"Orochimaru, I have a new ability. Want to try it out?"
Cangyue suddenly spoke.
Orochimaru paused just as he was about to see him out.
"What ability?"
"Dream manipulation."
"It's an ability I only recently mastered, too. You'll be the first to try it."
Cangyue sat back down on the sofa and explained casually, "I can control dreams, making things in them unfold however you want."
Orochimaru's slit pupils abruptly contracted.
He instantly recognized the value of this ability.
Experiments in reality required materials, secrecy from the major ninja villages, and accepting the consequences of failure.
But in a dream, none of those concerns mattered.
If he failed once, he could simply try again.
If a hundred attempts weren't enough, he could make ten thousand.
As long as the dream was close enough to reality, he could even run countless simulations in his dreams first, then bring the successful results back into reality.
How much time and experimental material would that save?
[Valor Points +50]
Orochimaru's breathing quickened slightly.
"How accurately can your dreams reproduce reality?"
"I don't know."
Cangyue answered without the slightest hesitation.
The fervor on Orochimaru's face faltered.
"You don't know?"
"How would I know without trying it?"
Cangyue looked at him as though it were obvious.
Orochimaru fell silent for a moment before finally catching on.
"Cangyue, you want me to test this ability for you?"
"As expected of a scientist famous throughout the Shinobi World. You catch on fast."
Cangyue gave him a thumbs-up.
The corner of Orochimaru's mouth twitched.
This fellow had just taken his Kusanagi Sword, and now he intended to use him to test a new ability-and he had the nerve to say it so openly.
Yet Orochimaru simply couldn't refuse.
A dream-based testing ground was far too enticing.
Even if it could only reproduce reality with fifty percent accuracy, it was worth the risk.
"What do I need to do?"
"Lie down."
Cangyue smiled amiably.
"Relax your mind, and don't resist."
Looking at his smile, Orochimaru inexplicably felt a chill.
Still, he led Cangyue deeper into the laboratory, stopping before a stone slab used for experiments.
From the darkness, several gazes silently settled on Cangyue.
Snakes lurked within the hollow layers of the stone walls.
Several figures controlled by formulas stood in the shadows as well.
If Cangyue attempted to attack Orochimaru, they would all strike at once.
Cangyue's Sword Intent Domain picked up everything.
It seemed Orochimaru hadn't left himself entirely unprotected.
But that didn't matter.
If they really fought, those precautions would only mean a few more corpses.
Orochimaru lay down on the stone slab, resting his hands at his sides.
"Hmm? Why are your pectorals so exaggerated?"
Cangyue rubbed his chin, looking puzzled.
"It's nothing. The body I'm currently using is simply female," Orochimaru said indifferently.
Damn, a tomboy too?
"Please begin, Cangyue."
"Okay, I'll get started, then."
Cangyue walked up beside the slab and pressed his hand against Orochimaru's forehead.
"I guarantee you'll have one thoroughly satisfying dream."
Orochimaru's eyelid twitched.
Before he could ask further, a strange power invaded his consciousness.
The laboratory around him rapidly receded.
Orochimaru lost consciousness.
[Valor Points +20]
Meanwhile, in the Land of Waves.
Thick mist shrouded the forest path.
Kakashi suddenly looked up.
Naruto and Sasuke sensed the danger at the same instant.
A piercing whistle tore through the air behind them.
The massive Kubikiribōchō ripped through the mist, sweeping toward them!
"Get down!"
Kakashi grabbed Sakura and Tazuna, instantly ducking low.
Sasuke dodged sideways, the blade skimming past his forehead.
Naruto, however, stood his ground.
Watching the Kubikiribōchō hurtle toward him, he abruptly clenched his right fist.
Inside the Sealing Space, the Nine-Tails lifted his eyelids.
"Idiot, you're going to take that head-on?"
"Let's give it a try!"
Naruto mobilized his chakra.
A thread of red mingled with the blue chakra as it rapidly gathered over his knuckles.
He twisted his waist and punched.
Hidden in the thick mist, Zabuza sneered.
"Arrogant little brat."
He was actually meeting the Kubikiribōchō head-on with his fist.
Zabuza could already picture that blond brat being sliced in half.
The next instant, fist and blade collided head-on.
Crack!
The crisp sound of snapping metal rang through the woods.
The sneer instantly froze on Zabuza's face.
The Kubikiribōchō split down the middle.
The chakra around Naruto's fist erupted again, and the entire sword shattered with a crash, sending countless fragments into the surrounding trees.
"What?"
Zabuza's eyes widened.
Although the Kubikiribōchō could absorb blood to repair itself, its hardness was far beyond that of ordinary ninja tools.
