Blood.
Blood debt.
An eye for an eye!
In his mind, scenes of mountains of corpses and seas of blood flashed by. His own people died one after another before him. The man squatting on the street lamp stared at him mockingly. Rage grew wildly within Sasuke's body.
"Kill!!"
Sasuke roared and sat up suddenly.
"Great, you finally woke up!"
"Sasuke-kun, how are you feeling?"
Naruto and Sakura quickly gathered around him, their smiles and worry evident despite their exhaustion.
Warmth filled Sasuke's heart: "How long was I unconscious?"
"All day and night. You had a high fever. We were really worried about you," Sakura said.
"Sasuke, who was that bastard who brought you back? Did he hurt you? You were only gone for a short time—why were you knocked out so suddenly? I thought you were really strong."
"Shut up!" Sakura hammered Naruto on the head, making him cry out.
At the mention of Orochimaru, another surge of murderous intent rose from the depths of his heart. Sasuke suppressed the violent power with a pained expression.
"Sasuke-kun, you've just recovered and your body is still very weak. Please rest for a while." Sakura thoughtfully handed him a glass of mountain spring water and motioned for Naruto not to disturb him.
After accepting the water, Sasuke took a sip.
Something seemed to be moving around inside his body. Not daring to push himself, Sasuke leaned against the large tree and closed his eyes to rest.
At that moment, the system sent him a prompt.
[Congratulations on completing your proposal—facing the battle with Orochimaru head-on and obtaining a D-rank scroll]
Compared to the previous white and gray scrolls, this D-rank scroll emanated an emerald green light.
Unfold.
Sasuke thought.
[You have opened the D-rank scroll. Congratulations on obtaining the permanent talent: Will of Steel]
What is the Will of Steel?
I only know the Will of Fire.
Just as Sasuke puzzled over this, a line of small text appeared above the scroll.
[The abyss of human nature has infinite gravity. When you stare into the abyss, the abyss also stares back at you. The Will of Steel grants you the ability to fight against all negative desires!]
As the scroll opened, a strange sensation rose from Sasuke's heart.
The violent and murderous impulses that had always existed in his body hadn't disappeared, but the irritability these urges brought to his mind had vanished.
In its place was a kind of calmness, like that of an observer.
At this moment, Sasuke seemed to have split into two selves—one still honestly feeling and responding to his body's sensations, while the other overlooked it all and powerfully controlled his mind and body.
Although Sasuke remained physically weak, his mental state was much clearer.
"Did any enemies come last night? Is the scroll still there?"
Sasuke asked softly.
"The Konoha ninja came by. The scroll is still here," Sakura replied quietly, her expression somewhat unnatural.
"Were they our age?" Sasuke asked.
Sakura shook her head.
The faces of older shinobi flashed through Sasuke's mind.
Looking at Sakura's embarrassed expression, then at Naruto who was glancing around while pretending to be calm, Sasuke suddenly remembered the rumors about the "demon fox."
Without needing to ask, Sasuke could probably guess what had happened.
Naruto must have been looked down upon and shunned by his fellow villagers again.
Fortunately, the scroll remained safe.
"Well done."
Sasuke said nothing more.
"Hey, I'm the man who's going to become Hokage! How could Team 7's strongest fighter fail to protect a scroll? Hahaha," Naruto laughed loudly.
The exam continued.
Thinking about his current situation and the path ahead, Sasuke felt some anxiety in his heart.
With this in mind, Sasuke opened the brainstorming system again and posted a thread.
"I am Uchiha Sasuke, and I just finished fighting Orochimaru. How should I proceed with the rest of the exam?"
He also briefly attached details of the battle to his question, including the curse seal's effects and the final scene where Orochimaru had emerged from his mouth.
Someone responded quickly.
**Six Paths Momo**: "Which version of Sasuke are you? At this point in time, having chunin-level strength and taking out one of Orochimaru's eyes is pretty OP. Also, why didn't you mention Naruto and Sakura?"
**Diving for Ten Thousand Years**: "To the poster above, please read the previous threads. By the way, impressive work."
As a young man, Sasuke felt somewhat unwilling and ashamed after being defeated by Orochimaru.
But he hadn't expected all the netizens on the forum to give such high praise, which made him feel somewhat embarrassed.
However, what did "two pillars" mean?
Judging from the tone, they seemed to be referring to him.
Well, apparently the senior netizens had a nickname for him.
Although it sounded rather crude, Sasuke didn't feel offended. He even felt somewhat fond of it, like meeting long-lost family.
**Muddy Water Konjac**: "I finally waited for you, but fortunately I didn't give up! You must have learned about Orochimaru's existence in advance and chose to face him alone for your companions' sake! Sasuke during this period is really... *sigh*, so touching!"
**Commander of Wuhu**: "Damn, even used the Substitution Technique against that scoundrel snake. So strong!"
Scoundrel snake?
Sasuke couldn't help but chuckle. Recalling the battle with Orochimaru, he had to admit these netizens' nicknames were quite fitting!
**Six Paths Scholar**: "I just read through the previous posts, and I have to say you young people really know how to play. Then I should participate too!"
"For the current Sasuke, there are three things in total: exams, becoming stronger, and revenge."
"Of course, it could also be said to be the same thing—the exam is for becoming stronger, and becoming stronger is for revenge. So without doubt, the core is becoming stronger."
"From this perspective, the curse seal issue is the primary concern."
"According to official information, the curse seal transformation comes from the sage transformation of the Juugo clan. The effect is similar to Sage Mode—chakra, strength, and speed are all doubled."
"Of course, the effect is far from comparable to true Sage Mode, and it has serious side effects. For example, prolonged use of the curse seal state may cause you to go berserk and eventually lose yourself."
"According to the pattern of balanced power development, this should correspond to Naruto's tailed beast transformation. In essence, it's a cheat ability."
"Then refer to Naruto's method of using cheats—don't use it casually, but go all out when necessary. Don't use it in official matches, but abuse it in practice."
"As for the curse seal's negative effects, I personally think it's strongly related to the user's willpower. It's necessary to strengthen relevant training, and even test your limits during daily practice. Only this way can you better understand the situation in real combat, have strategies ready, and act appropriately."
**Blueprint**: "Bow down to the master. I'm clearly searching for exam prep materials—what is this?"
Sasuke also quickly received a system prompt:
[You have received a new suggestion: Correctly understand the power of the curse seal and actively train and evaluate it in daily life. Adopt and complete this suggestion to receive a D-rank scroll]
"Thank you, senior."
After the detailed analysis from the netizens, Sasuke's thoughts gradually became clear.
That's right—power is power, and no amount of additional concepts can conceal this essential fact.
As for danger or evil, he would have to test it himself.
With this thought, Sasuke stood up and walked deeper into the forest.
"Sasuke-kun, you haven't fully recovered yet! What do you want to do? Let me help you, okay?" Sakura quickly stepped forward to assist.
"Going to the bathroom."
"Ah!" Sakura exclaimed, her face flushing with embarrassment as she stood frozen.
"Ha, hahahaha, Sakura-chan, hahahaha!" Naruto rolled on the ground laughing.
"Don't laugh!" Sakura rushed over and struck him hard again.
Sasuke smiled secretly, turned around, and walked toward the depths of the forest.