Ā WEEKLY POWER GOALS šš„ 30ā2ch | 60ā5ch | 100ā8ch | 200ā15ch | 400ā25chā° Resets Monday!
--------------------
Year 101 of the Konoha Calendar. A distant world.
Golden-purple vertical pupils stared at a gaunt face in the weak candlelight. A man's low, gravelly voice broke the silence.
"Sasuke-kunā¦ your time is almost up."
On the sickbed, Sasuke had wasted away to a mere skeleton. Tubes and wires snaked across his body, machines humming to keep him alive. His eyes, long since closed for good, remained shut. A bitter laugh, weak and full of regret, escaped his lips.
"I never imaginedā¦ my final hours would be spent with you, Orochimaru."
Orochimaru's voice was calm, soft. Yet, a profound weight clung to his words. "What other choice is there? Besides you and I, everyone elseā¦ perished in that battle."
The candle flame flickered violently. Sasuke's mind raced, a whirlwind of memories.
The Fourth Great Ninja War. He and Naruto, sealing away Kaguya. His defeat at Naruto's hands in the Valley of the End. That battle had opened his heart. He vowed to become the guardian of Naruto's ninja way.
But the Otsutsuki threat didn't end with Kaguya. Fifteen years after the war, he and Naruto defeated Momoshiki and Kinshiki. Then, with Boruto and a younger Naruto, they took down Urashiki.
The battle against Otsutsuki Isshiki, thoughā¦ that cost them everything.
After that, Sasuke lost his Rinnegan. Naruto lost Kurama. They stepped back, retired.
The next generation roseāBoruto, Kawaki. A scientist from the Kara organization, Amado, revealed the terrifying secret of the Otsutsuki clan.
Otsutsuki Shibai.
Amado spoke of him consuming dozens of Chakra Fruits, mastering 'Shinjutsu'āpowers beyond ninjutsu and senjutsu. The being closest to a true 'god'.
From mere genetic material extracted from Shibai's 'remains', Amado created monstrous humanoids like Eida and Daemon.
Sasuke and Naruto had been shocked by Shibai's existence. But learning he was likely dead, or had ascended to a higher plane, they'd feltā¦ relief.
The truth was different.
Shibai was alive. His 'death' was a feintāabandoning his physical form for a final leap towards godhood, entering a long dormancy.
The day Shibai awoke, he gazed upon the ninja world with a Shinjutsu called 'Clairvoyance'. And he attacked.
Thus began the war to defend their world.
WarĀ was too generous a term. It was a slaughter. One-sided. Absolute.
Sasuke's closest friend. His beloved. His daughter. His precious student. The world he'd silently protected for decadesāall of it, crushed under Shibai's overwhelming might.
Sasuke should have died there.
To preserve one last sliver of hope, he used the Izanagi technique, cast with the right eye inherited from his late brother.
Izanagi saved him. But the damage was catastrophic, nearly irreversible. In that critical moment, the only other survivorāOrochimaruātook his grievously wounded body and escaped their world on a ship left behind by Kara.
Shibai knew. He didn't pursue. Perhaps he deemed them unworthy of the effort. He planted a new Divine Tree on their world, drained the life from the entire planet, and cultivated a brand new Chakra Fruit.
That fruit was his final step. Otsutsuki Shibai ascended. He became a true god.
The new god departed for a higher dimension, leaving behind a dead, silent ninja worldā¦ and a lingering torment for the two survivors.
Sasuke's thoughts snapped back to the present. With his one remaining arm, he tore the tubes and wires from his body. He sat up. In his final moments, he voiced his last wish.
"Orochimaruā¦ I want to see our home. One last time."
Orochimaru smiled and nodded. He possessed a vast supply of cloned Sharingan eyes from Shin Uchiha. With his skills, restoring Sasuke's sight was trivial. But for years, Sasuke had refused. He was runningāfrom the enemy's overwhelming power, and from his own heart.
The transplant was quick.
Sasuke leaned on Orochimaru and stepped outside. He lifted his gaze to the starry sky. Among the countless points of light, his eyes found it instantly.
His homeworld. A dead star.
The vibrant blue he remembered was gone. Only a dead, mottled grey remained, scarred with craters.
