Sasuke's Twisted and Shaken State of Mind

Sasuke's Twisted and Shaken State of Mind

Elsewhere.

Konoha.

Team 7's private training ground.

"Bang!"

Sasuke kicked the wooden post in front of him to pieces, sending splinters flying everywhere.

He was panting heavily, his clothes completely soaked with sweat, yet his eyes were unusually fierce.

Too slow.

This laughable rate of progress was far too slow.

These past few days, whenever he closed his eyes, that damned scene appeared in his mind.

At the Chunin Exams arena.

With one terrifying Wood Release attack, Chenshu Senju had pinned Kidomaru in his second Curse Mark form to the ground and beaten him senseless.

Even when Orochimaru personally stepped in, he had been beaten into a miserable retreat by that branch member of the Senju Clan.

Back at the Ninja Academy, Chenshu Senju had clearly been a dead-last loser, not even worth one of Sasuke's fingers.

When exactly had that guy become so ridiculously powerful?

Was he freaking cheating?

And then there was himself.

The Uchiha Clan bloodline he had always taken pride in had not even dared to move before that monstrous man.

The gap was too vast—vast enough to make one despair.

For some reason, he felt incredibly, overwhelmingly anxious now.

If he remained in this village, wasting time with these idiots who only knew how to play house, he would never gain the power to kill Itachi Uchiha.

Not far away.

"Take this! Sexy Jutsu!"

Accompanied by a puff of white smoke.

Naruto transformed into a naked blonde beauty.

Her curves were full and alluring, two towering peaks ready to burst forth. Her perfect figure was completely uncovered, with only wisps of white smoke vaguely concealing the crucial areas.

Kakashi, who had been reading nearby, instantly widened his dead-fish eye.

Even Make-Out Paradise fell from his hand to the ground.

Two streams of hot blood ran down from beneath Kakashi's mask, making the scene mortifying beyond words.

Sakura's face turned purple with rage as she punched Naruto in the head.

"Naruto, you big idiot!"

Naruto clutched his head and rolled around on the ground in grievance, still shouting at the top of his lungs.

Sasuke watched the scene coldly.

The corner of his eye twitched violently twice.

He was tired.

A kind of exhaustion unlike anything he had ever felt before.

This was the legendary Hidden Leaf Village's number one technician and the Child of Prophecy?

The atmosphere in this team was absurd beyond belief. What future could it possibly have?

He, Sasuke Uchiha, would never associate with such miserable fools.

"I'm going back."

"Sasuke, wait!" Sakura hurried over with a blush on her face, seemingly wanting to ask him to eat with her.

Sasuke ignored her outright and walked out of the training ground without looking back.

Night fell.

The Uchiha estate.

The vast courtyard was frighteningly quiet, without even the chirping of insects.

After taking a bath, Sasuke sat cross-legged on the veranda, coldly watching the moon in the sky.

He touched the faintly aching Curse Mark on his neck and recalled that sinister Orochimaru.

That guy might have been a pervert, but he truly possessed power that made people tremble.

If he could obtain that power...

Just then, a faint sound came from the woods.

"Who's there?"

Sasuke instantly drew a kunai, his icy gaze fixed on the depths of the darkness.

Four ninja wearing Sound Ninja uniforms emerged.

Leading them was a red-haired female ninja, Tayuya.

She wore the standard midriff-baring Sound Ninja outfit, and the top she wore was exceptionally tight.

There was very little fabric, and the neckline was cut extremely low.

Her ample, soft curves were squeezed so tightly by her clothing that they seemed ready to spill out. They bounced with every step, and the deep cleavage was nearly impossible to look away from.

If Jiraiya had been standing here, he probably would have bled dry from the nose.

But.

Sasuke did not even spare her a second glance.

Not only was he expressionless, but at his age, he even seemed somewhat indifferent.

"Orochimaru's people?"

Tayuya let out a mocking laugh and stopped walking.

"Not completely blind, are you?"

As she spoke, Tayuya deliberately took a step forward and leaned slightly ahead, fully displaying her pale assets.

