Sasuke had hit Mini Sasuke hard across the face. Mini Sasuke fell to the ground, his cheek red and stinging.
Mini Sasuke was on the ground, his cheek red and stinging. He looked up at Sasuke with wide, hurt eyes, but there were no tears. He was too shocked to cry. He had never seen this side of his older self before.
Sasuke just stood there, his arm still in the air. His face, which had been so full of rage, went completely blank. He looked at his hand, then back at Mini Sasuke on the ground. A flicker of something passed through his eyes—something like regret or surprise at his own actions.
He let his arm drop to his side. The angry fire in his eyes went out, replaced by a cold emptiness. He turned away from Mini Sasuke, unable to look at him.
Mini Sasuke slowly pushed himself up from the dirt. He didn't say a word. He didn't even look back at the spot where he had fallen. He just looked at Sasuke, who had his back to him. His cheek still hurt, and his heart felt heavy, but he had nowhere else to go.
Sasuke took a step forward, and Mini Sasuke followed him, his feet moving on their own. The younger boy's hand was not in his older self's, but he walked close behind him, like a small, lost shadow.
A little while later, everyone started to gather back at the area where they had slept. Neji and Tenten were the first to arrive, standing together and looking out at the forest. Next came Naruto, Sakura, Ino, and Karin, talking quietly among themselves. Then came Sasuke and Mini Sasuke, with Sasuke telling his younger self to stay close.
"Don't leave my side," Sasuke said in a low voice to Mini Sasuke. "And don't talk to anyone." Mini Sasuke just nodded, his eyes on the ground.
Naruto's stomach growled loudly. "I'm so hungry, dattebayo!" he said. "Yeah, me too," Ino sighed. "We need to find food fast." "I hope there's a river nearby with some fish," Sakura said, her face tired.
Karin stood a few feet away, listening to them but not saying a word. Lee arrived a moment later, and finally, Hinata. She walked to the edge of the clearing and stood alone, a little away from everyone, looking down at her hands. Lee was also standing alone, but on the other side.
The sounds of everyone talking slowly died down as Neji and Tenten started to speak.
Tenten looked at Neji, her eyes full of confusion. "Strange… last night he almost sounded like he cared what people thought. Almost… human, even."
The entire group became quiet, listening. Their eyes went from Neji to Tenten, trying to understand what they were talking about.
Neji's gaze stayed forward, unreadable. His reply was measured, the tone smooth but cold.
"Some people mistake effort for change. They try on kindness the way one might try on a cloak—something borrowed, not their own. But when the weight grows uncomfortable, they cast it off… and what's underneath is sharper than before."
Everyone's focus was on Neji's words. They were trying to get an idea of what he meant.
Hinata's eyes went wide in shock. Her hands went to her mouth. She knew exactly who they were talking about, and she felt a wave of sadness and guilt.
Tenten blinked, catching the sharp edge beneath his calmness. "You're saying he can't change?"
Neji's eyes narrowed just slightly, like stone cutting light. "I'm saying… when gentleness isn't in someone's nature, forcing it only makes their cruelty that much clearer."
Sasuke, who had been listening to every word, went completely still. His entire body became tense, not with the anger of a wounded shinobi, but with the cold rage of a person whose private feelings had been exposed. Neji's words were a direct hit. He didn't have to say who he was talking about. Everyone knew.
Sasuke slowly turned around to face them, his face a mask of pure, cold fury. His eyes were not just angry; they were filled with a dark, killing intent that everyone in the group felt at once. A heavy, terrible silence fell over the forest.
His eyes landed on Neji, then on Tenten, then finally on the entire group. "What are you all standing around for?" he snarled, his voice low and dangerous. "Stop wasting time. We're moving now! All of you, let's go!"
After Sasuke's harsh command, everyone started moving. They ran through the undergrowth, their feet silent on the soft forest floor.
The trees were thin at first, their branches too small to hold anyone's weight. But as they went deeper into the forest, the trees changed. The trunks became thicker, and the branches grew strong and wide.
Without a word, everyone began to jump, moving through the air from branch to branch with great speed.
As Sasuke moved through the trees, the words of Neji echoed in his mind. 'When gentleness isn't in someone's nature, forcing it only makes their cruelty that much clearer.'
'How can I be so dumb?' he thought, a wave of rage washing over him.
'These emotions... they are useless. They used me! Damn it! How dare he say something like this!'
While these thoughts raged inside his head, Sasuke was harsh with Mini Sasuke. He didn't care that the younger boy was struggling.
