The first morning on this new world had arrived as Sasuke got up before dawn, wasting no time trying to check out his new body as well as the Rinnegan that was on his left side. Fortunately for him, it would seem that the old couple were early risers themselves as well, since they were already up and about, busily getting to work on whatever it is they were doing before he had even opened his eyes.

After they had pointed him towards the direction of their bathroom, the first thing Sasuke did upon entering the room was to bolt for the mirror. The desire to see how he looked like in this new form was something that he had prioritized over all else.

Unfortunately, it also meant that he had forgotten that he was in a child's body until he reached the sink and discovered that his head barely reached the object in question itself. Quickly looking around, Sasuke managed to find a short stool that would serve as a platform to elevate him to the level of the mirror.

Once that pesky obstacle was out of the way, the moment of truth had finally arrived for the young Uchiha. Focusing his gaze straight into the mirror, Sasuke finally saw the image of his reincarnation reflected back at him as he ran his hands all over his face: eyes, ears, mouth and even the hair.

As he continued inspecting, Sasuke noticed that his overall features strongly resembled that of his younger self; the one just before and after his clan's massacre. The black eyes and hair, with bangs hanging loose over the porcelain face were already a dead giveaway, but the Rinnegan on the left eye was the one thing that made his current self very distinguishable from his previous life as a child. Judging by his height and his facial features, Sasuke guessed that he was around nine to ten years of age; at least physically. Mentally, he still had the mind and knowledge of a hardened, cynical warrior of seventeen years, something that both unnerved him and incited his curiosity at the same time.

Inching closer towards the mirror, Sasuke noticed that this Rinnegan no longer had the three tomoe on both the inner and outer circles, making its resemblance closer to that of a regular Rinnegan. "Is this the Sage's doing or a byproduct of reincarnation?" he pondered internally, though to be fair, it was just one of the many questions that he had. The most important of which, was why the Sage had chosen to reincarnate him in this particular body. Was it some sort of symbolic gesture? A representation of the innocence he once had before the tragedy that had changed him? To give him a 'fresh star' of sorts? Or perhaps it was something more practical or better yet, a circumstance that happened by complete chance.

"It is a little bit of both actually"

The voice startled Sasuke as he very nearly resisted the urge to jump. He looked around to see where the voice had come from, only to find out that there was no one in sight. Fortunately, he quickly calmed down once he realized whose voice that was and what its intentions were.

Slowly but surely, Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki emerged from thin air and began floating next to Sasuke like an apparition. "Do not be surprised" he stated, "I too have use for this body as vessel. Though I do not have any control over it. Rather, I can only watch and observe your choices."

"I see" Sasuke responded as blandly as he could, before checking the room to see if anyone else saw him.

"Do not worry. I have been dead for centuries, which means that, as of this moment, I'am merely a spirit that can only linger in the physical world for a short time. It also means that you will be the only one that can see me" the Sage reassured him.

Sasuke did not respond to that statement, rather he simply nodded as he redirected his attention back to the sink. The old couple had apologized earlier for not having an extra toothbrush at hand, though he simply shrugged that off and told them that he was fine with that: he'd simply have to make do with his hand for the moment.

"So how do you feel, Sasuke? Has your mind and chakra been firmly attuned to this new body?" Hagoromo asked, looking on as Sasuke busily washed his face.

Turning off the faucet, Sasuke grabbed the nearby towel and began rubbing it against his face. "I feel fine" he answered, putting the towel back where it belonged, "this body is quite easy to get used to. But it also feels kind of strange."

"Hmm" Hagoromo rubbed his chin, "I suppose it is only natural to feel strange possessing a new body."

"No, it's not that" Sasuke argued, staring at his hands as he opened and closed his fists. "This body feels…incomplete. Like there's pieces of it missing. Maybe it's the chakra or maybe it's something else entirely, but I'll need to test out my jutsus to make sure."

"I would not recommend you to do that just yet" Hagoromo said.

"Why not?" Sasuke asked, his eyes starting to become suspicious of the Sage. It was obvious to him that the father of shinobi was holding back more than he knew. Who knows just how much of this body he had tampered with?

"This body is new and frail. It has not been trained or tested under battle. Any attempts at using a jutsu would put great strain on it and you would be under immense pain" the Sage explained, "as a shinobi, you of all people would know this better than anyone else".

