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

"Kabuto, heal Sasuke, don't let him die." After Kabuto left, Orochimaru instructed him, not wanting the next body he had painstakingly prepared to be lost.

Kabuto walked straight to Sasuke and found that Sasuke, who had already fallen to the ground, was still conscious and staring at him with his eyes wide open.

"Sasuke-kun, don't look at me like that. Maybe we'll become comrades someday," Kabuto said with a smile, adjusting his glasses.

"You...you don't deserve it." Sasuke struggled to say, each word requiring all his strength.

"Alright, alright, let me heal you." Kabuto used Healing Palm Technique, not forgetting to toss Sasuke's ninja sword aside as he began the treatment.

Seeing Sasuke's murderous glare, Kabuto casually said, "It's just a ninja sword. Orochimaru has much better collectibles. You'll have something better in the future."

"That... kind of thing, you...think I'd...want it?"

Seeing Sasuke's pale face, Kabuto said, "Don't talk anymore, it will affect your injuries."

Sasuke closed his eyes and stopped speaking, seemingly resigned to his fate. His body slowly recovered under the healing power of the Healing Palm Technique, but since Kabuto had sealed all his chakra, he couldn't use any ninjutsu.

Seeing Sasuke's condition, Kabuto stopped talking and focused on treating him.

Just as the treatment was about to end, Sasuke made his move, pulling out a kunai hidden under his ANBU arm guard and thrusting it at Kabuto. Kabuto, as if he had been expecting this, grabbed Sasuke's wrist.

"I hate disobedient children the most, Sasuke-kun." Kabuto's smile had vanished, and he looked at Sasuke with a hint of hostility.

"Summoning Jutsu." Sasuke was only feigning an attack. He activated the summoning jutsu that he had always engraved on his left hand. Although he couldn't use chakra, he could use natural energy instead of chakra. He had just closed his eyes to gather a little bit of natural energy.

Kabuto's expression changed drastically, and he immediately withdrew from Sasuke's side.

Orochimaru's face also turned grim. This was a trap he had meticulously designed for Sasuke, but unexpectedly, something went wrong in the end. He stared intently at the thick smoke produced by the summoning.

Chapter 84 Escape

Hearing the sounds of fighting coming from inside the cave, the antelope and the gray wolf nervously looked inside, not expecting that there was indeed danger inside.

Just as the antelope was about to step forward, the gray wolf grabbed its wrist, and the antelope looked at him in confusion.

“Antelope, I know you want to help the squad leader, but you know how weak he is. If we encounter a really powerful enemy, even if we all go, we won’t be of much help. And have you forgotten what the squad leader said?” Gray Wolf said calmly.

Sasuke only ordered the two of them to guard the cave entrance. If Sasuke hadn't come out by the appointed time, they were to retreat back to the village. This shows that their ANBU unit was simply incapable of dealing with this kind of danger.

The fighting inside the cave grew louder and louder; even those standing at the cave entrance could faintly hear the sounds. Then, a piercing bird cry came from inside the cave, and the antelope and the gray wolf's expressions changed.

They all knew that Sasuke's Chidori was one of his trump cards, and they were very familiar with the sound of Chidori. The fact that Sasuke was even using Chidori at this moment meant that the enemy was no ordinary person.

The antelope tried to go forward, but the gray wolf had already blocked the entrance to the cave with its entire body, determined not to let the antelope pass.

"Grey Wolf, do you want me to do it?" Antelope's voice was somewhat cold. If Sasuke was just a little bit away from defeating the enemy, she would regret it to death if she found out later.

"The squad leader even used Chidori, which means the battle is nearing its end. If you go over now, the battle will be over. Listen... there's no sound anymore." Gray Wolf pointed to the cave behind him, and sure enough, the sounds of fighting were weakening, until finally all the noise disappeared.

The antelope calmed itself down and stopped arguing with the gray wolf. It took a long breath and realized that the gray wolf was right; the battle was probably over.

"Be vigilant. We don't know if the next creature will be friend or foe. If it's the enemy, run immediately and relay the information to the village. I'll hold them off." Gray Wolf put his brass knuckles back on and looked warily toward the cave entrance.

The antelope didn't say much. She understood that the gray wolf's decisions were correct, and that this rational approach was actually in the best interests of the village. But she was still a little unhappy.

Da da da...

The hurried footsteps grew closer, and both the gray wolf and the antelope raised their weapons. There was only one footstep, and it sounded somewhat panicked, possibly from an enemy trying to escape.

When they saw who it was, they put down their weapons. The person who came was none other than the first member of their squad.

Seeing that they didn't slow down at all and sped past them, A only said one word as he passed by, "Retreat!"

A had a wound on his arm, his steps were a little unsteady, and because he was wearing a mask, his current expression couldn't be seen, but he must be very flustered.

Upon seeing Jia's appearance, the gray wolf followed without hesitation. The antelope glanced at the cave, then at the two who had already escaped, gritted its teeth, and followed the gray wolf.

