The transplant problem was settled.
Sasuke stood in the basement, experimental notes resting in his hand, his gaze unfocused for a moment. He glanced at the two mice moving energetically inside the cage, then shook his head lightly.
Enough.
He cleaned and aligned the instruments with care, extinguished the lights, and left the underground room.
When he entered the living room, a guest had already arrived.
Homura sat neatly on the floor, facing Sasuke's shadow clone, tail curled behind her.
"Delivery complete, Sasuke-sama," Homura said with a cheerful lilt. "I'll take my leave now, nya."
White smoke puffed into the air.
She was gone.
The shadow clone stepped forward without a word, handed Sasuke a storage scroll, and dispersed. The shared memories returned seamlessly.
"So it's finished," Sasuke murmured.
This commission had taken time. The materials were rare, the forging method experimental. Even the design had been revised repeatedly. Only two months ago had the final decision been made to proceed.
He opened the scroll.
Mist spilled out, and a katana settled into his palm.
The blade was elegant, restrained, unmistakably dangerous. Even sheathed, a sharp heat bled into the room.
Sasuke ran his fingers lightly along the scabbard.
When his hand closed around the hilt, something answered.
Fire chakra within him resonated faintly with the blade's core. The response came from the junction where a fire-aligned crystal, preserved through generations of Uchiha rites, had been embedded.
He inhaled and drew the sword.
The blade was black. Deep and glossy, like obsidian. Along its length ran a subtle crimson glow, crystalline and alive.
Sasuke focused and fed a thin thread of fire chakra into the steel.
The reaction was immediate.
Black turned red. Flames bloomed along the blade, far stronger than the chakra he supplied. Heat swelled rapidly, feeding on ambient light and warmth. The air in the room tightened, dry and scorching.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly.
This amplification…
He had only given it a spark.
If he used this blade for flame-infused sword techniques—
A quiet thrill passed through him.
"Kagutsuchi," he said. "That will be your name."
Later, in the hills behind Konoha.
A massive stone slab stood upright before Sasuke.
He drew a slow breath and emptied himself.
Then the blade moved.
Cuts flowed one after another, clean and precise. Stone peeled away in controlled arcs, fragments falling as if guided by intent rather than sight. The knife felt like an extension of his arm.
Then he stopped.
Sound rushed back. Light sharpened. The world returned.
Before him stood a rough humanoid figure, barely holding its shape.
Sasuke exhaled softly.
He had sealed all five senses during the carving. Sight. Sound. Touch. Smell. Taste.
Only will.
It still wasn't enough.
He turned his head.
Yakumo Kurama stood nearby, one hand covering her mouth, eyes trembling with restrained laughter.
"If you want to laugh," Sasuke said evenly, "just do it."
She broke immediately, then waved her hands in embarrassment."I'm not laughing at you. It's just… the statue is very… expressive."
She paused, then added more seriously,"Still, sealing all five senses and carving at this level… I don't think anyone else could even attempt that."
"That's why I do it," Sasuke replied. "Difficulty filters results."
Yakumo nodded, then shifted topics.
"You graduate next month, right?"
"Yes."
"I'll be leaving Konoha in a few days," she said calmly. "So I wanted to congratulate you in advance."
Sasuke paused. "Leaving?"
She smiled faintly."I wanted to become a ninja. I still do. But after these years, I've decided to walk a different path. One that belongs to me."
"A different ninja path," Sasuke echoed quietly.
Yakumo inclined her head."Do you remember what you once told me about mental specialists?"
The wind stirred through the trees.
Some choices, once spoken, could not be taken back.