Naruto: Sasuke Uchiha Returns from Soul Society

Behind him stood Orochimaru.

Kabuto and Kimimaro stood quietly to his left and right.

Orochimaru...

Kai's voice deepened. He took a step forward, firmly protecting his three disciples behind him, and assumed a fighting stance.

"You three step back. This guy is not someone you can handle."

"hehe......"

Orochimaru looked at Guy's tense expression and let out a hoarse chuckle. "What a touching master-disciple bond. But Guy, I don't want to waste my time with you guys today."

"That's not up to you."

Might Guy's voice was deep, and his face was grim. "The three of you are all rogue ninja from Konoha. I have no reason to let you leave."

Without any unnecessary words, the ground beneath his feet cracked violently, and Kai transformed into a green afterimage, heading straight for Orochimaru!

"Leaf Whirlwind!"

However, what greeted him was an equally swift white figure.

Kimimaro had somehow appeared in front of Orochimaru, and facing Guy's powerful whip kick, he showed no fear, calmly raising his left arm.

"Snap—!"

A dense layer of white bone instantly pierced through his skin, precisely blocking Kai's attack trajectory.

A dull, loud bang followed.

Kai's attack was effortlessly blocked by the seemingly slender bone blade.

The dissipating air currents blew away all the surrounding fallen leaves, but they couldn't make the white figure retreat.

"What?!" Kai's heart skipped a beat. He performed a graceful flip in mid-air and landed lightly several meters away.

"An interesting bloodline limit."

"Your physical skills are also quite good."

Kimimaro slowly lowered his arm, and the bone armor quietly retracted under his skin. "However, you are no match for Lord Orochimaru."

"That's not necessarily true."

Kai grinned, revealing a confident smile. "How will you know if you don't try?"

But Xiao Li and his group on the other side did not intend to do as Kai said.

"We can't just watch Teacher Kai fight alone!" Xiao Li shouted passionately, and was the first to rush forward.

Neji and Tenten were also prepared to provide support from both sides.

However, their steps abruptly stopped the moment they took the first step.

An immense, suffocating pressure descended from the sky without warning.

It was as if the entire sky had collapsed at that moment.

The air became thick, breathing became difficult, and my legs felt as heavy as lead, making all movements incredibly difficult.

"Uh......"

Gradually, Tian Tian, ​​the weakest of them all, could no longer hold on. With a muffled groan, her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed to her knees, the scroll in her hand scattering across the ground.

"Damn it..."

Blood trickled from the corner of Neji's mouth. His Byakugan stared intently in the direction from which the pressure was coming, but he could only see the calm profile of the black-haired boy.

Only Xiao Li is still struggling to hold on, relying on his extraordinary willpower.

“Sasuke…” He moved forward step by step.

Sasuke spoke calmly, his voice devoid of emotion: "I've been gone for so long, and it seems you haven't made any progress."

"What a joke!!!"

Xiao Li gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, trying to straighten his spine again under that terrifying pressure.

"Eight Gates Formation!"

"First door - Open! Open!"

"Second Gate - Rest Gate, open!"

He let out a hoarse roar, and a wave of green chakra erupted from him, causing Lee's almost bent knees to straighten again.

However......

so what?

Sasuke merely glanced at him, and the spiritual pressure emanating from his body intensified just the right amount.

Just the right amount, perfectly suppressing his newly ignited momentum.

A muffled thud.

Xiao Li's knees, which had just straightened, bent uncontrollably again, and he fell heavily to the ground.

"The Third Gate—the Gate of Life... Open!"

He was not convinced! He was unwilling to accept it!

The green shockwave became even more violent, and Xiao Li struggled to stand up again.

Sasuke frowned, and his spiritual pressure intensified once again.

Once, twice...

Every time Xiao Li was about to stand up, that pressure would precisely crush him again.

No more, no less, always just one level better than him.

It gives him hope, yet it remains forever out of his reach.

"..."

In the end, the flame in Xiao Li's eyes was gradually replaced by a despairing gray.

"boring."

A hint of boredom flashed in Sasuke's eyes, and his eerie Sharingan slowly emerged.

Xiao Li felt the world before him suddenly distort, and then he was plunged into endless darkness.

On the other side of the battlefield, the battle between Kai and Kimimaro also reached its climax.

"The Dance of the Tang Pine!"

Kimimaro's figure transformed into a white whirlwind, his bones like the sharpest blades, each spin bringing with it a deadly glint.

The booming sound of bone blades and fist winds intertwining was incessant.

Kai's offensive was wide and sweeping, full of fierce and oppressive force.

Kimimaro appeared to be in a steady retreat. His prized "Shikotsumyaku" (Corpse Bone Pulse) was beginning to show cracks in the face of such extreme physical techniques.

"cough......"

After taking another heavy kick from Kai, Kimimaro staggered back several steps, a metallic taste rising in his throat, which he forced down.

A sickly flush appeared on her already pale face.

No... my body... has reached its limit.

He could feel his already terminally ill body groaning in despair.

but......

Kimimaro's gaze drifted to the hillside not far away.

Lord Orochimaru... is still watching.

I absolutely cannot... fall like this!

A thought began to grow wildly in his mind.

He took out a pill from his pocket that had been given to him before he left.

This thing can temporarily restore you to your peak condition, but the final result is death.

Without hesitation, he swallowed it whole.

"What a pity, Kabuto."

On a hillside not far away, Orochimaru watched all of this silently. "Kimimaro, he should have been my perfect vessel."

"If it weren't for his frail health, perhaps he could have shone even brighter for me."

Kabuto remained silent, only calmly adjusting his glasses.

He knew that the emotion Orochimaru was showing at this moment was genuine.

That is precisely why it appears so cold.

"My strength is not as great as yours."

Even though he was about to die, Kimimaro's face did not show much panic. He spoke softly, "But Lord Orochimaru left a blessing on me."

"Let me show you my true colors."

Kai paused, looking at Kimimaro with surprise in his eyes.

How is this going?

A powerful burst of chakra erupted from the back of Kimimaro's neck, where the three-layered "cursed seal" was implanted.

"Ughh ...

The next instant, an ominous pattern, as if alive, spread wildly from the mark, covering his entire body in a matter of moments.

Its skin turned as gray and black as rock, and several ferocious bone spurs extended from its back, while a thick bone tail lashed out like a giant whip behind it.

Strength and speed experienced an explosive increase at this moment.

"What kind of spell is this?" Might Guy asked, his eyes serious.

Kimimaro's voice became hoarse and distorted, his eyes staring blankly at Kai: "This is the power bestowed upon me by Lord Orochimaru."