Three-Way Standoff and Cursed Seal Rampage

Haku's Ice Style rescue and Kimimaro's lethal sniping instantly shattered the balance of the battlefield.

Orochimaru's golden snake-like pupils darted between Haku and Kimimaro, the greed in his eyes nearly overflowing. One Ice Style user, one suspected possessor of the Shikotsumyaku (Kimimaro hadn't fully revealed it, but that chilling bone-based chakra couldn't deceive him), and on top of that, an Uchiha Sasuke who possessed both the Sharingan and a Cursed Seal... today was truly his lucky day!

"Hehehe... what a delightful surprise." Orochimaru laughed hoarsely, his long tongue licking his lips. "I never expected to encounter such excellent 'materials' here in the Forest of Death. You two, are you interested in following me? I can grant you the power you crave, power far greater than what you possess now."

He began his recruitment directly, ignoring Naruto, who had just escaped danger and was leaning against a tree trunk coughing, as well as Sasuke, whose eyes were filled with struggle.

Haku frowned slightly and shook his head, his tone gentle yet firm: "Apologies, we already have a master."

Kimimaro didn't even bother to speak; he simply pulled his bone spear from the corpse of the Sound ninja, trailing a string of blood droplets. His cold killing intent locked onto Orochimaru, his actions making his stance clear.

Orochimaru's smile remained unchanged, but his gaze turned cold: "What a pity... then, I shall have to use force."

He flicked his sleeves, and a tide of venomous snakes surged out. Simultaneously, he formed hand seals—

"Summoning: Manyandara no Jin!"

Countless colorful venomous snakes poured madly from the summoning formation, hissing as they swept toward Haku and Kimimaro like a tidal wave! The sheer number was enough to drown everything!

"Ice Style: Ice Rock Dome!" Haku pressed his hands to the ground, and a thick, circular ice wall rose instantly, shielding him and Kimimaro in the center and blocking the first wave of snakes.

"Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Seedling Fern (Prototype)!" Kimimaro let out a low shout. The earth beneath his feet trembled, and countless sharp bone spikes erupted from the ground like a forest, piercing and shredding the approaching snakes! Although he followed Ling's orders not to fully reveal the Shikotsumyaku, this localized forest of bone spikes already displayed terrifying lethality!

"It really is you, brat of the Kaguya Clan!" A brilliant light erupted in Orochimaru's eyes, making him even more excited.

Just as Haku and Kimimaro were deadlocked with Orochimaru's snake tide, a new anomaly occurred!

"Ughhhhhhh—!"

Uchiha Sasuke, who had been kneeling on the ground, suddenly let out a painful roar! The Cursed Seal on his neck spread like a living thing, black markings crawling over half his face and arm. A violent, evil, and negative-emotion-filled chakra erupted from within him!

The Cursed Seal had gone out of control!

Driven by extreme pain and a thirst for power, Sasuke's sanity was being devoured. He jerked his head up, his eyes blood-red (not the Sharingan), and let out a low, inhuman growl. His gaze locked onto Orochimaru, the one with the strongest chakra on the field and the one who had brought him the greatest threat and humiliation!

"Power... give me power! I will kill you!" Sasuke dropped to all fours like a beast and lunged at Orochimaru! His speed far exceeded his usual level!

Orochimaru tilted his body slightly, easily dodging the wild, uncoordinated pounce, but his eyes revealed an even more satisfied expression: "Oh? You've adapted to the power of the Cursed Seal this quickly? As expected of the Uchiha bloodline... but, you are still far from ready."

He waved his hand casually, and a thick snake tail appeared out of thin air, slamming hard into Sasuke's back!

"Bang!"

Sasuke was sent flying like a ragdoll, snapping several large trees before coming to a stop. The Cursed Seal state was forced to deactivate, and he lay on the ground, his life status unknown.

"Sasuke!" Haruno Sakura, who had just awakened from the genjutsu, let out a shrill cry upon seeing this.

"Sasuke!!!" Naruto's eyes were bloodshot, and ignoring his own injuries, he prepared to rush over.

