Rorin's merciless words echoed in Sasuke Uchiha's ears for a long time, refusing to fade. His eyes lost focus slightly.
On the other side, Naruto Uzumaki watched Sasuke with concern, murmuring softly, "Sasuke…"
After a moment of dejection, Sasuke Uchiha stubbornly raised his head again, glaring angrily at Rorin.
He knew that, as he was now, he might still be unable to take revenge on that man—but he had been working hard, pushing forward step by step.
Yet Rorin had dismissed all of his three years of effort with a single sentence. That was something he simply couldn't accept.
Just as Sasuke Uchiha slightly raised his hand, preparing to launch another attack, a figure suddenly appeared on his left and grabbed his arm.
Sasuke abruptly turned his head and locked eyes with the suddenly appearing Kabuto Yakushi.
Kabuto gripped Sasuke's left arm tightly with his left hand, stopping him from acting rashly, while adjusting his glasses with his right hand as he spoke.
"Sasuke, that's enough!"
Sasuke froze for a moment, trying to break free from Kabuto's hold, but failed. He was already completely exhausted.
Seeing Kabuto appear out of nowhere, Naruto's heart tightened once again.
Kakashi, who had already bandaged his wounds, drew a kunai again and held it before him, his expression serious.
Sasuke Uchiha stared at Kabuto and said coldly,
"What? Are you going to stop me too?"
Kabuto fell silent, but the grip on Sasuke's hand did not loosen.
Suddenly, Orochimaru appeared on Sasuke's right side.
Orochimaru and Kabuto had already noticed the battle between Rorin and the others. They had chosen to observe from the sidelines, mainly to see the limits of Sasuke Uchiha's current strength.
Noticing Orochimaru's sudden appearance, Rorin frowned slightly. To be honest, he didn't want to face Orochimaru. Slippery as he was, Rorin currently had no means to completely eliminate him.
Forget it. I'll leave it to Sasuke and the others. Rorin shook his head and didn't think further.
Orochimaru quietly stared at Rorin. He had also noticed the power behind him earlier—it was indeed very similar to the power of the Curse Mark.
"So, you were the one who took Jūgo last time," Orochimaru said with a smile.
Hearing this, Kabuto also turned his gaze toward Rorin and spoke softly,
"So it was you. I didn't expect that, through Jūgo, you would also research a way to use the power of the Curse Mark."
Kabuto's view was similar to Sasuke Uchiha's—he believed that the Curse Mark power within Rorin was incomplete.
Orochimaru shook his head and said calmly, "Incomplete? No… that's a perfect-level Curse Mark power. Unaffected by natural energy, freely absorbing and controlling it through the Curse Mark. Am I right, Kaguya Rorin?"
Rorin neither confirmed nor denied it. He slowly landed, and the wings behind him disappeared.
"Heh, how cold. But if possible, could you tell me how you did it?" Orochimaru asked.
Sasuke Uchiha and Kabuto Yakushi were both stunned upon hearing Orochimaru's speculation, staring at Rorin in shock. They hadn't expected that they were the ones being short-sighted!
Rorin shook his head. "Sorry. Everyone has their own secrets."
"Is that so? What a pity," Orochimaru said lightly.
Then he turned his gaze back to Sasuke Uchiha and spoke slowly,
"Sasuke, it's time for us to go."
Sasuke glanced at Orochimaru. Though unwilling, it was indeed time to retreat.
Kabuto released Sasuke's hand, stepped back, picked up the Kusanagi Sword that had fallen during the fight, and handed it to him.
Sasuke took the Kusanagi Sword, then couldn't resist showing off a bit with a flashy flourish before smoothly sheathing it.
He looked calmly at Rorin as the wind stirred his hair, his gaze resolute.
"Kaguya Rorin, next time, I will settle today's score with you completely."
Then his eyes briefly flicked toward Naruto Uzumaki before quickly withdrawing.
"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted emotionally.
Soon after, the figures of Sasuke Uchiha, Orochimaru, and Kabuto Yakushi gradually faded away. Even at the very end, Orochimaru's gaze remained fixed on Rorin.
From Rorin, he seemed to sense the scent of truth!
Rorin, who had been stared at the whole time, shivered, rubbed his head, then turned around and asked,
"How are you guys? Are you okay?"
Sakura Haruno and Naruto Uzumaki lowered their heads, still immersed in the pain of reuniting with Sasuke only to be separated again.
Kakashi smiled slightly. "We're fine. This time, it's thanks to you, Rorin."
"Why? Why is Sasuke so obsessed, even though he knows Orochimaru will take his body?" Naruto slammed his fists heavily into the ground, his voice choked.
Hearing this, Sakura Haruno's eyes also grew moist, while Kakashi fell silent.
"And how are you so sure your friend will have his body taken by Orochimaru? Don't you have confidence in him?" Rorin said softly.
Naruto froze, slowly raised his head, wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, and quietly looked at Rorin.
"I don't mean anything else. Just don't underestimate your friend," Rorin added with a small wave of his hand.
Naruto and the others recalled the earlier scene—Rorin mercilessly criticizing Sasuke Uchiha as weak, and now…
Aren't you the one underestimating him the most?!
The more they thought about it, the less they could understand Rorin's mindset. Still, his words did offer Naruto a bit of comfort.
"Yeah… anything could happen. Next time, I'll definitely bring you back," Naruto said, regaining his spirit. He patted his cheeks and pulled himself together.
Beside him, Sakura Haruno wiped away her tears, lifted her head toward the sky, and felt a renewed sense of hope.
Kakashi walked over to Rorin, smiled, and expressed his thanks.
Rorin shook his head, then reminded them,
"We should head back to the Hidden Leaf Village."
...
And so, Rorin and Team 7 returned together to the Hidden Leaf Village.
Inside the Hokage's office.
"Is that so… you still didn't bring Sasuke back this time?" Tsunade said softly.
"Yeah. Because Orochimaru suddenly appeared and took Sasuke Uchiha away," Rorin replied.
Kakashi, however, silently complained to himself: rather than saying Orochimaru took Sasuke away, it would be more accurate to say—you let him go.
He knew very well that if Rorin had wanted to, he definitely could have kept Sasuke. But he hadn't. Kakashi guessed that Rorin must have his own reasons.