The Third Hokage exchanged a few pleasantries with Morkel before letting him leave.
In the following days, Morkel stayed in his room, studying the "Book of Seals."
Since the village assigned relatively simple tasks, most were completed by Sasuke and Naruto.
One day, after finishing a mission and returning home, Naruto complained to Morkel about what had happened that day.
"I had a fight with Sasuke today."
Morkel, flipping through a book, nodded absentmindedly. "Hmm."
"Hey! I said I had a fight with Sasuke. Shouldn't you care about that?"
Naruto was unhappy with Morkel's indifference. His attitude was even more dismissive than some boyfriends.
"Isn't it normal for ninjas to test their strength? Competition makes one stronger," Morkel replied casually.
Naruto quickly explained, "No, I mean, I beat him up because he's been acting strange lately. His desire to win is stronger than ever."
Morkel rolled his eyes. "And you're talking about him? Aren't you even more competitive?"
"That's not what I meant..." Naruto shook his head. "Anyway, Sasuke seems different these days."
"You know what happened to the Uchiha clan. It's not surprising he's willing to do anything for revenge," Morkel remarked.
Morkel had already noticed Sasuke's change, but considering his tragic past, his extreme personality was understandable.
After a moment, Morkel looked up. "Tomorrow, after I finish studying the Book of Seals, I'll teach you ninjutsu. Just tell me what you want to learn."
Naruto nodded excitedly. "Okay!"
He had been waiting for this moment, but Morkel had been too busy recently.
"I'm going to tell Sasuke now!"
---
Meanwhile, at the Uchiha residence…
A few years ago, after the Uchiha massacre, the clan's original compound was sealed off. Sasuke was relocated to a residential area in Konoha.
Although the facilities were complete and comfortable, the place never felt like home.
That night, Sasuke sat by the window, gazing at the full moon.
The moon was round and bright, just like the night his clan was slaughtered.
Suddenly, under the moonlight, Sasuke spotted a suspicious shadow moving in the darkness!
Curious, he jumped out of the window and quietly followed.
The figure moved away from the residential area before turning around, revealing a Sound Village forehead protector.
Then, three more figures emerged, surrounding Sasuke.
The man with two heads smirked. "You must be Sasuke."
Sasuke frowned. "Otonin? Are you Orochimaru's subordinates?!"
"That's right," the six-armed man replied. "I'm Kidomaru."
"Jirōbō."
"Tayuya."
"Sakon."
Sasuke's expression darkened. "What do you want?"
At that moment, he realized he was surrounded with no clear escape.
Kidomaru grinned. "Nothing much. We just want to see how strong you are."
Without warning, he spit out spider silk!
Sasuke dodged and quickly formed a seal, but Kidomaru moved like a ghost and appeared behind him!
Before Sasuke could react, Kidomaru's foot connected with his stomach, sending him tumbling forward!
In a last-minute effort, Sasuke used the Body Replacement Technique to escape.
But the moment he stabilized, Sakon attacked, unleashing a flurry of fierce blows!
Sasuke was completely overwhelmed. He had no chance to fight back!
Kidomaru smirked at the battered Sasuke. "Is this really the guy Lord Orochimaru wants? He's weaker than I expected."
Tayuya scoffed. "Just another weakling hiding behind the Uchiha name."
Sasuke gritted his teeth, his pride wounded.
Then, Sakon delivered the final blow: "How do you expect to defeat Uchiha Itachi when you're this weak?!"
A surge of rage exploded within Sasuke!
The cursed mark on his back ignited, and black patterns spread across his skin!
The four Sound ninjas exchanged glances, satisfied. This was exactly what they wanted to see.
"It really is the Heaven's Curse Seal," Sakon noted. "Orochimaru must think highly of you."
"Still, having the curse seal means nothing if he won't use it," Tayuya sneered. "Maybe we should just get rid of him now."
Sasuke's pupils shrank. He could sense their killing intent. They weren't bluffing—they were really going to kill him!
He clenched his fists.
I'm still too weak!
If only I had Morkel's power. Then these small fry wouldn't stand a chance!
I must become stronger!
Sakon smirked. "Feeling helpless? Do you regret being weak?"
"Come with us," he continued. "Lord Orochimaru will grant you power beyond your imagination."
"You call yourself an Avenger? But you're nowhere near strong enough to take on Itachi."
"This ignorant, peaceful village is holding you back."
Sasuke hesitated. He had heard these words before, during the Chūnin Exams.
He knew it was true.
Lately, he felt stuck—his growth had slowed. Meanwhile, Naruto, the dead-last he once mocked, was improving at an alarming rate.
And Morkel? He was already the focus of the entire ninja world.
Compared to them, Sasuke felt like his light had dimmed.
Maybe leaving Konoha, fighting real battles, was his path to power.
The four Sound ninjas sensed his hesitation and left him with one final message: "Think it over. We'll be waiting outside Konoha."
Just then, Naruto arrived.
Naruto eyed the four suspiciously. "Who are they? I've never seen them before."
The Sound ninjas turned around, their expressions darkening.
Naruto then noticed their forehead protectors. "Orochimaru's men?!"
"Naruto, run!" Sasuke suddenly shouted.
But Naruto stood his ground. "Are they here to attack Konoha?! We need to report this!"
"So noisy…" Sasuke muttered, finally turning to face Naruto.
Naruto froze.
Sasuke's entire body was covered in the black markings of the curse seal. His face twisted with anger.
"What do you mean? Are you betraying Konoha?!" Naruto demanded.
Sasuke didn't answer directly. Instead, he spoke coldly. "I can't grow in this foolishly peaceful village."
Naruto was shocked. "But you've grown so much these days!"
Sasuke's fury flared.
Sakon smirked. "He's holding you back, Sasuke. If you want true power, cut ties with weaklings like him."
Sasuke hesitated. Naruto was one of his few friends.
But power…
The next morning, Morkel woke up to find Naruto missing.
Concerned, he used the Flying Thunder God mark he had placed on Naruto's clothing.
He appeared in the Konoha hospital, where Naruto lay in bed, covered in bloodied bandages.
Naruto muttered in his sleep, "Sasuke…"
Morkel's expression darkened. "What happened?!"
The medical ninja shook his head. "We don't know. He was brought in like this this morning."
Morkel tried to teleport to Sasuke but failed.
He frowned. "The mark I placed on Sasuke… it's been destroyed."
Tsunade stormed in, furious. "Orochimaru is pushing his luck!"
She turned to Morkel. "Gather a team. Your mission: bring Sasuke back at all costs!"
Morkel nodded. "Understood."
With that, he set out to retrieve his lost friend.
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