Inside Konoha, the atmosphere had reached its most complicated state yet. The ninja outside the barrier could only watch helplessly, unable to provide support to their Hokage, who now lay at Orochimaru's feet.
Orochimaru stood before him, looking down with those cold, golden eyes.
There was no hesitation left in them.
Only the quiet, chilling calm of someone who had already decided everything.
"…So," Orochimaru said softly, his voice almost gentle.
"…this is the end, Sensei."
Hiruzen Sarutobi lay on the shattered ground, his old eyes glancing up at his student.
Memories surfaced one after another, and regret slowly swallowed him whole.
Not for himself.
But for the student standing in front of him.
"…Orochimaru…"
"…You've fallen this far…"
Orochimaru tilted his head slightly, as if amused.
"Fallen?"
A faint smile curved his lips.
"No… I've simply walked a different path."
His gaze sharpened.
"And unlike you… I never hesitated. I was never indecisive."
Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a shallow breath, a tired look spreading across his face. At this moment, he felt utterly devastated.
Outside the barrier, the Konoha shinobi had already fallen into chaos.
"Lord Third!"
"Break it down!"
"Move aside!"
Several ANBU slammed their weapons and ninjutsu against the Four Violet Flames Formation, but the violet wall only trembled slightly before stabilizing again.
It refused to break.
Their attacks meant nothing.
Kakashi's eye narrowed as a heavy sense of powerlessness settled over him.
"…Damn it…"
Might Guy's entire body trembled, veins bulging along his arms.
"Open it!! OPEN IT!!" (PS: I wonder why he didn't open the eight inner gates.)
He smashed an approaching Sand jōnin away with a single blow, sending him flying.
BOOM!
Inside the barrier…
Orochimaru slowly opened his mouth.
"…!"
At first, Hiruzen only frowned faintly.
Then his remaining eye widened.
A glint of steel slowly emerged from Orochimaru's throat.
It came out inch by inch, slick and unnatural, accompanied by a grotesque sound that made the scalp go numb.
Shk… shk… shk…
The blade kept coming.
Longer and longer.
As though Orochimaru's body itself had become the sheath of some monstrous weapon.
Outside the barrier, several Konoha shinobi froze.
One chūnin's face turned pale on the spot.
"What the hell…"
Another shinobi visibly recoiled.
"…A sword?"
Kakashi's eye widened.
"…No… Lord Third…"
Guy's expression twisted violently.
"…Don't—!"
"…You were always too soft, Sensei," Orochimaru said around the sword in his mouth.
Even Obito's eyes twitched slightly.
He tried his best to remain calm, but even for him, that display was unsettling.
Holy fuck, Pedomaru… you really were training your throat in secret, weren't you…?
"…Konoha…" Hiruzen Sarutobi murmured faintly.
"…must… endure…"
Orochimaru's eyes flickered slightly.
But only for a moment.
Then the sword in his mouth moved.
It extended forward and downward toward the defenseless Hiruzen.
The ground beneath Hiruzen shattered as the blade drove down—
And pierced straight through his chest.
Thud.
The sword sank deep into the ground, impaling straight through his heart.
"…!"
Hiruzen's body jerked violently.
His eyes widened as the blue sky above him suddenly seemed far dimmer than before.
Then his body went limp, darkness swallowing his dying face, still filled with regret.
He couldn't save anything.
Neither Konoha…
Nor his student.
Blood spread slowly beneath him, darkening the cracked stone.
Outside the barrier—
Silence fell as everyone took in the sight.
"…Lord… Third…?"
A shinobi's voice trembled.
Kakashi repelled another enemy with a swift kick, then stopped dead in his tracks as his eye shook.
"…No… this can't be…"
Guy's fists trembled as he clenched them tightly.
He blamed himself.
If he had opened the final Gate of Death… would he have been able to—
The ANBU responsible for the Third Hokage's safety stared in horror.
Some unconsciously took a step back.
Others clenched their fists so hard their nails drew blood.