Sasuke grumbled as he continued staring at the Sage of Six Paths. Part of him agreed with what the Sage was saying, after all, he himself knew from experience the kind of pressure his jutsus put him through during his youth, especially the Chidori. Yet, this statement also confirmed his suspicions that the old being knew more than he let on, especially with the detailed expertise he showed when explaining the side effects of this body. There was no doubt that he did something to this body and Sasuke was going to find out sooner or later.

Besides the point, it was clear that the Sage could read his thoughts and intentions very clearly, in fact, right now he probably even knew what Sasuke thinking. And if that were the case, his response was to simply stare at Sasuke in silence.

The young Uchiha for his part, couldn't give a damn about what Sage thought of him. If there was any shady business going around, he was going to get his answers. However, just as he was about to open his mouth and ask the Sage, a knock on the door interrupted him.

"Are you done boy?" Wells asked.

Sasuke responded by slowly opening the door halfway through. "I'am" he answered.

The old man's gaze was solely fixed on Sasuke, completely ignoring the presence of an ethereal spirit lingering next to the boy, which only served to confirm Hagoromo's claim that the Uchiha would be the only one who could see him. "I see, well if that's the case, here" he said as he reached his hand out through the door, holding onto a piece of cloth. "Put this on and talk a walk with me, I don't want the girls getting any funny ideas seeing you naked" he winked.

"Tch" Sasuke clicked his tongue as he took the piece of clothing from the old man's hand. Internally groaning at the awful attempt at what he believed to be a joke, the boy shut the door and inspected his 'present'. It was a plain half sleeved shirt, though it looked and smelled like it was made from a sack rather than cotton. But then again, it was sufficient enough with regards to the purpose it served, so Sasuke wasn't complaining as he wasted no time putting it on.

As he reached for the door, Sasuke turned around and looked at the Sage of Six Paths. "I have a lot of questions that I want answers to" he stated, "and I hope you're ready to answer them when the time comes".

Hagoromo simply grunted and gave a quick nod in response to that statement, before disappearing into thin air as Sasuke looked on for a few more seconds, contemplating on the fact that an all-powerful being was now lingering inside of his subconscious, watching his every move.

Shaking his head, Sasuke opened the door and exited the bathroom, whereby the old man was already waiting for him hunched up and wearing a straw-hat. Additionally, he could see smoke coming from what appears to be the kitchen with a distinctive smell emanating from it with what appears to be their breakfast, even if he wasn't sure what it actually was.

"Are you ready?" Wells asked.

"Yeah, sure" Sasuke replied.

"Alright then" Wells nodded as he made his way towards the door that lead to the outside world. "I'm taking the boy with me for a walk!" he called out to his wife.

"Fine, but keep him out of trouble!" Majorie answered back.

Sasuke followed the old man in silence, annoyed by their lack of indoor voices but understanding of their circumstances all the same: they were pretty old after all, so it was only a given that their hearing would've worsened at their age.

While it would be a stretch to say that he was excited by the prospect of exploring this new world for the first time, there was no doubt that he was at least curious as to what it looked like.

….

Following the old man, Sasuke took a good look at this new world that he was now going to be living in. The village itself was nothing to really write home about, with its small roads and houses. However, there was a feeling of peace and tranquility about it reminiscent of the village he grew up in.

That being said, Rosemary village looked and felt like an actual hamlet, rather than the superficial title that was given to Konoha, at least by the time he was born since it already looked more like a large town than a village by then.

As the pair walked, small houses and shops littered the streets as people began their daily routine. Some were strolling about casually, while others were busy sweeping the streets or opening their shops. While most minded their own business, a few of the villagers went out of their way to greet the old man.

"Good morning Mr. Wells"

Sasuke and Wells stopped in their tracks as a middle aged man approached the pair. He was of moderate height albeit a bit stout, with noticeable features on his face that would suggest someone who was in his thirties. Curiously, he was walking around wearing an apron, suggesting that his occupation must be related to something culinary in nature, such as baking or something else.

"Same to you, sunny" the old man greeted back with a smile. "Is everything alright this morning?"

"Sure is" the other man enthusiastically replied.

The young boy looked on as the two adults happily chatted with each other. From what he could hear, the conversation was just another one of those usual small talk between people that were familiar with each other. He remembered how his own mother used to hold these same types of conversations with strangers.

"I just got started with baking a new batch of loaves this morning, care for a bite?" the man asked with a big smile on his face.