She wanted to use the charm of a mature woman to give this little brat a small shock first.

"Kid, a greenhouse like Konoha will only turn you into a useless waste."

"Come with us. Lord Orochimaru can give you true power."

Sasuke looked at her coldly.

"The kind of true power that got beaten senseless by Chenshu Senju?"

Tayuya:?

The air fell deathly silent.

Jirobo and Sakon, who had just been preparing to strike a pose, instantly turned the color of pig liver.

Kidomaru, standing at the very back, wanted nothing more than to find a crack in the ground and crawl into it.

Fuck.

Why did this brat stab straight at their sore spot the moment he opened his mouth?

That hurt way too much!

"You're courting death!"

The hot-tempered Sakon could no longer hold back. He raised his fist and charged straight at him.

"Bang!"

In just an instant.

Sakon was sent flying by Sasuke's kick, his entire body slamming hard into the courtyard wall.

Tayuya's pupils contracted.

What speed.

Sasuke withdrew his foot and calmly adjusted his clothes.

"If this is all the strength you have, get the hell out of my home already."

"Don't get cocky, you little brat."

Tayuya gritted her teeth and pulled open her collar. Black Curse Mark patterns instantly crawled across her snowy-white skin.

A suffocating pressure of chakra suddenly erupted.

"As long as you go to Otogakure, Lord Orochimaru can help you develop this power to its fullest."

Sasuke stared intently at the Curse Mark on Tayuya's body, his gaze shifting slightly.

There was no denying it.

This power was evil, but it was also very direct.

If he stayed in Konoha and followed Kakashi to learn some bullshit about bonds, he would never catch up to Chenshu Senju in this lifetime.

Much less kill that man.

Soon, a cool breeze swept past.

Tayuya crossed her arms and looked down at Sasuke.

"Have you decided?"

Sasuke remained silent for a long time.

Then, he rose to his feet and turned to glance in the direction of the brightly lit Konoha.

Goodbye.

You exceptional idiots who played house all day long.

"Lead the way."

Just two short words.

A smug smile appeared on Tayuya's face.

She knew it. No one could refuse the temptation of power.

Five shadows vanished into the night in an instant.

He had defected overnight—leaving the moment he decided to go.

Early the next morning.

The meeting point by Konoha's bridge.

Naruto leaned listlessly against the bridge railing, dark circles under his eyes.

For once, Kakashi was not late.

However, the Make-Out Paradise in his hand was clearly upside down, and one eye was fixed blankly on empty space. He was obviously distracted.

"Kakashi-sensei, why isn't that stuck-up Sasuke here yet?"

Naruto complained, his stomach growling in agreement.

Sakura stood nearby with her hands clasped to her chest, hearts practically glowing in her eyes.

"Sasuke must be doing some secret special training. Do you think everyone wanders around aimlessly all day like you?"

Kakashi closed his book and sighed helplessly.

Just ten minutes earlier, an urgent report had arrived from ANBU at the Hokage's office.

Sasuke Uchiha had gone missing.

The room had traces of Sound Ninja and obvious signs that he had left the village.

Combined with Orochimaru's earlier actions, even an idiot knew what had happened.

This team was far too difficult to manage.

Kakashi raised his head to the sky.

For some reason, he suddenly felt that it would have been nice if Chenshu Senju had been on Team 7.

No matter how arrogant that kid was or how much he liked causing trouble.

At least he would not run off with someone else in the middle of the night.

Kakashi scratched his silver-white hair, his tone becoming unusually serious.

"Naruto, Sakura."

"Sasuke... has defected."

Naruto:?

Sakura:?

What the hell?

Naruto dug hard at his ears, his entire face filled with disbelief.

What had Kakashi-sensei just said?

That Uchiha survivor who acted cool all day had run away from home in the middle of the night?

Holy shit.

What kind of teammate bond was this supposed to be?!

The three stood at the bridgehead, thoroughly disheveled in the wind.

The team's mood instantly plunged to freezing point, filled with unbearable awkwardness.