Chapter 119

In view of Karin's weak foundation, Kazuki formulated a comprehensive practice plan for her.

Plan 1: Do physical training for an hour every day! One hundred push-ups, one hundred sit-ups, a thousand-meter run, and more!

Plan 2: Practice swordsmanship for one hour every day and swing the sword at least 3,000 times!

Plan 3: Learn one ninjutsu every day! Start with the basics—Transformation, Clone, Body Replacement, Body Flicker, etc.!

Plan 4: Practice tree climbing for an hour every day. Due to Karin's extraordinary talent, she completed the task in just a few minutes.

Plan 5: Upgrade to tree-climbing and water-walking practice. For Karin, who had exceptional chakra control, this training was still easy. She mastered it completely in just two days.

Karin's practice plan progressed smoothly, and she made noticeable improvements every day. However, Sakura's training plan did not go as well.

When it came to swordsmanship training, Sakura's talent was not remarkable. Nearly a month of practice failed to bring much improvement to her technique. She still couldn't master the Dance of the Crescent Moon. As for Rasengan, Sakura had no clear direction to move forward, because her chakra nature wasn't particularly outstanding. No matter how much training she did, her progress was slow.

It seemed that Sakura could only follow the path of a medical ninja, much like in the original story. Frustrated by her lack of progress, Sakura approached Kazuki for advice, but there was little he could do. Talent played a big role, and even if Kazuki taught her all the ninjutsu he knew, Sakura could not reach his level.

Time passed like this, with Sakura's anxiety growing. Soon, it was the day before the finals of the Chunin Exams.

On this day, Kazuki was practicing with Karin and Sakura as usual, but Sasuke suddenly appeared.

Seeing Sasuke return, Kazuki was a bit surprised. He had thought Sasuke would only show up for the exam itself, but here he was, earlier than expected.

"What? Is your special training over?"

Though Kazuki knew about Sasuke's training progress through his system, he asked anyway, feigning ignorance since the exam was the next day.

Sasuke nodded, glancing at Sakura and Karin, and asked, "Can we talk somewhere else?"

"Alright," Kazuki agreed, signaling to Sakura and Karin to continue their practice. He then followed Sasuke several hundred meters away, ensuring there was no one around.

"What's up? Why avoid even Sakura?" Kazuki asked, though he had already guessed the reason. The only thing that could make Sasuke so cautious was Orochimaru.

Sure enough, Sasuke confessed to Kazuki about his training over the past month, where Orochimaru had played a significant role. Originally, Sasuke had planned to develop a powerful ninjutsu combining lightning and fire, but the technique, while complex, didn't turn out as powerful as he had hoped. It was only slightly stronger than the basic Chidori and classified as a B-rank technique. In terms of power, it was around A-rank, but far from the S-rank ninjutsu Sasuke had been dreaming of.

During this period of frustration, Orochimaru approached Sasuke. At first, Sasuke thought Orochimaru intended to cause trouble, but instead, Orochimaru offered to help him grow stronger, suggesting Sasuke follow him to get revenge on Kazuki.

Orochimaru's condition, however, was that Sasuke had to cooperate in an experiment, allowing him to plant a curse mark on Sasuke's body. Sasuke refused, uninterested in being anyone's guinea pig. No Sannin or Kage-level figure could tempt him. Sasuke firmly believed that he could become a Kage-level shinobi on his own, with Kazuki's guidance.

Orochimaru didn't press the issue but left Sasuke with a stack of ninjutsu scrolls, allowing him to continue his training. This was the phase Sasuke had been in until today.

"It's curious that Orochimaru didn't forcefully place a curse seal on you," Kazuki remarked with a slight smile, finding the situation interesting. Back in the Forest of Death, Orochimaru had tried to force the curse mark on Sasuke, but Sasuke managed to escape with a Summoning Beast. This time, Orochimaru found Sasuke outside Konoha, and with no one around to help, it was surprising that Orochimaru hadn't taken the opportunity.

"What's he afraid of? Or does he have some other purpose?" Kazuki mused.

"Can Orochimaru's curse mark really make me ten times stronger?" Sasuke asked, uninterested in Orochimaru's motives and focused solely on the potential for power.

Kazuki glanced at Sasuke and said calmly, "Maybe, but in the end, the curse mark is a failed technique. It's just a tool Orochimaru uses for his resurrection. I wouldn't recommend accepting it."

"A failed technique?" Sasuke was confused.

"Senjutsu is a power different from ordinary chakra. It's also known as natural chakra. Using it can enhance your ninjutsu's strength, speed, and power. It's an all-around boost," Kazuki explained.

"Is it stronger than the curse mark?"

"Much stronger."

"Then where can I learn Senjutsu? Does Orochimaru know how?"

"If Orochimaru knew Senjutsu, do you think he'd be wasting his time with curse marks?" Kazuki sneered. "Not everyone can learn it—it requires talent."

"Do you know where I can learn it? Or how to use Senjutsu?" Sasuke asked, determined.

"I do know where you can learn it. I actually planned to take you to become a disciple twenty days ago, but you disappeared from the village."

"..."

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