At this moment in Konoha, during the half-month that Yoruha had been away, the village held the Chunin Exams. In a secret chamber within Konoha, Sasuke, who had been marked with the Cursed Seal of Heaven by Orochimaru, sought Kakashi's help to seal the curse within him.
Sasuke sat cross-legged on a platform inscribed with runes. Kakashi stood behind him, asking seriously, "Sasuke, have you really thought this through? Sealing this curse will be extremely painful."
Sasuke gently touched the spot of the curse mark and replied coldly, "Kakashi-sensei, no matter how painful it is, I can endure it. Go ahead." Although Sasuke knew that the Cursed Seal could greatly enhance his power, he didn't want to rely on such a method to gain strength right now.
In the past, he would have accepted anything that could increase his power. But now, he had a better plan for improving his strength, and he didn't want to disappoint Yoruha. He didn't want Yoruha to think he was someone who sought quick success.
He wanted to rely on himself, to gain Yoruha's recognition by improving his Sharingan. Kakashi nodded. "I understand. Brace yourself, Evil Sealing Method."
Kakashi's hands moved swiftly to form seals, and immediately, the runes on the ground began to flow into Sasuke's body, gradually converging around the Cursed Seal. "Ah..."
The sealing process caused intense pain, and Sasuke couldn't help but cry out despite gritting his teeth. The severe pain left him drenched in sweat, but remembering Yoruha's words from before, he bit down hard and endured the excruciating pain. The sealing technique lasted for about a minute, and once completed, Sasuke fainted from the pain.
Seeing Sasuke's clothes soaked with sweat, Kakashi sighed, "If Yoruha were here, maybe he would have a better way to solve this." "And who knows if this sealing technique can truly hold it." Kakashi sighed again.
Kakashi was deeply worried. Orochimaru's appearance during the Chunin Exams made him sense a looming crisis. He knew very well that he was no match for Orochimaru; in front of him, he didn't even have the will to resist.
As Kakashi pondered these thoughts, a figure slowly walked into the chamber's entrance. A voice emerged from the darkness, "Kakashi, you can't possibly seal that curse."
Hearing this familiar voice, Kakashi immediately positioned himself in front of Sasuke, his hands swiftly forming seals.
"Chidori!" In an instant, he activated the Chidori and opened his Sharingan, his eyes fixed intently on the person emerging from the shadows. "Orochimaru," Kakashi said gravely.
Indeed, the person who stepped into the light was Orochimaru. Looking at Kakashi, Orochimaru spoke with disdain, "You use the Sharingan well, but unfortunately, without the Uchiha body, it's just a counterfeit."
Kakashi felt immense pressure; under Orochimaru's killing intent, he trembled as before, unable to muster the courage to resist.
Gritting his teeth, Kakashi said, despite his trembling body, "I'm not the same as before. At least now, I can take you down with me." "You won't take Sasuke away."
Orochimaru sneered, "Sasuke will never be able to reach the full potential of his bloodline if he stays in Konoha. I've already decided to make him my next vessel."
"You wish! As long as I'm alive, I will never let you take Sasuke," Kakashi retorted.
"Hehehe, if you have the ability, then try to stop me," Orochimaru chuckled coldly as he turned and walked out of the secret chamber, completely unconcerned that Kakashi might attack him.
Even after Orochimaru disappeared from the chamber, Kakashi did not make a move. After dispelling the Chidori, Kakashi gritted his teeth, "I actually thought I could perish together with him just now. How ridiculous." His expression was grave.
He turned to look at Sasuke, who had fainted from the pain. Kakashi frowned, "It's hard to stop Orochimaru with just my strength. Yoruha, if only you were here." The Chunin Exams were held while Yoruha was away on a mission.
Originally, Kakashi thought it was just an ordinary Chunin Exam. Who would have expected such a major upheaval, with even Orochimaru appearing? Soon, news of Orochimaru's appearance at the Chunin Exams reached the Third Hokage. After the first half of the Chunin Exams ended, the Third Hokage gathered all the Jonin of Konoha. Orochimaru's appearance made the Third Hokage very anxious, as even he wasn't confident he could defeat Orochimaru.
Although it was later proven that the Third Hokage could defeat Orochimaru, even taking on three opponents at once, he currently had no such confidence. In the Hokage's office, the Third Hokage informed the assembled Jonin about Orochimaru.
Upon hearing Orochimaru's name, all the Jonin were shocked. They looked at the Third Hokage, "Is it Orochimaru, one of the Sannin?" The Third Hokage nodded, his expression serious, "There's one more thing. Hayate Gekkō was killed in Kikyo Castle."
"What?!" "How could this happen?" "Was it Orochimaru?"
The news of Hayate Gekkō's death shocked the Jonin. Despite being only a Special Jonin, Hayate's Transparent Escape Technique allowed him to escape even if he couldn't win. Yet, he was killed.
Orochimaru's strength once again left the Jonin deeply unsettled. They thought to themselves, truly worthy of being one of the Sannin. The title of the Sannin was very prestigious, and even now, they held significant sway in the ninja world.
Seeing the shocked expressions of the Jonin, the Third Hokage, though serious, said gravely, "It wasn't Orochimaru, but Hayate was killed while pursuing a ninja named Kabuto. It's highly likely that Kabuto was the one who did it." "However, Kabuto is connected to Orochimaru, so this matter is also related to him." The Jonin were all very tense.
Kakashi's expression was also grave. He thought to himself, "Yoruha, if only you were here, we wouldn't have to be so tense." Kakashi knew well that if Yoruha were present, even Orochimaru could be held back by him.
But Yoruha wasn't there, and in Kakashi's view, the only one in the village who could stand against Orochimaru was the Third Hokage. Yet, even the Third Hokage wasn't confident he could defeat Orochimaru. Kakashi also felt that the Third Hokage was getting old, and whether he could still defeat Orochimaru was uncertain.
At this moment, Kakashi was immensely grateful for having discovered Yoruha. Without Yoruha, he feared he would be even more despairing than he was now. The Third Hokage, seeing the Jonin so tense, remained serious but spoke firmly, "The only way now is to gather all the village's ninja and go to war with him."
"And I believe in you." The Third Hokage's words immediately inspired the Jonin. They became excited, and despite the opponent being Orochimaru of the Sannin, they were still willing to join the battle for the village.
However, Kakashi's expression remained grave. He knew well that the Third Hokage's words meant he wasn't confident either.