Konoha Forest
Orochimaru stared greedily at Sasuke. "The reason I'm here… is because of you, Sasuke…"
"What do you mean…?" Sasuke asked through gritted teeth.
Sasuke had a pretty good idea of why Orochimaru was here. He was torn. On one hand, he had the bonds he'd already formed. On the other, he could gain the power necessary for revenge. But that would mean abandoning his comrades in the village.
His mind raced back and forth, vacillating between his comrades and revenge. He remembered Sakura throwing herself in front of Orochimaru's attack in the Forest of Death, Sakura celebrating his birthday after the mission to the Land of Waves, the New Year's celebration where Naruto and Sakura had sought him out, the night that truly marked the beginning of their three-way bond. And then… the blood-soaked moonlit night, his clan slaughtered… and his own weakness…
Weakness. That was the only thing Sasuke felt when facing Orochimaru, just like when he faced that man.
Finally, the image in his mind settled on a room: his parents lying dead, slain by that man's blade…
"Naruto, Shikamaru, Shino, continue the mission. Protect the sealing squad… His target is me…" Sasuke said in a low voice to Naruto and the others.
Orochimaru, hearing Sasuke's words, made no move to attack the other members. His only goal now was Sasuke. After the failure in the Forest of Death, there were no more suitable opportunities within the village. Sasuke was being protected. So, he had to seize this chance during the chaos of the attack.
"Don't be ridiculous, Sasuke. I'm never going to abandon a comrade…" Naruto immediately retorted.
"Hmph… Heh heh… What do you even know…?" Sasuke said, a cold laugh escaping him as he covered half his face with his hand. "…It's not that you're abandoning me…"
"It's that I'm abandoning you…" Sasuke lowered his hand, his face a mask of grim determination as he looked at Naruto.
"Wh-… What… do you mean…?" Naruto asked, swallowing hard.
Just then, the giant snake under Orochimaru's feet suddenly showed signs of distress. A jet of water erupted from its belly, then circled the snake's body in a slicing motion. The snake was instantly severed in two, and a figure leaped out from the cut – it was Sakura, who had been swallowed earlier.
"Sakura! Sakura-chan…!" Naruto and Shikamaru called out simultaneously. "Are you alright?"
"Huff… Huff…" Sakura was panting, wiping the snake's blood from her face. "I'm fine. It stank in there! Thank goodness I learned Lightning Release. Otherwise, it would have been tough to get out."
"I'm so glad you're okay, Sakura-chan…" Naruto said, relieved.
"Naruto, Shikamaru, Shino, you continue the mission. I'll stay here with Sasuke and hold off Orochimaru," Sakura said. "Mission change: Go and protect the sealing squad's retreat. Don't worry about the Sand ninja."
Sakura assessed the situation and couldn't think of a better plan. Sealing squads usually required combat personnel for cover, but she hadn't anticipated that, in addition to the Chunin Exam participants already in Konoha, a large number of enemies had infiltrated the village. This forced the genin to protect the sealing squad. Compared to combat ninja, sealing ninja and medical ninja were much more valuable.
And now, with them being intercepted by Orochimaru, it was better for Shikamaru and the others to prioritize the mission. Otherwise, the worst-case scenario would be the sealing squad being wiped out and Sasuke getting the curse mark.
"Sakura-chan…"
"I'm the captain, Naruto. Go and carry out the mission…" Seeing Naruto about to protest, Sakura cut him off.
Shikamaru, hearing this, didn't hesitate. He grabbed Naruto and rushed past Orochimaru. As expected, Orochimaru ignored them.
Orochimaru looked at the slain giant snake and then at Sakura. "You've grown stronger, Haruno Sakura… I didn't expect Konoha to have a genius like you…"
"Hmph, Orochimaru, you're like a lingering ghost. You planned this all along, didn't you…?" Sakura said coldly.
"Hehehehe… Indeed. I can give Sasuke the power for revenge. Why would you prevent him from obtaining this power…? Are you afraid that Sasuke, with this power, will surpass you…?" Orochimaru was trying to sow discord between Sasuke and Sakura.
His words were mainly directed at Sasuke. Sasuke's resolve had wavered earlier, and Orochimaru needed only to stoke the darkness within him to make things go much more smoothly.
Sakura glanced at Sasuke and saw a flicker of doubt in his eyes. "Sasuke, think about it. Why would someone as powerful as Orochimaru be so obsessed with your Sharingan…? Don't let hatred blind you…"
Sasuke was startled by Sakura's words, jolted back to his senses. Members of the Uchiha clan were generally perceptive, and Sasuke was no exception. After Sakura spoke, he regained some clarity.
"If you've thought it through, then let's figure out how to deal with Orochimaru together," Sakura said, seeing Sasuke's gaze become more resolute.
Orochimaru, seeing that Sasuke's resolve was no longer wavering, felt a growing annoyance towards Sakura. Orochimaru never let his emotions dictate his actions; he only saw things as either beneficial or detrimental to him. He carefully recalled everything that had happened since he first encountered Haruno Sakura, and he felt that she had seen through all of his plans. This feeling was extremely unsettling to him.
"Enough chit-chat," Orochimaru said, making hand seals. "Summoning Jutsu: Many Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
He leaned forward, and countless snakes crawled out of his mouth. In an instant, a dense mass of snakes surged towards Sakura and Sasuke.
Seeing the wave of snakes approaching, Sakura felt a shiver run down her spine. She made hand seals: "Water Release: Water Encampment Wall!" She encased herself and Sasuke within a protective sphere of water.
Just as she was feeling secure within the water wall, waiting for the snake attack to subside, Sakura felt it becoming increasingly difficult to control the wall's rotation. Before long, snakes were breaking through the water barrier and lunging at her.
"Sasuke!" Sakura cried out urgently.
Sasuke threw shuriken at the snakes, instantly pinning several white snakes to the ground.
"What's going on…? Why can they break through my water wall…?" Sakura was puzzled.
"Stop, Sakura. We're surrounded," Sasuke said, his Sharingan activated.
"What do you mean…?" Sakura asked.
"The white snakes Orochimaru summoned are rotating around your water wall at the same speed. In other words, to the snakes, your water wall is relatively stationary," Sasuke explained.
Sakura suddenly understood. The water wall's defense was primarily stronger against Fire Release attacks; its defense against physical attacks was only average. Her modifications had increased its strength against physical attacks, but without the advantage of rotation, it was only a matter of time before the white snakes broke through.
Seeing more and more white snakes pouring in, Sakura reluctantly released the water wall. She then used water blades in conjunction with Sasuke's Fire Release to clear the snakes.
Sasuke's Fire Release, with its wider range, was more effective than Sakura's water blades against the sheer number of snakes.
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