A thought, unbidden, surfaced. If not for that calamityā¦ he and Naruto would be retired by now. Sarada would have taken the mantle of Hokage from Naruto. Boruto would have inherited his will, walking the path of the silent guardian. Their families, truly becoming one, enjoying the simple warmth of grandchildren.
Such a warm picture.
Butā¦ there was no 'if'.
Reality was this: standing on a distant world, mourning a dead homeland, nursing a futile hatred for an enemy he could never reach.
Two lines of tears traced paths down his cheeks.
Orochimaru studied his profile, then spoke gently. "Stillā¦ unwilling to accept it? Sasuke-kun."
"Of course I'm unwilling." Sasuke's voice was a dry whisper, yet fierce. "How could I accept it? But what does my unwillingness matter? The very thought of defeating a being like thatā¦ is arrogance. Thousands of years of genetic refinementā¦ how could it possibly lose to a few decades of our so-called 'will'?"
He clenched his withered right fist.
"I've gone over it countless times. And I always reach the same, disgusting conclusion. Only an Otsutsukiā¦ can defeat an Otsutsuki."
Orochimaru lowered his eyes, thoughtful. "It may be pointless to say this nowā¦ but setting aside the Otsutsuki element, your growth trajectory since the Fourth War was somewhatā¦ forced. If, at sixteen, you hadn't received the Sage of Six Paths' powerā¦ you might have grown far stronger."
Sasuke turned his new eyes toward him.
Orochimaru continued. "This is my conclusion after studying the Uchiha's ocular evolution. Any dojutsu requires a transition period. During your Eternal MangekyÅ stage, a new ocular power should have been incubating. But before it could awaken, you prematurely opened the Rinnegan. The short-term power boost was immense. But in the long runā¦ it severely limited your potential ceiling."
"Furthermore, Madaraāalso an Indra transmigrantāawakened the Rinnegan in both eyes before his death by transplanting Hashirama Senju's cells. You too could have awakened dual Rinnegan. But you only received a remnant of Lord First's chakra."
"The union of Senju and Uchiha is the Sage of Six Paths. The Sage is a descendant of the Otsutsuki. Years ago, at the ruins of RÄta, we compared the Sage's remains to those of a pure-blooded Otsutsuki. The Sage's genetic codeā¦ was missing certain fragments. Fragments related to the Ten-Tailsā¦ and to Hamura."
"With my current technologyā¦ I can take a being who has attained the Sage's level, supplement those missing gene fragmentsā¦ and recreate true Otsutsuki power. In other words, if you, Sasuke-kun, could become the Sageā¦ I could transform you into aĀ trueĀ Otsutsuki."
Sasuke listened. Then, he lowered his head, a long, weary sigh escaping him.
"Hope appearing at a hopeless junctureā¦ only leaves deeper regret. The people I wanted to protectā¦ have long since returned to the earth."
Orochimaru's next words made the dim light in Sasuke's eyes flare with sudden intensity.
"Sasuke-kunā¦ if it were possibleā¦ would you be willing to start over?"
Sasuke stared at him with these unfamiliar eyes. Even as a guess formed in his heart, he asked for confirmation. "Start over? What do you mean?"
Orochimaru smiled. "I meanā¦ go back to the past."
"You can doā¦ such a thing?"
"Come with me."
Back inside, Orochimaru retrieved a long-sealed wooden box. He peeled away the sealing talisman on its lid. Inside was a turtle with a bizarre, mechanical design.
Even after all these years, Sasuke recognized it instantly.
"ā¦!?"
The treasure carried by Otsutsuki Urashiki years ago. With sufficient chakra, it could freely travel through time!
Back then, knowing he was no match for Naruto and Sasuke, Urashiki had fled to the past to steal the Nine-Tails from a young Naruto. Sasuke and Boruto followed, teamed up with the past Naruto and Jiraiya, and defeated him.
After the battle, Sasuke and Boruto used its power to return to their own time. The turtle, possessing its own consciousness, decided to travel the timelines alone. It vanished without a trace.
To thinkā¦ it had ended up in Orochimaru's hands.
"Where did you get this?" Sasuke asked.
"A long story," Orochimaru said. "After learning of the Otsutsuki God's existence, I foresaw this calamity. Unfortunately, Lord Seventh's surveillance of me was too strict. After obtaining this treasureā¦ I could only hide it away."
