WEEKLY POWER GOALS 💎🔥 30→2ch | 60→5ch | 100→8ch | 200→15ch | 400→25ch⏰ Resets Monday!
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CLANG!
The sound echoed in the Ninja Mask Hall. The arriving ANBU found Kakashi and rushed him to the Konoha Hospital. He woke that very night, and word of Sasuke's infiltration reached Tsunade's ears.
Then, during Kakashi's bedridden recovery, a special visitor arrived.
The man proclaimed himself the "Gallant Sage," and he now sat on the windowsill in a dashing pose, catching the night breeze as Kakashi recounted the previous day's terror.
Kakashi's voice held a lingering tremor. "That's how it went down. Sure, I let my guard down. But I don't think Sasuke's current strength is beneath mine anymore…"
Jiraiya wasn't in a rush to judge. He stroked his chin, thinking long and hard before speaking slowly. "I've heard the rumors about those eyes. They say killing your closest friend is the trigger. But Naruto is still alive and kicking, which means something we don't know about must have happened to Sasuke. Think. Any detail you might have missed? No matter how small."
Kakashi replayed the brief clash in his mind. "I can't be certain… but Sasuke's aura felt different from before."
"Aura, huh? That's abstract."
Jiraiya mused. "Generally, power can spike quickly. But an aura… that takes years to cultivate. What's your gut say? Is that still Sasuke?"
Kakashi's gaze sharpened. "If it's not him, then…"
"Worst-case scenario," Jiraiya said, voice grave. "Orochimaru has already taken Sasuke's body."
Kakashi clasped his hands together, mentally replaying the encounter. "Maybe it's just my bias… but if that were Orochimaru, something feels off. And would Orochimaru bother giving me a message for Naruto? Just to hide the fact he'd taken the body? He wouldn't need to do that."
"True," Jiraiya nodded. "Makes sense. So this matter remains up in the air. I'll find the right moment to meet him myself. Then maybe we'll get the truth."
"Bottom line," Kakashi concluded, "Sasuke's power is on a different level now. He'll only get stronger. If Naruto is truly set on bringing him back… the odds look bleak."
Jiraiya chuckled. "Getting him to give up is impossible."
Kakashi sighed. "Yeah, that tracks."
"Don't worry," Jiraiya grinned. "I won't let him throw his life away!"
"Right…" Kakashi pulled a scroll from his robes and tossed it toward the window.
Jiraiya caught it. It was an imaging scroll, used by ninja to record visual intel directly from memory.
He unsealed it, channeled chakra, and the image burned into his mind's eye. The scroll crumbled to dust.
The projected image was a mask.
Kakashi said, "The mask Sasuke came to Konoha to retrieve. I recreated it from memory. The Uzumaki clan's Mask Hall… The Third used the Uzumaki clan's Reaper Death Seal on Orochimaru's hands not long ago. Hard to believe there's no connection. This might be the thread to unravel the mystery around Sasuke."
"Good. This intel is valuable."
With that, Jiraiya pulled a blue-bound book from his own robes and tossed it to Kakashi.
"My final Icha Icha masterpiece! Not officially released yet. Consider it a special get-well gift~!"
"O-ohhhh~~~~!" Kakashi's eyes sparkled like he'd found treasure.
"Well then, enjoy unraveling its mysteries…" Jiraiya gave a knowing smirk, then hopped out the window. His wooden sandals thumped onto the soft earth below.
"Lord Jiraiya!"
Kakashi leaned out the window, calling after him, his voice heavy with sincerity. "Naruto… I leave him in your hands!"
Jiraiya waved without looking back, leaving only a bold silhouette against the night.
…
Konoha outskirts. Where the lamplight faded. On a bench, Naruto stared blankly at Sasuke's rogue-nin headband.
Click-clack. Click-clack. Wooden sandals approached. The lamplight stretched the bench's single shadow into two.
