"Crystal Release: Crystal-Breaking Dragon Subduing Technique!"
A pink crystal dragon rose from the snow, its massive jaws snapping open to bite Sasuke without hesitation.
Sasuke, having activated his Three Tomoe Sasuke, easily dodged the crystal dragon's gaping maw, but the next attack was already upon him, leaving him no choice but to take it head-on.
"Crystal Release: Hexagonal Shuriken Dance!"
A barrage of Crystal Release shuriken rained down on Sasuke, but he remained calm and immediately began wielding his longsword with incredible speed and precision.
With the help of his Sharingan, he knocked away most of the shuriken, and was able to dodge the rest with his Taijutsu. However, one or two attacks still caused him abrasions.
As soon as the attack landed, he rushed towards his opponent at an extremely fast speed, while lightning crackled around his blade.
The two exchanged a few blows before gradually widening the distance between them, both panting as they looked at each other.
"Is that all you've got? If you keep this up, you're going to lose!"
Sasuke wiped his sweat; even in the freezing cold, he was drenched in sweat, a testament to the hardship of the battle.
His opponent was naturally Guren. After nearly two and a half years of training, Sasuke had already reached the level of Jonin and had even touched the threshold of Elite Jonin.
Over the past two years, Orochimaru would take time to send his subordinates from the Northern Lands to train him, which is why his strength has improved by leaps and bounds.
The Guren before them had come on a mission, much like other ninjas who had come before, staying for anywhere from ten days to half a month, or even a month.
"Kid, don't be so arrogant! You're still a long way off!"
Guren took a deep breath and looked at the younger brother in front of her, who was a few years younger than her. Although she spoke casually, she was already on high alert.
In terms of talent, Guren is quite outstanding. She uses the Crystal Release in a dazzling manner, and in the Original Work, she even dared to fight the Three-Tails alone.
However, her talent was slightly inferior to Sasuke's; otherwise, Orochimaru would have used her as a vessel for reincarnation long ago in the Original Work.
It's a bit sad, really. Guren desperately wanted to become Orochimaru's vessel, but Orochimaru kept deceiving and using her, eventually driving her to rebel.
Orochimaru in the original Trails series was indeed a complete bastard. Guren was deeply in love with him, but in the end, she left him. You can't blame her for that.
However, this life is completely different. Guren is still Guren, but Orochimaru is no longer the same Orochimaru.
"Hmph! Take this! Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
The two clashed again, fighting their way down the snow-capped mountain. The commotion from their battle quickly triggered an avalanche.
Ordinary people would definitely avoid this situation, but it's not so dangerous for ninjas. The trees here are very thick, and if all else fails, they can just jump to the treetops to avoid it.
As if oblivious to the oncoming avalanche, the two not only did not stop fighting, but intensified.
As time went on, both of them were rapidly losing Chakra and stamina. In particular, Guren, who had been using large-scale Crystal Release attacks, was at a disadvantage in terms of stamina due to being a woman, and was now almost out of breath.
Perhaps noticing this, Sasuke was equally exhausted, not only did not slow down his movements, but instead sped them up even more.
Guren used her Crystal Arm Blade to block Sasuke's slashes, retreating continuously. Guren hadn't expected her opponent to unleash such power.
Caught off guard, Sasuke slashed her cheek, and lightning crackled from the longsword. Guren immediately distanced herself.
Upon closer inspection, a ten-centimeter-long cut was visible on his face, oozing blood.
Appearance is something that women value highly, and even ninjas are no exception.
Injuries are inevitable when performing missions, but we usually take care to protect our face and eyes. But this kid is showing no mercy just because we're training him.
Thinking of this, Guren felt a surge of anger. She had been suppressing Sasuke these past few days, but she hadn't really hurt him.
Now that the other party has seized the opportunity and dealt her a harsh blow, Guren can't possibly tolerate this outcome.
He rushed forward again and started fighting with the other person, but he got tired after a few rounds and accidentally got slashed on the face again.
"Stop! We're not fighting anymore..."
Looking at this uncivilized young man, Guren immediately found his appearance repulsive.
Upon hearing the other person's words, Sasuke also put away his Sharingan, a smug smile appearing on his face.
This was the first time in a long time that he had gained the upper hand in a battle, and it was also the longest one; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to push Guren to this point.
"It's a draw this time!"
After saying that, Guren ignored Sasuke and returned to the camp with a gloomy face.
Orochimaru, who had been busy all day, came out of the laboratory to get some fresh air.
As soon as he arrived at the cave entrance, he saw Guren, whose complexion was not good. However, she immediately smiled when she saw him.
"My lord! Why are you out here?"
She knew Orochimaru's true identity, so even if the person in front of her might not be the real Orochimaru, she was still happy.
"It must have been tiring for you to come out for a walk!"
Orochimaru gently patted her head, a tender look flashing in his eyes.
Guren did not resist, as if she had already gotten used to what the other party did.
Without saying much, Orochimaru told Guren to go and keep watch.
He naturally saw the two wounds on the other person's face, but neither of them mentioned it.
A short while later, Sasuke, carrying his sword, slowly arrived at the cave entrance.
He showed no expression when he saw Orochimaru standing at the cave entrance, Earth Flow a cold look on his face, seemingly not intending to greet Orochimaru at all.
Neither of them spoke a word. Just as Sasuke passed by Orochimaru and their figures were about to cross paths, Orochimaru's voice suddenly rang out.
"Is this how you treat your mentor?"
Sasuke stopped in his tracks upon hearing the voice, unsure whether the speaker was referring to himself or Guren.
Just as he was about to turn his head to look at Orochimaru, a gust of wind was already close to his cheek.
By the time he realized what was happening, his body had already slammed uncontrollably against the cave wall, and a burning pain shot through his right cheek.
"What do you want...!"
"Smack!"
Before he could finish speaking, Orochimaru slapped him again, then grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the wall.
"Haven't I told you to respect your teachers? Even a dog I've raised for so long will wag its tail at me!"
In the Original Work, Orochimaru practically found himself a living father, doing everything Sasuke. In the end, this kid not only showed no gratitude but also murdered his master!
Even if Orochimaru had no good intentions, he showed no gratitude for being taught and simply killed him.
Even Orochimaru had a wealth of experience in the martial world, could not have imagined that this ingrate could be so ruthless and decisive.
If Orochimaru hadn't been used later, he probably wouldn't have had any role to play.
Upon hearing Orochimaru's words, Sasuke's eyes widened, Sharingan involuntarily surfaced, earning him another slap in return.
"Everyone here is your senior, and I am your teacher. Remember to greet me when you see me! I don't care if you're sincere or not, you have to follow the rules here!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than Orochimaru delivered a knee strike that sent Sasuke flying. Sasuke coughed up a mouthful of bitter water and crashed heavily onto the platform in front of the cave entrance.
Sasuke had been beaten, dared not utter a word of anger. He struggled on the ground in pain, and no longer dared to show any emotion in his gaze towards Orochimaru.
"From this day forward, if you continue with this attitude, you can go back to Konoha! I'm not your father, nor your brother! Nobody here will tolerate you!"
Little Western Paradise cannot confer the true Great Sage, and Metamorphosis cannot produce a true hero!
Orochimaru refused to believe that he couldn't subdue this kid in this lifetime, or else he would call him "Dad"!
Orochimaru gave Sasuke a cold look, then turned and walked into the cave.