Orochimaru slowly vanished into the forest.
At the same time, near Kakashi's position, Kimimaro also received Orochimaru's retreat order.
Kimimaro was in bad shape.
Two massive holes pierced his body; if not for his robust Kaguya Clan physique and the power of the Shikotsumyaku, he would already be dead.
But Kakashi was in an even worse condition.
His body was riddled with bloody wounds from the bone spikes, and two particularly large spikes remained lodged in his back.
As his blood continued to flow, Kakashi's stamina quickly diminished.
His chakra reserves were critically low, leaving him and Kimimaro in a roughly 60-40 standoff.
Kimimaro glanced at Kakashi.
He withdrew the bone blade in his hand.
"Today, you're lucky."
"Next time, I hope we can settle this properly."
With those words, Kimimaro slowly retreated, clutching his chest, before leaping away and vanishing into the distance.
Kakashi coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Why… did he retreat so suddenly?
Looking at the remaining bone spikes on the ground, Kakashi furrowed his brow.
That guy... is he from the Kaguya Clan of Kirigakure?
I can't believe there are still survivors. Shikotsumyaku so this is the power of the Shikotsumyaku.
It's certainly formidable.
Having faced a shinobi with this kind of kekkei genkai for the first time, Kakashi was caught off guard and paid the price.
Otherwise, things could have gone much differently.
At the very least, he wouldn't have ended up in such a miserable state.
Suddenly, Kakashi looked in the direction Sasuke had left.
Damn it… Could it be that Sasuke…?
For the enemy to retreat while holding the upper hand could only mean that their objective had already been achieved.
Naruto and the others could still be dealt with; the worst-case scenario was that Sakura wouldn't receive treatment in time, which might result in her death.
But Sasuke was a different matter entirely. Death would almost be a relief compared to the alternative. If Sasuke had been captured, that would be a true disaster.
With this thought, Kakashi ignored his injuries, forcing himself to stand and frantically search in the direction Sasuke had gone.
Before long, Kakashi successfully found Sasuke.
At the same time, the surrounding battle scars painted a vivid picture of the fierce combat Sasuke had endured.
Nearby, Tazuna was still alive, though unconscious.
Taking in the scene, Kakashi sighed softly.
Unexpectedly, even Hatake Kakashi could find himself in such a dire and disorganized situation during a mission.
Not only was he injured, but two of the Genin under his lead were unaccounted for, another was unconscious from chakra exhaustion, and their mission target had almost died.
"Have I grown weaker… from not training for so long?"
Kakashi couldn't help but question himself.
Carrying Sasuke and Tazuna on his shoulders, Kakashi hurried toward the Land of Waves as fast as he could.
He needed to get Sasuke and Tazuna some basic medical attention and also take care of his own injuries.
Although none of his wounds were fatal, the accumulation of injuries was pushing even Kakashi to his limit.
An hour later, Kakashi arrived in the Land of Waves with Sasuke and Tazuna in tow.
The people there seemed to have been anxiously awaiting Tazuna's return.
After Kakashi briefly explained the situation, the locals quickly arranged rooms for Kakashi and Sasuke to rest.
They also brought various medicinal supplies.
Although it was mostly just herbs and rudimentary remedies, for Kakashi, it was enough.
After giving Sasuke some liquid food, Kakashi could only wait for him to wake up.
Tazuna, however, regained consciousness relatively quickly. He had only been knocked out and wasn't seriously injured.
Sasuke, on the other hand, slept for an entire day.
During this time, Kakashi was deeply worried about Naruto and Sakura but couldn't leave.
With Zabuza Momochi still potentially lurking nearby, leaving now could spell disaster.
If Zabuza decided to attack, Sasuke would be defenseless.
Kakashi had also come to understand the situation in the Land of Waves.
The country was being oppressed by a man named Gato, and the only hope for the people was to build a bridge connecting the Land of Waves to the Land of Fire.
Without it, they would remain trapped under Gato's control forever.
Naturally, Gato had no intention of letting the bridge be built and had hired ninja to stop it.
Zabuza was likely one of Gato's hired shinobi.
As for the two other ninja who had suddenly appeared, Kakashi was now certain they had their own agenda.
Their goal wasn't Tazuna.
If it were, Tazuna would have been killed the moment he was captured, with no chance of escaping alive.
Similarly, Sasuke would not have survived.
But what exactly was their objective? This was something Kakashi couldn't figure out yet.
He hadn't noticed the Curse Mark of Heaven on Sasuke's shoulder.
By evening, Sasuke slowly opened his eyes.
He looked around in a daze, taking in his surroundings.
"I've been saved, huh?"
Although the room looked rather old and run-down, it was at least not some underground laboratory.
This confirmed that Orochimaru hadn't taken him away.
Sasuke's movements caught Kakashi's attention from outside the door.
Kakashi opened it and, seeing Sasuke awake, said, "You're finally up."
Hearing this, Sasuke asked Kakashi what had happened after he passed out.
Kakashi gave a brief explanation.
"Those two ninja weren't after Tazuna. They weren't hired by Gato either."
Sasuke nodded.
"Then what was their goal?"
Their goal?
Wasn't it to plant the Curse Mark on him?
Sasuke clenched his fist lightly. Orochimaru's Curse Mark was the last thing he wanted.
While it could grant immense power temporarily, Sasuke despised the cost.
The more he used the power of the Curse Mark, the more his body would deteriorate, being gradually altered by the mark.
In the end, he would become nothing more than a vessel for Orochimaru.
Sasuke had no intention of becoming Orochimaru's pawn.
Moreover, the Curse Mark contained Orochimaru's chakra, effectively allowing the Sannin to observe Sasuke's every move.
Sasuke had no desire to carry Orochimaru around like a shadow.
For now, though, he chose not to tell Kakashi about it.
He wanted to see if there was a way to remove the Curse Mark himself.
With the system he had, perhaps there was still hope.
Kakashi interrupted his thoughts.
"Sasuke! There's a serious issue at hand right now!"
"We still don't have any news about Naruto or Sakura. I'm worried they've run into trouble!"
Kakashi glanced outside the door and added, "And Tazuna, our mission target, could be attacked again by Zabuza at any time."
After all, Zabuza hadn't died during their last encounter.
"If we leave, Tazuna will almost certainly be killed by Zabuza. Worse, his entire family might also..."
Kakashi's words trailed off grimly.
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