"I naturally have my own purpose. This is the ultimate reason I'm looking for you. Of course, there are also some things that we need to cooperate on to accomplish!"
"What things?"
Seeing Orochimaru keep a calm appearance while his inner desire had skyrocketed, Sasuke curled his lips and said unhurriedly.
"If you're interested, come and find me later. We'll talk in detail then. This isn't a suitable place to talk right now!"
Orochimaru's cold vertical pupils stared at that arrogant figure. Indeed, during the battle, Naruto's Chakra of the Nine - Tailed Fox had leaked. Moreover, he had taken someone else's identity to fight. This matter was almost exposed, and the elite Jonin of Konoha would soon come looking for him.
Looking at the young boy's proud and confident back, he just couldn't bear to part with it. He stuck out his long tongue and gently licked the back. It didn't matter. Presumably, they'd have plenty of time to meet in the future.
Sasuke watched Orochimaru's receding back and called out to stop him.
"Wait a minute!"
"What? Does the young master of the Uchiha clan still have something to talk to me about?"
Counting his ages from two lifetimes combined, he was older than Orochimaru. Sasuke frowned tightly as he didn't like being addressed so childishly.
"Leave your Earth Scroll. That thing shouldn't be of any use to you. And I don't like being called young master!"
Watching the commanding tone from the boy sitting on the tree trunk, Orochimaru smiled indulgently.
"Alright, consider this my greeting gift for you!"
He put down the scroll in his hand and left playfully. Watching that receding figure, Sasuke couldn't help but take a sharp breath.
His current body hadn't fully adapted to the Cursed Seal. Now the seal was spreading on his body, causing him excruciating pain all over. He had just managed to hold on and not show any flaws in front of Orochimaru.
Fortunately, Orochimaru hadn't noticed. Otherwise, the result of this deal would have been hard to say.
With blurred vision from the pain, he barely managed to put the Earth Scroll into his waist pouch. Then he carried the unconscious Sakura and Naruto to a secluded place.
Before his consciousness gradually faded away, he looked at Naruto's sleeping face and softly said,
"Naruto, it seems I have to go to Orochimaru again in this lifetime. Will you still chase after me like you used to?"
After saying that, he fell into a coma and slept soundly...
................
"Sasuke, Naruto!"
Sakura woke up from a nightmare where she dreamed they'd encountered a powerful rival during the exam and both Naruto and Sasuke were seriously injured. She was anxiously calling out to the unconscious two and was then startled awake.
Sakura's panicked eyes scanned around for their figures. After seeing their sleeping expressions, she let out a sigh of relief and reached out to touch their foreheads.
Both of them had a bit of a fever, and judging from the injuries, they must have just gone through an extremely intense battle. Thinking of this, her mood couldn't help but feel a bit down. She had fainted during the battle and hadn't been of any help at all.
Watching their sleeping figures, she thought that before, it was always Sasuke and Naruto protecting her. Now it was her turn to protect them.
With determination in her jade - green pupils, the young girl, looking at the two injured people, didn't dare to go too far away. Instead, she simply collected some dew, wrung out the towel she carried with her, and placed it on their burning foreheads. Her hands gathered the emerald - green Chakra in front of them and slowly injected it into their bodies. Their stiff expressions also relaxed.
"Pity my Medical Ninjutsu skills are so shallow. Otherwise, you two would be bouncing around."
Sakura hardly slept that night. She kept changing the towels on their foreheads and sat beside them quietly, guarding them until a ray of morning sunlight shone in.
A cute squirrel with a sunflower seed in its mouth approached Sakura, scaring her out of her drowsiness. Sakura nervously waved her Kunai in front of the squirrel, afraid that it would ruin the booby traps she had set up in advance.
Just a second ago, she felt lucky that the booby traps she had set hadn't been destroyed. The next second, she saw the three Sound Ninjas step out.
Toss, who was hunched over, easily spotted her booby traps. Just as he was about to attack her, a green figure blocked in front of her and delivered a Konoha spinning kick to the approaching rival.
"Rock Lee!"
Rock Lee looked back and gave a handsome smile, showing his white teeth.
"Why? Aren't we rivals?"
"Sakura, I've told you before that I like you very much. I'll protect you with my life. Moreover, Naruto and Sasuke are also my friends. There's no way I'll leave you guys alone!"
"Rock Lee..."
Seeing Rock Lee's warm smile, her previously nervous and scared mood that didn't know what to do vanished!
"All bark and no bite! Let's see what you're really capable of!"
Zaku looked at Rock Lee, whose hair looked like a watermelon rind, with disdain. This guy seemed to only have some ordinary Taijutsu skills and nothing else impressive.
Rock Lee got into a fighting stance and scanned the rivals around. The three Sound Ninjas were quite powerful, and ordinary Taijutsu couldn't take them down. It seemed he had to use the Kinjutsu!
Teacher Gai, you once said that if you use it to protect the most important people, it doesn't count as breaking the rules. Now, I'm going to use it!
Rock Lee loosened the bandages on his hands and moved at sonic speed, making it impossible for the rivals to figure out his position.
He flashed in front of Zaku, placed his hands on the ground for support, and then delivered a flying kick to Zaku's chin. Zaku was kicked high into the air instantly. Taking this opportunity, Rock Lee leaped up, wrapped the bandages around Zaku's body, hugged him tightly, and spun while driving him into the ground like a nail.
"Primary Lotus"
After a puff of smoke, Zaku was pinned into a soft mound of earth. Rock Lee was already out of breath. This Kinjutsu took a heavy toll on the body. He wondered if he had taken care of the enemy.
Zaku in the mound of earth slowly stood up. He rubbed the head that had been stuck in the ground, and his eyes were full of malice.
"Thanks to you, Toss. Otherwise, I would have fallen for this green brat's trick!"
"No way! My most powerful move didn't have any effect!"
"
"Idiot! Toss can shoot out compressed air from his hands. He pumps air into the mound of earth, making the soil as soft as cotton. Of course I'm okay!"
As soon as the words were spoken, Rock Lee withstood successive attacks from the two of them. His body, already weakened from using the Kinjutsu, was full of wounds. Rock Lee covered his ears in agony and passed out.
Sakura watched the fallen figure. She was eager to rush forward, but Jin firmly grabbed her long pink hair. Jin sneered mockingly.
"This woman's hair is even silkier than mine. If you have time to style your hair, you might as well learn more Ninjutsu!"
.................
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