Chapter 83: The Evil Sealing Method

Aoba's Sage Mode is one of his greatest trump cards, a nearly unrestricted boost that enhances all aspects, far superior to other forms of Sage Mode seen in the series. However, it has one peculiar limitation—it cannot be passed on, meaning he can't teach it to others.

Orochimaru's Curse Mark is an exceptionally intricate jutsu, one that incorporates the usage of natural energy. Orochimaru himself can't use Sage Mode, but Jugo is a mutation caused by exposure to natural energy. Using this property, Orochimaru developed the Curse Mark—a diluted version of Sage Mode.

When Sasuke uses it, his body undergoes transformations, a clear mark of Sage Mode's characteristics making Aoba quite intrigued by this jutsu.

Moreover, Sasuke isn't just anyone; he's Indra's reincarnation. This essentially means that no matter what, Orochimaru would never be able to consume Sasuke completely, especially with the Sage of Six Paths watching over.

In the lab, Aoba carefully observed a spherical mass of flesh—a cluster of Hashirama cells. When infused with a nutrient solution, the cells began multiplying rapidly. However, the sealing jutsu around it restricted the growth, keeping it confined to a fist-sized sphere.

After about five minutes of wriggling, the cells finally stopped and stabilized, forming a small, active blob of flesh—a primitive lifeform, albeit without consciousness.

"Good. The Hashirama cells have stabilized. Now, start injecting chakra. Let's see how much chakra this flesh can handle," Aoba instructed.

Yumi immediately began channeling chakra. With a body closest to the original Sage Body of Hashirama, her chakra was perfectly compatible with the cells.

As it turned out, he needn't have worried; the Hashirama cells demonstrated remarkable compatibility, easily absorbing all types of chakra.

After two minutes, Yumi stopped. "It's reached its limit."

"Good. How much chakra would you say you used?"

"Hmm… about one-fiftieth?"

Since Yumi was nearly at Hashirama's level of chakra, even one-fiftieth of her reserves was enormous, equivalent to about five times Kakashi's chakra from the series.

But he still wasn't satisfied. "Try compressing it; let's find its absolute limit."

...

In the Chunin Exams' arena, three Grass-nin were frantically running for their lives. Karin followed them at a steady, relentless pace.

"Damn it! What's wrong with that Konoha kunoichi? Why is she chasing us even after we gave her our scroll?"

"Doesn't she seem…familiar to you guys?" one of them asked, panting.

"Familiar? This is our first time in Konoha. How could she seem familiar?"

"No, I swear she does. Remember the blood pack back in the village?"

The moment he said it, the three Grass-nin fell silent.

"It's her! Konoha took her in back then? Damn it, we're going to lodge a complaint about this!"

"Shut up, idiot! Don't you get it? We won't get a chance to complain. We're about to die here!"

They would, indeed, die. Back in the first exam, Karin had already taken note of the Grass-nin, who hadn't recognized her due to her changed appearance. But Karin remembered them all too well. Many of these Grass-nin had either bitten her mother or her.

As a young child, Karin had struggled to survive in terror. She had no sense of revenge, not understanding the concept at that age. But after years under Aoba's guidance, she had a more balanced worldview. Revenge was one of the rare forms of justice in human society, and she had every right to seek it for herself and her mother.

In this Chunin Exam, five Grass-nin teams totaling fifteen members had entered. So far, Karin had eliminated six of them.

Due to limited resources compared to Aoba's team, the Grass-nin were no match for Karin's seemingly endless chakra. With her earth and water jutsu and her frequent sparring with Aoba, she had the upper hand in both power and experience.

The only issue was that Karin, driven by revenge, had rushed ahead on her own. Sasuke and Naruto wanted to catch up to her but were stopped by an unexpected figure.

This person was also a Grass-nin but vastly different from the others. His strength was overwhelming, so much so that Sasuke and Naruto felt a sense of helplessness, a feeling they only experienced when facing Aoba.

In reality, Orochimaru was purposefully creating this oppressive atmosphere. Sasuke and Naruto's abilities had exceeded his expectations, so he had to use a little more power to instill the desired fear in Sasuke.

After gathering information on Aoba, Orochimaru had once targeted Itachi, with nearly flawless planning. However, Itachi's Susanoo allowed him to turn the tables, nearly killing Orochimaru.

Rather than dissuading him, this defeat only deepened Orochimaru's obsession with the Sharingan.

If he couldn't capture Itachi, he'd set his sights on Sasuke. To his delight, Sasuke's talent was everything he'd hoped for. Orochimaru gladly bestowed upon him his latest creation—the Cursed Seal of Heaven.

"Sasuke, come with me. Only under my guidance will you gain the power you need… the power to defeat him."

"Is that so? Can you defeat him?" Sasuke's question nearly made Orochimaru falter. There was no way he could tell Sasuke, "No, I couldn't. I got demolished the first time and barely survived the second."

"Haha, if you want to know the answer, come find me," Orochimaru said, retreating awkwardly.

Sasuke watched him go, his expression unreadable as he looked at the curse mark on his neck.

At that moment, the mark's effects began to take hold. In the original story, this would have rendered Sasuke unconscious. But this time, Sasuke showed no signs of panic. He calmly pulled out a scroll from his pocket.

Unfurling it, he channeled chakra to activate the inscription within.

"Evil Sealing Method!"

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Currently on Chapter 124 - The New Member of the Akatsuki