Sasuke Rubbed Against the Ground

However, he was a self-taught researcher after all, not a professional scientist.

He could only divide a small portion of Hashirama Cells to cultivate, then haphazardly conduct experiments on small animals.

Then, he would use his Sharingan to carefully observe the changes of the Hashirama Cells within the living organisms.

Yet, every single rabbit and mouse used in the experiments, without exception, began to convulse and develop a fever upon the implantation of Hashirama Cells, followed by the cells growing wildly.

There were simply no exceptions.

Once again, watching helplessly as the rabbit in the sealed petri dish was torn apart by branches growing from within its own body.

Feeling a sense of shared grief, Qiuyang sighed, as if he could see the day when he, too, would be consumed by Hashirama Cells after an injection.

He raked his fingers through his hair, which had grown down to his ears, in extreme agitation, then closed his eyes and leaned back against his chair.

He sighed again.

Even by constantly reducing the amount of Hashirama Cells injected into the rabbits, there was no way to stop the cells from growing wildly!

Hashirama Cells were like a plague, like a virus; as long as one existed, it could undergo geometric growth in a short period, and other biological cells simply could not resist.

He glanced at the calendar on the table not far away and realized he had been in the laboratory for over ten days.

"Forget it, I might as well go back to the village and relax! Maybe I'll suddenly find a way?"

Qiuyang stood up to stretch his body, shut down the underground laboratory, and used Earth Style to conceal the entrance before heading back toward Konoha.

Judging by the height of the moon... it should be shortly after dinner, around eight o'clock.

Going back now would be just right to lie down on a big bed and get a good night's sleep.

Qiuyang pondered.

According to the timeline, Tsunade should have already taken office as the Fifth Hokage and cured Kakashi of the Tsukuyomi, as well as Rock Lee of his shattered leg bones.

Approaching the gates of Konoha, considering those enthusiastic Chunin and Genin who would call him "Lord Qiuyang," Qiuyang chose to scale the wall instead.

He might as well check the current defenses of Konoha; it could be considered doing some work for the Tsunade that Jiraiya had recommended.

Under a wall that appeared deserted, Qiuyang activated his Sharingan and quickly locked onto the visible sentries on the wall, as well as the hidden ones in the shadows.

Hmm... it seemed every angle had been considered, but... it was far from enough.

Swish.

His figure vanished from the spot, and in less than a minute, he had entered the village.

"Is it really this simple???"

He looked back and waited for another minute, yet no one had discovered him sneaking in.

Sigh, it was no wonder the Sound Four could sneak into the village silently to bully Sasuke!

Qiuyang thought helplessly, his Sharingan suddenly noticing a few birds startled into flight not far away.

I remember that place is Sasuke's... Qiuyang didn't hesitate and quietly headed in that direction.

When he arrived and looked over from his hidden vantage point, he almost laughed out loud.

He had just been thinking about the Sound Four, and he hadn't expected to see them right now.

He had watched this anime plot many times; it was the part where the Sound Four came in to beat up the "cool-guy" Sasuke.

Qiuyang quietly found the best spot to watch the battle and enjoyed the fight below.

It just happened to be at the most intense, white-hot stage of the confrontation:

Sasuke, the "King of Pretending," who had been pressed into the ground and rubbed by the Sound Four for a while, was now exploding with shame. He had actually broken the Evil Sealing Method planted by Kakashi and entered Cursed Seal State 1.

Activating his Two-Tomoe Sharingan, he shouted as he rushed forward to engage the Sound Four in taijutsu, showing signs of gaining the upper hand.

But this was only against the Sound Four in their normal states.

To further incite Sasuke to defect from Konoha, the Sound Four all instantly activated their Cursed Seal State 1, with black markings crawling all over their bodies.

"Don't think that Lord Orochimaru only has his eyes on you, trash."

Sakon unleashed a multi-hit combo, and Sasuke was sent flying, crashing through a house and leaving a large hole before he finally stopped.

"Damn it..."

Sasuke felt several bones break under this blow. He tried to get up, only to be sent flying again.

This time, Sakon stepped on his face with his foot in an extremely insulting manner.

Sasuke's mental state was on the verge of collapse. First, he had been pinned to a wall by Itachi, who scolded him for being so weak;

Then, he had used his signature Chidori to clash with the eternal dead-last Naruto, only to find that the Rasengan was more powerful than the Chidori;

And now, he was being stepped on without any dignity by these small-time characters.

What had he been doing all these years? When would his grand plan for revenge ever be completed?

If it weren't for Sasuke's incredibly strong psychological resilience, he might have already awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan.

Seeing that Sasuke's eyes were now vacant, clearly having had his confidence "shattered by three punches," the Sound Four exchanged glances and confirmed that their goal had been achieved.

The next part would be much easier to handle:

"You have no idea how to control the immense power of the Cursed Seal that Lord Orochimaru has bestowed upon you. If you truly wish to become stronger, we will be waiting for you in the Paulownia Forest outside the village tomorrow night."

Before departing, Tayuya cast the final straw that would break the camel's back toward Sasuke:

"Don't forget your hatred for Itachi."

With that, she left the scene of the confrontation, preparing to sneak out of the village once more to wait for Sasuke to take the bait at the designated location.

"Tayuya, you're a woman—can't you be a little gentler when fighting Sasuke?"

"Shut up, you fat pig. If we get caught talking, the Konoha jounin will make things troublesome for us."

But as the saying goes, what you fear most often happens. Just as they were passing the edge of the Forest of Death, a kunai flew out and embedded itself in their path, with an explosive tag tied to its hilt.

Strangely, it did not detonate.

"Who's there?"

The Sound Four were startled, looking back in a panic.

They were still inside Konoha; if they were surrounded...

Looking back, they saw a figure standing on a tree not far behind, blending into the moon. From their perspective, the person appeared to be standing right inside the moon.

It looked quite ethereal.

"Jirobo is right, Tayuya. A girl should be a little gentler."

Uchiha Qiu Yang—why is he here?

Upon recognizing the voice of Uchiha Qiu Yang, the expressions of the Sound Four shifted; they didn't know whether to be worried or relieved.

They had experienced the strength of Uchiha Qiu Yang firsthand. Even in their second state, they were unlikely to be his match, and he possessed a Sharingan of a higher level than Sasuke's...

Could it be that he had come to settle the score for his clansman?

To complete their mission, the four had no choice but to humble themselves:

"Lord Uchiha Qiu Yang, we are acting under the orders of Lord Orochimaru. We hope you can let us pass."

"Hmph, what is Orochimaru anyway? If I give him face, I call him Lord Orochimaru; if I don't, I call him a dead, rotting snake."

As Uchiha Qiu Yang said this with a cool facade, he felt incredibly satisfied inside. The gloom that had been tormenting him from his experimental results these past few days had finally dissipated a little.

Whew... that felt good to say!

In any case, these four wouldn't be returning to Orochimaru alive anyway; they would likely be farmed as beginner experience points by the Konoha 12 the day after tomorrow.

None of that mattered; Snake Auntie wouldn't hear it anyway!

Hearing such insults directed at their master, the Sound Four dared not speak, though they were furious.

They stared at Uchiha Qiu Yang with eyes full of hatred. If looks could kill, their glares would have already killed Uchiha Qiu Yang a thousand times over.

"I'm in a good mood today. Tayuya, return that kunai to me, and you may leave."

Tayuya had no choice. For the sake of Lord Orochimaru's grand plan, she had to walk over, pull the kunai from the ground, and return it to Uchiha Qiu Yang's hand.

Tsk tsk, is this beautiful Tayuya going to die too? You can only blame yourself for following the wrong master in Orochimaru.