Ever since Kabuto Yakushi had the privilege of studying under the Second Hokage, he had come into contact with the Edo Tensei Reincarnation technique, as well as the Second Hokage's character and personality.
Unlike how Orochimaru depicted him, the Second Hokage, though cautious and suspicious, was fundamentally more upright—he was not like Orochimaru, whose actions were driven by self-interest and the relentless pursuit of his own goals. Additionally, knowing that in another world, Kabuto would eventually become a Missing-nin, and with the example of Danzo Shimura to reflect on, the Second Hokage recognized his own failings as a teacher. Thus, before introducing him to forbidden techniques, the Second Hokage made it a priority to teach Kabuto the Will of Fire.
Three days passed, and it was said that Kabuto had yet to even touch on the forbidden techniques, spending his time instead learning how to behave and navigate the world...
At this point, he had been consuming nearly a hundred eggs a day. The convenience store owner, seeing his disguised form, had started to suspect that Kabuto had some peculiar habit or fetish...
...and finally, he completed the C-rank mission he had been given.
For reasons unknown, the phrase "Use Amaterasu to make a perfect fried egg for my adorable little brother" had somehow been transformed into "Make Sasuke eat a perfect fried egg made with Amaterasu."
Facing the confident Itachi, who had prepared the fried egg, Sasuke's eye twitched. Seeing fried eggs now made him feel as nauseous as Obito Uchiha would feel upon seeing Anko cakes...
When Minato Namikaze sensed the flow of space-time chakra, young Sasuke was about to spear the fried egg with his chopsticks and shove it into his mouth with the determination of a martyr severing his own wrist.
"Thud—"
A sudden sound of flesh hitting the ground?!
"Who's there?!!"
Everyone, including the Kannabi Bridge Minato and the Fourth Hokage, who had arrived using the Flying Thunder God Technique, as well as the Second Hokage, and Itachi Uchiha—dressed in a comically absurd apron—turned toward the source of the noise...
"Sasuke?!!"
Naruto Uzumaki, who had come along with his father, instantly recognized the unconscious figure lying nearby as the future Sasuke Uchiha!
"His arm!!" Naruto's eyes widened in shock.
Itachi Uchiha's eyes flared with his Mangekyō Sharingan!
Young Sasuke Uchiha himself was equally stunned by the sight of this version of himself, who appeared to be around seventeen or eighteen years old!
The Sasuke lying on the ground was unconscious, his body battered and torn, with his left arm completely missing from the elbow up, blood gushing freely from the wound.
This injury...had clearly been inflicted just moments ago!!
Hashirama Senju, who had arrived alongside Tobirama, immediately stepped forward to staunch the bleeding!
Others crowded around as well.
Itachi's expression darkened when he saw Sasuke's severed arm.
The thirteen-year-old Sasuke was equally horrified. As a left-handed person, losing his entire left arm meant he could no longer form hand seals. He would have to retrain himself to rely on his right hand to wield shuriken and kunai.
They didn't debate who had caused the injury; they would find out when the unconscious Sasuke woke up.
Sakura and Rin, who arrived shortly after, quickly assisted the First Hokage in treating the young Sasuke, who was three or four years older than they were at that moment.
Young Kakashi addressed Itachi: "Your mission is C-rank. His time travel to our world should be considered your mission reward."
Itachi unfurled his mission scroll.
[Mission Rank: C-rank]
[Mission Content: Use Amaterasu to make a perfect fried egg for your adorable little brother.]
[Mission Status: Completed.]
"Indeed."
However, Itachi wondered which timeline this Sasuke came from and what he had gone through.
The unconscious Sasuke furrowed his brow slightly, as if on the verge of waking up.
In his mind, after the Fourth Shinobi World War, he had sealed the nine Tailed Beasts and faced Naruto one final time at the Valley of the End.
He would either kill Naruto or be killed by him.
No matter the outcome, he was willing to sacrifice everything to sever this bond, this friendship.
The final Rasengan...
The final Chidori...
It was as if the very heavens and earth had darkened, leaving only him, Sasuke Uchiha, and Naruto Uzumaki.
The destiny of Indra and Ashura. The destiny of Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju. All of it will come to an end between him and Naruto—whether in victory or defeat, severing all cause and effect!
