Red Copper Armor's Star-Absorbing Technique?

The names on the display finally settled, the cold lettering reflected on the faces of the people present, each wearing a different expression.

[First Round: Uchiha Sasuke VS Akato]

As Gekko Hayate announced the start of the match through coughs that sounded like he might stop breathing at any moment, the other examinees standing in the center of the arena flickered away to the second-floor stands.

Only Sasuke and the Sound Ninja—Akato, wearing sunglasses and a skintight outfit like a wetsuit—remained in the empty arena.

"Hmph, I didn't expect to run into a genius of the Uchiha Clan in the very first match." Akato adjusted his sunglasses, a malicious smile curling across his lips. His right hand slowly opened, and a strange pale-blue Chakra glow faintly shimmered in his palm. "Looks like I'm lucky."

Sasuke clutched the Curse Mark on his neck, his face pale as cold sweat slid down from his temples.

Orochimaru's earlier approach had triggered the Curse Mark's resonance. The agonizing pain, as though countless insects were burrowing beneath his skin, made even standing difficult. Yet the fighting spirit in his eyes had not diminished in the slightest.

"Cut the crap." Sasuke endured the pain and assumed a fighting stance.

"Begin!"

Gekko Hayate gave the order.

Almost at the same instant, Akato charged forward like a cheetah. Although Sasuke was unwell, the dynamic vision of his Sharingan still allowed him to sharply catch his opponent's movements.

That speed... I can see it!

Sasuke steadied himself and reached for his ninja tool pouch with his right hand, preparing to throw a kunai.

However, the instant he circulated his Chakra, the Curse Mark on his neck suddenly throbbed!

"Urgh!"

The piercing pain made his body stiffen for an instant.

When experts clashed, an opening that brief was enough to be fatal. Akato instantly closed in. Rather than using any ninja tools, he directly extended that large blue-glowing hand and grabbed Sasuke by the shoulder.

"Got you!"

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle—!

A burst of electrical crackling that made Kiba ache rang out.

There was no imagined impact, yet Sasuke's eyes abruptly widened as he let out a pained groan. He felt the Chakra within his body wildly draining away through the point of contact on his shoulder!

"This is..."

Everyone watching from the stands was stunned.

"What's going on? Why isn't Sasuke moving?" Naruto leaned over the railing and shouted anxiously, "Counterattack, Sasuke!"

Kakashi's expression instantly turned grave. "That's... the Chakra Absorption Technique?"

While everyone else worried for Sasuke, Ye Tian, standing on the other side of the railing, was leisurely shelling a five-spice peanut he had pulled from Kabuto's pocket.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..."

Ye Tian looked at Sasuke, who was being suppressed in the arena, then at the smug Akato. He shook his head, an undisguised look of disdain on his face.

"This is what they call absorbing energy?" Ye Tian mocked through a mouthful of peanuts. "It's far too crude. What a complete waste."

Naruto heard Ye Tian muttering and turned around with a baffled look. "Brother Ye Tian, what are you talking about? That sunglasses guy looks like he's absorbing Sasuke's Chakra! Isn't that really powerful?"

"Powerful?"

Ye Tian sneered, dusted the peanut shells from his hands, and looked down at Akato as if he were some ignorant country bumpkin.

"Naruto, remember this. Back in my hometown... ahem, in the ancient texts I've read, this kind of behavior—directly seizing another person's energy through physical contact—is called a bargain-bin version of the Spirit-Devouring Demonic Art, or a defective Star Absorption Technique."

"Star Absorption Technique?" Naruto did not understand it, but he thought the name sounded impressive.

"It sounds intimidating, but it's a crooked path."

Ye Tian pointed at Akato and began his little "cultivation lesson."

"Energy has attributes and impurities. Every person's Chakra carries a strong personal imprint, containing that person's spiritual will and bodily traits. If you don't filter or purify it at all and simply suck someone else's Chakra into your own body like dirty water..."

Ye Tian paused, his tone turning eerie. "That's no different from drinking poison to quench thirst. It can weaken your opponent and strengthen yourself in the short term, but in the long run, foreign energies will clash within your meridians, damaging your foundation and even causing a mental breakdown."

"Look at Akato. He may seem to have the upper hand now, but the more eagerly he absorbs, the faster he'll die. Sasuke's Chakra is mixed with the evil energy of the Curse Mark. He's practically committing suicide."

As Ye Tian explained, the situation in the arena changed.

Sasuke had clearly realized this as well. The weakness from having his Chakra drained nearly brought him to his knees, but he did not give up.

I can't use ninjutsu... and I can't use the Sharingan either...

Sasuke gritted his teeth. Then, the taijutsu move that the thick-browed, big-eyed Rock Lee had used on him in the forest a few days ago suddenly flashed through his mind.

It was pure physical strength that did not rely on Chakra transformations!

If it's taijutsu...

Sasuke suddenly raised his leg and delivered a vicious kick straight into Akato's chin!

Bang!

The kick carried tremendous force, sending Akato reeling backward and forcing him to release the hand that had been absorbing Chakra.

"Good chance!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Sasuke endured the searing pain of the Curse Mark, lowered his body, and instantly darted beneath Akato.

"Leaf Shadow Dance!"

A beautiful uppercut sent Akato flying into the air. Sasuke then leaped high and appeared behind him.

