Chapter 40: What the Hell?!
When Orochimaru accused him of greed, Yusuke tilted his head slightly and replied with a slow smile, "We're talking about a tailed beast here. A few vials of Hashirama Cell fusion fluid and two pieces of intel hardly measure up in value."
Although he said that, Yusuke knew very well that what he had asked for—both the Hashirama Cell fusion fluid and those two pieces of intelligence—were already quite significant. Still, a deal's a deal. It never hurt to push for more.
Orochimaru scoffed coldly. "Out with it. But I don't want to hear the word 'fifth' today."
Yusuke chuckled. "Relax. This is the last one."
"My little sister Izumi recently started practicing kenjutsu, but she doesn't have a weapon that suits her. I'd like to ask for a Kusanagi blade."
In the Naruto world, the "Kusanagi sword" wasn't a single blade—it was a classification. Yusuke knew Orochimaru owned more than one. The exact number and the origin of those swords remained a mystery.
In the original series, Orochimaru had revealed multiple Kusanagi blades: one used during the Chūnin Exams that was seized by Enma and left behind in Konoha, and another flexible blade used at the Tenchi Bridge against Naruto. He later gave Sasuke a Kusanagi sword as well, proving he had several in his possession.
Even Itachi's Totsuka Blade, wielded by his Susanoo, was considered a Kusanagi sword—rumored to be the strongest among them and nicknamed the "Sword of Sealing."
At Yusuke's request, Orochimaru slowly opened his mouth, revealing the slimy hilt of a sword protruding from within.
Startled, Yusuke immediately stopped him. He had no intention of giving his sister a sword covered in Orochimaru's saliva.
"Wait—can we not go with that one?"
Orochimaru's expression darkened as he swallowed the sword back down, then produced a scroll from his sleeve and tossed it at Yusuke's feet.
The scroll unfurled on the sand, revealing a storage seal at its center. Bold calligraphy spelled out the character for "sword" in elegant strokes.
"Release."
Orochimaru formed a hand seal, and with a flash, a refined long blade materialized from the center of the seal.
The sword remained sheathed. Both the scabbard and hilt were white, with pink sakura-embroidered tassels swaying at the end of the grip.
Yusuke picked it up and slowly unsheathed it. In an instant, a dazzling flash of blade light burst forth like blooming cherry blossoms under the moonlight—stunningly beautiful.
"What a sword…"
Admiring the sakura patterns engraved along the blade, Yusuke asked, "Does it have a name?"
Orochimaru responded in a low voice, "Kikyo Senrakuzakura."
"She'll love this," Yusuke said, sliding the blade back into its scabbard. "Thanks."
"With the deal concluded," Orochimaru said, "Yusuke-kun, isn't it time to hand over Shukaku?"
Ever cautious, Orochimaru clearly didn't intend to seal Shukaku here. He would take it away and deal with it in private.
Yusuke nodded. With a single hand sign, the four Fire Clone guardians maintaining the Four Purple Flame Formation vanished in flickers of flame, and the barrier collapsed.
At the same time, a massive white serpent, nearly 200 meters long, burst from behind Orochimaru. It coiled tightly around the weakened Shukaku, binding the beast with layers of sealing power. There would be no escape.
"Well then, Yusuke-kun… until we meet again."
With that, Orochimaru and the bound Shukaku slowly sank into the desert sand.
Yusuke watched their descent with a calm gaze. "Until next time, Orochimaru."
"Oh, and by the way—your current outfit? Seriously questionable. You should really consider a wardrobe change."
At this point, Orochimaru was already dressed in his iconic loose robes, with a thick rope belt and butterfly knot at the back—an outfit Yusuke found utterly absurd.
The moment he heard that, Orochimaru's face twitched. His earlier joy at securing Shukaku vanished in an instant. Even as he disappeared beneath the sand, he hadn't recovered.
Storing Kikyo Senrakuzakura into a sealing scroll, Yusuke returned to the lodge. Though he didn't manage to obtain Shukaku's Yin chakra, he had still walked away with valuable materials and intelligence.
However, Orochimaru's current strength—and his possession of the Dual Polarity Curse Mark and Shukaku—deeply concerned Yusuke. The man was already much stronger than in the original timeline. A future confrontation would be no small headache.
