"Naruto, take Sakura and run! I'll hold them off!"
After roaring those words from the depths of his chest, Sasuke suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of release. At the same time, the fear that had filled his entire body receded like the tide.
At that moment, the timidity and hesitation vanished from Sasuke's face, replaced by a fighting spirit that was ready to face death!
"Huh..."
Asuma and the others, disguised as Akatsuki members, not only sensed the change in Sasuke's demeanor, but also noticed that at some point, his one-tomoe Sharingan had become a two-tomoe Sharingan!
"His Sharingan evolved?"
Asuma and the others exchanged bewildered looks.
They had never imagined that simply following Hyuga Kagami's absurd arrangement would spur Second Pillar's Sharingan to evolve from one tomoe to two. They could not help marveling inwardly at how extraordinary this Uchiha brat was.
Just then, Sasuke, who had already prepared himself to face the Akatsuki alone, was surprised to find that Naruto and Sakura, whom he had always considered dead weight, had not run away. Instead, they stood shoulder to shoulder with him!
"You two idiots!"
Looking at Naruto, whose forehead was beaded with cold sweat, and Sakura, whose trembling legs could barely support her, Sasuke inexplicably felt a warmth in his heart.
Naruto swallowed hard. "Sasuke, we're a team! How could we just stand by and watch you go die alone?!"
Sakura nodded as well.
"Two idiots. Even if you stay, you won't be much help!" After cursing them, Sasuke continued, "Don't worry. The Forest of Death is covered in surveillance cameras. The village must have already discovered that Akatsuki infiltrated it. We just need to hold out for a little while, and the village's reinforcements will arrive!"
Though the cameras throughout the Forest of Death had been concealed,