"…We…"
"…we couldn't…"
One of them whispered, his voice breaking.
Orochimaru slowly released the sword.
It remained embedded in Hiruzen's chest.
He exhaled softly.
"…What a pity."
But there was no pity in his voice.
Only quiet satisfaction.
"…"
Obito's cloak fluttered lightly in the wind, and for the first time in a while, even he felt out of place in this scene.
He sneaked a glance at the horrified expressions of the shinobi around him, then at Orochimaru's satisfied face.
A line suddenly surfaced in his mind.
One person's happiness is built on another person's suffering.
'Stand proud, Third Hokage… You died exactly the way you lived. A hypocrite.'
Obito felt like he should say something at this moment.
Something that would serve as his own finishing blow.
After offering his final words for the dead old man, Obito slowly turned toward Orochimaru and spoke in a calm, deep voice.
"Orochimaru. If there's nothing else… then we should leave."
Orochimaru finally came down from the excitement in his eyes. Looking at Obito, he let out a low chuckle.
"I agree."
He cast one last glance at the surrounding shinobi, all of whom were staring at them with grim, hostile expressions, then chuckled again.
"If we stay any longer, I may start to feel quite unsafe, my lord. Judging by the way these people are looking at us, it seems we are not very welcome here."
"…"
Behind the mask, Obito rolled his eyes.
He was just about to activate Kamui when he suddenly sensed someone rushing toward them.
Normally, he would not have cared.
But this presence made a faint smile form beneath his mask.
Well, well… look who's here.
Uchiha Sasuke was heading straight toward the Four Violet Flames Formation at astonishing speed.
He was not the only one who noticed it.
Kakashi's eye twitched the moment he saw the direction Sasuke was moving in. He immediately blurred forward to catch up and called out from behind him.
"Sasuke, what are you doing?"
"Something that doesn't concern you."
Sasuke did not even look back as he answered.
In one hand, he was carrying something that looked like a person.
To avoid drawing attention, Sasuke had covered Gaara completely in a black cloak so no one would recognize him at a glance.
He was not sure whether that man would want everything exposed so openly, so just in case, he had concealed Gaara's identity. He did not want to ruin anything.
Originally, he had planned to leave the village outright, defecting and vanishing without a trace.
But then he had suddenly sensed a massive surge of chakra.
And within it… a familiar presence.
So he had changed direction, carrying a trace of expectation in his heart.
And it turned out he had been right.
That man had really appeared here.
As for why… Sasuke did not know.
But that no longer mattered.
He had already made up his mind.
He was going to meet him—
And leave this village.
It's about damn time I left this place.
Sasuke's eyes darkened slightly as he noticed Kakashi was still following him, and he increased his speed again.
In the next moment, he arrived in front of the formation and finally slowed to a walk.
The ANBU stationed nearby immediately shouted at him.
"Stop! Don't come any closer!"
"You'll be injured if you force your way in!"
"The barrier won't allow entry!"
Sasuke ignored every word.
He continued forward calmly, his eyes fixed on the man wearing the spiral-patterned orange mask inside the barrier.
"Sasuke, wait," Kakashi said as he caught up and placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, trying to stop him. "I don't know what you're thinking, but that barrier isn't something you can break."
By now, everyone's attention had been drawn over.
Even the Snow shinobi team reacted differently as they watched Sasuke's actions.
The nearby ninja also began whispering among themselves.
"Isn't that Uchiha Sasuke?"
"What is he trying to do?"
"He doesn't seriously think he can break the formation, does he?"
"Man… I used to think he was cold, but to risk himself trying to avenge the Third Hokage… damn, I'm actually tearing up here…"
"You really can't judge a book by its cover…"
Sasuke stopped.
He turned his head slightly, and his Sharingan met Kakashi's gaze.
"Kakashi," he said coldly, "this is the last time I'm going to say it."
"Don't interfere."
