The cold voice echoed through the dense forest...
Anko, who had Orochimaru pinned against the tree trunk, went pale with shock.
What... what was happening?!
The next second, the restrained Orochimaru lost all color, melting into a brown mud puddle that slowly dissolved away.
High in the canopy, Rinjin covered his eyes in exasperation.
Too pathetic! So weak it's painful to watch!
The guys he'd trained might be unreliable, but they never held back in actual combat. Orochimaru though? What the hell was this snake freak even doing?
Below, Orochimaru didn't kill Anko—just delivered a brief lecture before turning to leave.
Seeing this, Rinjin dropped from the treetop in a single bound, landing before the fallen Anko Mitarashi.
"Poor kid..."
Clicking his tongue, Rinjin walked over and casually flipped her onto her side, exposing her shoulder and the Heaven Curse Mark.
"Don't move, little girl. Let uncle take a look."
His hands blurred through rapid seals.
Tiger-Rabbit-Snake-Horse-Sheep-Rooster-Tiger-Rabbit-Snake-Horse-Sheep-Rooster-Tiger-Rabbit-Snake-Horse-Sheep-Rooster-Dog-Rat—
Instantly, a circle of strange runes materialized around the Heaven Curse Mark. His index finger lightly touched the rapidly reddening seal.
"Let me see what this thing actually is."
Muttering to himself, Rinjin lifted his finger. From Anko's curse mark, a ghostly pale serpent was yanked out entirely.
When it came to sage techniques, ten Orochimarus couldn't match Rinjin, who regularly discussed such matters with Fukasaku Sage.
Under Anko's horrified gaze, Rinjin deftly grabbed the white snake's head and examined it closely.
The contained energy wasn't substantial, and this curse mark seemed like some kind of beta version. No wonder everyone could use curse marks to boost their combat power—everyone except Anko Mitarashi.
Still, the Heaven Curse Mark's concept was ingenious.
Senjutsu chakra was notoriously difficult to master—high training difficulty with significant risks. Yet Orochimaru had devised a method to inject sage techniques into people with zero foundation through curse marks.
After studying it briefly, Rinjin deciphered the Heaven Curse Mark's mechanism.
Simply put, this thing functioned like an auto-sum feature in a spreadsheet.
Everyone knew senjutsu chakra required three energy types mixed in precise ratios: spiritual energy from the human body, physical energy, and natural energy from the environment.
Mastering these three energy proportions was extraordinarily difficult.
The Heaven Curse Mark operated like a cheat code.
It stored a fixed amount of natural energy internally. Once activated, it would automatically extract predetermined amounts of spiritual and physical energy from the body, then synthesize senjutsu chakra according to preset ratios.
However, this extraction process was rigid and inflexible—people with weak constitutions might get drained to death.
Thinking this through, Rinjin disgustedly tossed the white snake aside.
This was merely the most basic application of senjutsu chakra, only enhancing physical capabilities without unleashing sage techniques' true potential.
While Rinjin assisted Anko, Sakura encountered trouble elsewhere.
Three Sound ninja, following Orochimaru's orders, had attacked Team 7.
With Naruto and Sasuke still unconscious, only Sakura stood to fight.
At the critical moment, a green whirlwind swept past the three Sound ninja, rescuing Sakura.
The attackers were knocked back.
The whirlwind ceased, revealing Rock Lee with one hand extended palm-up, heroically blocking Sakura's path.
In the treetops, Shisui's eyes gleamed as he observed the green jumpsuit-clad boy below.
"B-rank speed—impressive for his age!"
"Not bad at all," Uzumaki Akira agreed with a nod. "The kid's definitely wearing weights. There's still lag after his strikes. Remove those weights, and his speed should hit B+."
Shisui smiled and shook his head, pointing at Lee's bandage-wrapped hands below.
"More than that. Those weights aren't light—gives me the same feeling as our village's Muscle Alliance training gear. If that's the case, his speed should reach A-!"
Due to Sakumo and Rinjin's influence, taijutsu enjoyed immense popularity in Hidden Rain Village, leading to comprehensive research into various combat styles.
Shisui ranked among the village's top experts in this field.
As they chatted, the battle below shifted again.
