Naruto and Manda were locked in a brutal battle when Orochimaru found Sasuke and Sakura, who were still hiding.
Sakura had already woken up; the genjutsu's effects on her mind had faded considerably. Sasuke, however, was shrouded in a dark mood, his fists clenched tight as he scanned the area with caution.
Looking down at her damp but unharmed body, Sakura turned her gaze to Sasuke, who was pressed against a tree trunk on high alert. She asked with overwhelming relief, "Sasuke, did you save me?!"
She spun around, searching the area. "Where's Naruto? Did Menma come out to fight again? Is he chasing that terrifying snake?"
The thought of Menma's immense power calmed her nerves, but before she could finish, the ground beneath her feet trembled, and a deafening roar echoed from the distance.
Sakura looked toward the sound and froze, her face twisting in terror.
"What is that?!"
"How can there be a snake that big? It's a hundred times larger than the one that ate me!"
"That's the summon that the long-tonged monster called out," Sasuke said, his voice cutting through the air.
He stared at Manda, whose massive tail whipped the sky with impossible force, and slammed his fist hard against the tree trunk beside him.
"It wasn't Menma fighting that giant python. It was Naruto. He's using the Nine-Tails Chakra Cloak."
Because Menma had used the Nine-Tails' power so many times, and Naruto loved to run his mouth, Sasuke and Sakura already knew that the Nine-Tails was sealed inside him.
"Naruto is using the Nine-Tails Chakra Cloak to fight that thing?"
Sakura gasped, covering her mouth in disbelief.
"I thought only Menma could control it. Why can Naruto suddenly use it too?!"
It was like the dead last in class suddenly becoming the strongest ninja in the village. The sudden shift was too much for Sakura to process.
If Sakura felt bad, Sasuke was furious.
Hearing the roar and seeing Manda's massive body thrash on the ground, Sasuke's face twisted in rage. For a moment, he lost control, pounding his fists against the tree trunk with frantic desperation.
"Why does Naruto have such a powerful dark personality? Why did he get to wield the Nine-Tails' power?"
"I train every single day. I learn A-rank jutsu, practice nature transformation without sleep..."
"And all I get is running away, getting beat by enemies, and hiding behind everyone else!"
"Why?! Why is this happening?!"
"My talent is clearly superior. I bear the weight of a blood feud. I need this power..."
"Why?! Why does the loser idiot get it all?"
Rustle, rustle!
The tree trunk was dented from Sasuke's punches, leaves raining down around him.
If I had that power, he thought, I wouldn't have been paralyzed with fear that night. My parents wouldn't have died. The Uchiha Clan wouldn't have been wiped out. Everyone would still be alive.
It was all because he lacked power. He was helpless, at the mercy of others.
Just like in the Land of Waves before. Just like right now.
He could only watch his comrades die, waiting for his own death.
Thinking of this, Sasuke remembered Haku's words to him. He suddenly raised his head, his eyes burning with a sinister glint as he stared into the distance.
"Four Star Village... As long as they give me power, what does it matter if I betray the village?"
"Even if I have to abandon everything I have now, I'll do it."
Sakura stared at the Uchiha, but he looked deranged, his words making no sense. She was momentarily startled.
"Sasuke, you..."
Before she could ask, a soft laugh drifted from the tree trunk behind her.
"Hehehe..."
"Sasuke-kun, power is actually quite easy to obtain. As long as you dare to make a deal with the devil using your soul..."
Orochimaru hung upside down from the branch.
He had been eavesdropping for a while. To his delight, Sasuke had come to this conclusion all on his own, without any prompting.
"Sakura, get over here!" Sasuke shouted, immediately entering battle mode. He threw shuriken at Orochimaru.
Orochimaru easily dodged the blades as they swung through the air.
"Don't be so impulsive. I just want to make a deal. I'll give you power no weaker than Naruto's."
"Power no weaker than Naruto's?" Sasuke frowned, freezing in his tracks.
He didn't quite believe it, but he couldn't let any possibility slip by.
"Sasuke, don't listen to his lies! Let's get to Naruto! Have him summon Menma to take this creep down!"
Sensing the danger, Sakura grabbed Sasuke's arm, trying to pull him away.
But Sasuke didn't move. His eyes were locked on Orochimaru.
"That's right," Orochimaru said, ignoring Sakura as he formed a hand seal. "My name is Orochimaru. You've heard of me."
"I guarantee you'll be satisfied with the power I give you. I'll have my subordinates run some experiments on you..."
"Orochimaru!"
They might not have known who he was before, but when they met Jiraiya, Konoha Anbu's Zō had explained it to them. They knew the name clearly.
Seeing their shocked expressions, Orochimaru smiled in satisfaction.
Then, his neck suddenly elongated, shooting toward Sasuke at blinding speed!
Having been stopped by Naruto earlier, he was now going to reimpose the Heavenly Curse Seal on Sasuke.
Whoosh!
Snap!
Sucking in a sharp breath from the pain in his neck, Sasuke quickly plunged a kunai into Orochimaru's head, right next to his cheek.
But Orochimaru, having just bitten him, retracted his head instantly.
"Ugh! It hurts... my body!"
Sasuke clutched the three-tomoe Curse Mark on his neck, feeling excruciating pain spread through his body. It felt like he was being slowly sliced to pieces.
"Sasuke!" Sakura rushed forward to support him, then turned on Orochimaru with a glare. "You bastard! What did you do to him?!"
"I didn't hurt him. I just gave him what he wanted..."
With a smile, Orochimaru's body sank slowly into the ground.
Just as he was about to leave, a terrifying chill enveloped him.
Without thinking, Orochimaru sprang out of the ground and leaped to the side. Where he had just stood was now covered in a thick layer of ice crystals.
At the same time, Haku appeared beside Sasuke.
"Luckily, I arrived in time," Haku said, his voice calm. "Otherwise, the mission Master entrusted to me would have failed."