Then he brushed Kakashi's hand off his shoulder and stepped forward again until he stood only one pace away from the formation.
Kakashi was startled by the look in Sasuke's eyes.
A bad feeling rose in his chest.
Only then did he properly notice that Sasuke was carrying someone.
"…All right. I won't stop you, Sasuke," Kakashi said, his voice turning serious. "But who is that person you're carrying? I want an honest answer."
Sasuke took a slow breath.
Then, loud enough for Obito to hear, he said:
"I think… I'm ready now."
He did not elaborate.
He did not feel any need to do so.
With that man's means, intelligence, and terrifying grasp of everything around him, he should already understand what Sasuke meant.
Inside the barrier, Obito looked at Sasuke in silence.
He had noticed him from the very beginning.
And of course, he had also noticed the one Sasuke was carrying.
Gaara.
To think Sasuke had changed this much…
For a moment, Obito felt a faint trace of nostalgia.
Then, strangely enough, he also felt a bit proud.
As though rewarding him, Obito raised one hand slightly.
And in the stunned gaze of everyone present—
Sasuke suddenly vanished.
Then, in the very next instant, he appeared directly beside Obito inside the Four Violet Flames Formation.
A collective gasp spread through the battlefield.
Obito had already placed a Flying Thunder God mark on Sasuke long ago, and with his mastery over space, pulling off a trick like this was effortless.
Sasuke, however, did not look surprised at all.
A faint smirk appeared on his face.
One hand slipped casually into his pocket, while the other still held the cloaked Gaara.
Then he glanced at the shinobi outside the barrier, his eyes narrowing slightly.
For a moment, no one could even process what they had just seen.
"…W-What?"
A Konoha chūnin's voice cracked on the spot.
"He… got inside?"
"That's impossible!"
"The barrier didn't open!"
"How did he do that?!"
The surrounding shinobi erupted into confusion.
Even the Sound Four, who had been maintaining the Four Violet Flames Formation, showed clear shock on their faces, though for entirely different reasons.
"…Space-time ninjutsu."
Outside the barrier, Kakashi's expression changed completely.
His visible eye widened slightly, then slowly narrowed as the truth clicked into place.
"…So that's how it is…"
His gaze shifted from Sasuke to Obito.
No wonder.
No wonder Sasuke had run here without hesitation.
No wonder he looked like he already knew.
Kakashi's chest felt heavy.
A grim realization began to settle into his mind like cold lead.
Of all the possibilities he had imagined, this was the one he had least wanted to consider.
The nearby ANBU were also shaken.
"That Uchiha brat…"
"…He knows the enemy?"
"No… don't tell me…"
One of them looked at Sasuke, then at the corpse of the Third Hokage still pinned to the ground by Orochimaru's sword, and a chill ran down his spine.
The whispers around them quickly changed.
"Wait…"
"…He wasn't trying to save the Hokage?"
"Then why did he go in there?"
"Who is that person he's carrying?"
"Don't tell me… Sasuke is with them?"
"That's impossible!"
But even as they denied it, the scene in front of them gave them no room for comfort.
Inside the barrier, Sasuke stood calmly beside Obito, with no trace of tension or surprise on his face.
That alone already said too much.
Naruto, who had only just arrived while still being supported by Kushina, froze the moment he saw it.
His body was battered, and visible injuries covered him, but at that moment, he looked as though he had forgotten all of it.
His blue eyes widened.
"…Sasuke?"
The battle between them had ended in Sasuke's victory. He had taken Naruto down in a single strike.
Although Naruto was much stronger than before, he was still no match for Sasuke, especially after the boost from those drugs.
Kushina's expression changed instantly as well.
She tightened her hold on Naruto, her eyes locked on the barrier.
"…What is that idiot doing…?"
Naruto took a step forward despite his injuries, his face twisting in disbelief.
"Sasuke!"
His voice rang across the battlefield.
"What the hell are you doing over there?!"
Everyone's attention shifted again.
