September 18, 1056
Perhaps to many people around me, it might seem that everything is going well for me. And that everything is going exactly as I want. But in reality, not everything is like that. In a sense, it is indeed good; I have a home, strength, health, Chunin rank, a good team, and a mentor.
But I have a feeling that I'm moving from one problem to another without losing enthusiasm. Not a day goes by without new problems and new tasks.
Yes, it seems I know the future, and it should be easier for me than for others. But I even messed that up by losing that damn diary. Sometimes I think I'm a record holder for failures and defeats. And it's as if all these problems bring me to life, forcing me to fight and turn my gears in my head.
Just yesterday, as soon as I was about to deal with the scroll, something went wrong, and not only did I lose half of my chakra reserves, but I also passed out in the evening right in the middle of the clearing.
And now, waking up in the morning and first checking all my pockets, I didn't find my wallet, which contained tens of thousands of Ryo.
"Well, fuck me," I blurted out, "I had almost all my money there, damn it!" I started rummaging through my pockets again, but found nothing. "Eeeh..."
I feel like an alcoholic who got drunk, fell asleep on a bench, and got robbed.
And why did I pass out so completely that I didn't even wake up? I usually have a light sleep, specifically to monitor the surrounding world. However, that's not important now.
"It's five minutes to ten," I looked at my watch. "Great!" I rejoiced that there was still time before training. So, I told Naruto and Sasuke yesterday, and Jiro also knows the place and time. "It's about fifteen minutes to run to the clearing, so I'll have time to pop into my inner world."
I haven't been there for a very long time. The last time I was there was a month ago during the war with Suna. And even then, I ended up there by accident. I hesitated to return there for a long time, because the last time a devourer was trying to break in. And I was actually scared to go down there. But I still have to do it.
Sitting in a lotus position, I immersed myself in my inner world.
Everything was in the same place as before: the bookshelf was overturned near the door, the table was also moved. Papers were scattered all over the room, and all the other mess. Thank God the laptop was in place – it was closed on the table.
First, I went up to it and turned it on. "Update 5.1" lit up on the blue screen, and below the word were the numbers "Will load in 4 days."
"Well, okay. Yuko, are you here?" I addressed my inner voice. "Yuko!" I called again, but no one answered.
Realizing I wouldn't get an answer, I instantly tidied up the room. Now the scariest part remained – leaving the room.
First, I knocked on the door – what if that monster was still behind it. Then I tried to open it. I couldn't open it either.
Damn it!
"Why is it locked?" I started to recall and finally it dawned on me.
FLASHBACK
"Yuko... what does 'the entrance to the outer world is open' mean?" I asked quietly, trying not to make noise and listening to every rustle.
"It means that..."
"Stop!" I interrupted her, hearing noise outside again. It was footsteps, which were getting closer with each second. They were getting closer and closer. Louder with each second. But they were strange. Definitely not human. And there was also some strange smell of rot.
"Yuko, lock the door!" I commanded loudly and clearly. And the door instantly slammed shut, a keyhole and a lock appeared in it.
I didn't wait and quickly got to the bookshelf, practically falling over it with a run so that it would block the door. A second later, I realized I had rushed, but it was too late.
They started banging on the door so furiously, as if they wanted to break it down!
"Who's there?" I asked, "I repeat, who is behind the door?!" No answer again, "Yuko, lock all the subconscious doors! Don't let anyone into the chakra pool room!"
FLASHBACK END
Everything fell into place. I remembered all the details of the picture and realized that I couldn't open this door without Yuko.
"Alright, to hell with it!" realizing that I had spent too much time in my inner world, I left it.
Looking at my watch, I discovered that I had spent about ten minutes on it, and it was already a quarter past ten.
"Great, hands and feet, and to the training ground!" I thought.
The meeting place is on the other side of the city, but according to my calculations, I would definitely make it there. And I'd also have time to think about what to do with my inner world.
