Naruto and Sasuke had finally arrived at the venue of the preliminaries.
At this mont, Naruto was supporting Sasuke, whose face was twisted in pain.
"Sasuke! Sasuke, are you alright? What the hell did that guy do to you?"
Instead of rushing into the hall imdiately, Naruto lingered at the entrance, hesitating. If Shigure didn't appear soon, he had already decided—he would hand Sasuke over to the Konoha shinobi inside, then go back to search for Shigure himself.
Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long.
"How's Sasuke?"
Naruto turned at the familiar voice and saw Shigure striding toward them.
"The situation's bad—let's get inside quickly!" Naruto replied.
Shigure nodded. "Right." Together, they carried Sasuke into the venue.
The guards at the door noticed the commotion but, bound by exam regulations, they could not abandon their posts. Shigure handed them the Scroll of Heaven and Scroll of Earth in passing, then continued forward with Sasuke in tow.
Inside the eting place, Kakashi had been keeping watch. The mont he saw Naruto and Shigure carrying Sasuke in, his expression darkened and he appeared at their side in a flash.
"What happened? Shigure!"
"Sasuke was attacked by an unknown shinobi," Shigure replied curtly. "Sothing was done to him—do you know what it is?"
"Let check."
They gently set Sasuke down on the steps. Kakashi pulled back Sasuke's collar—and froze the mont he saw the mark burned into the boy's neck.
"This is…" Kakashi's eyes narrowed in recognition.
Shigure took Sasuke's hand, speaking silently within his mind.
"Great Sage, begin analysis."
[Great Sage: Analyzing target—Uchiha Sasuke]
[Analysis in progress]
10%... 20%... 30%...
"Kakashi-sensei, what's wrong with Sasuke?" Naruto pressed, panic in his voice.
Kakashi raised a hand, signaling him to stay quiet.
Only after a tense silence did Kakashi exhale deeply.
"This mark… it's dangerous. I can't say exactly what it is, but if left unchecked, it will eventually overwhelm Sasuke's body. The only option now is to suppress it temporarily. Later, the specialists from the dical and Fūinjutsu Divisions will need to examine him more closely."
Kakashi quickly wove hand seals, then pressed his palm against Sasuke's neck.
"Evil Sealing thod!"
A complex pattern of sealing marks spread across Sasuke's skin, locking down the Heaven's Curse Seal.
At the sa mont, the Great Sage finished its task.
[Great Sage: Analysis complete. Target identified—Heaven's Curse Seal]
[Warning: This technique causes irreversible harm to its host. Not recomnded for direct mastery.]
Shigure's eyes narrowed. Then… can you extract its core power, adapt it to , and create a safer technique?
[Great Sage: Feasible. Beginning calculation…]
20%... 40%... 60%...
[Congratulations: Host has obtained a new skill—Curse Seal Awakening]
[Curse Seal Awakening: An improved form of the Heaven's Curse Seal. By drawing upon natural energy, it enhances physical strength and stimulates one's cellular potential. Greatly increases overall combat ability while avoiding the irreversible drawbacks of the original.]
A faint smile tugged at Shigure's lips. Not only had Orochimaru's plan failed to claim Sasuke outright—Shigure himself had gained sothing far greater.
Curse Awakening… not bad.
[Congratulations: Host has acquired the Sealing Technique – Evil Sealing thod]
Shigure raised an eyebrow. So the Great Sage even analyzed Kakashi's sealing technique just now? Excellent.
At that mont, Sasuke stirred. His eyes opened slowly, and the sharp pain coursing through his body twisted his expression.
"I…ugh…"
Kakashi crouched beside him. "Sasuke, an unknown curse seal has been placed on your body. I don't know its full effects yet, but I've used a sealing technique to suppress it for now."
His tone grew firm. "You're in a dangerous state. It would be best if you withdrew from the Chūnin Exams."
"Withdraw?" Sasuke's eyes hardened. He imdiately shook his head. "No!"
Shigure wasn't surprised. Of course Sasuke wouldn't back down. Giving up here was simply not in his nature.
"Sensei," Shigure said calmly, "this is only the preliminaries. As long as Sasuke can hold out, he should have no problem defeating whoever he's matched against."
Kakashi studied his student in silence, then gave a resigned sigh. Sasuke's resolve was obvious—words would do nothing to change his mind.
Shigure stepped forward and pressed his palm over Sasuke's chest, weaving chakra.
"Palm Healing Technique."
A soft green glow spread, soothing the violent strain within Sasuke's body. His breathing eased, and the pained look on his face softened.
Just then, Might Guy appeared silently behind Kakashi.
"What happened to your students?"
Kakashi glanced up, then stood to join his old rival. In hushed tones, he explained Sasuke's condition.
Guy nodded. "That makes sense. On my way here, I heard from Anko's team—they sensed a violent chakra fluctuation deep in the forest. But when they arrived, whoever it was had already vanished." His gaze sharpened. "Ask your students if they encountered the one responsible."
Kakashi returned to Shigure's side. "Shigure… did you fight that shinobi?"
"Of course," Shigure said plainly.
Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "How strong were they?"
Shigure's answer was imdiate. "No weaker than ."
Kakashi froze. He had witnessed Shigure's strength firsthand—his battles against Zabuza and Langya were enough proof. Shigure's abilities rivaled that of an elite jōnin.
For Shigure to give such an evaluation ant the enemy was at least elite jōnin level. The thought made Kakashi's expression grow grave.
"Guy, inform Anko. Tell them to be extrely careful. If that shinobi is truly this strong, no one should act alone."
Guy nodded. "Understood."
Hunting soone like Orochimaru would not be simple.
Kakashi pressed for more details, and Shigure recounted everything. The serpent-like techniques, the substitution thods—everything pointed to one conclusion.
Orochimaru.
But why here? And why target Sasuke specifically?
Kakashi's brows furrowed. The situation had beco far more serious than he expected. This needed to be reported to the Third Hokage imdiately.
anwhile, in the main hall, the preliminary matches were about to begin. One by one, the genin teams assembled.
The proctor for the second stage of the Chūnin Exams, Gekkō Hayate, stood at the center.
"Shigure."
He had noticed him earlier, but only now approached. His tired eyes softened slightly. "The preliminaries are about to start. Are your teammates alright?"
Shigure nodded. "They'll manage. Finishing the preliminaries won't be a problem."
"That's good."
Hayate leapt lightly to the center of the floor, his voice carrying across the chamber.
"Alright! The Chūnin Exam preliminaries will now begin! Although a few teams haven't arrived, because of the number of participants, we will proceed without delay!"
...
TN:
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