Facing Orochimaru's question, Naruto did not immediately answer.
Data streams seemed to flow through his eyes, comparing the pattern of the being before him with the twisted 'Chaos Cultists' in his knowledge base.
"Assessment: Highly similar, possesses active contamination spreading characteristics, threat level continues to rise."
He raised his Chainsword, its cold tip pointing directly at Orochimaru's pale face.
"I am the broom come to clean up filth like you."
For the first time, the playful smile on Orochimaru's face completely vanished.
What he felt was not arrogance or disdain, but a cold declaration, almost a statement of fact—an unprecedented provocation.
"Heh heh... to clean me up?"
Orochimaru's sinister laugh grew deeper and deeper, and he quickly formed hand signs.
"An interesting brat. It seems I can't properly communicate with Sasuke-kun without first tearing that mouth of yours apart."
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
Boom!
Several thick earthen walls rose from the ground, instantly fragmenting the battlefield and blocking the view of the three members of Team 7.
Immediately after, Orochimaru opened his mouth, spewing hundreds of poisoned senbon like a downpour, indiscriminately firing them at Naruto's location.
His intention was clear: first, use a large-scale attack to deal with this troublesome kid holding a strange weapon.
Naruto's tactical squad reacted almost the moment the earthen walls rose.
Two Shadow Clones stepped forward, their Chainswords forming two silver barriers, emitting an ear-splitting roar.
Clang, clang, clang!
Whether solid chunks of earth or poisoned senbon, upon contact with the high-speed rotating saw blades, they were instantly deflected and shattered.
The other two Shadow Clones didn't hesitate; they each grabbed the still-shocked Sakura, one on the left and one on the right, and forcibly pulled her back to a safe area.
Naruto's main body, however, focused entirely on Sasuke.
"Left flank, suppress in coordination."
His command was concise and devoid of emotion.
"Use your eyes to find his weaknesses."
"From your observations just now, you should have already gathered some intelligence, shouldn't you?"
This command, like a cold war hammer, struck Sasuke's nerves hard.
"Don't tell me you were merely afraid just now."
Fear, like a cold viper, coiled around Sasuke's heart. But stronger than fear was a sense of humiliation.
Constant fear would only make Naruto pull further and further away.
In the end, he might even lose the qualifications to be treated as a 'soldier' by him.
Sasuke trembled as he looked at his leaden, immobile thigh.
"Move!"
He abruptly drew a kunai from his ninja tool pouch and, without hesitation, plunged it into his thigh.
Intense pain instantly shot through his entire body, physically stimulating him to forcibly dispel the mental paralysis.
Blood flowed down his pants leg, dripping into the dirt.
Sasuke gasped for breath, veins bulging on his forehead, but the fear in his eyes was replaced by a more ferocious will.
He looked up, and in his black pupils, two tomoe spun rapidly, emitting an eerie red glow.
He was no longer fighting for the sake of fighting; he was fighting to prove his worth to the man who had acknowledged him yet could abandon him at any moment.
"Over here!"
With his Sharingan fully active, Orochimaru's rapidly moving figure behind the earthen wall was precisely captured by him.
Sasuke no longer waited passively; he actively leaped onto a large tree, quickly forming hand signs.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
The scorching fireball did not directly attack Orochimaru's body, but instead, at a tricky angle, blasted towards Orochimaru's next predicted movement, blocking his path.
This was no longer a display of individual heroism, but a precise tactical execution entirely serving Naruto's command.
Orochimaru's movement paused, a flicker of surprise crossing his face.
He hadn't expected the Uchiha brat, who had been trembling with fear just moments ago, to recover so quickly and make such precise tactical judgments.
It was this momentary pause.
Naruto moved.
Buzz—!
The roar of the Chainsword echoed through the forest. He crashed through the earthen wall in front of him like a siege tank at full speed, charging furiously towards Orochimaru.
A strange understanding formed between Naruto and Sasuke.
Naruto was the unstoppable spear, responsible for frontal assault and destruction.
Sasuke was the precise scope mounted on the spear's tip, responsible for locking onto weaknesses, clearing obstacles, and predicting trajectories.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Orochimaru used his old trick again, dozens of poisonous snakes darting out from his sleeves.
But under Sasuke's Sharingan perception, the attack trajectories of these snakes were predicted in advance.
"Three on the right, two below are feints!" Sasuke shouted a warning.
Naruto didn't even spare a glance; his body had already reacted. The Chainsword in his hand cut a clean arc, precisely severing the most threatening snakes into several pieces.
For the first time, Orochimaru felt he was in a difficult situation.
His proud, art-like soft-style taijutsu and bizarre, ever-changing snake Ninjutsu found no breakthrough in the face of such coordination.
"Your body truly fascinates me more and more, Sasuke-kun!"
Orochimaru smoothly dodged another slash, his neck twisting at an inhuman angle to avoid a kunai shot by Sasuke.
His target was always Sasuke.
Orochimaru suddenly opened his mouth.
"kusanagi sword!"
A sharp blade shot out from his mouth, whistling through the air, directly piercing towards Sasuke's throat.
Too fast!
Sasuke's Sharingan could see the trajectory, but his body couldn't react in time.
The shadow of death loomed once more.
However, a roaring, vicious weapon swept in from the side, even faster.
Clang!
The saw blades of the Chainsword violently collided with the kusanagi sword's blade, erupting in a shower of dazzling sparks.
Naruto, with his weapon, forcefully blocked this fatal blow.
He stood in front of Sasuke.
"Your opponent is me." Naruto turned his head, his cold gaze sweeping over Sasuke. "Focus, soldier. Losing focus on the battlefield is equivalent to suicide."
Sasuke clenched his fists, his lips moved, but he couldn't utter a single word.
Shame, anger, and a hint of... gratitude that he himself was unwilling to admit.
These complex emotions intertwined, ultimately transforming into an even stronger will to fight.
He couldn't be a burden any longer!
"Interesting, truly interesting!"
Orochimaru laughed wildly as he retracted his kusanagi sword. He looked at the two perfectly coordinated individuals before him, his greed almost overflowing from his eyes.
"A perfect vessel, an interesting soul... Konoha has truly given me a great gift this time!"
Before he finished speaking, as Orochimaru's figure dodged Naruto's direct vertical attack, Sasuke's two-tomoe Sharingan captured his landing point a few tenths of a second later.
An opportunity!
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu!"
Several fireballs, like scattered phoenix flowers, sealed off all of Orochimaru's evasion routes from different angles.
Orochimaru's expression subtly changed; he hadn't expected Sasuke's prediction to be so precise.
He was forced to directly take a sideways sweep from Naruto's Shadow Clone.
Rip—!
The sound of tearing fabric was exceptionally harsh.
The high-speed rotating Chainsword directly tore open Orochimaru's sleeve, leaving a gruesome, bone-deep wound on his pale arm.
Blood gushed out.
This was the first time he had been truly injured since his appearance.
Orochimaru's movements stopped.
He slowly lowered his head, looking at the wound on his arm, where the flesh was peeled back, and even the stark white bone was visible.
The forest, at this moment, was eerily silent.
×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×-×
Read Extra Chapter Visit My Patreon
I have only 1 tier
19$ Tier – Access to 40 advance chapters
patreon.com/Lempil
patreon.com/Lempil