Chapter 324: The Shackles That Restrain the Uchiha
"These scenes are still a bit too stimulating for children."
"But as for Sarada fainting, on one hand it's something to worry about, and on the other, something worth celebrating."
"If she can be so shaken by this that she faints, it at least shows she has some resistance to these kinds of 'bonds.'"
As Shiromo spoke, he handed Sarada over to Senju Tobirama. "I'll leave her to you. Take her back."
According to Orochimaru's plan, Sarada would return to the growth chamber after awakening her Mangekyō Sharingan, allowing her to continue developing. At the same time, Orochimaru would cultivate another pair of Mangekyō eyes from existing cells as replacements.
Now that Sarada had fainted on her own from the stimulation, it worked out perfectly. Unlike last time with Sasuke, Tobirama wouldn't need to use his Flying Thunder God "syringe."
"Leave it to me."
Tobirama had some complaints about constantly teleporting people around for various tasks, but when it came to helping a "kind-hearted" Uchiha maintain a pure heart, he was more than willing.
Shiromo knew that in the future, Sarada would develop a flashy, nightclub-style delinquent aesthetic. With a slight push in another direction, adding a few more traits, it wouldn't be impossible for her to become a full-blown fangirl of this kind of "bond."
At that point, if Sarada saw Naruto and Sasuke being all close, she'd probably light up with excitement and say something like, "Guys, we Konoha people are eating way too well!"
Fortunately, the current Sarada hadn't shown any signs of that yet.
With a Flying Thunder God technique, Tobirama took Sarada back to Orochimaru's laboratory.
When Orochimaru saw her, he immediately handed off his current work to Kabuto, brought Tobirama into Sarada's personal room, and placed her into a growth chamber.
Biological data began displaying on the screen.
"What kind of stimulation did this child experience? Her fluctuations are intense."
Orochimaru sounded slightly surprised.
"Just a bit of hardship. Shame she didn't awaken Susanoo."
Tobirama waved it off casually.
Shiromo understood Sarada, and Tobirama understood the Uchiha.
For the Uchiha, this kind of "bonding" was already one of the least problematic aspects of their psychological instability.
Compared to Uchiha Itachi wiping out his own clan, this level of behavior was practically healthy.
Though, if Itachi hadn't massacred the clan and had instead pursued some "bonding", that might have been better…
Wait.
Tobirama suddenly recalled details he had learned after being reanimated, Itachi had truly gone off the rails after his close friend, Uchiha Shisui (a descendant of Uchiha Kagami), was killed by Danzo…
Case closed.
It wasn't that Itachi didn't want such bonds, it was that his bond had been severed by Danzo, who always ended up taking the blame.
Thinking about it this way, Madara also seemed to have gone completely off the deep end after failing to establish that kind of connection with his brother.
Could it be that these "bonds" were actually the shackles that restrained the Uchiha from falling into darkness?
Then by suppressing the formation of such bonds, were they actually creating even worse psychological instability?
No, that wasn't quite right.
Those people weren't trying to eliminate bonds entirely, they just didn't want them to become the mainstream of the shinobi world.
People who engaged in such "bonding" should remain a minority and keep it low-key, not openly declare it to the entire world.
While Tobirama was lost in thought, Orochimaru was taking samples to cultivate replacement eyes and explaining: "According to the data and intelligence provided by Shiromo, awakening the Mangekyō, obtaining its abilities, and activating Susanoo all require emotional stimulation."
"But the type of stimulation differs."
"Susanoo, as a symbol of destruction, requires not only emotional stimulation, but also a need for battle."
"Pure stimulation alone is ineffective, it only increases the burden on the brain."
"..."
"It can only be said that this child is too kind. If she had even thought about killing those two who are showing off their 'bond' under the guise of fighting, she would have already awakened Susanoo."
Tobirama gave his assessment after a brief silence.
To awaken Susanoo, there had to be a strong desire for power.
Either to block a fatal attack, or to kill someone.
Sasuke awakened Susanoo because if he hadn't, he would have been unable to break free from Naruto's Nine-Tails chakra cloak and would have been publicly humiliated.
As for Sarada, she had only been a spectator, not directly involved in the fight. It was reasonable that she lacked a strong urge to attack or defend.
But she was an Uchiha.
And that made it unreasonable.
As an Uchiha, shouldn't she have rushed in immediately? Why was she so rational?
What Tobirama didn't know was that he had told Sarada not to act rashly, yet shortly after he left, she had already jumped into the fray.
The result?
She was pierced clean through by Sasuke and then kicked away.
He had even coldly said, "You're calling me 'Dad' just to beg for mercy."
That beating, along with those words, had completely shattered Sarada emotionally.
There was no way she would rush in again just to suffer more.
----
"Is that really true?"
After Tobirama took Sarada away, Gaara suddenly spoke.
"True about what?"
Sakura asked, confused.
"I was asking him."
Gaara turned his gaze toward Shikamaru.
"Uh…"
Shikamaru had originally intended to tell the truth.
After all, Sarada was gone, and he had likely contributed to her fainting. He felt a bit guilty.
But on second thought, that wouldn't do.
What he wanted was a peaceful life. Pretending to have "bonds" was just a way to avoid unnecessary romantic entanglements.
But he definitely didn't want to actually attract people with those kinds of tendencies!
If things really developed into something like that, it would go against his desire for a quiet life.
"Yes. There is only one person in my heart, and that is Naruto."
Shikamaru decisively declared himself "taken", hoping to avoid Gaara turning his attention toward him.
"?"
Sakura, listening to their conversation, was once again dumbfounded.
Her two teammates were down there acting all affectionate, practically glued together.
And yet, there were even stronger contenders right beside her.
A strange sentence began forming in Sakura's mind.
"Chōji went in, Shikamaru followed, and Ino came out."
"..."
The moment she thought of it, Sakura was overwhelmed with embarrassment and wished she could disappear on the spot.
"Sasuke!"
"Naruto!"
Below, the two had fought their way back into their "comfort zone" and were once again shouting each other's names as they prepared their ultimate moves.
"Hmm?"
Tobirama, who had just returned using Flying Thunder God, immediately sensed something was off.
"Aren't you going to stop them?"
He glanced at Shiromo.
Sasuke had already awakened Susanoo. The goal had been achieved. Why wasn't this being stopped?
Had Shiromo gotten too absorbed in watching?
Tobirama looked at the two syringes in his hand.
Since Shiromo wasn't acting, he would. Either way, the result would be the same.
"Flying Thunder God Slash!"
With two instant teleports, both Sasuke and Naruto suddenly found a large syringe stuck into their backsides.
(End of this chapter)