And now a Genin had shattered it with a single punch?
Naruto landed and immediately pinpointed the direction the Kubikiribōchō had come from.
A Flying Thunder God Kunai engraved with a spiral formula flew from his hand.
At the same time, Sasuke drew his sword and rushed toward the figure in the mist.
The Flying Thunder God Kunai embedded itself in a tree trunk.
Naruto vanished.
The next instant, he appeared steadily beside the kunai and hurled a punch at Zabuza.
"So you're the guy who ambushed us?"
Zabuza's scalp prickled.
If that punch landed, he would probably be sent straight into his next life.
He immediately activated the Body Flicker Technique.
Boom!
Naruto's fist smashed into the tree.
The thick trunk exploded on the spot, spraying wood chips everywhere.
Zabuza appeared over ten meters away, staring fixedly at Naruto.
Hadn't the intelligence said that everyone except Kakashi was merely a Genin?
What kind of Genin could shatter the Kubikiribōchō with one punch?
The entrance speech Zabuza had prepared was now stuck in his throat.
Sasuke had already reached him, sword in hand.
"Who are you?"
Zabuza glanced at the black cloth over his face, his expression darkening further.
One could use Flying Thunder God and shatter the Kubikiribōchō bare-handed.
The other wielded a sword while blindfolded.
And then there was Kakashi of the Sharingan.
What the hell kind of squad was this?
When he received no answer, Sasuke snorted coldly and swung his sword straight at him.
"You little brat!"
Zabuza tightened his grip on his kunai, unleashing the terrifying killing intent he had accumulated through years of slaughter.
An icy presence bore down on Sasuke like a tsunami.
Sasuke's steps faltered.
His legs trembled uncontrollably, and his skin felt as though countless fine needles were piercing it.
This was his first time facing a ninja who had truly emerged from mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
If even someone like this can scare me...
Sasuke gritted his teeth and forced himself to take a step forward.
How can I even talk about killing that man!
The iron sword cut through the killing intent, thrusting straight at Zabuza's throat.
Zabuza's pupils contracted slightly.
This brat had actually broken free of his killing intent?
The kunai collided with the iron sword.
Sparks flew.
Sasuke tilted his head to evade a sweeping strike, then turned his wrist, changing his thrust into a slash aimed straight at Zabuza's arm.
Zabuza stepped back and pressed his kunai against the spine of the sword, trying to knock it aside.
Sasuke instead spun with the momentum, raising his leg to sweep at Zabuza's midsection.
The two exchanged blow after blow in the thick mist.
The clang of metal rang out continuously.
The longer Zabuza fought, the more alarmed he became.
Although Sasuke appeared to be blindfolded, he evaded every attack in advance.
Zabuza's Hidden Mist Technique had been rendered completely ineffective.
Sasuke's swordsmanship was still immature, and his strength and speed were inferior to Zabuza's, but the angles of his strikes were exceptionally troublesome; he even used sound and killing intent to determine his opponent's position.
Of course, Zabuza was confident he could win if the fight continued.
But the problem was, this was only a Genin!
Kakashi stood protectively in front of Tazuna and Sakura, his gaze gradually growing grave.
Naruto could already arrive reliably with Flying Thunder God.
And Sasuke could briefly hold his own against an elite Jonin without using the Sharingan.
Just how had Cangyue trained them?
Naruto was about to step forward to help when Sasuke shouted him down.
"Stay out of it!"
A vicious gleam flashed in Zabuza's eyes.
"You're challenging me alone?"
"Aren't you underestimating Demon Zabuza a little too much?!"
His speed suddenly surged.
His kunai slipped through a gap in Sasuke's guard, forcing Sasuke to retreat again and again.
The disparities in strength, speed, and combat experience all came crashing down at once.
After just a few exchanges, Sasuke was completely on the defensive.
The two broke apart again.
Sasuke reached up, grabbed the black cloth, and yanked it off.
His scarlet eyes opened, the tomoe slowly spinning.
"Round two."
Sasuke charged first.
With his Sharingan activated, Zabuza's movements became crystal clear.
His iron sword intercepted the kunai with precision, then slashed upward at an odd angle.
Zabuza quickly leaned back, the blade skimming past his chin.
He thrust his kunai backhanded, but Sasuke sidestepped it a moment before he could strike.
The two clashed again.
Kakashi saw it clearly.
Sasuke was still no match for Zabuza.
But without the Kubikiribōchō, Zabuza would not find it so easy to quickly defeat Sasuke while his Sharingan was active.
Kakashi quietly raised his hand, preparing to end this training bout.
Just then, a figure landed silently up above.
White Mask had arrived.
"The game of playing house ends here."
Before you continue