"You intend to use its power to send us back? Its methodā¦ sends our present selves back intact. That means two versions of us would exist simultaneously. The me now is old, dying. Even if I went back, all I could doā¦ is entrust the future to my past self. And thatā¦ probably wouldn't work."
Orochimaru smiled, feigning ignorance. "Oh? Why wouldn't it work?"
Sasuke turned away, not wanting the old man to see his expression. A long moment passed before he sighed.
"Narutoā¦ couldn't get through to the 'me' of the past. What canĀ thisĀ version of me possibly do?"
Orochimaru seemed amused. "That is true~. Still, seeing you so awkward after all this time is rather entertainingā¦"
Sasuke turned back, his expression serious. "Soā¦ you already have a solution."
"Mmm." Orochimaru's demeanor shifted. "The turtle has another usage. It can send only the soul backā¦ into your past body. It would be a true rebirth. Your current consciousness, in your younger form. Howeverā¦"
"What?"
"Two flaws. First, the user cannot choose the precise moment of rebirth. Secondā¦ it can only send one person. And once activatedā¦ the turtle will be destroyed."
Sasuke's face darkened. He understood the implications.
He would be reborn at an unpredictable time. That was secondary. The crucial point wasā¦ he would be saying a final goodbye to Orochimaru, the man who had been by his side for these last years.
This personāonce his mortal enemy, then his teacher, and finally, for the last decade, something akin to family.
This bondā¦ went beyond words.
Orochimaru raised his hand. A sphere of white light coalesced above his palm.
"Sasuke-kun. This is a chakra construct containing all my knowledge, memoriesā¦ and emotions. A gift for my past self. It will reside within your soul. When you return, when you meet the 'me' of that timeā¦ don't hold back. Defeat him. Impart this light to him. He will understand everything. He will inherit all my researchā¦ and become your ally."
Sasuke did not reach for it.
Orochimaru's smile was gentle. "Don't make that face, Sasuke-kun. You have people you wish to protect again, do you not?"
"And what about you?" Sasuke's voice was tight. "Once I'm goneā¦ you'll be truly alone."
"I have the pursuit of truth for company. I will not be lonely."
Still, Sasuke's hand remained at his side. He was no longer the selfish child who thought only of himself.
"The path ahead is perilous. Shibai's powerā¦ even if I become a true Otsutsuki and start overā¦ I have no confidence I can change the future."
Orochimaru chuckled. "Thenā¦ if you do succeed, remember to come back and tell me. Give my solitary existenceā¦ something to hope for. How does that sound?"
Those words finally broke through Sasuke's resistance.
"Thenā¦ it's a promise!"
He reached out. The sphere of light dissolved at his touch, merging into his very soul.
Whoosh!Ā Orochimaru's long hair lifted as he poured his chakra into the mechanical turtle.
Zzzzt!Ā The turtle's eyes glowed with a brilliant gold. A pillar of dazzling light descended from the heavens, seizing Sasuke's soul, tearing it from its aged shell, hurling it towards an unknown past.
"Orochimaruā¦ these yearsā¦ thank you. Soā¦ wait for my good news!"
Orochimaru watched, a serene smile on his lips, as Sasuke's soul vanished into the vortex of time.
Fwoom!Ā Crack!
The light faded. The turtle, its power spent, was covered in a spiderweb of cracks.
Crackle!Ā Orochimaru's own form began to fracture with the same destructive light.
"Sasuke-kun, forgive me. I did not tell you. The cost of activating this techniqueā¦ is the destruction of both the user and the vessel. I was never destined to hear your good news. Soā¦ please. Carry my final wish forward. Move toward the futureā!"
"Hehā¦ in the very endā¦ I've become the very thing I once despised most. Butā¦ thisā¦ isn't so bad."
Orochimaru's body crumbled, dissolving into a pile of grey ash.
The wandering dragon returns to the sea. The white serpent turns to dust.
The tale of Orochimaruānot a hero, yet surpassing oneādrew to a close alongside the end of the world.
And thenā¦ the soul that had returned from the apocalypse, having traversed time and space, settled into a young body. It opened its eyes.
"Rain?"