"RASENGAN!! "
"CHIDORI!! "
BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!!
The moment the blue Rasengan smashed directly against the Chidori, a giant sphere of violent chakra exploded in the center of the forest!
The shockwave tore up the surrounding earth, shattering stone lanterns and blowing away all the lingering smoke in an instant!
The heavy dust slowly began to clear, lingering around their boots. Jiraiya skidded back a few feet, his arm raised to shield his eyes from the heat, his gaze fixed sharply on the dark-cloaked Uchiha through the smoke.
'His speed and lightning chakra are incredible...' Jiraiya thought, his eyes narrowing.
Sasuke landed lightly on his feet, his cloak settling around him. His Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan gleamed in the dark. He didn't have time to keep dancing around the Sannin—Hikaru was slipping further and further into the underground ruins with Shinnachiku!
Sasuke bit his thumb, his hands weaving a single seal at blinding speed!
He slammed his hand straight down onto the cracked earth!
BLACK KANJI CHARACTERS SPREAD ACROSS THE GROUND!
"KUCHIYOSE NO JUTSU!!!"
POOF!!
An ocean of thick white smoke burst into the air, instantly engulfing the entire courtyard!
"What?!" Gamabunta growled, raising his giant short sword as a massive shadow rose up from inside the smoke!
HISSSSSS!
A cold, terrifying hiss echoed through the night, rattling the nearby wooden walls!
From deep inside the giant cloud of smoke, a huge, dark purple serpant emerged! Its giant scales gleamed like polished metal under the moonlight, and its sharp, yellow eyes glared down at Gamabunta with absolute loyalty to its master!
"SASUKE-SAMA!" Aoda's thunderous, respectful voice echoed from high above the forest.
Standing on top of Aoda's massive head, Sasuke looked down at the giant snake.
"AODA—" Sasuke commanded in a cold, low voice. "Hold them here. Do not let them follow me."
"As you wish, Sasuke-sama!" Aoda hissed respectfully, leading his sharp fangs toward the giant toad.
Sasuke didn't wait. He hopped off Aoda's giant scales, going downward like a streak of purple lightning, aiming straight for the cell's doorway!
"Not so fast!" Jiraiya shouted!
SWOOSH!
Before Sasuke's feet could even touch the ground, Jiraiya's long white hair extended at insane speed, sweeping across the alleyway like a thick, unbreakable wall of steel ropes!
Sasuke drew his Kusanagi blade, slicing through the hardened hair in a flash of purple sparks, but the brief delay forced him to land hard back on the cobblestones.
Sasuke's brow furrowed tightly, his jaw clenching in pure annoyance. He turned his cold gaze back toward the Sannin, his eyes burning with intense frustration. Hikaru was slipping deeper into the dark ruins with every single second wasted here!
Meanwhile, Jiraiya skidded back beside Gamabunta, looking up at the huge serpent blocking their path.
"Hey, Bunta..." Jiraiya muttered from the corner of his mouth, keeping a cautious hand on his scroll. "Hikaru's summoning back during the war... it was a giant serpent just like this one, right?"
Gamabunta blew out a heavy cloud of grey smoke, his large yellow eyes staring down Aoda with deep concentration.
"Hmph... I don't remember the full name of the creature..." Gamabunta grumbled in his deep, thunderous voice. "But yeah... it was definitely a giant serpent. Also you idiot....You expect a toad to remember the face of a cunning serpant?!"
Jiraiya's face darkened with absolute acceptance as he looked back at Sasuke.
"Then there's no doubt about it—" Jiraiya declared firmly, stepping forward to block the entrance with his full body weight.
"You aren't getting past me, Hikaru!"
Sasuke's cloak whipped sharply in the wind as his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan spun wildly in anger.
'These fools...' Sasuke gritted his teeth, his purple lightning flaring up around both arms with dangerous intensity.
Sasuke's jaw clenched tightly, his dark cloak whipping wildly in the wind. The purple lightning around his sword shrieked, tearing up the cobblestones at his feet.
"Step aside," Sasuke growled, his voice ice-cold. "You are interfering with something you don't understand!"
Jiraiya didn't move an inch. Instead, he slammed his palms together with a loud, heavy crack!
"Kekkai: Tengai Hōjin!" Jiraiya roared!
WIRRRRRRR!
An invisible, massive sphere of sensory chakra expanded instantly from Jiraiya's feet, swallowing the entire forest and Sasuke inside a massive dome!
