Illusion

Battle is sometimes not just a matter of strength; more often, it requires courage.

When Sakura Haruno faced a powerful enemy alone for the first time, she achieved a spiritual sublimation that she could never have reached while hiding behind Sasuke and Naruto. A ninja is a profession that requires companions and teammates; they help each other and rely on one another to walk the path of a ninja. But when a ninja can only rely on others and cannot become someone else's support, they have already failed halfway as a ninja.

The ill-tempered Zaku was the first to strike. When he saw the girl opposite him provocatively throw a shuriken at him, he raised both hands and fired Cutting Air Wave blasts one after another. Yet, Sakura Haruno, who did not seem particularly strong, dodged Zaku's attacks by mere millimeters in an incredible display. This massive disparity only fueled Zaku's rage. The misfortunes of his childhood had accustomed him to using simple, direct violence to demonstrate his power—partly to please the Orochimaru he respected, and partly to protect himself in the harsh environment of the Sound Village so he wouldn't become an object of isolation and bullying. Over time, this had become his nature.

In Zaku's eyes, Sakura Haruno's actions were nothing but blatant disdain and mockery. Furious, he channeled his maximum chakra into his hands and fired with all his might.

"Extreme Cutting Air Wave!"

A massive, explosive force erupted, completely leveling the large patch of land in front of him. In Zaku's eyes, that annoying girl had been torn to shreds by his attack. Seeing his strike succeed, Zaku couldn't help but laugh in satisfaction.

Just then, Zaku was astonished to see Sakura, who should have been dead, eerily stand up once again.

"How is this possible?" The completely irrational event left Zaku too shocked to accept it.

As Zaku's emotions fluctuated violently, a pair of hands suddenly rested on his arms. As chakra poured in, the scene before him shattered layer by layer, revealing the surrounding ground in a state of disarray.

"Have you come to your senses, Zaku?" Dosu's voice entered his mind.

"What's going on?" Zaku replied. "Are you saying everything just now was an illusion?"

Kin, standing to the side, said with dissatisfaction: "I thought you just had a bad temper, but I didn't expect your brain to be useless too. Falling for a genjutsu so easily, not only exhausting yourself but also wearing us out—how were you even chosen by Lord Orochimaru, you waste?"

The three of them, brought together only for the mission, possessed absolutely no team spirit. Kin did not hesitate to expose the lack of unity in their squad.

"What did you say, ugly woman?" The rising pitch of his voice betrayed Zaku's anger. To have his greatest source of pride questioned—especially the insinuation regarding Lord Orochimaru's trust in him—was unforgivable in the eyes of someone who viewed Orochimaru as his life's faith.

"Both of you, be quiet." Dosu, who was barely managing the role of captain, spoke up to stop their infighting. "I don't care what you do after the mission is complete, but before killing Sasuke Uchiha, you had better keep Lord Orochimaru's orders in mind."

Seeing the Sound trio temporarily set aside their conflict to focus on her, Sakura felt a sense of dread. She had managed to stall for time by casting a genjutsu on Zaku, but given the disadvantage in strength and numbers, she could do no more.

Not far away, Neji Hyuga, Rock Lee, and Tenten were watching the battle. When the genjutsu was dispelled, they had already concluded that Sakura Haruno was finished. The hot-blooded Rock Lee was eager to rush out and play the hero.

"Don't be impulsive, Lee." Neji held back Lee, who was about to go help.

"What is it, Neji? If we don't go down there, Sakura will be in danger."

"No need for now; that girl is safe for the moment." Neji, who said this while using his Byakugan to observe Sasuke Uchiha's movements, added, "That black-haired Uchiha is about to wake up. It seems we won't need to help."

"What is that uncomfortable chakra? It feels too cold and sinister; something isn't right."

Seeing that she could no longer stall for time, Sakura Haruno held a kunai in each hand, guarding against the incoming attack with a grim expression. However, she noticed that the three opponents' gazes had bypassed her and were fixed on something behind her.

"Could it be that someone is behind me?"

Feeling that something was wrong, Sakura Haruno cautiously turned around, only to be pleasantly surprised to find that Sasuke Uchiha had awakened.

"Sasuke-kun?" Before she could even finish her surprise, she noticed that the Sasuke before her felt vastly different from the one she knew. Although he was no longer emitting that strange chakra from before, the cold, sinister aura had only increased, and the cloud patterns covering his body didn't look like anything good.

Compared to Sakura Haruno's unease, the three Sound ninja were filled with confusion and horror. The Sound ninja were certainly no strangers to the Cursed Seal, and the thing on Sasuke's body was clearly not a test-subject product like Mizuki's. It was no less advanced than the high-grade versions on the Sound Four or Kimimaro Kaguya. It was a gift that only Orochimaru's closest confidants in the Sound Village could receive. How could such a thing appear on their target?

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

The three of them dared not continue that line of thought, having already guessed their awkward predicament the moment they saw Sasuke Uchiha. Zaku found it the hardest to accept. Having taken great pride in being chosen by the respected Orochimaru, he would never accept being merely a stepping stone or a test for Orochimaru's new favorite—a disposable pawn that could be discarded at will.

"Well done, Sakura. Leave the rest to me." Even though he was intoxicated by the power surging through his body, Sasuke still retained a shred of reason; he had not yet descended into the total madness that would make him lose sight of everyone, as he would later. For now, he still held onto a sliver of connection to his village and his companions.

Although the Sound trio felt caught in a dilemma, the weight of Orochimaru's prestige meant they didn't dare abandon the mission. The only female ninja, Kin, prepared to attack first. Her silent, stealthy strike could not evade the now-empowered Sasuke. Before the precognitive insight of the Sharingan, all such petty tricks were a joke.

Sasuke Uchiha accelerated, dodging the incoming steel needles, and then, as if flickering, appeared beside Kin in the blink of an eye. With a single punch, he sent her flying into a tree, where she slumped, unconscious.