Pale Moon Island.
Suigetsu and Jugo were captured during the Sunagakure mission. Sasuke had placed them under a genjutsu. Now, they finally awoke.
The illusions Sasuke cast contained memories of their past lives. Compared to the memories he'd shown Kabuto, the ones played for Suigetsu and Jugo were more detailed, more immersive.
Orochimaru had once said that memories were merely information. Without 'awareness,' they would not change the individual.
To deepen their 'awareness,' those past-life memories had been looped in a continuous, long dream. The result? The two had been unconscious for five months.
Suigetsu pulled the nutrient IV tube from his shoulder. He watched Jugo sit up on the other bed, one hand pressed to a sweat-drenched forehead, his expression dazed.
"Jugo. Did you have a weird dream?"
Jugo looked over. "…Yeah. You too?"
"So damn strange," Suigetsu said. "It wasn't my own life, but it felt like I lived through it."
"I remember we sealed the One-Tail, Shukaku," Jugo said. "We were about to leave. Then… Sasuke Uchiha stormed in."
"So it was Sasuke Uchiha's doing after all. I really need to ask him about those damn dreams!"
The two left the small hut.
Outside, a pale moon hung high. The night was deep, the wind whispered through the trees.
"He just dumped us on this deserted island and left us?" Suigetsu muttered.
"The environment here… feels unnervingly peaceful," Jugo noted.
"How long were we out? After cutting ties with the Akatsuki, why haven't they come looking for us?"
"Maybe to the Akatsuki, we're simply not important. Besides, didn't we capture a tailed beast?"
"Fair point. By the way, I can't find my sword scroll!"
"Take your time," Jugo said. "I need to go wash off this grime. The dust on me is almost as thick as my Cursed Seal form…"
Jugo went off to find a pond. Suigetsu, failing to locate his sword scroll, began a bored, pointless stroll through the woods.
Whoosh. Whoosh.
Suddenly, he saw two wisps of pale fire drift past him. He reached out to grab them, but the flames passed right through his hand.
"What is this? Some supernatural phenomenon?"
Curious, he followed the flames to investigate. They floated into a forest clearing. He stopped, pressing himself flat against a tree trunk, and saw something shocking.
The clearing looked like it had endured a fierce battle. A single figure stood there, clad in tattered rags. Black curse symbols covered his chest. His right arm was seamed with ridges that looked like closed eyes.
Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh. More wisps of pale fire flowed from all directions, sinking into the symbols on his chest. He muttered words like a man possessed, his voice thick with resentment.
"My Sharingan… gone…"
"My Hokage seat… gone…"
"The Uchiha… that cursed clan… destroyed my dreams…"
"Where… where should this hatred go?"
"I must take back… everything I lost…"
"What the hell?" Suigetsu thought, then accidentally stepped on a twig.
Crack.
He instantly dropped lower. When he looked again, the figure in the clearing had vanished.
Suigetsu's hair stood on end. "Weird… Gotta get out of this damn place."
But when he turned, his soul almost fled his body.
The man who'd vanished from the clearing had materialized behind him, silent as a ghost.
An old, wrinkled face. From an empty right eye socket, a dark, viscous fluid seeped. His remaining left eye fixed on the boy's right eye. He gave a smile that was all teeth and hunger.
—"Found it… a Sharingan."
…
Konohagakure.
The Uchiha Flame Formation slowly dissipated.
Sasuke and Orochimaru stood revealed before the eyes of the Leaf.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two shadows shot out, instantly connecting to their feet.
"Kakashi…!!!"
Might Guy ignored his own exhaustion from just opening the Seventh Gate. He moved like the wind, landing beside Kakashi. The man had lost his left eye but still had a pulse. Guy scooped him up and landed swiftly next to Tsunade.
The Leaf shinobi tensed, ready to advance.
Alongside another Nara jonin, Shikaku Nara maintained the Shadow Imitation Technique. He shouted, "Wait! There's one more missing! According to Inoichi's chakra sensing, just before these two arrived, another chakra signature appeared. Kakashi briefly clashed with it. Immediately after, Kakashi's chakra plummeted. The one who injured Kakashi was probably that person who disappeared!"
