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Kagaya let out a soft sigh, then turned a placid gaze towards Sasuke.
"You're too noisy."
His gaze was too devoid of emotion, so much so that it gave Sasuke the feeling that Kagaya wasn't looking at him, but at a corpse.
Fear welled up uncontrollably from the depths of his heart.
The concept of killing intent was rather abstract; theoretically speaking, it didn't exist. Yet, most of the time, a peculiar sense could indeed be felt between the killer and the one about to be killed—premonitions like "I'm going to kill him" or "He's going to kill me."
Typically, the killer and the intended victim were the first to sense this intangible atmosphere.
Right now, Sasuke could feel it. But he still gritted his teeth and shouted his accusation.
"You are afraid! Aren't you?!"
It wasn't a question, but a statement of fact.
In that moment, hatred overpowered fear. Even though he knew he might be killed, Sasuke still trembled as he stood up, pulled the kunai from his shoulder, and began walking towards Kagaya.
His entire body trembled, not from fear, but because his body continuously screamed with excruciating pain. Kagaya's two kicks had truly been too heavy. In the world of Naruto, where offensive power often far outstripped defense, those kicks were even more deadly.
In Kagaya's estimation, those two kicks should have been enough to leave Sasuke immobile for at least half a month.
Watching Sasuke tremble as he slowly, unsteadily walked towards him, an irrepressible flicker of surprise appeared in Kagaya's eyes.
He looked fragile enough to be knocked over by a gust of wind. Yet the kunai in his hand was gripped tightly, unwaveringly. His footsteps, however faltering, continued to advance, never retreating a single step.
In that moment, Kagaya caught his first glimpse of a significant, shining quality in Sasuke that existed beyond his identity as Indra's transmigrant.
'Is the driving force of this hatred really so immense? It seems, Sasuke, your future strength isn't solely due to being Indra's transmigrant.'
The hatred Itachi had instilled in Sasuke, though a source of immense pain for him, was also precisely what relentlessly drove Sasuke forward—Become stronger! Stronger!! Stronger!!!
It was because of this hatred that in the original story, after Sasuke went to Orochimaru, his strength skyrocketed at a terrifying pace. This didn't come from nowhere; it was earned through effort, through a desperate, unrelenting diligence that dared not slacken for a moment.
And the source of that effort was this very hatred.
Kagaya watched as Sasuke closed the distance step by step. He said nothing, made no move.
Black markings began to spread from the back of Sasuke's neck, crawling over his face. This was the Cursed Seal of Heaven given to him by Orochimaru. That was no surprise.
But then, the black markings converged on the bridge of Sasuke's nose, forming a black cross-like shape, somewhat resembling a star. Two massive, palm-like wings sprouted from Sasuke's back.
'Stage Two of the Cursed Seal? He's already developed Stage Two this quickly? So, during Konoha's pursuit, Sasuke still ended up clashing with Naruto, just like in the original story...'
Kagaya didn't know the specifics of Konoha's mission to retrieve Sasuke. He had still been on the road at that time.
However...
"You'll die, you know."
Kagaya spoke in a flat, matter-of-fact tone.
The Cursed Seal was not a flawless power amplifier. It was actually a double-edged sword, somewhat similar to the Susano'o during the Mangekyō stage—the longer it was used, the greater the damage inflicted on the user. For Sasuke, in his current physical state, using Stage Two of the Cursed Seal could very well kill him!
"I don't care! As long as I can kill you, then nothing else matters! My body is going to be given to Orochimaru anyway. I'll leave Itachi to Orochimaru. Right now, I just need to kill you!!"
Sasuke, his skin mostly turned a dark grey, stared at Kagaya with eyes brimming with pure hatred.
Kagaya pursed his lips slightly.
"Aren't you going to use ninjutsu?"
"You just need to sit there quietly and wait for death. I don't need your guidance!"
The distance between Kagaya and Sasuke was now less than ten meters.
"At this range, you could already use a Chidori charge. Use it. Let me see your strength."
"Chidori? What technique is that?"
Sasuke was momentarily taken aback. He didn't know what Chidori was. But that was irrelevant. Right now, his sole focus was on killing Kagaya.
Kagaya was also slightly surprised. Sasuke didn't know Chidori? That was probably because after Kagaya's invasion of Konoha, Kakashi had been sent out to pursue him, so he hadn't had the chance to teach Sasuke Chidori before Sasuke's defection.
"Can you see my hand seals with your Sharingan?"
Kagaya spoke to himself, then began forming hand seals. He had never seen Kakashi use Chidori, so he couldn't simply copy it. But that didn't matter; Kagaya had seen Kakashi use Raikiri. And Raikiri, simply put, was the evolved version of Chidori.
Creating an evolved version of a technique was beyond Kagaya's ability, but creating a devolved version? After a moment's thought, the S-rank technique Raikiri was reduced by Kagaya to the A-rank technique Chidori.
Lightning flickered and crackled in Kagaya's hand. Then, Kagaya dismissed the Chidori. Looking at Sasuke, his Sharingan spun, and a genjutsu washed over him. Sasuke immediately collapsed, unconscious. Kagaya wasn't sure exactly how much damage Stage Two of the Cursed Seal inflicted on its user. To prevent Sasuke from accidentally dying, subduing him was the safer option.
Besides, Sasuke had just watched the Chidori with his Sharingan. From now on, whenever he wanted, he could perform it.
Looking at Sasuke lying unconscious on the ground, the Stage Two Cursed Seal markings gradually fading, Kagaya smiled faintly.
"I originally wanted to say a few things to you, but it seems I overthought it. The motivation derived from such immense hatred is truly astonishing."
With that kind of hatred-driven motivation, it was simply impossible for Sasuke not to rise. Sooner or later, the day would come when Sasuke would possess the power to face Kagaya and Itachi directly.
But that day was not today.
Several hours later, Sasuke awoke. Groggily, he looked around. Kagaya had already vanished. He was the only one left.
His stomach growled incessantly, protesting with hunger. Whether he intended to find Orochimaru or Kagaya, first and foremost, he had to survive.
Most of the physical pain had subsided. He seemed to be recovering too quickly. Had Kagaya done something? Sasuke didn't know. But first, he needed to find food.
As a shinobi, being able to find food and sustain oneself in the wild was a most fundamental skill. Some missions involved staying in deep, remote mountains or ancient forests for months on end. If one couldn't procure food and survive, shinobi would have died out long ago.
Therefore, the ability to forage for sustenance outdoors was something taught, at least in part, from the academy days. Once they became genin, they were taken out for practical experience.
Sasuke's fundamentals were solid. He quickly found a river, caught a few fish, built a fire, and roasted them.
After eating and drinking his fill, Sasuke began preparing to resume his search for Orochimaru—he believed Kagaya was long gone and he wouldn't be able to find him.
But then, something terrifying began to happen. No matter which direction Sasuke walked, he absolutely could not leave this forest.
At first, Sasuke thought it was an illusion. But after testing it several times, he realized he wasn't under a genjutsu while within the forest. However, whenever he moved beyond a certain distance, he would unwittingly fall under a genjutsu and, in a daze, find himself walking right back to where he started.
"It must be that bastard Kagaya!"
Sasuke gnashed his teeth in frustration, but he was utterly powerless. He couldn't find Kagaya, and he couldn't resist Kagaya's genjutsu. As long as Kagaya didn't want to let him leave, Sasuke would be trapped in this forest for the rest of his life.