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"Damn! How strong are you, Naruto!" Sasuke, separated from Naruto, knocked down a giant tree with a punch.
Sasuke sat down on the stump, frustrated. "Damn! What the hell have I been doing all this time?!"
Sasuke slowly recalled his journey since graduation, realizing that almost all powerful enemies had been defeated by Naruto. The only time he fought against Itachi, he was destroyed!
"Damn it! Damn it!" Sasuke frantically hammered the large tree next to him.
At that moment, four figures appeared before Sasuke.
"Nice eyes!"
Sasuke was surprised. "Who are you?!"
"We're the Four Sound Ninja of Otogakure," Kidomaru said, grinning wickedly.
"I'm Jirōbō..." Zaku was about to introduce himself.
"Okay, no need for introductions," Sasuke waved his hand dismissively.
"Nani?! What an arrogant brat!" Tayuya growled, fuming. "Move out of the way, and let me kill him!"
"Tayuya, you're talking too much as a woman..." Jirōbō said, trying to calm her down.
"Shut up, all of you! Quit the chatter!" Duoyou snapped angrily.
In an instant, the four of them moved. Kidomaru launched a punch, but Sasuke grabbed his fist. Zaku attacked from behind, but Sasuke kicked him away. Jirōbō came in and slammed into Sasuke, knocking them both to the ground.
As the smoke cleared, four pieces of wood were revealed.
Sasuke turned his head slowly. "I'm in a bad mood now. If you don't want to die, get out of my sight. I won't show mercy anymore!"
Zaku smirked evilly, pointing a middle finger at Sasuke. "Stop talking big, kid. You're so weak, come here!"
Sasuke's anger flared, and he kicked Zaku away.
Sasuke: "?? If you're so weak, why call yourself a big deal?"
"Damn it!" Zaku shouted, jumping up furiously. "Take this!" An invisible attack hit Sasuke.
Sasuke frowned and instantly dodged, appearing in front of Zaku, where he kicked him away. "Lion's Barrage!" Sasuke struck Zaku hard into the ground.
The remaining three were shocked by Sasuke's skill. Orochimaru's target, the orphaned Uchiha, was no joke!
Zaku slowly stood up, and the black curse mark on his body began to emerge.
"Nani?!" Sasuke was taken aback.
Zaku's speed increased, and he kicked Sasuke. Sasuke reached out to block, but his strength was now five times greater than before.
Sasuke kicked Zaku away once more.
The remaining Sound Ninja stared, wide-eyed.
Sasuke touched the curse mark on his shoulder. "This thing can make me stronger?"
The four of them looked at Sasuke seriously. Kidomaru explained, "You still don't understand how to control the curse mark. If you leave it activated for too long, your body will be slowly eroded, and you'll eventually go mad."
"You're still in Seal State 1, so the erosion is slow. But once you activate Seal State 2, your body and Chakra will increase tremendously!"
"And don't forget your purpose," Kidomaru added. "Uchiha Itachi!"
Sasuke's eyes burned with fury as he glared at the four of them.
"Be careful," the others warned, "Don't act recklessly. You're still in Seal 1, and if we activate Seal 2, you won't stand a chance against us!"
Sasuke fell silent, considering their words. "Seal State 1 alone gives this much of a boost... What happens when I unlock more?"
His eyes blazed with determination.
The four of them raised their heads, ready to speak further, but before they could, Sasuke had already turned and walked away.
"Don't forget your purpose!" The distant voices of the Otonin echoed.
Sasuke cursed under his breath, his eyes full of rage. "Wait for me! I'm not done with you!"
That night, Sasuke walked slowly toward the village exit.
Naruto's figure appeared by the side of the road.
"Are you ready to go?" Naruto asked.
"What do you care?" Sasuke replied impatiently. "Who are you to me? Just stop pretending to care and stay out of my business!"
Sasuke's face was grim as he didn't turn back. "A bunch of bastards! If I find them, I'm going to beat them up! They didn't even leave a note!"
"Pfft~" Naruto couldn't help but laugh. "Do you think you can get stronger than Itachi by going to Orochimaru?"
"Hmph, don't worry about it," Sasuke retorted. "I will definitely kill that man with my own hands, and I'll become stronger than you!"
"Want me to help you?" Naruto smiled mischievously. "Like helping you with Itachi?"
"You really are annoying," Sasuke snapped as he turned around. "Itachi is mine to kill! No one is allowed to interfere!"
Then Sasuke turned and walked away, never looking back.
"Hey," Naruto laughed, sitting on a stone bench by the road.
…
"When I find those four idiots, I'll beat them senseless!" Sasuke thought bitterly as he walked out of Konoha.
Looking up, he saw the four Otonin kneeling before him.
"I've been waiting for you, Sasuke-sama," Kidomaru said first.
"Oh, don't get cocky," Sasuke mocked.
"From the moment you leave Konoha, you become our leader. Please forgive our previous arrogance," the four said, bowing deeply.
Sasuke walked past them. "There's no need to apologize for something so trivial. Let's go!"
The four of them stood up and looked back at the peaceful Konoha. Their silhouettes were reflected against the huge moon.
"Hey, Fifth Hokage sure knows how to manage people," Guard said, looking at Naruto sitting on the stone bench. "At least go get the documents you forgot."
"Why are you stopping?" Guard asked.
Guard gestured to Naruto. "Hey, Naruto, what are you doing here?"
"Oh, it's nothing," Naruto shrugged, smiling. "Sasuke's betrayed the village, and I'm here to see him off."
At the Hokage Office, Tsunade was sleeping on her desk.
The two guards walked in.
"Ah! Fifth Hokage, you asked us to get the documents, and you were sound asleep!" Guard grumbled.
"Ahahaha, don't worry about those details," Tsunade chuckled awkwardly after being woken up.
"Master Hokage, there's something I need to report," Guard said seriously.
"What?" Tsunade asked.
"Uchiha Sasuke has defected!"
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