After a Fierce Battle
However, Sasuke's speed was simply too fast. Gaara's sand wall was like paper in front of him, easily breached. Seeing this, Gaara's heart tightened, and he hurriedly gathered more sand, enveloping his entire body in a huge sand ball, forming a seemingly indestructible defense.
Sasuke, Sasuke's lips curled up slightly, revealing a confident smile. He took a deep breath, gathered all his chakra in his palm, and then thrust it forward with all his might. In an instant, a dazzling blue bolt of lightning erupted from his palm, like a fierce bird, rushing straight towards Gaara.
This is Sasuke's signature technique— Chidori! The blue lightning bolt pierced through Gaara's sand sphere at an astonishing speed, colliding head-on with Gaara's Absolute Defense. In an instant, the entire arena vibrated and hummed, as if it were about to be torn apart by this powerful force.
Surprisingly, Sasuke's Chidori successfully broke through Gaara's defense. The blue lightning bolt, like a drill, pierced a large hole in Gaara's sand sphere. Sand scattered like raindrops, and Gaara's body was also sent flying by the power of Chidori, crashing heavily to the ground.
Just then, the Sand Ninja and Sound Ninja's Konoha Crush, like a giant net, silently enveloped the entire Konoha. The Sand Ninja, like ghosts, poured out from all directions, moving swiftly and stealthily, as if they already knew the terrain of Konoha like the back of their hand.
Gaara was caught in the surging crowd, his figure tightly protected by the Sand Ninja. These Sand Ninja used their bodies to form a solid defensive line for Gaara, ensuring his safe retreat from Konoha.
However, Sasuke and the others were not about to let Gaara escape so easily. Like hounds that had caught the scent of their prey, they immediately launched a swift pursuit. Along the way, Sasuke and the others encountered numerous obstacles from the Sand Ninja and Sound Ninja. These enemies were like an impregnable wall, firmly blocking Sasuke and the others' path.
But Sasuke and the others were fearless, with only one belief in their hearts—they absolutely could not let Gaara escape! They displayed unparalleled courage and skill in the battle, every attack was precise and deadly, and every dodge was perfectly timed.
Finally, after a fierce battle, Sasuke and the others broke through the numerous defenses and successfully caught up with Gaara. Sasuke's eyes were as sharp as ice, his hands quickly forming hand seals, and he uttered a soft shout, "Chidori!"
In an instant, the blue lightning of Chidori flashed in Sasuke, like a bolt of Inazuma piercing the darkness. This bolt of lightning sped away at an astonishing speed, heading straight for Gaara's arm formed from sand.
With a crisp "crack," Gaara's arm snapped as easily as fragile glass. Sand flew everywhere, as if a sandstorm had erupted in an instant.
This sudden attack caught Gaara completely off guard. His eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief. He stared blankly at his severed arm, unable to react for a moment.
Anger burned within Gaara, and he finally decided to stop holding back, unleashing the power of Shukaku in a counterattack. With Gaara's roar, a powerful surge of chakra erupted from his body, and his form began to change, gradually revealing the shape of Shukaku.
Shukaku's power was immense, instantly making the battle between Sasuke and Gaara extremely difficult. Gaara's attacks came like Gale, and Sasuke constantly dodged and defended, but he still couldn't withstand them.
However, Sasuke held a firm belief in his heart: having lost everything before, he could not let his most cherished comrades die in front of him again. Therefore, he resolutely decided to stay behind alone to save Naruto and Sakura Haruno's lives.
Sasuke shouted to Naruto, "Naruto, even if it's just bravado, you have to rescue Sakura!" His voice was filled with determination and resolve.
After saying that, Sasuke fearlessly charged towards Gaara alone, engaging in a final, desperate battle with Shukaku. His figure appeared so small in front of Shukaku's enormous body, but his courage burned as brightly as a flame.
However, at the crucial moment of the battle, Sasuke suddenly suffered the activation of the Curse Mark. The excruciating pain from the Curse Mark rendered him unable to move, and his strength was instantly drained, ultimately causing him to collapse helplessly to the ground.
Meanwhile, Naruto did not stop fighting because Sasuke had fallen. He gritted his teeth, enduring his physical exhaustion and pain, and continued his fierce battle with Gaara. After a hard-fought battle, Naruto finally defeated Gaara with his tenacious willpower and powerful strength.
Just as Naruto breathed a sigh of relief, shocking news arrived: Kakashi had been defeated by Itachi, who had suddenly appeared in Konoha! This news made Sasuke extremely anxious, and he immediately decided to go to the hospital to visit Kakashi and ask him for more information about Itachi.
When Sasuke finally arrived at the hospital after running all the way, he was panting heavily, his eyes anxiously scanning the surrounding crowd. Sure enough, he saw many people who had come to visit Kakashi, talking in hushed tones, their faces showing worry.
Sasuke squeezed through the crowd to Kakashi's bedside. Kakashi was pale and his eyes were tightly closed, clearly seriously injured. Sasuke anxiously inquired about Kakashi's condition, while those around him told him Itachi's true purpose for returning to Konoha —to find Naruto!
The news struck Sasuke like a bolt from the blue, leaving Sasuke so shocked he could barely stand. His eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief. He had never imagined that Itachi would return to Konoha for Naruto's sake.
Countless thoughts flashed through Sasuke's mind in an instant. He realized that Naruto was in extreme danger. Without the slightest hesitation, Sasuke turned and ran away, his steps as fast as Inazuma, with only one thought in his mind: He must protect Naruto!
Sasuke sped through the streets of Konoha, his heart pounding faster and faster, as if it would leap out of his throat. Finally, he saw Naruto standing under a tree not far away. Sasuke a sense of relief, but at the same time, he felt a surge of tension, because he knew that Itachi was likely nearby.
Just as Sasuke was about to rush towards Naruto, a dark figure suddenly swept past him. Sasuke looked closely and saw it was Itachi! His heart tightened, and he immediately unleashed his ultimate technique— Chidori. Blue lightning crackled in his hand as he sped towards Itachi like an Inazuma.
However, to Sasuke's surprise, Itachi easily dodged his attack. Not only that, Itachi swiftly grabbed Sasuke's wrist and snapped it without hesitation.
Sasuke groaned in pain, a piercing pain shooting through his wrist. But he wasn't defeated by the blow; instead, he endured the agony and attacked Itachi again. However, Itachi seemed completely unconcerned about Sasuke's resistance. He simply looked at Sasuke coldly, as if he were looking at a child who overestimated himself.
Finally, Itachi unleashed his ultimate technique— Tsukuyomi. In the world of Tsukuyomi, Sasuke suffered unprecedented torment and pain. His spirit was completely shattered, and his body became extremely weak.
Just as Sasuke was about to lose consciousness, Jiraiya arrived in time and rescued him from Itachi's Tsukuyomi. Afterwards, Might Guy carried the injured Sasuke and rushed back to Konoha Hospital for treatment.
After Tsunade defected from Konoha and returned to Konoha to become the Fifth Naruto, she healed Sasuke. During his treatment in the hospital, Sasuke recalled his time in Team 7 and felt that he was too weak to defeat Itachi, and was even surpassed by Naruto, who used to be a loser.
Feeling annoyed, Sasuke had a duel with Naruto, who came to visit him, at the hospital. Although Kakashi arrived and stopped the duel, Sasuke was still intimidated by the power of Naruto's Rasengan and felt even more uneasy.