I just returned to Konoha and found that my entire clan was gone.

Just then, a whooshing sound came from behind, and a golden arrow shot towards Sasuke's back, its target being his heart.

Clang—

Sasuke put the intelligence report in his pocket with one hand, and with the other hand, he threw away the torch, drew his ninja sword, and blocked the seemingly unexpected sneak attack.

Lightning flashed on the ninja sword, illuminating the entire dark cave. The attacking enemy resembled the previous test subjects, except it had six arms, each hand pulling a massive bow and arrow, and a huge spider web beneath its feet. A cunning glint appeared in its eyes, clearly indicating it was a sane individual.

"A?" Sasuke asked, puzzled. A had run off somewhere and called out.

"Stop yelling, kid. Your companion is dead. Just surrender obediently." The monster spoke in human language and sounded not much older than Sasuke. He was indeed a sane person.

"Are you Orochimaru's subordinate?" Sasuke's Sharingan had been activated, and he was on guard around. If A had been dealt with, then there couldn't have been only one person around. The other person didn't seem particularly strong to him, maybe a little stronger than A, but he couldn't have been killed so silently.

"You actually recognized me? That's right, I am Lord Kidomaru, a disciple of Lord Orochimaru!" Kidomaru proudly raised his chin.

Sasuke: "Staying in a place like this? Looks like Orochimaru has abandoned you too."

"Damn it, how could I be abandoned? I'm here on an important mission!" Kidomaru said angrily, dissatisfied with Sasuke's statement.

"So what is your mission?"

"Of course it is..." Even the dim-witted Kidomaru realized that Sasuke was trying to trick him into revealing more information. He drew his bow and angrily said, "Do you think I'm really an idiot?!"

Sasuke clicked his tongue. He wanted to get some more information out of this guy, but he didn't expect him to have already figured it out. So there was nothing more to say. The lightning on his ninja sword became even brighter, and Sasuke charged straight at him.

Kidomaru was prepared. He opened the third eye on his forehead, drew his bow and shot an arrow at Sasuke. The huge arrow shot directly at Sasuke.

The arrow spun in a spiral, increasing its power. With the help of his Sharingan's dynamic vision, Sasuke didn't block it head-on. Instead, he used the spiraling force of his ninja sword to parry the arrow, deflecting most of its force and easily blocking the attack.

Seeing that his first arrow was blocked, Kidomaru began to draw his bow rapidly, but he couldn't hit the target once. Unless it was a sneak attack, he had no chance in a head-on battle with the Sharingan.

Seeing Sasuke getting closer and closer, Kidomaru dropped his bow and arrows, his mouth bulged as if he were chewing something, and when Sasuke was less than 5 meters away from him, he opened his mouth and spat out a large net, which directly enveloped Sasuke.

Sasuke was already prepared as he approached, his hands forming hand seals, and he also exhaled a ball of flame from his mouth.

Fire Release: Great Fireball

As the first ninjutsu he learned, he had practiced it countless times. A huge fireball filled the cave passage, turning the entire cave as bright as day.

At that moment, several figures arrived beside Kidomaru. A red-skinned monster with two heads stood in front of Kidomaru, slapping the ground with both hands.

Psychic techniques, Rashomon

A massive door suddenly burst forth from the ground, making the passage precariously sway, with countless rocks falling from above, threatening to collapse at any moment.

As the smoke cleared, Sasuke gripped his ninja sword in reverse and stared ahead. He saw that the Rashomon gate, painted with a demon face, had not cracked at all and had easily blocked the Great Fireball attack.

"Kidomaru, so I'm the boss after all. You're such a disgrace to Lord Orochimaru, looking so pathetic," the two-headed monster said.

Others also emerged from behind Rashomon, all in monstrous forms. One of them, a burly monster with long hair, was clutching a seemingly unconscious armored figure.

"Kidomaru, if you act on your own again, I'll kill you!" The smallest monster had long red hair and white bull horns on its head. It was the most normal-looking among the monsters, but its rough voice showed that it was no different from the others.