He pulled him along, forcing him to jump through the branches even though he was just a kid. Mini Sasuke, remembering the slap he had received, didn't complain. He just did as he was told.
The group's position was as they had decided: Sasuke and Mini Sasuke in the front, followed by Naruto's group, then Hinata, and finally Neji's group at the back.
The others noticed how harsh Sasuke was being with the younger boy, but no one said anything directly to him. The quiet tension from the night before was still there, and now it was even thicker.
In the back, Lee was jumping through the trees with Neji and Tenten. He was watching Sasuke. "I wonder why Sasuke-kun is so harsh with his younger self," he said, his voice full of worry. "We shouldn't overthink it. They're just brothers, right?"
Tenten sighed. "Lee, you're so innocent. I think Neji is right."
Neji's eyes were focused on the path ahead. He didn't even look at them as he spoke.
"Sasuke is being cruel because he feels like he failed at being kind. He's not used to emotions like gentleness, and when they don't work, he becomes even colder than before."
Hinata, who was a little ahead of them, heard their words. Her heart sank. She knew what they were talking about, and a sick feeling filled her stomach.
A little ahead of them, Naruto was jumping with his group. "Something truly is the matter with Sasuke," he said. "I mean, he seems so disturbed since the morning, dattebayo. Even more than usual."
"Yeah," Sakura agreed, her face worried. "And Hinata also seems quiet and distant."
Ino's brain suddenly put all the pieces together. She looked at Sakura, her eyes wide. "That's it!" she whispered. "That's why! I had a talk with Hinata last night..."
As Ino spoke, a memory came to her, of the night before, when she had spoken to Hinata.
'Hinata... I think you should stay away from Sasuke-kun.'
The memory ended, and Ino was back in the moment, moving through the trees.
"Ino," Sakura said, her voice sharp. "What did you do?"
"I told her that she should stay away from Sasuke-kun so that you wouldn't get hurt," Ino confessed, her face now full of regret. "I was just trying to help you, Sakura."
"Why did you do that, Ino?" Sakura demanded, her voice full of anger. "Now what would Sasuke-kun think of me? I mean, he would think that I might have told you to have a conversation with Hinata about this awful topic!"
"Woah, woah, hold on, you guys are overthinking this!" Naruto said, trying to calm them down. "I mean, Sasuke and Hinata? Not a chance, dattebayo. I mean, Ino, how could you talk to Hinata about such a topic?"
Sakura looked at Ino with a glare. "You made me look like a terrible person!" she said. "He would think I am jealous and controlling! What if he thinks I sent you to talk to her?! It's all your fault!"
Then Ino apologized and said "Sorry...."
Suddenly, Sasuke stopped. Everyone behind him, seeing him halt, stopped too. A strong and confusing effect followed, and the entire group froze in the branches.
"What's the matter?" Ino called out.
Naruto, who was holding Sakura's hand, jumped down from the branch to the ground below.
Ino and Karin jumped down, followed by Hinata. Tenten landed next. Last, Lee jumped down, holding onto Neji's shoulders and waist to help him land softly.
As soon as their feet touched the dirt, Neji pulled himself free from Lee's hold. He then began to walk slowly, his body stiff, toward the front of the group.
He walked past Naruto and the others until he was standing a few feet from Sasuke. Sasuke, hearing his footsteps, turned around and looked at him.
In front of them, the endless forest was divided into two. One path on the left was dark and thick with old, twisted trees. The air there seemed cold and still.
The path on the right was brighter, with taller, straighter trees and more sunlight coming through the leaves.
Sasuke had stopped because, from up high, it was impossible to tell which of the two paths was the right one.
Naruto's eyes were wide. "Whoa! How is this possible? The forest got divided into two. How is that even possible, dattebayo?"
Sakura looked around, just as shocked. "As far as I remember, Konoha never had a forest dividing into two," she said.
Sasuke looked at Sakura, his eyes intense. "This is not Konoha." He looked directly into her eyes. He continued, "The reason we encountered an Iwagakure shinobi proves that we are no..."
He stopped speaking. His mind was racing, trying to make sense of everything. 'But the reason why the Hokage faces were visible proves that we were in Konoha. But these forests... the shinobi... it all doesn't fit to one piece.'
Sasuke's thoughts were broken by Lee's voice. "So which side are we taking?" he asked.
The entire group went quiet. Everyone looked at the two geniuses of the group. Some were looking at Sasuke and some were looking at Neji.
Then, both of them spoke at the exact same time.
"RIGHT!!"
"LEFT!!"
Everyone was shocked because of the contradiction.
"Left," Sasuke repeated again, his voice cold and final.
