novelraw Page 287
Page 287
Shortly after, Sasuke walked away from Karin with a scroll of newly recorded information in his hand, looking utterly dejected.
The buzzing in his ears seemed to still be ringing; the red-haired woman's enthusiasm and chatter were even more terrifying than Naruto's thousand shadow clones.
Karin even struggled to get up and catch up with him, shouting, "Sasuke-kun! Be careful! It's dangerous inside! Let me help you..."
"The intelligence is all here."
Sasuke shoved the scroll into Naruto's hands, shaking his hand with a hint of disgust, as if trying to shake off the discomfort of being surrounded by excessive enthusiasm.
"Alright! Let me go!"
This was said to Karin, who was still clinging to him with starry eyes, though it had no effect.
"Ah...this..."
Naruto took the scroll, his mouth agape wide enough to fit an egg, his face showing an expression as if he had seen a ghost in broad daylight.
He looked at the clear and detailed information on the scroll.
Then, looking at Karin over there, who had instantly transformed from a tigress into a docile kitten, showering Sasuke with concern, her mind completely went blank.
Can anyone tell him what happened?!
Did Sasuke secretly learn hypnosis or Kotoamatsukami besides just trying to look cool?!
Sai, who had been faithfully taking notes the whole time, quickly wrote in his notebook: "Observation results: Target Uchiha Sasuke is using an unknown means of communication (non-physical, non-ninjutsu)."
"It caused a 180-degree reversal in the attitude of the hostile target 'Sharin,' prompting her to proactively provide a large amount of effective intelligence."
"Judgment: Effective interrogation techniques."
“Name it ‘Uchiha-style Emotional Manipulation Technique’. Learning priority: High.”
"Possibility of simulation attempt: To be evaluated."
For the first time, his gaze toward Sasuke held a burning intensity akin to "academic inquiry."
Only Sakura, who had just calmed down and returned from a short distance away, happened to see Karin's infatuated look and Sasuke's helpless expression.
The lines on her forehead bulged again, and her fists clenched so tightly they cracked.
The black fury and low pressure emanating from his body were almost tangible, and the sand beneath his feet was sinking slightly.
The terrifying killing intent within his perception range made Naruto tremble. He turned around and met Sakura's furious expression.
Chapter 308 Oh no! We've gone too far!
The hot desert winds seemed to be frozen by the icy fury emanating from Sakura.
She stood there, her fists clenched, her emerald eyes burning with a fierce flame.
He stared intently at Sasuke and the red-haired, bespectacled woman who dared to look at Sasuke with such infatuation.
The low air pressure caused the Sand Village ninjas nearby to unconsciously take a few steps back, fearing they might be caught in the crossfire.
Naruto swallowed hard, feeling the hairs on his body stand on end.
He carefully moved to Sakura's side, forcing out a smile that looked worse than a grimace.
Trying to ease the tension: "Um... Sakura, don't... don't be angry! Sasuke definitely didn't do it on purpose! He's just... just... uh... more popular?"
He was fine until he opened his mouth, and Sakura suddenly turned her head, her murderous gaze instantly focusing on him, which startled Naruto so much that he almost jumped up.
"I'm not angry!"
Sakura practically yelled it out; her voice was shrill and sharp, clearly indicating that she was saying one thing but meaning another.
After saying that, he turned his head sharply away, leaving Naruto with an angry back view, which completely shut down any words Naruto had prepared.
Naruto shrank back in fright and quickly looked at the other person involved—Sasuke—with pleading eyes.
He mouthed a silent plea: 'Sasuke! Come and comfort him! This is all your fault!'
Sasuke received the signal, his brow furrowing even more, and he silently mouthed back, "What am I supposed to do?"
Two young men who are invincible on the battlefield and never back down even when facing Kage-level powerhouses.
At this moment, faced with the epic dilemma of "how to calm down an enraged girl," I became a complete idiot.
They could only stare at each other, engaging in meaningless shirking and arguing with their eyes.
Meanwhile, Karin, who had quieted down temporarily after being warned by Sasuke, seemed completely confused about the situation.
Or rather, she keenly sensed that Sakura's anger stemmed from Sasuke, which in turn stirred up a strange competitive spirit within her.
She pushed up her broken glasses and, deliberately in a sour tone, added fuel to the fire by saying to Sakura's retreating figure, "Oh? Judging from your reaction, you're Sasuke's... ex-girlfriend from Konoha?"
"Oh dear~ She's been dumped and still can't get over it, how pathetic~"
"I'm not!!!"
These words were like the final fuse that ignited, instantly shattering Sakura's reason!
She turned around abruptly, her eyes blazing with fury, not even bothering to consider the non-existent notions of "ex-girlfriend" and "being dumped."
