Along with this greeting, a figure suddenly appeared, wearing a bamboo hat with a feminine face. The person appeared out of nowhere, almost like a ghost, between the anvil and the mallet.
Her appearance was so sudden, it was as if she had emerged from the void, catching everyone off guard.
In the daytime, she gently waved her hand, signaling Tayuya and Jirōbō to leave. They were overjoyed at being dismissed and quickly exchanged glances before departing.
"Here we go, is this Orochimaru?" Sasuke thought to himself as he stared intently at the woman in front of him.
Although the woman appeared strange, Sasuke recognized her immediately as Orochimaru—the same Orochimaru who once desired his body.
He wasn't surprised by Orochimaru's arrival. After all, Sasuke was the most powerful vessel Orochimaru coveted.
Facing this sudden encounter, Sasuke tried to remain calm. Even though he knew Orochimaru wouldn't kill him and was aware of his own strength, the fact that he was facing a Sannin for the first time made him slightly nervous.
"Who are you?!" Sasuke asked loudly, pretending not to recognize Orochimaru.
"My name is Orochimaru, and I've come to give you power," Orochimaru replied in a distinctively feminine voice. She seemed to understand Sasuke's deepest desires and knew that he desperately craved the power for revenge.
"I know you seek the power of revenge!"
Sasuke remained unfazed by Orochimaru's words and calmly assessed the situation. He decided to test Orochimaru's strength before making any decisions.
"Really? But before that, let me see how much power you have," Sasuke said as he clenched the hilt of his sword and rushed at Orochimaru without hesitation. His speed was lightning-fast, closing in on Orochimaru in the blink of an eye.
A flicker of surprise crossed Orochimaru's eyes, but she didn't flinch. As Sasuke charged towards her like a fierce wind, Orochimaru dodged sideways and couldn't help but admire, "Sasuke, your speed has surpassed that of an ordinary Jōnin. You truly live up to the name of that man's younger brother!"
Orochimaru knew that these words would touch Sasuke's most sensitive nerve, hoping to unsettle him.
"Oh? Really? But I heard you were easily defeated by that guy's genjutsu. With your strength, how can you even think of giving me the power to kill him?" Sasuke mocked as he unleashed his Chidori, crackling with electricity.
As expected, Orochimaru's expression darkened instantly upon hearing Sasuke's words. She quickly jumped back and performed a ninjutsu: "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A powerful gust of wind surged from Orochimaru's mouth, hurtling towards Sasuke. Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he swiftly formed hand seals and countered with Fire Release: "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive fireball shot forth, colliding with Orochimaru's wind release. The two jutsus exploded in mid-air, and Sasuke seized the opportunity to launch a surprise attack.
"Impressive Fire Release, Sasuke. I'm becoming more and more interested in you!" Orochimaru said excitedly, sticking out her tongue and licking her lips like a serpent about to devour its prey. Then she performed her signature snake jutsu: "Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Snakes suddenly emerged from Orochimaru's sleeves, lunging at Sasuke with incredible speed, catching him off guard.
"Could you please stop doing such disgusting things in front of me? Didn't your parents ever tell you about the bacteria in the air? Oh wait, maybe you don't have any parents," Sasuke taunted as he swung his sword, precisely cutting down the snakes that attacked him.
The severed snakes writhed on the ground, still attempting to attack. Orochimaru, seeing that Sasuke was about to reach her, quickly drew her Kusanagi sword to defend herself.
The sound of metal clashing echoed as Sasuke's sword collided with Orochimaru's Kusanagi sword, creating a shower of sparks.
"Sasuke, do you truly not desire my power? You know, there are no Sannin in Konoha to guide your training," Orochimaru tempted, seeing Sasuke's strength and wanting his body even more.
"A Sannin's power, to me..." Sasuke began, but Orochimaru suddenly extended her long neck, striking towards Sasuke like a cobra.
Sasuke secretly rejoiced, thinking, "Is it finally happening?"
However, he maintained a panicked expression and shouted, "You...!"
In the end, Orochimaru successfully bit Sasuke's neck, implanting the curse mark, and then retreated with a smug smile. "This is a curse mark I've meticulously crafted. Sasuke, now you will feel the immense power I bestow upon you!"
But at that moment, Sasuke grinned with excitement and said, "Haha, I finally succeeded!"
Orochimaru sensed something was wrong and asked suspiciously, "What do you mean?"
Sasuke smirked and replied, "I've been playing along with you for a while now. It's my turn to act!"
As soon as he finished speaking, blue-white lightning erupted from Sasuke's body, revealing that he had activated his Chidori!