Sasuke spared none of his chakra. He continually stimulated his cells with Lightning Release chakra, using the Body Flicker Technique again and again in an attempt to catch up with Orochimaru as quickly as possible.
With Orochimaru's methods, he wasn't likely to leave any obvious traces along the way.
But Sasuke had the Sharingan, and perhaps because of the Cursed Seal on his shoulder, he could always faintly sense which direction Orochimaru had gone. As a result, the distance between them kept shrinking.
Whoosh.
After darting out of another patch of woods, Sasuke found his view suddenly opening up. At last, Orochimaru appeared in his sight.
"Got you!"
The corners of his mouth lifted, and delight spread across his face.
Unlike during the Chunin Ninja Exams, he had now recovered half of his Mangekyō Sharingan's Dojutsu, and the Cursed Seal's corrosion of his body had been temporarily held in check. He was in excellent shape.
By contrast,
Orochimaru had been imprisoned. Though he had temporarily escaped, he surely hadn't had time to remove some of the restrictions on his body, leaving his strength considerably diminished.
So even though Sasuke knew Orochimaru was formidable, he still believed he could defeat him in his current state and avenge his past humiliation.
Sensing Sasuke behind him, Orochimaru glanced back and frowned slightly.
He hadn't expected Sasuke to catch up so quickly.
"Orochimaru, how long are you going to keep running? You're one of the Sannin. Aren't you ashamed to be in such a sorry state?"
As he chased after him, Sasuke taunted him without restraint, just as Orochimaru had toyed with him during the Chunin Ninja Exams.
"Hmph!"
Orochimaru snorted, clearly annoyed.
Just as Sasuke was about to speak again, he suddenly sensed someone behind him. He whipped around, his eyes widening at