Sasuke and Orochimaru's Conflict

"Hmph! It's precisely because you're a brat that you were able to get your hands on me!"

Sasuke's expression was disdainful, and he said calmly, "Since you can't get Itachi, you chose me as your target, right?"

"Isn't that right? The genius known as one of the 'Legendary Sannin'..."

"Unfortunately, you are only what the world calls a genius. If you want to surpass the name of 'Uchiha', that is simply beyond your reach."

"Any genius is just a mortal in the face of the Uchiha name."

Sasuke has always been proud of the name 'Uchiha', and he truly accepts the clan from the bottom of his heart.

In this respect, Sasuke and Hinata are the same kind of people; both of them value their clans very much.

Furthermore, since Sasuke was only seven years old when the Uchiha Clan Extermination, he didn't witness the darkness within the clan firsthand. Perhaps even if Sasuke had seen it, he would have considered the clan more important than the village.

"Furthermore... I also find your actions very objectionable!"

What exactly is your purpose?

At this point, Sasuke's voice turned completely cold.

"You say you want to understand all the principles of the world, but for such a selfish reason, you treat others like toys and manipulate them at will... It's disgusting!"

No matter how immature Sasuke's mentality is, and no matter how incomprehensible his actions in the Original Story are, Sasuke is actually very kind at heart.

In the Original Story, Orochimaru once gathered a thousand people to test Sasuke's power. Sasuke defeated them all, but did not kill a single one.

Orochimaru said: If you can't be ruthless, you can't beat Itachi.

Sasuke replied: If I were to face him, I would be ruthless, whether I like it or not.

Sasuke rarely kills people; he only kills those he wants to kill, and he only does so after he has driven himself to ruthlessness.

"What do you know!?"

Orochimaru's eyes flashed with madness and ferocity, but when he saw Sasuke's eyes, he suddenly lost the will to explain to Sasuke Orochimaru.

The world of ninjas has never been fair.

For Orochimaru, who had experienced the Fourth Shinobi World War, he had seen far too much injustice.

Some ninjas receive excellent training from birth, allowing them to learn various secret techniques and even possess powerful Kekkei Genkai. With just a little effort, these individuals can reach a very high level.

However, for most ninjas, let alone possessing Kekkei Genkai or learning secret techniques, even learning ordinary ninjutsu is a luxury.

Of all the ninjas in Konoha, many Chunin only know a few simple ninjutsu techniques, and when fighting enemies, they can only rely on Kunai and Shuriken.

In the eyes of the higher-ups, these ninjas were merely machines for generating wealth for the village in peacetime, and cannon fodder in wartime.

Orochimaru was undoubtedly lucky; the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, took him as a disciple, enabling Orochimaru to achieve far more than ordinary ninjas.

But when facing Itachi Uchiha and Hinata, Orochimaru felt that fate had been too unfair to him. Fate had given him talent, but not Kekkei Genkai.

Orochimaru has reached the pinnacle of ninjas, yet he cannot reach the very pinnacle of ninjas.

However, Sasuke believed that it was only natural for him to possess the Sharingan, a power bestowed upon him by his family bloodline.

Orochimaru saw through this contradictory thinking, which is why he had no intention of explaining.

He and Sasuke will never understand each other.

"Hehe... I'd also like to know what gave you the courage to face me."

Orochimaru's hoarse voice held a hint of amusement. "As a fellow ninja of Hinata Hyuga, when you see her, do you feel insignificant?"

"Geniuses are always a minority..."

"Your talent is indeed amazing, but compared to Itachi and Hinata, you still have a considerable gap to close!"

Sasuke said calmly, "You'll understand soon enough."

As he finished speaking, the Three Tomoe swirled in Sasuke's eyes.

The pale gray stone chamber instantly turned pitch black. Orochimaru's body floated in the boundless darkness. The dim brass-colored iron pillars pierced through Orochimaru's limbs, firmly fixing Orochimaru in the dark void.

"This is... Genjutsu?"

Orochimaru's face twisted in a grimace as he said in a sinister tone, "It seems you have indeed grown quite a bit!"

Inside the stone chamber, Sasuke swung his Kusanagi Sword, sending Orochimaru's head flying high into the air before it turned into smoke with a 'bang'.

"Shadow Clone?"

Sasuke's eyes instantly became extremely wary; Orochimaru, with his hands back, was indeed not easy to deal with.

On the ceiling of the stone chamber, Orochimaru stretched half his body out from the stone wall, which resembled the surface of water. His mouth was wide open, and an Orochimaru snake emerged from it, spitting out the Kusanagi Sword, which stabbed fiercely towards Sasuke's back.

'Bite!'

A clang of metal rang out as Sasuke swung his Orochimaru sword to deflect Kusanagi Sword.

With a cold gaze fixed on Orochimaru, Sasuke unleashed his full power.

"This, this is..."

Orochimaru's face was filled with horror as he frantically shouted, "This is impossible!"

How strong was the force of Orochimaru's piercing with the Kusanagi Sword?

In the Original Story, even Naruto in his Nine-Tails form was sent flying far away by Orochimaru's attack and pinned to a pile of rubble, unable to move.

Sasuke, however, easily deflected Orochimaru's attack.

But what truly horrified Orochimaru was the burst of chakra Sasuke unleashed.

This kind of powerful chakra is something Sasuke could never possess.

Who exactly are you?

Orochimaru's expression changed drastically, his eyes fixed on Sasuke: "You are definitely not Sasuke, who are you...?"

Sasuke looked up at Orochimaru and said coldly, "Who else could it be?"

"Orochimaru, this is the biggest difference between you and me... Aren't you curious why I'm standing in front of you?"

"It's because of this power!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Sasuke's entire body blazed with lightning, and the azure lightning bolts formed a line that spread towards Orochimaru.

Lightning Release: Chidori Current

The lightning, having undergone a qualitative change to its extreme, carried the power to destroy everything. The floor, roof, and walls of the stone chamber shattered in an instant, and Orochimaru's body merged into the stone chamber and disappeared.

After a while, when the lightning dissipated, only Sasuke remained in the stone chamber.

Looking around warily, Sasuke had to admit that Orochimaru was indeed a very troublesome opponent, and that it was a bit premature for him to challenge Orochimaru to a decisive battle at this moment.

However, at the same time, Sasuke also had immense confidence in his heart.

The power is indeed different now.

Even if he couldn't kill Orochimaru today, Sasuke was already considering leaving.

Sasuke couldn't stand Orochimaru's actions; every day he stayed there was the greatest torment to his heart.

Those imprisoned by Orochimaru would be taken from the prison to Orochimaru's laboratory every day, and if they were lucky enough to survive, they would be put back into prison.

This cycle repeated itself, with no hope in sight.

Sasuke disliked this feeling because, being in darkness, all he wanted to see was hope.