"Sasuke!"
Naruto punched the pyramidal crystal, but the massive structure only shook slightly, showing no signs of shattering.
"Damn, it's so tough."
Realizing the crystal's incredible hardness, Naruto immediately abandoned the idea of breaking it with his fists and started forming hand seals.
Shadow Clone Technique!
With the help of his shadow clones, a blue chakra sphere gradually formed in his right palm.
"Rasengan!"
Naruto shouted, slamming the Rasengan into the crystal.
The Rasengan and the crystal ground against each other, sparks flying.
"I must save Sasuke!"
Crimson chakra surged into the Rasengan.
Crack!
The crystal emitted a cracking sound.
The next moment, the three-meter-tall crystal shattered, revealing the one-meter-tall wooden barrel within.
"Yes!"
Naruto rejoiced, his demon fox eyes fading.
But at that moment, the wooden barrel exploded with a boom!
Sasuke's figure slowly emerged.
"Sasuke?"
Looking at Sasuke, Naruto felt a sense of unfamiliarity.
The aura emanating from him was completely different from yesterday's Sasuke.
Not only had he become stronger, but there was also a sinister aura, and even his appearance had changed.
Black markings covered his entire body, and his skin turned gray.
The whites of his eyes turned black, and his irises became golden.
His hair not only grew longer but also turned blue.
A black cross-shaped pattern appeared between his eyes and the bridge of his nose.
The most bizarre thing was that he had a pair of hand-shaped wings on his back.
This was no longer within the realm of humans.
"Hehehe... So this is the power of the Cursed Seal Level 2? It's truly powerful."
Sasuke looked at his hands, feeling the increased power within his body, and was extremely excited.
Soon, the power of the Cursed Seal Level 2 within him receded like a tide.
He returned to his original appearance.
He had just grasped this power and couldn't use it proficiently yet.
"Sasuke?"
Naruto called out Sasuke's name again.
Sasuke glanced at Naruto and said coldly, "Why are you here?"
"I'm here to rescue you and take you back. Sakura is still waiting for you."
"Go back? Rescue me? Hahaha! That's hilarious, Naruto. Do you want me to go back to Konoha and continue playing those boring ninja games with you?"
"Sasuke, you..."
"You've got it wrong, Naruto. I wasn't captured; I went to Orochimaru willingly. Only Orochimaru can give me what I want. Konoha can't, Kakashi can't, and you and Sakura definitely can't."
Sasuke's voice grew increasingly cold.
"Sasuke, what are you saying! How could you turn to Orochimaru? He's a bad guy!"
"Does it matter?"
Sasuke's indifferent words made Naruto feel even more estranged.
At that moment, Kimimaro arrived.
"Congratulations, Sasuke. It seems the technique was successful, and you've mastered the power of the Cursed Seal Level 2. But to fully control it, you'll need more time to adapt."
Sasuke looked at Kimimaro.
Even with his recent breakthrough, Kimimaro remained an insurmountable mountain in his eyes.
"Sasuke, I will take you back today!"
Naruto persisted.
"What a bothersome guy."
Sasuke's eyes showed impatience.
"Do you want me to help you deal with him?"
Kimimaro asked.
"No need. Let me finish this guy off. Naruto, follow me!"
Sasuke headed in a certain direction, and Naruto followed closely behind.
"No matter where you go today, I'll stick with you!"
The two left, one after the other, completely ignoring Kimimaro.
"Is Sasuke heading to the Valley of the End?"
That was a good place to check in; Kimimaro wanted to see it too.
But for now, he still needed to deal with another trouble.
Within the range of his sensory perception, Kakashi was rapidly approaching.
He should arrive here in one minute.
Kimimaro's gaze shifted to the other battlefields.
Jirobo and Tayuya were both severely injured by Choji, who had transformed into a butterfly, and were lying on the ground.
Sakon and Ukon had just defeated Kiba and were now entangled with Kankuro.
Kidomaru was completely overwhelmed, facing the combined efforts of Shikamaru, Temari, and Shino.
Fortunately, Neji stepped in to help, stabilizing the situation.
If this continued, the battle wouldn't end quickly.
"It's about time to retreat."
Kimimaro moved his feet and rushed to the nearest battlefield.
"Lord Kimimaro!"
Sakon and Ukon saw Kimimaro approaching and immediately stopped fighting, their faces filled with respect.
"Take Jirobo and Tayuya and return to the village. It's time to go back."
"Yes, Lord Kimimaro!"
Sakon and Ukon never hesitated to carry out Kimimaro's orders.
They immediately rushed towards Tayuya and Jirobo.
"This guy is here. Did Gaara lose?"
Kankuro was startled and looked into the distance.
Indeed, Gaara was imprisoned on the bone cone, unable to move.
"Can you handle this guy?"
Kiba asked.
"What do you think? Even Gaara was defeated by him in a minute."
"This is trouble. We've almost exhausted our chakra, and now we're facing this guy."
Kiba felt that things were looking grim.
Kankuro couldn't help but retort, "Hey, be confident. Even if our chakra was full, we wouldn't be a match for him."
"..."
Kimimaro looked at the two in front of him and, without wasting any words, extended his right hand. A bone flute emerged from his palm.
Then, he placed the flute to his lips.
"Demonic Flute: Phantom Sound Chains!"
The flute's sound echoed!
The sound-based genjutsu was instantly released!
Not only Kankuro and Kiba in front of him but also Shino, Shikamaru, and Temari in the distance were within the genjutsu's range.
Kimimaro intended to take them all down at once.
"Not good! This is the same genjutsu Tayuya used earlier. No, it's much more powerful!"
Shikamaru immediately made a judgment, but it was meaningless.
The powerful genjutsu instantly invaded his mind.
Shino thought to himself, "This is Kimimaro's genjutsu."
Shino had fallen victim to this genjutsu in the Forest of Death. Now, trying to break free, he found its power far greater than before, even the parasitic bugs on his body were trapped within the genjutsu.
Within three breaths of the flute's sound, everyone collapsed.
Sakon and Ukon had already returned to Kimimaro's side with Tayuya and Jirobo, and Kidomaru and Neji also arrived.
"Lord Kimimaro, should we take all these people or kill them?"
Kidomaru inquired.
Before Kimimaro could answer, a figure blocked their path.
Or rather, two figures.
A man and a dog.
It was Kakashi and his summoning ninja dog, Pakkun.
"Kakashi, these people are in bad shape. One of them is barely clinging to life."
Pakkun sniffed the air and reported everyone's condition to Kakashi.
Kakashi's expression turned grave. He hadn't expected the situation to be this dire. He looked at the few people in front of him.
(End of Chapter)