Dark Plot to Brand Sasuke with the Curse Mark, Brutalizing Anko and Kakashi, the Wind Maiden's Heart Set on Him

After Orochimaru vanished into the dense forest, he did not truly leave.

He concealed his chakra and waited quietly like a lurking venomous snake.

His gaze remained fixed on Uchiha Sasuke amid the crowd.

It never shifted even slightly.

In his plans,

Konoha Crush could be delayed.

His conflict with Uchiha Mu could be set aside.

But subduing Sasuke and planting the Cursed Seal of Heaven could not be abandoned halfway.

A pure Uchiha Clan bloodline, exceptional talent, and a deep obsession with revenge.

He was easily swayed and the most perfect vessel Orochimaru had sought for years.

If he missed today, he would never find someone so suitable again.

Within the shadows of the forest.

Orochimaru watched the movements in the arena through gaps between the branches.

He knew Uchiha Mu's perception was extraordinary and that his spatial coverage was immense.

Approaching openly would inevitably alert him.

He could only take advantage of the battlefield's chaos, circle around in secret, and wait for a chance to strike.

Inside the arena.

After the previous confrontation.

Everyone's gaze toward Uchiha Mu had completely changed.

Awe, admiration, shock, and wariness intertwined.

No one regarded him as an ordinary member of the younger generation any longer.

Instead, they saw him as a top-tier expert capable of standing alongside the established powerhouses of the ninja world.

Naruto moved beside Sasuke, his face full of excitement and admiration.

Sakura's gaze lingered on Uchiha Mu for a long time, filled with respect and reassurance.

Ibiki, Might Guy, and Asuma nodded to themselves, seeing him as a pillar of Konoha's future.

The Hidden Sand Village trio remained in the corner.

Yet the atmosphere had quietly changed.

Gaara was still cold and indifferent, but whenever he sensed Uchiha Mu's chakra, the vigilance in his eyes grew heavier.

Kankuro put away his teasing manner, his expression grave as he realized this youth was far from ordinary.

Only Temari.

Her thoughts had long since drifted away from the conflict in the arena.

She appeared to be holding her folding fan while casually surveying her surroundings.

Yet from the corner of her eye, she had been following Uchiha Mu's figure the entire time.

She did not want to look away for even a moment.

A young girl's feelings were delicate and secretive.

She did not dare let Kankuro or Gaara notice anything unusual.

She could only deliberately pretend to be cold and indifferent.

Yet the heart in her chest kept beating softly beyond her control.

She had seen countless elite shinobi of the Hidden Sand Village, nobles of the Land of Wind, and geniuses from every corner of the ninja world.

But never before had anyone stirred all her emotions with a single battle as Uchiha Mu had.

His calmness, strength, composure, and resolve.

All drew her in like a magnet.

She had always been fiery and strong-willed, never willing to show weakness.

Yet now, she felt the bashfulness and panic unique to a young girl.

Whenever her gaze landed on that figure, warmth and fluttering stirred within her heart.

Just then.

The crowd surged across the battlefield, and everyone's attention was drawn to the battle around the barrier.

No one noticed that, in that brief instant at the corner.

Orochimaru flashed out of the forest like a ghost.

Keeping low and concealing his presence, he silently circled behind Sasuke.

His greedy gaze locked tightly onto Sasuke.

A cold, seductive smile curved across his lips.

"Uchiha Sasuke..."

His lowered voice carried a strange magic as it slipped into Sasuke's ears.

"You carry an overwhelming obsession with revenge in your heart. You crave power. You crave the destruction of Konoha."

"Your current strength is far too insignificant to shake your enemy."

"I can give you the power you have dreamed of."

"Talent far beyond ordinary shinobi, a shortcut to breaking through your limits."

"As long as you accept my Cursed Seal of Heaven, you can awaken your bloodline's potential and advance by leaps and bounds."

As he tempted him, he slowly raised his hand.

Dark, eerie Curse Mark chakra coiled in his palm.

One more step, and he could press it onto Sasuke's neck and brand him with the Curse Mark.

Sasuke's body stiffened slightly. His Sharingan spun, and struggle and longing flashed in his eyes.

In the end, his obsession with revenge filled his heart, and his thirst for power overwhelmed his reason.

Faced with the temptation, he instinctively did not retreat.

Naruto, standing nearby, sensed something was wrong and was about to warn him, but the crowd blocked him off.

Orochimaru's Curse Mark was planted in the end.

But in the next second.

Faint spatial ripples spread through the void.

A cool, aloof figure crossed dozens of meters.

He instantly appeared beside Sasuke and Orochimaru.

Was I still too late?

