Kakashi couldn't believe it when he found out Chinya had teamed up with Key Village, naming Hanare as the representative and even suggesting Kakashi get closer to her. He felt completely speechless.
"Sensei, you're going way too far! I'm just acquaintances with Hanare—at most! Not even that, really!"
Chinya smacked Kakashi hard on the back of his head: "What are you talking about? I'm your teacher! If I don't look out for you, who will? And if Hanare heard what you just said, she'd be really hurt. You're the dream she's always chased after.
And what about you? You planning to stay a bachelor forever? You're the last Hatake left. If you don't start putting in some effort, do you want the Hatake bloodline to die with you? Do you really want to waste your whole life buried in dusty old books? Watch it, or I'll rip every last page of your precious books!
Besides, I didn't say you *have* to end up together. Just give it a shot. Maybe you two will actually click? Right?
Enough talk. This is final. No backing out. Once you return to Otogakure, you'll handle the cooperation handover between Otogakure and Key Village. Got it?"
Kakashi rubbed the back of his head and sighed, "I'm already 26. It's not exactly appropriate for you to keep whacking me like a kid."
Chinya glared at him, "Who told you to make me so mad? Don't change the subject. Answer me—got it or not?"
With no other choice, Kakashi reluctantly replied, "Fine, fine. I got it."
"Good. Then it's settled. I'm out first."
Chinya left Kakashi's house.
Lying on the bed and staring at the ceiling, Kakashi could feel a massive headache coming.
Oh well. Time to read a book.
He opened the book Chinya gave him and dug right into it.
...
Inside Sasuke Uchiha's home.
Sasuke Uchiha spoke to the serpent within him, a result of [Serpent Transformation]: "I'm ready. Begin."
The snake slithered from beneath Sasuke's clothes, opened its mouth, and sank its fangs into Sasuke's neck, injecting the power of the Cursed Seal into his body.
Three black magatama appeared on Sasuke's neck.
After completing the injection, the serpent transformed into a puff of smoke and vanished.
Sasuke could clearly feel his body temperature skyrocketing while sharp pain surged through his meridians, causing him to twitch uncontrollably.
"Ugh... Ah..."
The pain was so bad it made Sasuke scream out loud.
From the three black magatama on his neck, countless new cursed seals spread across Sasuke's body.
Weirdly enough, even though the pain was unbearable, Sasuke also felt a strange sense of pleasure.
Chinya hadn't lied—this Cursed Seal was genuinely boosting his strength directly.
As time passed, the pain slowly faded, replaced instead by an overwhelming sensation of amplified power.
Sasuke clenched his fist tightly—he could clearly tell his strength had more than doubled just from this one seal.
A smile crept onto Sasuke Uchiha's face. That feeling intoxicated him.
"Sasuke! Sasuke! What's wrong with you?"
Izumi Uchiha heard muffled screams from outside the room and immediately rushed over.
The cursed seal marks had receded from Sasuke Uchiha's body, returning him to his original form. Although the three black magatamas on his neck remained visible.
Though he had exited the Cursed Seal Transformation, Sasuke could still feel an increase in his strength—but not as dramatic as when the cursed seal was fully activated.
Sasuke opened the door. "Izumi."
Izumi looked worried. "Sasuke, what happened just now?"
Sasuke replied, "Nothing much. I just made a mistake while trying to use Ninjutsu. I'm fine."
Izumi let out a quiet sigh of relief. "Good. If anything happens, tell me immediately. And don't push yourself too hard. Sometimes you need to relax, okay?"
She reached out and gently ruffled his hair, cautioning him.
Sasuke nodded. "I understand, Izumi."
"Then get some rest early. Don't force yourself too much."
Sasuke watched Izumi walk away.
Feeling her concern, Sasuke found himself longing for more moments like this.
But the moment he thought of Itachi and his parents' murder, he suppressed those feelings.
Among the remaining Uchiha clan members, Sasuke clearly knew that some hated him—because he was Itachi's younger brother.
Even now, they looked at him with nothing but hatred every time they saw him.
Sasuke could understand it, but he couldn't help feeling resentment toward them.
After all, no one wanted Itachi dead more than he did.
The Uchiha Clan needed unity now more than ever, yet they still tried to divide it.
His primary goal remained killing Itachi; his secondary goal was protecting the clan members he felt deserved protection.
So he still needed power. There was little strength to be gained by staying in Konoha—only by leaving could he truly grow stronger.
Having experienced the power of the first stage of the cursed seal, Sasuke was already dreaming of the strength he'd gain in the second stage.
However, to advance the cursed seal to its second stage, he would need to leave Konoha and find Chinya in Otogakure.
There was also the matter of the seals placed on the other clan members—he needed to find a way to remove the seals from them as well.
Sasuke was already planning his departure from Konoha.
The next day,
Sasuke found Kakashi at the training ground.
Kakashi's gaze fell first on the cursed seal mark on Sasuke's neck before he spoke. "You've mostly mastered Chidori. Next, I will teach you [Full Sword Forms of Thunder Breathing]. However, let me remind you—if possible, don't use that power in Konoha. It will cause trouble if someone finds out."
Sasuke nodded. "I understand. Thank you, Kakashi-sensei."
Kakashi stepped closer and said, "You don't need to thank me. You made a deal with Orochimaru. I'm just fulfilling what came from that agreement. Alright, let's begin."
Sasuke started learning the breathing technique from Kakashi.
...
On a rooftop in Konoha.
The Anbu had already discovered Hayate Gekko, who had been killed by Baki.
Yugao Uzuki, Hayate Gekko's lover, lifted his Ninja Sword and whispered with tears in her eyes, "Hayate, what exactly happened?"
"Please accept my condolences. We must hurry and report this matter to Lord Hokage!"
The Anbu retrieved Hayate Gekko's body and made their way to the Hokage Tower to inform Hiruzen Sarutobi of his death.
After hearing the report, Hiruzen frowned solemnly, "Hayate was slain by a Ninja Sword, yet there's little sign of struggle around. This means he engaged the enemy directly but was vastly overpowered—unable to even escape…"
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