Every single blade of grass, every falling speck of dust, and every tiny movement inside the area echoed straight into Jiraiya's mind!
Then, Jiraiya did something completely shocking.
He closed his eyes tight.
"Hey! Jiraiya!" Gamabunta grumbled, his voice booming from outside the barrier. "What are you doing closing your eyes against an Uchiha?!"
"He relies on his eyes, Bunta!" Jiraiya said sharply, a confident smirk spreading across his face. "If I don't look at him, his visual curses are completely useless! My barrier tells me exactly where he is!"
Sasuke's crimson Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan narrowed. He focused his sight, preparing to ignite Amaterasu directly onto Jiraiya's kimono—but with the lingering dust and Jiraiya standing inside his own sensory dome, Sasuke couldn't get a clear lock on him!
" Tch... Bastard!" Sasuke spat under his breath.
Suddenly, strange red markings began to spread rapidly around Jiraiya's eyes! The air around him grew incredibly dense, heavy, and wild!
"Here I come!" Jiraiya declared!
SWOOSH!
Jiraiya vanished from his spot at terrifying speed! Even with his eyes glued shut, he moved like a wild beast, appearing directly in front of Sasuke in less than a heartbeat!
"What?!" Sasuke gasped, raising his lightning katana just in time to block!
BOOOOOOM!!
Jiraiya's fist, packed with devastating Sage chakra, slammed straight into Sasuke's sword! The sheer physical force sent a massive shockwave ripping through the ground, cracking the stone walls of the Police Headquarters!
Sasuke's feet dragged backward through the dirt as the brute strength pushed him to his absolute physical limit!
"You're fast, kid!" Jiraiya shouted, spinning mid-air with his eyes still closed, throwing a blinding combination of heavy kicks and strikes straight through the thick smoke!
"But inside my barrier, I don't need light to see you! I feel every breath you take!"
CLANG! BAM! BANG!
Sasuke deflected every single blow at maximum speed, sparks flying wildly off his blade! His heart pounded against his ribs. Jiraiya's sensory coordination was flawless—he was relentless, attacking from every angle without taking a single glance!
"I don't have time for this!" Sasuke roared, his purple chakra exploding outward as he tried to force the Sannin back!
"You're not escaping into those ruins, Hikaru!" Jiraiya roared!
Keeping his eyes closed tight, Jiraiya slammed his hands together in a heavy seal.
"Senpō: Ranjishigami no Jutsu!"
WIRRRRRRR!
In a fraction of a second, Jiraiya's white hair exploded outward like a living monster! Thousands of thick, steel-hard hair spikes whipped through the air, expanding into a massive, tracking web that completely covered every inch of the forest!
The sharp needles shattered stone lanterns, sliced through solid wooden walls, and boxed Sasuke in from every possible angle!
Sasuke's teeth ground together in absolute frustration. The hair web was closing in fast, tracking his chakra through the sensory barrier with terrifying accuracy!
Left with zero room to dodge, Sasuke's crimson Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan flared violently!
"SUSANOO!"
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!
A towering wave of dark purple chakra erupted from Sasuke's body! Giant, glowing rib bones burst outward, instantly followed by heavy, towering armor plates that locked together around him with a deafening metallic roar!
The massive web of hair spikes slammed directly against the armored Susanoo, throwing shower after shower of blinding sparks into the dark night!
Inside the towering purple armor, Sasuke caught his breath, his eyes narrowed in shock. 'He didn't even open his eyes... he predicted my exact positioning just from the shift in my footing!'
Jiraiya's battle intellect was utterly terrifying. Even completely blind, the Toad Sage was reading Sasuke's body weight and air pressure like an open book!
"Found you!" Jiraiya's voice echoed through the barrier!
Mid-air, Jiraiya dropped straight out of the sky directly above the giant purple warrior! Natural chakra surged wildly through his body as a massive ball of swirling blue chakra expanded in his right palm, growing to the size of a small building!
"Chō Ōdama Rasengan!"
Jiraiya drove the massive, roaring sphere straight down into the Susanoo's heavy chest armor!
CRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAACK!!
The sheer weight of the Sage-infused strike rattled the entire forest! The high-pressure energy tore through the purple chakra, sending deep, jagged cracks spider-webbing across Sasuke's heavy armor!
