Layers Within Layers (Happy Holidays)

Sasuke narrowed his eyes slightly and coldly glanced at Orochimaru.

Sakura Uchiha remained unmoved.

The girl, instead of getting angry at being questioned, put on a gentle smile and looked at Orochimaru with indifferent eyes.

"Oh?" The female ninja's smile was playful and meaningful. "How so?"

Orochimaru also laughed, his cold smile paired with his narrow snake eyes making him appear even more sinister and wicked.

"His eyes, demeanor, movements, even the scent of his Chakra —he's so different from the real Sakura Haruno..." The man licked his pale lips and said calmly, "And don't underestimate my intelligence capabilities!"

Sasuke's expression tightened.

His hands, which were hanging naturally at his sides, instinctively tried to move, quickly Hand Seals, but in the next instant, a slender jade finger pressed against the back of his hand, stopping him from making a move!

He paused slightly, then turned to look, only to see Sakura Uchiha shaking her head almost imperceptibly.

Stay calm.

The warmth emanating from the girl's fingertips seemed to be telling him this word.

The Sharingan boy then realized that he had reacted a little too hastily when facing Orochimaru.

Perhaps he was eager to prove his newfound power, perhaps because the other person had once been a shadow threatening to take away his body, or perhaps it was simply that Sasuke's personality was a bit impulsive, and his composure couldn't compare to that of the original Sakura Haruno, or even the newly reborn Sakura Uchiha.

Taking a deep breath, the expression on the boy's face gradually softened.

He looked at the girl, whose smile remained unchanged, as if she was completely unaffected by Orochimaru's words.

"This information of yours," she said slowly, "Could it have been... provided to you by someone?"

Orochimaru's reaction is worth pondering.

His expression remained unchanged, and he remained silent for a moment.

He was testing Sakura Uchiha's identity, while Sakura Uchiha was also using his probing to see if he had connections with certain forces.

The only person who knew for certain that there were two Sakura Haruno Pain from the Akatsuki faction.

Orochimaru raised this question right from the start, which, in Sakura Uchiha's view, undoubtedly confirmed that he and Akatsuki had been exchanging information recently. But what about a deeper connection?

Orochimaru... could he have rejoined some organization?

That organization has clashed with me several times in the past two years, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries, and they are severely lacking in combat power. They should be eager to recruit new forces now! So... they've turned to Orochimaru for help?

Sakura Uchiha's mind raced as she quickly considered her options.

At the same time, Orochimaru was also quickly trying to figure out the true identity of the girl in front of him.

Although he made a solemn vow, the subtle differences between her demeanor, eyes, and other outward appearances and the Sakura Haruno he remembered didn't actually prove anything.

After all, it had been a year since he last dealt with Sakura Haruno.

A year has passed, and Orochimaru has changed a lot. There's no reason why Sakura Haruno should still be exactly the same as she was a year ago.

Moreover, he didn't believe that Konoha could cultivate a second girl as outstanding as Sakura Haruno... No, even Sakura Haruno's growth had little to do with Konoha's upbringing; a talent like that would shine in any village!

Moreover, she keenly perceived the truth--

Indeed, it wasn't just Kabuto who was contacted by certain people; Orochimaru also recently encountered the same group of people!

Of course, Orochimaru deliberately revealed this flaw.

The girl could use it to determine who Orochimaru had recently been in contact with, but while Sasuke would only rush to silence him for the same question, Sakura Uchiha keenly sensed something behind it—wasn't this exactly what Orochimaru wanted to probe?

This astonishing sensitivity seems to be unique to Sakura Haruno.

In Orochimaru's eyes, that sharp-minded, brilliant, and beautiful girl was like a lotus flower born in the filthy Shinobi World —pure, noble, upright, and exceptionally rare.

On a deeper level, Orochimaru deliberately wanted to pass the message to Konoha!

Sasuke was still on the ground, Sakura Uchiha had thought of the second level, but Orochimaru was already on the fifth level.

It's an old-fashioned layered cake.

As for Orochimaru's purpose...

It's because he doesn't want to join Akatsuki anymore!