"Maybe later"

"Of course" the man laughed before turning his attention towards Sasuke, " And what about you?"

"I'll pass" Sasuke quickly responded, "I'm following him for now".

"I see" the man replied with a look of unease, especially once he got a closer look at the strange left eye of his.

"Is something wrong?" Sasuke asked.

"Oh! It's nothing" the man nervously answered with a small laugh to hide his feelings of discomfort. The boy's stoic and bland answer definitely unnerved him since he was more accustomed to children being bright and lively rather than looking stoic and uninterested. But combine that with his strange eye and the unchild-like behavior and it troubled his thoughts even more.

"I think it's time we took our leave boy. Let's go" Wells interrupted before things got any more awkward.

"Yeah, sure" Sasuke answered, trailing behind the old man as the baker looked on.

As the two continued walking, more and more villagers began coming out of their houses as they greeted the two of them, though it was mostly just for the old man that they came out to greet. Sasuke merely got looks of curiosity and moments of discomfort at the sight of his Rinnegan as well as his stoic, to-the-point way of greeting that could've used a lot more tact. Occasionally, he would see some children running around, playing here and there, along with some curious glances, although he ultimately paid no mind to them and continued walking with the old man.

The young Uchiha was surprised with how intimate the villagers were with each other. It was almost as if they all knew who was who. Though he felt that this was simply due to how small this Rosemary village was, in terms of the size of the area at least. It was a small world after all.

Eventually, the pair made their way to a nearby river where the old man finally stopped walking. "There" Wells pointed to a spot near the riverbank with his walking cane, "that's where we found you."

"I see" Sasuke bluntly replied. " Did you see anyone else with me?"

"Nope. Only you, boy" Wells answered, while putting his cane back down to the ground. " thought you were a corpse dumped by some dark guild or bandits. That is, till I saw you breathing".

Sasuke closed his eyes and grunted; this was not one of his finest moments.

"So..." the old man continued, "mind telling me where you're from?"

Hearing this, the young Uchiha stared off into the distance, contemplating on what sort of answer would be most appropriate. Remembering what the Sage had told him, Sasuke thought that he couldn't really tell him that he came from another world, completely different and probably inaccessible to the one he was currently residing on lest he let the old man think he was not right in the head. He was certain that he was no longer on the continent where the five great nations resided in nor was he even standing in the world he born on. At the same time, he really didn't feel like baring his soul and telling his life story to a complete stranger, not even a kind old geezer like him. After a few seconds, he settled for an answer he deemed appropriate.

"Somewhere far away" he answered.

"How far?"

"Very far"

"Does it have a name?"

"Maybe"

"So what's it called?"

"I don't know"

Wells let out a chuckle at the response that he was getting. He had never seen a child behave the way this boy did. Not even his own son or grandson acted in this manner. As a matter of fact, not even the other children in the village did. "You've got quite the tongue for a brat your age" the old man commented, though Sasuke wasn't sure if that was meant to be an insult or a compliment.

"I guess so" the boy spoke back as vaguely as possible.

The old man continued to chuckle at the response he was getting. Compared to the other kids who were all lively, energetic and talkative, this boy seemed dour, wasted few words and spoke in a matter -of -fact way. "So, then I guess it's also pointless to ask you about your left eye, isn't it?"

"My left eye?"

"What else? Don't act like you didn't notice. Everyone has been giving you strange looks because of it" Wells addressed.

Sasuke somehow agreed with that statement. His Rinnegan was making him stand out more and it definitely gave him a lot of unwanted attention from curious faces.

"So is it magic then ?The eye, I mean"

"Magic?" Sasuke looked at the old man in confusion.

"You don't know what it is?" Wells asked.

"I've never heard of it" Sasuke shook his head as he replied. It seems there was a lot more to this world than he thought. Still, he now had the perfect opportunity to the get some answers.

"Hmm..." the old man scratched his head, " guess you really are from somewhere far away if you've never heard of it. But then again, it's hard to describe something like magic to a foreigner such as yourself when we use magic for nearly everything. In simplest of terms, I could say that magic is something that allows us to do things we shouldn't be able to do, be it from using tools or as a source of power for battle."

"Something that let's people do things they normally shouldn't be able to, from using tools to a source of power for battle. Sounds a lot like chakra" Sasuke pondered internally.

"I agree" a voiced chimed in. Sasuke paused for while before realizing that it was the Sage speaking inside of his head. He groaned at the realization, knowing that he would no longer have the peace and quiet he thought.

