The next morning, sunlight streamed through the hospital window, dispelling the night's chill and illuminating a floor that showed almost no trace of the previous night's carnage.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A series of impatient knocks sounded, followed by the door sliding open.
A head with spiky blond hair, whisker-like marks on his face, and wide, round eyes poked in.
"Sasuke! Sasuke! Are you okay?" Naruto burst in noisily.
Seeing Naruto's expression, pure and untainted with anything but genuine concern, Sasuke felt something soft stir within him.
He remembered his master's teachings from the night before, thought about how he had taken what should have been Naruto's opportunity.
He couldn't help speaking: "Naruto, I'm sorry."
"Eh?" Naruto blinked, then his eyes widened even more than before.
His face showed extreme terror and disbelief, as if he'd heard the most frightening thing in the world.
"You're saying sorry? Could it be... could it be..." He jumped back, clutching his head, letting out a despairing wail.
"Has Sakura already been taken by you? Please, no!"
Veins instantly bulged on Sasuke's forehead. The little guilt and complex emotions he'd felt moments ago vanished, replaced by speechlessness and irritation.
'Who would be interested in that kind of thing, you idiot!'
"I have zero interest in that kind of thing! Idiot!" He couldn't help growling, straining his wounds and wincing in pain again.
"Jeez, you scared me." Naruto patted his chest, looking relieved. "Good, as long as it's not about Sakura, as long as it's not about Sakura, ehehe."
Sasuke sighed, then suddenly said seriously: "Naruto, actually, I envy you a bit, or rather, I'm jealous!"
"Huh?" Naruto's eyes widened again. He pointed at his own nose. "Jealous of me? Sasuke, you're not wrong, are you?"
"With all those girls lining up to give you love letters and bento boxes every day, you say you're jealous of me?" Naruto's tone was sour. This guy was clearly showing off.
"Not that." Sasuke shook his head. "I envy... no matter what hardships, scorn, or isolation you face, you can always face it positively."
"That kind of resilience and optimism is something I can't learn, no matter what. It's where I fall short of you."
Naruto was stunned. It had never occurred to him that Sasuke, whom he always envied, might also envy him.
"You're my only acknowledged rival. So, work hard to get stronger. Next time we meet, I hope you can still be my rival." Sasuke said earnestly.
"Hehehe, I didn't expect you to say things like that, Sasuke. It's kinda embarrassing..." Naruto scratched his head, grinning sheepishly.
"But just you wait. I'm gonna go train with Pervy Sage soon. When I get back, I'll be super strong!"
Sasuke nodded slightly: "Yeah, I'm counting on it."
He thought to himself: 'This is good. At least I've said my goodbyes. The next time we meet, who knows when, or under what circumstances.'
...
Two nights later, deep in the dead of night, silence everywhere.
Sasuke stood before the gates of Konoha, dressed in dark, practical clothes for travel.
He cast one last glance back at the sleeping village. A flicker of complex emotion passed, replaced by cold resolve.
"Master," He whispered, his voice clear in the night breeze. "Where do we train now?"
Setsuna's voice sounded directly in his mind: "Orochimaru covets your body. He wants to possess you, doesn't he? Then let's head to the Land of Rice Fields."
Without hesitation, Sasuke melted into the darkness of the forest beyond the gate.
Shortly after Sasuke left Konoha, on a secluded path leading towards the Land of Rice Fields.
Four figures in strange attire, with cold, sinister auras, were moving swiftly.
They were the Sound Four, dispatched by Orochimaru to approach and guide Sasuke from Konoha.
Suddenly, Kidomaru, in the lead, stopped abruptly and spun around, staring at the dark figure that had just passed them, now receding at a startling speed.
Even from that brief glimpse, the profile looked like the Uchiha Sasuke mentioned in their intel.
"Hey! Wait!" Kidomaru called out. "That kid who just passed by... wasn't that Uchiha Sasuke?"
