Having avenged his clan, Sasuke parted ways with Kabuto, setting out alone to search for the meaning of his existence.
He journeyed by boat, drifting for days across the open sea.
Somewhere along the way, in the midst of a strange resonance with Madara, his right eye awakened the Rinnegan—and he promptly lost consciousness.
When he finally came to, he found himself washed up on a remote shore.
Shielding his right eye, he studied the rippling pattern of tomoe interwoven with new rings—unmistakably, this was no ordinary Sharingan.
"It's real… I've awakened the Rinnegan."
"If Kabuto saw this, he'd probably jump for joy."
"Where is he now, anyway? What's he up to?"
He shook his head, dismissing these pointless distractions.
Accepting his circumstances, he started to assess his situation.
"This season, this temperature… Subtropical. Looks like the coast of the Land of Lightning. That means I've been adrift for at least half a month…"
A chill ran down his spine. He'd been unconscious at sea all that time—one wrong wave and he'd have never woken up.
"How did I suddenly awaken the Rinnegan? Was it connected to those visions in my mind? What were they, really?"
"And why was I out for so long?"
He recalled the images—visions triggered by resonance with Madara's left eye.
Back in the day, Kakashi and Obito had experienced something similar.
The reason Sasuke remained unconscious for so long was simple: he hadn't quite reached the threshold for awakening, but the resonance forced his eye open anyway. More specifically, the Hashirama cells in his body had surged toward his right eye during the process, leaving him completely drained.
From his supply pouch, Sasuke retrieved a military ration pill and chewed it. The pill, soaked in seawater, was clammy and hard to swallow.
He forced down a few more, feeling his strength slowly return.
Rising to his feet, he sprinted toward the distant treeline.
His first priority: find civilization and get his bearings.
He wasn't here for some survivalist challenge. He wanted to see the world, understand it on his own terms, and—only then—decide what path to take next.
And, of course, learn how to wield this brand-new Rinnegan.
As he moved through the forest, Sasuke paused atop a branch.
Down below, a wounded cat was cornered by a snarling jackal.
The new generation of Uchiha always seemed to have a strange affinity for cats.
"Rrrawwr…!"
The jackal lunged at the cat.
A shadow flickered—Sasuke intervened, and the jackal's jaws snapped shut on empty air. It whirled, baring its teeth at him.
Cradling the battered feline, Sasuke muttered, "With wounds this bad… it's probably too late."
"RRAWR!!" The jackal sprang again.
Zzzzt—!
Sasuke's right Rinnegan snapped open.
Crack!
The jackal collapsed to the ground, its body torn by invisible force.
At the same moment, the cat in Sasuke's arms stirred, its wounds miraculously healed.
It was as if their life force had been swapped.
Covering his right eye, Sasuke murmured, "I see… so this right eye can exchange the 'life state' of two beings. This power must be the 'Amenotejikara' of my Rinnegan…"
But then he noticed—the cat's previously injured left eye hadn't transferred to the jackal.
"Looks like there are limits. Amenotejikara can't swap conditions involving the eyes…"
The jackal twitched a few times, then lay still.
Sasuke focused on the corpse, then the cat.
—Amenotejikara!
Nothing happened. The technique wouldn't activate.
He let his hand drop, the mystery of his new ocular power now clear.
"Amenotejikara can't swap death onto the living. Otherwise, it'd be too easy to kill anyone. Even wishful thinking has its limits…"
He gathered some herbs and treated the cat's injured eye.
Once bandaged, the cat nuzzled his leg, purring in gratitude.
Sasuke flicked his last ration pill onto the ground.
The cat sniffed it, pawed it around, and promptly decided it was a toy.
With a sigh, Sasuke waded to a nearby pond, caught a few fish, grilled them, and set them down.
"Eat up. I'm heading out."
He turned to go, but after only a few steps, the cat followed, grilled fish in its mouth, gazing up at him with pleading eyes.
He sighed again, resigned, and let it tag along.
Night fell. The forest teemed with predators, but Sasuke didn't want to waste chakra.
So he summoned the Green Snake.
"Sasuke-sama, you don't look so good!"
"I ran into some trouble. Take me—and this little one—to somewhere we can rest."
The Green Snake eyed the cat, a flicker of surprise in its reptilian gaze.
"Yes, Sasuke-sama."
It lowered its head, and Sasuke leapt onto its crown, cat in tow.
With the Green Snake leading, every beast in the woods scattered at their approach.
Crossing the forested hills, the outline of a village appeared in the distance.
"Sasuke-sama, there's a settlement ahead. Should I take you there?"
"No need. You can head back. And… give my regards to the White Snake Sage."
The Green Snake blinked in surprise, then bowed respectfully. "As you wish. Please take care of yourself, Sasuke-sama. I'll take my leave."
Poof!
The snake vanished in a cloud of white smoke.
With that fearsome presence gone, the beasts of the forest breathed a collective sigh of relief.
When Sasuke reached the village, he found it bleak and destitute. Only a handful of houses still had lights burning; their gates were falling apart, and the yard dogs were so thin they barely stirred when he passed.
He'd hoped to buy some supplies, but the village had no commerce to speak of, nor did the surrounding area show any sign of a market.
Sasuke couldn't help but sigh. "The Land of Lightning is supposed to be the richest of the Five Great Nations, yet even here there are villages this poor…"
He knocked on the door of a house.
An old woman with a face full of wrinkles answered, eyeing him warily. "Young man, are you here selling fans? You've come to the wrong place—we don't need 'em, and we sure can't afford 'em…"
She'd mistaken the Uchiha fan on his back for a merchant's wares.
Sasuke replied, "You're mistaken. I'm just a traveler, hoping to ask about this village—if that's alright?"
The old woman's cloudy eyes brightened as she fixed on the cat in his arms. "Can you give me food?"
"I don't have food, but I have money."
She scoffed. "What good is money? If you can't spend it, it's just a pile of scrap paper. It doesn't even burn well in the stove…"
Sasuke was momentarily at a loss for words.
The old woman relented, "Well, you don't seem like a troublemaker. Come in, then—but I'll tell you up front, there's nothing here to offer you…"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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