"Do not worry, my dear Sasuke. I will not trouble you as often as you think" The Sage reassured him, though it still wasn't of any comfort. "I was merely curious by the notion of this 'magic'. For it seems to works on the same principle as chakra, though it remains to be seen if they are truly one and the same"

"We can discuss the finer details of this later. Right now, just keep quiet and let me talk to the old man" Sasuke ordered. He swore he could hear a chuckle coming from the Sage, very likely for having the audacity to order the father of shinobi himself to keep quiet rather than revere him like everyone else, despite their massive gap in power. Still, Hagoromo did seem to respect his wishes and hadn't bothered him since.

"So tell me boy, does your eye let you do things too?" Wells asked. It seems that while Sasuke was busy having an argument with a spirit inside of his head, the old man himself was busy rambling on.

"Like magic? Maybe" Sasuke vaguely answered.

"I see. Care to give me the details?" Wells requested.

"Sorry, but I'd rather not" the boy quickly shot it down. He knew he wasn't exactly being cooperative with the person who was kind enough to take him and take care of him , but he had his reasons and he was certain that they were better of not knowing.

"Sweet mother of Fiore!" the old man grumbled out of frustration, " you really are a stone wall, you know that?!"

Sasuke didn't respond verbally to that statement but simply hummed instead. He couldn't exactly fault the old geezer for his vague and tactless way of handling his questions but Sasuke felt that they were better off not getting involved with his past baggage.

"At least tell me your eye isn't cursed?" Wells asked again. He was persistent, that much was certain for Sasuke.

"What do you mean cursed?" the young Uchiha answered the old man's question with one of his own.

"Cursed in a sense that it will bring bad luck or doom to anyone of us. As if some evil witch or wizard like Zeref put it on you to bring misfortune to good people " Wells explained.

Sasuke paused momentarily to register that explanation before coming up with an answer of his own. "No...I don't think it's cursed" he bluntly replied.

"Is that so? Well that's good to hear" the old man heaved a sigh of relief after hearing this.

Truth be told, the Rinnegan itself wasn't the eye that affected him the most, at least not mentally, despite it's immense power. If anything, the Sharingan and the Mangekyo Sharingan were the ones that were truly cursed. Pain, misery and suffering followed those eyes wherever they went in exchange for great power, not just for Sasuke but for every other Uchiha that obtained them. It was the price they had to pay in return for those eyes.

Part of him thought of activating them soon, in order to test out if this body was compatible with them, but then he also thought of heeding the Sage's message and holding out on those things until he felt he was ready. After all, activating another one of his visual prowess and showing off a jutsu in a place like this would only result in attracting needless amount of attention: the kind that he was not interested in.

"Are you worried, old man?" Sasuke inquired, curious as to why the old man was so concerned with the thought of being cursed.

"Our village is small and we don't have anyone strong enough to defend us. We are too insignificant for the king's army to be worth protecting and so, the best our settlement can do is pray that misfortune does not befall us. I hope you understand" the old man explained.

"Yeah, I guess so" Sasuke nodded in approval. It was a reasonable explanation albeit a troublesome one: If no one was around to defend this village, then that would mean that this place was vulnerable and ripe for bandits and other possible dangers. A worrying assessment, though ultimately not his concern either in the long run.

"Thank you. And for what it's worth, I will still defend this place to my last breath" the old man said with a smile. "So what do you plan to do now?"

"I'm not sure" Sasuke paused, taking a deep breath before letting it out, " I think I'll walk around and see where the wind takes me."

The old man nodded in understanding, as if he knew the predicament that Sasuke was in. He rubbed his chin , mumbling to himself in deep thought before he began to speak, "If you're planning on wandering around, why don't you stay and help us for a while instead. At least until you can figure out on where you want to go and what you wish to do with your life. You are an outsider after all, so it would be wise for you to least know where you are".

Sasuke raised a brow at the offer, unsure of whether to accept it or not. "Are you sure I won't be a burden to the both of you?" he asked. He had already troubled them enough as it is, the last thing he wanted for an elderly couple to work to the bone trying to extra food on the table.

"Not at all" the old man reassured him, forming what looked like a smile amidst the long white beard."So long as you can pull your weight, it won't be an issue".

