A few days later. An underground base somewhere in the Land of Rice Fields.
Orochimaru sat in his chair with a dark expression, his gaze fixed on the distant medical nutrient tank where Kabuto lay. His eyes were even more grim than usual.
In the battle a short while ago, caught in the combined assault of Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto, Kabuto had taken two nature-transformed Rasengan at once.
Had it not been for his uniquely resilient constitution, he would have died on the spot.
Even so, despite his remarkable recovery ability, and even with Orochimaru applying specialized medical techniques, he had only just barely kept Kabuto alive.
Kabuto remained unconscious, and there was no telling when he might wake.
"The Kurama..."
The thought of the brown-haired girl who had appeared on the battlefield brought Orochimaru's expression down further still.
A thick, cold killing intent seemed to freeze the air throughout the entire hall.
Already unable to use his hands, he had been struggling just to hold on under the combined pressure of Tsunade and Jiraiya.
When Kurama Yakumo suddenly appeared and seized the opening, she had ended it with a single genjutsu in an instant.
If Orochimaru hadn't fled fast enough, he would have been finished right there.
That was the truth of it.
Four years ago, Orochimaru had been knocked out in an instant by a genjutsu from a fourteen-year-old Uchiha Itachi.
Four years later, Orochimaru had been knocked out in an instant by a genjutsu from a fourteen-year-old Kurama Yakumo.
(Sasuke was thirteen. Yakumo was a year older.)
Orochimaru could tell that Yakumo's command of genjutsu was already on par with Itachi's from years ago, but this defeat had been even more crushing.
Because something had gone wrong with his soul. It had already become fragmented and incomplete.
Four years ago, facing Itachi's genjutsu, Orochimaru had at least managed to resist briefly. This time, he couldn't even struggle.
If Kabuto hadn't risked being hit by Sakura and Naruto's two Rasengan to run over and pull him out, Orochimaru would have truly met his end there.
The thought brought his eyes back down to his own hands, the deep purple tinge that had spread through them.
He stared and tried to make them move, poured everything into it, and they didn't shift a fraction.
"Sasuke. Where on earth are you?"
Orochimaru's expression was dark and bitter.
Those two Konoha brats, the moment they crossed paths with him, had started screaming for him to hand Sasuke over.
He had been genuinely baffled.
What did Uchiha Sasuke's disappearance have to do with him?
Konoha had concluded that Orochimaru was behind both Danzo's fate and Sasuke's, and had kept all of that quiet rather than making it public.
So Orochimaru had only found out Uchiha Sasuke had mysteriously vanished when he ran into Naruto's group.
He had settled on two suspects for Sasuke's disappearance: Danzo Shimura, and Sasori of the Red Sand.
The thought that someone might have gotten to his perfect vessel before him made Orochimaru's chest tighten with a restless urgency.
He pulled his gaze away from the nutrient tank holding Kabuto and sank into thought.
Knock knock knock.
A series of knocks pulled him out of it. A Sound Village subordinate came hurrying in and dropped to one knee.
"Lord Orochimaru. We've located news of Uchiha Sasuke."
Hmm!?
Orochimaru went still. Then a wild delight rose in his eyes. The curve of his mouth stretched wider and wider. He licked his lips and asked in a voice that carried an edge of danger. "Where is he?"
A slightly peculiar expression crossed the subordinate's face. "He is currently here. In the Land of Rice Fields."
"Heh heh heh heh."
Orochimaru's low laughter rippled out. He couldn't care less what Uchiha Sasuke was doing in the Land of Rice Fields.
All he wanted was to seize him and make him his perfect vessel.
"Send Sakon, Ukon, Kidomaru, and... hmm."
At that, Orochimaru paused, thinking back to the strength Sasuke had displayed in the Forest of Death. Those four might not be enough.
"Bring Kimimaro and Guren as well. All six of them together. And make it fast. I want Uchiha Sasuke standing in front of me in the shortest possible time."
"Yes, sir!"
The subordinate took his leave at once.
"Sasuke... heh heh heh."
Just thinking about Uchiha Sasuke becoming his vessel set something burning in Orochimaru's chest, and he forgot almost entirely about nearly dying just moments ago.
