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"Wait and see!"
They had originally thought they were here to cling to a powerhouse.
But unexpectedly, Team 7 had clearly encountered something serious—only Ye Dou was left standing, while Naruto and Sasuke both appeared to be injured. Their situation looked even worse than their own.
Nara Shikamaru held back his teammates, signaling for them not to act impulsively. He calmly analyzed the situation in front of them.
"…Alright."
Suddenly, he felt a chill in the air.
A wave of sinister chakra burst out, causing intense discomfort.
He followed the source and saw Uchiha Sasuke standing up within a hollowed-out tree trunk. His body radiated a dark aura, and his skin was now marked with black, flame-like curse marks spreading from his neck.
Shikamaru's eyes lit up—Sasuke was awake—but quickly furrowed again. Something was off. The markings on Sasuke's body matched the descriptions of the Cursed Seal of Heaven. His expression and chakra were unstable and dangerous.
"Are you the ones trying to steal our scroll?"
Sasuke's cold voice broke the silence. He stared at the Oto-nin trio with his Sharingan fully activated—his eyes now glowing with two tomoe each.
Ye Dou, hearing Sasuke's voice, calmly sheathed his blade and sat back down, as if he no longer needed to act.
The leader of the Oto-nin squad widened his eyes in shock.
He recognized the markings: the Curse Mark from Orochimaru.
"So he survived... and already awakened the seal's power?"
A trace of fear and uncertainty flickered in his gaze.
"Orochimaru-sama had us test him, but also gave him this power? What is he planning?"
He hesitated, wary of Sasuke's new strength.
"I said—are you here for our scroll or not?"
Sasuke repeated, his Sharingan spinning, the curse mark flaring. His voice now carried a deadly edge.
One of the trio, the hot-headed one named Zaku Abumi, couldn't stand it anymore.
"So what if we are? What are you gonna do about it?"
Shoosh!
In a flash, Sasuke vanished and reappeared behind Zaku.
"Zaku, behind you!" one of his teammates shouted.
"Wha—!?"
Zaku spun around and shouted:
"Zankūha!"
Violent compressed air burst from the sound emitters in his palms, creating a destructive gust.
But Sasuke had already dodged. By the time Zaku turned, Sasuke had seized his arms and twisted them backwards.
"Agh—!!"
Zaku screamed. In just a single move, he was completely overpowered.
"So strong!"
In the distance, Ino, Choji, and Shikamaru—Team 10—watched from behind the underbrush.
They knew Sasuke was strong, the top of their class. But this? This was overwhelming.
"He just neutralized one of the Oto-nin with a single move…"
Shikamaru frowned.
"That's not normal. He's… different."
"This is a slaughter."
Even Ino couldn't hide the tension in her voice.
On the battlefield, Sasuke stepped on the back of Kin Tsuchi, the female Oto-nin, pinning her down.
His right hand, twisted into a claw-like grip, trembled with cursed chakra. His expression had grown wild.
"See this, Ye Dou?"
He stared at Ye Dou across the clearing.
"This is my power now. A power greater than yours. I won't lose to you again!"
Ye Dou narrowed his eyes.
From the distance, Shikamaru groaned.
"Why the hell are they about to fight each other now!?"
Just as they'd found someone strong to ally with, they watched as the tension flared between their "saviors."
Ye Dou stood slowly.
"…No way. Are they seriously going to fight?"
---
[I am not the same as before.]
Forest of Death – Training Ground 44.
At the edge of the dense jungle, the sounds of fists clashing echoed across the trees.
Ye Dou and Uchiha Sasuke were locked in a ferocious battle.
"I can see them. I can see all his movements!"
Sasuke's face was twisted with exhilaration. His Sharingan glinted red as he dodged and countered Ye Dou's strikes.
After years of chasing power, Sasuke had finally awakened his Sharingan. This was his birthright as an Uchiha—and with the added boost of the Curse Mark, he felt invincible.
He didn't yet know the true costs of the Cursed Seal or the brutal conditions needed to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan… but that didn't matter now.
All that mattered was that he had finally opened his eyes.
Many in the Uchiha clan died without ever unlocking the Sharingan. But now that his bloodline limit had awakened, Sasuke knew the evolution would come faster.
Each stage brought stronger pupil power—and this was only the beginning.
"It's useless, Ye Dou!"
He grinned maniacally.
"No matter how fast you are, you can't escape my Sharingan!"
Every cell in his body seemed to scream with power.
Sasuke Uchiha—driven by pride, rage, and the shadow of his brother—was entering a terrifying new phase.
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