WEEKLY POWER GOALS 💎🔥 30→2ch | 60→5ch | 100→8ch | 200→15ch | 400→25ch⏰ Resets Monday!
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Familiar with the Leaf's barrier codes, Sasuke slipped back into the village without effort. Using a Transformation Technique, he strolled toward the village outskirts like a tourist, heading for the Uzumaki clan's Mask Storage Temple.
The air was familiar. The streets were familiar. The crowds were familiar. Yet Sasuke felt utterly out of place.
This strangeness… had too much time passed?
He pondered the answer.
No. At this time in my life, my mind was filled only with revenge. I paid no attention to my surroundings. By the time I came to my senses, by the time I truly tried to fit in, the village was no longer what it was now. That's why everything before me feels alien.
To be blunt, for the vast majority of people living here, the defection of a ninja named Uchiha Sasuke wasn't even fodder for after-dinner conversation. He only existed in the hearts of the very few who truly cared.
"If it weren't for Naruto and Sakura back then, the village would have forgotten me completely…"
Smiling wistfully, he walked down a long alley that cut through the village center. On a bench ahead, a girl with pink hair was crying into her hands.
Sasuke stopped. It was Haruno Sakura—his wife, from his past life.
"It's my fault, Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura sobbed to the man beside her. "If I hadn't asked Naruto to bring Sasuke back… none of this would have happened! My selfishness hurt everyone!"
Kakashi's voice was gentle. "It's not your fault, Sakura. You did what any teammate would. As for Sasuke… that was the result of many accumulated conflicts boiling over. No one person could have changed that. I believe one day, he'll return to us."
"R-really, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura looked up, tears glistening.
Sasuke's expression remained a placid lake, undisturbed.
Dwelling on the past would only slow him down.
He was reborn with a resolve—succeed or perish. Rebuilding a family… he hadn't even considered it. Not that he wouldn't think about it. He dared not think about it.
With the mountains and rivers lost, how could one speak of home?
It seems we both still have a long road ahead, Sakura… This time, can you still keep up with me?
Burying that old affection deep in his heart, Sasuke strode quickly past the back of the bench, heading for his destination.
Lost in her grief, Sakura noticed nothing. But Kakashi, with his keen sense of smell, caught a familiar scent on the wind. Hm? That kid… could it be…?
He quietly followed.
At the edge of the village, the Uzumaki Mask Storage Temple lay covered in dust and spiderwebs, neglected for years.
Sasuke stood before the wall of masks. Following the memory of a past life, his eyes scanned the myriad faces until they found it—the Hannya mask, the key to the Reaper Death Seal.
A lazy voice drawled from behind. "You sneak back into the village and don't even say hello to your teacher?"
Sasuke wasn't surprised. He reached up, took the mask, and fastened it to the back of his head. Only then did he turn and release his transformation.
"Kakashi."
"Sasuke. As I thought." Kakashi leaned against the old doorframe, a book in one hand, the other in his pocket. He flipped a page, his tone turning serious. "You got in undetected. That means Orochimaru helped. Where is he? What's your objective? It's related to that mask you took, isn't it? What's so special about it? Spill it."
"Kakashi," Sasuke said, his voice calm. "I don't want to fight you."
Kakashi almost chuckled. "Fight me? My adorable student, you're getting ahead of yourself. Naruto is one thing, but don't tell me you think you're on my level now?"
"I'm serious, Kakashi."
"…Hm?"
Kakashi's demeanor shifted instantly. This confidence… was Orochimaru nearby? He snapped his book shut, tucked it away, adjusted his forehead protector, and unveiled his Sharingan, scanning the surroundings intently.
"Relax," Sasuke said. "Orochimaru didn't come."
A quick scan confirmed it. No Orochimaru. Yet Sasuke's confidence wasn't bluster. He was different. Truly different.
Still, Kakashi refused to believe the Sasuke who'd just learned Chidori two months ago could be a threat.
"Sasuke," Kakashi's voice turned cold. "As your teacher, I cannot let you return to a dangerous element like Orochimaru. Even if I have to break your limbs, I will keep you here."
CRACK!
Blue-white lightning erupted from Kakashi's right hand. His Sharingan eye locked onto Sasuke. Chidori! He shot forward—!!
BOOM—!!!
The wall of masks exploded. The Chidori was stopped dead.
Kakashi stared, stunned, at what had halted his thrust—a lattice of purple bones. "What… technique is this?!"
Then he saw them. Within the shelter of those bones, Sasuke's eyes. Not the usual three tomoe. A six-pointed star pattern.
Having fought Itachi once, Kakashi knew instantly.
"Those eyes… Could it be… the Mangekyō Sharingan? You awakened the same eyes as Itachi?!"
ZZZT—!
The moment their gazes met, Sasuke's pupils swirled.
—Genjutsu: Sharingan!
"Damn it—!!!"
Too late. Kakashi was frozen. Then the skeletal fist of the Susano'o closed around him.
"GAAAHHH—!!!"
A gentle squeeze. Every muscle screamed. The pain threatened to shatter his consciousness, pushing him to the brink of blackout.
The wheels of history didn't turn for no reason. He'd allowed Kakashi to approach for this very purpose—to drop a stone into still waters.
If this… can affect Naruto's growth, even slightly.
Shibai was an enemy he could never defeat alone. Sasuke knew this intimately. At the very least, Naruto had to grow strong enough to stand beside him as an equal. A tall order. Nearly impossible. But he could at least give him a push. Orochimaru's future techniques would eventually have to be applied to Naruto, or other talents.
Of course, Naruto wouldn't accept it willingly now.
Sasuke had a plan for that.
Naruto grew stronger to bring him back. Then let him cling to that false purpose. Let him strive to close the gap, if only a little.
For the next three years, Naruto would train with Jiraiya.
If Kakashi told Jiraiya that he had awakened this power, the training plan would adjust accordingly, right? At the very least… three years from now, the gap wouldn't be one of absolute despair.
For now, this was Sasuke's plan.
"Kakashi," Sasuke's voice cut through the agony. "Tell Naruto this: if he still wants to stop me, he'd better come with enough resolve. Tell him not to come after me half-assed!!!"
"Ugh… aah…"
Vision blurring, Kakashi's Chidori sputtered and died in his palm.
The commotion had alerted nearby patrols. Shinobi were coming.
FWOOSH.
The Susano'o vanished. With the mask Orochimaru needed to challenge the Shinigami once more in hand, Sasuke melted away, mission accomplished.
Back on the mountain.
Orochimaru's smile was knowing. "You took your time, Sasuke-kun."
"Caught up with an old acquaintance," Sasuke replied, tone light. "But we'll need a new venue for your performance."
The previous site for breaking the Reaper Death Seal had been the Uchiha's Naka Shrine. That wasn't an option now.
Orochimaru glanced toward the Valley of the End. "I know a secluded place."
WHOOSH.
Sasuke turned into the wind, borrowing Orochimaru's favorite phrase. "Then let's go. Before this wind stops."
Orochimaru's smile widened. "I won't let this wind stop."
Kabuto watched them, adrift. "Where… is this wind blowing? And where… do I go?"