"What? Uchiha Sasuke?" Sakon and Ukon also stopped, looking towards the figure in surprise.
"No way? He came out on his own?" Jirobo scratched his belly, skeptical.
"Who cares if it's him or not, let's chase him and find out!" Tayuya grinned, baring sharp teeth. "Perfect chance to give him a memorable welcome!"
The four exchanged glances, smiles playing on their lips, and turned with a predatory playfulness, accelerating to chase the direction Sasuke had gone.
However, after a minute of frantic pursuit, the smiles on their faces froze, replaced by shock and confusion.
They found they weren't closing the distance... instead, they were falling further and further behind!
"How is this possible?" Sakon exclaimed. "How can that kid be this fast? How old is he?"
"The intel didn't mention him having this level of Body Flicker!" Tayuya found it unbelievable.
"As expected of the genius Orochimaru-sama wants!" Kidomaru's gaze was intense, then he paused. "Wait, it looks like he's heading towards the Land of Rice Fields?"
"Could Orochimaru-sama have sent someone else to meet him?" The four were confused but accelerated to hurry back.
...
Otogakure, deep within the hidden underground base.
The air was thick with a cold, damp, strange mix of herbal medicine and blood.
Orochimaru's face was deathly pale as he fiddled with bottles and jars on his workbench.
He licked his lips with his long tongue, his eyes gleaming with greed and anticipation.
"Uchiha Sasuke... the perfect vessel for the Sharingan... soon, I will..."
An Otogakure's Ninja hurried in to report: "Orochimaru-sama, Uchiha Sasuke is here, just outside the base!"
"Oh?" Orochimaru's eyes flashed with intense light. "He's here? Even faster than I expected. Let him in."
Soon, Sasuke's figure appeared at the laboratory entrance.
His expression was calm, devoid of nervousness or fear.
"Welcome to Otogakure, Sasuke-kun." Orochimaru's voice was pleased.
"I knew you'd make the right choice. On the path to power, I am your best..."
He suddenly paused, his snake-like pupils scanning behind Sasuke, then looking towards the entrance, frowning almost imperceptibly.
"Hmm? What about Kidomaru and the others? Are they holding off the Konoha pursuers?"
"Who's Kidomaru? I don't know." Sasuke's tone was calm.
Orochimaru was quite surprised: "Then how did you get here?"
Sasuke looked him straight in the eye: "Orochimaru, didn't you say to come to you if I wanted power? Well, I'm here."
Orochimaru smiled: "You're right. The process doesn't matter... the key is that you came. Don't worry, as long as you become my disciple, I will grant you power beyond imagination!"
"Become your disciple?" Sasuke shook his head firmly. "I already have a master."
"Master?" Orochimaru was taken aback, then sneered. "You mean Kakashi? Kakashi was just Namikaze Minato's disciple, and Minato was Jiraiya's disciple."
"As one of the [Sannin], generationally speaking, I could be considered Kakashi's 'grandmaster'. I'm far more qualified to teach you than he is."
"But I heard..." Sasuke tilted his head slightly. "You were defeated by Uchiha Itachi in one move? Can someone who lost to Itachi help me defeat Itachi?"
The muscles in Orochimaru's cheek twitched involuntarily. The humiliating memory of being instantly defeated by Itachi's Genjutsu during his brief stay in the Akatsuki was his greatest wound and taboo.
"Your Uchiha Clan is indeed blessed with such enviable talents." Orochimaru's voice turned cold and dangerous. "But don't tell me you came all this way just to mock me."
"Of course not." Sasuke shook his head, his tone still flat. "I came here to gain power."
A flicker of confusion passed through Orochimaru's eyes: "But you don't want to become my disciple, so..."
"The power I want," Sasuke interrupted, enunciating each word, "is you."
"What?" Orochimaru thought he'd misheard.
Sasuke explained calmly: "Simply put, I'm going to subdue you!"