Understanding the Cursed Seal Correctly and Regulating Its Use Further

Blood.

Blood debt.

Blood for blood!

Scenes of mountains of corpses and seas of blood flashed through his mind. One clansman after another died miserably before his eyes. The man crouching atop the streetlight stared at him with mockery, while savage violence grew wildly within Sasuke.

"Kill!!"

With a furious roar, Sasuke jolted upright.

"Thank goodness, you're finally awake!"

"Sasuke-kun, how are you feeling?"

Naruto and Sakura crowded around him, one before the other. Behind their smiles and concern lay exhaustion they could not hide.

Sasuke felt a warmth in his heart. "How long was I asleep?"

"A day and a night. You had a high fever the whole time. We were really worried about you," Sakura said.

"Sasuke, who was that bastard who brought you back? Was he the one who hurt you? You were only gone for a little while, so how did you get taken down so fast? I thought you were strong, damn it—"

"Shut up!" Sakura brought a heavy fist down on Naruto's head, making him howl in pain.

At the mention of Orochimaru, a surging killing intent rose from the depths of Sasuke's heart again. He forcibly suppressed the power threatening to run wild, his face twisted in pain.

"Sasuke-kun, you've only just recovered. You're still very weak, so get some more rest." Sakura thoughtfully handed him a cup of mountain spring water and signaled Naruto not to disturb him.

After taking the water, Sasuke took a sip.

Something seemed to be running rampant inside his body. Sasuke did not dare push himself, so he leaned against a tree and closed his eyes to rest.

At that moment, the system sent him a notification as well.

Congratulations, you have completed the suggestion—face your battle with Orochimaru head-on. You have obtained a D-Rank Scroll.

Unlike the white and gray ones before, this D-Rank Scroll emitted an emerald-green glow.

Open.

With a thought from Sasuke, the scroll unfurled.

You have opened a D-Rank Scroll. Congratulations, you have obtained the permanent talent: Will of Steel.

What was Will of Steel?

He only knew of the Will of Fire.

Just as Sasuke was feeling puzzled, a line of small text appeared above the scroll.

The abyss of human nature holds infinite gravitational pull. When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes into you. The Will of Steel grants you the ability to resist all negative desires!

As the scroll opened, a strange sensation rose from the depths of Sasuke's heart.

The savagery and killing intent that had always existed within him had not disappeared, but the agitation those impulses brought to his mind was gone.

In its place was the calm of an observer.

At that moment, Sasuke seemed to have split into two selves. One still honestly experienced and reflected his body's sensations, while the other looked down upon it all and firmly controlled his mind and body.

Though Sasuke was weak at the moment, his mind was much clearer.

"Did any enemies come last night? Is the scroll still here?"

Sasuke asked softly.

"Konoha's ninja came by. The scroll is still here." Sakura answered quietly, her expression somewhat unnatural.

"Were they classmates from our year?" Sasuke asked.

Sakura shook her head.

The faces of those older boys flashed through Sasuke's mind.

Seeing Sakura's awkward expression, then Naruto pretending to calmly look around, Sasuke suddenly recalled those rumors about the "demon fox."

There was no need to ask. Sasuke could roughly guess what had happened.

Naruto must have been subjected to the cold stares and exclusion of the villagers again.

Fortunately, the scroll was still here.

"Good job."

Sasuke said no more.

"Hey, I'm the man who's going to become Hokage! How could the strongest fighting force of Team 7 fail to guard a scroll, damn it? Hahahaha!" Naruto burst into loud laughter.

The exam was still ongoing.

Considering his condition, Sasuke felt somewhat uneasy about how to proceed down the road ahead.

Thinking of this, Sasuke opened the Collective Wisdom System again and made a post.

"I am Uchiha Sasuke. I just finished fighting Orochimaru. How should I proceed with the rest of the exam?"

