In the vast, cold underground chamber
This place had once been the deepest secret of the Uchiha clan.
Only the clan head and a handful of elders had been permitted to enter freely. Even elite members of the clan required explicit authorization to step into the most critical areas. After the massacre of the Uchiha, this underground sanctuary became nothing more than a place silently trampled upon by the upper echelon of Konohagakure.
And yet, due to a special agreement, neither the Uchiha district nor this sealed location had been destroyed.
Sarutobi Hiruzen was never the sort to completely erase a clan's remnants.
Shimura Danzō, however, had wanted to do exactly that
But he had been unable to.
Because of this, the most important stone slab still remained, hidden within this restricted zone.
Sasuke walked forward without hesitation, stopping directly before the ancient slab.
In the next instant
His Sharingan activated.
Two pitch-black tomoe rotated slowly within his crimson pupils.
His gaze fixed upon the inscriptions carved into the stone. His expression remained calm, yet his right hand clenched unconsciously, nails digging into his palm.
This is not where I belong.
Power… I need stronger power.
The scenes from the Chūnin Exams resurfaced vividly in his mind.
Gaara's monstrous transformation.
Menma's overwhelming chakra pressure.
Both displays far exceeded Sasuke's current limits.
Either of them could defeat him without effort.
Sasuke did not yet fully understand concepts such as tailed beasts or jinchūriki. From his perspective, he saw only peers
boys of the same generation standing on heights utterly beyond his reach.
For someone as proud as Sasuke, that reality was unacceptable.
His fingers rose instinctively to his neck.
The curse mark burned faintly beneath his touch.
Sasuke inhaled deeply.
Then
Buzz.
With a single thought, chakra surged.
The curse mark reacted as if alive.
Dark, writhing patterns spread rapidly across his body, creeping along his skin like living ink.
For the first time, Sasuke's face twisted in pain.
He clenched his teeth, biting down hard on his lower lip to suppress any sound. Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
Only two or three seconds passed
Yet it felt like endless torment.
When the black markings fully enveloped him, the pain dulled into something tolerable. In its place came a suffocating sense of fullness.
Power.
Sasuke flexed his right hand.
The strength flowing through his body was undeniable.
But only seconds later
His expression contorted into something feral.
Not enough.
This isn't enough, far from it!
The amplification granted by the first stage of the Curse Mark was insufficient.
Every time Sasuke closed his eyes, the images returned.
Menma.
Gaara.
Their overwhelming presence as they dominated the arena.
What Sasuke needed was power that could match them or surpass them.
Especially him.
The man whose existence loomed like an unscalable wall.
The memory of that encounter, after so many years
Sasuke's face twisted violently.
Nightmarish images flooded his mind.
The screams.
The blood.
The torture that crushed both body and spirit.
How can this be repaired…?
How can this ever be repaid
Uchiha Itachi!!!
His chakra surged violently.
The oppressive aura around him thickened.
Sasuke's emotional restraint shattered completely.
Though more than ten days had passed since the Chūnin Exams, and though Konoha's best medical-nin had already healed his physical injuries
The wound in his heart burned fiercer than ever.
Itachi's indifferent gaze haunted him relentlessly.
His soul was already sinking.
For power
He was willing to bargain with the devil.
If I can't obtain it here…
Then I'll leave.
Menma's figure reflected faintly within Sasuke's darkened Sharingan.
His right hand clenched slowly.
A cold resolve formed in his eyes.
This was his decision.
Though certain events had diverged from the original path, Sasuke's thirst for power remained unchanged. The Chūnin Exams, Gaara, and Menma had carved themselves deeply into his heart.
He could no longer tolerate such slow progress.
What he wanted was immediate strength.
And Orochimaru
Was the only answer.
Several nights later.
With the aid of spies still embedded within Konoha, the Sound Four slipped once more into the village under Orochimaru's direct orders.
They appeared before Sasuke.
"Let's go."
This time
Sasuke did not refuse.
After having already made contact with them in advance, he faced the four Oto-nin with an indifferent expression.
"Yes, Sasuke-sama."
The four knelt on one knee simultaneously, their voices tinged with respect.
"This is something Orochimaru-sama prepared in advance for you," said Jirōbō, his voice low.
"As long as you enter it, you will be able to activate the second stage of the Curse Mark… and obtain power far greater than before."
As he spoke, Jirōbō removed the massive wooden barrel from his back and placed it before Sasuke.
Upon hearing those words
Sasuke stepped forward without hesitation.
He entered the barrel directly.
He felt no fear.
At this point, fear no longer existed within him.
Only power mattered.
Once Sasuke was inside, Jirōbō sealed the barrel shut with specialized fūinjutsu markings and hoisted it onto his back once more.
The four leapt into the night.
Escorted by hidden collaborators, they slipped past Konoha's outer defenses and vanished beyond the village perimeter.
Their mission was clear.
They had to deliver the Uchiha boy
The vessel Orochimaru desired most
Back to him as quickly as possible.
This was an absolute order.