Kabuto Yakushi: I Keep Feeling Like the Shinobi World's Future Has Nothing to Do with Me

At the corner of the outdoor corridor of the stone room, Kabuto Yakushi leaned against the wall, habitually reaching out to push up his glasses to hide the slightly sinister gaze beneath them.

The battle between Sasuke and Orochimaru was expected, but neither Orochimaru nor Kabuto Yakushi anticipated that the battle would come so soon.

Sasuke's growth completely exceeded everyone's expectations.

Inside the stone chamber, snake-style ninjutsu and Lightning Release Ninjutsu clashed continuously, producing a constant metallic clang.

Orochimaru's snake-style ninjutsu is unpredictable but lacks power. Sasuke's Lightning Release Ninjutsu, while powerful, is limited to a few repetitive moves.

Sasuke is only thirteen years old this year. Even though he has obtained Urashiki's chakra, his mastery of the techniques is still somewhat lacking.

"Sasuke-kun, I've already seen through your moves..."

Standing gracefully opposite Sasuke, Orochimaru possessed an indescribable charm despite exuding a terrifying killing intent.

The ground was littered with the remains of snakes, but Orochimaru was completely unharmed.

Sasuke had already used the 'Curse Mark Stage 2' state. After absorbing Urashiki's chakra, the 'Curse Mark Stage 2' state had negligible effect on Sasuke.

"What a pity..."

Orochimaru felt a little regretful. Sasuke acted too soon, and Orochimaru would need nearly two more years before he could use the Living Corpse Reincarnation again to take over Sasuke's body.

"From now on, we'll have no choice but to imprison you..."

At this point, Orochimaru quickly Hand Seals.

"Ninja Art - Impure World Reincarnation!"

In the open space between Orochimaru and Sasuke, a coffin bursts out of the ground.

Orochimaru licked his lips and looked at Sasuke with a playful expression. "Sasuke-kun, your Uchiha clan's ancestor once fought against this ninja... I wonder how much of a gap there is between you and Madara?"

'Bang!'

The coffin lid fell to the ground, revealing Hashirama Senju inside.

Although Orochimaru often acts recklessly, he still possesses a degree of caution.

The Three Kage summoned last time using a sacrifice fused with Hashirama Cells had already made Orochimaru realize just how terrifying a Kage at their peak could be.

Before he strengthens his control over the Impure World Reincarnation, Orochimaru will no longer use offerings that fuse with Hashirama Cells.

Orochimaru placed the Kunai wrapped with talismans into Hashirama Senju's body, saying with a playful tone, "Although I can't unleash my full power, I've been looking forward to this battle for a long time."

"This is... the First Hokage?"

Sasuke's gaze was extremely solemn.

The colossal statues at the Valley of the End record the glory of the Senju Clan and the shame of the Uchiha clan.

The Uchiha clan will never forget that battle.

Bento Madara Uchiha had already left the Uchiha clan at that time, he still represented the highest power of the Madara Uchiha clan.

Madara Uchiha's defeat to Hashirama Senju means that the Uchiha's power was inferior to that of the Senju.

"Wood Release: Tree Binding Eternal Burial!"

Tree roots and vines burst forth from beneath Sasuke's feet, instantly Sasuke firmly.

Sasuke hand Hand Seals, preparing to use Chidori Current to break free from Wood Release.

"This is... chakra being..."

The originally thin vines instantly became thick and large, and Sasuke's clasped hands were forced apart. The thick vines wrapped around Sasuke's entire body and were about to become a towering tree in the blink of an eye.

'Bang!'

Sasuke's body turned into smoke and disappeared.

'Sizzle sizzle—'

A deafening clap of thunder rang out, Sasuke descended from the sky, wielding Chidori as he pounced on Orochimaru.

Hashirama Senju Body Flicker Technique blocked Sasuke's path, grabbing Chidori's left hand as he released Orochimaru, while simultaneously kicking Sasuke hard in the abdomen.

'Bang!'

Sasuke was struck hard and sent flying backward, coughing up blood continuously...

However, as Sasuke was being sent flying backward, his injuries were also healing rapidly. Before he even hit the ground, most of Sasuke injuries had already healed.

Using his waist, Sasuke spun in the air and landed steadily on the ground.

"What... what exactly is going on?"

A hint of shock flashed in Orochimaru's snake-like eyes.

He had already examined Sasuke's body and concluded that Sasuke absolutely did not possess such a rapid healing ability.

Sasuke's healing abilities, which he just demonstrated, are almost comparable to those of Hashirama Senju.

"Could it be that Sasuke fused with Hashirama Cells himself?"

The thought flashed through Orochimaru's mind quickly, because it was the only explanation for Sasuke's abnormality.

"This is fantastic!"

Orochimaru was incredibly excited. Sasuke's body was becoming more and more perfect; if he could also obtain Itachi's eyes...

"Only..."

"Who exactly helped Sasuke do it? Was it himself... or Kabuto?"

Orochimaru suppressed his doubts; the urgent matter was to capture Sasuke first.

Sasuke pushed off with his feet and lunged at Hashirama Senju, and the two quickly engaged in battle.

Hashirama Senju, resurrected using ordinary sacrifices, didn't possess much strength, perhaps only slightly stronger than Yamato. However, the nature of the Impure World Reincarnation made Hashirama Senju fearless in a prolonged battle.

On the contrary, Sasuke... even though Sasuke's chakra level increased dramatically, he couldn't maintain it for long at all.

If the battle drags on, Sasuke will ultimately be defeated.

Orochimaru stood to the side with his arms crossed, watching the battle between Sasuke and Hashirama Senju with great interest, seemingly trying to imagine just how exciting the battle Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha in their prime must have been.

Sasuke's eyes darted rapidly around the Three Tomoe, and his mind raced with thoughts.

"It seems I won't be able to kill Orochimaru today. I didn't expect this guy to be so troublesome."

"We have no choice but to resort to our backup plan..."

With that thought, Sasuke Hashirama Senju back with a single strike, then leaped into the air, standing upside down on the ceiling, kneeling on one knee.

"Orochimaru, I will take your life next time!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a series of explosions came from the ceiling around Sasuke. The stone chamber collapsed instantly, and a large number of stones fell to the ground. A ray of light shone through the gaps between the stones, illuminating the dark stone chamber.

Sasuke used his Body Flicker Technique several times to reach the ground, and after identifying the direction, he quickly fled.

'Boom!'

Orochimaru retreated quickly and left the stone chamber before it completely collapsed.

Orochimaru's eyes darkened as he stared at the pile of rubble before him. The cooked duck had flown away; he hadn't expected Sasuke to have planted Explosive Tag on the ceiling beforehand.

The Explosive Tag collapsed the roof, giving Sasuke a chance to escape from the underground base.

Even if Orochimaru immediately went out to chase Sasuke, he probably wouldn't be able to catch up with Sasuke, who had already escaped.

"Uchiha... Sasuke!"

Orochimaru admitted that he had underestimated Sasuke. He had not expected Sasuke to attack him so soon, nor had he expected that Sasuke had already prepared a way to retreat.

Damn it!