By the time Su Yu arrived at Otogakure,
Yakushi Kabuto had already noticed him.
So he sent Tayuya and Jirobo to test Su Yu's strength.
As a result, Tayuya and Jirobo were taken out in an instant.
That kind of strength left Yakushi Kabuto pleasantly surprised.
After all, Su Yu was technically one of his subordinates. He had defeated a member of the Sound Four without even having a Cursed Seal, and his strength was nearly on par with Kabuto's.
The stronger Su Yu was, the better it was for him.
"Senior Yakushi Kabuto, it's been a long time." Su Yu saw Yakushi Kabuto and respectfully bowed.
"Su Yu, were you able to find this place because your Uzumaki Clan bloodline has awakened?" Yakushi Kabuto asked with a smile.
"I've already mastered sensory abilities." Su Yu nodded.
"Excellent. By the way, that jutsu you just used must be extraordinary, right?" Yakushi Kabuto meant the Wind Style: Rasenshuriken.
"That's an S-rank jutsu I developed myself. It's called Wind Style: Rasenshuriken, an advanced version of the Rasengan." Su Yu answered honestly.
"An S-rank jutsu you developed yourself?!" Yakushi Kabuto looked utterly astonished.
Kakashi developing the Lightning Blade wasn't all that surprising. From the beginning, he had shown himself to be a genius.
Su Yu, on the other hand, had started out as a Genin and only risen to his current level after a very late start. Yet his potential was downright monstrous.
After his initial shock, Yakushi Kabuto was even more pleased with Su Yu.
"Lord Orochimaru happens to be here. Why don't you come with me to see him?"
"Senior Yakushi Kabuto, could I treat them first?" Su Yu asked.
"Sure. I'll leave them in your hands." Yakushi Kabuto glanced at the two of them, not particularly concerned.
"I'll be there shortly." Su Yu bowed and watched Yakushi Kabuto leave.
After Yakushi Kabuto was gone,
Su Yu went to Jirobo's side and began treating his injuries.
"Thank you," Jirobo said weakly.
"Don't mention it. You were doing it for a mission, and I was doing it to show off my strength," Su Yu said calmly.
"You're very strong," Jirobo remarked.
"Not strong enough." Su Yu shook his head.
Jirobo froze for a moment.
Then he gave Su Yu a long, searching look.
Su Yu's Medical Ninjutsu could be considered a legacy from Tsunade. He had nearly finished studying the contents of her notes.
A few minutes later,
Jirobo's injuries had improved.
In fact, Su Yu's Rasenshuriken was a modified version.
In Tailed Beast Cloak form, the Rasenshuriken wrapped in Nine-Tails Chakra was at its most powerful.
The next strongest version was wrapped in One-Tail Chakra and didn't require activating the Tailed Beast Cloak.
One-Tail Chakra contained something similar to wind-style chakra, so no one could tell what it really was at a glance. This also greatly reduced its power.
Simply put, the Nine-Tails version of the Rasenshuriken was a peak S-rank technique, while the One-Tail version was only around the lower end of S-rank.
There was a huge difference in power between the two.
However, because of the unique nature of One-Tail Chakra, the One-Tail version of the Rasenshuriken carried many tiny, invisible wind blades that inflicted continuous damage.
That meant that anyone struck by the One-Tail version would suffer a much larger area of injury.
The Nine-Tails version, on the other hand, might just kill them outright.
The One-Tail version also used much less chakra, though that might not matter against a Tailed Beast.
After treating Jirobo, Su Yu went over to Tayuya and treated her as well.
Come to think of it, in the original story, the Sound Four seemed to have died during Uchiha Sasuke's defection.
Here, though, all of them were still alive except Kimimaro.
That was what the message from Konoha said.
Su Yu had analyzed the reasons, and it was actually quite simple.
In the original story, after Konoha and Sunagakure formed an alliance, Sunagakure sent Gaara and the others to take part in the mission to retrieve Uchiha Sasuke.
Here, because Tsunade had returned to the village early and hadn't finished negotiating terms with Sunagakure, only a few Genin took part in the mission to retrieve Uchiha Sasuke.
The Sound Four prioritized their mission. After injuring the Genin, they left without wasting time.
In the end, Kakashi and Might Guy fought Kimimaro. The two of them were nearly gravely injured, and Kimimaro died of his illness during the battle.
The Sound Four were down one member, and Uchiha Sasuke had joined them. He was still weak, but had plenty of potential.
"You're much stronger than that Uchiha Sasuke. You're both shinobi from Konoha, so why is there such a huge difference between you?" Tayuya asked as she looked at Su Yu.
"I've trained for much longer, and my training has been much harder than his. A gap like this is only natural," Su Yu explained.
"If you took Kimimaro's place, I'd welcome you," Tayuya said after a moment's thought.
"I have no interest in joining Otogakure," Su Yu refused without hesitation.
Aside from Kimimaro, he didn't think much of any of the Sound Four.
If he was going to use Impure World Reincarnation, he'd choose powerful people and key figures. He wouldn't even consider shinobi of this level.
Tayuya heard Su Yu's answer and didn't ask anything more.
Their situation was actually rather awkward.
Every hideout had a leader, and some of the Cursed Seal Users were stationed there. They were simply among the stronger Cursed Seal Users, and their status was still below Yakushi Kabuto's.
The newly arrived Uchiha Sasuke was only around Chunin level, yet Orochimaru valued him because of his Sharingan and made him the newest member of the Sound Four. They even had to protect him.
It was infuriating to them, but since it was Orochimaru's order, they had no choice but to obey.
Led by Tayuya and Jirobo, Su Yu entered the hideout.
As soon as he stepped inside, he ran into Uchiha Sasuke.
Uchiha Sasuke paused in surprise, then immediately filled with fighting spirit.
Tayuya and Jirobo exchanged a glance and silently took a few steps back.
Su Yu sighed. He didn't want to waste time here.
"Su Yu, I never expected to run into you here. It's been so long. Let's see just how much you've improved." As he spoke, Uchiha Sasuke activated his Two-Tomoe Sharingan.
That's right, his Two-Tomoe Sharingan.
Because he hadn't gone on the Land of Waves mission, Uchiha Sasuke's Sharingan hadn't evolved.
It had only become a Two-Tomoe Sharingan after his fight with Naruto Uzumaki.
That reminded Su Yu of a joke.
The night of the massacre: Awakened one tomoe in a fit of rage.
Uchiha Obito had awakened his Two-Tomoe Sharingan right from the start.
The difference in talent was absurd.
What was even more absurd was that Uchiha Obito had skipped ahead from a Two-Tomoe Sharingan and awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Of course, that was just a joke.
Uchiha Sasuke wasn't lacking in talent. It was simply a matter of age.
By the time Uchiha Obito awakened his Two-Tomoe Sharingan, he had already been to the battlefield and experienced war.
Before the night of the massacre, Uchiha Sasuke had still been a little boy who loved clinging to his older brother.
Su Yu looked at Uchiha Sasuke, who was brimming with confidence.
S-rank Hell Viewing Technique: Activate!
Uchiha Sasuke's expression froze. A moment later, pain appeared on his face.
"..." Su Yu.
He'd forgotten. For Uchiha Sasuke, the most terrifying thing was probably the night of the massacre.
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