In the Small World, nearly tangible senjutsu chakra coiled around Qingwu and Void as their auras climbed steadily. They officially advanced to Sage level, and both they and the Small World were undergoing a transformation.
Meanwhile, deep in Konoha's Forest of Death, sunlight filtered through the dense canopy in flecks of gold, but a brutal battle had filled the woodland with an icy killing intent.
Kusa Ninja Jia (the Orochimaru Clone) displayed an unparalleled, oppressive might, forcing Team 7 into a desperate struggle.
"Huff... hah... huff, hah..."
Sasuke knelt on one knee. The wound on his wrist had torn wider, and dark red beads of blood dripped down his forearm, splattering the ground. The cold chakra that had invaded his body was like a tiny snake that clung to his bones.
It burrowed along his chakra pathways toward his heart—he barely even had the strength to press and rub the wound anymore, and his knuckles had turned white with tension.
"Cough, cough... bastard..."
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Naruto sprawled in a pile of fallen leaves, one hand pressed against his bleeding abdomen. His chest heaved as he coughed up blood.
"Hmph... huff... huff... hmph..." Covered in wounds, Sakura gripped a broken kunai with a violently trembling hand. Her knuckles were white and bleeding, yet she still forced herself to stand guard behind the two boys. Panic and stubborn resolve filled her eyes. She had truly done everything she could.
Was this guy... really just a genin? Sasuke gritted his teeth and pushed himself up, inwardly shocked. His combat instincts, technique, strength, and speed... he was far beyond me in every way.
Across from him, the Orochimaru Clone slowly withdrew his arm, still rubbing a bead of blood taken from Sasuke's wound between his fingertips. The