Rain Village in Turmoil

How tragic! Sasuke had just finished showing off and thought he was back in the game, only to take another hard fall immediately afterward.

After a while, everyone's vision returned. Shikamaru and the others were shaken. Solar Flare was terrifying—it could instantly dazzle people and rob them of their sight, leaving them at its mercy!

Sasuke stared at Qinglong as the Cursed Seal on his body flared again, showing signs of spreading. He couldn't accept losing to someone so easily!

Qinglong frowned and still kindly said,

"Sasuke, that's enough! Burning the Cursed Seal will eat away at your body. In the end, you'll lose yourself and become a savage, violent beast without any emotions!"

"I won't accept this! I want another fight!"

Sasuke continued to shout, but Sakura had already thrown her arms around him, desperately begging him to stop.

Her tears fell as she pleaded with him. Sakura was already weeping uncontrollably. No matter how much people criticized her, she truly cared about Sasuke!

Sasuke calmed down as Sakura cried. The Cursed Seal that had spread across half his body receded. Looking at his hands once he'd regained his composure, he couldn't believe he'd brutally twisted Dosu's arm out of its socket.

At that point, Sasuke was still a kind person. He could hardly believe he was capable of doing something so cruel, so he believed Qinglong: using the Cursed Seal too much really could turn him into a mindless beast.

Meanwhile, Choji had already knocked Naruto awake with his Great Club. With a huge bump on his head, Naruto was still full of energy, hopping around.

Qinglong didn't know what to make of someone like that. What on earth did Hinata see in this goofball?

Could it really be what people online said—that Hinata had Byakugan and could see details others couldn't? Was Qinglong really not as good as Naruto? Even Qinglong, who'd always been confident, was almost made to doubt himself!

Naruto, Sasuke, Shikamaru, and the others rested for a bit, then split up again to search for the scrolls. Qinglong waved goodbye and stayed behind alone, watching the blonde Sound Ninja lying on the ground in a daze.

Since Orochimaru had given him trouble, he wanted to cause Orochimaru some trouble in return, so he'd warned Dosu to stay away from him.

But it didn't seem to have made much difference. Orochimaru had plenty of loyal followers whom he'd brainwashed. Losing a few people wouldn't affect his ability to perform Impure World Reincarnation.

That's right—the three Sound Ninja were nothing but sacrifices for Orochimaru's Impure World Reincarnation!

"Mm..."

Kin woke up and saw the boy in front of her. She sprang to her feet and quickly put some distance between them.

"Who are you?"

"Where are Dosu and Zaku? And the Konoha ninja, Sasuke and the others?"

Kin had lost consciousness when Ino took over her body in the middle of the fierce battle. She didn't know what had happened afterward.

"They left! Dosu left too. They abandoned you and left me to look after you."

"The funny thing is, Sasuke—the Konoha ninja you wanted to kill—was willing to let you live. That kid, the Nine-Tailed Fox, even told me to take good care of you!"

"How could that be!"

Kin said angrily, "How could they just leave me behind? And why would you Konoha ninja be so kind?"

"Didn't I let you go, as you can see? Besides, don't you know what kind of people your companions are?"

Kin looked at Qinglong, who seemed unconcerned, and was already starting to believe him. She knew what her companions were like. Dosu was all right, but Zaku was truly heartless.

Qinglong patted himself off and stood up. He'd done what he needed to do, so he was ready to head for the central tower.

"Good, you're awake. I was about to find a stick and knock you awake, so now I've been spared the trouble."

"Go on. Remember, if you want to live, stay away from Orochimaru!"

"Hmph!"

Kin snorted and leaped away, running into the distance.

"Let's go!"

Qinglong patted the big tiger and climbed onto its back. The tiger carried him toward the central tower at a leisurely pace.

This forest was a Wood Release barrier created by Hashirama, which was why the trees were so lush. It was also home to countless beasts, venomous snakes, and other creatures. With the big tiger around, Qinglong didn't have to worry about being bothered by them.

"Ah!"

A scream came from up ahead. Kin stumbled out of the woods and ran over as soon as she saw Qinglong.

"There... there's so much blood up ahead!"

"Hmm?"

Qinglong rode the tiger over to take a look. In a clearing among the trees, blood and sand covered the ground, and the stench of blood hit him in the face!

"Gaara of the Sand Waterfall!"

Qinglong silently walked away from the gruesome scene. Gaara was far too cruel!

He glared at Kin in annoyance.

"Next time you come across something like this, don't call me over to look!"

Kin felt a little embarrassed. She was just a girl, after all, and she'd been frightened too.

After that, Kin followed behind Qinglong, afraid that if she traveled alone, ninjas from another village might ambush her.

"I thought you ninjas were all dancing on the edge of a blade. Why are you so afraid of dying?"

Qinglong looked at Kin with disdain.

Kin gave an awkward smile and said,

"Even if we ninjas aren't afraid to die, we should still avoid fights when we can!"

As time passed, Genin teams from the various villages arrived at the central tower one after another. The closer they got to the tower, the more ninjas they encountered. Suddenly, Qinglong's gaze sharpened.