"Tayuya, as a girl, shouldn't you be less rough... We're all comrades." The voice of the largest monster was surprisingly honest and simple.

Sasuke looked at the strange group opposite him and asked, "Are you all Orochimaru's subordinates? What is your purpose in coming here?"

"We are..." Seeing Sasuke's question, the group gave him confident smiles, "The Sound Four under Orochimaru!"

"As for our goal, it's to kill you, of course!" Kidomaru said directly, feeling that he had just lost face.

"Stop talking nonsense and just attack!" The two heads on either side spoke at the same time and charged directly at Sasuke.

Kidomaru repositioned his arrows, Tayuya took out a flute, and Jirobo slammed his hands on the ground. Suddenly, rock fragments appeared beneath Sasuke's feet, trapping his entire body within them.

Fortunately, Sasuke reacted quickly and jumped up to dodge the attack. His left and right hands were already in front of him, and four fists rained down on him. Sasuke's physical abilities, having trained in natural energy, were far superior to those of his peers.

With the added benefit of the Sharingan, even if the opponent had four fists, he could quickly block them. Although the opponent was thick-skinned and tough, he couldn't withstand more than a few blows and was instead suppressed by Sasuke.

"Taro!" The surrounding people could no longer hold on and retreated repeatedly, shouting loudly.

"Shut up! A bunch of useless trash!" Tayu's tongue seemed even sharper than Ka's.

“Tayuya…” Jirobo wanted to persuade Tayuya again, but was interrupted by her.

"Shut up, you're disturbing me, fat pig!" Apart from Orochimaru and the deceased Kimimaro Tayu, there was no one he dared not confront. After these words, even Jirobo fell silent.

Spiritual Arts, Angry Demons

Tayuya controlled three experimental subjects similar to those Sasuke had encountered before, except that these three monsters were obviously larger and more ferocious, wielding large clubs as they charged menacingly toward Sasuke.

Seeing that he was about to distance himself from Sasuke, Sasuke was not about to let this opportunity pass. Just as he was about to give chase, a golden light appeared in his peripheral vision. It was Kidomaru's arrow.

Kidomaru knew he couldn't usually hit Sasuke, so he simply used cover. The arrow wasn't aimed at Sasuke at all, but at the footsteps he wanted to follow. Sasuke had no choice but to stop, looking at Kidomaru in the distance with a somewhat sinister gaze.

Even though it was a somewhat damp cave, Kidomaru felt a bead of sweat appear on his forehead after seeing Sasuke's gaze. He was the one who should be feared by others, so why was he afraid?

Sasuke watched as several angry demons ran towards him, and lightning crackled again on his ninja sword.

"In that case, I'll play along with you."

Chapter 83 Trap

How could those angry demons keep up with Sasuke's speed? Several times they swung their clubs, but Sasuke didn't even bother to block and waste his energy, simply dodging them.

Tayuya saw the tone of the flute change, and the angry demons instantly stopped moving, standing there in a daze. Then, as if their souls had left their bodies, three monsters with transparent bodies appeared. These monsters had no eyes, noses, or ears, and were like overly fat snakes with mouths full of sharp teeth all over their bodies.

The three enraged demons clearly increased their speed and attack range, frantically tearing at Sasuke.

Sasuke tried to attack with his ninja sword, but the transparent part that had just been cut in half returned to its original state, and the extended part seemed to have no substance.

With Kidomaru constantly firing arrows, Sasuke was busy dealing with them and couldn't break through the opponent's attack.

Earth Escape, Earth Prison Hall Without

Jirobo roared, and earthen walls rose up around Sasuke, surrounding him. Sasuke jumped up, trying to escape the earth-style encirclement, but Sasuke's companions, who had been waiting nearby, didn't give him a chance. They ran up to the top of the earth-style encirclement, their legs turning into afterimages as they kicked Sasuke down.