High in the canopy, Ling's brows were tightly knit. Sasuke's loss of control was within his expectations, but Orochimaru's strength still exceeded his estimates. Haku and Kimimaro could hold him off temporarily, but they were by no means his match. Moreover, Naruto and Sasuke were in terrible shape; he couldn't let this drag on.

He had to intervene, but he absolutely could not expose himself.

As his thoughts raced, Ling made a decision. He quietly formed hand seals, mixing a trace of extremely faint Nine-Tails chakra with his own Sage chakra, and remotely injected it into Naruto through the resonance of the Flying Thunder God coordinates.

This wasn't to trigger a Tailed Beast transformation, but a gentle stimulation and guidance.

Below, Naruto, who was about to rush toward Sasuke, suddenly stopped! A familiar, warm, and powerful sensation rose from his abdomen, instantly flowing through his limbs and bones! His injuries began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye, and most of his chakra was restored!

"This is..." Naruto paused, then clenched his fists, a more determined flame burning in his azure eyes. "I will never allow you to hurt my comrades! Multi Shadow Clone Technique!"

"Poof! Poof! Poof!"

Over a hundred of Naruto's shadow clones instantly filled the small clearing, shouting as they charged at Orochimaru like a golden tide, fearless of death!

"Hmph, annoying brat." Orochimaru frowned slightly. Dealing with these shadow clones wasn't difficult, but they severely interfered with his suppression of Haku and Kimimaro.

Taking advantage of the chaos created by the tide of shadow clones, Haku immediately shouted to Kimimaro: "Cover me!"

He formed hand seals, and a biting chill surged around him: "Ice Style: Ice Dragon Swirling Tail!"

A giant dragon made of ice appeared out of thin air, carrying a frigid cold as it spiraled toward the snake swarm. Wherever it passed, the venomous snakes were frozen and shattered!

Kimimaro, like a white reaper, moved under the cover of the shadow clones, specifically sniping those snakes that attempted to attack Haku from the flanks.

Orochimaru watched the three of them (plus Naruto's shadow clones) working in tacit coordination, as well as the unconscious but infinitely potential Sasuke in the distance, and weighed his options. His primary goal—planting the Cursed Seal on Sasuke—had been achieved. Continuing to entangle himself here, while he could take down these two bloodline brats, would inevitably cause a larger commotion and draw the attention of Konoha, which would be more trouble than it was worth.

"Hehehe... let's play until here for today." Orochimaru gave a cold, sinister smile, and his body began to sink slowly into the ground. "We shall meet again, my dear 'vessels'..."

As his words faded, his figure vanished completely, and the sky-filling snake tide and summoned beasts dissipated into white smoke.

The battle ended abruptly.

The scene was a mess, leaving only the panting Haku and Kimimaro, Naruto sitting on the ground after dispelling his shadow clones due to excessive chakra consumption, the weeping Sakura, and the unconscious Sasuke.

Haku walked over to Naruto and handed him a Military Ration Pill: "Are you alright?"

Naruto took the pill, popped it into his mouth, and thanked him incoherently: "Thanks! And you, white-haired guy! You guys are amazing!"

Kimimaro ignored Naruto, his gaze scanning the surroundings vigilantly. Only after confirming that Orochimaru had truly left did he nod slightly at Haku.

Haku understood and said to Naruto and Sakura: "It's dangerous here; you should take him and leave as soon as possible." He pointed to the unconscious Sasuke.

After speaking, Haku and Kimimaro didn't linger. Their figures flashed and they quickly disappeared into the depths of the dense forest, as if they had never appeared at all.

Naruto and Sakura watched the direction they had left in, then looked at the unconscious Sasuke, their hearts filled with the relief of surviving a disaster and immense confusion.

High in the canopy, Ling watched the scene below and slowly let out a breath. The first step of intervention was a success. He had protected Naruto, prevented Sasuke from being taken away directly by Orochimaru, and allowed Haku and Kimimaro to enter the sights of the various factions.

However, he knew this was only the beginning. The seed of the Cursed Seal had been planted, the hidden danger regarding Gaara had yet to erupt, and Orochimaru would never let this go.

The killing game of the Forest of Death was still continuing.