"Hey! Wake up quickly. What on earth happened?"
"You... You're the village Jonin, right?"
"Yeah. Nagare and I met Sasuke Uchiha on our way back from a mission. There were five Sound Ninjas with him. We thought it was strange at that time. The two of us joined forces to stop them, but unexpectedly, we couldn't even handle just Sasuke Uchiha. He's so strong! Cough!"
"Wait a minute. No matter how powerful he is, he's just a Genin. How could he defeat you two Jonin alone!"
After hearing the speaker's words, Shikamaru broke out in a cold sweat on his forehead. He originally thought that since it was a covert operation, not many people would be sent. As long as they caught up with Sasuke and persuaded him to come back, or if they really couldn't persuade him, they'd just force him to return.
Judging from the current situation, Sasuke's strength is far beyond what they can handle now. The two Jonin couldn't even subdue him. What could they, a group of Genin, do? This kid must have hidden his strength during the Chunin Exams.
"Cough! The incident happened so fast that we also thought it unbelievable. We were defeated in a flash. I vaguely remember that he stopped the Sound Ninjas who wanted to make a move and stood at the front alone. The patterns of the Sharingan suddenly appeared, different from the usual ones. Then, two streams of bloody tears flowed from his eyes. Nagare and I lost our senses and remembered nothing. When we woke up again, we saw you."
"A different Sharingan!"
"Neji, do you know something?"
Shikamaru noticed that Neji's expression was strange. His eyebrows suddenly frowned tightly, as if he had remembered something terrifying.
"Yes! Our Hyuga clan's Byakugan and the Sharingan are known as the three great Dōjutsu in the world. So, we have more or less some understanding of the Sharingan. Here's my guess. That different Sharingan is probably the evolved form of the Sharingan, the Mangekyō Sharingan!"
"Mangekyō Sharingan?! What's that?"
"I've heard that only a few genius Ninjas in the Uchiha clan can evolve their Sharingan into the Mangekyō Sharingan. Its proficiency in Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu far surpasses that of the Sharingan. In this case, it's not unjust for the two Jonin to lose."
"No wonder! I didn't expect it to be the Mangekyō Sharingan."
"Yes. I've heard that among the current Uchiha clan, only Shisui, Itachi, and Lord Fugaku, the clan head of the Uchiha clan, can activate the Mangekyō Sharingan. I didn't expect Sasuke to have it too!"
"By the way, what mission are you all going on outside the village?"
There was a moment of silence...
Chōji felt the heavy atmosphere in the air and couldn't help swallowing. Even the Jonin were instantly defeated. Could they really persuade Sasuke to come back?
"Shikamaru, what should we do next?"
"Ah~ To be honest, I'm not on good personal terms with Sasuke. I got this mission because Lady Tsunade forced it upon me. I just became a Chunin and have no experience leading a team..."
"Shikamaru!"
Naruto looked at Shikamaru, who was scratching his head, looking a bit reluctant. He felt extremely nervous and involuntarily clenched his fists and raised his voice.
If... If Shikamaru intends to abandon this mission, then even if Naruto is the only one left, he's determined to bring Sasuke back!
"Naruto, I know what you're going to say, but I'm the leader of this operation. Since we're ninjas, we must prioritize completing the mission. However, if I feel that the possibility of retrieving Sasuke is extremely low, we must immediately retreat at my command. That's my minimum requirement. Can you follow my lead?"
"Shikamaru! Don't worry, I'll definitely follow your lead."
Hearing this, Naruto's eyes sparkled with excitement, giving Shikamaru the creeps.
"Then, I'm counting on all of you!"
"Sure!"
...............
In the dense forest, Sasuke's former team dashed through the thick foliage. Tayuya blushed slightly when she saw the handsome figure ahead.
"Hey~ Tayuya, why are you blushing? Are you smitten by our Lord Sasuke's handsome and powerful figure?"
"Kidōmaru! Stop spouting nonsense. Who would like this pretty boy? I only follow powerful ninjas like Lord Orochimaru!"
Pretty - boy Sasuke:?_? Well, sorry for having such a fair face then.
"Kidōmaru, Tayuya, stop making noise on the road and pay attention to the surroundings."
Kimimaro also looked at Sasuke ahead. He understood Tayuya's curiosity about Sasuke.
This guy, who was their age or even younger, had unfathomable strength. Just now, Sasuke easily took out two Konoha Jonin. To be honest, if they had to deal with them, even all five of them together would probably get injured.
But this guy not only didn't get hurt, his clothes were even clean without a single wrinkle. With a calm look in his eyes, he stared ahead as if going to Lord Orochimaru's base was just an ordinary thing.
There was no excitement, no fear. Everything seemed so natural to him.
"Why do you keep staring at my face? Is there something on it?"
It wasn't that Sasuke wanted to engage Kimimaro in conversation, but he just couldn't ignore that intense gaze.
"If my gaze makes you uncomfortable, I apologize, Lord Sasuke. I'm just curious. Why do you want to go to Lord Orochimaru's hideout?"
"What? You afraid I'm a spy sent to blow up your hideout?"
Sasuke looked at Kimimaro beside him and gave a meaningful smile.
"Not really. Lord Orochimaru's subordinates are usually those who have been mocked by the world or had no choice but to seek refuge. And you, Lord Sasuke, are a genius in Konoha and the young patriarch of the Uchiha clan with a bright future. Why do you hang out with us?"
Kimimaro's confusion was also shared by the other Sound Ninjas. This guy seemed so out of place in their group.
They were either orphans or those who had suffered so much they couldn't go on, leading lives completely different from Sasuke's. Did this young master really join Orochimaru just for the thrill?
But he doesn't seem to be like that!
"The reason is simple. There are some things only Orochimaru can do. Only he can accomplish them. That's why I joined him."
That ninja who is crazy about ninjutsu research. He's extremely interested in all mysterious ninjutsu. The more mysterious and difficult the ninjutsu is, the more excited he gets.
His endless thirst for knowledge, his desire to study the unknown and uncertain, along with Orochimaru's genius mind, are the fundamental reasons why Sasuke made a deal with him.