"This does seem reasonable" Sasuke thought to himself. At least, this way, the support was mutual, in a sense that Sasuke would help them out in return for all the help they gave him."Alright then, I'll help you out until I can repay the debt I owe the both of you. After that, I'll think about where to go next"

"Very good, sunny" the old man smiled as he reached out a hand, "welcome to Rosemary Village".

Sasuke in turn, extended his own and shook the old man's hand in order to seal the deal. He had a long way to go and a lot to figure out, especially with what to do with this new life of his, but at the very least, he had a good start for now.

"Sasuke, can you get those vials for me dear? They're in one of those cabinets"

"Sure" Sasuke said as he browsed through the smaller cabinets. Two weeks had passed since he accepted the old man's offer to stay with them and help them out as a way to repay his debt to them. In that time, he learned as much as he could about this new world.

For starters, he was told that the village that they resided was in the territory of a small kingdom called Fiore, on the continent of Ishgar. Apparently there were other kingdoms within this continent, though the old couple could only name a few of them.

Evidently, this meant that the knowledge obtained from them was severely limited by the fact that they led rather simple lives and so lacked detailed information on the things Sasuke would've wanted to know about. These included things concerning magic, the guilds, politics, history etc.

Of course, that was justified by the fact that they were in the twilight of their lives and seemed to be content with what they had. The old man was wood carver who designed wooden sculptures and toys to earn his keep while the old lady, Majorie, ran an apothecary in order to treat the village's sick and wounded. One where Sasuke was currently assisting her in.

The young Uchiha calmly took the vials from the cabinet and made his way towards the old lady, who was busy mixing some sort of potion in a massive cauldron: no doubt making medicine in some form or another.

"Is this enough?" he asked, carefully placing each of them in a nearby table.

"Yes. Thank you dear" the old lady replied with a gentle smile.

"Do you need anything else?"

"I'm alright for now" she shook her head, "why don't you head to the reception area and keep an eye out for any patients that be might arriving."

Without saying a word, Sasuke turned around and began making his way towards the receptionist's desk. He was surprised to find out that the granny ran this entire clinic all by herself without any sort of assistance while the old geezer did the same with his wood carving business. The work they had given him was quite easy and manageable as well, consisting of nothing more than lightening their load a little bit since they both insisted on doing the heavy lifting by themselves.

At the same time they both did teach him a thing or two about making medicines as well as carving small wooden designs; not that he needed to learn either of those. As stubborn as they were, Sasuke had to give them credit for their strong work ethics, especially at their age.

Additionally, he also learned quite a bit about their personal lives as well. They had a grandson, that much was obvious, which also meant that they had a child as well. What he didn't know, was that they had a total of eight children, of which only a son survived. He was apparently living in some big city somewhere in the kingdom with his son as of this moment. It wasn't exactly some sort of practical information that he needed to learn, but it did help him realize why they were so kind to him in the first place. Perhaps they saw a bit of their grandson in him?

Needless to say, it seemed like despite their cheerful exterior, they were definitely suffering from the pain of loss inside and enduring it as best they could. Something which was all to familiar for Sasuke. Even the Sage of Six Paths seemed to sympathize with them.

"Oh, before you go, Sasuke" Majorie called out, stopping Sasuke in his tracks, "I've been meaning to ask you about that flower you placed on the desk"

"One of the kids gave it to me this morning. I didn't need it so I thought I'd put it in your desk instead" he answered.

"Oh, and was it a girl?" the old lady asked again, with a somewhat mischievous tone in her voice.

"I guess so but it doesn't matter" Sasuke replied.

"Perhaps, but this is the fifth gift you've received from a girl this week alone. It seems you've become quite a hit with the ladies" Majorie teased.

Sasuke raised a brow before he turned around and began walking towards the receptionists desk, letting out a groan along the way. When he first began working in the apothecary, he thought the old lady was more polite and easier to talk with than the old man. It wasn't until a week on that he realized that she was just as annoying and bothersome as her husband; she just knew how to hide it better than him.

Still, the first two weeks of living a new life wasn't so bad as he thought it would be. At the very least, he was off to a decent start, acclimatizing himself to this new world and what he could and could not do. The old man Wells had been quite helpful in teaching him how to survive in the wilderness of Fiore: what animals to avoid and which to hunt, which foods were safe to eat and which weren't. This was especially important on account of some of the plants and animals being especially strange by his standards; like fishes that could apparently fly on land.

