Watch closely, Sasuke. I will only show you this once.

Crack, crack, crack~~~
The severed giant tree crashed down, relentlessly crushing other colossal trees. Countless branches collided, squeezed, and shattered, producing a teeth-gritting, agonizing noise.
Rumble, rumble~~~
Flocks of birds scattered into the sky, fleeing far away from this zone of danger.
The cut on the giant tree, sliced open by the glowing blade of Chidori Sharp Spear, was as smooth as silk, just like Orochimaru's body that had been cleaved in two.
"Is he dead?"
Sasuke breathed a slight sigh of relief. This was the real body, and his surprise attack was so sudden that the enemy definitely hadn't had time to use the Substitution Technique.
Now that even his body was broken in half, the enemy should be finished, right?
Yet the very next second, Sasuke witnessed a scene that shocked him to the core.
Like a snake shedding its skin, the enemy's mouth stretched open bonelessly, forming a dark, abyssal maw.
Then, a hand reached out from within, and step by step... an entire person crawled out from inside.
The whole process was utterly bizarre, leaving behind nothing but a useless husk of "snake skin" on the spot.
What a bizarre substitution technique.
"Sasuke-kun, this is truly surprising. You actually managed to find my location."
Orochimaru's eyes burned with excitement. He had assumed Sasuke, who had just awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, wouldn't know how to use it yet, but neither the genjutsu nor the ocular power had reached such an astonishing level.
Not only that, Sasuke's strength was terrifyingly impressive.
Whether it was Lightning Release or Fire Release—wasn't he only twelve years old?
"As expected of one who inherits the name of Uchiha, your talent is equally astonishing."
"I want to make you mine even more!"
The image was already forming vividly in his mind: he would appear before Itachi using Sasuke's body, utilizing this pair of Sharingan to exact revenge for that past grudge of a single glance lasting a lifetime.
Moreover, the Uchiha clan and the Sharingan both possessed immense potential for research.
This body—he, Orochimaru, would gladly accept it!
However, before that, there was a prerequisite.
First, Sasuke had to endure the side effects of his Cursed Seal. After that, he had to take Sasuke to a safe location before performing the Living Corpse Reincarnation.
Here? Absolutely not!
Inside Konoha? Even less so.
Then he would proceed according to the original plan.
He saw hatred in Sasuke's eyes, saw the burning desire to grow stronger. Since that was the case, he would let him witness what a truly formidable powerhouse was like.
He would show him the overwhelming might of a genuine master.
Only then would Sasuke pursue power, choose to defect, and ultimately choose to follow him.
Only then would he have the opportunity to obtain this body!
"As expected of brothers, this pair of eyes has the potential to surpass Itachi."
Deliberately poking at the object of Sasuke's hatred, Orochimaru lowered his posture, preparing to execute a ninjutsu.
Itachi?
This person knew Itachi?
"Just what kind of person are you?"
Orochimaru did not answer him. What met Sasuke was an even more violent onslaught.
"Many Snake Thousand-Hand Array!"
Tens of thousands of snakes swarmed out from Orochimaru's mouth, slithering along the tree trunks and charging at Sasuke with terrifying speed.
The dense, swarming mass of serpents was enough to trigger anyone's trypophobia.
Sasuke did not retreat. He leaped into the air, rapidly closing the distance as his hands formed signs at lightning speed.
"Lightning Release: Myriad Flashes!"
Crack, crack, snap~~~
Countless bolts of lightning erupted from Sasuke's hands, and the powerful electrical current swept across everything in sight in a fan shape. The approaching serpents were all roasted to charred cinders by the overwhelming voltage, and even the surrounding trees were scorched pitch black.
"The jutsu Naruto developed is truly useful."
Muttering inwardly, Sasuke's expression turned even more solemn.
At this moment, he had practically exhausted all his trump cards, yet the enemy had been using basic attacks the entire time.
It gave one the illusion that despite exhausting every ounce of effort he possessed, he was only managing to force out the enemy's regular attacks.
Such a powerful enemy!
Even so, he had to risk everything to demand information about Itachi.
Swallowing another blue Xiaoyao pill, Sasuke rapidly formed hand signs.
"Chidori Sharp Spear!"
In the dim forest, a glowing blade over ten meters long materialized once more. A brilliant flash of color cut swiftly through the air, and a giant tree thick enough for five men to embrace was smoothly sliced in half.
Next, an even more intense battle commenced!
Compared to just moments ago, Sasuke could distinctly feel that the opponent's intensity had jumped by two whole magnitude levels.
The snake-like body moved with lightning speed, the ninjutsu tricks were varied and numerous, and the eerie substitution technique completely nullified the fruits of his attacks.
Such a formidable enemy!
Sasuke lost count of how many times he had marveled at this fact.
