Sasuke questioned Sakon with a furrowed brow, "Are you asking me to die once?" He observed as Sakon searched through his pockets and retrieved a small container of pills, and then asked, "What is that?" Sasuke's tone was cautious and vigilant.
Sakon presented the bottle to Sasuke and explained, "It's a hallucinogen, and I want you to consume it."
"Why?" Sasuke inquired.
Tayuya responded, "By taking that pill, your level one cursed seal will be forcibly upgraded to level two."
Sakon clarified, "However, the level two curse will spread much faster and if we don't intervene, it could be fatal for you. In order to harness the power of the level two curse, your body needs to adjust to it. Once you do, you'll possess the same strength as us."
Sakon concluded, "Once the seal reaches level two, you only have a few minutes before death."
Sasuke expressed his unease by asking, "What happens once I die?"
Sakon offered him the bottle and replied, "There's no need to worry because we are here to help."
Sakon explained that their barrier jutsu would minimize the curse's adverse effects, resulting in a temporary coma and softening the curse's impact.
Sasuke took hold of the pill bottle and inquired, "How good are your barrier abilities?"
Kidomaru interposed and addressed Sasuke, "Sasuke-sama, the four of us are Orochimaru-sama's elite guards, and our most potent skills are creating barriers and seals."
After a moment of contemplation, Sasuke opened the bottle, took out a pill, and gazed at it, triggering a mental image of Itachi.
"I'm counting on you," Sasuke uttered before swallowing the pill. Almost immediately, he dropped to his knees, clutching his stomach and struggling to endure the agony.
"Come on, move quickly, or Sasuke-sama is gonna flip," Sakon exclaimed, producing a sealing scroll and summoning a substantial wooden box. The group acted swiftly, with Jirobo cautiously placing Sasuke inside the box and taking up his position.
"Let's get started!" Sakon shouted as they all formed hand seals and chanted together, "Fuinjutsu: Death Sealing Method!" Sakon affixed various sealing tags onto the box, effectively sealing Sasuke inside.
"Alright, we have completed the first step," Sakon declared.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
While jumping from tree to tree, Kiba, Menma, Shikamaru, Naruto, Choji, and Neji noticed something peculiar - Kiba caught the scent of five ninjas, including Sasuke, who seemed to be in a battle with two other ninjas. However, they appeared to be moving away from the smell of blood. Kiba immediately brought this to everyone's attention and directed his question to Shikamaru, asking for their plan of action.
Upon hearing this, Shikamaru furrowed his brows in deep thought, realizing that Sasuke had assistance from others. He muttered to himself, "This situation is not looking good at all."
*Tak*
Naruto exclaimed with a hint of anxiety, "Let's hurry and catch up with Sasuke!"
Menma intervened and advised Naruto to calm down. He then turned to Shikamaru for guidance and asked, "What's the plan?"
*Tak*
Shikamaru pondered aloud, "If we head in that direction, we might be able to gather some information. And if Kiba's sensing blood, it could mean there was a fight. We should switch to a more cautious approach and scout the area."
