Izumi Uchiha stepped on the soft sand, scanning her surroundings. All she saw were endless rocks and desert, along with rolling waves of suffocating heat.
Was this still within the Land of Wind?
Suddenly, movement ahead caught her attention—sounds of a fight seemed to be unfolding.
Her heart raced as Izumi quickened her pace, hiding her presence and creeping forward until she caught sight of something shocking.
Inside a large crater, Sunagakure ninja corpses lay scattered about. Judging from their attire, they were all Anbu-level jonin.
A man with long black hair and a shimenawa rope tied around his waist was driving a katana into an enemy's body. The blade pierced through the opponent's back.
That enemy wore the Kazekage robe and hat of Sunagakure—none other than Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage.
Thud.
Rasa fell down bitterly, quickly losing all signs of life. The black-haired man retracted his blade and turned around, revealing a ghostly and effeminate face.
Orochimaru?
When Izumi recognized the man's appearance, she felt shocked.
Minutes ago, she'd seen through the river of time (a vision granted by her mentor) how Orochimaru betrayed Konoha. She never imagined she'd run into him here—having already killed the leader of Sunagakure.
Orochimaru elegantly wiped the blood from his blade before addressing Kimimaro:
"Kimimaro, this was all thanks to you. Your timing for ambushing the Kazekage was absolutely perfect."
The person praised by Orochimaru appeared about Izumi's age—a teenage boy with flowing white hair. Red eyeshadow marked his eyelids, and two striking red dots adorned his forehead. He carried himself with calm aloofness and unique charisma.
Beside Kimimaro stood another individual—short silver hair, glasses, and an intellectual appearance. This was Orochimaru's trusted subordinate, Kabuto Yakushi.
"Lord Orochimaru, we must act swiftly. You should immediately disguise yourself as the Kazekage and head to Sunagakure for the next phase of your plan. After all, Konoha's Chunin Exams will begin soon enough."
Adjusting his glasses atop his nose, Kabuto advised.
"Hmm, I understand."
Orochimaru nodded, then shifted tone, "However, before leaving, let's deal with that little rat who's been watching us."
As soon as he finished speaking, his golden, serpent-like eyes fixed on where Izumi was hiding.
So he found me, huh?
Izumi's eyes narrowed. Instinctively, she first turned her head backward, glancing for Heiyan—but saw no sign of Heiyan.
She quickly realized—the reason her teacher brought her here, to witness Orochimaru and the others, was meant as a test for her.
She had to do well.
With that thought, Izumi rose to her feet, stepping out from behind the rock, lightly leaping down into the crater.
"Orochimaru, not only have you betrayed Konoha, but you've committed assassination against the Kazekage. Your crimes are unforgivable. Surrender quietly."
Standing opposite Orochimaru and his two companions, Izumi declared coldly.
"Little girl, do I know you?"
Orochimaru smiled faintly, looking rather surprised.
The girl who had suddenly appeared was only around twelve or thirteen years old, seemingly just a minor ninja from Sunagakure.
However, before he could speak, Kimimaro frowned and stepped forward with a stern shout:
"Don't you dare disrespect Lord Orochimaru!"
Before his words had finished echoing, he moved to attack Izumi directly.
"Kimimaro, step back."
Orochimaru, however, licked his lips and ordered, "I'm quite interested in this little girl. I want her alive. You don't hold back enough—you might end up killing her. Kabuto, you handle this one."
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru."
Upon hearing this, Kabuto felt secretly delighted.
He always held some jealousy over how much Orochimaru favored Kimimaro. Now that he finally had an opportunity to shine, of course he would do his best to impress.
"Please move aside."
With Kimimaro watching disapprovingly, Kabuto deliberately pushed past him and confidently strode toward Izumi Uchiha.
Remaining calm and composed, Izumi silently prepared herself for what was coming.
She didn't immediately activate her Sharingan. She chose not to rely too heavily on its power and resolved to make the most of this opportunity to sharpen her combat skills.
Swoosh—
At that moment, Kabuto suddenly lunged forward like lightning, launching a sudden assault.
He didn't use any weapons such as Kunai, Shuriken, or ninja blades. Instead, using bare hands and shaping his palms into blade-like forms coated with blue chakra, he unleashed a storm of deadly attacks against Izumi.
His hands sliced through the air like scalpels—swift, precise, and deadly.
[Scalpel]
This was a unique technique perfected by Kabuto himself. It could be used not only for Medical Ninjutsu to heal people but also in combat to damage enemy muscles and chakra systems.
He was a genius no less impressive than Kimimaro.
Hm?
This was Izumi Uchiha's first time encountering such a technique. Curious, she intentionally refrained from counterattacking, choosing instead to dodge with evasive footwork, trying to understand Kabuto's abilities.
But to Orochimaru and Kimimaro, Izumi clearly seemed completely overwhelmed, desperately dodging without even the slightest chance of resistance.
Suddenly—
Pft!
Kabuto's right hand pierced straight into Izumi's left shoulder, entering as sharply as a blade stabbing into soft tofu, splattering blood everywhere.
Although Izumi immediately backed away, freeing herself from the strike, a deep bloody wound remained on her left shoulder, continuously spewing out hot blood.
"It's over."
Seeing this scene, Orochimaru smiled slightly and turned to leave. Kimimaro also withdrew his gaze, closely following behind Orochimaru.
Noticing that Orochimaru had already started walking away, Kabuto didn't want to waste more time either. He shook his head at Izumi Uchiha and said:
"There's no need to struggle anymore. My Scalpel has already destroyed the meridians within your body. You won't be able to use chakra to perform any jutsu ever again—in other words, you're now useless."
Before his words had even ended, he pulled out a rope, planning to bind her.
However—
"Is that so? Unfortunately, I let you hit me on purpose. After all, if I didn't personally experience your Scalpel firsthand, I wouldn't be able to fully understand how it affects the chakra systems."
Izumi smiled faintly—a lily blooming alone in the desert.
"You..."
Kabuto's figure stiffened, his face paling in shock.
Because he saw with his own eyes how quickly the wound on Izumi's shoulder had healed. In just seconds, her skin returned to normal, as if she'd never been hurt at all.
This is some seriously terrifying regeneration!
Could this woman be a medical ninja?
No, impossible.
Kabuto had clearly seen no hand seal performed, yet her body miraculously healed itself. Even Tsunade, currently acknowledged as the unmatched medical ninja in the world of shinobi, couldn't accomplish such a feat.
Could she have a unique physiology then?
That must be the only possibility.
As the realization hit him, Kabuto's eyes sparkled with excitement. If she truly possessed a physique with extraordinary regenerative capabilities, it would undoubtedly provide significant assistance to Orochimaru's ongoing research.
In fact, Kabuto's guess wasn't far off.
The reason Izumi had the confidence to deliberately let herself get struck by Kabuto's Scalpel was precisely because of the Sage Cells transplanted within her body.
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