บท 96: Chapter 96
"Amagiri, if you had taken action a little later, I would have died!" the bald man said with a sigh of relief. He had attacked Sasuke not long ago, but Amagiri had gone off alone.
This time, the bald man brought back Amagiri, the strongest among them, seeking revenge!
"There's no other way. We're facing a Uchiha—we cannot be careless." Amagiri smiled coldly, eyeing Uchiha Sasuke. "Hehehe, Sasuke, you didn't expect that clumsy trap was just bait, did you? The bald man was the decoy to make you drop your guard. A layered trap!"
"It's a pity I couldn't kill you in one blow, or I would have made a name for myself! But it doesn't matter. If you're hit by my Dark Mist, you'll lose all your chakra and die within three minutes!"
Three minutes?
Sasuke assessed the rate of chakra loss. It would actually take closer to thirty minutes for his chakra to deplete entirely. This guy was overestimating his own abilities.
Still, the situation wasn't ideal. If Sasuke got hit again, his chakra would drain at an unsustainable rate. He decided it was time to end this. A single mistake had allowed him to be injured, but these two were not as strong as they thought.
The bald man's Fire Release jutsu was at best Chunin-level, while Amagiri's speed and unique ninjutsu could pose a threat to a Jounin, though he hadn't reached that level of strength yet. Amagiri's shortcomings were obvious: his body was too thin, prioritizing speed and agility over defense and strength, not even on par with a Genin in that regard.
Sasuke gripped the sword tightly in his hand. In a flash, he appeared before the bald man, who was slower and weaker, and without hesitation, Sasuke decapitated him.
Amagiri, who had been feeling triumphant moments earlier, was stunned when he saw his companion beheaded. Seeing Sasuke vanish again, he knew he couldn't afford to hesitate and quickly tried to escape.
It had to be said, Amagiri's speed was remarkable—even with Sasuke's Body Flicker Technique, it was challenging to catch him. However, Amagiri's stamina was his downfall. He could only maintain this high-speed, high-intensity jutsu for about thirty seconds before his body gave out.
"I was wrong, Sasuke! Let me go… I'll give you the scroll. Yours is the Scroll of Heaven, right? Mine is the Scroll of Earth. You can just take this to pass the exam!"
Sasuke's expression remained cold and unyielding. Without a hint of mercy, he held the sword against Amagiri's neck. "Why did you try to deceive me by turning into Gekko Kazuki?"
"We figured everyone knew you were searching for a companion, so we decided to transform into Gekko Kazuki to trick you!"
In truth, they knew little about Haruno Sakura, so they targeted Gekko Kazuki, who had stood out throughout the exam. They thought they could mimic him well enough, but under closer scrutiny, the differences were obvious.
Disappointed, Sasuke raised his sword and killed the ninja who wielded Dark Mist.
Picking up the Scroll of Earth, Sasuke leapt onto his Summoning Beast and continued his journey. This time, he encountered no further obstacles.
In another part of the Forest of Death, Karin sensed Sasuke's chakra entering her range and suddenly halted.
"Kazuki-kun, I think I've found your other teammate."
Having paid close attention to Kazuki before, Karin immediately recognized Sasuke as his companion.
"Another teammate?" Kazuki was surprised. He thought Sasuke would go straight to Sakura and the others after escaping from Orochimaru. But here he was, wandering alone.
Are you lost? You're Sasuke, not Zoro…
Kazuki couldn't figure it out, so he let Karin lead him to Sasuke.
Soon enough, they spotted Uchiha Sasuke perched on an eagle, scanning his surroundings. Kazuki casually launched a fireball towards Sasuke to get his attention.
Sasuke noticed the slow-moving ninjutsu instantly, slicing through it with a single strike and preparing to retaliate. But as he prepared to unleash a Fire Release, he saw Kazuki's face.
Kazuki wasn't alone, a red-haired girl was with him. This odd pairing made Sasuke suspicious.
Another deception?
Thunder Release: Chidori Sharp Spear!
Opting for speed and strength, Sasuke abandoned his Fire Release, choosing instead to strike with a faster, more lethal move aimed at the fake Kazuki.
Kazuki had merely intended to call Sasuke down to talk, but when Sasuke immediately countered with a powerful Chidori Sharp Spear, he was momentarily speechless.
Seeing the spear descending from above, Kazuki quickly responded with his own Chidori Spear. The two lightning techniques collided mid-air, creating an explosive spectacle.
"Chidori Spear?" Sasuke finally recognized the move that only he and Kazuki knew, confirming that this was the real Kazuki. He leapt off his Summoning Beast to meet him.
"What happened? As soon as you saw me, you fired a Chidori Spear," Kazuki remarked, trying to piece together Sasuke's sudden aggression.
Sasuke nodded, recounting the events that had transpired since they last saw each other.
"So, why were you looking for me instead of going to Sakura and the others?" Kazuki asked, puzzled.
Sasuke explained his concern about Orochimaru, worried that Kazuki might be in danger.
Kazuki rolled his eyes. "Relax, I've already driven Orochimaru out of the Forest of Death. We won't see him around for a while."
The news shocked Sasuke. He had assumed they would have to face Orochimaru together, not that Kazuki could handle him solo. This revelation made Sasuke realize just how wide the gap between their abilities had grown.
"How strong are you now?" Sasuke asked, unable to hide his curiosity.
Kazuki smirked. "Well… just a little better than that guy."
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