Two days later, the second stage of the Chūnin Exams concluded.
As with past exams, only about 30% of Genin teams passed. Some teams suffered casualties in the Desert of Demons, a grim reminder of how cruel the shinobi world truly was.
Only nine teams remained, including both of Konoha's squads.
The examiners gave the Genin a day to rest before the third and final stage, which would test individual combat abilities.
An electronic board would randomly select contestants for one-on-one duels. Winners advanced. Losers were eliminated.
Once the final victor was determined, the exams would conclude. Sunagakure's team would then review all three rounds to form promotion recommendations, which would be sent to each village.
These recommendations weren't binding. Actual promotions would still be decided by each village's leaders.
After all, the joint Chūnin Exams were more about diplomacy than pure merit.
At Konoha's inn, Anko was trying to suppress the agony of the Curse Mark on her shoulder.
Sweating and pale, she gritted her teeth while the others looked on with both concern and admiration.
The Curse Mark had flared up not long after the second exam began. Though no one could truly grasp her pain, her condition made it clear how unbearable it was.
Itachi and Kurama Kyoko had both suggested forfeiting the exam to treat the mark, but Anko refused.
She had endured three days of torment, and even Itachi had to admit he was impressed by her grit.
"So this is Orochimaru's Curse Mark," murmured Hayama Shirakumo, frowning at the glowing red seal. "I hate to admit it, but I have no way to remove it."
Despite the pain, Anko forced a smile. "It's fine. Even if I withdraw now, it won't affect Itachi and Kyoko's participation."
Yusuke gently patted her head. "Don't worry. I still expect you to shine in the final round."
"If I'd noticed your mark earlier, I wouldn't have let you suffer like this."
The others stared at him in surprise and admiration. They understood from his words that he had a solution.
To them, Yusuke was already a powerhouse despite being close to their age. But the fact that he also knew sealing techniques—ones even a seasoned jōnin like Shirakumo couldn't perform—was awe-inspiring.
"Yusuke, are you sure? This is Orochimaru's curse—it won't be easy," Shirakumo said skeptically.
"I can suppress it for now," Yusuke replied. "Removing it permanently will take a bit more work."
In truth, he already had a way to eliminate the Curse Mark entirely. But revealing too much of his capability now would be unwise.
He got straight to work. The pain was clearly unbearable for Anko—every second mattered.
Once the sealing array was ready, Yusuke formed a complex series of hand signs.
Tiger - Rabbit - Snake - Horse - Goat - Rooster - Tiger - Rabbit - Snake - Horse - Goat - Rooster - Tiger - Rabbit - Snake - Horse - Goat - Rooster - Dog - Rat.
This was the same sequence Kakashi had used in the original story to seal Sasuke's Curse Mark.
"Evil Sealing Method."
Powerful chakra-infused symbols glowed at Yusuke's fingertips. He pressed them against Anko's shoulder, where the seal pulsed with light.
Slowly, the dark red glow faded into black as the sealing array formed around it.
Thanks to his superior understanding of fūinjutsu, Yusuke's version was both simpler and more effective than Kakashi's.
"It worked!" Kyoko cheered, hugging Anko tightly.
They had become close during the exam, and seeing Anko finally relieved brought her joy.
The others were all visibly relieved.
"Thanks…" Anko said softly, flustered but grateful.
Yusuke waved it off. "You're part of my team now. Show me your strength in the next round."
"Got it!" Anko nodded firmly, determined to prove herself.
The Next Day — Final Round of the Chūnin Exams
The arena was packed. Almost every senior in Sunagakure, including the Fourth Kazekage Rasa, was present. Even Wind Country officials had shown up.
Yusuke and Shirakumo sat in the guest seats, not far from the Kazekage, with a perfect view of the battles.
Once the host explained the rules, the screen began randomly selecting participants.
Everyone held their breath as names flickered across the display.
"First match: Mitarashi Anko of Konoha versus Uchiha Itachi of Konoha."
Anko, who had just overcome the Curse Mark and was eager to fight, stared at the screen in disbelief.
Then she blurted out, loud enough for
the whole arena to hear:
"What the hell?!!"
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