The massive impact shoved the Susanoo deep into the earth, shattering the ground beneath Sasuke's boots into fine dust!
Outside the shimmering edges of Jiraiya's invisible sensory barrier, the ground was shaking violently!
Gamabunta drew his massive short sword with a deafening screech, swinging the giant blade downward with terrifying power!
SWOOSH—BANG!
Aoda slid his massive body across the cobblestones with smooth, silent concentration. His thick, dark purple scales scraped against the heavy steel blade, sending a rain of orange sparks shooting into the night sky!
"I will not allow you to interfere with Sasuke-sama—" Aoda hissed softly, his voice calm and respectful as his giant coils blocked the pathway.
Gamabunta slammed his webbed feet hard into the ground, blowing a heavy, furious cloud of grey tobacco smoke from his nostrils. He glared up at Aoda's towering shadow, gripping his short sword tight.
"You fool!" Gamabunta roared, his thunderous voice echoing across the courtyard. "You don't even know your own master's name!"
Gamabunta launched his massive body forward, leaping high into the air as he raised his giant blade with both hands!
"Let me remind you!" Gamabunta shouted at the top of his lungs, driving his steel blade straight down toward Aoda's giant scales!
"IT'S HIKARU!!"
HOKAGE BUILDING
RUMBLE...
Deep, heavy vibrations echoed through the thick stone floorboards of the Hokage office. The entire building shook gently, as if a distant war was breaking out on the edges of the village.
None of them knew that the Uchiha Police Headquarters was currently being torn apart by a battle between Jiraiya, a dark-cloaked Uchiha, and two giant summons.
Inside the grand conference room, the air was suffocatingly tense
.
Sitting around the long wooden table were the village leaders and high-ranking representatives: Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzo, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, along with messengers from the Yamanaka and Fuma clans. Standing silently in the shadows behind Danzo were two masked Root ANBU guards.
BANG! BANG!
A loud, firm knock suddenly rattled the heavy wooden doors of the room!
Koharu snapped instantly, her patience completely gone as her eyebrow twitched with annoyance.
"Just leave the doors open already!" she commanded sharply, glaring toward the door.
One of Danzo's Root ANBU stepped forward from the shadows, reaching out and pulling the heavy door open.
Standing in the doorway was a tall, cloaked ANBU—Minato's personal, trusted aide. He stepped inside with quick, steady strides, bowing his head respectfully toward the front of the table.
"Hokage-sama—" the cloaked ANBU reported in a crisp, clear voice. "I have received urgent reports."
Before Minato could respond, Danzo's cold, stern voice cut through the air like a knife.
"You are not allowed to report to him directly in this setting!" Danzo declared harshly, leaning his hands on his cane as his visible eye narrowed. "State your business to the entire council!"
Hiruzen's eyes widened slightly, and he leaned forward, holding up a hand. "Wait, Danzo—!"
The cloaked ANBU didn't even flinch. He turned his head toward Danzo, his voice remaining smooth, calm, and utterly cold under his white mask.
"I am sorry, Danzo-sama..." the cloaked ANBU replied smoothly. "Just like your Root serves only you... we Cloaked ANBU serve only Hokage-sama. If he gives the order that this information can be spoken in front of everyone, then I will."
A heavy silence fell over the entire room. Hiruzen exhaled softly, and even the clan messengers held their breath at the absolute disrespect delivered with such flawless politeness!
Minato offered a gentle, confident smile from his seat at the head of the table. He gave his aide a small nod.
The cloaked ANBU leaned down, whispering the high-priority report directly into Minato's ear.
Minato's sharp blue eyes gleamed with absolute satisfaction. A bright smirk spread across his face as he looked up at the entire room.
"Perfect!" Minato declared, his voice full of calm authority. "Tell everyone."
The cloaked ANBU straightened his posture, turning toward the long conference table. His voice echoed clearly across the tense, quiet room.
"We have confirmed the exact location of Uchiha Hikaru—" the ANBU announced calmly. "He is currently at the Uchiha Police Headquarters... and is in an active, full-scale battle with the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya-sama!"
BOOM!
The noise was from the distant battle going on.
Hiruzen gasped, his eyes widening in total disbelief as he nearly dropped his pipe onto the wooden table. "Jiraiya...?! He is back in the village?!"
Danzo's grip on his wooden cane tightened until his knuckles turned pale white. His single visible eye widened in genuine shock.