Jumping onto the nearest house, I ran across the rooftops. But I hadn't even run for five minutes when I had to jump down to the ground, all because Jiro called out to me.
"Hi, Ari, how are you feeling?"
"Everything's fine, Jiro, my friend, we have a real talent for bumping into each other on the street," I said with a smile, and we bumped fists.
"You bet! In a little while, I feel like Sasuke will get jealous," he smiled back.
"I've never seen him jealous. I hope for his adequacy and trust in me. After all, I have to live with him for many more years."
"Yes, I remember you mentioning your dream of marrying him," he reminded me of our conversation before the war with Sand.
"And you told me then that you wanted to find some person, and it's not your brother. Do you remember?" Curiosity tormented me, so I decided to ask him who this person was.
"Yes. It's..." he paused, looked at the sky, and said the following words very quietly. "It's my biological sister."
"Sister?" I repeated and immediately remembered an Uchiha girl named Kaori. But it was just a guess, so I didn't voice it. "Why are you looking for her? Um... I mean, why?"
"When I was about five or six years old, she mysteriously disappeared, and my parents died afterward. My brother always said that my sister was in another village. And when he wiped out the clan, he came to me that night and said that I would only find out where she was if I came to him when I grew up and became stronger. And that then he would tell me the truth."
"Do you miss her?" I asked with mixed feelings. On the one hand, I sympathized with my friend, and on the other, I thought about the fact that another Uchiha was wandering somewhere on Earth.
"Very much," he lowered his head. "I loved her very much and still do. I remember so many moments with her. Even though I was a child. I protected her so much. I miss her terribly," he paused and raised his head to the sky. "The only thing that makes me happy is that she wasn't killed then, and I want to believe that she is alive. That she is okay. That someday we will see each other again." Speaking about his sister, he smiled sincerely and happily. He was so inspired that I felt a warmth in my soul. Everything finally fell into place in my head. For a long time, I wondered why Jiro wasn't as crazy as other clan members who had lost loved ones, but it turns out that the most precious thing to him is not yet lost.
"I believe that you will find your sister, wherever she may be." I placed my hand on my friend's shoulder, and he smiled at me joyfully.
We spent the rest of the journey unnoticed, with engaging conversations, interesting stories, and jokes. We enjoyed spending time together. Although we only became closer friends recently, our communication began back in the academy. After sparring, we often sat together and discussed who attacked correctly or incorrectly, or sometimes had lunch together on the roof. Of course, he wasn't as close to me then as Hinata or Sasuke. But now he definitely means more to me than just a comrade. In general, my list of close people is quite simple: Sasuke, Naruto, Hinata, Yoshi-san, Kakashi, and Jiro. And it ends there. A small list, but for them, I'm ready to die and kill.
About twenty minutes later, we were already at the training ground, and to our surprise, everyone was there, and even more.
"Sakura, Makoto?" I was surprised. "What are you guys doing here?"
"What did you think? That I would leave Sasuke-kun with you?" she smirked, crossing her arms.
"Ahah," Jiro smiled next to me.
"And why are you laughing?"
"Oh, nothing," the Uchiha covered his mouth, "it seems you don't know something."
"What?" she narrowed her eyes at him.
"They're dating," Uzumaki said, standing next to Sakura.
"Wha-a-a-at?!" Her jaw almost dropped at Naruto's words. "That can't be!"
"Sasuke, Sasuke-kun," Haruno rushed to hug him, "tell me this isn't true! They're lying, right?" she looked at him pitifully, and he tried to pull away.
"It's true, Sakura."
"But you don't love her! Who could possibly love this clumsy girl!"
"Sakura, shut up!" Sasuke yelled at her.
"Okay, okay, stop it, Sakura," Makoto began to pull her away. And Jiro was still laughing at the situation. Naruto also stood there, smiling slightly. In this universe, he treats her more calmly. When Sakura was finally detached, she pretended to be upset, and we could already approach them.
But as soon as I approached, she immediately pounced on me.
