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At no point should one ever underestimate a person's will to survive.
Upon learning that they still had a chance to regain their freedom and return to their village, the two prisoners' gazes toward Sasuke turned vicious, like wild beasts with glowing green eyes.
"Kill them, or be killed by them."
This was the choice Orochimaru gave Sasuke.
After saying this, he left the underground space—because he needed to meet a guest.
"Die, you brat!!!"
Once Orochimaru was gone, the two prisoners, no longer restrained, roared as they charged at Sasuke.
They had no weapons, but the chains locked around their arms were the best weapons they could ask for.
Killing a mere kid shouldn't be too difficult.
"Damn it!!"
Sasuke had imagined countless possibilities, but he never expected his first lesson to be like this.
There was no room for choice, no chance of escape—only a desperate fight for survival.
---
Second Floor of the Research Facility.
Orochimaru stood at the entrance of the corridor, smiling as he watched Itachi emerge from the shadows.
"Itachi, while I don't particularly mind, I do dislike people casually entering my experimental areas."
"I only escorted Sasuke here. I have no other intentions."
The vibrations of battle could be felt from below. Itachi understood what Sasuke was going through.
Though worried, he didn't act recklessly. He trusted that Orochimaru wouldn't truly abandon Sasuke.
Deliberately leaving Sasuke behind was not just a warning to Itachi but also a way to force Sasuke into a desperate battle, to awaken his potential and fighting spirit.
"Then, I won't see you out."
Orochimaru smiled as he reminded Itachi:
You may leave. This is my territory, and I don't want this happening again.
After giving Orochimaru a deep look, Itachi decisively turned and left.
If Orochimaru were to report that he had trespassed into the research facility, it would cause him significant trouble.
Orochimaru was warning him, and he, in turn, was warning Orochimaru—if anything happened to Sasuke, the consequences would be severe.
"Heh heh heh…"
Only after watching Itachi leave the research facility and disappear beyond its boundaries did Orochimaru turn and walk back into the corridor.
The moment he opened the door, a thick scent of blood assaulted his senses.
Two corpses lay on the ground, twitching slightly, surrounded by pools of blood.
Sasuke, his left arm nearly immobile and visibly dislocated, knelt on one knee, gasping for breath.
Two spies with genin-level strength had died at his hands.
This was Sasuke's first life-or-death battle—a two-against-one fight—and he had paid a heavy price.
His left arm had been nearly crushed by the chains, his neck bore a dark bruise, and he was injured in several other places.
"Come with me."
Orochimaru wasn't a medical ninja, but he knew basic treatment methods.
For ordinary injuries, he could handle them himself without needing a specialist.
If the injuries were too severe, however, he would have to call for assistance.
But Orochimaru had no intention of intervening personally—because he already had help.
"Lord Orochimaru."
Kabuto Yakushi, who had been waiting for some time, had already prepared everything needed—all that was missing was the patient, Sasuke.
"Mm."
Orochimaru nodded with a smile, motioning for Sasuke to lie down on the operating table.
Gritting his teeth, Sasuke slowly made his way over.
His current condition wasn't ideal.
Kabuto didn't waste time either. Once Sasuke was lying down, he began treating him.
Incidentally, Kabuto had been directly assigned to Orochimaru by none other than Kazuki himself.
Since he's your man anyway, just take him with you. No need for the whole spy act.
Orochimaru didn't know how Kazuki had seen through Kabuto's identity, but since it had been laid bare, he simply took the assistant under his wing.
It worked out well—Sasuke would frequently need medical attention, and Kabuto was perfectly suited for the job.
Thanks to Kazuki exposing Kabuto's role, the latter no longer had to maintain his spy persona.
While Kabuto treated Sasuke, Orochimaru activated the surveillance feed in the treatment room.
The screen displayed the recorded battle from the third underground level.
Leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, Orochimaru watched the footage intently.
In the video, the two prisoners immediately rushed at Sasuke the moment Orochimaru left.
At the genin level, combat was far less flashy—ninjutsu was rarely used, and most fights relied on taijutsu.
The two prisoners worked together, using their chains as weapons.
Sasuke, facing such ruthless opponents for the first time, clearly lacked experience and was quickly put at a disadvantage. Fortunately, he had already awakened his Sharingan.
The battle was fraught with danger.
Without the Sharingan, Sasuke would have struggled to win, let alone kill both hardened criminals.
The combat experience of these death-row inmates far surpassed that of academy students.
In the ninja academy, Sasuke's abilities were in a league of his own—only Naruto could compare, at least within their grade.
But academy students were nowhere near as vicious as these prisoners.
Lacking experience, hesitation in killing, and insufficient ferocity—yet thanks to the Sharingan, Sasuke narrowly avoided death multiple times.
At the cost of crippling one arm, he took down one enemy, then finished off the other, though not without sustaining serious injuries himself.
"It looks rather severe."
Orochimaru glanced back at Sasuke, who was drenched in sweat. Under the boy's stubborn gaze, he shook his head regretfully and delivered his verdict:
"Too weak. With the Sharingan, you should have ended the fight quickly. Yet you failed to do so."
"..."
Orochimaru's critique hit Sasuke like a hammer to the skull, leaving his mind blank.
My performance was that bad?
"It seems Lord Kazuki was right to send you to me. Staying in a comfortable environment for too long only dulls one's fighting instincts. Your combat awareness is lacking. Your experience is nonexistent."
"To put it simply—apart from your talent, you are worthless."
Sasuke clenched his teeth, glaring at Orochimaru. He wanted to retort, but a sudden, excruciating pain shot through his shoulder, forcing a scream from his lips.
"..."
Kabuto looked up in confusion. Did I apply too much force?
But bone-setting was supposed to be like this—otherwise, the bones wouldn't heal properly.
As Sasuke writhed in agony, Orochimaru burst into laughter, sounding every bit like a deranged villain from a movie.
"Now then, Sasuke-kun, please try to endure a little longer."
After a brief hesitation, Kabuto gave a polite warning.
"AAAHHH!!!"
The next second, screams echoed throughout the entire underground facility.
*****
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