Chapter 70: The Arrogant Orochimaru, and Byakuya Who Seems to Know Everything!

Chapter 70: The Arrogant Orochimaru, and Byakuya Who Seems to Know Everything!

“Tsunade…

You?”

“You bastard, Orochimaru!”

Before Orochimaru could finish speaking,

Tsunade charged forward like a raging bull.

Her fist slammed viciously into his stomach.

“Guoh!”

Orochimaru’s face twisted in pain.

Using the force of the punch, he let himself be sent flying backward.

The moment he hit the ground, he instantly performed the Great Snake Substitution Technique.

His true body burst out from the mouth of the substitute snake.

As soon as he emerged, the tail beneath him transformed into legs.

“I never expected…

you actually cured your hemophobia.

Tsunade.

It seems I underestimated you.”

Orochimaru glanced at her with genuine surprise.

“I underestimated you too, Orochimaru.”

Tsunade stared at him gravely. “I read the intelligence report from that day.

I really didn’t think…

you could survive that single strike!”

“Because I am eternal! Indestructible!”

A wildly arrogant grin spread across Orochimaru’s face.

The success of that experiment was something he took the greatest pride in.

“Looks like today isn’t the right time to keep fighting.”

After sensing the approaching Anbu, Orochimaru no longer lingered.

“Tsunade… sooner or later, I will destroy this Konoha.

I hope we’ll meet again when that day comes…”

With those words, he melted into the earth and vanished completely.

“Lady Tsunade!”

Several Anbu rushed over and bowed, asking whether they should pursue.

“No need.”

Tsunade frowned at the spot where Orochimaru disappeared, then shook her head.

She wasn’t worried about his talk of destroying Konoha.

Because right now, Konoha’s strength was greater than ever before!

“If you chased after him recklessly, you would have died.”

After saying that, she turned to Shizune.

“How’s Sasuke doing right now?”

“He was marked with Orochimaru’s curse mark and has already passed out.”

Shizune shook her head helplessly at the situation.

“Curse mark, huh…”

Tsunade pondered for a moment before giving orders.

“Anbu, take Sasuke to the hospital.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Once the Anbu carried Sasuke away, she looked at Shizune again.

“Shizune, go bring Kushina here.

This kind of curse mark can’t be treated with medical ninjutsu.

The only way is to seal it away.”

“Yes!”

Shizune responded quickly and dashed off.

Tsunade stood alone, quietly gazing at the spot where Sasuke had fallen earlier.

She let out a soft sigh.

“Thank goodness I came out today to look up surgical materials and happened to pass by…

Otherwise, who knows what that snake would have done to him?”

……

The next day, at noon.

Byakuya was just about to eat when he saw Naruto and Sakura rushing toward him in a panic.

“This is bad!

This is really bad!”

Naruto started yelling even before he reached the door.

“Byakuya!

It’s terrible!

Sasuke…

he got bitten by Orochimaru!”

“Bitten?”

Byakuya raised an eyebrow.

Seriously? Is this guy’s fate just to get chomped by snakes?

He mentally complained.

“It’s not just a bite. Orochimaru planted some kind of curse mark on him,”

Sakura punched Naruto on the arm before hurriedly explaining to Byakuya.

“This morning Shizune-nee told me…

Last night, Orochimaru sneaked into the village,

found Sasuke, and directly put the curse mark on him.

Right now he’s lying in the hospital…

Should we go visit him together?”

After saying that, Sakura suddenly remembered something and blushed a little awkwardly.

“Um… last time Byakuya-kun told me I could walk the path of a medical ninja…

So I worked up the courage to ask Lady Tsunade to take me as her apprentice.

She hasn’t agreed yet…

I was planning to tell you only after she accepted me.”

“I see.”

Byakuya nodded.

“Let’s go. We’ll visit him together.”

No matter what, Sasuke could be considered half his student.

Now that he was hospitalized, it was only right to go see him.

……

The group soon arrived at the hospital.

Thanks to Tsunade’s treatment, Sasuke was already awake.

When he saw the three of them, he gave only a slight nod in greeting.

“You’re here.”

When Tsunade saw Byakuya arrive, she nodded and turned to leave.

“Since you’re all here, sit with him for a while.

I’m going to go read.”

With that, she strode out, rubbing her temples as she walked.

Lately she had been pulling all-nighters, desperately trying to find a way to save Lee.

After watching Tsunade leave, the group finally started talking.

“Sasuke, does it hurt there?”

Naruto curiously leaned in close,

about to poke the curse mark with his finger—only to have his hand swatted away by Sasuke.

“It doesn’t hurt.”

Sasuke replied flatly, then turned to Byakuya.

His eyes were full of expectation.

“Byakuya.

Do you have a way to remove this thing?

Lady Tsunade said it can’t be dealt with for now…

only sealed away with a sealing technique…”

“I can remove it.”

Byakuya gave a small nod.

“WHAT?!”

All three of them froze at once.

Naruto was stunned.

Sasuke’s eyes lit up with joy.

Sakura looked at him in pure admiration.

“As expected of Byakuya-kun!

There really is nothing you can’t do!”

Sakura’s eyes sparkled as she gazed at him dreamily.

“Even something the Fifth Hokage can’t fix… Byakuya-kun can handle it so easily!”

“Ahem!”

Just as she finished, a cough came from the doorway.

Sakura’s whole body stiffened instantly.

“L-Lady… Tsunade…”

“Hmph!”

Tsunade, who had forgotten her book and come back midway, let out a cold snort.

Then she looked curiously at Byakuya.

“Byakuya.

You’re saying you can remove this curse mark?”

Tsunade was genuinely intrigued by this boy now.

She felt like… Byakuya seemed to know everything.

As if there was nothing in this world that could stump him.

“Yes.”

Byakuya nodded firmly once again.

“There are roughly three ways to remove a curse mark.

The first two—I’m certain I can do them.

The third one… not guaranteed, but we can try.”

“THREE WAYS?!”

All four people exclaimed in shock.

The Konoha higher-ups had already discussed this curse mark for a long time.

Everyone had been helpless against it.

And yet Byakuya… had three solutions?!

This was truly shocking.

“How do we do it?”

All four of them asked at the same time.

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