Move!

Faced with Orochimaru's question, Naruto did not answer immediately.

It was as though invisible streams of data flowed through his eyes, comparing the pattern of the being before him with the twisted "Chaos worshippers" in his database.

[Assessment: Highly similar. Possesses characteristics of actively spreading Pollution. Threat level continuing to rise.]

He raised his Chainsword, its cold tip aimed directly at Orochimaru's pale face.

"I am the broom that came to clean up filthy vermin like you."

The amused smile on Orochimaru's face vanished completely for the first time.

What he sensed was not arrogance or contempt, but a cold declaration delivered almost as a statement of fact. It was an unprecedented provocation.

"Hehe... here to clean me up?"

Orochimaru's sinister laughter grew lower and deeper as his hands rapidly formed seals.

"Interesting little brat. It seems I cannot have a proper conversation with Sasuke-kun until I tear that mouth of yours apart."

"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"

Rumble!

Several massive earthen walls surged from the ground, instantly splitting the battlefield apart and blocking Team 7's view of one another.

Then Orochimaru opened his mouth and sprayed out hundreds, perhaps thousands, of poison-coated Senbon like a torrential downpour, indiscriminately targeting Naruto's position.

His intentions were clear: use a large-scale attack to deal with the most troublesome one first, the brat wielding that strange weapon.

Naruto's tactical squad reacted almost the instant the earthen walls rose.

Two Shadow Clones stepped forward, their Chainswords whirling into twin silver barriers with an earsplitting roar.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Whether solid chunks of earth or poisoned Senbon, everything that touched the rapidly spinning teeth was instantly deflected and shattered.

The other two Shadow Clones hesitated not at all. One grabbed Sakura from each side and forcibly carried her toward the safe area behind them.

Naruto himself kept his attention entirely locked on Sasuke.

"Left flank. Coordinated suppression."

His command was so concise that it carried no emotion whatsoever.

"Use your eyes. Find his weakness."

"From what you observed just now, you should have gathered some information, shouldn't you?"

That command struck Sasuke's nerves like an icy Warhammer.

"Do not tell me you were simply afraid just now."

Fear coiled around Sasuke's heart like an icy venomous snake. But stronger than fear was humiliation.

If he did nothing but fear, Naruto would only leave him farther and farther behind.

In the end, he might even completely lose the right to be used as a "soldier" by him.

Sasuke trembled as he looked at his legs, which felt as though they had been filled with lead and could not move.

"Move!"

He abruptly drew a Kunai from his ninja tool pouch and, without the slightest hesitation, viciously drove it into his thigh.

Intense pain shot through his entire body, using physical stimulation to forcibly dispel the paralysis in his mind.

Blood ran down his pant leg and dripped into the dirt.

Sasuke gasped heavily, veins bulging on his forehead, but the fear in his eyes had been replaced by an even more violent will.

He raised his head. Within those black pupils, two Tomoe spun rapidly, radiating an eerie red glow.

He was no longer fighting merely for the sake of fighting. He was fighting to prove his worth to the man before him, the man who had acknowledged him yet could discard him at any moment.

"Over there!"

With the Sharingan operating at full power, he precisely caught Orochimaru's figure moving at high speed behind the earthen walls.

Sasuke no longer waited passively. He leaped onto a large tree and rapidly formed seals with both hands.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

The blazing fireball did not fly directly at Orochimaru himself. Instead, it blasted toward the position Orochimaru was about to move into at a tricky angle, cutting off his route.

This was no longer an outburst of individual heroism. It was precise tactical execution wholly in service of Naruto's command.

Orochimaru's movement stalled, and a flicker of surprise crossed his face.

He had not expected the Uchiha brat, who had been trembling in fright just moments ago, to adjust so quickly and make such an accurate tactical judgment.

That brief pause was all it took.

Naruto moved.

Bzzzz—!

The Chainsword's roar shook the forest. Like a siege tank launching at full speed, he smashed straight through the earthen wall before him and charged furiously at Orochimaru.

A strange tacit understanding formed between Naruto and Sasuke.

Naruto was an unstoppable spear, responsible for crushing and destroying everything head-on.

Sasuke was the precision scope mounted at that spear's tip, responsible for locking onto weaknesses, clearing obstacles, and predicting trajectories.

"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"

Orochimaru repeated his old trick, dozens of venomous snakes shooting from his sleeves.

But under Sasuke's Sharingan, the snakes' attack paths were predicted in advance.

"Three on the right! The two below are feints!" Sasuke shouted in warning.

Naruto did not even spare a glance. His body had already reacted. His Chainsword traced a simple arc, accurately slicing the most dangerous snakes into several pieces.

For the first time, Orochimaru found himself in a difficult position.

His proud, art-like soft-body taijutsu and strange, ever-changing snake ninjutsu could not find any opening against this coordination.

"Your body is becoming more and more fascinating to me, Sasuke-kun!"

Orochimaru slipped smoothly past another slash, twisting his neck at an inhuman angle to evade the Kunai Sasuke fired.

His target had always been Sasuke.

Orochimaru suddenly opened his mouth.

"Kusanagi Sword!"

A sharp blade shot from his mouth with a piercing whistle, stabbing straight at Sasuke's throat.

It was too fast!

Sasuke's Sharingan could see its trajectory, but his body could not keep up.

The shadow of death descended once again.

Yet a roaring weapon swept in from the side at even greater speed.

Clang!

The teeth of the Chainsword collided violently with the Kusanagi Sword, erupting in a shower of blinding sparks.

Naruto forcibly used his weapon to block that fatal strike.

He stood in front of Sasuke.

"Your opponent is me." Naruto turned his head, his icy gaze sweeping over Sasuke. "Focus, soldier. Losing focus on the battlefield is no different from suicide."

Sasuke clenched his fists. His lips moved, but not a single word came out.

Shame, anger, and a trace of... gratitude that even he refused to acknowledge.

Those tangled emotions ultimately became an even stronger will to fight.

He could not hold them back any longer!

"Interesting. This is far too interesting!"

Orochimaru laughed wildly as he withdrew the Kusanagi Sword. Looking at the two who worked so seamlessly together, greed nearly overflowed from his eyes.

"A perfect vessel, an interesting soul... Konoha has truly given me an enormous gift this time!"

Before his words had even faded, Orochimaru dodged Naruto's downward slash, and Sasuke's Two-Tomoe Sharingan caught the spot where he would land a fraction of a second later.

An opening!

"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

Several fireballs scattered like blooming phoenix flowers, sealing off every route Orochimaru could use to evade.

Orochimaru's expression changed slightly. He had not expected Sasuke's prediction to be this precise.

He was forced to take the sideways sweep from Naruto's Shadow Clone head-on.

Riiip—!

The sound of tearing cloth was exceptionally grating.

The rapidly spinning Chainsword tore straight through Orochimaru's sleeve, leaving a savage, bone-deep wound on his pale arm.

Blood sprayed out.

This was the first time since his appearance that he had suffered a genuine injury.

Orochimaru stopped moving.

He slowly lowered his head and looked at the wound on his arm, its torn flesh exposing even the stark white bone beneath.

The forest fell terrifyingly silent at that moment.