Sasuke Decided to Leave

Sasuke's gaze was resolute as he cut through Naruto's hesitation. "Don't you want to see whether you're strong enough to beat me now?"

Looking into Sasuke's serious, stubborn eyes, Naruto fell silent for a moment before finally nodding solemnly.

"All right! Let's have a match!"

The two of them went up to the hospital rooftop together.

A brisk breeze swept across the empty rooftop.

Once comrades who had fought side by side, they now stood facing each other, their auras clashing.

Blue, spinning chakra gathered in Naruto's palm, forming a Rasengan, dense and steady, its formidable power contained within.

Lightning gathered in Sasuke's lone hand with a thunderous roar. His Chidori crackled fiercely, its cutting edge unstoppable and bone-chilling.

Both stood poised to strike, a battle ready to erupt.

Sakura hurried onto the rooftop. The sight of their stances terrified her, and she shouted desperately, "Stop! Stop right now! Don't fight anymore!"

But each was consumed by his own obsession, and neither could hear her pleas.

Naruto wanted to prove himself.

Sasuke wanted to protect the last of his pride.

They moved at the same instant, charging straight at each other!

Just as the Rasengan and Chidori were about to collide head-on and unleash a devastating explosion!

A figure suddenly appeared with the Body Flicker Technique!

Kakashi moved with incredible speed, using both hands at once to seize them and fling them away with precision!

Bang!

Both were hurled aside, narrowly avoiding a fatal collision.

Two unfortunate water tanks on the rooftop became the victims.

The tank struck by Naruto's Rasengan had a large dent in its outer wall, with cracks spreading across it.

The front of the tank struck by Sasuke's Chidori burst apart, leaving a wide, fractured opening.

Sasuke looked at his shattered tank, then at Naruto's merely dented one.

A flicker of superiority instantly rose within him.

A faint, cold smile curved his lips as he thought to himself-I won.

But as he turned to leave.

Only then did he notice the enormous hole blown clean through the back of Naruto's tank!

The Rasengan had seemed not to burst through, but it had actually shattered the tank's entire internal structure!

At that moment.

Sasuke Uchiha froze completely in place.

His face turned deathly pale, his expression utterly grim.

He had lost.

The Chidori he had mastered through an entire month of grueling training.

Had actually lost to the Rasengan Naruto had only just learned.

The last shred of his pride was crushed beyond repair.

Without a word, Sasuke turned away in silence, his whole body cold, and left the rooftop with lonely, dragging steps.

His retreating figure was solitary and desolate, filled with resentment.

He returned alone to the empty, silent old Uchiha residence.

The vast house stood hollow, with only him remaining, lonely and cold, just like his heart at that moment.

Sasuke clenched his fist and lowered his head, growling in a hoarse, frenzied voice.

"If I keep staying in Konoha... I'll really become useless!"

"Now I can't even measure up to that former dead last!"

He could clearly see the gap between them widening, step by step.

Naruto had Jiraiya's devoted guidance, and Jiraiya was one of the strongest in the Shinobi World.

But if he stayed in Konoha, no one could teach him stronger ninjutsu or help him break through his limits.

Tsunade could heal his arm, but it would take far too long, and she could not give him the power to exact revenge.

At his current pace, his training was far too slow.

He couldn't afford that!

He couldn't wait!

The hatred born of his clan's slaughter, the loss of his arm... countless burdens pressed down on him until he could barely breathe.

Boundless despair swept through him.

Just as Sasuke reached his lowest point, when his resolve wavered most.

A breeze brushed past the windowsill, and a thin sheet of white paper drifted down beside his feet.

Sasuke lowered his gaze and picked it up.

A simple map marked a location in the wooded hills not far from Konoha's entrance, with a lifelike white snake printed in one corner.

The instant he saw the snake, Sasuke's eyes narrowed, and everything became clear.

He quietly uttered a name. "Orochimaru."

Sasuke was tempted!

Silence spread through the room.

It wasn't as though he didn't know Orochimaru harbored sinister intentions toward him.

He also knew that approaching Orochimaru was like striking a bargain with a predator, and that the path ahead held nothing but darkness and danger.

But now, he no longer had any other choice.

After a moment of deathly silence, all confusion faded from Sasuke's eyes, leaving only utter ruthlessness and resolve.

His expression hardened as he made the greatest decision of his life.

"Only someone as powerful as Orochimaru can make me stronger quickly."

"I don't care what he wants from me."

"As long as he gives me the power to take revenge, as long as he lets me kill Uchiha Itachi... I'll accept it all!"

For power, for revenge, he could abandon everything.

Even his own life!

Sasuke drew a deep breath of cold air and suppressed the last trace of hesitation in his heart.

After packing his few belongings, he sat quietly inside the house, waiting for the dead of night.

Time slowly passed.

Before long, it was the early hours of the morning.

All of Konoha had fallen asleep. Everything was silent, and the night was as black as ink.

Sasuke rose, pushed open the door, and set off resolutely toward the village entrance.

But he had barely gone any distance when a slender figure standing silently beneath a streetlamp blocked his path.

It was Sakura Haruno.

Beneath the moonlight, Sakura's eyes were red, tear tracks marked her cheeks, and her face was pale. The grief and heartbreak in her gaze were impossible to hide.

She stared at Sasuke, her voice trembling. "Sasuke... are you leaving?"

Sasuke stopped, his expression instantly turning cold. His tone was distant and icy. "Mind your own business."

Sakura refused to back down. Her eyes reddened as she choked out each word. "I could tell something was wrong with you today... are you going to find Orochimaru?"

Sasuke's pupils suddenly contracted. Shock filled his face as he looked sharply at Sakura. "How did you know?"

Tears kept sliding down Sakura's cheeks as she explained softly, "Kakashi-sensei told us a while ago that the person who attacked us in the Forest of Death was Orochimaru, one of the legendary Sannin."

"He's a terrifyingly powerful man, on the same level as Lord Jiraiya."

"You want greater power, so you're going to find him, aren't you?"

Sasuke fell silent.

There was no need to explain, no need to deny it.

She had already seen through everything he was thinking.

After a long while, he spoke quietly, his voice still cold. "Sakura, stay out of my affairs."

Seeing his resolute expression, Sakura felt as though her heart had been viciously torn apart, and her tears flowed without end.

"Is there... really nothing in the village you care about at all?"

"Orochimaru is dangerous! If you follow him, you'll die!"

"Sasuke, please don't leave!"

Sasuke raised his eyes. Nothing remained in them but bone-deep hatred and obsession, without the slightest wavering.

"I have a mission I must fulfill."

"If I can't even take revenge, living means nothing to me. I'd rather die."

Sakura trembled all over. Looking at the boy charging headlong into darkness without hesitation, she finally gritted her teeth and made her decision.

She raised her reddened eyes and looked at Sasuke with unwavering resolve, saying each word distinctly. "Then take me with you! I'll go with you! No matter what dangers lie ahead, I'll stay by your side!"