Lee's Primary Lotus struck ground softened by enemy ninjutsu, failing to inflict serious damage. Meanwhile, sonic attacks from the Sound ninja and the Primary Lotus's recoil left him sprawled on the ground.
Elsewhere, Sakura—hair grabbed by a female Sound ninja—tearfully severed her own locks before launching a counterattack.
"Shisui, should we intervene?"
Shisui calmly shook his head, indicating a patch of grass below.
"No rush. Grandpa told us to protect these three kids, but they haven't reached their limit yet. Plus, there are Konoha ninja in those bushes."
As he spoke, the battle situation changed dramatically.
Sakura charged into the enemy formation, used substitution jutsu to reposition, and attacked the Sound ninja who could blast high-pressure air from his palms.
Facing the enemy's air-shooting arms, Sakura drove a kunai through one limb, then bit down viciously on the other.
Witnessing this, Ino Yamanaka from the new generation Ino-Shika-Cho trio, hidden in the shadows, was stunned speechless.
Shisui in the treetops was equally dumbfounded...
After a long moment, watching Sakura getting her head pummeled, Shisui burst into laughter and threw up a thumbs up.
"What a warrior! Incredible! Absolutely incredible!"
After repeating "incredible" twice, Shisui's smile faded as he spoke with genuine respect.
"Though it looks brutal, the courage to risk everything when cornered is truly admirable!"
As he reflected, the hidden Ino-Shika-Cho trio couldn't restrain themselves any longer, bursting from the grass to shield Sakura.
However, as fresh Academy graduates, even with their clan techniques, they couldn't last many exchanges.
Observing this scene, Shisui raised one hand and silently formed half a "Rat" seal.
His figure vanished instantly.
The next moment, Shisui materialized on the battlefield below, positioned between the combatants.
"Leave, Sound ninja." His voice carried calm authority.
However, the instant Shisui spoke, a terrifying aura erupted from behind Sakura and the others.
In the tree's shadow, Sasuke's left side blazed with lava-red curse marks, his two-tomoe Sharingan radiating pure killing intent.
Sasuke vanished from his position, charging the opposing Sound ninja at blinding speed.
He materialized behind one enemy, delivering a devastating backhand strike.
The Sound ninja was launched through the air.
Sasuke then teleported behind the air-blasting Sound ninja, stepping on his back while grabbing his arms to tear them off.
At that moment, Shisui intervened.
BOOM! Thunder crashed.
A massive hand appeared from nowhere, slamming down on Sasuke's skull and pinning him to the earth.
"Get control of yourself, Itachi's little brother! Don't let killing intent and brutality cloud your heart! Indulgence will only transform you into a soulless killing machine!"
His cold voice cut through the air.
Everyone froze—the exhausted Ino-Shika-Cho trio, the wounded Sakura, and Neji and Tenten who had appeared at some point.
Too fast!
While Sasuke's speed was impressive, it remained visually trackable.
But this Rain ninja who'd subdued Sasuke moved completely beyond perceptual limits.
Against such an opponent, did they stand any chance?
The fierce-looking Sasuke struggled to turn his head, vicious eyes glaring back at Shisui as he spoke through gritted teeth.
"Who... are you?!"
Hearing this, Shisui sighed softly.
When he'd first befriended Itachi, Aunt Mikoto had just become pregnant with Sasuke. During his subsequent visits to see Itachi, he'd never deliberately interacted with Sasuke, leaving the boy completely unaware of his identity.
Thinking this, Shisui slightly loosened his grip on Sasuke's head and spoke gently.
"My name is Uchiha Shisui. I'm your brother's closest friend."
Everyone reacted with shock.
Another Uchiha?!
Hadn't the Uchiha been eliminated for their rebellion?
Why did Hidden Rain Village still harbor Uchiha clan members?
Meanwhile, Sasuke frowned slightly before gradually suppressing his killing intent, the curse marks fading away.
Seeing this, Shisui immediately released his hold and pulled his little brother upright, smiling as he brushed dust from his clothes.
"That's right, exactly like that. Remember this, Sasuke—the Uchiha need no power of unknown origin. Our own eyes are the ultimate strength."
These words struck directly at the heart of the Uchiha-proud young Sasuke.
He pressed his lips together and nodded with somewhat tsundere pride.
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