"Hiss…"
Sasuke clutched his neck, his knees buckled as he dropped to one knee.
Sakura, who had been watching the battle unfold, has not yet recovered from the scene of Orochimaru biting Sasuke's neck.
She had been standing farther away, so the conversation between them sounded relatively vague.
Even so, with her sharp hearing, she had caught fragments of what that androgynous person said to Sasuke just now...
'If Sasuke want 'something', go find him...'
Although she didn't hear the entire conversation, the clever girl Sakura subconsciously felt that something was wrong.
'That androgynous guy is terrifyingly powerful...'
'And he bit Sasuke's neck!!'
'Most importantly…'
'Sasuke had zero resistance when it came to powerful people!'
Sakura leaped forward, closing the distance in a few leaps, and grabbed Sasuke's arm to steady him.
In the past, being this close to Sasuke would have made Sakura's heart racing with excitement.
But right now, she couldn't feel any joy at all.
She was just exhausted.
First, there was her biggest love rival, the twin-tailed, long-legged Uzumaki Naruko.
Then, there was the Kubikiribocho, which Sasuke seemed to love more than anything.
And now this androgynous Orochimaru had shown up...
Sakura was starting to worry about Sasuke's mental health.
She was even considering whether she should let Sasuke browse through Kakashi's collection to help him develop a proper understanding of love.
"Hey, dumbass, you okay?"
After thoroughly obliterating Orochimaru's corpse, Naruto walked over and asked Sasuke.
His eyes lingered on Sasuke's neck, and he was thinking about whether he should take out a bucket of milk and give it to Sasuke.
It's just…
Would the milk, after adapting to this world's rules, accidentally erase Sasuke's three-tomoe Sharingan?
"Sasuke..."
Sakura gripped his arm, her face full of concern.
"I'm fine."
"It doesn't hurt too much."
Sasuke paused after he finished speaking.
After being bitten by Orochimaru, he could clearly feel that the other person had left something in his body.
But what confused Sasuke was...
He found that his Chakra had increased.
For a moment, Sasuke couldn't figure out Orochimaru's intentions.
When he was in doubt, his first instinct was to recall every plot point from the novel to see if there was anything he could use as a reference.
'Leaving behind some unknown power... while also boosting my strength...'
'Combined with the undisguised greed in that guy's eyes earlier...'
'I see!'
'That bastard wanted to take over my body!!!'
"You know about this?"
Sasuke noticed that Naruto's eyes were fixed on his neck, so he asked in doubts.
Since they were kids, Naruto had always known way more than he should. If there was something Sasuke didn't understand, asking Naruto was usually the right move.
Naruto nodded, but unsure how to explain this to Sasuke.
After all, Sakura is still around, and he can't say that Orochimaru 'coveted' Sasuke's body so he marked Sasuke.
He always feels that if he said this, Sakura will go crazy immediately.
Seeing Naruto's hesitation, Sasuke thought for a while and spoke slowly in an uncertain tone, "He wants to take over my body?"
Naruto stayed silent, with a strange look on his face.
'It felt very wrong to hear these words coming from Sasuke's mouth, but strictly speaking...'
'Sasuke was indeed right.'
'But…'
'How the hell are you this sharp?!'
"You could say that."
"I've got a plan to screw that old bastard over."
When Naruto said this, he was already wondering whether the cheat in Sasuke's body would be washed away after drinking the milk.
Sasuke frowned slightly at this.
Meanwhile, Sakura, who was standing next to them, was completely confused by what the two were saying. She didn't understand why her teammates suddenly started talking in riddles.
"No need."
"I won't let him succeed."
"And besides…"
"This power isn't bad."
After he said that, Sasuke activated the Cursed Seal within him and black markings appeared on his face, giving him a mysterious aura, which made Sakura blush just looking at him.
Although Orochimaru left a mark on his body that looked like a sign of possession, Sasuke was confident he wouldn't let the snake succeed.