"When in the world did he return?!" Danzo demanded, his voice laced with pure suspicion and frustration. "He was supposed to be far away from Hi no Kuni!"
A calm, pleasant chuckle escaped Minato's lips at the head of the table. His blue eyes gleaming with quiet confidence as he looked around at the stunned faces of the council.
"Before I stepped out from my home..." Minato explained smoothly, his voice cool and completely relaxed, "I personally requested Biwako-sama to deliver an urgent message directly to Inoichi-san."
Minato rested his chin gracefully on his crossed hands, a brilliant smirk spreading across his face.
"The message was to use the Yamanaka clan's long-range communication network... to immediately recall all three Legendary Sannin back to Konoha due to an emergency crisis."
Silence descended upon the entire room!
Danzo's mouth stayed slightly agape, completely speechless. Koharu and Homura stared at the young Yondaime Hokage in sheer astonishment! Minato had already planned ten steps ahead of everyone else in the room!
Minato lowered his hands from his chin and looked up at his personal aide, his gentle smile vanishing into a look of absolute, sharp authority.
"Dispatch the elite Cloaked ANBU units to the Uchiha Police Headquarters immediately!" Minato commanded, his voice ringing through the silent room like a gold bell.
"Set up a high-level perimeter. Do not engage directly unless necessary—let Jiraiya-sensei keep him occupied, but make sure no civilians step foot near that battle zone."
"Understood, Hokage-sama!" the cloaked ANBU declared, bowing deeply before vanishing into thin air in a burst of speed!
Minato looked at the conference, his white-and-red Yondaime Hokage haori cloak fluttered lightly against his back. He adjusted the cuffs of his sleeve, looking calmly around the long conference table.
"I am heading straight to Inoichi-san—" Minato stated, his blue eyes sweeping over Hiruzen, Koharu, Homura, and finally locking right onto Danzo's frozen, pale face.
The entire council sat in dead silence. None of them could find the words to speak.
Minato took a step forward, and turned his head back, offering the entire room one last, icy-cool look—a quiet, powerful glare that reminded everyone in that room why he held the title of the Yellow Flash.
"While you all were so busy thinking of ways to remove me from the position of the Hokage..." Minato said smoothly, his voice laced with a cold, unstoppable confidence, "...I was already working and calculating the exact whereabouts of our enemy."
Danzo's grip on his cane tightened so hard the wood groaned, but he couldn't utter a single word to refute him.
"So please..." Minato added softly, a faint, razor-sharp smirk touching his lips as he glanced over his shoulder. "Reconsider whatever decision you choose to make next. The safety of this village comes first."
SWOOSH!!
In a blinding flash of yellow light, Minato vanished from the conference room, leaving behind only a gentle gust of wind that rustled the paper documents on the table!
OUTSIDE: UCHIHA POLICE HEADQUARTERS
CRRRRRRACK!
The deafening sound of shattering chakra echoed inside the invisible barrier!
Sasuke gritted his teeth, his breathing growing heavy inside the giant purple Susanoo.
Deep, jagged cracks were spreading rapidly across the heavy armor plates as Jiraiya pushed his Sage-infused chakra to the absolute limit!
"It's over, Hikaru!" Jiraiya roared, keeping his eyes firmly closed. The wild, red Sage markings around his eyes glowed fiercely.
Jiraiya quickly jumped back, landing gracefully on the shattered cobblestones.
He instantly bit his thumb and slammed both hands together, gathering a terrifying amount of natural energy! Dark ink started to spread rapidly across his arms, forming complex sealing symbols!
'He's preparing a high-level Sage sealing jutsu...' Sasuke analyzed rapidly, his crimson eyes tracking the dense flow of chakra. 'He's entirely relying on his sensory barrier. If I attack him directly with fire or lightning, he will sense the shift in the air and counter it instantly. Traditional ninjutsu is completely useless against him in this state.'
Sasuke glanced toward the dark entrance of the underground cell. Hikaru was getting further away. He had zero time left.
'I have to take a gamble—' Sasuke thought, his eyes narrowing with icy determination. 'A desperate one.'
SHATTER!
Sasuke suddenly deactivated his Susanoo! The giant purple armor dissolved into thin air, leaving him completely exposed in the center of the ruined forest!
"Giving up your defense?!" Jiraiya shouted confidentially, sensing the massive drop in chakra. "Bad move, kid! SENPŌ: GAMA SHIBARI NO JUTSU!!"
