Naruto: Mizuki The Savior

Chapter 38: Genjutsu

Sometimes, battle is not just about strength—it's about courage.

For the first time, Sakura Haruno was facing a powerful enemy alone. This moment of growth was something she could never achieve by hiding behind Sasuke and Naruto. A ninja relies on comrades and teammates to navigate their path, but if one can only depend on others without being someone others can rely on, then as a ninja, they have already failed halfway.

The ill-tempered Zaku was the first to attack. Seeing that the girl in front of him dared to provoke him by throwing a shuriken, he immediately raised both hands and fired one Decapitating Airwave after another. However, despite appearing weak, Sakura miraculously dodged each attack by mere inches. The disparity between his attacks and her evasions fueled Zaku's anger even further.

His unfortunate childhood had made him accustomed to using brute force to demonstrate his strength—both to gain Orochimaru's approval and to protect himself in the harsh environment of the Sound Village, where the weak were easily ostracized and bullied. Over time, this had shaped his current personality.

To Zaku, Sakura's actions were nothing less than mockery and disdain. Enraged, he gathered his chakra to the limit, channeling it into both hands before unleashing his strongest attack.

"Decapitating Extreme Airwave!"

A massive explosion of force erupted, utterly decimating the ground in front of him. The girl, who had so brazenly defied him, was shredded to pieces by the attack—or so it seemed.

Satisfied, Zaku let out a victorious laugh.

But then, to his shock, the girl he had just obliterated stood up again, completely unscathed.

"Impossible!" His disbelief was overwhelming.

As his emotions spiraled out of control, a pair of hands suddenly grabbed his arms. A surge of chakra rushed into his body, and the scene before him shattered like broken glass, revealing the true state of the battlefield—Sakura was still standing, untouched.

"Have you come to your senses, Zaku?" Dosu's voice rang in his ears.

"W-What happened?" Zaku stammered. "Was all of that… just genjutsu?"

From the side, Kin scoffed in irritation. "I thought you were just short-tempered, but I didn't expect you to be this stupid. You fell for such a simple genjutsu, wasted all your energy, and exhausted the rest of us too. How the hell did Orochimaru-sama even pick you?"

Thrown together as a team only for this mission, the three Sound-nin had absolutely no sense of camaraderie. Kin had no qualms about exposing their internal conflicts.

"What did you just say, you ugly woman?!" Zaku's voice rose sharply with rage. Kin's words had struck a nerve—not only had she insulted him, but she had also questioned Orochimaru's judgment. To Zaku, who revered Orochimaru as his idol, her remark was utterly unforgivable.

"Enough, both of you." Dosu, their reluctant leader, intervened before a full-blown fight could break out. "Settle your problems after we finish our mission. Until we kill Uchiha Sasuke, focus on Orochimaru-sama's orders."

Seeing the Sound-nin momentarily set aside their differences and prepare to attack her again, Sakura knew she was in deep trouble. She had managed to stall for time by trapping Zaku in genjutsu, but against both superior numbers and strength, she had no chance of turning the tide.

---

Not far away, Neji Hyuga, Rock Lee, and Tenten had been observing the fight. The moment the genjutsu was broken, they realized Sakura's situation had taken a turn for the worse.

Lee, ever the chivalrous warrior, clenched his fists. "We have to help her!"

"Stay put, Lee," Neji said, grabbing his eager teammate before he could leap into the fray.

"But Neji, if we don't act now, Sakura will be in serious danger!"

"Not yet. That girl is safe for the moment." Neji activated his Byakugan, focusing on the scene before them. "The black-haired Uchiha is about to wake up. It looks like we won't need to interfere after all."

Neji narrowed his eyes as he observed Sasuke's condition. "That chakra… It feels unsettlingly cold. Something isn't right."

---

Realizing that her stalling tactics had run their course, Sakura tightly gripped a kunai, her expression serious as she braced herself for the inevitable assault.

But before the Sound-nin could make a move, their eyes shifted away from her, focusing on something behind her instead.

"Is there someone behind me?"

Growing wary, Sakura cautiously turned around—and her heart leapt with relief.

Sasuke was awake.

"Sasuke-kun?" she called, her voice tinged with both hope and unease.

However, as she got a closer look, an unsettling chill ran down her spine. The Sasuke standing before her was different. While he no longer radiated the eerie chakra from before, the ominous aura around him had only intensified. The dark cloud-like markings that covered his body did not seem like a good omen.

Unlike Sakura, the three Sound-nin were not just disturbed—they were outright horrified.

As shinobi of the Sound Village, they were no strangers to Orochimaru's cursed marks. And the markings on Sasuke's body… these were no mere failed experiment like Mizuki's mark. Sasuke's curse mark was on par with those of the Sound Four and Kimimaro—an elite-level power granted only to Orochimaru's most trusted subordinates.

"There's only one explanation for this," they realized. "Orochimaru-sama must have already marked Sasuke."

And if that was the case…

The roles of their mission suddenly became painfully clear.

For the first time, an unsettling realization dawned upon the Sound-nin: they weren't here to kill Sasuke—they were merely his test subjects.

For Zaku, this truth was the hardest to swallow. He had always taken immense pride in being chosen by Orochimaru. The idea that he was nothing more than a stepping stone for Orochimaru's "new favorite" was utterly unbearable.

Sasuke, meanwhile, clenched his fists, feeling the surge of newfound power coursing through his veins. Though his mind was clouded by the overwhelming energy, a sliver of rationality remained. He wasn't completely lost—not yet. He could still recognize Sakura and acknowledge her efforts.

"Good job, Sakura," he said, his voice calm but laced with an eerie undertone. "I'll take it from here."

The Sound-nin, though rattled, were still unwilling to disobey Orochimaru's command. Determined to see their mission through, Kin was the first to attack. She swiftly launched her deadly senbon, but Sasuke effortlessly dodged them.

With his Sharingan fully active, every movement was laid bare before him.

In a sudden burst of speed, he vanished from sight, reappearing right beside Kin in the blink of an eye.

Before she could even react, Sasuke's fist slammed into her stomach, sending her crashing into a tree, where she slumped unconscious.

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