At the same time, he briefly attached the details of the battle beneath the question. He described everything, including the effects of the Cursed Seal and how Orochimaru had crawled out of his mouth at the end.

Replies came quickly.

Six Paths Know-It-All: "Which version of Sasuke are you? At this point, he should only be at Chunin level at most. How could he possibly take out one of Orochimaru's eyes? Also, why didn't you mention Naruto and Sakura?"

Lurker for Ten Thousand Years: "The person above, look at the original poster's previous post. Also, Uchiha Sasuke is freaking awesome."

As a young man, Sasuke naturally felt some resentment and shame after being defeated by Orochimaru.

But he had not expected the forum users to offer nothing but such high praise, and he immediately felt a little embarrassed.

But what was this Uchiha Sasuke?

Judging by the tone, they seemed to be talking about him.

Fine. It seemed the veteran forum users had given him a nickname.

Though it sounded a little rustic, Sasuke did not dislike it. He even found it somewhat familiar, like long-lost family.

Hunshui Moyu: "I finally waited for you! Good thing I didn't give up! You must have learned about Orochimaru in advance and chosen to face him alone for your comrades' sake! Sasuke at this stage really is... Sigh, what a feeling!"

Wuhu Handsome Guy: "Holy crap, you even forced Rascal Snake to use the Orochimaru-Style Body Replacement Technique. Awesome!"

Rascal Snake?

Sasuke could not help smiling. Recalling the process of his battle with Orochimaru, he could not help but marvel at how damn fitting these forum users' nicknames were!

Six Paths Know-It-All: "I just looked through the past posts. I have to say, you young people really know how to have fun. Then this old man will join in too!"

"For Sasuke right now, there are only three things: the exam, getting stronger, and revenge."

"Of course, you could also call it one thing: the exam is for getting stronger, and getting stronger is for revenge. So without question, the core is getting stronger."

"From that perspective, the Cursed Seal is the primary issue."

"According to official materials, Cursed Seal transformation originates from the Jugo Clan's sage transformation. Its effects are similar to Sage Mode, multiplying Chakra, strength, and speed.

"Of course, its effects are nowhere near Sage Mode's, and it also has serious side effects. For example, staying in Cursed Seal transformation for too long may cause one to go berserk and ultimately lose oneself."

"Given Kishimoto's obsession with symmetry, this should correspond to Naruto's Tailed Beast Transformation. Essentially, they're both—cheat powers."

"So, taking Naruto's method of use as a reference: don't use it when there's nothing going on. Use it hard when something is happening. Don't use it in official matches; use it hard in unofficial ones."

"As for the negative effects of the Cursed Seal, I personally believe they are strongly related to the user's willpower. Relevant training needs to be strengthened, and it may even be necessary to probe where your limits lie during daily training. Only then can you know what you're doing in a real battle, have strategies at hand, and act accordingly."

Lan Tutu: "I bow before the master. I was clearly searching for civil service exam materials. What is this?"

Sasuke soon received another system notification.

You have received a new suggestion: properly understand the power of the Cursed Seal, actively train with it in daily life, and evaluate it. Adopt and complete this suggestion to obtain a D-Rank Scroll.

"Thank you, senior."

After the forum users' methodical analysis, Sasuke's thoughts gradually became crystal clear.

That was right. Power was power. No amount of added concepts could conceal that essential fact.

As for whether it was dangerous or evil, he would have to try it first.

With that in mind, Sasuke got up and headed deeper into the forest.

"Sasuke-kun, you haven't fully recovered yet! What are you doing? Let me help you, okay?" Sakura hurried forward to support him.

"Going to the bathroom."

"Ah!" Sakura cried out, her entire face instantly flushing red as she froze in place.

"H-Hahahahaha, Sakura-chan, hahahaha!" Naruto laughed so hard he rolled around on the ground.

"Don't laugh at me!" Sakura rushed over and smashed him with another heavy punch.

Sasuke laughed to himself, turned, and walked deeper into the forest.