Uchiha Mu could have stopped all of this, but he knew how the plot would unfold. Even if he stopped it this time, the correction of fate would ensure Sasuke could not escape his destiny.

Besides, Itachi would not be able to rest easy about his little brother either.

Uchiha Mu stood with his hands behind his back, his scarlet Sharingan staring coldly at Orochimaru.

Spatial power flowed around him, sealing off all of Orochimaru's escape routes.

His tone was indifferent, yet carried an unquestionable force.

"You want to make a move on Sasuke? Did you ask me first?"

The aura that had suddenly appeared enveloped Orochimaru.

His movements abruptly froze, and his expression darkened to the extreme.

He had believed his tracks were hidden and his scheme flawless.

Yet in the end, he still could not escape Uchiha Mu's spatial perception and Sharingan scrutiny.

"Uchiha Mu, what an interesting opponent."

"No matter what, Sasuke is mine."

"Is that so?"

"He is my little brother.

Did you think I didn't know your goal?"

Uchiha Mu's tone was calm, but every word rang with force.

The spatial power gradually tightened, faintly forming a restraint.

Orochimaru knew that if the stalemate continued, both sides would only suffer.

He cast a deep look at Sasuke's twisted expression.

Then he warily glanced at the imposing Uchiha Mu.

"Sasuke, if you want revenge, if you want strength, come find me."

As his words fell.

Orochimaru's body transformed into a sky full of snake shadows once more, vanishing into the darkness in an instant.

Sasuke stared at Uchiha Mu's tall back, his expression impossibly complicated.

Both of his brothers were so outstanding.

Yet he was still just an unnoticed nobody.

He silently withdrew his Sharingan, his thoughts in turmoil.

Naruto hurried over, patting Sasuke on the shoulder with a relieved expression.

Not far away, Temari witnessed the entire scene.

The admiration in her heart deepened by several degrees.

She quietly lowered her head, her hair concealing her slightly flushed cheeks.

She secretly thought that a boy so responsible and capable was truly difficult not to like.

Who knew what exactly the girl had imagined.

Orochimaru had plotted against Sasuke, yet even after acting personally, he had failed to take him away. Hostility and rage filled his chest.

With nowhere to vent it, he turned his sights on the Konoha jonin present.

He intended to brutally torment Konoha's strongest shinobi, vent his frustration, and establish his authority to intimidate everyone.

The first person he targeted was his former student, Mitarashi Anko.

Anko had trained under Orochimaru in her youth, and traces of the Curse Mark remained within her body.

Orochimaru had always viewed her as a junior he could manipulate at will.

Moreover, Kakashi was an elite Konoha jonin and possessed the Sharingan.

Orochimaru likewise regarded him as someone he could toy with and crush at will.

In the blink of an eye.

Orochimaru silently appeared and headed straight for Mitarashi Anko.

Anko sensed a cold, sinister presence closing in, and her expression changed drastically.

She instantly formed hand seals and unleashed a Fire Release ninjutsu, attempting to force her opponent back.

But before a Sannin-level powerhouse like Orochimaru, her techniques were immature and insignificant.

Orochimaru did not need any powerful forbidden technique. With only Snake Release secret arts casually produced at hand.

He easily dismantled every one of Anko's ninjutsu.

He deliberately restrained his killing intent, yet toyed with and brutally battered her at every turn.

His moves were devious and vicious, continuously forcing Anko into retreat.

In mere moments.

Anko was in a wretched state, several wounds carved across her body by snake scales.

Her clothes were torn, her breathing was chaotic, and she could only barely defend herself passively. Her situation was perilous.

"Anko, after all these years, your strength has still failed to improve."

Orochimaru's tone was mocking and derisive as his attacks grew increasingly fierce.

Kakashi, nearby, could not stand by and watch.

His Three-Tomoe Sharingan opened instantly, and he flashed forward.

Chidori gathered in his palm with rolling thunder, carrying a sharp howl through the air as it struck at Orochimaru's flank.

Kakashi was extremely fast, and Chidori possessed tyrannical power.

Yet it still could not shake Orochimaru in the slightest.

Orochimaru easily sidestepped Chidori, then swung his hand as several Hidden Shadow Snake Hands coiled forward.

They sealed off all of Kakashi's paths of evasion.

Kakashi relied on the Sharingan's precognition to barely hold his ground.

But the gap in their foundations was simply too great.

Orochimaru's combat experience was seasoned, and his forbidden techniques emerged one after another.

Before long, he had Kakashi firmly pinned down and was beating him back.

Within moments.

Kakashi's chakra was greatly depleted, his breathing grew ragged, and several new wounds appeared across his body.

He could only struggle to endure, on the verge of being severely injured at any moment.

Everyone in the arena watched with tense hearts, yet no one dared step forward to interfere.