Jiraiya lunged forward at blinding speed, his ink-covered hand reaching out to slam directly onto Sasuke's chest and seal his chakra away forever!
Sasuke didn't step back. He didn't weave a single hand seal. Instead, he drew his Kusanagi blade.
His Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan spun wildly, and in a split second, terrifying black flames erupted to life, tightly wrapping around his steel blade!
"Kagutsuchi... Totsuka" Sasuke whispered coldly.
But instead of swinging the black-flame sword at the charging Sannin... Sasuke turned to the side and slashed his blade directly into the empty air next to him!
RIIIIIIIIIIP!!
The very fabric of the air tore open with a sharp, screaming sound! A jagged, dark dimensional tear opened up right beside Sasuke, glowing with a deep, eerie light!
Inside Jiraiya's mind, the sensory barrier fed him perfect information. He felt the terrifying heat of the black flames. He felt the massive swing of the sword. But... the attack wasn't aimed at him at all!
'He missed?! No, he struck the empty space to my left!' Jiraiya thought, completely confused as he continued his forward charge.
'Is he trying to distract me with a sound wave?! It won't work! I have you now!'
Jiraiya thrust his sealing hand forward, aiming perfectly for where Sasuke's chest was!
But right before Jiraiya's hand could connect...
Silence
Inside the sensory dome, Jiraiya's barrier suddenly sensed absolutely nothing. No breathing. No heartbeat. No chakra. The target had completely vanished from the face of the earth!
"What the—?!" Jiraiya gasped, his eyes flying open in pure shock as his hand hit empty air!
Sasuke had stepped directly into the dimensional tear, completely bypassing the physical space inside the sensory barrier!
In that exact same millisecond, the dark tear snapped open right in Jiraiya's ultimate blind spot—directly behind him, slightly above his neck!
Sasuke stepped smoothly out of the portal, his dark cloak fluttering silently in the air.
Jiraiya spun around, his eyes wide with absolute disbelief.
"A SPACE-TIME JUTSU—?!"
He was too late.
Sasuke was already there. Without using any lethal force, Sasuke raised his hand, coated in a thick, dense layer of chakra. With flawless precision, he delivered a heavy, perfectly calculated strike right to a critical chakra point on the back of Jiraiya's neck!
THUD!
The strike instantly disrupted Jiraiya's chakra network! The wild Sage chakra vanished from his body, and the red markings faded from his eyes. His body went completely limp, his vision instantly fading to black.
As the Legendary Sannin fell forward, completely unconscious, Sasuke moved quickly.
He didn't let the great toad sage hit the hard, broken ground. Sasuke reached out and caught Jiraiya firmly by the shoulder, easing him down gently and respectfully leaning him against a shattered stone pillar.
The invisible sensory dome flickered and died. The raging battle was finally over.
Sasuke stood up, releasing a slow, heavy breath. He looked down at the unconscious Sannin for a brief second, his cold red eyes softening just a fraction.
"Forgive me—" Sasuke murmured quietly.
Then, he turned his sharp gaze toward the dark, ruined entrance of the underground cell.
Hikaru was down there. And it was time to end this.
With Jiraiya now unconscious and resting against the stone pillar, the sensory barrier completely dissolved into thin air.
POOF!!
A massive cloud of white smoke erupted across the far side of the headquarters. Gamabunta, sensing that Jiraiya's chakra had suddenly plummeted, could no longer maintain his presence in the real world.
With a heavy, frustrated grunt, the giant toad vanished back to Mount Myoboku!
The courtyard finally went still and quiet.
Sasuke turned away from the pillar, his boots crunching softly over the shattered stone. He walked directly toward the huge purple serpent that was still coiled tightly around the ruined headquarters.
Sasuke reached out his hand, gently rubbing Aoda's smooth, cool scales near his snout.
"How is Mikoto?" Sasuke asked softly, his cold tone softening just a bit.
Aoda lowered his giant head, resting it gently near Sasuke's shoulder. His yellow eyes glowed with warm loyalty.
"She is completely fine, Master—" Aoda answered in his smooth, respectful voice. "Leave her to me. I haven't let a single trace of danger go anywhere near her."
A subtle look of relief washed over Sasuke's face. "Good," he murmured. He patted the giant snake's scales one last time. "I am sorry for all the trouble."
Aoda bowed his massive head deeply toward Sasuke, his fangs gently retracting.
