"Sasuke!"
When they saw Orochimaru bite down on Sasuke's neck and heard his scream, Naruto and Itachi Uchiha shouted anxiously at the same time.
"Rustle, rustle, rustle."
At the same time, Gaara remained fairly calm and directly formed a giant hand of sand, reaching out to grab Orochimaru's extended head.
Unfortunately, Orochimaru's plan had already succeeded.
Before Gaara's giant sand hand could seize him, Orochimaru had pulled his head back.
As Orochimaru withdrew his head, Sasuke stood there with his mouth open and a trail of drool running from the corner of his lips. His body swayed before he fell backward.
"Whoosh."
Seeing this, Naruto immediately dashed forward and caught Sasuke.
"Sasuke, wake up! Are you alright?"
Worried sick about Sasuke's injuries, Naruto did not even choose to press the advantage and pursue Orochimaru.
Although Orochimaru had yet to recover from the mental trauma inflicted by Tsukuyomi, he was still capable of planting a Curse Seal on Sasuke.
After planting the Curse Seal on Sasuke, Orochimaru felt as though his head were about to explode, cold sweat streaming continuously down his forehead, but he forcibly endured it.
Sasuke, on the other hand, had been branded with the Heavenly Curse Mark by Orochimaru without any preparation.
The pain left his entire body drenched in sweat!
Through half-lidded, hazy eyes, Sasuke saw the anxious look on Naruto's face.
"N-Naruto... s-sorry..."
His lips moved slightly as Sasuke whispered those few words. Then he closed his eyes and dramatically passed out in Naruto's arms.
As for what he meant by sorry, he probably felt that he had become a burden again.
"Sasuke!"
Naruto's worry was plain to see as he looked at his unconscious friend.
At that moment, Naruto also noticed three black tomoe connected end to end, suddenly appearing on Sasuke's neck.
This