Although the opponent's ninjutsu repertoire couldn't entirely compare to Naruto's, the crushing pressure of wanting to put him to death—unlike their sparring matches with Naruto—left him completely breathless.
Ninjutsu followed ninjutsu, attack followed attack. He had virtually no time to catch his breath, and almost zero capacity to counterattack, forced entirely into a passive defense.
The rare few counterattacks he managed, once the enemy got serious, slipped away like mudfish, making it difficult to achieve any substantive results.
The only thing he could land with precision was the Chidori Sharp Spear, which had practically become his sole offensive weapon.
And as the Chidori Sharp Spear was used repeatedly, more giant trees were caught in the wake of Sasuke's attacks, cleanly sliced apart one after another, causing countless colossal trees to collapse in succession.
Crack, crack, crack~~~
As several giant trees were severed, their terrifying weight continuously pressed down upon the others.
A severe chain reaction occurred, functioning like dominoes that caused the remaining massive trees to be forcibly uprooted under the sheer weight. One after another, they crashed down as countless trunks fractured, shattered, and compressed.
Not far away.
Listening to this terrifying commotion, the three genin of Team 10 trembled in the bushes.
Crack, crack, crack~ Thud~
Broken giant trees smashed into the ground, feeling just like an earthquake.
The massive vibrations transmitted through the earth caused the ground to shake, and the three of them shook along with it.
Who am I?
Where am I?
What am I even doing?
With this kind of commotion and destructive power, was this still the Chunin Exams?
Had they accidentally strayed into the venue for the Kage-level selection tournament?!
Choji didn't even feel like eating potato chips right now. He hugged his head with both hands. "Shikamaru!"
He shouted at the top of his lungs to ensure Shikamaru could hear him over the intense noise. "Think of something with your brilliant brain! How are we supposed to escape from here?!"
"Idiot! The most dangerous place is the safest place. With a battle like this going on, who in their right mind would dare approach?!"
Shikamaru, giving a rigid salute, explained, "We just need to maintain a safe enough distance from the battlefield!"
The three little ones waited and waited, trembling with fear.
Finally... two hours passed, and everything grew quiet.
Returning to the main battlefield.
Huff, huff, huff~~~
Sasuke barely managed to maintain his footing, panting heavily.
The Xiaoyao pills were completely depleted, and his chakra was running on fumes as well.
Although the enemy was also covered in wounds, his condition was far superior to Sasuke's.
Earlier, he had foolishly believed he could rely on his reserve of twenty-four Xiaoyao pills to wear the opponent down to death.
Who would have thought that the opponent would pull out their own stash of Xiaoyao pills without a word?
An intense battle that should have lasted at most ten minutes was forcefully dragged out for two whole hours.
At this moment, he was utterly exhausted.
"I never expected you would actually push me to this extent." Following the fierce battle just now, Orochimaru could not have been more satisfied with Sasuke.
His strength far exceeded initial estimations.
If the environment hadn't been inappropriate, he would have desperately wanted to perform the reincarnation right then and there.
Suppressing the urgent, burning desire within his chest, Orochimaru brought his hands together, activating genjutsu!
"Hah! I can't move?"
Sasuke was alarmed. To think a genjutsu would be unleashed right at this moment, when his chakra was completely exhausted.
Unable to resist, completely paralyzed!
"To possess such strength at such a tender age is truly thrilling. I'm about to make you mine."
Suppressed excitement almost made him swallow Sasuke on the spot. Orochimaru's neck darted forward like a striking serpent, curving through the air as it lunged toward Sasuke.
He was ready to inject his energy deep within!
"Move, body! I refuse to be bitten by something like this!"
Even though Sasuke poured every last ounce of remaining strength into the effort, his body remained completely unresponsive.
He was long past exhaustion; remaining upright at this moment was the final display of his stubborn pride.
The serpent head drew closer, and closer still.
Just as it was about to bite...
Swish~
A gleaming blade flashed, slicing the twisted snake neck clean in half.
"Sasuke, you're looking pretty pathetic!"
Atop a lofty tree branch, Naruto stood coolly in a white windbreaker.
The corners of his mouth curled into a smile, his tone relaxed as if everything was completely under control.
"Naruto!"
This guy! Sasuke had never felt such overwhelming relief at the sight of Naruto.
Leaping down to Sasuke's side, Naruto offered him a blue Xiaoyao pill.
Looking back at the opponent, a brand-new enemy had emerged through the "snake-shedding" substitution technique.
Naruto blocked Sasuke, who was attempting to move again.
This person was most likely the one trying to lure Sasuke away, and why would Sasuke defect in the first place?
Without a doubt, it was an overwhelming thirst for power.
The solution was simple and brutal.
Let Sasuke see what a true powerhouse looked like.
Just once would be enough!
"Watch closely, Sasuke, how a monster like this should be beaten to a pulp. I'll only teach you this once!"