Although confident in himself, Orochimaru knew very well that his successful defection from that organization back then was only because Akatsuki was too lazy to really fight him—the effort required to capture this slippery white snake was not worth the reward, so they simply let him go. But now it's different. From the words of that dark, vegetative man, Orochimaru could tell that Akatsuki had recently become truly desperate! Knowing that he couldn't fight this monstrous organization alone, he simply decided to bring another behemoth into the fray!

At the very least... Konoha will absolutely not let go of the opportunity to thwart Akatsuki's plan.

By stirring up the situation, Orochimaru can take advantage of the chaos!

After pondering for a moment, Orochimaru smiled faintly, "Heh heh. So what if it is?"

"So what if it isn't...?"

"That's it then. I think..." the female ninja said softly, "You didn't unwisely agree to anything, did you?"

The man still smiled faintly, but his eyes gradually lost their warmth. "Don't you think you're meddling too much?"

Sakura's expression slowly darkened. "You'd better answer no... or do you want to experience right now whether I am Sakura Haruno or not?"

A murderous aura emanated from the female ninja's lips.

The tit-for-tat dialogue quickly turned the atmosphere tense.

Orochimaru gazed silently at Sakura Uchiha for a long time before suddenly bursting into laughter, breaking the tense atmosphere thick with killing intent. He licked his lips and, without any attempt to hide it, frankly admitted, "Indeed, recently some people have suddenly approached me, saying some inexplicable things... What? Princess Tsunade, do you have any advice for me?"

Sakura Uchiha's eyes narrowed, and she quickly exchanged a glance with Sasuke.

"You agreed to their offer?" she asked quickly.

Orochimaru stared intently at her with his dark yellow snake eyes, his grin widening further. "That depends on which side offers a better deal."

Sakura Uchiha was slightly taken aback, then quickly realized what was happening, and a flash of anger crossed her face.

"Don't think too highly of yourself... Orochimaru." She stared dangerously at Orochimaru, her chilling killing intent overflowing without restraint. "Konoha is different from Akatsuki. We have no interest in recruiting or forgiving traitors. Akatsuki needs your power, but we don't! If you think you can use those two lowly henchmen's Impure World Reincarnation as bargaining chips, then you've embarked on a path to your death!"

"Finally, here's a piece of advice: use whatever means you have to your advantage as soon as possible. You escaped last year, but this time, you won't have any chance!"

The Chakra on the girl's body began to condense into a tangible light that was almost visible to the naked eye.

Her aura gradually built up, like a towering, precipitous peak reaching into the clouds, or a thunderbolt that cleaved the sky, awe-inspiring and awe-inspiring.

Orochimaru finally wiped the smile off his face, and his expression became solemn.

He withstood the female ninja's overwhelming aura and said in a deep voice, "That's really exaggerated... Your strength has already reached this level, yet you can still increase it so significantly. No wonder you have such confidence!"

"But I haven't stood still this past year..."

Boom--!

However, just as Orochimaru was speaking, a semi-transparent giant hand suddenly slammed down!

This attack was sudden, fierce, and devastating, shattering rocks, cracking the soil, and causing the entire earth to shake violently, as if a massive earthquake had occurred!

"You talk too much nonsense."

The boy's voice came from above Sakura's head.

Turning my head, I was surprised to see that Sasuke had activated Susanoo!

He stood high on the purple giant's forehead, indifferently looking down in the direction of Susanoo's attack.

Dust billowed and thick smoke filled the air, Sharingan to see clearly through the fog.

However, both Sasuke and Sakura Uchiha could clearly sense Orochimaru's undisguised Chakra fluctuations beneath the mist.

It remains clear, cold, and oppressive.

It seems that Sasuke's sneak attack did not cause him any harm whatsoever!

"Heh heh... Sasuke," Orochimaru's voice came clearly through the thick smoke, "Your biggest surprise for me is that you've finally learned how to launch a sneak attack like a ninja!"

As the smoke and dust slowly dissipated, a hazy, enormous figure gradually emerged before the two.

(Happy Holidays ≈ Ming Wugeng)