Thanks to his relentless training, Sasuke can endure the pain and forcefully wield this foreign power in his body.
Sasuke also believed that as long as he was given a little more time, he would be able to master it completely.
This can also be considered as a trump card to deal with Itachi later.
And the most important point...
Sasuke felt that he was very strong at this moment.
So strong that he even believed he could take on Naruto.
Sasuke was already considering when to pick another fight with Naruto.
"That's fine."
Naruto nodded, completely unaware of the dangerous thoughts brewing in Sasuke's mind.
'But then again, the Cursed Seal can be considered as a cheat for Sasuke in the early stages.'
'Anyway, Itachi will deal with Uncle Snake later.'
'It's not a big deal.'
Naruto was quite surprised that Sasuke could now use the Cursed Seal's power.
He remembered that in the original work, Sasuke had been left weak and trembling after getting bitten by Orochimaru.
But now?
Naruto had no doubt that if Orochimaru showed up again, Sasuke would instantly activate the Cursed Seal, swing the Heavy Xuan Ruler, and go toe-to-toe with him for hundreds of rounds.
"Let's go. We should get moving."
"Wait a minute."
"I need to go to the bathroom."
Just as Naruto was about to open a portal, he saw Sasuke break free from Sakura's restraints and turned toward the woods to relieve himself.
The two had no choice but to wait where they were.
Sakura looked at the place where Sasuke had just disappeared, like a woman waiting for her husband to return.
Meanwhile, Naruto sat on a nearby rock, fiddling with the two scrolls he had just snatched from the three Otogakure's Shinobi.
Ten minutes later...
Sasuke emerged from the woods with hands in his pockets, head slightly lowered.
It is unknown if this kid washed his hands after taking a leak...
"What took you so long?"
Naruto was very dissatisfied with the fact that Sasuke had been peeing for more than ten minutes, so he naturally complained about it.
"I saved someone."
"Let's go."
Earlier, Sasuke had struggled to undo his robe in the woods. Just as he was about to relieve himself, he was suddenly frightened by a loud noise and jerked mid-flow.
Sasuke was very angry at the time. He rushed over and found that two Shinobi from Kusagakure were bullying a red-haired girl.
Without hesitation, he activated Three Thousand Lightning Movement, and with a wave of his sword, he chopped off the heads of the two guys.
If he hadn't spent extra time washing his hands afterward, it wouldn't have taken nearly this long.
Naruto nodded and didn't ask any more questions. He raised his hand and tossed out a door of light, then went in first.
Sasuke and Sakura followed.
When Team 7 appeared again, they had arrived at the final location of the exam.
Looking at the tall tower in front of him, Naruto suddenly remembered Kakashi's advice about 'dressing formally' for the exam, so he pulled out his Iron Man-weighted suit and put it back on.
Although this thing was almost broken apart by Orochimaru's Wind Release, the battle-worn exterior gave it a rugged charm.
Then, the three pushed open the door and entered the tower.
Team 7 was delayed for too long due to the previous battle with Orochimaru, so the three teams from Konoha Village are already here, as well as the Team Pikachu from Sunagakure.
And a team of cannon fodder from Takigakure.
They stood scattered on either side of the hall, with Hiruzen and other examiners standing in the front.
Hiruzen glanced at Team 7, who had just entered the room, checked the time, and nodded to Anko beside him.
"Congratulations on making it to the final stage of this exam..."
"Next up will be one-on-one matches."
As soon as Anko finished speaking, the screen behind her began to shuffle names.
After a while, Uzumaki Naruto and Kankuro's names appeared.
"The first match..."
"Uzumaki Naruto vs Kankuro."
The panda-eyed Kankuro grinned from ear to ear as he locked eyes with the Konoha's Puppet Master standing not far away.
"Heh heh..."
"I've been waiting for this moment for so long!"
"Now, let's settle whose Puppet Technique is stronger!"