Elsewhere.

Sakura fiddled with a kunai as she absently chewed on a sando, her gaze placid as she watched Naruto spar with his clone. The so-called "Legendary Toad Sage" sat perched on a tree branch nearby, giggling to himself like the degenerate he was, scribbling furiously in a tiny notebook. Moments like this—when the world slowed to a crawl—brought the sharpest ache for her beloved.

Sasuke, she whispered in the privacy of her thoughts as she bit into her sandwich, Where are you now? What are you thinking about? Do you ever think of me, even a little? I hope you're all right... I miss you.

A sigh escaped her as she let herself fall back, staring up at the sky stained reddish with sunset. Life, she realized, was remarkably dull without Sasuke. Who would've thought?

"What's up?"

Sakura blinked. She blinked again. A smile formed on her face as she saw him—Sasuke, standing over her, his left brow crooked in that familiar way that meant he was about to scold her. She giggled, and a tear traced its way down her cheek.

"I'm pretty pathetic," she muttered aloud, staring at the illusion her mind had conjured.

The imaginary Sasuke blinked, letting out an annoyed scoff. "What in the world are you moping around for?" he asked, crouching down to bop her on the nose. "I thought you were the smarter one between you and Naruto. Shouldn't you be training? The exams are in two days, and here you are, like this—do you even want to make chunin?"

Sakura giggled at the ticklish sensation on her nose, but then a realization struck her.

"...You're real?"

Sasuke tilted his head, studying her with a quizzical frown. "I'm starting to think you've gotten dumber since I've been away," he drawled, tilting his head the other way.

Sakura sat bolt upright, her eyes snapping toward Naruto. He and his clone were frozen, mid-combat, in the training ground. Jiraiya, on the other hand, had moved—he was now standing between Naruto and herself, his posture wary, his gaze fixed.

Still in disbelief, Sakura turned, her eyes locking on Sasuke, who was crouched beside her.

"...Sasuke?"

"Hai, Sasuke desu."

"...What are you doing here?!"

"I came to see you guys, obviously. Why? You don't want me back?"

"Yes! No! I mean, yes!" Her breath came in shallow, rapid gasps. "You have to leave! Before the village finds out you're here! Now!"

Despite her alarm, Sasuke seemed unfazed, sprawling his legs out as he joined her on the grass.

"Don't worry," he said, resting a hand on her shoulder, his touch gentle. "This is just a shadow clone. I'm not really here."

Sakura let out a shaky breath, relief flooding through her—but then a thought surfaced.

"The village declared you a traitor, Sasuke. They think you want to destroy the Leaf. Now that you're here, we should go to the Hokage. You can explain everything, and—"

"I'm already speaking with the Hokage," Sasuke cut her off. "My real body, at least. Whatever misunderstandings there are—who betrayed who—should be cleared up soon enough. As for destroying the village, well, that's already a foregone conclusion."

Sakura blinked, confusion creasing her brow. "Thank—wait, I don't understand."

"Sorry, love. I'm a bit pressed for time. We'll talk later."

He stood, dusting off his kimono, and Sakura watched, still dazed, as he turned to face Naruto, who remained behind the wary sannin.

"What do you want with Naruto?" Jiraiya asked, his voice hard.

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"Just a bit of chakra," Sasuke replied. "I won't hurt him, I promise."

Jiraiya's eyes narrowed, his stance shifting, ready for a fight. "I'm sorry, but I can't allow that. Yamato! Now!"

A mass of wood erupted beneath Sasuke, binding his limbs, locking him in place. Sakura turned, startled, to see Yamato—his hands transformed, the texture of wood—standing, poised for further action.

But Sasuke merely smiled, an edge of mockery in his expression. "Resorting to violence so quickly? Konoha's manners haven't improved, have they? Sadly, I don't have time to talk right now."

In an instant, he reappeared behind Jiraiya, and a wall of crystal sprouted between the sannin and Naruto. Jiraiya leaped away, his hands blurring through seals, but Sakura's attention was caught by a new presence—a blue-haired woman, standing opposite Yamato, another dark-haired figure behind him, their hands weaving through seals at a speed Sakura simply couldn't follow.

"Summoning: Gama!"

"Blossom! Crystal Release: Jade Crystal Labyrinth Technique!"

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Wood Release: World of Trees Wall!"

