it, Sasuke stood there, his clothes soaked with sweat, breathing heavily.
"My chakra… it's completely drained…"
As he panted, sweat streamed down his face.
His two-tomoe Sharingan glowed crimson with pressure,
"Yagyu… even just a shadow clone of his has this much combat power? Isn't that chakra completely unfair? It's even greater than Naruto's…"
Just as Sasuke's thoughts wandered.
Whoosh.
A sudden sound of something cutting through the air came from behind him.
Sasuke quickly turned around, his expression changing drastically,
"What? So fast!"
Bang.
A powerful roundhouse kick sent Sasuke flying, even as he tried to block in a panic.
Landing on the ground, Yagyu stood there with a calm expression and said:
"Out of chakra already? Good then we move to the final phase of combat training. Taijutsu sparring begins now, Sasuke."
Whoosh.
As he spoke, Yagyu casually tossed a ninja blade toward Sasuke.
"Hey…"
Catching the blade, Sasuke frowned slightly:
"Taijutsu…? If that's the case, just one hit from me would dispel your shadow clone."
Swish, swish, swish.
Yagyu casually spun his blade, smiling as he replied:
"Don't worry. Just attack with everything you've got my taijutsu is very strong."
Whoosh.
The moment his words fell, Yagyu charged straight at Sasuke, his blade cutting forward in what seemed like a simple, unremarkable slash.
Facing Yagyu's attack, Sasuke whose taijutsu was decent but far inferior could only struggle to defend.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound of blades colliding rang continuously, sparks bursting out from time to time.
Amid the training time passed little by little.
The sun had fully set, and the moon had risen into the sky.
In the blink of an eye, it was already deep into the night.
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