Neji's eyes were fixed on the right path. "The right side is clearly better. There is more light, and the trees are healthier."
Sasuke let out a short, cynical laugh. "The right path is always not right," he said, turning to look at Neji.
"Don't be so simple. The easy path is the one that gets you caught. A true ninja knows to choose the harder road. We're going left. Also, one who looks easy is not easy to deal with..."
Neji's face remained calm, but he spoke with a firm voice. "A true genius knows to trust his instincts. My feeling tells me the left side will lead to a more difficult fight."
He then looked directly at Sasuke. "Perhaps you are looking for another fight. But we are looking to survive."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. He took a step closer to Neji. "My decision is final. You can have your 'feelings,' I have my experience. The left side is a better choice."
Naruto, sensing the tension, spoke up. "Hey, guys, let's just vote! Who wants to go left?" He looked at Sakura and Ino.
"I think we should trust Sasuke-kun," Sakura said, a little fear in her voice.
"Me too," Ino added. "He's the leader here."
Karin stood silently for a while and said. "Sasuke"
Neji looked at the group and then back at Sasuke. He let out a quiet sigh. 'He is not listening to reason. His anger is clouding his judgment.'
Then Tenten quickly said, "I'm with Neji. Hinata and Lee, who are you with?"
"Neji," Lee said immediately.
Hinata looked at Neji and nodded, showing she was with him.
"Okay, since the matter has to come to this, dattebayo..." Naruto said, and he walked towards the bushes and bent down. He started to look for something.
Then he came back with a small, straight stick.
"A stick," Lee said, his tone appreciative. "That will really do it, Naruto-kun."
Naruto stood before the two paths, holding the straight stick. "Alright, let's let this decide," he said, gripping it in the middle. He balanced it upright between his palms, muttered something half-serious about 'luck,' and then let go.
The stick wobbled, spun once, and fell, its tip clearly pointing left—straight towards the dense forest path.
"See? Even destiny says we go this way!" Naruto grinned, puffing out his chest.
The others exchanged looks—some skeptical, some quietly amused. But in the silence that followed, no one moved to protest.
As soon as it landed Tenten said, "It is totally biased since Naruto did it, and that's why it landed where Sasuke was saying....This is not fai...."
Before she could complete Lee put a hand on her shoulder as a gesture of not speaking anything more.
Neji thought, 'This is a mistake.'
"Fine," Neji said, his voice calm and defeated. "We will go left. But do not say I didn't warn you."
Sasuke didn't reply. He just turned and began walking down the dark path, his younger self still right beside him. The group followed.
Those who were with Sasuke had a good feeling, and those who were with Neji had a wrong feeling, as if things were about to get a lot more difficult.
The group walked in silence on the ground. The trees were thin, so jumping was not an option.
A strange peace had fallen over them, broken only by the sound of their soft footsteps. Sunlight broke through the leaves, creating moving patterns on the forest floor.
As they walked, Karin was looking everywhere, her eyes sharp. She checked the bushes, the trunks of the trees, and the thin branches above.
A little ahead of her, Sakura was staring at Sasuke's back. 'He looks so angry, even when he's just walking. I wonder if he is still thinking about what Ino said to Hinata and Hinata to him.This was not supposed to happen....How did it end up like this?'
Naruto looked at the sky. A strange, heavy feeling was rising in his gut, a feeling that something wasn't right, even though the sun was shining. 'What is this feeling, dattebayo? It's like... it's like a storm is coming. And the sunlight is just for show.'
Sasuke didn't care about the peaceful feeling. His mind was in a cold place. He felt a dark satisfaction.
'He dared to question me. He dared to say I can't change. But I won that argument. I proved him wrong, and now he is forced to follow my orders.' His mind went to a different thought.
'But that doesn't explain what I did. Slapping my younger self... it was so stupid. These emotions... they make me weak. I have to get rid of them.'
Mini Sasuke was struggling to keep up. His small legs were tired, but he forced himself to walk fast. He looked at Sasuke's back.
'He slapped me, but now he looks… happy? He's making me walk fast and jump through the trees, just what is wrong with him? He says he's a grown up, but he acts so mean and childish getting offended over small things.'
Neji was walking with his mind on the worst possible things that could happen. He was thinking of how to protect everyone. He looked at the backs of the others. 'If something happens, who will I save first? The ones who are not strong. I have to protect them.'
His eyes fell on Hinata, her small back visible to him. 'Hinata-sama… I must keep her safe.'