Smoke exploded, concealing the sannin—then vanished, revealing an orange toad, ox-sized, its skin covered in blue markings. It skidded across the field, crossing its forearms to block the barrage of kunai that erupted from Sasuke's sleeve. On the other side, a wall of branches burst from the earth, weaving into a barrier that shielded Yamato from a blaze of fire.

"Thanks, Guren. Kage. You two keep them busy while I catch up with my friend here. And Sakura—stay out of trouble."

A dome of black crystal erupted, surrounding Sasuke, Naruto, and Naruto's clone, sealing them away from view.

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“Rasengan!”

Naruto’s voice carried across the field, a cry of anger and desperation. We caught his wrist before the blow landed, the spinning chakra inches from our face. He stared at us, wide-eyed, the shock there plain before it gave way to outrage. He struggled, but we held fast, our grip iron.

“Now is not the time, Naruto.”

“Sasuke!” he screamed, his voice raw. “What is wrong with you? Have you really become just another criminal, like they all say?”

We smiled then, a slow and sad thing, a gesture more for ourselves than for him. Naive, so naive. “I’m sorry, Naruto. I can’t stay and chat. I’m short on time.” With that, we reached out and plucked the swirling orb of chakra from his palm, held it a moment, considering its craftsmanship, then let it dissipate into the air.

“Fox,” we called, placing our palm against Naruto’s abdomen, our voice low. “Lend me some chakra.”

“And why should I?” the beast spat, its defiance echoing through the vessel, a transient form of something ancient.

We tilted our head, smiling. “Would you rather I ate you instead?”

The creature fell silent, the grudging surrender almost tangible. We drew on its chakra, the fiery energy rushing through us, and Naruto shuddered, his features twisting, canines elongating as he fought against it. But it was done in a heartbeat, and we let him fall—a limp form, nothing but a puppet whose strings had been severed. We looked down at ourselves, the yellow chakra shrouding us, licking at our limbs like flame, the fox ears phantasmal, the magatama markings like a necklace across our chest.

We exhaled. The crystal dome around us cracked, hairline fractures spreading across its surface until it shattered, revealing the world outside. The battleground lay in ruins, the landscape marred and broken, chaos incarnate. Our Blood Clone, Kage, and Guren fought on, locked in combat against the sannin and the Wood Release user. It was a losing battle, but it served its purpose.

“Kage, take Guren and redeploy,” we said. The Blood Clone nodded, flickered away to Guren’s side, then vanished, taking her with him. There was nothing left to be gained here. We dispelled ourselves, the gathered chakra returning to the original, and we left the others—the sannin, the ANBU, the fools—to wrestle with Guren’s labyrinth.

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We laughed, the sound echoing in the space between us. The First Hokage stared back at us, his expression solemn.

“Truce?” we repeated, the word bitter on our tongue. “You want a truce? For one touted as the God of Shinobi, you are naive indeed. Your peace, your ideals, your village… they mean nothing to me. Konoha took everything from me. Balance will be restored only when that debt is paid, and paid in full.”

The Senju sighed, and his voice was gentle when he spoke. “Sasuke… we acknowledge the wrongs done to your clan. We’re prepared to take responsibility, to make amends. But revenge won’t bring them back, nor will violence lead to peace. It will only feed the hatred, cost more lives. Please, reconsider.”

“Amends?” we murmured, considering his words. “All I want is to exterminate those involved in the massacre—the Sarutobis, the Senjus, the Shimuras, the Utatanes, the Mitokados. Only they must die. All else may live, unharmed. Would you accept that, Hashirama, for peace?”

The Hokage fell silent, his lips pressed into a thin line. We watched him, our eyes narrowing. “The Greater Good… it’s only good so long as someone else pays the price, isn’t it?”

Tobirama scoffed, his voice harsh. “He’s lost, brother. Consumed by hatred. There’s no saving him.”

Hiruzen spoke then, his tone almost pleading. “Sasuke, please. Destruction only begets more suffering.”

We smiled, feeling the chakra returning to us, the essence of the fox, boiling hot and relentless. It was time.

“For every deed,” we said, our voice carrying across the field, “a price must be paid.” Our gaze swept over the assembled forces, the ANBU and ROOT operatives forming a perimeter around us. “The price for taking my clan’s lives is long overdue… and I have come to collect.”

We smiled, a cold, grim thing.

“Never again will an Uchiha’s hate be scorned.”