The Sakura Legend

Seeing the giant snake, Sasuke finally showed a flicker of panic.

This wasn't a battle on their level. Sasuke's emotions were incredibly complex as he stared at the colossal serpent.

Orochimaru, standing atop the giant snake's head, looked down at Sakura with his serpentine eyes, his voice a raspy whisper.

"Come, let me see how much you've learned from Tsunade."

Sakura observed that the giant snake wasn't purple. It wasn't Manda; it was an ordinary summoned snake. She felt a pang of disappointment. If it had been Manda, it would have been easier to attract the attention of the ANBU.

"Sakura-chan, wha... what do we do?" Naruto was also a bit panicked by the snake's appearance.

"Hmph, are you scared already? Cow-ards!" Sakura said, her eyes narrowing at Naruto and Sasuke, emphasizing each syllable.

"…" Sasuke and Naruto's expressions stiffened.

"Who says I'm scared? Just watch, Sakura-chan! I'll defeat him!" Naruto immediately retorted.

Sasuke, too, had lost his earlier apprehension, his expression much calmer.

Sigh… Even if these two would become some of the top figures in the ninja world in the future, right now they were still just kids.

Sakura didn't waste any more words. She bit her finger, formed hand seals, and output as much chakra as possible.

"Ninja Art: Summoning Technique!"

A cloud of smoke enveloped Sakura. When the smoke cleared, the three of them were standing on a massive slug, the ground beneath them feeling soft and yielding.

"Hmm? This is? Sakura Haruno-sama?" The slug, upon appearing, realized it wasn't Tsunade-sama, but the disciple Tsunade-sama had taken in a few years ago, Sakura Haruno.

"Katsuyu-sama, I'm sorry to trouble you. Our opponent is Orochimaru," Sakura told the slug.

"Ewww~~~~~ Sakura-chan, what is this? It's so gross!" Naruto exclaimed, looking down at the blue-striped, white-bodied mollusk beneath their feet with disgust.

"This is Tsunade-sama's summoning animal, a division of the Sage Slug, Katsuyu. With my abilities, I can only summon this small portion," Sakura explained.

Actually, what Sakura had summoned was already quite large, about three or four stories tall. She wasn't aiming to defeat Orochimaru, only to stall for time.

"Orochimaru? Sakura Haruno-sama, dealing with Orochimaru will still be quite difficult for you right now," Katsuyu said.

'Quite difficult'? If Orochimaru got serious, it would basically be an instant kill. Katsuyu was too kind; she couldn't bear to crush their spirits.

"I didn't expect you to be capable of this. You're not far behind Tsunade," Orochimaru said, his sinister face showing no discernible change in expression.

"Katsuyu-sama, could you please deal with that giant snake? And also, please protect Sasuke, this Uchiha clan member." Sakura pointed at Sasuke. "Orochimaru's target is him. He wants to place a curse mark on him."

Sasuke's heart was filled with resentment. From the Land of Waves to the Forest of Death, he had always been under Sakura's subtle protection. How could he even talk about revenge like this, when he couldn't even protect himself?

"Sakura!! I don't need protection!" Sasuke's voice was icy.

"Sasuke!! Don't be unreasonable!! Orochimaru's target is you!!" Sakura, hearing Sasuke's words at this critical juncture, unconsciously raised her voice.

"Shut up!! Just go deal with Orochimaru! I don't need you to protect me!!" Sasuke turned around, breathing heavily, his crimson eyes, now showing two tomoe in each, glaring at Sakura. He'd activated his Sharingan.

"Heh heh… Internal conflict? The Uchiha clan is a proud clan. Naturally, Sasuke can't stand his own helplessness," Orochimaru observed, watching Sasuke and Sakura's heated argument.

For Orochimaru, their internal strife was advantageous. He had suffered several setbacks in the Forest of Death. He'd initially thought dealing with some genin would be a piece of cake, but he hadn't expected Tsunade's disciple to be here, and a disciple who had inherited most of Tsunade's abilities at that.

Now that Katsuyu had appeared, as long as Konoha wasn't slow to react, they would realize something was wrong. He had to act quickly.

While Sasuke and Sakura were arguing, Katsuyu had already engaged the giant snake. The snake's physical attacks were completely useless against Katsuyu, while Katsuyu's acid frequently caused the snake to let out pained hisses.

"Sasuke, Sakura, watch out for Orochimaru in front of you!" Naruto called out to the two who were still facing off.

"Damn it, I absolutely won't let you protect me again," Sasuke declared, ignoring Sakura's attempts to stop him and leaping out of Katsuyu's protective range.

This finally gave Orochimaru the opening he needed. He commanded the giant snake to entangle Katsuyu and swiftly charged towards Sasuke.

Seeing Sasuke jump out, Sakura immediately followed. Damn it, she thought. Sasuke was still provoked by my actions.

Ever since they started at the Academy, she had always been one step ahead of Sasuke. She had thought that her actions over the years had gradually dispelled the darkness in Sasuke's heart, but it turned out she had only suppressed it. Now, it had erupted.

Being reminded by Orochimaru of the past Sasuke didn't want to face did have an impact. When she summoned Katsuyu, Sasuke's inner desire for power finally snapped.

"Sasuke, you're in danger right now. You need to calm down," Sakura pleaded, surprised that Sasuke had lost his usual composure at this critical moment.

Although Sasuke and Sakura were both dealing with Orochimaru, Sasuke was simply launching a furious barrage of attacks, while Sakura stayed to the side, constantly on guard for any opportunity Orochimaru might take to place the curse mark on Sasuke.

Under Sasuke's frenzied assault, he was surprisingly able to hold his own against Orochimaru for a time. It seemed that activating his two-tomoe Sharingan had significantly enhanced his observational abilities.

"Sasuke, don't resist. I can give you the power to kill Uchiha Itachi," Orochimaru continued, using Itachi to goad Sasuke.

"Don't mention that man to me! I will kill him!" Sasuke shouted, his voice filled with rage.

"Hehehe… Look at how weak you are. You can't even beat that little girl. Accept my power. I'll make you even stronger than her," Orochimaru said. Seeing a flicker of desire in Sasuke's eyes, he knew the time was right.

He instantly extended his neck, lunging towards Sasuke's neck.

Sakura saw Orochimaru's elongated neck heading for Sasuke. Sasuke's expression clearly showed he was being swayed by Orochimaru's words. If she didn't intervene, Sasuke would probably half-heartedly allow Orochimaru to place the curse mark.

There was no time to think. Katsuyu was entangled with the giant snake, and Sakura had to maintain the summoning, leaving her unable to prepare a ninjutsu.

Sakura dashed forward, throwing herself in front of Sasuke, taking his place. Orochimaru probably wouldn't place the curse mark on her, right? And if he did, she could at least study it.