The evening sky over Konoha was painted an ominous crimson. The sun reluctantly crawled beyond the horizon, giving way to long shadows.
Naruto moved across the rooftops, returning home. His movements were slightly less springy than usual. Transferring the "Seed of Qi" to an adult, especially one with such a clogged system as Shizune's, had drained a lot of his strength. A feeling of pleasant but viscous fatigue spread through his muscles.
"Hey, Heartbreaker. In a hurry somewhere?"
A voice steeped in mockery and husky charm came from the shadow of the water tower.
Naruto braked, landing softly on the tiles.
Anko Mitarashi sat on the edge of the tower, dangling her legs over the abyss of the street. In her hand, she held a dango stick, but she wasn't eating, just twirling it while watching the guy.
"Anko," Naruto straightened up, scanning her with his gaze. "Were you following me?"
"Hard to ignore someone glowing like a Christmas tree," she snorted, jumping down to him. "First the ramen girl. Then the Hyuga. Now you spent an hour alone with Shizune in a locked office. Collecting a set, Uzumaki?"
She walked closer, invading his personal space. She smelled of sweets and danger.
Naruto didn't back away. Instead of getting embarrassed, he activated Qi Sensory, assessing her condition.
The changes were striking.
Before, Anko's aura resembled a wild, bright fire eaten away by Orochimaru's poison. Now, an even, powerful flow ran inside her.
Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment, Naruto noted with respect. She's progressing with frightening speed. Her body, tempered by years of hellish training and torture, naturally adapts to Qi.
Outwardly, it showed too. Cultivation smoothed her predatory features, removing the sickly pallor and circles under her eyes. Her skin became clean, glowing with health; her hair acquired a thick purple sheen. She no longer looked like Orochimaru's "broken doll." Before him stood a deadly woman full of strength.
"I'm just strengthening the Village to the best of my ability, Anko," Naruto parried calmly. "And judging by your appearance, my methods work. You look... alive."
Anko smirked, but there was no usual bitterness in that smile. She ran a hand through her hair, tossing it back.
"So you noticed?" she squinted contentedly. "This thing... your 'Qi.' It's incredible. I feel like I shed ten years and a couple of tons of weight."
"How's the control?" Naruto got down to business. "Is the Qi stable?"
"More than," she became serious. "I practice every night, as you instructed. Circulation, purification, condensation. I learned to maintain 'Color Overlay' constantly. Now no sensor will suspect anything. To everyone, I'm just... full of chakra."
She clenched her fist. The air around her hand vibrated slightly—the density of her energy was already approaching the level of elite Jonin.
"But that's not the main thing," Anko touched her neck.
Naruto followed her gesture. The Cursed Seal of Heaven was still there, black and ominous, but the skin around it was clean. No inflammation, no bulging veins.
"Before, it devoured me," Mitarashi said quietly. "Sucked out chakra, whispered in my head. But now... Qi has built a wall. I feel the Seal trying to break through, but my own power suppresses it. For the first time in years, I control my body, Naruto. Completely."
"I'm glad," he nodded sincerely. "So you're no longer a victim."
"No," her eyes flashed predatorily. "Now I'm the hunter. And speaking of hunting..."
The tone of her voice changed abruptly. The playfulness disappeared, giving way to cold professionalism.
She casually rubbed her neck, as if brushing off a pesky fly.
"You know why I intercepted you? Not just for chit-chat."
"The Seal?" Naruto guessed.
"It doesn't hurt," Anko quickly clarified, noticing his tense look. "I told you, I suppress it. But it... vibrates."
She looked toward the northern border of the village.
"It's like an itch somewhere in the subcortex. Resonance. This happens only in two cases: either Orochimaru is here personally... or his 'marked dogs' have come too close. Someone with the same mark is in Konoha right now, Naruto. Most likely passed through the barrier."
The Uzumaki instantly tensed. Fatigue vanished as if by magic.
"Why didn't you raise the alarm?"
"Because the barrier is silent. Which means they are either already inside under disguise or using a pass. I didn't want to sow panic without proof, but... my 'radar' won't shut up."
"I understand," Naruto nodded to her. "Thanks, Anko."
"Be careful, kid," she winked at him, but there was anxiety in her eyes. "If it's who I think it is... the night will be long."
He turned around and, without wasting another second, took off, disappearing into the twilight.
Finding himself alone, Naruto stopped.
He closed his eyes.
Qi Sensory: Maximum range.
He scanned the village. Thousands of chakra lights. Sleeping, waking, patrols.
