Chapter 50

In a dark and narrow alley, it was eerily quiet. Occasionally, the sharp cries of stray cats could be heard. The moonlight shone on the ground, but most of the alley was shrouded in the shadows cast by the walls on either side.

In the shadows, the ground suddenly rippled like water. A person abruptly emerged from the center of the ripple.

Pfft!

Spitting out a mouthful of blood, the person fell to the ground. This person was none other than Kabuto, who had been struck by Su.

"Uchiha Akira is actually so powerful? He's really been hiding his strength!" A look of hatred flashed across Kabuto's eyes.

His body suddenly trembled, and Kabuto quickly covered his mouth, spitting out another mouthful of blood.

Blood seeped through his fingers, and Kabuto's face was filled with pain, his eyes burning with even deeper hatred: "Uchiha Akira!"

His ears twitched, and his face changed. He quickly formed hand seals, and the ground instantly softened, causing Kabuto to sink into the earth. Even the bloodstains on the ground disappeared.

Whoosh!

Almost the moment Kabuto disappeared, a ninja wearing a cat mask and a black robe appeared in the alley. It was a member of the Konoha Anbu.

He carefully examined the alley, sniffing a few times: "There's a scent of blood. Earth chakra. Who could it be?"

After several checks, he found no useful information and instantly disappeared.

It wasn't until half an hour later that a person suddenly appeared on the wall of the alley. It was Kabuto, who had disappeared into the ground.

His face was pale, and his eyes were filled with exhaustion.

"Hey! After gathering so much information, I actually got the short end of the stick!" Kabuto gave a self-deprecating smile.

"Uchiha Akira, no one has ever made me suffer like this." The round glasses flashed with a bright light, and Kabuto's face was dark. After a moment of contemplation, he staggered away from the alley.

...

In a dark forest, tall trees towered. The dense foliage allowed only a few rays of sunlight to penetrate through the gaps between the leaves.

In the damp forest, several black shadows flashed by.

Sasuke and Naruto walked together in the forest. This was the second stage of the Chunin Exams.

"Where can we find those scrolls?" Naruto had been walking for a long time without seeing anyone, and he was getting frustrated.

"What if we encounter a powerful ninja? That hunched-back Sound ninja seemed pretty strong. I wonder how the other village's ninjas are." Sakura was somewhat anxious. The eerie environment made her nervous.

Naruto immediately put his hands on his hips and laughed: "Sakura, I'll protect you. With me, the great Naruto, no one can scare us."

Sakura pursed her lips, showing disdain: "You? You're just boasting! Just don't get scared. Sasuke is more reliable."

Naruto immediately became angry, pointing at Sasuke and shouting: "Sasuke, let's have a duel!"

Sasuke remained expressionless, walking past the two without acknowledging Naruto's challenge.

Although he was alert to his surroundings, his mind was somewhat distracted.

He knew Naruto wasn't as bad as he seemed. How could the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails be weak?

Sasuke was anxious, unsure when he would have the strength to avenge his clan. Su had mentioned something that could temporarily increase his chakra, but he didn't elaborate.

Sasuke, being young, had been troubled by this issue for days.

Suddenly, he stopped, his eyes fixed on a tree not far away.

Naruto, walking behind, saw Sasuke stop and asked curiously: "What's wrong, Sasuke?"

Sasuke remained silent, his eyes fixed on the distant tree. His eyes turned blood red as he activated his Sharingan: "Come out!"

"Oh? Quite a sharp sense of perception, to be able to detect me." A man wearing a light brown robe with a purple sash stepped out.

"From the Grass Village? Hand over the scroll." Naruto said boldly.

"Sasuke, be careful, he's not simple!" Sasuke pulled back Naruto, who was about to charge forward, with a serious expression.

"Quite impressive, to have activated the two-tomoe Sharingan at such a young age!" The Grass ninja said with a sneer.

Sasuke's expression grew even more serious: "Who are you? You're not from the Grass Village!"

"No, I'm not." As he spoke, his face fell to the ground with a thud.

Sakura screamed and fell to the ground in fright.

His pale face had no color, and the purple eye shadow made him look sinister. His golden snake eyes were filled with cold, greedy gazes.

Sasuke was very sure he had never seen this person before.

"My name is Orochimaru." His hoarse voice echoed in the silent forest, making it even more eerie.

Sasuke's face changed: "One of the Sannin?!"

Orochimaru looked at Sasuke with surprise: "I didn't expect you to know me? Who told you?"

Sasuke didn't speak, carefully guarding against Orochimaru. This was a formidable figure.

"Sharp senses, high alertness. You look the part, but you're too naive!" Orochimaru's golden snake eyes narrowed.

A massive wave of killing intent washed over them, pure and cold, making the silent forest even more deathly still!

Naruto and Sakura had never experienced such killing intent. They felt as if they were falling into an ice pit, their bodies stiffening.

Sasuke's eyes flashed with shock, but he was unaffected. He quickly moved to Naruto and Sakura's side, grabbed them, and fled.