Tsunade strode forward, glaring at Sasuke and Orochimaru. "Explain this! What is your purpose?! Where did that other one go?! You can either start talking now, or you can explain yourselves in our interrogation chambers. Your choice."
Sasuke knew. Given their history, no explanation would be believed. He had no intention of offering one.
His only reason for facing the Leaf now was to create a sliver of hope for Naruto's rescue. Naruto had been taken by Black Zetsu.
Sasuke's voice was low. "Hokage. You should be more concerned about Naruto."
Tap.
Tsunade's footsteps halted. "Naruto? What about Naruto?"
"He was taken," Sasuke said. "By a member of the Akatsuki called Black Zetsu."
What…?! Why didn't Jiraiya report this to me?!
Tsunade pressed, "The specifics! Now!"
"The location was the ruins of Uzushiogakure," Sasuke replied. "Beyond that, I have no further intel."
Before Tsunade could speak, a Leaf shinobi yelled, "Hokage-sama! Sasuke Uchiha is a Leaf missing-nin! He's allied with Orochimaru, the man who destroyed our village and killed the Third Hokage! He's just saying this to confuse us and escape! Capture him first, then we'll interrogate him!"
The other Leaf ninja roared in agreement. "That's right, Hokage-sama! Capture the traitor first!"
Tsunade clenched her fists. "Move…!"
"WAIT…!"
Sakura screamed. But as a mere genin, her voice was drowned in the tide of shouts.
Sasuke's voice dropped. "I've said what I needed to say."
—Amaterasu.
FWOOSH!
Black flames erupted before him, a wall blocking the shinobi's path.
Shikaku shouted a warning, "Based on intel, those black flames are a dōjutsu called Amaterasu! They cannot be extinguished! Do NOT let them touch you!"
The shinobi hesitated, caught. Then Sakura moved.
She charged toward the wall of black fire like a moth to a flame.
"Hey! Sakura, stop!"
Sakura couldn't hear the shouts behind her anymore.
Sasuke-kun… I never truly understood your heart. I irresponsibly left everything to Naruto… and in the end, I hurt him. I don't want to be like that anymore. Even if it's pathetic… I want to do something with my own strength…
Fwoosh…!
She plunged into the black flames. Her body was engulfed by the unquenchable fire, yet she still threw herself toward him.
Sasuke's eyes widened. "Sakura, you…!"
In that moment, their eyes met—nothing else existed.
He's held by the shadow, he can't move, Sakura thought. The flames can't be extinguished. This is my only chance to kill him.
But if I kill Sasuke… I won't survive either.
So… this is for the best, right?
—"Sasuke-kun… let's go to the afterlife together!"
Thump.
The next second, Sakura collapsed. The black flames on her body flickered and died, revealing her battered, wounded form.
"You're still the same…"
Sasuke took a step forward. The shadow binding his feet loosened instantly, snapping back to its caster.
Shikaku was stunned. "How…?! He forced his way out of my Shadow Imitation Technique?!"
Swoosh!
Tsunade was already lunging.
Sasuke walked toward Sakura.
Fragments of a past life surfaced. The resolve of this life burned in his gaze.
"Sakura… I didn't want to drag you into this so soon. But I can't stand to see you hurt like this…"
He reached her. Two fingers extended, gently touching her forehead. His eyes met her fading, unfocused gaze.
—Genjutsu: Sharingan.
BOOM!
At that exact moment, Tsunade's Heavenly Foot of Pain descended from above.
KABOOOOM—!
The earth shattered. Sasuke retreated swiftly. A wooden dragon erupted from the ground, coiling defensively around him.
Tsunade gasped. "Wood Release…!?"
Sasuke rose slowly. "Tsunade… I leave Sakura to you."
Orochimaru, now in what looked like a Reaper Death Seal release stance, placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. He gave Tsunade a parting nod.
"Until next time…"
—Flying Thunder God Technique
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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