"You mind that much? You don't need to." Ayato said lazily. "Doctors don't care about gender. Besides, you're still a pathetic brat in a child's body." He flicked his gaze at Sakura. "If you're eager to get into the coffin and enjoy your retirement early, I can stop now."
He really had no interest in taking advantage of Sakura — not after last night with Mei Terumi and her towering, dominant presence. Sakura was small and stubborn; Ayato's mind wasn't on that.
Sakura's eyes flashed with panic; her whole body trembled. She hurriedly begged, "I'm sorry, Ayato-sensei. Please—please continue the treatment."
Poison attacking the heart? Good God. The thought alone made her tremble. She'd been studying medical ninjutsu recently and knew how deadly that condition was. Most medical ninja couldn't handle a toxin that had already breached the heart. According to medical records, only two people in history had ever cured that: Tsunade and… Ayato.
"All right, you're fine now." Ayato withdrew his hand, popped his lollipop between his lips, and looked at the dark poison he'd sealed in the small bottle in his palm. He smiled faintly. "That was a strong toxin. That snake man—Orochimaru's kind of trickery. Don't be too shocked."
Sakura sat up, gripping the ground in astonishment as her strength returned bit by bit. "W-what… that's it? I'm okay now?"
The poison that had almost finished her off had been neutralized in an instant by Ayato. A miracle of medical skill. Sakura couldn't help thinking how far she had to go to reach that level.
"You sure you're fine?" she asked again, still shaky.
"If you insist on having something happen, you can down this poison and get it over with," Ayato said lightly, setting the sealed black liquid bottle down in front of her.
Sakura recoiled. "N-no! Take it away! I don't want to drink it!" The memory of how that toxin had robbed her of all function in three seconds made her skin crawl.
Naruto, who'd been watching, breathed a huge sigh of relief when he saw Sakura recover. Then he pointed to Sasuke with a worried look. "Ayato-sensei—Sasuke! That guy bit Sasuke's neck. Sasuke's hurting!"
Sakura's concern was immediate. "Sasuke, are you all right?"
Sasuke braced himself against a tree, teeth clenched, forcing himself to stand. He adopted his usual cold mask and said in a low voice, "I'm fine. This is nothing."
Damn it. That Orochimaru. The bite had left a burning pain through Sasuke's neck; if not for the Chidori's electric shock helping him stabilize, he might have collapsed.
Ayato glanced at Sasuke's neck and the dark, jewel-like seal there. He could sense a faint trace of natural energy within the mark. A cursed seal. "Hmm," Ayato mused. "A seal. Seems it can accept natural energy."
Sasuke's expression tightened. "I might need treatment, Ayato-sensei."
Pride warred with necessity; Sasuke was loath to admit he needed help. But he couldn't afford to be weak — not with his goals of vengeance. He swallowed, voice rough, "Please help me."
Everyone else went quiet at that. Sasuke, for all his arrogance, was stubborn; this was the rare moment he dropped the act.
Ayato, sitting on a stone and casually popping his lollipop, told him, "Use chakra."
Sasuke frowned but obeyed, forming hand seals and gathering chakra. The seal on his neck responded — black glyphs crawling from the mark toward his face. The moment the glyphs spread, searing pain tore through him.
"Ah—!" Sasuke doubled over, clutching his throat.
"Natural energy is opposing the chakra he used," Ayato said, watching with interest. "Those glyphs accept natural energy, but you can't harmonize with it yet, so your chakra and natural energy clash. That's why it burns."
Sasuke forced himself to withdraw his chakra, the glyphs dimming. Sweat soaked his clothes; his breaths came ragged. Ayato's eyes flicked over him and he smirked. "Okay. Now use chakra again."
Sasuke braced himself and did as he was told. The cursed glyphs flared. He bit his lip against the agony, nails digging into the dirt.
Naruto couldn't help himself — he laughed, pointing at Sasuke's contorted face. "Hahaha! Sasuke's face is so funny!"
Sakura smacked Naruto hard. He flew, yelping. "Ow! Sakura, I was only laughing—"
Ayato chuckled and shook his head. Then his face turned serious. "I can help you control it. But it'll cost a fee — think of it as a small commission."
Sasuke looked up sharply. Fee? But the promise of power woke something in him. The cursed seal was dangerous, but it contained a new source of strength. If he learned to control it — if he could harness it without becoming its puppet — he might finally have the power he needed to avenge his clan.
Sasuke's jaw hardened. The memory of Itachi flashed in his mind; the hatred and the promise of violence hardened into resolve. He wanted power, no matter the cost.
He forced a stiff smile and stood tall, voice cold: "I don't need Orochimaru's power. I don't need to go that route. I'll follow the path to power that I choose."
Ayato cocked an eyebrow, amused. "Oh? I like that. Say something flattering — it's good for my ego."
Sasuke's sharp retort died in his throat. For a seconds he realized he'd misunderstood Ayato — Ayato wasn't issuing a test of loyalty to him or Orochimaru. He was… Ayato was bored. Sasuke had overread the situation.
Ayato however spoke more seriously, "Pursuing power is good — power is a man's romance, as I always say. But blind pursuit of ugly power turns you into a filthy dog."
He stepped in close, letting a thin ribbon of blue chakra curl at his fingertips. "Understand the strength, master the strength — then you'll truly be strong." He tapped the cursed seal with his finger.
A simple gesture, a flash of controlled chakra, and the dark marking at Sasuke's throat began to smoke and crack. Ayato murmured, "Cursed Fire Seal."
Black chips flamed and the seal burned into ash. The pain stayed — Sasuke had endured agony — but the mark itself was gone.
Sasuke stared, pale, forcing himself not to howl. He didn't want to give Ayato the satisfaction of seeing him collapse or cry out. Pride kept him silent.
Ayato tossed two scrolls at the three of them. "Take these. They're Heaven-and-Earth scrolls. Use them to get through the exam."
He gave them a small, dangerous smile. "If you meet the Mist team, attack with everything. Beat them to the ground — especially that twin-tail girl. Teach her not to open her mouth."
He'd remembered the petty insult that had exploded the scene back in the village — the little twin-tail girl who'd called him a cad — and he certainly had enough motive to punish her, even if through proxies.
Sasuke, now steadier, shoved his hands back into his pockets and said in a cold tone, "Leave it to me. I'll make sure she understands the price of angering Ayato-sensei."
Sakura muttered that he was spiteful. Ayato nodded approvingly. "Seeing a beauty is worth another tip of the hat from a gentleman. If someone wrongs you, right it. That's the way of us superior men."
Sakura's cheeks flushed scarlet. "Please stop speaking like that," she snapped. "We're still children!"
Ayato wrinkled his nose. "When you realize you're a kid, it means you've grown up early. Too precocious is unbecoming."
Sakura stuck out her tongue and pouted. Naruto picked up a scroll and gaped. "Ayato-sensei—where'd you get these scrolls? We couldn't even get a full set ourselves!"
Ayato grinned faintly. "Gift from the Third. Steal — I mean borrow — and use them boldly."
Then he was gone in a flash of lightning, already off to handle the next little spectacle. Naruto clutched his scroll like treasure and beamed. "Ayato-sensei is amazing!"
Sasuke turned his back on the pair, chin lifted, and said icily, "When we find the Mist, don't slow me down."
Naruto bristled. "What? I'm not the one who'll hold you back!"
They bickered on as Ayato's silhouette dissolved into the trees. The Chūnin Exam loomed — and the stakes had shifted. Sasuke had faced a choice and had chosen a path: he would not crawl to Orochimaru for power. He would become stronger on his own terms — or die trying.
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