Immense anger brings immense power—
She didn't even form any hand seals; it was purely an unconscious outburst of superhuman strength in her rage!
Suddenly, she plunged one hand into the sand beside her!
With a loud bang, she forcefully pried a huge weathered rock, nearly two meters in diameter, out of the sand!
The movement was as effortless as picking up a small pebble!
The next second, to everyone's astonishment, Sakura's arm muscles tensed slightly, and then she threw it with a bang!
call out--! ! !
The massive rock instantly broke the sound barrier, emitting a sonic boom-like shriek.
With unparalleled and terrifying kinetic energy, it transformed into a man-made meteorite, soaring straight into the sky at an astonishing speed.
In the blink of an eye, it turned into a tiny black dot and quickly disappeared into the azure horizon.
All that remained was a faint smell of burning in the air and a ring of spreading sonic boom clouds.
Someone swallowed hard, the sound unusually clear in the deathly silence.
Naruto's mouth was agape enough to fit a watermelon, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back.
He had no doubt that if that rock had hit Xianglin just now, there would only be a bottomless pit and a pool of unrecognizable flesh left there.
Sasuke reacted extremely quickly, the instant Sakura pried the stone out.
He suddenly struck, forcefully shoving Karin's head, who was still oblivious to her impending doom, into the sand.
Use your body to block any flying debris as much as possible.
Only after the "meteorite" disappeared into the sky did he raise his head with lingering fear, looking at the traces left in the sky, his back covered in a layer of cold sweat.
He turned his head to look at Karin, who had just struggled out of the sand, her face pale with fright and her body trembling like a leaf.
He warned in an unprecedentedly serious and icy tone: "If you don't want to die, keep your mouth shut! Don't provoke her again! She might really kill you!"
This time, Karin finally became completely obedient, nodding frantically and not daring to say another word. She looked at Sakura as if she were looking at a prehistoric Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Meanwhile, Sai stood by the side the whole time, meticulously observing and recording human emotions and behaviors.
For the first time, I also felt a kind of instinctive threat that went beyond the scope of database analysis.
When Sakura's palpable killing intent swept over him like a cold tide, his hand holding the pen suddenly froze.
The body involuntarily stopped recording, and every cell was sending out an alarm: "Danger! Extreme danger!"
He silently closed his notebook, deciding to temporarily halt his observation and study of "women's behavioral patterns under extreme anger."
After this thrilling interlude...
The group quickly handed over Karin, who had become completely obedient, Suigetsu, who was still afraid of electricity, and Jugo, who was withdrawn, to the Sunagakure sealing team who had come to meet them.
After a short rest, the four members of Class 7 immediately set off towards the deepest part of the Loulan ruins, based on the information provided by Karin.
The atmosphere remained oppressive throughout the journey.
Sakura, who usually has a warm smile and is patient with people, had a stern face all day.
He exudes a low-pressure aura that says, "Keep away, or you will die," and his fists occasionally clench unconsciously.
Naruto and Sasuke watched in horror, and in perfect unison, they followed at a distance, one on each side, not daring to get any closer.
The only one unaffected was probably Sai, who started recording again and listed "Sakura's anger" as his highest priority research topic.
He even tried to get closer to Sakura for a more intimate observation, but was met with a cold glare from her.
The murderous intent in his eyes triggered Sai's "threat assessment system" to alarm wildly once again, finally leading him to wisely choose to maintain a safe distance.
With the detailed route map provided by Karin, the four avoided several traps and patrolling experimental teams, and continued to advance with great efficiency.
The deeper you go, the more magnificent and ancient the architecture of the ruins becomes.
The chakra in the air grew increasingly dense and eerie, carrying an ancient and violent aura.
An ominous premonition hung over everyone's hearts.
Finally, they passed through a huge, broken stone archway, and suddenly found themselves in an enormous underground space.
This place seems to be the core altar of the ancient Loulan Kingdom, surrounded by huge statues and stone pillars.
The ground was engraved with incredibly complex sealing incantations, and at the very center was a bottomless, enormous crater.
And they saw Orochimaru standing at the edge of the pit, his hands forming a complex and sinister hand seal, chanting incantations.
"Orochimaru!" Naruto roared and was the first to rush out.
"Stop him!" Sasuke's Sharingan activated instantly, and the Kusanagi sword was already drawn.
Sakura also temporarily suppressed her emotions, her eyes sharpened, and her chakra gathered in her fist.
Sai quickly unrolled the scroll and dipped his brush in ink.
However, it was still a step too late.
The moment they rushed into the arena, Orochimaru completed the final hand seal and slammed his hands onto the core talisman on the ground!
Om-! ! !