"Hmph!"
Sasuke let out a light scoff, his eyes brimming with disdain.
Thanks to Takamagahara, the strengths of many shinobi were no longer a secret. Take Yakushi Kabuto, for instance—the A-rank fugitive wanted by Hidden Leaf. In Takamagahara, he had been challenged over a hundred times.
Through those hundreds of detailed reports, the Intelligence Division had assessed Kabuto's overall strength.
According to their evaluation, Kabuto ranked among the more exceptional Jonin. However, his specialties lay in medical ninjutsu and stealth, so his combat prowess wasn't particularly outstanding among Jonin.
In most situations, that level of skill would be something to boast about.
But to face a Mangekyo Uchiha? In Sasuke's eyes, that was nothing short of delusional.
Despite Sasuke's unconcealed scorn, Kabuto merely smiled. Suddenly, his expression shifted as if he'd noticed something amusing, and the corners of his mouth curled upward.
Sasuke, still intent on capturing Orochimaru, had no interest in wasting time with Kabuto. His hands swiftly formed seals. "Fire Release, Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Boom. In an instant, a massive fireball, enveloped in searing heat, roared toward Kabuto!
"What a powerful Fire Release!"
Kabuto's heart tightened. Abandoning any thought of countering with ninjutsu, he dodged to the side.
Swish. At that moment, Sasuke used the Body Flicker Jutsu to appear in front of Kabuto, cutting off his escape route. A kunai crackling with lightning chakra slashed toward him.
"!?"
Kabuto was caught off guard again, but his hands moved quickly, completing a seal.
Poof. Amid a surge of white smoke, a massive gray serpent materialized, coiling its body to shield Kabuto.
The next moment, Sasuke's fireball and the lightning-charged kunai struck the serpent simultaneously, unleashing a deafening roar!
Sasuke, who had retreated in advance, stared at the rolling smoke.
Then, his eyes narrowed as he made out the charred corpse of the serpent in the smoke—and Kabuto, standing unscathed at its center.
Pushing up his glasses, Kabuto chuckled. "That was a close one, wasn't it?"
"Tch!"
Sasuke spat, lightning sparking in his hand once more.
Suddenly, Kabuto darted toward a patch of bushes behind Sasuke. Amid a scream, he seized someone, pressing a kunai to their throat.
Sasuke's brow furrowed. "Sakura!?"
No doubt about it.
The figure Kabuto had ambushed was none other than Sakura!
Before the prison riot, Sakura had been with Sasuke. When the signal flare went up from the prison, Sasuke rushed over immediately. Worried for his safety, Sakura had quietly followed but, knowing she couldn't help much, hid in the nearby bushes.
With Sakura as a hostage, Kabuto pressed the kunai's sharp edge against her throat. "Sasuke-kun, please don't make this difficult for me!"
Sasuke growled, "Despicable coward!"
"Despicable?" Kabuto laughed. "Against a Mangekyo Uchiha, I don't have the luxury of being honorable!"
Swish swish swish. With the sound of rushing air, Asuma, Kurenai, and several other Hidden Leaf Chunin arrived at the scene.
Seeing Sasuke and Kabuto locked in a standoff, Asuma quickly asked, "Sasuke, what's going on? Have you seen Orochimaru? Where's Shinji?"
Sasuke, his face dark, pointed in a direction. "Orochimaru just escaped that way! This guy took Sakura hostage to stall me!"
Asuma frowned.
The direction Sasuke indicated was, coincidentally, the area with the weakest defenses nearby!
Kurenai spoke up. "Orochimaru is a Hokage-level shinobi. If we pursue him alone, it's pointless. Let's deal with Kabuto here first, then chase Orochimaru together!"
"Got it!"
Asuma nodded decisively.
With their side holding the advantage in both numbers and strength, dealing with Kabuto shouldn't take long.
As the Hidden Leaf shinobi closed in, Kabuto released Sakura and turned to flee.
They were all shinobi—hostages, unless someone of critical importance, had limited value. Lingering here would only put him at a greater disadvantage.
"After him!"
The Hidden Leaf shinobi naturally wouldn't let him go, immediately giving chase.
In the pursuit, Kabuto, Sasuke, Asuma, and the others soon broke through Hidden Leaf's outer walls.
By now, it wasn't just Sasuke and Asuma chasing Kabuto. More Hidden Leaf shinobi joined along the way, their numbers swelling. Finally, through a coordinated encirclement, they trapped Kabuto in a forest just outside Hidden Leaf Village.
Seeing this, Sasuke turned to Asuma. "You all handle him. I'm going after Orochimaru!"
"Be careful!"
Asuma didn't try to stop him, only offering a brief warning.
With so many Hidden Leaf shinobi surrounding Kabuto, the situation was under control. Sasuke could pursue Orochimaru, leaving markers along the way for them to follow and provide support.
"Got it!"
Sasuke nodded and vanished with a swish.
As Sasuke departed, the faint smile Kabuto had worn finally faded.
Covering Orochimaru's escape from Hidden Leaf Village meant the rescue mission was essentially a success.
After all, with Orochimaru's strength, as long as he wasn't trapped in the village surrounded by hundreds of Hidden Leaf shinobi, escaping shouldn't be an issue.
What truly concerned Kabuto was the Akatsuki, their collaborators in this mission. He feared the organization, lurking in the shadows, might pose a threat to Orochimaru, so he wanted to regroup with him as soon as possible.
Asuma shouted, "Look around you. You've got no chance. Surrender!"
Rustle. Kabuto ripped off his black cloak, slowly forming hand seals as he spoke. "I was saving this for those Akatsuki folks, but it seems I have no choice."
Watching Kabuto's calm demeanor, Asuma suddenly felt a chill of foreboding.
Kabuto, having completed his seals, carefully removed his glasses. A faint purple eyeshadow appeared around his eyes, and two pairs of horns sprouted from his head!
"What's that…?"
"What's going on? How did his chakra skyrocket like that?"
"Are those horns on his head?"
The Hidden Leaf shinobi exchanged stunned glances.
The sensory shinobi among them were especially shocked. In their perception, Kabuto's chakra had surged several times over in an instant. It made them question whether their sensory ninjutsu was malfunctioning or if they'd been caught in some kind of genjutsu…