She gave a mocking laugh. "You managed to break free from my Genjutsu, not bad... But I'd really like to see just how strong you are."
She jerked her chin toward Sakura, who was busy pulling on her gloves.
"I think Pinky wants to know too."
Sakura glared at Karin.
"Tell us where Sasuke is. We just want to bring him back to Konoha."
"Is that so?"
At that voice, Sakura froze in place while Karin visibly relaxed.
"Sasuke!"
Sasuke strolled casually from behind the trees.
"Sakura? You came all this way… for this? To drag me back to Konoha?"
Sakura stared at Sasuke, whom she hadn't seen in years—speechless.
Seeing she wasn't going to answer, Sasuke turned his gaze to Karin.
"You nearly got caught, Karin. I expected better. Let's go."
"Wait!" Sakura shouted as Sasuke began to turn away. "Sasuke, come back to Konoha with us! Orochimaru is dead—we can go back to how things were. You don't have to keep running anymore."
Sasuke stopped and turned around, expressionless.
"Konoha doesn't mean anything to me anymore, Sakura. Since I left the village, I've become far stronger than before. Now, I'm going after Itachi for revenge."
He ignored the stunned Sakura and looked toward Tayuya.
"Speaking of revenge, are you here for it too? Because I left you behind, abandoned you there?"
Tayuya gave a mocking laugh.
"You're overthinking, needle boy. I'm not here for you—I'm here for Naruto."
At hearing Naruto's name, Sasuke's interest was piqued.
"What did you say? What about Naruto?"
"He claims you stole his sword back in the Land of Waves, and now he wants revenge and his blade back. I also heard he might have another reason."
"Naruto's coming after me?" Sasuke asked, stepping closer to Tayuya. He knew Akatsuki's goal was to collect all the tailed beasts, and that Itachi had gone after Naruto before. "Where is he?"
"This—" Tayuya feigned fear. "I can't tell you that, but I can help draw him here. That's the only thing I can do for you."
As she said this, she pulled out her flute. Pakkun caught her eye and dashed off alone to find Kakashi.
"Is that so?" Sasuke said coldly. [Cursed Seal Activated!] Dark markings flared across his skin like flames—a painful reminder of when they were both Genin.
"Sasuke, don't use the cursed seal! Please stop!" Sakura cried.
"Save your breath, Pinky," Tayuya sneered, watching Sasuke carefully. "He won't listen to anything you say. I figured that out ages ago."
"Karin, go find Suigetsu and Jugo. This one's mine."
Karin nodded and sprinted away, shooting one last longing glance at Sasuke before vanishing.
Sasuke unsheathed the Sword of Kusanagi.
"Let me see how long you can last under my genjutsu. Come at me," he said coldly.
Tayuya smirked.
"In my entire life, only one person's ever had the guts to say that to me—and it sure as hell ain't you." She lifted her flute into position. "Genjutsu won't work on you, I know. But I've got other tricks up my sleeve."
She formed several hand seals and extended her arm forward.
[Hidden Shadow Many Snake Hands!] A torrent of serpents erupted from her sleeve, surging toward Sasuke.
Effortlessly wielding the Sword of Kusanagi, Sasuke sliced through the writhing mass of snakes. He didn't even bother activating his Sharingan through any of it.
"That all you've got?"
"Genjutsu's worthless against him," Tayuya fumed silently. "If I keep throwing ninjutsu at him, I'll lose it."
She glanced at Sakura.
"Pinky, if you wanna snap your boy back to reality, now's the damn time!"
"You actually think that's gonna take me down?" Sasuke's voice cut through the air from behind them both. He stood with his back turned to the two women.
Both Sakura and Tayuya were stunned—they hadn't even seen him move.
Sasuke swung his sword at Tayuya.
She blocked the strike with her flute.
Taking advantage of Sasuke's momentary distraction, Sakura charged from behind. Gripping her fist, she charged up her [Cherry Blossom Tearing Impact].
At the very last second, Sasuke noticed her and narrowly dodged. Her punch barely missed his cheek, while Tayuya used the opportunity to leap away.
Sakura's fist smashed into the ground. The impact shattered the surface instantly, uprooting trees around them.
The shockwave sent Sasuke stumbling back, pinned under the wreckage of shattered trees.
Tayuya returned to her original position and shouted angrily at Sakura.
"What the hell was that?! You were right on target! What'd you pull the punch for?! I saw it myself!"
"I don't want to kill him!" Sakura shot back.
"Wake up! He wants to kill *you*!" Tayuya screamed. "You really think what he just pulled was some kinda show? He was trying to kill us for real!"
Sakura pointed at the trees pinning Sasuke down. "He's still stuck—there's still a chance—"
Before she could finish, the trees blew apart. Sasuke emerged unscathed, having already released his Cursed Seal to its second stage.
"Damn it," Tayuya spat under her breath.
Sasuke stared at the two women coldly.
"I'll ask one last time: tell me where Naruto is. Don't blame me when I get ruthless."
Tayuya glared at him fiercely. She knew—the real fight had just begun.
"If you're so tough, then kill us already."
Sasuke slid the Sword of Kusanagi back into its sheath and raised his right hand.
"As you wish."
Dark lightning crackled around his arm, accompanied by the sound of flapping wings.
"How about this?" With those words, he lunged toward them.
Sakura was paralyzed by the dark aura radiating from Sasuke—until the piercing screech of Chidori jolted her back to reality.
"Sasuke, stop!"
When Sasuke started making hand seals, Tayuya immediately got ready to counter. She swiftly made her own hand seals and slammed both hands onto the ground.
[Deathless Gate Genjutsu!]
A massive door burst up from the ground, protecting both Sakura and herself behind it.
This gate was unbreakable, able to withstand any attack—but Sasuke's Chidori pierced straight through it without effort.
Sasuke clamped his hand around Tayuya's throat, and her body was instantly engulfed in black-and-white electricity.
Tayuya screamed as the electricity coursed through her body. Her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed to the ground, motionless, her body still smoking.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>