Encounter!

Encounter!

Konoha, early morning, in the Forest of Death.

Before entering this forest, Sasuke had already made up his mind.

He had previously considered several possible responses, but none could explain the source of his information.

The existence of the system was simply beyond the scope of ninjutsu. Even if he were willing to tell others, it would be difficult to make them believe him.

Under certain circumstances, he might even be mistaken for Orochimaru's accomplice.

Therefore, if he wanted to survive this crisis, he could only rely on himself!

"Let's settle here!"

"Sakura, you handle setting up the traps. Naruto, you stand guard. I'll scout the surrounding area."

After entering the forest, Sasuke followed the original plan and sprinted full speed toward the Central Tower.

About half an hour later, he stopped in an area with a relatively broad field of view and assigned tasks to his teammates.

"Sasuke-kun, I'll go with you! It's too dangerous out there. If you go alone..."

Sakura said shyly.

"Do you remember what the examiner said? People really will die in this round."

Sasuke cut Sakura off with a serious expression. Then, moving discreetly, he slipped the Heaven Scroll into her hands and turned to leave.

As he ran, Sasuke once again organized the information he had gathered:

1. A Kage-level figure wanted to test him;

2. He would not kill me;

3. This person was dangerous;

Within that framework, the ones in the greatest danger were actually Sasuke's two companions.

After all, they had not been guaranteed immunity from death.

Once a battle broke out, any outcome was possible.

Sasuke ran through the forest. He had no clear destination in mind; he only wanted to get as far away from his companions as possible.

"Sasuke!" A tearful cry interrupted his thoughts.

He stopped and turned around to see Sakura chasing after him, her face smeared with blood.

"Naruto... Naruto... he was killed! It was those three Sound Shinobi... sob..."

Sakura completely broke down and threw herself into Sasuke's arms, sobbing loudly.

"W-What kind of joke is that?!" Sasuke was horrified.

"Not long after you left, the three Sound Shinobi came to take our scroll. All the traps I set were seen through by that bandage-wrapped monster."

"Naruto stayed behind to cover my escape, fighting three against one..."

Sakura choked back sobs as she described what had just happened in broken fragments.

"Where's the Earth Scroll? Do you still have it?" Sasuke asked.

"The scroll's still here." Sakura pulled a scroll from her clothes as she spoke.

"Open it," Sasuke said.

"Huh? But the examiner clearly said that opening it would immediately disqualify us from the exam, and something bad would happen..."

"I said, open it!"

Sasuke leaped back, keeping a certain distance from Sakura, his eyes fixed firmly on the scroll.

"Open it. I want to see what's inside. If possible, make a copy right away."

"Even if something bad happens, I'll be fine as long as I keep my distance."

"As for you, now that Naruto is dead, there's no use keeping you around!"

"Make one final contribution to Team 7! Show the resolve of a shinobi!"

Sasuke kept pressing her.

Sakura stared at the scroll in her hands. At last, she made up her mind and gritted out, "No!"

She immediately put away the scroll and turned toward the depths of the forest.

Seeing this, Sasuke secretly smiled and formed hand seals—Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

A massive fireball erupted from Sasuke's mouth and blasted toward Sakura's back.

Hearing movement behind her, Sakura sprang into the air, turned midair, and crossed her hands over her chest to block the attack.

Before she could land, Sasuke gathered Chakra in his feet and used the Body Flicker Technique to close in swiftly, driving his knee brutally into Sakura's chest.

Sakura used the force to flip backward. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth as she said coldly, "Uchiha brat, is that how roughly you treat your teammates?"

Sasuke replied in kind, "Your Transformation Technique is pretty good, but isn't it about time you showed your true face?"

A cloud of smoke dispersed, revealing a tall shinobi wearing a straw hat before Sasuke.

"I'd really like to know how you saw through it."

The straw-hat shinobi stuck out his tongue, his voice carrying a strange lilt.

"Choosing that kind of entrance was indeed clever. Amid such a sudden upheaval, even the closest companions would be unable to judge authenticity through someone's usual behavior and mannerisms."

"Unfortunately, there was no way for you to know about the scroll. Our group received the Heaven Scroll."

"Of course I considered that."

"You tried to trick me, but I never directly answered."

"And when I took out the scroll just now, I was clearly covering the label with my hand. You shouldn't have been able to see it."

"Yes, based on that alone, I really wasn't entirely sure." Sasuke nodded.

"But the real Sakura would definitely have fallen apart after Naruto's death! With me pressuring her, she couldn't possibly have refused. Yet you resisted me!"

"Heh... hehehe." The straw-hat shinobi ran his long tongue around his lips, seeming intensely excited.

"Meticulous, decisive, and capable of applying pressure to the limit."

"You're far more interesting than I imagined."

Genjutsu: Hell Viewing Technique.

The straw-hat shinobi's pupils rapidly constricted, and Sasuke was suddenly seized by overwhelming terror.

The sight of Team 7 slaughtered flashed before his eyes. The sensation of losing everything sent Sasuke's body and mind plummeting.

While Sasuke was frozen stiff, the straw-hat shinobi advanced step by step, pulled out a kunai, and hurled it straight at his chest.

Didn't he say he wouldn't kill me?

Sasuke cursed the damned forum and its users one by one. With death looming before him—

Sasuke summoned every ounce of his will and viciously stabbed the kunai into his own thigh!

Break the genjutsu with pain!

"Sharingan, awaken!"

After leaping into the air to evade the kunai, Sasuke rapidly took in the surrounding terrain and the straw-hat shinobi's position. His hands never stopped forming seals—Rat, Tiger, Dog, Ox, Rabbit, Tiger.

"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"

The flames scattered like phoenix sage seeds, attacking the straw-hat shinobi from every angle.

While his opponent evaded, Sasuke swiftly ducked behind a large tree he had spotted earlier, struggling to steady his breathing.

Before this, Sasuke had always doubted the meaning of this battle.

Why did he have to participate in such an overwhelmingly uneven fight, a battle he was destined to lose?

If he could avoid it, he would. If he could not, then so be it.

After his ambush and direct assault proved ineffective, that feeling of powerlessness reached its peak.

Yet just now, that person had nearly killed him. This so-called test...

No. He needed to reorganize the information:

1. Judging from their strength, the chance of surviving a one-on-one fight against this person was almost zero;

2. That person had nearly killed him just now;

3. According to the forum veterans, at least in one timeline, he had managed to survive;

Conclusion: This person had no intention of killing him, but clearly, if he accidentally killed Sasuke during the test, it seemed that would not matter.

If he wanted to survive, he had to display everything he had, like a fighting dog waiting to be selected in a kennel.

To see a dog's spirit, a buyer would naturally shake it around and poke at it. The purpose was not to kill it, but if it really died by accident during the process, then the dog was simply too weak.

Once he understood everything, an immense sense of humiliation surged through him.

Then, under the influence of adrenaline, that emotion turned into rage.

You want to see what I'm made of? Then take a good look!

Maybe I can't kill you, but if I stake my life on it, I might still make you pay the price!