Unable to gain leverage while airborne, Sasuke could only parry with his ninja sword, falling back into the earth-style prison where three angry demons lurked.

"What Uchiha? I wonder what Orochimaru-sama saw in him?" Zuo Youjin was in a great mood and said smugly as he sat on the earthen prison floor.

Tayuya, who had been controlling the raging demon, kept her eyes closed. Sasuke had no room to hide in the earthen prison, and in her eyes, victory was already assured.

A beam of light emerged from Jirobo's Earth Release technique, and Tayuya suddenly opened her eyes, shouting to her surroundings, "Idiots! Get out of here!"

Before the surrounding area could react, the earthen prison exploded instantly. Electricity now surrounded Sasuke, and the three angry demons from before had all collapsed. Sasuke had completed the Chidori Stream ninjutsu, and with the advantage of Lightning Release's counter to Earth Release, he had directly broken through Jirobo's technique.

Those sitting above were not spared from Chidori's attack and were instantly knocked unconscious, lying to the side, their fate unknown.

Jirobo reacted quickly, having been in control of Earth Release all along, only a step slower than Tayuya. He then rushed to the front to block Sasuke. There were no teammates left in the group who could fight in close combat, so even though Earth Release was countered by Lightning Release, he had to take responsibility.

"Don't even think about getting past me!" Jirobo rushed in front of Sasuke, his massive body causing the ground to tremble. His crimson, monstrous hand, carrying a gust of wind, reached out to grab Sasuke.

"Too slow..." Under Sasuke's Sharingan observation, Jirobo was full of openings. With a light sidestep, he dodged the opponent's grab, and the ninja sword in his hand, crackling with lightning, pierced through the opponent's chest. Jirobo fell to the ground in disbelief, and the Cursed Seal 2 state slowly dissipated, returning him to his original form.

"What? He's still human after all. Is this the result of Orochimaru's success?" Jirobo Sasuke said dismissively, looking at Jirobo Sasuke who had returned to his original form.

"Eek!" Upon seeing Jirobo killed, Kidomaru threw down his bow and arrows and turned to run away. Sasuke had shattered his last bit of confidence, and now he only cared about surviving.

"Idiot! How could you run away!" Tayuya was a little flustered, but she forced herself to calm down. However, she couldn't speak anymore as Sasuke's figure appeared in front of her.

"Magic Flute: Illusionary Sound Lock." Tayuya didn't give up until the very end, activating her signature illusion technique, and Sasuke's sword-wielding motion stopped.

Just as Tayuya's face lit up with joy, she felt a chill in her abdomen. Looking down, she saw that Sasuke's ninja sword was already piercing her abdomen; the earlier pause had just been an illusion.

“Using genjutsu in front of the Uchiha? That’s really stupid…” Sasuke didn’t kill him, avoiding vital points. He wanted to leave one alive to get more information, so he turned and walked towards the unconscious Ka.

Snap snap snap~

Just as Sasuke bent down to check the condition of the armor, a clapping sound rang out in the cave. Sasuke's hair stood on end instantly, but he didn't even notice it.

Sasuke turned around and saw two figures emerge from the darkness.

"It's been a long time, Sasuke-kun. I didn't expect you to have improved so much." One of them was Orochimaru, whom he had met during the Chunin Exams. At this moment, his face was still the same as before, with a sickly pale complexion.

"Lord Orochimaru, I was wrong, I will never do it again!" Kidomaru, who had already escaped, returned to his original form, and at this moment, his head was being held down by one hand by Orochimaru's assistant, Kabuto.

"Shh, can't you hear Lord Orochimaru catching up with Sasuke? Let's not disturb them." Kabuto smiled at Kidomaru, his gentle voice seemingly capable of soothing anyone's soul.

Seeing this, Kidomaru covered his mouth with all six hands and nodded desperately, without making a sound.

“Yes, that’s right.” Kabuto approached Kidomaru with a smile, and a chakra scalpel appeared in his hand. He stabbed Kidomaru directly into his heart. Kidomaru cried out in pain and began to struggle. Kabuto covered his mouth with his other hand.