"Come on, tell me, what did you put in his food!" Sakura was ready to attack me, but Makoto held her back. "He couldn't have loved you!"
"Aren't you tired of acting like a child wronged by life?" I asked, watching them hold her while this hysterical woman tried to break free. "You look ridiculous. Ridiculous and stupid."
"What did you say?!" she shouted, breaking free with renewed force.
"Should I repeat?" I asked and nodded towards the forest: "Let's go talk."
Sakura tried to make a couple more sharp movements to free herself, but they held her just as tightly.
"About what?" she asked, looking at the ground.
"Do you think there's nothing to talk about?" I replied with a question.
For a while, we all stood: I, waiting for an answer; Sakura, thinking about it; the rest, just standing there.
"Yes," she finally said, "let's go."
They let her go, and we disappeared into the nearby trees. We walked in complete silence, only the grass under our feet could be heard.
"Sakura," I finally stopped. "Stop this whole circus. We've been friends with Sasuke for many years. Ever since the academy, and..."
"I don't believe you!" she immediately objected.
"You can ask Sasuke and his family; they will confirm it."
"I won't ask anyone, leave my Sasuke alone! You're not worthy of him!" she became enraged.
"Do you even realize what you're saying? We've been together for a long time, stop talking this nonsense," I raised my voice slightly.
"Look at yourself! He doesn't love you! I will never believe it!" she was already shouting, but I quickly got close and covered her mouth.
"Quiet, Sakura, I sense strong chakra signatures near our comrades," I said quietly and concentratedly, focusing on my sensory abilities. Sakura began to break free from my hands, and before she got away, I told her: "We've been attacked."
"Don't try to distract me!" she said rudely, and I, taking her hand, dragged her into the bushes that led to the clearing.
"Look," I pointed to some black silhouettes in the distance.
"Who are they?" she asked aloud, now a little calmer.
"I don't know, but their chakra is very strong," I said, trying to make them out. We had gone too far, and it was impossible to see from here. "They are probably Jonin rank. And I sense they are not friendly."
"What should we do?"
"I suggest we split up. I'll go to help our guys, and you'll run for help from Itachi or Kakashi-sensei."
"And why should I run for help?" she protested. "I want to see Sasuke beat them all."
"You have no choice; I'm a Chunin, you have to obey me," I started to leverage my rank. "A regular clone isn't an option. I could be smeared on the wall as soon as we arrive. And I can't afford to waste a lot of chakra on an improved clone right now. I don't know the exact strength of the enemies."
"You're lying; you can't be a Chunin."
"If you don't believe me, look," I took out my shinobi identification from my pouch.
"When did you..." she didn't finish, as I interrupted her.
"Quiet!" I whispered, sensing the chakra signatures starting to move. "They've attacked!" I created a regular clone. "Run with him; he'll show you the way," taking her ID, I concealed my chakra and headed around to attack from behind.
I arrived at my comrades just in time, managing to save Naruto from a blow and, together with him, jumped back to the other guys. As soon as I put Naruto on the ground, I immediately turned to the opponents.
Turning around, I was horrified... The Akatsuki stood before us. They were dressed in black cloaks with red clouds, and straw hats on their heads. I identified the first one immediately – Kisame Hoshigaki, a tall, muscular man resembling a shark, who was about to strike Naruto with his sword. His skin was a ghastly blue-gray color. And his sharp, triangular teeth, stretched into a sadistic smile, clearly indicated that nothing good would happen.
The second Akatsuki member was unknown to me. He was shorter than Kisame and had a normal skin color. But everything fell into place when I saw the Sharingan. An Uchiha.
Damn it!
I glanced at my comrades and immediately assessed the situation. Sasuke, Naruto, and Jiro stood next to me, and Makoto stood slightly behind. None of us were their match. Damn! Everyone stood tensely, staring in surprise at the arrived rogue ninja.
