Sasuke Gets the Cursed Seal! A Strange Figure Appears

On the hospital bed.

Sasuke still couldn't forget what had happened that day.

To him, it had been nothing short of an insult.

Was this really all Konoha had to offer when it came to pursuing power?

He glanced sideways at Kakashi, who was lying in the bed beside him, and immediately furrowed his brow.

It seemed Kakashi couldn't teach him anything, either.

Just then.

A figure suddenly flashed past outside the door.

Sasuke quickly sat up in bed, alert.

As soon as he got out of bed, intense pain suddenly spread through his whole body.

Although his arms and legs had been reattached,

he still needed a long time to recover.

Gritting his teeth, Sasuke struggled to his feet and headed for the door.

It was the middle of the night.

The far end of the corridor was pitch-black.

It was so quiet that he could hear insects chirping nearby.

The figure flashed past behind Sasuke again.

Sasuke hurriedly turned to look.

There was nothing there.

"Who is it!"

Sasuke limped after the figure.

He went out through the hospital entrance.

Under the dim lights, Sasuke saw the figure in the distance.

It seemed to have stopped deliberately, waiting for him.

He instinctively reached for his waist.

He'd almost forgotten: he was wearing hospital clothes now, and his weapons had been put away.

The figure moved again!

He swiftly slipped into the woods.

Sasuke furrowed his brow and chased after him without a second thought.

"Stop!"

"Who are you?!"

Sasuke shouted as he gave chase.

But he was out of strength, and on top of that, he was badly injured.

He'd barely taken a couple of steps before collapsing to the ground.

"Damn it!"

Sasuke's cheeks were caked with dirt, and he looked utterly wretched.

He punched the ground. At that moment, he'd never felt as useless as he did now.

Suddenly, footsteps sounded ahead.

Sasuke slowly raised his head, then his eyes widened in terror.

"What beautiful eyes..."

A long, slender tongue licked his lips.

Then he crouched down and carefully examined Sasuke.

"I've heard your yearning for power..."

"I can offer you something you won't be able to refuse..."

"Of course..."

"Leave Konoha and come with me..."

Sasuke trembled as he scooted backward on the ground. He had never been so afraid.

The man crouching before him was Orochimaru, the traitor who had deserted Konoha.

But why was he here?!

"Lord Orochimaru, Konoha's Anbu have discovered us."

Yakushi Kabuto's voice came from behind him.

Orochimaru slowly rose to his feet.

Before Sasuke could react, Orochimaru's neck stretched out like a snake and lunged at him.

He bit down on Sasuke's neck.

The next second, Sasuke screamed in agony.

"Ah!!!"

He suddenly sat up in bed.

Sasuke, drenched in cold sweat, stared at the three people in front of him.

Kurenai, Asuma, and Naruto.

"Sasuke, what kind of nightmare were you having? Was it about Sakura? Hehehe..."

Naruto couldn't help teasing Sasuke.

Just then, the door suddenly opened.

"You're awake?"

A blank-faced man walked in.

From his clothes, he seemed to be with Anbu.

"I happened to be patrolling near the hospital last night. I found you unconscious in the woods by yourself, so I brought you back."

The man smiled faintly as he explained.

"This is Yamato, from Anbu."

Asuma introduced him to Naruto and Sasuke.

"Huh?"

"Aren't all Anbu weirdos who wear masks?"

"Why aren't you wearing yours? Did you hide it somewhere? Let me see!"

Naruto gave Yamato a strange look and searched all around him for the mask.

"Well, Kakashi is a close friend of mine. Now that he's been seriously injured and can't continue leading Team Seven,"

"the higher-ups decided yesterday that I'll leave Anbu in a few days and temporarily serve as your team's acting teacher!"

Yamato awkwardly scratched his head and smiled as he replied to Naruto.

"Yamato, Kakashi's injuries are so severe. Did the higher-ups discuss a treatment plan at their meeting?"

Asuma turned and asked.

Yamato suddenly fell silent.

Uchiha now controlled Konoha's leadership, and Root handled all related matters.

As for Anbu, once the loyal guard of the Third Hokage, they had naturally been stripped of their power.

So Yamato didn't know what the higher-ups had planned.

"But I know someone who can help Kakashi."

"Who?"

"Princess Tsunade, one of the Sannin."

"But there's no point bringing that up now, after all..."

Yamato suddenly glanced at Sasuke.

He knew Tsunade's return would inevitably stir up a storm among the old factions.

Sasuke was an Uchiha, so it wasn't appropriate to discuss it in front of him.

"Did you see anyone nearby last night?"

Sasuke suddenly asked.

"No, just you. The doctor said you've been too tired lately and need to take better care of yourself. That's all. I'll be going now."

Yamato's expression suddenly turned a little strange.

After closing the door, Yamato was lost in memories of the previous night.

By the time he arrived, Orochimaru and Yakushi Kabuto were already preparing to leave.

But he hadn't stopped them.

Perhaps it was because, although Orochimaru had once abandoned him as an experimental subject,

he had ultimately gained Wood Style from the ordeal.

He walked over to Sasuke and brushed aside the hair at his neck.

A mark shaped like the Three Tomoe was just barely visible!

After Asuma and Kurenai left,

Sasuke was astonished to discover that his arms, legs, and every one of his injuries had completely healed!

He rushed to the mirror in the bathroom and brushed aside the hair at his neck.

Sasuke's eyes widened in delight.

"So last night really wasn't a dream!"

He lightly touched the mark. Suddenly, a mass of black Cursed Seals crawled over his body like ants, even covering his cheeks.

A burning sensation spread around the mark, and Sasuke dropped to the floor in pain.

But what excited him was that he now felt as if he had been reborn with a new power.

A complete transformation!

He was countless times stronger than before!

"Hahaha... Hahahahaha!"

Sasuke burst into laughter in the bathroom.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Hurry up and come out, Sasuke! I can't hold it any longer!"

"How can you still be laughing at a time like this?!"

Naruto's voice suddenly came from outside the door.

The next second, the Cursed Seal rapidly vanished from Sasuke's body.

When he opened the door and stepped out of the bathroom, his usual confidence had returned.

But this time, he seemed even more arrogant.

Night quietly fell.

All of Konoha had sunk into silence.

Suddenly, a figure descended slowly from the moon above, like a celestial being.

The man had pale skin and long, blue-white hair.

His fine, willow-leaf eyebrows gave him an exceptionally handsome face.

But on closer inspection, his right eye socket was completely empty, as if he had no eye there.

His left eye, however, looked quite unusual.

A blue hue showed within the white of his eye, while his iris was black.

He wore a white robe, with a distinct Tomoe Pattern at his neck.

He spread his arms slightly and took a deep breath. A sinister smile suddenly appeared on his face.

"Ah..."

"I can smell my sister's presence..."