I, Uchiha, will not be whitewashed!

Chapter 96 Snake Kiss!

Death Forest, Day 3.

In the forest clearing, sunlight is dappled through the tree canopy, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

The seventh class stood in the open space, wary of the bushes on all sides.

Sasuke's hand was already on the kunai, Sakura Haruno gripped her shuriken, and Naruto's hands formed hand seals, ready to use Shadow Clone Jutsu at any moment. It was too quiet; there were no birdsong, no insect chirping, and even the wind had stopped.

"Here we are." Sasuke's voice was very soft.

A person emerged from the shadows of the trees.

The Grass Ninja's attire was disheveled, with their headbands askew and their shoulders moving as they walked, gliding across the ground like snakes.

Orochimaru, but his face was still covered by a human skin mask, revealing only a pair of golden eyes. Those eyes lingered on Sasuke for a moment, then swept over Naruto, but didn't linger on Sakura Haruno's face.

"Uchiha Sasuke." Orochimaru's voice was hoarse, like sandpaper rubbing against sheet metal.

Sasuke didn't answer; the kunai flew from his hand, heading straight for Orochimaru's face.

Orochimaru tilted his head, and a kunai flew past his ear.

Sasuke's figure had vanished from his original spot and reappeared to Orochimaru's side, unleashing a barrage of shuriken that blocked his retreat.

Orochimaru didn't dodge; instead, he raised his hand, and the shuriken struck Orochimaru's sleeve.

The clattering sound filled the air—armor was hidden in the sleeve.

Naruto formed hand seals: "Shadow Clone Technique!"

Dozens of Narutos emerged from the white smoke and rushed towards Orochimaru.

Orochimaru ignored them, waved his left hand, and an invisible force sent all the shadow clones flying, crashing into tree trunks and turning into white smoke one after another.

Naruto's main body was thrown the furthest, his back slamming into a thick oak tree. Blood gushed from his mouth, and he slid to the ground, unable to get up for a long time.

Sakura Haruno's kunai pierced from the side, but Orochimaru caught it between two fingers and twisted it gently. Sakura Haruno felt pain in her wrist and released her grip.

Orochimaru didn't look at her. With a flick of his finger, Sakura Haruno stumbled back several steps, her back hitting a tree and her head striking the trunk, causing her vision to go black.

Sasuke charged forward again, his kunai aimed straight for Orochimaru's throat.

Orochimaru did not dodge, letting the kunai pierce his neck.

There was no blood, but a slit had split open on the neck, from which another neck emerged, topped with Orochimaru's face, its golden eyes looking down at Sasuke.

"Nice eyes."

Orochimaru's voice came from the newly grown head, and Sasuke's pupils contracted.

He wanted to retreat, but his legs wouldn't obey him.

Orochimaru grabbed his neck and lifted him up.

"The Uchiha bloodline, the Uchiha Sharingan."

Orochimaru's hands were trembling, not from fear, but from excitement.

He had seen Shuoge's kaleidoscope; those eyes were like three black crescent blades placed together, making it hard for him to breathe.

He had seen Itachi's kaleidoscope; those eyes were deeper, colder, and more terrifying.

He wanted the Sharingan, he wanted the Mangekyou Sharingan, he wanted all the power of those eyes.

Sakugo couldn't beat him, Itachi couldn't beat him, but this child in front of him—Uchiha Sasuke—was still young, hadn't awakened his Sharingan yet, and hadn't grown up.

He can plant a curse mark on him, wait for him to grow up, wait for him to open his eyes, and then take over his body.

Use Uchiha to fight Uchiha.

The black lines of the cursed seal spread from Sasuke's neck to his cheeks.

Sasuke gritted his teeth, not uttering a sound, his body trembling, sweat and blood mingling and streaming down his neck.

Orochimaru looked at the patterns as if they were a work of art taking shape.

"You will come looking for me." Orochimaru released his grip. Sasuke slid to the ground, kneeling on one knee, his fingers digging into the soil, his nails splitting open, blood seeping from between his fingers.

Orochimaru turned and walked into the woods. After a few steps, he stopped, without looking back. "Sasuke-kun, I'll be waiting for you."

.

His figure disappeared into the shadows of the trees, like water poured into sand, vanishing quickly.

Sakura Haruno crawled over and supported Sasuke, her hands trembling and tears welling up in her eyes.

"Sasuke—Sasuke—" Sasuke didn't speak, looking down at his hands.

The pain from the cursed seal blurred his consciousness, but he could hear Sakura Haruno's voice and the sound of Naruto struggling to get up in the distance.

dark place.

Shuoge squatted on a tree branch, his Mangekyou Sharingan slowly rotating behind his mask.

He watched everything below: Sasuke was being choked, the cursed seal was spreading, Kakashi arrived, Sakura Haruno cried, and Naruto couldn't get up.

He didn't move.

Orochimaru walked along the forest path, his pace neither fast nor slow. He passed through a bamboo grove, circled around a thicket of bushes, and the moonlight, shattered by the bamboo leaves, sprinkled on the ground like broken silver.

There was a masked person standing in front of them, and there was a knife scar on the mask.

"Shuoge Jun".

Sakugo emerged from the shadows of the trees and stood before Orochimaru, removing his mask and tucking it into his waistband. "Orochimaru, were you prepared for retaliation when you attacked the Uchiha?"

Orochimaru remained silent, his golden eyes shining like two lamps.

He dared not say he fully understood Shuoge.

But since Shuoge has taken off his mask and spoken up, it's highly likely that a fight won't break out today.

really!

All that could be heard was, "I can pretend I don't know about this—but—" Sakugo's voice was flat. "In exchange, I need the séance scroll from Ryuchi Cave."

Orochimaru remained silent for a moment, then slowly raised the corners of his mouth.

He opened his mouth, his tongue sticking out, the tip of which held a spool of saliva. The spool was sticky and smelled fishy.

He took the scroll and handed it over.

Without the slightest hesitation, or even a bargaining, they did not hesitate.

The summoned beasts were somewhat helpful to Shogo, but not much.

Orochimaru had already guessed Sakugo's true purpose.

"Sage Techniques aren't so easy to master—" Orochimaru paused, then continued, "But with Sakugo-kun's talent, it's naturally no problem for him."

Shuoge took it, wiped it on his clothes, and unfolded it.

The writing on the scroll is old, the paper is yellowed, and the edges are worn.

I bit my finger, and beads of blood seeped from the tip.

He signed his name, Uchiha Sakugo, at the end of the scroll.

The four characters were written with sharp, knife-like strokes, each one carrying a sharp edge. The scroll vibrated slightly, and a dark light flashed across the characters on the paper.

The contract is established.

"The deal is done, but—" Sakugo rolled up the scroll and stuffed it into his ninja tool pouch.

You are destined to fail, Orochimaru.

Orochimaru laughed. "Sakugo-kun, you're much more interesting than Danzo."

He turned and disappeared into the depths of the bamboo forest.

"I wonder if Tsunade has any way to treat Kimimaro's illness." Sakugo is also someone who cherishes talent. Shikotsumyaku is an extremely powerful bloodline limit, and it's a pity that it disappeared like this.

Turning his head, Shuoge looked in the direction of the Hokage Building.

"Orochimaru's whereabouts should have been discovered by now, right?"

When they entered the second stage of the Death Forest, Anko's intuition was probably right. After all, she was Orochimaru's disciple and the person who knew Orochimaru best.

"Are you doing nothing? Or are you planning something?"

The Hokage is not something Sakugo needs to worry about.