"Naruto, stand behind everyone!" I said calmly to my friend. "Sasuke, Jiro, stand behind me!"
"Do they pose a significant threat?" Sasuke asked, obeying my order.
"They have very strong chakra signatures! They are definitely Jonin rank," I said and turned my head to the right. "Jiro..."
"Brother..." he drawled, looking at the Uchiha from Akatsuki. It was clear he was barely restraining himself from rushing to deal with him.
'I see,' flashed through my mind, and I, looking at the members of the group and preparing for battle, shouted, "What do you want?"
"The Jinchuriki will come with us," Kisame said, pointing at Naruto.
"He's not going anywhere!" I shouted.
"Where are Sakura and Ariza?" Makoto asked from behind me.
"She left after our conversation."
"Naruto, since they want you, we will protect you," I commanded and made two clones, who went to Naruto to gather natural chakra. "Guys, I understand he wiped out your clan, but don't give in to emotions. Don't attack. Stall for time. They came for Naruto," I said more quietly to my comrades.
"Why do they need Naruto?"
"I don't know exactly, but I'm sure they are very strong, and they will kill him," I said, directing fire at my tekko-kagi.
"Oh, how interesting," Kisame smiled. "The girl is not bad."
"The children decided to play with us," his Uchiha companion said quietly and calmly. "But we will still take the Jinchuriki."
"You'll get him over my dead body!"
"Over your dead body, you say..." the unknown Uchiha said, the tomoe of his eyes transforming into a Mangekyo Sharingan I had never seen before.
"Don't look into his eyes!" I started to say and turned my head back to my comrades to check if they had all closed their eyes. But when I turned, I saw no one. The clearing was empty. "What the!?" I turned my head back and saw Jiro's brother five meters in front of me.
"Well, that's it," he said calmly.
"Kai! Kai! Kai!" I tried to dispel the illusion, but nothing worked. And then I realized I had fallen into a major trap.
"Oh, no, you won't succeed. This is a very powerful illusion that forces a person to obey," he started to approach me, and I couldn't even move. He came up and placed his hand on my head, and that was the last thing I remembered.
***
POV Sasuke
"What did you do to her, bastard!" I shouted loudly, running up to Ari, who had just fallen dead on the ground, breathing heavily. She was breathing so fast and shallowly, as if she couldn't get enough air. I turned her over to examine her, but saw no wounds. Did he plunge her into an illusion... No. That can't be! Ari trained a lot with me to resist genjutsu!
"What's wrong with her?" Naruto asked, who, like everyone else, had also run up.
"It seems she's in an illusion," Jiro said nearby, while I tried to dispel the illusion.
"It's not working!" I told the others.
"And it won't work," said the Uchiha's partner, who looked like a fish. "Hitoshi used a submission technique on her. No one has been able to dispel it yet."
"Submission technique? What does that mean?" Makoto asked nearby.
"You'll see now, children," the enemy grinned, "and do you know what the most interesting thing about this technique is?" he continued to smile cunningly. "That enemies start killing themselves." At these words, Ari stirred.
"Did she wake up?" Naruto asked.
"Get away from her!" Jiro shouted. "Sasuke, Naruto! All of you, get away from her!"
At this phrase, everyone had to jump away from Ariza. And not because Jiro said so, but because Ari pulled out a kunai and attacked them. As soon as we jumped away, she, still breathing heavily, got up from the ground, clutching a kunai in her hands and not lifting her head.
"Oh, it seems she's trying to resist the illusion."
"Ariza, you're not going to fight us, are you?! Ari, we're your friends!" Naruto shouted to her. But as if not hearing his words, she raised her head and opened her eyes, in which, inexplicably, the Sharingan was burning.
"What is this?! How?! Where did the Sharingan come from?" Jiro exclaimed in shock, but received no answer.
"Guys..." Ariza said, her breathing less rapid, and drawing her sword. "I... will kill you all!"
***
Read the story months ahead of the public release — early chapters are available on my Patreon: Granulan