Unfortunately, it also meant that he could not spare the time needed to work on testing the limits of this new body, or even the application of ninjutsu. The only sort of training he ever received was learning how to carve wooden flutes and he doubted if those could be counted as weapons of mass destruction.

That being said, Sasuke decided to bid his time until the day when his debt to them would be repaid in full and he could strike out on his own once again. It wasn't long either, as only a week remained, so for the time being, Sasuke opted to be patient as he sat on the receptionist desk, bored out of his mind.

…...

The afternoon passed by without a hitch as Sasuke patiently sat and waited for any incoming patients, even though they hardly received any who was critically injured or near death. That''s the thing with peace; it bred boredom. Even though most sane people would prefer this outcome over a world of endless fighting, mundane life like this just didn't suit him anymore.

However, fate seemed to have a rather cruel way of playing with people wishes, especially when they least expected it.

The sound of a door crashing from the outside alerted Sasuke as he got up from his seat and stepped over to the window. Turning his gaze towards the lab, he could see the old lady coming out and heading towards him, having seemingly heard the noise as well.

"Wait" he said, placing a hand towards her direction, as if telling her to stop. "I'll see what's going on first" he continued.

Majorie nodded and complied as Sasuke peeked through the curtains to see what all the commotion was about.

Looking through the window, Sasuke could see that the shop across the street had been wrecked beyond recognition as a large man began quarreling with everyone around him, yelling and screaming at the top of his lungs. From his clothing to the weapons he held, Sasuke deduced that he was perhaps either a solider, a wandering mercenary or a lone bandit, a thug. Though in the end, it mattered little to Sasuke, as this was just another petty squabble blown out of proportions.

'This isn't our problem" Sasuke sighed as he slowly pulled back the curtain and headed back to the desk.

"So, what is it?" Majorie asked.

"Just some fight between idiots. Nothing to worry about" Sasuke answered to which the old lady nodded in response.

As the two prepared to return to their original positions, a screams of a loud and very familiar voice caught their attention. Sasuke rushed back to the window to see what had happened and as expected, the old man was now involved in the matter as the large ruffian held him by the collar of his shirt, screaming at him as concerned villagers tried their best to hold him back.

As annoying as he was, Sasuke had no intention of seeing a frail old man get beat up, even if he brought it on himself. "Idiot!" Sasuke grumbled, clenching his fists as tightly as he could.

"That old fool!" Majorie joined in, peeking through the other window, " trying to play the hero again when he can't even put on his own pants anymore".

At that moment the young Uchiha was just glad that someone else was sharing his sentiment; after all, someone his age shouldn't be running around and picking fights he couldn't hope to win against. Either Wells was too brave for his own good or had a death wish.

"Sasuke, we must save him before he gets hurt" the Sage of Six Paths chimed in. Now he was an elderly man who could probably kick that ruffians ass without even trying. It seems foolhardiness was an inherited trait amongst the elderly. Regardless of his opinion, Sasuke had to act.

"I know" Sasuke replied. It seems he now had the action and excitement he craved for...just not in the way he wanted.

"I'll get him out of there" Sasuke said, his own attempt at reassurance for the old lady as he bolted for the door and headed out.

"Wait!" the old lady shouted, obviously concerned that a young boy was about to perform the same act of heroic foolishness that her husband was doing. Sadly, her words fell on deaf ears as the boy failed to heed them and was already outside.

…...

"You want a piece of me old man! Is that it!" the large man shouted, holding onto the old mans' collar. Spit flew from his mouth in all directions as the other residents tried their best to restrain him to no avail.

"Do your worst brat" Wells retorted, without fear in his eyes.

"Fine" the brute snarled as he shoved the old man to the ground, before drawing his sword from its sheath. It was at that moment that everyone began to back away slowly as the threat of being harmed by the blade dawned on them.

Wells himself could do little to resist. Years of arthritis and failed muscles had finally begun to take its toll on him. Just falling over gave him immense pain as he could barely get up. Looking up, he could see that the man had his sword raised high up, ready to strike it down on him, the price of playing the hero while being well past his prime. Still, he had made peace with the life he was given and if it meant going out by way of defending others, he would gladly take it. The old man took a deep breath and closed his eyes, ready to say his last rites internally while waiting for his inevitable demise.

Only for it to not happen as the thug stopped mid swing. Whatever happened, it was enough for everyone, including his would-be executioners, to turn their attention towards whatever had stopped him from doing the deed. At least for the moment.

With all eyes no longer fixed on him, