Chapter 418: The Three-Year Promise

Chapter 418: Chapter 418: The Three-Year Promise

Sasuke curled up on the ground in unbearable pain. He struggled to get back to his feet, but his young body, having suffered one heavy blow after another, refused to obey him.

At that moment, Kimimaro’s muttering reached his ears, striking him like a bolt of lightning.

"No... That’s not right. The Sharingan isn’t supposed to be like this!"

Driven by overwhelming unwillingness and fury, a powerful burst of chakra erupted from Sasuke’s body. Forcefully suppressing his physical discomfort, he once again climbed to his feet.

Kimimaro’s voice was ice-cold. "Do you think I wouldn’t dare kill you?"

Sasuke shouted, "Even if I die, I’ll never allow you to trample on the Uchiha’s honor!"

With that shout, Sasuke surged chakra throughout his entire body and once again raised his hands to form seals.

Perhaps because he had activated his Sharingan, his hand-seal speed was noticeably faster than before. In just a few short breaths, he completed every seal.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

In an instant, a scorching fireball, clearly larger and faster than the previous one, erupted from Sasuke’s mouth.

The tremendous heatwave generated by the Fire Release ninjutsu forced the villagers watching from the outer perimeter to cover their faces and retreat even farther, causing quite a commotion throughout the plaza.

Anko, serving as the temporary referee, was already trapped in an impossible situation. With an ugly expression, she complained, "If I’d known this would happen, I never would’ve agreed to let these two fight. These two brats are freaking monsters!"

Among the Hyuga clan members, Hizashi stared at the Great Fireball Technique that dyed the entire plaza red and couldn’t help sighing in amazement.

"What terrifying potential..."

Neji’s mouth also fell slightly open.

If Sasuke’s earlier performance had still been something he could dismiss, then what Sasuke was displaying now had already exceeded his expectations.

He even began to suspect that, as he was now, he might not be Sasuke’s match.

On the edge of a rooftop at the other end of the plaza, Hyuga Kagami activated his Byakugan.

Although he knew the Great Fireball Technique wouldn’t be enough to threaten Kimimaro, objectively speaking, the Great Fireball Technique Sasuke had just unleashed was already comparable to that of many chunin.

Whether it was his hand-seal speed or his control and application of chakra, both were remarkably impressive. He had practically reached the absolute limit of what a seven-year-old child could achieve. Hyuga Kagami himself definitely hadn’t been capable of anything like this when he was seven.

Even Kurenai, who had always been rather proud of her own abilities, couldn’t help exclaiming after witnessing Sasuke’s performance, "That Uchiha brat really is something. He reminds me of Kakashi back in the day!"

In the eyes of everyone from their generation, that was exactly how unforgettable Kakashi had been during his time at the Ninja Academy.

In front of the main entrance to the Hokage Building, Tsunade stood with her impressive chest thrust forward, her gaze also fixed on the match taking place in the plaza.

Unlike everyone else who was showering Sasuke with praise, she watched the fight while instructing the disciples beside her, "Remember this. In the face of overwhelming speed and strength, one or two ninjutsu won’t be enough to change the course of a battle. So no matter what, you must never neglect your daily taijutsu training!"

"Yes!"

Shizune, Hyuga Rei, and Uchiha Izumi all nodded repeatedly.

Among them, Uchiha Izumi wore a worried expression. She knew her Sensei would never say something like that without reason, so she secretly began worrying for Sasuke.

And soon enough, Tsunade’s words were proven correct.

Once again, Kimimaro effortlessly evaded the Great Fireball Technique hurtling toward him. His figure then flickered as he slid beneath Sasuke, and from below—

he unleashed a vicious upward kick!

The kick struck Sasuke squarely on the chin, launching his entire body into the air before he crashed heavily back to the ground.

After taking that blow, Sasuke was left completely dazed, his head spinning so badly that he could barely tell what was happening.

Casting one final glance at the disoriented Sasuke, who simply couldn’t get back to his feet, Kimimaro slowly returned to the group from Otogakure and took his place beside Orochimaru.

From beginning to end, his expression had barely changed. There wasn’t even the slightest excitement on his face from defeating a seven-year-old Uchiha genius who had already awakened the Sharingan.

It was as though he had merely done something utterly insignificant.

Orochimaru smiled and asked, "So? What did you think?"

Kimimaro respectfully bowed slightly toward Orochimaru.

"He was unexpectedly weak."

"Is that so...?" Orochimaru’s smile deepened as he casually asked, "Do you really think he’s weak?"

Kimimaro firmly believed that every word Orochimaru spoke carried a deeper meaning.

So he immediately began seriously recalling the fight, trying to find some redeeming quality in Sasuke’s performance.

But even after thinking long and hard, he couldn’t find a single thing worth praising.

Thus, he cautiously replied, "Lord, his taijutsu and ninjutsu were both a complete mess. He really was very weak."

Orochimaru merely smiled and said nothing more.

Kimimaro was one of his most satisfactory creations—and also one of the bodies he had prepared as a potential vessel.

Because of that, Orochimaru understood Kimimaro’s talent better than anyone.

Kimimaro was a genius in the truest and purest sense of the word.

And with the Shikotsumyaku flowing through his veins, his bloodline was hardly inferior to that of the Uchiha clan. In almost every respect, Kimimaro could be considered nearly flawless.

Still, the potential of the Uchiha clan could not be underestimated.

After all, Kimimaro was a full three years older than Sasuke.

If both of them were allowed to grow into adulthood, then who would ultimately emerge victorious would be difficult to predict.

At that moment, Sasuke finally managed to climb back to his feet.

With an enraged roar, he tried to charge at Kimimaro once again.

"Enough!"

From the sidelines, Fugaku suddenly called out and stopped Sasuke.

Sasuke turned around in confusion and looked toward Fugaku.

"Father, I can win!"

Fugaku softened his tone and said gently, "Come back. A single victory or defeat doesn’t mean anything."

With Fugaku’s discerning eye, it wasn’t difficult for him to see that Kimimaro’s strength had already surpassed the level of a chunin. During his fight with Sasuke, he hadn’t even come close to using his full strength.

Therefore, Fugaku didn’t want the talented Sasuke to suffer another blow and endure a setback that someone his age shouldn’t have to bear.

Hearing his father’s words, tears immediately welled up in Sasuke’s eyes.

Fugaku’s expression instantly darkened.

Sasuke hurriedly wiped away his tears, then turned toward Kimimaro among the Otogakure group and shouted, "I lost today! I’ll remember this debt, and one day, I’ll personally settle it with you!"

Kimimaro didn’t even spare Sasuke a glance, as though he hadn’t heard his declaration at all.

Sasuke immediately flew into a rage and roared, "Three years! Three years from now, I’ll come find you and win back the honor that should’ve been mine!"

Kimimaro still gave no response whatsoever, his expression utterly indifferent.

After returning to the Uchiha clan’s group, Sasuke looked thoroughly aggrieved.

The pain he had forcibly suppressed earlier in the heat of the moment now erupted all at once, hurting so badly that he could barely straighten his back.

Fugaku said, "Stand up straight!"

Sasuke immediately straightened his back.

Fugaku then continued, "Although you lost, you performed very well today. As expected of my son!"

Hearing his father’s praise, Sasuke suddenly felt as though all the pain in his body had vanished.

Then, with a frustrated expression, he asked, "Father, why can’t my Great Fireball Technique ever hit anyone?"

Fugaku’s expression froze.

"Uh..."