WEEKLY POWER GOALS 💎🔥 30→2ch | 60→5ch | 100→8ch | 200→15ch | 400→25ch⏰ Resets Monday!
--------------------
Following Sasuke's past-life memories, the trio drifted across the outer seas for nearly a month before arriving at a ghost island absent from the world's maps—Pale Moon Island.
This was a land that had remained undiscovered for centuries, its concealment absolute.
The island was veiled in a perpetual mist with a radius of hundreds of nautical miles. Within that fog, even navigational compasses failed. Had Sasuke not forcibly memorized the spatial coordinates with his Rinnegan in his past life, they would never have found this place.
The island was roughly the size of three Konohas. Mountains ringed its perimeter, with dense forests covering about eighty percent of the area. Dozens of natural inland lakes were scattered throughout, guaranteeing ample food and water.
Gazing at the pale blue moon overhead, Sasuke's expression grew nostalgic. "It's just as I remember…"
Orochimaru's vertical pupils gleamed with deep thought. "This place is isolated from the world, yet it's not a separate dimension. Therefore, the pale blue moon is a sensory projection, not a physical reality—similar to the principles of genjutsu. Pale Moon Island… it must harbor truths yet to be unveiled. Heh heh. Perhaps it will serve as a suitable research topic for my leisure hours…"
After a brief rest, the three set up a few wooden huts in a forest clearing as their base.
Sasuke asked, "Orochimaru, aren't you going to move the experimental equipment from your various hideouts here?"
Orochimaru replied, "The equipment from the past is no longer compatible with my current level of technology. Transferring it would be pointless. As for new equipment, I will find a way to procure it. You should focus on your own affairs, Sasuke-kun…"
In the days that followed, Sasuke devoted himself daily to training his adaptability to the White Cursed Seal. Kabuto, naturally, became his sparring partner.
At first, Sasuke held back, afraid of injuring Kabuto.
But after receiving Hashirama's cells, Kabuto's chakra and physical capabilities had improved dramatically. Combined with medical ninjutsu, he could easily heal ordinary wounds.
His dōjutsu, Futodama, granted him overwhelming mobility.
Once Kabuto got serious, he could actually put some pressure on Sasuke.
This allowed Sasuke to gradually loosen up.
On the twenty-seventh day of their stay, during a midday training session…
—Fire Style: Kagutsuchi!
BOOM…!!!
A torrential fireball erupted from Sasuke's mouth, suddenly expanding into a colossal pillar that stretched exaggeratedly into the sky.
Kabuto was stunned. "That shape transformation!?"
Sasuke declared, "My Kagutsuchi can now manipulate not only 'black flames,' but ordinary fire as well!"
BOOM…!!
In the sky, the pillar of fire exploded, fracturing into countless meteor-like flames that rained down in a wide-area carpet.
Kabuto gasped. "This range…!!"
Sasuke said, "Unless you use Futodama to flee the battlefield entirely, you cannot avoid this 'Meteor Shower'!"
Kabuto pushed up his glasses, a smile playing on his lips. "Is that so? I wouldn't be so sure…"
—Futodama!
Whoosh! A vortex swirled from his right eye, teleporting Sasuke directly in front of him.
Futodama, the blueprint for Shin Uchiha's ocular power, enabled mutual transmission between 'marked objects.' It could not only teleport the user but also forcibly summon a marked target.
However, for all its convenience, Futodama had significant weaknesses. Marks required physical touch to place, were visible, and could be erased by physical means. It was far inferior to Kamui or Amenotejikara in that regard.
Sasuke snarled, "This trick again?! I specifically removed all marks before sleeping last night! When did you mark me again without me knowing!?"
Kabuto chuckled. "You have no mark on your person. But the meal you ate this morning… I cooked it. I tested it. Stomach acid alone cannot dissolve the mark!"
BOOM…!!
Now caught in his own attack's radius, Sasuke was forced to divert the trajectory of the fire rain. Boom! Boom! Boom! Flames detonated all around them.
He sighed. "Kabuto… no matter the era, you remain a man of particularly… strong tastes."
Kabuto took it as a compliment. "You flatter me, Sasuke-kun."
A faint smirk then touched Sasuke's lips. "Kabuto, you seem to have miscalculated. You marked the food, not me. If you used Futodama, shouldn't you have teleported the food residue out of my body?"
"!!!"
The shocking realization struck Kabuto like a thunderbolt.
"N-no… Don't tell me you…"
Sasuke confirmed, "Correct. I suspected you tampered with the food. I ate it, then secretly purged it. The mark on my body… I never removed it."
Kabuto's eyes widened. "You…!!!"
"They say the clever outwit themselves…"
Swish!
—Wood Style: Hidden Shadow Snake Hand!
Sasuke's left hand shot out. A 'snake hand' formed from Wood Style chakra erupted from his sleeve, coiling around and binding Kabuto.
This technique was Sasuke's own modification of the Wood Style: Great Forest Technique.
Gurgle… gurgle…!
Kabuto struggled. "This wood… it's absorbing my chakra!?"
A moment of hesitation. Kabuto knew he'd lost the initiative. In a real fight, that delay would have been enough for Sasuke to kill him thrice over.
Orochimaru, watching from the sidelines, looked on with deep satisfaction. "Although Sasuke-kun's current mastery of Wood Style is limited, to innovate so quickly… truly remarkable…"
Clap. Clap. Clap.
He stepped forward, applauding. "Let's conclude today's training here."
Kabuto sighed, defeated. "Hah… Counting today, that makes twenty-seven consecutive losses for me."
Kabuto's current strength wasn't weak; he could hold his own against most Akatsuki members. The real reason he couldn't serve as a proper opponent was their familiarity. They both held back, and the atmosphere could never turn truly serious.
Three days remained until the first match.
As night fell, Sasuke purified himself, washing off the day's grime in a lake.
Under the moon, Kabuto spoke with Orochimaru.
"Lord Orochimaru, the date approaches. Have you decided on Sasuke-kun's opponent for the first match?"
"You should be quite familiar with this individual. He is currently a formal member of the Akatsuki…"
"You don't mean… Is it…?"
"The Jade of Akatsuki… Sasori of the Red Sand…"
Years ago, as a spy in Sunagakure, Kabuto had a mind-control technique placed on him by Sasori—one that Orochimaru later removed, completely unbeknownst to the puppet master.
Kabuto adjusted his glasses, a wry smile forming. "There's a touch of a personal grudge in that selection, isn't there?"
"Not entirely," Orochimaru countered. "Sasori is powerful. Furthermore, Sasuke never met him in his past life, creating a blind spot in intelligence. He is a fitting first opponent. More importantly…" Orochimaru's vertical slits glinted. "Sasori has always held back. Even during his entrance exam for the Akatsuki, when Konan defeated him, he did not use that final scroll he keeps in reserve. I have… a profound curiosity for the unknown."
Kabuto nodded. "Understood. I will handle luring Sasori out. Where shall the battlefield be?"
Orochimaru gazed up at the pale moon, a trace of reminiscence in his eyes.
After a long silence, he spoke slowly, deliberately.
"The Tenchi Bridge."
--------------------
[FULL STORY ACCESS] 🚀 Why wait? Unlock (120+ Chapters) ahead of the public release! Join Binge Ink on Patreon to access the full archive and read until the very last page today.
✨ Support the author:Patreon.com/BingeInk