If it's truly an enemy that Sasuke can't handle, then Antelope's presence would only result in one more death. In the current situation, the only option is to return to the village and report to the Hokage.

"A, what's inside! Where's the squad leader!" Antelope struggled to catch up with the two and asked directly.

"Inside is Orochimaru's experimental base, with many of his experimental subjects, like the ones we encountered outside, but clearly successful products. They possess rationality and are stronger than ordinary Chunin," said A, who was at the front of the group, seemingly having regained some of his composure.

“A Chunin’s strength shouldn’t make you so panicked. Although the class president is still a Chunin, she would have become a Jonin long ago if it weren’t for her age. What else is there?” Antelope calmly analyzed. As the person in the class who had spent the most time with Sasuke, she understood that Sasuke’s strength might be more than what he had shown.

"Besides the experimental subjects, there's Orochimaru inside!" A told his teammates directly without being mysterious.

The antelope and the gray wolf felt as if their brains had exploded, and their scalps tingled. Orochimaru was infamous in Konoha, having personally killed his mentor, the Third Hokage, and his strength was unfathomable.

The last time Orochimaru invaded Konoha was still fresh in their minds. Facing Orochimaru was like a child facing a strong adult man; they had no chance of winning.

"Then how did you escape?" After the initial shock, Antelope thought of another question. No matter how talented Sasuke was, before he fully matured, he was no different from them in front of Orochimaru. Only if Ye Lan, who had once repelled Orochimaru, was there would they have the confidence to face Orochimaru.

"Orochimaru's target was the class monitor," A said, revealing Orochimaru's purpose. "The class monitor managed to block two attacks for me, allowing me to escape. Orochimaru completely ignored my escape."

The antelope and the gray wolf remained silent. A's words seemed somewhat contradictory, but given Orochimaru's volatile personality, it was quite possible that he would do such a thing.

The group fell silent again. Having figured out it was Orochimaru, they had no courage to go back. The only thing they could do now was to quickly report to Tsunade and tell her that Orochimaru had reappeared.

...

"Summoning Jutsu!" Sasuke squeezed every last bit of energy out of his body. He didn't know if he could summon the Seven Killers. Right now, he couldn't use any chakra energy at all, and could only hope that this move could bring a sliver of hope for a comeback.

As the white smoke dissipated, Orochimaru's already somewhat unpleasant expression turned strange. In front of Sasuke appeared a normal-sized falcon, its wingspan only about half the size of a person.

"Sasuke-kun, it seems that staying in Konoha for a while has made you more humorous." Orochimaru teased Sasuke on purpose. At this moment, he also understood the reason. Kabuto's seal had prevented Sasuke from using much chakra. However, the energy that Sasuke had just used felt somewhat familiar to him.

"Oh my, that really startled me. Is this your special move, Sasuke-kun?" Kabuto, who had been crouching down in a guarded posture, straightened up as he looked at Sasuke's summoning beast.

Sasuke looked at the black-feathered bird in front of him speechlessly. He hadn't expected to summon this thing. This guy didn't seem to have any fighting ability at all.

The strange black bird let out a cry, then looked at Sasuke and said, "You're the second person to sign a contract with our clan? What do you want with me?"

Sasuke, still clinging to a sliver of hope as he looked at the strange bird that looked quite impressive, said unwillingly, "Could you help me take care of those two people over there?"

The strange bird glanced in the direction Sasuke was pointing, then shook its head vigorously, saying hastily, "No, no, those two guys don't look like they're easy to mess with. Asking me to deal with them is just sending me to my death."

Sasuke sighed, realizing there was really no room for struggle. Although Orochimaru didn't intend to kill him, he didn't want to follow Orochimaru. Looking at his grotesque appearance, Sasuke didn't know what he would become if he stayed with him for too long.

"Although I can't deal with them, I have a way to help you escape. Don't underestimate the Swift Falcon clan, kid!" the strange bird said smugly.

Sasuke perked up at this and couldn't help but ask, "How do we do it!"

"Kabuto." Orochimaru didn't want things to drag on, so he directly ordered Kabuto to take action. He remembered the energy Sasuke used, the natural energy that he had given up back then. Orochimaru didn't understand how Sasuke mastered this power, but the unknown meant the unexpected, and he wanted to settle this matter with swift and decisive action.

Kabuto didn't say anything more. A blue chakra appeared in his hand, a chakra scalpel, a ninjutsu similar to a low-level version of Lightning Blade. Kabuto wasn't taking it lightly; he always had to be extremely cautious when dealing with the Uchiha clan.

"Here it comes! Kid, let me show you my moves!" The black swift bird saw Kabuto rushing over and flew directly to the top of the cave. Its wings flapped, creating a small storm. The storm wasn't very powerful, but it carried a pungent fragrance that permeated the entire cave.

As soon as he stepped forward, Dou sensed something was wrong and began to cover his mouth and nose, but it was too late. At that moment, he felt as if he had entered a space filled with gray fog, unable to distinguish front from back, left from right, or right, and completely lost his way.