Naruto stared straight at Sasuke, his breathing rough, his voice filled with confusion and anger.
"Why're you standing next to those bastards?!"
"Don't tell me you're mixed up in this too!"
Kushina's face was grim, but she said nothing yet.
She was watching Sasuke carefully.
And the more she looked, the colder her heart became.
Sasuke… he had already made up his mind.
Inside the barrier, Sasuke turned and looked toward Naruto.
"…You're loud as always, Naruto."
Naruto's expression stiffened.
Even now… Sasuke was still talking like that?
Naruto gritted his teeth.
"Don't screw around with me!"
He pointed straight at him.
"Grandpa Hokage is dead!"
"Konoha's under attack!"
"And you're standing over there with those freaks like it's got nothing to do with you?!"
Sasuke's expression did not change.
To him, Naruto's outrage sounded distant… irrelevant, almost childish.
"What does any of that have to do with me?" Sasuke asked flatly.
Naruto's eyes widened.
For a second, even the surrounding shinobi fell silent again.
Kakashi's gaze hardened.
That answer…
That was not the Sasuke who merely acted cold.
That was someone who had already cut something away inside his heart.
Naruto's voice rose immediately.
"What the hell do you mean it has nothing to do with you?! This is the village! Our village!"
Sasuke let out a faint, humorless scoff.
"Our village?"
The way he repeated the words made several people tense.
"There's no 'our' there, Naruto."
His voice remained calm, but every word struck like ice.
"This village never gave me anything worth staying for."
Kushina's brows furrowed deeply.
Naruto looked like he had just been punched.
"What…?"
Sasuke's eyes darkened.
"My family is gone."
"My clan is gone."
"And the truth of this village is filthier than I ever imagined."
His gaze shifted slightly, sweeping across the Konoha shinobi outside.
There was no warmth in it… only cold rejection.
"So don't stand there and lecture me like we're on the same side."
A wave of unrest spread through the crowd.
"What is he talking about?"
"Truth?"
"What does he know?"
"That brat…"
Naruto gritted his teeth so hard it almost hurt.
"Sasuke… what the hell happened to you?"
For the first time, there was something raw in his voice.
A kind of hurt he did not know how to process.
"You weren't like this before!"
Sasuke looked at him for a long moment.
Then his lips curled faintly.
"No," he said.
"I was."
"I merely suppressed myself… but now… I no longer need to."
He paused for a moment before continuing in the same cold voice.
"I'm staying where I think I belong, Naruto. So don't shout like you really know me."
Inside the barrier, Orochimaru watched the exchange with open amusement, the corners of his lips rising.
"My, my… how tragic," he said softly. "The bonds of youth breaking apart before everyone's eyes."
"Truly moving."
Obito said nothing, but inwardly, he was just as amused as he watched this bitter, dramatic clash between Indra and Asura continue unfolding before him.
It was not every day he got to enjoy such a deeply emotional spectacle.
Naruto clenched his fists tightly, even as Kushina tried to steady him.
"You think you can just walk off like this?!"
"I'll drag you back myself if I have to!"
His gaze flicked toward the barrier, then toward Obito.
"And who the hell is that masked guy?!"
Kushina frowned slightly at Naruto's condition, but she didn't stop him this time.
Instead, her eyes shifted toward the masked man with deep emotion as she sighed helplessly in her heart.
It seems… it really is just as I guessed…
A faint trace of suspicion appeared on Sasuke's face.
Then, after a brief pause, his expression turned a little strange.
"…Don't tell me—"
He looked Naruto up and down, his brows furrowing slightly.
"…you're actually into me or something?"
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SAYING, YOU BASTARD?!" Naruto exploded instantly, his face flushing with anger.
Sasuke adjusted the unconscious Gaara slightly over his shoulder, then slipped both hands into his pockets and stood beside Obito as though that was the most natural place in the world.
His posture alone said everything.
He had chosen.
And everyone watching had understood it.
Uchiha Sasuke…
…had defected.
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