So close...
Just a little more!
Any moment now.
The Chunin Exam...the Forest of Death... three years have passed...
You want our "Earth Scroll," don't you...?
Okay, let's begin... the struggle for the scroll.
We'll put our lives on the line!
The Genin who once feared your menacing air
has now matured, hasn't he...?
The young Sharingan that child turned at me had a fine look.
If he's able to use the Sharingan to that extent as his age,
he gets a passing grade.
No, with training, he can become an outstanding gem, superior to Itachi.
Yes, that is what convinced me...
In addition to the trauma he carries with him!
Sasuke would seek me out for sure...
looking for strength!
That is why you gave him a Curse Mark and also took steps
to keep watch over the Chunin Exam to see how he reacts.
Are you talking about Anko?
That was just a coincidence.
Well...I was planning to threaten the Leaf, anyway.
If his Chakra was completely sucked out by Yoroi's powers,
Sasuke would be forced to use the power of the Curse Mark...
Now release it. That sweet power of yours...!
Dancing Leaf Shadow?!
Take this!
I'm not going...to let this thing... swallow me up!
Lions Barrage!
Wonderful...
What more can I say?
The will to brush off the effects of the Curse Mark
and the way he made use of the Sharingan in a desperate situation...
Actual battle does indeed make Ninja mature greatly.
It was the right decision to make him continue with the Chunin Exam.
I suppose.
He did well to improve that much...
Chidori!
Excellent... He did well!
There was no reason to keep him with the Leaf Ninja any longer...
There's no one who can train him better than I can...
No one other than me, who can understand the darkness in his heart...
As well as paint him in your colors, Lord Orochimaru...isn't that right?
It's as though the destruction of the Hidden Leaf Village was an afterthought.
It's time for me to prepare the next medicine...
so that you will be able to go through the Reanimation Jutsu in perfect condition.
I will give you a punishment that is appropriate for you,
who has become intoxicated by Jutsu and allowed it to go to your head!
I will take all of your Jutsu!
Stop it!
Seal!
My arms can't move...!
Damn geezer...
Because of that, my Jutsu was taken from me
and the time of my reanimation was postponed. But...
All preparations are complete... and the plan is in its final stage.
The unexpected accident is now but a trivial price to pay.
Finally, your body will become mine...
Sasuke!
The Serpent's Pupil
What's the meaning of this!
Why hasn't there been any reports from the Anbu Black Ops surveillance team?
Even though we got rid of Orochimaru's men,
the Three-Tails still remains a huge threat!
Anyway, send a squad to check it out and make it the highest priority!
Yes, ma'am!
Everything I do is for my goal...
No, I do it to clear away the darkness that stands in the way of my goal.
Lord Orochimaru!
What are you doing, Kabuto...?!
Are you all right, Lord Orochimaru?
I'm fine... That body will be mine shortly.
I will be reanimated soon. I feel great...
You've reached your limit.
In your condition, if I don't administer a rank 10 medication, your body will...
I will change medications.
It will just take a minute.
That menacing air... But his body should already have passed its limit.
But he hangs on by his sheer will...
This is why I cannot leave Lord Orochimaru's side.
The Hokage... When you defeated both giant heads of Kazekage...
And when you were just one step away from destruction of the Hidden Leaf Village...
The legendary Sannin...
When you were fighting Tsunade and Jiraiya at the same time...
You never looked so menacing... so full of ambition, even then.
But now, at this point...
I am fearful of how much you've grown, Lord Orochimaru.
If all goes well, not only the Five Kage,
but the entire continent will bow down before you, Lord Orochimaru...
When you obtain Sasuke's body...
Chidori Stream!
The report is reliable?
Yes. According to the squad sent to check that lake...
The Anbu Black Ops stationed there to do surveillance
had disappeared along with the Three-Tails.
Hmm...
I'm sorry. This happened because I was unable to seal the Three-Tails...
But, who could have done this?
Someone who could handle the Three-Tails in the short time since we lost contact...
The Akatsuki?!
The cost of reanimation is this pain. But it's...
nothing compared to the greatness that I am gaining.
The nature of this Chakra...
But, I've never seen this Change in Chakra Form before.
Who is it?!
You came...just as I thought you would.
I have nothing more to learn from you.
Even here before you...
I think I can become heartless.
You didn't kill all of them... How naïve.
There are others I'd rather kill.
Unless you become heartless, you will never defeat Itachi.
When I stand before him, I'll be heartless, whether I want to be or not.
Orochimaru, you are weaker than me.
There's no longer any need for me to give you my body.
You have some nerve... you're still an Uchiha fledgling!
If I hadn't been a fledgling, you would've had no chance at me, right?
You...
were eyeing me, trying to appraise this "fledgling"
in the forest during the Chunin Exams.
Move!
Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!
I want you...after all!
So you put dibs on me.
You thought you had me bound to you with this...
Come with us!
If you come, Lord Orochimaru will give you power!
- Are you coming? - Or not?!
If this weak guy keeps dawdling, I'm going to want to kill him.
Just try to kill me!
You're not the only one Lord Orochimaru favors.
We're bound to Lord Orochimaru
in exchange for gaining powers via the Curse Mark.
We no longer have any freedom.
To gain something, we have to give something up.
What is it you're after?
Don't forget your goal.
I want revenge.
I was ready to give my body if it meant I could attain my goal of revenge.
You just wanted a Sharingan, right?
But...
Itachi didn't work out... That's why you came after me, a fledgling.
Isn't that right? You who they called the Genius Sannin.
But you turned out to be what they call on the streets, "just an ordinary prodigy."
You couldn't even live up to the Uchiha name, much less surpass it.
Even the best prodigy is only ordinary against the Uchiha name.
What you did...
disgustingly trying to approach the powers of the Uchiha
by drowning yourself in drugs and trying to overcome your body...
It seems so shameless and comical to me, who possesses that name.
And what's more, I don't like the way you do things.
What is your goal?
You hopped from hideout to hideout, conducting experiments...
Toying with life after life...
Saying you were trying to unravel the order of this world.
You continued to toy with others for your own stupid and selfish reasons...
Why... Brother?
To measure my own abilities.
Measure your own abilities...?
Is that all?
Is that the only reason... you killed everyone?!
That's what's important.
You make me sick!
A snake with white scales... so that is your true form...
You conducted experiment after experiment
so that you could move from body to body...
and that's how you ended up?
Now, Sasuke... Give me your body!
A snake that slithers on the ground can only dream of flying through the air.
You wanted it so badly that you went after the fledgling in the nest...
But you became targeted as the prey instead...
By the eyes of a hawk soaring high above in the sky.
Sasuke!
The way Lord Orochimaru looks... He won't last with only the medicine.
He'll have to do the Reanimation Jutsu tomorrow, or as soon as today...
Of course... I wouldn't think Sasuke would consent willingly...
But no matter how much he resists, there's no way he can escape.
Even Sasuke can't resist that Jutsu...
Next time: "Eye of the Hawk"
Tune in again!