It was another illusion. Orochimaru was also caught in the trap, but he reacted immediately. However, since he was unable to form hand seals, even though he knew it would be difficult to break free, he could only start calling Kabuto's name.

"Hurry up, kid, this move of mine won't last long," the strange bird urged, landing on Sasuke's shoulder.

Sasuke seized the opportunity and immediately got up and ran towards the cave entrance. Just then, he saw Tayuya still struggling on the ground. At this moment, she had not given up her desire to survive.

Seeing Tayuya's condition, Sasuke hesitated before making a decision. He simply picked her up and carried her on his back as they ran towards the cave entrance.

Chapter 85 Greedy Wolf

"Is this your teammate? Why are you still worrying about others at a time like this?" The strange bird flew off Sasuke's shoulder and made an unpleasant sound.

"Enough with the nonsense! I have my own plans." Sasuke wasn't acting on a whim; he did have a plan. He hadn't kept Ye Lan's desire to learn the Impure World Reincarnation a secret from him, and he wanted to find out more about Orochimaru through Tayuya.

Even if it's only of some use, saving Duoyou wouldn't be a loss.

Moreover, having witnessed his comrade being killed by Kabuto, he did not believe that Tayuya could remain loyal.

Upon quickly reaching the cave entrance, Sasuke noticed that his chakra was slowly recovering after being impacted by the natural energy.

When they arrived at the cave entrance, the figures of A and the others had already disappeared, meaning they must have left.

Danzo, the Konoha advisor who clashed with Ye Lan last time, is definitely a suspicious person.

Sasuke believed he hadn't done anything detrimental to Konoha, and he and Yoru had made many contributions to the village, so he probably had nothing to do with Tsunade.

But what was Danzo's purpose in doing this? The now-mature Sasuke also began to ponder this.

Thud—

The cave behind Sasuke began to collapse, making a loud noise.

Sasuke's gaze sharpened, and he quickly hid in the jungle. He couldn't use much chakra at the moment, and if he ran, he would definitely be caught. It was better to hide first.

A huge purple python emerged from the collapsed cave. Its head was triangular, and there were several small protruding horns behind its head.

At this moment, Orochimaru and Kabuto were atop its head, looking down at everything around them.

"Orochimaru, what do you want from me this time?!" Manda has a bad temper and has always been unwilling to submit to Orochimaru's control. Every time he appears, he throws a tantrum.

"Lord Manda! Don't worry, the offerings are all prepared, as long as you..." Kabuto climbed on Manda to comfort him, though he was mostly afraid of this summoning beast.

"Shut up! Did I talk to you?!" Manda roared at Kabuto, annoyed that the kid was already annoyed by him and dared to talk to him without permission.

"Manda is ready. This is just a minor matter and won't cause trouble for too long," Orochimaru said. The key now is to find Sasuke.

"No matter what, I can't be short of my one hundred sacrifices!" Manda has a huge appetite and likes to use living people as sacrifices. If Orochimaru hadn't been able to meet its demands, it wouldn't have wanted to be summoned every time.

"Sensitize the area to see if there are any ninjas around, and where they are." Orochimaru couldn't see Sasuke, so he figured Sasuke hadn't gone far and was likely hiding nearby.

"This is such a small matter..." Wanshe muttered in dissatisfaction, but didn't say anything more. It was still willing to do it if it could get a sacrifice for doing a small thing.

Sasuke, who was hiding, noticed a thin film covering Manda's pupils and saw it flicking its tongue, sensing something was wrong. Manda wasn't using sensory ninjutsu, but rather the natural talent of a snake.

Snakes can sense temperature differences based on their surroundings. Even if they can't see it, the temperature difference still exists. This is especially true for creatures like Manda, who can maximize this ability. No matter how well Sasuke hides, Manda can sense him like a torch in the dark.

"Don't panic, kid, watch this..." The strange bird quietly landed on Sasuke's head. Its body was not small, and its weight was not light either. It almost made Sasuke, who did not have much chakra in his body, collapse.

"Stay still, don't move, don't get spotted..." the strange bird complained softly, then stopped flapping its wings and sat motionless on Sasuke's head like a statue.

Then Sasuke felt himself enveloped by an invisible special energy. Apart from his five senses, he could no longer use natural energy or chakra to perceive his surroundings.

Sasuke remained motionless even when he saw this, despite feeling his body stiffen.

After a while, the thin membrane on the eyes of the snake slowly opened, revealing a pair of snake eyes.

"Have you found anything?" Orochimaru gradually lost his patience and asked somewhat impatiently.

"Orochimaru, are you kidding me? There's nothing around here except some animals!" Manda said to Orochimaru with dissatisfaction, not believing that its senses were malfunctioning.

Orochimaru's face was grim. Could it be that Sasuke had really run away? He had gone to great lengths and paid such a high price for Danzo, only to get nothing in return.

This was unacceptable to Orochimaru, who was always self-healing and intelligent.