Naruto's voice was thick with pain. "Pervy Sage… Granny Tsunade officially branded Sasuke a rogue-nin. The village will hunt him from now on."
Before, Sasuke had defected, but he wasn't on Konoha's kill list—a special favor from Tsunade to Naruto. But infiltrating the village again? Injuring Kakashi? The village elders deemed him a major threat. Tsunade couldn't protect him anymore, not in good conscience.
"I see." Jiraiya's expression darkened slightly. "Don't blame Tsunade. She's in a tough spot."
Naruto gently placed the headband on his lap. "I know. Granny told me everything."
"So you understand," Jiraiya said, his tone weighty. "The Sasuke now is someone even Kakashi can't beat. He might even surpass me one day. Knowing that… you still plan to drag him back to Konoha?"
Naruto clutched the headband, shooting to his feet. He waved his fist, emotions boiling over. "OF COURSE!! It doesn't matter how strong he is! He's my precious friend! Even if I get smashed to pieces, I'll bring him back to Konoha! That's my promise to Sakura! My duty to my friend! NOTHING will stop me, dattebayo!!!"
"Good. In that case, you'd better be prepared for what comes next!"
Jiraiya declared. "I'll compress the three years of training I had planned for you… into one. One year from now, depending on your progress, I'll take you to a legendary sacred land. For the same training I underwent!!"
Naruto's eyes went wide. "Eh?? A sacred land? Training like the Pervy Sage… it must be an incredibly powerful jutsu! I can't wait! Tell me, what kind of jutsu is it, dattebayo!!!"
Jiraiya smiled. "It's still too early for you to know that…"
Naruto started circling him, whining. "Pervy Sage, come on! Tell me~! Please~!"
Jiraiya smiled on the outside, but his heart held an unspeakable bitterness.
His original plan was a three-year journey. More time spent with Naruto, to make up for the childhood the boy never had. To build his foundation as a ninja along the way… But looking at things now, this trip wouldn't be leisurely or easy.
But… there was no helping it.
The streetlamp stretched the shadows of master and disciple long across the ground. Without saying goodbye to their friends, they set off—Jiraiya with a giant scroll on his back, and Naruto with his travel pack. Their training journey was destined to be anything but ordinary.
…
Three days later. Dawn. The Land of Rice Paddies. A sunless underground nest.
Kabuto endured a grueling, transformative ordeal. He had finally completed his metamorphosis.
Time and again, Hashirama's cells had nearly consumed him. Each time, he clawed back from the brink with sheer will and exceptional talent. The process had been perilous beyond belief…
Afterward, Kabuto shuddered at the memory. "That pain probably rivals childbirth. I never want to experience it again."
Orochimaru chuckled. "Hashirama Senju's power isn't so easily tamed. And the cruelest part? All who receive his cells can only approach his power, never match it. Even Madara was no exception."
"The White Cursed Seal I crafted for Sasuke-kun is unique. After the Ten Battles, he will possess Hashirama's full power within his Uchiha body. It will lay the ultimate foundation… for his evolution into the optimal Ōtsutsuki vessel."
Next came the right eye transplant. With Hashirama's cells integrated, it was a simple matter. Once the optic nerve connected, his right eye shifted, now holding the Mangekyō Sharingan pattern of Futodama.
All things were ready.
Sasuke: "Let's move. To Pale Moon Island. Prepare for the first of the Ten Battles."
Orochimaru: "The island is in the outer sea near the Land of Water. Setting out from a Land of Fire port would be more efficient…"
Kabuto raised his right hand, lightly covering his eye. Through the gap, his pupil glowed.
"It seems the space-time markers of Futodama don't disappear after transplantation. All the markers I left in the past… I can still use them. An unexpected bonus. One marker isn't far from our destination. We can drastically shorten the travel time."
—Futodama!
WHOOSH!
A black vortex spiraled from his right eye. Kabuto pulled Sasuke, Orochimaru, and himself into its depths.
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