Inside the central tower, Sasuke and Naruto were engaged in a fierce battle.
Sasuke had gained the most from this Chunin Exam, his Sharingan having evolved to the three-tomoe stage. Because of this, Naruto probably couldn't defeat Sasuke right now.
Sakura watched from above as Naruto gradually fell into a disadvantageous position, struggling to defend himself. As expected, every one of Naruto's movements was being read. He was currently relying on his stamina and chakra reserves to hold on.
However, the fight was becoming increasingly intense, unlike their usual sparring sessions where the goal was simply to hone their skills. This time, their attacks were lethal.
Looking at the frustrated expression on Sasuke's face, Sakura understood what was happening.
Naruto's progress had made Sasuke feel like he was stagnating. In the past, he could easily defeat Naruto, but now, despite his prolonged assault, Naruto remained undefeated. This fueled his frustration, making his attacks even more ruthless.
"Sasuke, are you trying to kill Naruto?" Sakura called down from the viewing platform, her voice cutting through the sounds of battle.
The fighting stopped abruptly. Sasuke whipped his head around, his crimson eyes glaring at Sakura with chilling intensity. "Shut up... Speaking of which... I really want to fight you. With my current eyes, you have absolutely no chance of winning."
"Oh, is that so? But you can't even beat Naruto right now," Sakura pointed out. Sasuke's emotions were incredibly unstable. Ever since Orochimaru's appearance, and having witnessed the Sannin's overwhelming power, Sasuke, who had always been superior to Naruto, was consumed by a thirst for power.
"Stop your blabbering!!! Come down here," Sasuke roared at Sakura.
Seeing Sasuke's near-manic state, Sakura felt she had no other choice. Her original plan had been to influence Sasuke before he obtained any significant power, to prevent him from losing himself in the pursuit of strength.
She had thought that by preventing Orochimaru from placing the Cursed Seal on Sasuke, she could nip his potential defection in the bud.
But Sakura realized that Orochimaru was a master manipulator. First, he used words to stoke the flames of Sasuke's hatred. Then, he toyed with the three genin like a cat with mice, letting Sasuke witness his true power. Finally, he promised Sasuke strength beyond his current limits.
Heh, Orochimaru truly was one of the Sannin; his grasp of the human heart was terrifyingly accurate. Even though Orochimaru's plan had unexpectedly failed this time, he had still planted a seed of desire in Sasuke's heart.
Orochimaru had assessed Sasuke's current limits. He knew that someone in this Chunin Exam would inevitably defeat Sasuke. After losing, Sasuke's thirst for power would only intensify.
Even without the Cursed Seal, Sasuke's pursuit of power would lead him to seek out Orochimaru.
She had underestimated Sasuke's hunger for power. The hatred stirred up by Orochimaru wouldn't be so easily extinguished.
"Confidence is a good thing, but arrogance leads to self-destruction!"
Sakura instantly activated the Strength of a Hundred Seal. Using the Body Flicker Technique, a move she rarely employed, she appeared behind Sasuke in a flash while he was still looking up at the platform. She unleashed a powerful punch.
Sasuke didn't even have time to react before Sakura sent him crashing to the ground. He struggled to his feet, wiping a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth.
"Are you awake now, Sasuke?!" Sakura asked, her voice devoid of emotion.
"Hmph, Again...!"
Before Sasuke could even finish his sentence, Sakura struck again, moving at a speed his Sharingan couldn't track. He was sent flying once more.
"Are you awake now, Sasuke?!"
Sakura had no chance of winning against Orochimaru, and would likely be killed instantly. But against Sasuke, Sakura, with the Strength of a Hundred Seal activated, was utterly overwhelming.
Sasuke struggled to his feet again, his gaze towards Sakura even more piercing.
Seeing this, Sakura charged at him once more. This time, Sasuke's Sharingan saw Sakura's movements, but his body simply couldn't react fast enough. He was sent flying a third time.
"Are you awake now?" Sakura asked, this time with genuine sincerity.
Sasuke, having obtained the three-tomoe Sharingan, had become somewhat inflated. His frustration at being unable to quickly defeat Naruto, coupled with the resentment of always being one step behind Sakura, finally erupted today.
If Sasuke hadn't obtained the three-tomoe so quickly, or if Orochimaru hadn't provoked him, he would have quietly striven to improve his skills, instead of becoming so arrogant.
Lecturing Sasuke now would be useless. The only way was to beat some sense into him.
Sasuke had taken three punches from Sakura. He considered the first two to be sneak attacks, but the last one, despite clearly seeing her trajectory, his body couldn't keep up. Sasuke finally realized that even with the three-tomoe Sharingan, he still couldn't beat Sakura.
Sakura saw Sasuke climb to his feet and then just sit there, lost in thought.
"There are no shortcuts to gaining power," Sakura said, walking over to Sasuke. "Do you think my current strength came easily?! I started practicing chakra control techniques when I was three years old! I practiced non-stop for five whole years!" Sakura roared at him.
Sasuke looked up at Sakura, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"My strength is the result of taking one solid step at a time. Genius?! Pfft!" Sakura's voice dripped with contempt for the word.
Hearing Sakura's scornful tone, Sasuke felt like he was the one being scorned. The praise from those around him, his top-of-the-class grades, all proclaimed that Sasuke was a genius.
"There's no overnight shortcut to improving your strength. The power Orochimaru offers you isn't your strength. He only wants your Sharingan," Sakura told him.
"...You... What do you know...? Did your family get killed?! Was your clan wiped out?! How can you possibly understand the feeling of having a sworn enemy out there and being powerless to take revenge?! Even if it's evil power, I'll obtain it!" Sasuke's emotions spiraled out of control as he shouted.
"So, are you blaming me for preventing you from getting power from Orochimaru?" Sakura asked calmly.
"Tch..." Sasuke's expression froze upon hearing Sakura's words, and he fell silent.
Sasuke's Sharingan had evolved to the three-tomoe stage because Sakura had fearlessly shielded him from Orochimaru's blade. At the time, Sasuke hadn't known that Orochimaru was intending to give him power.
Thinking back on the scene, Sasuke could now sense the shift. Orochimaru's attack on Sasuke had been filled with a greedy look, but when Sakura blocked him, Orochimaru's expression had turned into unrestrained killing intent. Sasuke wasn't stupid; putting the pieces together, he understood.
"I can't understand your feelings, but I just don't want my friend to go down the wrong path. Orochimaru is a very dangerous person. You saved me before, and I'm grateful for that. If you want to go to Orochimaru, as long as you can defeat me, I won't stop you," Sakura said, finally proposing a condition.
Sakura figured that by the time Sasuke was strong enough to defeat her, he wouldn't need Orochimaru's power anymore. In the short term, Sasuke wouldn't be able to obtain strength that surpassed her own.