Hinata was walking, lost in her own thoughts. 'Why would Neji nii-san say something so harsh?It was not Sasuke-kun's fault ... Whenever he is trying to do something good I come in the middle and ruin it. It is all because of me? I'm so pathetic. I just want to help, but all I do is cause trouble.' A tear almost fell from her eye.
Suddenly, Karin stopped. "GUYS!!," she said, her voice a tense whisper.
Everyone behind her stopped. Naruto, Sakura, and Ino also stopped, but Sasuke kept walking.
"What's the matter, Karin?" Ino asked, her voice full of worry.
"SHHHHHHH!!!" Karin said, holding up a hand. Her eyes were wide and full of fear.
Noticing her strange behavior, Sasuke finally stopped. He turned around to look at her, his face showing a mix of annoyance and curiosity.
Then, Karin's voice was barely a whisper. "We are surrounded..."
Everyone's eyes widened in shock.
Suddenly, Neji looked up at a tree just above him. He saw a figure, a shinobi with a face hidden behind a mask, standing perfectly still on a high branch. He had a standard attire including a red outfit, a brown flak jacket, and mesh armor around their ankles.
Sasuke looked all around, his Sharingan activating in an instant. He saw dozens of figures, some in the trees, some in the bushes. They were circling the area where they stood.
Naruto's face went pale. "How many?" he asked, his voice shaking a little.
Karin's eyes darted from side to side. "Twenty... almost thirty of them."
Sweat dropped down Lee's forehead. "What do we do now?" Tenten asked, her voice full of panic.
"See it with your own two eyes," Neji said to Sasuke, his voice cold and hard. "Whose fault is it now?"
"Neji, this is not the time for this," Naruto said. "Don't play this bland game!"
Suddenly, a voice came from the trees. "They're only a bunch of brats!"
Another voice spoke, full of laughter. "Defeating them would be a piece of cake!"
A third voice came closer, a cruel grin in its tone. "Oi... brat, need a hand?"
Sasuke's mind went blank. The only thing he could think of was escape. "Split! Split! Split!" he screamed at everyone.
"No way!" Tenten yelled. "We can't split up!"
Sasuke, without thinking, grabbed Mini Sasuke and quickly picked him up.
The shinobi were closing in from all sides.
Neji's voice, calm and steady, cut through the noise. "I'll only be giving the instructions once!" he yelled, his voice strong and clear.
"Everyone, follow the sound of water and come back!" He gave a pause, his eyes meeting each of theirs. Then he screamed the final order.
"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"
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AUTHOR'S NOTE ⏳
Chapter 22 - "When Destiny Falls"🎲
Wow. This chapter was a masterclass in tension, wasn't it? 🤯 The cold war between Sasuke and Neji finally came to a head, and every word was a sharpened blade. ⚔️
The verbal battle was as intense as any fight, as their clashing ideologies set the stage for disaster.
And then... the choice. That simple stick, falling to the ground, felt like destiny itself was pointing them toward the worst possible path.
😨
Every step down that dark road was filled with foreboding, a quiet march toward a trap everyone but Sasuke seemed to feel. The "misunderstood lies" of the last chapter have now led to a chilling reality. 😱
That final scene was a punch to the gut. The sudden reveal that they were completely surrounded sent shivers down my spine! 🥶
With the whole team divided and trapped, Neji's final order to "RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" was an act of pure, desperate bravery.
What will happen now that the team is scattered?
Can they find their way out of this trap, or will destiny have the final word? 💥
📜 TEASER FOR NEXT CHAPTER:
When whispers of fate lead to a snare, 🕸️
And all their hopes get lost in the air. 💨
The loud one runs with the fierce one's stride, 🏃♂️
A gentle heart with a cold shadow hides. 🤫
The calm eyes go with the blazing soul, ✨
While the clever and the sharp one seek a goal. 🗺️
Can scattered light find a new dawn? 🌅
Or will they fall before the night is gone? 🌌
TALK TO ME! 🤯
Alright, shinobi! This chapter was pure suspense, wasn't it?! The tension was so thick I could practically hear the argument between Neji and Sasuke from here! 🗣️
The big question is: whose side were you on? Neji's logical approach and his instincts, or Sasuke's more cynical, experience-based gut feeling? 🤔
And what about Naruto's stick toss? Do you think destiny was really at play, or was it just bad luck? 🎲
And who do you think the shinobi were 😯and from which Land or Village 🤔
When that final order was given, what was your first thought? Let me know what you think happens next in the comments! 👇
I'm all ears for your theories! ✨
SNEAK PEEK LINES 💬
Hinata-sama !!"
"U..Z..U..M..A..K..I.. NARUTO 2k Barrage"
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