The Four Sound Ninja had already expected that Sasuke would react this way, so they weren't surprised at all.
The four of them crossed their arms and watched with mocking expressions, as if they were enjoying a show.
Sakon clicked his tongue and said, "So it really is the Heaven Curse Mark. Looks like Orochimaru-sama values you quite a lot."
"So what if it's the Heaven Curse Mark?" the only woman among the four sneered, her eyes sharp and cold. "If you're not willing to be of use to Orochimaru-sama, you're nothing but trash! Why don't we just kill him right here and now?!"
Sasuke's pupils trembled violently. He'd been an official ninja for a while now and was highly sensitive to killing intent.
Which meant he knew—this woman wasn't joking.
They were serious about killing him!
"Damn it!"
Sasuke clenched his teeth in frustration.
In the end… he was still too weak!
If only he had power like Shinju's… If he possessed strength like that, these few nobodies in front of him would be easy to crush!
He had to get stronger!
Sasuke's eyes burned with fiery resolve.
The Four Sound Ninja exchanged glances.
Sasuke's expression—a mix of anger and helplessness—was exactly what they wanted to see!
"Feeling pathetic because of your weakness?" Sakon spread his hands casually.
He continued, "Come with us. Orochimaru-sama can grant you far greater power."
"I've heard about you… You're an avenger. But if you want to defeat someone like Uchiha Itachi, you're nowhere near strong enough right now."
"This village… this so-called 'peaceful' place… it's holding you back."
Sasuke froze, his expression stiffening. Orochimaru had told him the exact same thing during the Chunin Exams.
He lowered his head slightly, as if deep in thought.
In truth, these past few days, he had realized something himself.
His growth had hit some sort of bottleneck; his progress had become painfully slow.
Even Naruto—the dead-last he used to look down on—had been improving at a shocking pace.
And then there was Shinju… someone whose name was on everyone's lips across the entire shinobi world.
Compared to those two rising stars, Sasuke felt his own light growing dim.
Maybe the path forward wasn't here in Konoha…
Maybe he needed to step into the outside world, bathe himself in blood and fire, and grow stronger through real battles. That… felt like the road he needed to take.
The Four Sound Ninja noticed Sasuke's thoughtful look and didn't push him further.
After leaving him with one line—"Think about it. We'll be waiting outside the village"—they turned around and began to leave.
At that exact moment, Naruto, who had been searching everywhere for Sasuke, appeared.
Pointing curiously at the four strangers standing in front of Sasuke, he asked,
"Who are they? Why have I never seen them around the village before?"
The Four Sound Ninja stopped and turned, their faces twisting into feral expressions.
Before Sasuke left with them, they couldn't afford to let anyone know they were here.That meant… they had to kill this boy!
When they turned around, Naruto caught a glimpse of their forehead protectors.
"They're Orochimaru's subordinates—the Sound Ninja? Sasuke! Don't just stand there! Hurry up and run!"
Naruto shouted the warning. In this critical moment, his only concern was his teammate's safety.
But Sasuke still stood there, head lowered, silent… lost in thought.
The Four Sound Ninja smirked, their expressions playful. Sakon, the most silver-tongued among them, said,
"See, Sasuke? This boy is what's holding you back from becoming stronger. These pointless bonds… they're just a burden."
"Cut him off. The more of these people you get rid of, the colder your heart will become."
"True strength comes when you're no longer chained by emotions!"
Sasuke clenched his fists tightly.
Naruto grew anxious, yelling from the side,
"Sasuke! What are you spacing out for? Come with me, now!"
"We have to report this to Hokage-sama! These guys are here to attack Konoha, right? We'll get the security forces to capture them!"
Finally, Sasuke spoke. "Shut up!"
As he said it, Sasuke turned to face Naruto.
His face was twisted with anger… and something else.
It was only then that Naruto noticed—
Sasuke's entire body was wrapped in black curse marks, crawling and writhing across his skin like living things. It was eerie… and terrifying.
Naruto froze on the spot, stunned.
"You… what's going on with you?"
Sasuke's face twisted into a manic grin, his expression bordering on madness. He raised a finger and pointed directly at Naruto.
"Don't you dare interfere with my decisions!"
Naruto narrowed his eyes. Even he, as dense as he sometimes was, realized something was very wrong.
"You mean… you're going with them? You're gonna betray Konoha?"
Sasuke didn't answer directly. Instead, he said coldly,
"They're right about one thing. In this so-called peaceful, naive village, I'll never grow stronger."
"But… I've grown a lot lately!" Naruto protested, his expression full of disbelief.
Hearing that only made Sasuke angrier!
(ꐦ ಠ 皿 ಠ)
He couldn't just admit the truth:
That Naruto's rapid growth had shaken him to his core… and that his frustration was eating him alive.
Sakon, afraid hesitation would ruin their plans, urged, "Do it, Sasuke."
If Sasuke attacked his own comrade today, there would be no turning back.
Sasuke's eyes flickered with conflict. He was still hesitating!
After all…
Naruto was one of his few friends…
...
The next morning.
When Shinju woke up, he realized something was wrong—Naruto, who had promised to look for Sasuke last night, hadn't returned to sleep beside him.
He called Naruto's name several times inside the house but got no response.
Shinju immediately sensed trouble.
Fortunately, he had placed a Flying Thunder God marker on Naruto's clothes—just in case something unexpected happened.
That way, he could locate him instantly.
Konoha Ninja Hospital.
Using the Flying Thunder God Technique, Shinju teleported straight there.
Naruto was lying unconscious on the hospital bed, his face pale, his body wrapped in bandages, and his expression twisted in pain.
Blood had soaked through several of the bandages.
When Shinju arrived, Naruto was tossing and turning in his sleep, muttering deliriously, "…Sasuke…"
Shinju's expression darkened, and he turned to the nearby medical-nin.
"What happened here?"
The medic shook their head.
"I don't know. When they brought him in this morning, he was already like this."
Seeing Naruto still unresponsive, Shinju had no choice but to track down Sasuke and find out what happened last night.
But when he tried to teleport using the Flying Thunder God marker he'd placed on Sasuke, he realized… he couldn't.
Normally, once a marker was engraved, it couldn't be erased.
Unless the object carrying the marker had been completely destroyed!
Since he'd placed the marker on Sasuke's clothes, there was only one explanation:Sasuke had destroyed the clothes carrying the marker.
"What exactly happened last night…?"
Shinju's brows furrowed deeply.
With so many factions eyeing Konoha, he feared Sasuke might have fallen into enemy hands…
Without wasting time, Shinju used medical ninjutsu to wake Naruto early.
When Naruto finally opened his eyes, Shinju immediately asked, his voice urgent:
"What happened last night? How did you get hurt this badly? And where's Sasuke? Why is the Flying Thunder God marker I put on him no longer working?"
Naruto's expression twisted with pain as he shouted,
"Sasuke… Sasuke's leaving Konoha! The Sound Ninja took him!"
"Shinju! You've gotta save him!"
"He's our comrade! We can't just stand by and watch him fall into darkness!"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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