In his mind, he and Naruto converged in a deserted Konohagakure, gathering in their former classroom, the Seventh Training Ground, the Chūnin Exams, the Valley of the End... It felt as though everything had returned to its purest form.
Through their battle, their chakras intertwined, allowing them to see each other's memories. He saw Itachi, when he was still alive, meet Naruto Uzumaki and come to the realization that Naruto was the one who could guide him back to the right path—back to Konoha and to his comrades.
"I leave Sasuke to you." He heard Itachi's voice in Naruto's memories, as clear as ever. That fool never forgot, and never failed to honor any trust placed in him.
In the depths of their intertwined minds, Sasuke Uchiha also saw Naruto chasing after him again and again—just like the boy who once chased after Itachi... At dusk, Naruto sat on the swing while he stood beside him. They finally opened their hearts, resolving the grudges of three lifetimes.
Sasuke wanted to tell him: "Naruto, I accept you." But in the blink of an eye, he realized the swing was still creaking, yet the person who had been sitting there was gone.
Naruto? Naruto?! Sasuke Uchiha scanned his surroundings. There was nothing.
Plop, plop, plop— The sound of water droplets falling into the pond.
"Wuu... Wuu-to..." In Konoha Hospital, the only sound in his private room was the drip of fluid from the IV bag. To prevent his wounds from becoming infected, Sakura and Rin had administered emergency treatment before placing him in the hospital's special sterile treatment room.
His injuries, along with his drained chakra and severe blood loss, kept him unconscious for over three hours, even after regaining some awareness. His body felt alien to him. The only parts he could move were his neck and head.
He looked around. This was a hospital. He was alone in the room.
His dark eyes carried a look that was hard to place—something between disappointment and hurt. Naruto... he wasn't here.
"Awake? Then I'm coming in."
The adult Kakashi knocked lightly on the door before walking inside.
"Kakashi..."
"Well, you remember me. That means your brain's still working."
"Where's Naruto?"
Kakashi stayed silent for a moment, not answering.
Sasuke asked again, "Where's Naruto?" His voice more urgent this time.
"Before I tell you, you'd better brace yourself, Sasuke."
Kakashi thought to himself. Not everyone could accept the truth of him having traveled through time so easily, especially someone as sharp as the Uchiha.
Plus, it seemed like this Sasuke had probably already killed Itachi, avenging his clan.
What Kakashi didn't know was whether Sasuke was aware that Itachi had actually been a spy sent by the Third Hokage to infiltrate Akatsuki.
If Sasuke wasn't prepared, Kakashi feared the burden of this knowledge would be too much for him, especially since the young Sasuke in front of him seemed to have gone through far greater trials.
However, Kakashi's concern for his student, based on his understanding of this Sasuke—who had endured the Fourth Shinobi World War—transformed into...
Naruto Uzumaki...
Dead.
He had finally died, just as Sasuke had hoped.
In that moment, everything—hope, dreams, everything—seemed to fade, like the receding tide...
As if the world had lost its light, life lost its drive, and ideals lost their purpose.
Sasuke's dark eyes stared numbly at the liquid dripping drop by drop into the glass vial. After surviving the Fourth Shinobi World War and the final battle with Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha now only felt desolation.
That idiot was finally gone.
Now, he was utterly alone in this world.
There would be no one to stop him again, no one who would care for him like a brother.
No one would follow in his footsteps, and no one would surpass him, forcing him to chase them endlessly.
There was no joy, no excitement.
Instead, he felt more hollow and empty than when he'd killed Itachi.
His wish had been granted, yet his heart had been lost.
From that moment on, no matter what Kakashi said, Sasuke Uchiha couldn't hear him.
His vision, hearing, pain, all of it, blurred into a heavy fog, sinking deeper into unconsciousness.
The adult Obito opened the door and poked his head in.
"Still not awake?"
Kakashi, holding a copy of Icha Icha Paradise, looked completely exasperated. "He woke up, but I said one sentence, and he passed out again."
Before losing consciousness, there had been an air of sorrow, as if Sasuke had found some deep truth about life.
But Kakashi hadn't even said anything yet!
The Second Hokage-sama wasn't lying—Uchiha nerves really were too sensitive!!!
"What did you say?"
Obito, utterly confused, couldn't understand what Kakashi had said that caused Sasuke—just waking up—to fall unconscious again. He was even more perplexed by the reproachful look Kakashi was giving him.
It made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.