"Didn't I tell you to be quiet? You wouldn't listen." Kabuto continued his attack on Kidomaru with a smile, and Kidomaru soon fell silent.

"Kabuto, you're getting more and more audacious..." Orochimaru said sinisterly. Ever since he escaped Konoha from Uchiha Yoru's clutches, Yoru's respect for him had been slowly waning. Although he still seemed loyal, it was inevitable that he would have other thoughts.

"Lord Orochimaru, I was just doing what you ordered." Kabuto immediately knelt down upon seeing this, still wearing that smug smile.

"Hehe, Sasuke-kun is still here. Get up." Orochimaru wouldn't be fooled by Kabuto's appearance. He didn't have time to care about Kabuto's little schemes. His most important goal was still Sasuke.

"Orochimaru, what do you want to do?" Sasuke was no longer like the last time he saw Orochimaru, when the killing intent he released made him unable to move. According to Ye Lan, Orochimaru's hands had been sealed by the Third Hokage, and his strength was far from what it used to be. Even if he couldn't fight him, he still had a chance to escape.

"Such a confident look in your eyes. It seems that Ye Lan has taught you quite a bit." Orochimaru said, looking at Sasuke's eyes. He knew that he could no longer trick Sasuke into following him as before. Regardless of how Sasuke fought Ye Lan, the two of them had not actually used their full strength back then.

After Sasuke witnessed the battle between Yelan and Itachi, Orochimaru realized that Sasuke could never follow him again, so he used some underhanded tactics.

"Don't you know perfectly well what I want, Sasuke?" Orochimaru said with a playful smile.

"To spy on the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan..." Sasuke hadn't expected Orochimaru to be so obsessed with the Sharingan of the Uchiha. What had he gone through to have such thoughts?

However, as one of the last remaining members of the Uchiha clan, Sasuke also had his own pride. "Give up on that idea. Even if I were to die here, I would never give you my Sharingan."

"Don't be so absolute, Sasuke-kun..." Orochimaru didn't move his hands, but just kept looking at Sasuke. The killing intent emanating from his body made Sasuke very alert.

Orochimaru took a step forward, as if about to make a move, and Sasuke instantly held his ninja sword to his chest, his other hand already preparing to form hand seals.

*Pfft*

Sasuke, who was preparing to fight Orochimaru, looked behind him in surprise and saw that the unconscious Kaname had woken up and was now holding a ninja sword and stabbing it into Sasuke's body.

"Why..." Sasuke couldn't understand why the Anbu would betray the village. Looking at the mask worn by the armored man, he wondered what kind of expression was behind it.

"Lord Orochimaru, Lord Danzo asked me to give you my greetings." Ignoring the fallen Sasuke, A chuckled as he addressed Orochimaru. The previous stab hadn't struck the heart but rather the kidneys, capable of instantly draining a person's strength. Sasuke, constantly on guard against Orochimaru, hadn't paid any attention to A behind him.

"That old bastard Danzo sent out a decent subordinate." Orochimaru was quite satisfied. He had spent a lot of money to agree to Danzo's demands, and he had finally gotten the result he wanted.

"Orochimaru, please show some respect for Lord Danzo!" A shouted sternly. If Lord Danzo hadn't said that he had no choice but to cooperate with Orochimaru for the sake of the village, he wouldn't have wanted to carry out this mission at all.

"Boy! Danzo is just a collaborator in my eyes. He has no right to point fingers at me!" Orochimaru no longer concealed his killing intent and unleashed it all at Orochimaru.

He could not withstand such a level of killing intent. His legs went weak and he knelt on the ground. His mask fell off, revealing his somewhat effeminate and pale face.

"I'll spare you this time, now go and report to Danzo." Orochimaru withdrew his killing intent. Now was not the time to fall out with Danzo. He might need that old guy later, so he couldn't kill this ANBU member yet.

A picked up his mask again, said nothing more, and turned to leave the cave.