That entire sequence flowed seamlessly, practically a replica of Rock Lee!

"That's... Lee's move?" Guy and Rock Lee, watching from the stands, were both dumbfounded.

"No, it's more than just copying."

Ye Tian narrowed his eyes as he watched Sasuke in midair, a pleased smile tugging at his lips. "The opening stance is the same, but the follow-up force application has changed. This kid... learned how to use the body's leverage in a desperate situation."

In the air, Sasuke did not use the Front Lotus as Rock Lee had. His physical condition did not allow him to open the Eight Gates, nor did he have bandages to use.

But he had his own pride.

"I'll end this right here!"

Sasuke forcibly twisted his waist in midair, using gravitational momentum as his left fist and right foot battered Akato like a raging storm!

"Lion Combo!"

Boom—!

With the final crushing kick, Akato slammed into the ground like a meteor, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The concrete floor was smashed into a huge crater. Akato rolled his eyes, foamed at the mouth, and completely passed out.

The entire venue fell silent for a second before erupting in astonishment.

"He... he won?!" Naruto jumped up excitedly. "That was so cool, Sasuke!"

"Whew... whew..."

After landing, Sasuke dropped to one knee and panted heavily. The Curse Mark on his neck stirred again after that intense movement, and purple evil Chakra flickered in and out of sight.

"The winner... cough, cough... Uchiha Sasuke." After stepping forward to confirm it, Gekko Hayate raised his hand and announced the result.

At that moment, Kakashi instantly appeared in the arena.

"Sasuke, don't move around."

Kakashi's expression was grave as he pressed one hand against Sasuke's shoulder. "Come with me. We need to deal with this Curse Mark immediately."

Sasuke glanced at Kakashi. Though unwilling, he knew how terrible his condition was. He nodded and allowed Kakashi to support him as they headed toward the exit.

Just as they were about to disappear into the corridor entrance.

Ye Tian was still leaning over the second-floor railing, idly playing with his empty thermos.

His gaze was not fixed on Sasuke, the victor. Instead, it passed over the crowd toward the shadowed area of the stands, where the man disguised as the Sound Ninja team's instructor stood—Orochimaru.

Orochimaru was watching Sasuke's departing figure with a greedy yet gratified gaze, as though admiring a perfect work of art.

"Hehehe... Sasuke-kun, you truly haven't disappointed me." Orochimaru muttered softly, his tongue sliding over his lips.

However, he did not know that not far behind him, that seemingly sickly Konoha Genin had locked onto him with Divine Sense.

Old snake-skin, you're enjoying the show, aren't you?

Ye Tian sneered inwardly.

Although he only had the cultivation of the Qi Condensation Stage and fighting Orochimaru head-on would be no different from seeking death, what were cultivators best at?

Methods. Strange methods that those ninjas had never heard of or seen before.

Using the motion of drinking water as cover, Ye Tian quickly formed a hand seal inside his sleeve.

[Tracking Art · Ten Thousand Miles Soul-Seeking Incense]

This was not an ordinary tracking technique, nor did it rely on scent or Chakra. It was a special marking method originating from the cultivation world.

Using his Divine Sense, Ye Tian drew out an extremely faint trace of Shadowless Powder from the system space—a colorless, odorless powder refined from the droppings of an insect called the Spirit-Seeking Insect.

"Go."

Ye Tian willed it.

With an imperceptible current of air, the trace of powder did not fly directly toward Orochimaru—that would have been noticed. Instead, it drifted through the hall's ventilation ducts to the light fixture above Orochimaru's head, then naturally fell down with the dust.

As long as even a little of it touched him, unless Orochimaru shed his skin again and replaced all the flesh on his body, he would shine as brightly as a lighthouse in the night within Ye Tian's Divine Sense for the next month.

"It landed."

Ye Tian sensed the faint feedback and the corners of his lips rose slightly.

"Kakashi took Sasuke away to seal the Curse Mark. Orochimaru definitely won't be able to resist following them to watch... or cause trouble."

Ye Tian withdrew his gaze, returning to that half-dead appearance, and said to Naruto beside him:

"Cough, cough... Naruto, get me a cup of water. That explanation just now wore out my throat..."

Naruto was still immersed in the joy of Sasuke's victory. Hearing Ye Tian's request, he immediately ran off to get water. "Got it! Brother Ye Tian, is that Star Absorption Technique you mentioned really that bad? Can I learn a version that isn't bad someday?"

"When you can perfectly separate the oil and water in ramen broth, I'll teach you." Ye Tian casually bluffed.

At that moment, the display began scrolling again.

Everyone's attention was drawn toward it.

As Ye Tian accepted the water Naruto handed him, he quietly calculated his next plan.

"Sasuke's match is over. There are still several good shows coming up."

"Shino Aburame's insects... they're excellent stock for refining Gold-Devouring Insects or Six-Winged Heavenly Silkworms."

"And Kankuro's puppet... the craftsmanship is trash, but those joint materials can still be salvaged and reused."

"The preliminaries... heh, how is this an exam? This is clearly my personal supply run."

Ye Tian took a sip of hot water, felt the warmth slide down his throat, and narrowed his eyes in comfort.

"Cough, cough... who's up next? I hope they don't keep me waiting too long. Standing here is tiring."