---
That afternoon. A forest somewhere in the Land of Rice Fields.
Sasuke looked calmly at the six Sound ninja before him, led by Kimimaro and Guren, positioned at six points to form a complete encirclement.
"So this is Uchiha Sasuke, the one Lord Orochimaru never stops talking about? He doesn't look like much to me."
Kidomaru clicked his tongue, looking at the figure standing at the center with something close to contempt.
"Shut your mouth, Kidomaru." Kimimaro swept him with a cold glance. "Uchiha Sasuke is the one Lord Orochimaru has chosen. Say another word and I will kill you."
Kidomaru's expression changed. He thought better of provoking Kimimaro and closed his mouth.
"Cough, cough, cough, cough." Kimimaro broke into a short coughing fit.
"Uchiha Sasuke. Lord Orochimaru wishes to see you. I would ask you not to put up any pointless resistance."
He said this with complete composure, but he had already prepared himself to subdue the target the moment any resistance showed.
What none of them had expected was that Sasuke offered none at all.
"Sure." Sasuke smiled slightly. "Then please, lead the way."
Kimimaro's brow furrowed. Sasuke's cooperation felt a little too easy. Something about it didn't sit quite right.
But he didn't dwell on it. Whatever Uchiha Sasuke was planning, it wouldn't amount to much once he was in Lord Orochimaru's hands.
"Then please, follow us."
Kimimaro gave a nod and turned to leave.
"Wait. Kimimaro."
The one who had been silent until now spoke. Guren's black eyes were fixed intently on Sasuke. "I'm challenging you, Uchiha Sasuke."
Kimimaro's expression went cold. "Guren. Are you questioning Lord Orochimaru's decision as well?"
"I'm not questioning Lord Orochimaru." Guren's face stayed even, but there was an unmistakable undercurrent of reluctance in her voice. "I just want to see what exactly gives the person Lord Orochimaru chose an edge over me."
"Kimimaro. You know your thoughts are the same as mine. You want to see whether he's actually worthy of being Lord Orochimaru's chosen."
Kimimaro was silent for a moment. Then he said coldly, "Make it quick. Don't keep Lord Orochimaru waiting too long."
Sasuke's eyes moved to the blue-haired girl before him with a look of quiet amusement. Guren, burning with the desire to fight.
Guren was a ninja with the Kekkei Genkai of Crystal Release. Like Kimimaro, she had once been among the foremost candidates for Orochimaru's reincarnation vessel.
In his previous life, when Sasuke had read through this arc, the one thing about Guren that had left the deepest impression was her sheer chakra volume.
Jutsu after jutsu, like a Gatling gun that never ran dry. She never seemed to need to breathe.
She had even held her own in a direct, extended confrontation against the Three-Tails Isobu.
But beyond her chakra reserves, what genuinely interested Sasuke was the Crystal Release.
A Kekkei Genkai capable of transforming chakra into solid crystalline matter.
Chakra crystallization was one thing. Crystal Release was something else entirely.
Both could solidify chakra into crystalline form, but Crystal Release demanded far less chakra, effort, and time by comparison.
It was a Kekkei Genkai that could crystallize freely, in the middle of any fight.
And that was exactly what interested Sasuke most.
"A fight? Sure. Come on then."
Ten minutes later, with Sasuke carefully controlling his strength for fear of finishing things too quickly, the two of them reached a conclusion.
"Now you see it, don't you, Guren."
Kimimaro looked at her with his usual cold detachment as she stood there after her defeat, the dissatisfaction still visible in her face.
"Then let's go. Lord Orochimaru has been waiting long enough."
___
This Sasuke Is Strange 350 advanced chapters:
Patreon.com/rashta
Be a member so you can also read:
1. 345 adv ch of Talent System In Naruto (Completed)
2. 487 adv ch of This Danzo Is Weird
3. 270 adv ch of Uchiha Madara's Cousin
4. 163 adv ch of WDQK: Divorcing Ling Qingzhu (Completed)
5. 560 adv ch of Qian Renxue's Younger Brother
6. 274 adv ch of I'm Huo Yuhao's System
7. Adv chapters of Naruto: Affection System