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Sasuke dashed and leaped through the forest without pause, eager to reach the Hidden Sound Village where Orochimaru awaited. Yet, as time wore on, a flicker of doubt began to gnaw at him. He had been running for a considerable length of time now, so why did the surrounding scenery seem so familiar? It felt as if it had remained utterly unchanged.
At first, Sasuke could convince himself with the reasoning, "After all, I'm in a forest. It's only natural for one part of a forest to look similar to another." But by the end, Sasuke realized this wasn't just mere similarity—it was completely identical!
Something was wrong. He had been running for so long, yet the scenery around him remained exactly as it was long ago.
"An illusion?"
An absurd notion surfaced in Sasuke's mind. Explaining everything as an illusion would make sense. Yet, if this truly were an illusion, when had he fallen under it? Why hadn't he noticed anything at all? That thought alone was utterly horrifying!
Sasuke formed a hand seal with both hands.
"Release!"
This was the seal to dispel an illusion. Generally, upon realizing one was trapped in a genjutsu, one could use this seal to break free.
But this time, the technique seemed to have failed. The surroundings remained exactly as before.
"Not an illusion?"
Since the technique to dispel illusions had been unsuccessful, then surely this couldn't be an illusion, right?
However, half an hour later, Sasuke's face was dark with frustration. The scenery around him still hadn't changed.
"This is an illusion, but I couldn't break it."
Sasuke was certain now. He was under a genjutsu. The most frustrating part was knowing he was trapped in one yet being unable to release himself.
This was the height of helplessness, and also the most terrifying.
The seal to break illusions had failed. This was the first time, since learning the ability to dispel genjutsu, that he had encountered such a situation.
A heavy sense of helplessness weighed upon Sasuke, slowly fermenting into a creeping despair.
In truth, this primarily stemmed from Sasuke's still superficial understanding of the Sharingan. That was why he didn't even recognize what kind of illusion this was.
Illusions were categorized. Ordinary genjutsu, or the vast majority of them, worked by using chakra to disrupt the target's five senses, thereby trapping them in the illusion.
Such illusions could be broken by personally disrupting the flow of one's own chakra. Since ordinary genjutsu relied on chakra to disturb the senses, scrambling one's own internal chakra flow would also disrupt the invading chakra that was causing the sensory interference, rendering the illusion ineffective. The seal Sasuke had formed earlier was intended to disrupt his own chakra flow in an attempt to break the genjutsu.
However, beyond ordinary genjutsu, there existed another special type: ocular genjutsu. Simply put, these were illusions cast directly through the eyes. There were only two methods to break such illusions. The first method required another person to disrupt the victim's chakra flow. Because someone under an ocular genjutsu typically couldn't even manage to disrupt their own chakra, they needed external help to break free.
The second method required the victim themselves to possess an ocular power, one stronger than that of the caster. In simple terms, it meant using an ocular technique to defeat another ocular technique.
Take Itachi, for example. It was now impossible for him to trap Kagaya in an illusion. Kagaya now possessed the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, while Itachi only had the Mangekyō. This represented a hierarchical suppression. Even if Kagaya were not particularly skilled in genjutsu and couldn't cast one on Itachi, under this hierarchical suppression, Itachi likewise could not trap Kagaya in an illusion.
For the current Sasuke to break Itachi's genjutsu, he would either need to instantly evolve his own Sharingan to the Mangekyō level and master genjutsu proficiency—which was impossible—or rely on someone else to disrupt his chakra flow.
However, Kagaya did not choose to disrupt Sasuke's chakra. Instead, he opted to use his own ocular power to counteract Itachi's. That was why Kagaya pulled open Sasuke's eyes and cast another genjutsu upon him.
"Hey, time to wake up. Stop sleeping."
Sasuke groggily opened his eyes. The first words he heard were an order to stop sleeping.
The voice was somewhat familiar, but that wasn't Sasuke's primary concern. What mattered was that he had finally escaped that illusion!
Without acknowledging the person who had helped him break the genjutsu, Sasuke focused on struggling to his feet.
"Dammit, I've wasted too much time. I need to hurry and find Orochimaru. Only then can I... can I kill that..."
Muttering to himself in a low voice, Sasuke got up and immediately prepared to sprint away.
But just as he rose and leapt, the moment his feet left the ground, a mouthful of blood sprayed from his lips, and his entire body was violently slammed back down to the earth!
He had been kicked back. That kick was far too heavy, utterly merciless. Sasuke's entire body trembled slightly from the sheer agony!
Kagaya retracted his foot, looking coldly at Sasuke lying on the ground. He walked to Sasuke's side and kicked him again, sending him flying hard against a tree trunk.
"Gah!"
Another mouthful of blood was forcibly coughed up. A wave of terror surged from the depths of Sasuke's heart. He was going to die! He would absolutely die here!!
He slowly raised his head, and then he saw the person who had kicked him.
Kagaya had shown no mercy in those two kicks; he had even infused chakra into his feet. He had acted with the intent to kill Sasuke.
"You'd better stay put, Sasuke. I didn't say you could leave."
Regarding how to deal with Sasuke, Kagaya had chosen the same method as Itachi: let him nurture hatred. Hatred would be the greatest driving force for Sasuke's growth. Therefore, Kagaya had no intention of treating Sasuke gently whatsoever.
Those two kicks were merely a warning. If Sasuke dared to try running again, Kagaya would absolutely make him experience the feeling of having both legs broken!
"It's you! Kagaya!! The one who cast that illusion on me just now was you, wasn't it?!"
Sasuke glared at Kagaya with intense hatred. Despite his entire body trembling slightly, he struggled to stand, wanting to attack Kagaya.
Kagaya frowned slightly. A kunai flew from his hand, instantly piercing Sasuke's shoulder. Kagaya controlled the force precisely; this kunai wouldn't cause any real lasting injury or aftereffects, but it would add another layer of pain to Sasuke's already agonized body.
"Stay put."
Cold sweat streamed down Sasuke's forehead. He bit his lower lip hard, ultimately refusing to cry out from the pain.
"You intend to keep me here?"
Kagaya didn't respond, acting as if he couldn't see Sasuke. He casually found a large tree, sat down beneath it, and relaxed in the shade.
But Sasuke understood clearly: if he dared to try to escape, the man before him would definitely kill him! At the very least, judging from those utterly ruthless kicks, Sasuke believed Kagaya genuinely wouldn't hesitate to kill him right now.
"You're keeping me here because you're afraid, aren't you? Afraid that once I find Orochimaru and offer him my body, he can use it to kill you all, right?! You're afraid!!"
Sasuke stared fixedly at Kagaya's face, determined not to miss the slightest flicker of fear that might appear on the man's features.
Yet, Kagaya still ignored him, even starting to chat with Karin and the others nearby.
"You are afraid!!"
Sasuke raised his voice, louder this time. It was no longer a question, but a declaration.