Konoha Forest
Up ahead, Orochimaru watched Sakura stop her Water Encampment Wall, gazing at Sasuke and licking his lips with his serpentine tongue.
Sakura was busy slicing through the snake swarm with her water blades when a sudden sense of danger washed over her. Two snakes, as thick as a person's torso, lunged at her from both sides. Caught off guard, Sakura was tightly constricted.
She immediately channeled a large amount of chakra in an attempt to break free, but to no avail. It made sense; after she'd escaped his grasp in the Forest of Death, Orochimaru would have certainly strengthened his binding technique.
Orochimaru darted forward, kicking Sakura in the stomach. She felt like her internal organs were being turned inside out. Just then, Sasuke, beside her, finished forming hand seals.
"Chidori!" Sasuke's left hand blazed with lightning, thrusting towards Orochimaru. The Chidori pierced Orochimaru's body, but Sakura watched in dismay as the snake-sannin transformed into a pile of mud.
"Earth Clone, damn it!" Sasuke's Chidori remained active, and he slashed at the snakes constricting Sakura, finally freeing her.
"Earth Release: Hardening Jutsu!" Sakura coated her vital areas with hardened earth. Orochimaru, when serious, was no joke; one moment of carelessness could be fatal.
Maximizing her sensory perception, Sakura suddenly felt a chakra signature beneath the ground, rushing towards Sasuke. She slammed a Cherry Blossom Clash into the earth, causing the ground to crack open. A figure emerged from the fissure – it was Orochimaru.
Sakura disregarded the potential strain on her body and, using Sasuke's method, stimulated her body and nerve cells with Lightning Release chakra, achieving a burst of extreme speed. In the blink of an eye, she was in front of Orochimaru.
She landed a direct hit with her Cherry Blossom Clash, striking Orochimaru squarely in the chest. He was sent flying, but Sakura felt that her punch hadn't caused any real damage. It felt like hitting a pile of cotton.
Sure enough, Orochimaru stood up as if nothing had happened. "...Seeing you, I'm reminded of Princess Tsunade's prowess... Sakura Haruno... It's been a long time since I've seen Princess Tsunade in action..."
"Why didn't my punch hurt you...?" Sakura used Orochimaru's monologue as a brief respite, stalling for time with small talk.
"Hehehe... Sasuke, do you see...? If you come with me, you too will possess this kind of power..." Orochimaru ignored Sakura's question, seizing every opportunity to tempt Sasuke.
"I don't need it... As Sakura said, even as strong as you are, you still covet the power of the Sharingan. That means you're nothing special..." Sasuke, having been reawakened by Sakura's earlier words, had clearly regained his composure.
"Hehe, is that so, Sasuke...? That's because you haven't witnessed the power I can give you, the power to rapidly increase your strength..." Orochimaru's neck suddenly elongated, striking towards Sasuke like a viper.
Sakura saw this and instantly knew it was bad. She rushed towards Sasuke, but the fight with Orochimaru had put some distance between them. Sasuke had used Chidori twice today, leaving him low on chakra, so he hadn't moved after helping Sakura escape.
Orochimaru wouldn't overlook Sakura. He had been thwarted by this girl in the Forest of Death; he wouldn't let her succeed here. While his elongated neck snaked towards Sasuke, he quickly formed hand seals.
Countless small snakes erupted from the ground in front of Sakura, forming a snake wall to block her path. Sakura punched the wall, blasting a large hole through it.
But what she saw next filled her with dread. Orochimaru had bitten Sasuke on the neck. Sasuke was constricted by two giant snakes, completely unable to resist. This time... there was no Naruto clone to take the curse mark for Sasuke...
After the bite, a three-tomoe pattern appeared on Sasuke's neck, and he collapsed, unable to stand from the pain.
"Hehehe... Enjoy the power I've given you, Sasuke..." Orochimaru retracted his neck.
Sakura turned her head, her eyes blazing with fury, and charged at Orochimaru. Her fingertips extended into Lightning Release-infused water blades, slicing towards him. Orochimaru didn't dodge or evade, allowing himself to be cut in two. But the bisected corpse transformed into mud.
Sakura frantically slashed at the Earth Clone, venting her frustration and anger. She couldn't sense Orochimaru's chakra anywhere nearby; he had retreated the moment he placed the curse mark.
Sasuke's pained cries brought Sakura back to her senses. She rushed to his side to examine him, but she was clueless about curse marks. She didn't know how to treat them, and could only helplessly use the Mystical Palm Technique to heal the two bite marks left by Orochimaru.
"Sasuke, how do you feel...?" Sakura asked.
"Guh... guh... guh..." Sasuke could only gasp for air, unable to answer.
Border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Sound
"Lord Orochimaru, why didn't you bring Sasuke back...?" Kabuto asked, seeing Orochimaru appear at their agreed-upon meeting place.
"Hehehe... As expected of you... You knew about my plan..." Orochimaru's face was grim as he looked at Kabuto.
"It's nothing... When I saw the clone inside the barrier... I deduced it... It's just an analysis of the information..." Kabuto shrugged.
"Is that so...?" Orochimaru stared intently at Kabuto. "Then tell me, why do you think I didn't bring Sasuke back...?"
"Probably because the Third Hokage broke free... Konoha has freed up its forces..." Kabuto pushed up his glasses. "But even if Konoha had freed up its forces, there should have been enough time to bring Sasuke back..."
"Kabuto, this is a mission I'm giving you. The seed has been planted. Go and bring Sasuke back," Orochimaru said, walking past Kabuto. "If you want to stop me... this is your chance..."
There were several reasons why Orochimaru hadn't brought Sasuke back immediately. First, he was testing Kabuto's loyalty. Kabuto had only recently entered Orochimaru's inner circle, having previously been a multi-layered spy, so Orochimaru wouldn't trust him so quickly.
Second, there was Sakura Haruno. It wasn't that Orochimaru couldn't kill Sakura, but she had inherited Tsunade's Creation Rebirth. This jutsu was troublesome, and he wouldn't be able to kill her quickly. Since Orochimaru's only goal was Sasuke, he chose not to engage her, focusing solely on his objective. Orochimaru was a man of clear purpose.
Also, Sasuke, freshly cursed, needed someone to care for him. Since his goal had been achieved, Orochimaru retreated decisively. However, something that concerned Orochimaru was that Sakura seemed to know about the Konoha Crush plan. After their separation in the Forest of Death, Konoha's actions were clearly targeted at the Sand Village, and Sakura seemed fully aware of what he intended to do to Sasuke.
This was interesting. No wonder his first attempt had failed; she had known his objective and taken targeted countermeasures, ultimately leading to his failure. Orochimaru carefully considered it: from Team 7 heading straight for the central tower, to Sakura prioritizing only Sasuke during the battle, ignoring her other teammate.
If Sakura knew his objective, then everything was done to guard against him...
"Sakura Haruno, huh...? Hehehe... Tsunade, you've certainly taught a good disciple..." Orochimaru extended his tongue and licked his lips.
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