And amidst this noise, he felt... sliding.
Three blurred spots.
They weren't moving through the streets. They moved in the blind zones of the barrier, using concealment techniques similar to those Orochimaru used himself. It was "snake" chakra. Cold, slippery. Similar to what he felt from Kabuto, but rougher.
They are somewhere here, he realized. But where? The signal is too weak; I can't pinpoint them.
The vibrations shifted toward the hospital.
Naruto's heart skipped a beat.
Sasuke.
He took off.
***
Konoha Hospital. Ward 219.
Moonlight fell on the hospital bed, cutting the darkness of the room into black and white stripes.
Sasuke wasn't sleeping.
He sat hunched over, staring at his hands. His left hand, freed from bandages, continued to clench in the dark. It still didn't obey properly.
Naruto's words still swirled in his head.
"Shut up," the Uchiha whispered into the void. "You know nothing."
His gaze slid down.
On the floor, in a strip of moonlight, shards of the broken glass still glinted. He hadn't let anyone in to clean them up. These shards were a silent reminder of his powerlessness. The glass broke, but Naruto's face didn't.
Suddenly, the window swung open. Not from the wind.
On the windowsill, blocking the moon, three silhouettes appeared.
Sasuke jerked, grabbing a kunai with his healthy hand.
"Who's there?!"
The figures jumped into the room.
The first—two-headed, with an insolent grin (Sakon). The second—six-armed, resembling a spider (Kidōmaru). The third—a huge fat man (Jirōbō).
They were dressed in Sound Village tunics.
"Sitting here like a beaten dog?" Sakon smirked. "While your buddy Uzumaki walks around the village in a Chunin vest. Hero. Defender."
"And you?" Kidōmaru added, hanging from the ceiling. "You rot here. Weak. Useless. Can't even heal your own hand."
"Shut up!" Sasuke threw the kunai.
Sakon caught it with two fingers, not even looking.
"Pfft. Too slow for a 'genius'."
He instantly appeared in front of Sasuke and kicked him in the chest.
Sasuke flew into the wall, knocking over the IV drip. He tried to activate his Sharingan, but Jirōbō was already there. The fat man grabbed his healthy arm and slammed him into the floor.
"Don't twitch," he rumbled. "You're no match for us anyway."
Sasuke lay on the floor, pinned by monstrous strength. Humiliation burned worse than acid.
"What do you want?!" he rasped.
"Us? Nothing," Sakon squatted in front of him. "We came to deliver an invitation. Orochimaru-sama calls you."
He pointed to the seal on Sasuke's neck.
"This mark... it's not a curse. It's a gift. Power that will allow you to surpass anyone. Even Naruto. Even Itachi."
Sakon leaned closer.
"You saw Uzumaki's power? He uses hidden forces. And you? You are limited by the rules of this pathetic village. Konoha makes you weak, Sasuke. It teaches you 'friendship' and 'protection.' But you need only power and hatred."
Sasuke stopped resisting.
The words fell on fertile soil.
"Power..." he whispered.
"Orochimaru-sama will give it to you," Sakon promised. "But you must come with us. Right now. Abandon everything. Become a rogue. Are you ready to pay such a price for your revenge?"
Sasuke closed his eyes.
Faces flashed before him.
Smiling Itachi from childhood.
Cold Itachi in the hotel corridor.
And Naruto's back. Always that accursed back, shielding him from danger. A back that was getting broader and further away.
He opened his eyes. There was no hesitation left in them. The Sharingan flared in the darkness.
"I'll go," he said.
Sakon grinned.
"Right choice. Get ready. We leave immediately."
"Aren't you the Sound Four? Where is the fourth?" Sasuke asked, getting up and tearing off his hospital pajamas.
Sakon's face twitched.
"Tayuya... she was weak. She got caught. We don't take dead weight with us."
The Uchiha put on his clothes, fastening his pouch.
He looked at the Konoha forehead protector lying on the bedside table.
His gaze lingered on the Leaf symbol for a second. Then he turned away, leaving the headband behind.
"Lead the way."
Three from Sound and one Uchiha jumped out the window, dissolving into the night.
A couple of minutes later, Naruto burst into the ward.
"Sasuke!"
Emptiness.
Open window, overturned IV. And the forehead protector on the table.
The Uzumaki walked to the window. Qi Sensory picked up a receding trail. Four chakra sources. Cold, dark, cursed.
"Too late..." he whispered.
He gripped the windowsill so hard it cracked.
The Snake left a bite. And the poison finally took effect.