Orochimaru looked at Sasuke, who was unaffected, with surprise: "Unexpected. You're not afraid of my killing intent."

Thinking of the equally talented Uchiha Itachi, Orochimaru's face darkened. "Uchiha, truly a powerful bloodline. But it will soon belong to me."

With that, he sank into the ground and quickly disappeared.

Sasuke, pulling Naruto and Sakura, ran quickly. He was relieved, as Su had been training him to resist killing intent for the past two years.

Su, in his previous life, had spent his days thinking about killing, and his killing intent was overwhelming!

Over time, even though Sasuke had never been to a battlefield or seen large-scale battles, he was not afraid of Orochimaru's killing intent.

Putting the two down, Sasuke quickly instructed: "You two, run to the central tower. Go to the proctor and report that one of the Sannin, Orochimaru, has come."

"What are you going to do?" Sakura asked anxiously.

Sasuke's eyes flashed with urgency: "Run, I'll buy you some time. Otherwise, none of us will make it."

"Who is it? We're a team, we should fight together." Naruto said.

Sasuke angrily pushed Naruto: "Run, go report. We're no match for him."

"Ha, none of you will get away." Orochimaru emerged from the ground, looking at the three with amusement.

Sasuke quickly regained his composure, drew a kunai, and moved like a leaf, appearing in front of Orochimaru in an instant.

Throat, heart, ribs—his kunai moved swiftly and precisely, targeting vital points.

Sasuke's attack was swift and silent, but Orochimaru always managed to block him in the shortest time.

The longer the fight, the more admiration Orochimaru showed: "Excellent, Sasuke. I didn't expect you to be so outstanding. You can even sense the flow of chakra and use it to attack. You surprise me."

Sasuke knew taijutsu was ineffective and quickly moved away from Orochimaru. His fingers blurred: "Fire Style, Grand Fireball Technique!"

Boom!

A massive fireball shot out, scorching the trees in its path.

Ah!

A scream of pain, Orochimaru's body turned black, and a foul smell of burnt meat filled the air, making everyone feel nauseous.

"Great job, Sasuke!" Naruto jumped excitedly. He didn't expect Sasuke to defeat the opponent so quickly.

Sasuke, however, was not so optimistic. Orochimaru was one of the Sannin, a legendary figure. How could he be so easily defeated?

He activated his Sharingan to the maximum, his eyes scanning the surroundings for any movement.

His right hand glowed, and a high-pitched screech suddenly rang out.

Sasuke's eyes were fixed on a tree behind him.

With the help of lightning chakra, which enhanced his cells, Sasuke almost instantly reached the tree.

Chidori!

Bang!

The tree was pierced, and Orochimaru, with a look of shock, slid out of the tree.

Sasuke's right hand had penetrated Orochimaru's body, hanging him on his arm.

A look of joy flashed across Sasuke's eyes, and he relaxed.

Suddenly, he felt something was wrong. Orochimaru was so powerful that even Kakashi's Chidori might not hit him. How could he succeed?

A sense of danger arose in his mind, but before he could react,

The body hanging on his arm suddenly came to life.

Orochimaru opened his mouth, revealing two fangs, and bit into Sasuke's neck.

"Ha, Sasuke, you surprise me." Orochimaru's mouth opened wide, and a perfectly intact Orochimaru emerged, standing wet and dripping, staring at Sasuke.

"For this, I give you a gift. Accept it. I believe you will come to me one day." Orochimaru said, then turned and disappeared into the ground.

Sasuke was instantly overwhelmed by pain and soon fainted.

...

"What happened to Sasuke?" Kakashi asked Sakura, frowning.

The first stage of the Chunin Exams was already over. Kakashi had already noticed Sasuke's abnormal behavior and had received news of Orochimaru's infiltration into Konoha.

He was very worried.

Sakura, still trembling with fear, recounted the events. Kakashi lifted Sasuke's shirt and saw the mark, his face turning serious.

Orochimaru had done something to Sasuke!

"This is a curse mark, highly corrosive to the body. I'll seal it with the Evil Sealing Method. The stronger your will, the more solid the seal will be." Kakashi said sternly: "You must not let your guard down. Follow me."

Sasuke nodded, his injuries were severe, and he staggered as he followed Kakashi down the corridor.

He didn't understand curse marks, and at that moment, he thought of Su: "If Akira were here, he would know what this is."

Thinking of the sudden surge of power when he received the curse mark, Sasuke's mind raced: "Could this be what Akira meant by something to increase chakra?"

Following Kakashi to an open area, he stripped off his shirt and sat on the ground as instructed.

Kakashi began drawing complex seals.

"Evil Sealing Method!" Kakashi shouted, and the seals climbed onto Sasuke's body like living things.

Sasuke felt a burning pain in his neck, as if he were being scorched by a fire jutsu.

After the seal was complete, he felt a sudden sense of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his body.

Sasuke frowned: "This thing indeed has a corrosive effect on the body, but it does bring power."

...