"Ssss..."
Sasuke gripped his neck, his knees buckling as he dropped down on one knee.
Sakura, who had been watching the whole time, was still in shock from the moment Orochimaru bit Sasuke's neck. She had been standing a little farther away, so the conversation between the two was somewhat muffled.
Even so, Sakura, with her keen hearing, caught a snippet of what the androgynous person had said to Sasuke... something about coming to find him if he wanted something... Though she didn't hear everything clearly, her sharp instincts told her that something was terribly wrong.
That androgynous freak wasn't just terrifyingly strong... but had bitten Sasuke's neck!
And what was worse—Sasuke had a serious weakness for powerful figures!
With a few quick jumps, Sakura landed beside Sasuke and grabbed his arm to help him up. Under normal circumstances, being this close to Sasuke would have filled her with excitement and happiness. But right now, she couldn't feel anything but exhaustion.
It was too much.
First, there was her greatest rival, Uzumaki Naruko, with her twin tails and long legs. Then there was the giant executioner's blade that Sasuke seemed strangely fond of... And now, this androgynous Orochimaru had appeared.
Sakura was genuinely starting to worry about Sasuke's mental health. She even began to wonder if she should show him some of Kakashi-sensei's special collection to help realign his sense of... proper relationships.
"Sasuke, are you okay?" Naruto asked, having just finished reducing Orochimaru's corpse to ashes. He came over and shot a glance at Sasuke, his eyes fixating on the mark on Sasuke's neck. Internally, Naruto was already debating whether to pull out a barrel of milk to pour down Sasuke's throat.
But...
Would drinking the milk in this world's system erase Sasuke's Sharingan?
"I'm fine," Sasuke replied, his voice calm but tense. "It doesn't hurt much."
Sasuke paused for a moment. After being bitten by Orochimaru, he could clearly feel something foreign left inside his body. But what puzzled Sasuke even more was... his chakra had increased.
For a moment, Sasuke was at a loss for what Orochimaru's true intention was.
In situations like this, Sasuke's first instinct was to search through his memory for similar instances in novels he'd read, hoping to find something useful. Some sort of unknown power... one that could even enhance his own strength... coupled with the greedy look in Orochimaru's eyes earlier...
It all made sense now!
That guy wanted to take over his body!
"You know what this is?" Sasuke asked, noticing Naruto's gaze lingering on the mark on his neck. If there was anyone who might know, it would be Naruto.
Naruto nodded, unsure of how to explain the situation. After all, Sakura was standing right there. He couldn't exactly tell Sasuke that Orochimaru was after his body, so he decided to put a brand on him. That would definitely drive Sakura into a frenzy.
Seeing Naruto's hesitation, Sasuke thought for a moment and asked tentatively, "Is he trying to take over my body?"
Naruto stayed silent, his expression odd. Hearing those words from Sasuke's mouth just felt wrong... but technically, Sasuke had guessed correctly.
Still...
How could you be so sharp, Sasuke!?
"You could put it that way," Naruto eventually responded. "But don't worry. I've got a method that'll make that creep's efforts go to waste."
As he spoke, Naruto was already contemplating whether giving Sasuke milk would wash away the powers tied to the mark.
Sasuke frowned slightly at the suggestion.
Beside him, Sakura looked completely lost, her mind unable to follow the strange conversation between her teammates. They were saying some really bizarre things.
"No need," Sasuke said, his tone resolute. "He won't succeed." Then, after a brief pause, he added, "Besides... this power is pretty useful."
As he spoke, black marks began to spread from the curse mark, crawling across his face. The dark lines gave him an air of mystery, and Sakura, standing beside him, found herself blushing at the sight.
Even though Orochimaru had left a mark on him that was meant for possession, Sasuke was confident he wouldn't let Orochimaru get his way. Thanks to his intense training, Sasuke found that, with a bit of effort, he could control the unfamiliar power now surging through his body.
In fact, Sasuke was certain that with just a little more time, he could master this newfound strength.
This would serve as a trump card against Itachi.
And more importantly... Sasuke felt incredibly powerful at this moment.
He even entertained the idea that he could take Naruto down in a fight.
Sasuke was already considering when he might challenge Naruto again.
"Fair enough," Naruto shrugged, oblivious to the darker thoughts brewing in Sasuke's mind. After all, the curse mark was like an early game cheat for Sasuke. Either way, Itachi would deal with Orochimaru later on, so no big deal.
Naruto was impressed, though. The original Sasuke had been crippled by Orochimaru's bite, left weak and defenseless. But looking at Sasuke now...
Naruto was confident that if Orochimaru reappeared, Sasuke, in his current state, would charge at him in his cursed form, swinging his Executioner's Blade, ready to fight for hundreds of rounds.
"Let's get moving," Naruto said, preparing to open a portal.
"Hold on. I need to take a leak," Sasuke said, pulling away from Sakura's grip and heading towards the forest.
Naruto sighed and stopped opening the portal, resigned to waiting. Sakura, on the other hand, kept gazing longingly in the direction Sasuke had gone, as if she were a lovesick statue.
Naruto sat on a nearby rock, playing around with the scrolls he had swiped from the Sound Ninja trio.
Ten minutes later...
Sasuke emerged from the woods, hands casually tucked in his pockets.
Naruto glanced up. Did this guy even wash his hands...?
"What took you so long?" Naruto grumbled. "How can it take over ten minutes to pee?"
"I saved someone," Sasuke replied, brushing off the question. "Let's go."
He had intended just to relieve himself, but midway through, a commotion had startled him, making him tense up. Annoyed, he went to investigate and found two Grass Village shinobi bullying a red-haired girl. Sasuke, irritated and ready to act, used Three Thousand Thunderbolts to swiftly decapitate them both.
If not for having to wash his hands afterward, it wouldn't have taken so long.
Naruto nodded without prying further and opened a portal, stepping through first. Sasuke and Sakura followed him.
When Team 7 emerged on the other side, they had arrived at the final stage of the exam.
Looking up at the towering structure before them, Naruto suddenly remembered Kakashi's advice to take the exams seriously. He pulled out his battered Iron Man-like armor, which had been nearly destroyed during the battle with Orochimaru, and put it on. The worn, battle-scarred appearance gave it a unique aesthetic.
The three of them pushed open the door to the tower and stepped inside.
Because they had been delayed by their fight with Orochimaru, the other three Leaf Village teams had already arrived, along with the Sand Village's Pikachu Team and another team from the Waterfall Village.
They stood scattered around the room, with the Hokage and several proctors standing at the front.
The Third Hokage glanced at Team 7 as they entered and, noting the time, gave a small nod to Anko.
"Congratulations on making it to the final stage of the exam," Anko announced. "Next, we will proceed with the individual battles."
As she finished speaking, a large screen behind her began scrolling through the names. After a few moments, it stopped on two names:
Uzumaki Naruto vs. Kankuro.
"The first match," Anko declared, "Uzumaki Naruto versus Kankuro."
Kankuro, with his panda-like face paint, grinned from ear to ear as he looked at the puppet master from the Leaf Village.
"Heh..."
"I've been waiting for this."
"Let's see whose puppet skills are stronger!"