Genjutsu

Battles were sometimes about more than strength. More often than not, they required courage.

When Sakura Haruno faced a powerful enemy alone for the first time, she experienced a spiritual growth she could never have achieved by hiding behind Sasuke and Naruto. Being a ninja was a profession that required comrades and teammates. They helped and relied on one another throughout their careers. But when a ninja could only rely on others and could never be someone others relied on, they had already failed halfway as a ninja.

Zaku, whose temper was notoriously bad, attacked first. When he saw the girl across from him provoke him by throwing a shuriken, he raised both hands and fired Cutting Air Waves one after another. Yet Sakura Haruno, who didn't seem particularly strong, somehow kept dodging Zaku's attacks by the narrowest of margins. The stark contrast only stoked Zaku's anger. The misfortunes of his childhood had taught him to use simple, direct violence to demonstrate his strength. He did it to please the Orochimaru he revered, and to protect himself in the harsh environment of Otogakure, so he wouldn't become a target for isolation and bullying. Over time, he had become the person he was now.

In Zaku's eyes, Sakura's actions were blatant disdain and mockery. Enraged, he gathered as much chakra as he could in both hands and unleashed it with all his might.

"Extreme Cutting Air Wave!"

A tremendous explosive force erupted, completely destroying a vast stretch of land in front of him and flattening it. In Zaku's eyes, the annoying girl had been torn to pieces by his attack. Seeing that it had hit, Zaku couldn't help laughing in satisfaction.

Just then, Zaku was astonished to see Sakura, who should have been dead, rise to her feet again as if by some strange magic.

"How is that possible?" The completely irrational sight left Zaku unable to believe his eyes.

As Zaku's emotions surged, a pair of hands suddenly settled on his arms. Chakra flowed into him, and the scene before his eyes shattered layer by layer, revealing the wreckage all around them.

"Are you back with us, Zaku?" Dosu's voice sounded in his mind.

"What happened?" Zaku replied. "Was everything just now an illusion?"

Kin said irritably, "I thought you were just bad-tempered, but I didn't realize you were an idiot too. You fell for such a simple illusion and wore yourself out completely. You made the rest of us work ourselves to the bone, too. How did a useless guy like you get chosen by Lord Orochimaru?"

The three of them had been thrown together only temporarily for the mission, and they didn't have even the slightest sense of teamwork. Kin wasted no time in exposing just how divided the group was.

"What did you say, you ugly woman?" Zaku's rising pitch betrayed his fury. He took great pride in being chosen by Lord Orochimaru. To have that questioned—and especially to hear Lord Orochimaru's trust in him criticized—was unforgivable to someone who regarded Orochimaru as the guiding faith of his life.

"Both of you, cut it out," Dosu said, doing his best to fulfill his role as their leader and stop them from fighting. "I don't care what you do once the mission is over, but until we've killed Sasuke Uchiha, you'd better keep Lord Orochimaru's orders in mind."

Seeing the Sound Ninja Trio set their differences aside for the moment and prepare to deal with her, Sakura felt that things were looking bad. She had barely managed to buy some time by casting an illusion on Zaku, but with the disadvantage in both strength and numbers, she couldn't do much more.

Not far away, Neji Hyuga, Rock Lee, and Tenten had been watching in secret. The moment the illusion was dispelled, they had already decided that Sakura Haruno was doomed. The hot-blooded Rock Lee was practically itching to rush out and play the hero.

"Don't be rash, Lee." Neji grabbed Lee just as he was about to go help.

"What's wrong, Neji? If we don't go now, Sakura will be in danger."

"There's no need yet. She's safe for the moment." Neji had already used his Byakugan to see what Sasuke Uchiha was doing. "The black-haired Uchiha is about to wake up. It looks like we won't need to help."

"What's with that unsettling chakra? It feels so cold and sinister. Something about it seems wrong."

Realizing she couldn't stall any longer, Sakura Haruno gripped a kunai in each hand and warily watched the three enemies. But she noticed that their gazes passed right over her and settled on someone behind her.

"Is there someone behind me?"

Sensing something was wrong, Sakura Haruno cautiously turned around—and was delighted to see that Sasuke Uchiha had awakened.

"Sasuke-kun?" Before she could savor her relief, Sakura noticed that Sasuke didn't feel anything like he usually did. Though he no longer exuded that strange chakra, the cold, sinister aura around him had only grown stronger. The cloudlike patterns covering his body didn't look like a good sign at all.

Unlike Sakura Haruno, who felt uneasy, the three Sound Ninja were confused and horrified. The Sound Ninja were no strangers to Cursed Seals, and the mark on Sasuke clearly wasn't some experimental product like Mizuki. It was every bit as advanced as the ones borne by the Sound Four and Kimimaro of the Kaguya Clan. Such a gift was reserved for Lord Orochimaru's trusted followers. How could it have appeared on the very person they had been sent to kill?

"There's only one possibility: Lord Orochimaru acted first and placed a Cursed Seal on Sasuke Uchiha. And what does that make the three of us?"

The three of them already suspected the humiliating truth the moment they saw Sasuke Uchiha, and they didn't dare think it through any further. Zaku found it the hardest to accept. He had been immensely proud of being chosen by the Orochimaru he revered. He would never accept being nothing more than a stepping-stone and test subject for Orochimaru's new favorite—a disposable pawn who could be discarded at any time.

"Well done, Sakura. Leave the rest to me." Though the power surging through his body had gone to his head, Sasuke still had a little reason left. He hadn't yet fallen into complete madness and turned against everyone, as he would later. For now, he still held on to a few ties to the village and his comrades.

The three Sound Ninja were at a loss, but Orochimaru's authority was too great for them to dare abandon the mission he had given them. Kin, the only female ninja among them, was the first to attack. Her silent attack couldn't escape Sasuke, whose abilities had greatly improved. Under the Sharingan's foresight and keen perception, every little trick was a joke.

Sasuke Uchiha accelerated and dodged the incoming needles. Then, in a flash, he appeared beside Kin and punched her, sending her flying into a tree behind her. She slumped unconscious.