Testing Moves! Dazzling Taijutsu!

"Hmph! I wouldn't be at ease if you didn't come."

Sasuke did not hesitate. He took out a High-Quality Soldier Pill and swallowed it, assuming a fighting stance.

Come to think of it, this was already his second-to-last one.

Ever since the Third Hokage had personally released him, Sasuke had felt uneasy whenever he thought of it.

He had always felt that things should not have been so simple.

But this man's appearance made everything much clearer.

Because Sarutobi Asuma, the Third's biological son, was involved, the Third had initially chosen to suppress the matter—turning a major issue into a minor one, and a minor one into nothing—before ultimately letting him go.

Likewise, because Asuma was involved, he now had to be killed to silence him and eliminate that risk completely.

With that thought, Sasuke's last shred of respect for the Third Hokage vanished completely.

As the High-Quality Soldier Pill took effect, Sasuke felt better than ever before.

Blazing killing intent rose around him.

Perfect. I'll use you to test the limits of the "Martial Arts Grandmaster" talent.

The Anbu agent formed deep-blue Chakra in both hands and dove toward Sasuke at high speed.

Too slow.

Sasuke's figure flickered and vanished from where he stood.

Before the man could react in shock, Sasuke appeared behind him again and delivered a vicious slap to the back of his head.

The man turned to counterattack. Sasuke leaned his upper body back toward the sky, his feet planted firmly on the ground, and easily evaded with an Iron Bridge.

Before the man could pull back his attack, Sasuke's body traced an arc through the air. Rising, he drove a hard kick into the bend of the man's knee.

The man cried out in pain and dropped to one knee.

"Oh? Aren't you Anbu only supposed to kneel before the Hokage?"

In an instant, Sasuke appeared before him again.

His fists crashed down like Overlord Beats Drum, hammering the man viciously into the ground.

He was so fast that there was no way to defend against him.

"How... is that possible?"

Horror flashed through the man's eyes.

Yet Sasuke was equally surprised. Despite that heavy blow, it seemed not to have seriously injured the man.

The man remained nimble, bracing himself on both hands and feet as he slid backward.

After getting up, he quickly used the Mystical Palm Technique to adjust himself. His ragged breathing soon returned to normal.

Medical Ninjutsu?

"Hmph, you make a pretty good human punching bag."

Sasuke sneered.

Without time to think further, Sasuke rushed in again, his body flickering back and forth:

Knee Lift Pouring Wine, Raise Hand as Bowl, Swing Arm Upward, Strike the Jaw;

Boundless Falling Leaves, Palm as Blade, Illusory and Real, Cut the Three Paths of the Chest;

Plucking Stars and Switching Dippers, Flying Body Consecutive Kicks, Around Shoulder Rotation, Lightly Landing;

Fierce, overwhelming, swift, dazzling.

Once the excitement of testing his moves gradually faded, Sasuke no longer wished to drag things out.

He took a massive step forward and unleashed Caressing Snow.

With a backhand strike, he shattered the Anbu member's mask.

Beneath the blood-streaked face was an unfamiliar man wearing glasses.

"Go back and tell that Sarutobi Old Dog.

"He has his reasons for needing to kill me, and I have my reasons for needing to live.

"If he keeps pressing me, I won't mind making his assassination my life's mission."

Sasuke turned and left.

I no longer care to tell the difference.

Sasuke thought, whether you did it for the village's peace or for your own son, Hokage, it no longer matters to me.

Now that the blade is at my throat, we will be enemies until one of us dies!

"Earth Release: Earth Style!"

A sudden roar came from behind him.

Sasuke spun around sharply, only to find that the Anbu agent had vanished.

All that remained was a man-sized hole in the ground.

Before Sasuke could react, the ground by his feet suddenly split open.

The Anbu ninja shot out, lightly tapping Sasuke's right thigh and left arm.

Sasuke felt a wave of numb soreness. Looking down, he saw no external wounds.

But when he tried to move and meet the attack, he suddenly discovered that his arm and thigh could no longer exert any strength.

"Ninja Art: Chakra Scalpel."

The Anbu ninja leaped away again. Most of his earlier injuries had already healed.

His hands now glimmered faintly as he looked at Sasuke with amusement.

"Just now, I severed part of your biceps and thigh muscles.

"This is my Chakra Scalpel. It can cut blood vessels and muscles without leaving any external wounds."

Though Sasuke already knew this Anbu ninja had formidable recovery abilities, he had thought that even if the other man tried to ambush him, he would still be no match for him.

The completely one-sided battle earlier had caused Sasuke to lower his guard.

"Perhaps I really am not skilled in Taijutsu, but against someone whose arms and legs are out of control, I should still have a fighting chance."

The man sneered and swung his hand forward again.

Sasuke barely managed to fend him off through sheer willpower, but after several exchanges, he was ultimately struck in the chest with a palm.

He immediately collapsed to the ground, and breathing became difficult.

"This time, it was the intercostal muscles that control respiration."

Something was wrong.

Sasuke sensed that things had gone terribly wrong. The sudden reversal of the situation left him flustered.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Enduring the pain, Sasuke barely managed to perform the technique.

Then he gritted his teeth, turned, and fled.

But how could he possibly escape the other man in his current state?

The Anbu ninja used Earth Release again, then burst from the ground and tapped Sasuke's ankles once each. Both Achilles tendons snapped at once.

Sasuke fell.

"Although I can't create a slender, long scalpel capable of reaching an artery or the heart muscle in battle."

The man looked down at Sasuke from above, grinning viciously.

"If I aim for your neck, though, that won't be a problem at all."

"Damn it!"

The fear of death truly loomed before Sasuke. He could almost smell the moldy scent of Death's robes.

"Fire Release: Flame Armor!"

Sasuke formed hand seals, attempting one final resistance.

Blazing flames erupted. The ninja raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Uchiha Sasuke, just how many more surprises do you have?"

Yet his hand did not stop in the slightest.

The deep-blue Chakra condensed further into a thin, sharp blade, moving toward Sasuke's neck.

Bit by bit, inch by inch.

Slowly, yet without pause, it bored downward.

Was this really the end?

Overwhelming fear engulfed Sasuke.

The Third Hokage's aged face flashed through his mind.

"It's all because I haven't cared for you enough."

"You must bring honor to Konoha!"

Those words from that day still rang in his ears.

It seemed they had all been an act to lull him into complacency.

Old thief, I swear I'll kill you!

The Chakra Blade drew closer.

Sasuke suddenly recalled scenes from his childhood.

If my Uchiha clan had not been destroyed.

If my father and brother were still here—no, if my clansmen were still here—would that old Sarutobi thief dare humiliate me like this?!

The Flame Armor began to crack.

The cold Chakra Blade had reached Sasuke's neck, gently slicing through his skin as thin streams of blood gradually seeped out.

Sasuke's unwillingness reached its peak.

No!

I can't die in a place like this!

I haven't personally killed that man yet!

And Orochimaru, and the Third! And this bastard right in front of me!

Everyone who has treated me unjustly—I'll kill every last one of you!