After confirming his teammates were far enough away, Sasuke attempted to actively trigger the curse seal's power.
Black-purple energy immediately engulfed him.
The flame-shaped pattern spread rapidly from the curse seal on his neck, covering half his body and the left side of his face.
Power coursed through him continuously, while murderous desire exploded within his heart.
Right now, Sasuke wanted to roar, destroy, rampage, and kill.
But true willpower meant restraining yourself from indulgence and focusing on what you genuinely needed to accomplish.
In this moment, he fully understood what "Steel Will" meant.
[When you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back. Steel Will allows you to dance on the edge of that abyss!]
Sasuke dismissed the intrusive thoughts and began his planned experiment.
First, speed.
Sasuke threw three kunai, then used the Body Flicker Technique to appear on the opposite side and launched three shuriken. The ninja tools collided precisely with crisp metallic rings as Sasuke's form became a blur cutting through the air.
Next, he threw six more kunai, each one threading perfectly through the holes of the previous weapons and embedding firmly into the tree trunk.
Then, strength.
Sasuke lifted a boulder but found it insufficient.
He targeted a massive tree that would require two people to embrace and uprooted it entirely.
Hurling it forward with tremendous force, the tree flew dozens of meters before crashing into other large trees and toppling to the ground, raising an enormous dust cloud.
Finally, ninjutsu.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball roared skyward.
Compared to before, Sasuke felt his hand seals form faster and his technique execution was far more controlled.
Meanwhile, his chakra reserves remained virtually unchanged.
If using the Great Fireball Technique before felt like pouring water from a teapot, now it was like scooping from a bathtub.
Experiencing these incredible changes, Sasuke felt exhilarated to his core. He burst into wild laughter as his bloodlust peaked.
"Sasuke!"
"We're coming!"
Naruto and Sakura were deeply worried about Sasuke's condition and rushed over immediately upon hearing the commotion.
Seeing his teammates' anxious expressions was like a bucket of cold water over Sasuke's head.
Snapping back to awareness, Sasuke quickly took a deep breath, calmed himself, and suppressed the curse seal.
"How many enemies are there?"
Naruto asked quietly, assuming Sasuke had been fighting someone.
Naruto gripped kunai in both hands, holding them defensively while Sakura drew her weapon. The two quickly formed a back-to-back triangle formation with Sasuke, watching their surroundings.
"Sasuke-kun, what were you doing?" Sakura's voice trembled.
Seeing Sasuke's appearance after the curse seal's activation frightened her.
After catching his breath, Sasuke confirmed he had suppressed the curse seal and mentally calculated the timing. From activation to the verge of losing control—approximately three minutes was his limit.
Quietly noting this crucial information, Sasuke turned and gently placed his hands on their shoulders. "It's fine. Let's head back first, and I'll explain everything to you both."
"But the enemy..." Naruto continued scanning vigilantly.
"There are no enemies."
The three departed noisily. Deep in the forest, Yakushi Kabuto stood frozen, eyes wide, the ninja information card trembling in his hands.
As Orochimaru's spy infiltrated in Konoha, Kabuto knew his master would test Sasuke in the Forest of Death.
But he never anticipated Orochimaru would directly bestow the Cursed Seal of Heaven.
While unexpected yet comprehensible, Sasuke's performance just now completely exceeded Kabuto's understanding.
In his experience, those who recently received curse seals could hardly be called human anymore.
Those monsters were violent, arrogant, and rampaging. Only through extensive training and suppression could they achieve what Sasuke had just demonstrated.
For someone to control himself alone, without any external assistance, was nearly impossible.
Was this the genius Orochimaru-sama dreamed of obtaining?
White light flashed across Kabuto's glasses as he reevaluated this variable and recalculated future possibilities.
Meanwhile, after hearing Sasuke's account, both Sakura and Naruto sat speechless with shock.
"I've heard of Orochimaru before."
Sakura spoke up.
"During a dinner party, my father discussed his story with a friend. One of Konoha's legendary Sannin, he once came close to becoming Hokage. Later, he apparently defected from the village for some reason and became an S-rank criminal."
"What?! You mean someone that dangerous is targeting you? We need to find Kakashi-sensei immediately! No, we should go straight to the Hokage!" Realizing the danger, Sakura grew agitated.
"We still don't know his purpose, but since he released me, he likely won't trouble me again soon. Our priority right now is the exam itself," Sasuke said calmly.
"Then what about this curse seal you mentioned?" Naruto asked.
"I'm not entirely certain. It feels like another force living inside my body. I can borrow its power, but it's also waiting for a chance to seize my sanity."
"That sounds like..." Naruto started but didn't finish.
"Yes, just like you," Sasuke considered and spoke directly. "This means we have another trump card for critical moments, but the uncertainty will also increase significantly."
Since they were partners whose lives depended on each other, certain things needed to be said clearly.
However, Naruto felt a pang of sadness.
He knew too well the cold stares and rejection that came with carrying such power. Now Sasuke was walking the same path.
Whether this was fortunate remained unclear.
"Anyway, almost half our time has passed. The further we go, the stronger the remaining participants become, making the exam increasingly difficult. We should move out immediately!"
After reaching agreement, the three packed their belongings and leaped between treetops, racing forward.
Along the way, Sasuke received another system notification:
[Congratulations on completing the suggestion—correctly understanding the curse seal's power and actively training to evaluate it in practice. D-rank scroll obtained.]
Another green-glowing scroll appeared, waiting for Sasuke to open it.
Without hesitation, Sasuke mentally activated it, and the scroll unfurled.
[You have opened a D-rank scroll. Congratulations on obtaining summoning beast: Deceptive Monkey Orange.]
A summoning beast?
Sasuke's heart raced.
He'd always heard that summoning techniques were ninjutsu reserved for important figures. Moreover, forming contracts with summoning beasts required special connections.
For instance, not everyone qualified to contract with the Uchiha clan's ninja cats.
Now he could obtain a summoning beast so easily?
He stopped and stood still.
His teammates also halted upon seeing this.
"You still haven't recovered completely, have you?" Sakura asked with concern.