The earth where Hidan had been buried was scarred and uneven, long trenches cut through the mud like open graves. Charred marks from paper bombs still smoked faintly despite the rain, and the air carried the lingering smell of burned flesh, wet soil, and chakra residue that refused to fade.
A spiral tore open in the space between two trees.
Tobi stepped out first, his orange mask tilting as he looked around the destruction with exaggerated curiosity.
"Ooooh," he hummed. "Looks like someone had a really bad day."
Another presence landed behind him—light, controlled.
Deidara straightened, cloak fluttering as his sharp eyes swept the area. "This isn't from normal shinobi," he said flatly. "That chakra… it's violent. Sloppy, but powerful."
The ground suddenly exploded.
Chunks of mud and stone blasted upward as a mangled arm burst free, fingers clawing uselessly at the air.
"GET ME OUT OF HERE!"
Hidan erupted from the earth in pieces—limbs separated, torso skewered with metal, head still ranting as if he hadn't just been buried alive. Paper bombs detonated one after another, fire blooming violently—
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM
—but it didn't matter.
They gathered his body parts and put them together.
Black threads slithered across the ground, weaving his body back together as if death itself were an inconvenience. Flesh knitted. Bones realigned. Blood soaked into the dirt and vanished.
Hidan sucked in a sharp breath as his body reformed.
"I swear on Jashin," he snarled, veins bulging in his neck, "I'm gonna kill that Nine-Tails brat!"
Deidara paused mid-step, one brow rising.
"…The Nine-Tails did this to you?"
Hidan spat into the dirt. "Yeah. And he killed Kakuzu too."
The forest went quiet.
Even the rain seemed to hesitate.
Deidara slowly turned his head. "Kakuzu… is dead?"
" Yes, but Relax," Hidan said dismissively, waving a hand. "I hid the body of the two tails before we came here."
Tobi stiffened behind his mask.
' The Nine-Tails, ' he thought. ' Strong enough to kill Kakuzu. Smart enough to bury Hidan alive.'
That wasn't supposed to happen.
Deidara clicked his tongue. "Tch. Troublesome. We don't have time to deal with this right now."
He adjusted the strap on his pouch and turned away.
"Let's go. We're extracting the Three-Tails."
Hidan scoffed but followed, still muttering curses under his breath, promising divine retribution to anyone who'd listen.
Tobi lingered.
He stared at the torn ground one last time, rain dripping from the edge of his mask.
' Nine-Tails, huh… That's Minato Sensei child. This one's going to be a problem.'
Then space warped again.
And he followed.
Elsewhere, far from the Leaf and far from anyone who would stop him, Sasuke waited.
Orochimaru lay on his bed, breath shallow, body barely holding itself together. The room stank of medicine, incense, and rot—an attempt to mask decay that could no longer be hidden. Tubes and seals lined the walls, glowing faintly as they worked to keep what remained of him alive.
Sasuke stood in the shadows, arms crossed, eyes unreadable.
He could kill him now.
It would be easy. One clean strike. One moment of hesitation ending forever.
But he didn't move.
He waited.
Time passed slowly in the hideout, measured not by sunlight but by the steady click of a clock mounted high on the wall. Each tick echoed louder than it should have, hammering into Sasuke's thoughts.
Click.
Naruto's face surfaced in his mind—calm, focused, terrifyingly strong.
Click.
The way Naruto had looked at him during their last clash. Not desperate. Not chasing. Standing firm.
Click.
Sasuke's fingers curled into fists, nails biting into his palms.
'He's getting stronger,' Sasuke thought. 'Too fast.'
That realization burned worse than hatred.
Orochimaru shifted weakly on the bed, a rasping breath escaping him. The man who had promised Sasuke power was now barely clinging to existence.
Not yet.
Sasuke turned away, the decision already made.
'I need more power.'
He stepped into the adjoining chamber, where the stone floor was scarred from countless training sessions. He rolled his shoulders, chakra rising as his Sharingan spun into existence, painting the room red.
The sound of the clock faded behind him.
There would be time to kill Orochimaru.
But only after Sasuke was certain—
that when he faced Naruto again,
he would be the one standing above him.
.....
The library was unusually quiet.
Tall shelves stretched up toward the ceiling, packed tight with old scrolls, cracked spines, and faded tags. The air smelled of dust and ink, the kind that clung to your clothes if you stayed too long.
Lamps cast a warm, steady glow over long wooden tables where a handful of shinobi read in silence.
Naruto stood in the seal section, arms folded as he scanned the shelves.
Most of the scrolls were written in dense, technical script. Circular diagrams overlapped with symbols that looked more like math than ninjutsu. Even the titles felt deliberately unwelcoming.
'Yeah… no wonder nobody teaches this stuff,' he thought.
He pulled out one scroll, unrolled it a little—and immediately frowned.
"…What?"
Before he could decipher anything, someone bumped lightly into his shoulder.
"Oh—sorry!"
Naruto turned just as a familiar voice spoke.
"Hey, Naruto. Never thought I'd see you in here."
He blinked—then grinned.
"Tenten?" He looked her over, noticing the mission gear still strapped to her waist, the faint scuff marks on her boots. "Sup. Back from a mission?"
"Yep," she said, stretching her arms above her head. "And let me tell you—do not rush becoming a chūnin."
Naruto raised an eyebrow.
She leaned against a nearby shelf, lowering her voice. "It's such a pain. Guy-sensei gets… creative. Sometimes he just makes us lead missions out of nowhere. Says it's to 'test our youthful growth.'"
Naruto laughed. "Sounds rough."
"It is," she said flatly—then cracked a smile. "But I guess it comes with the rank."
Naruto nodded thoughtfully. "If I wanna become Hokage, that's something I'll have to deal with eventually."
Tenten chuckled. "Yeah… I guess it is."
They shared a brief laugh, the sound strangely loud in the quiet library.
Naruto glanced back at the shelf, then at her again.
'Guess this is a good chance to actually get to know her,' he thought.
The seal scroll rested forgotten in his hand as the moment lingered, small but meaningful.
TO BE CONTINUED