"Serving you is my greatest honor, Sasuke-sama—" Aoda whispered with deep devotion.
"May victory be yours."
POOF!!
In a gentle burst of white smoke, Aoda vanished back to the Ryuchi Cave.
Left standing alone in the silent, ruined courtyard, Sasuke finally let out a long, heavy breath. He was huffing softly, the intense fight with the Sannin having drained his physical energy. He raised his dark sleeve, casually wiping the sweat from his forehead.
'Now... to catch Hikaru—' Sasuke thought, beginning to turn his body back toward the dark entrance of the cell.
Pitter... patter...
Sasuke froze.
A quiet, distinct sound echoed through the silence of the courtyard. It sounded like a thick liquid rhythmically falling onto the stone ground.
Sasuke slowly lowered his sharingan eye, looking down at the dark cobblestones at his feet.
Splashing against the dust were heavy, dark red drops. It was blood.
'Blood...?'
Sasuke's breath hitched in his throat. He slowly looked down at his own stomach.
A deep, severe wound had ripped wide open through his dark cloak and shirt, hot red blood pouring out rapidly and pooling around his belt!
Inside his crimson Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, his pupils dilated in pure, absolute shock.
Pitter... patter...
The hot, heavy drops of blood continued to splash relentlessly onto the dark, shattered cobblestones.
Sasuke's entire body trembled violently. He clutched his midsection with both hands, his knuckles turning stark white as warm, thick crimson gushed out from between his fingers, completely soaking through his dark clothes.
'When...?!' Sasuke's mind spun into total chaos, his teeth grinding together so hard his jaw ached. Pain, blinding and white-hot, radiated from his core, stealing the very breath from his lungs.
'He didn't sneak past me during the fight... He manifested right behind me in a fraction of a second... and drove his hand straight through my stomach from the dark...!'
Cough! Augh—!
Sasuke doubled over, his body shuddering as a violent, painful cough tore through his throat. A heavy spray of dark blood burst from his lips, splattering across the cold stone beneath his boots and trailing down his chin.
Directly beside him, a cold, muffled voice echoed from the shadows—so close that the freezing breath practically brushed against Sasuke's ear, carrying a dangerous, twisted tone that made the temperature in the forest drop to sub-zero.
"You fought well against the Toad Sage..."
Sasuke's breath turned shallow and ragged. He forced his head to turn, his crimson Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan spinning frantically, straining to focus through the blurring darkness creeping into the edges of his vision.
The figure was standing right next to him, shrouded in shadow and darkness. But at this suffocatingly close range, Sasuke could feel it—a sickening, warped space-time chakra pulsing silently from the stranger's body.
'This chakra...' Sasuke thought, his jaw clenching in sheer horror as another wave of agony hit him. '
It's distorted... twisted... It feels just like the space-time jutsu from my timeline! Who in the world is this bastard...?!'
A single crimson eye gleamed through the darkness beside him, pulsing with a cold, terrifying authority.
The shadowy figure didn't even bother to strike again. He simply leaned down slightly, his voice dropping into a low, haunting whisper that seemed to echo directly inside Sasuke's fading mind.
"You are an unexpected obstacle... but you won't stand in the way of what is coming for this village."
The figure shifted, disappearing back into the swirling shadows as if he were never physically there to begin with.
Left alone, Sasuke's knees finally buckled under the immense weight of his injury. He collapsed hard onto his knees, his hands pressed tightly over the gaping hole in his stomach, desperately trying to hold his life in.
Blood pool beneath him, reflecting the pale moonlight.
Tears of absolute frustration and despair welled up in his blurred eyes, mixing with the cold sweat on his face.
'How... how could I let my guard down...?!' Sasuke screamed internally, his chest heaving as he fought with every ounce of his remaining willpower just to keep his eyes open. 'How can I die right now...?! Not now... Not like this... Not when everyone needs me the most...!'
His vision flickered violently, the world fading to complete pitch black as his forehead touched the bloody stone floor.
And in that overwhelming, silent dark... as his consciousness slowly drifted away, one gentle memory flashed softly through his fading mind.
A pair of soft eyes... the warm, comforting smile that always waited for him at home—the soft light of his life who gave him every reason to keep fighting.
'Forgive me...' Sasuke breathed his final, silent thought into the darkness, his heart aching into complete stillness.
'I couldn't... make it back to you —"
---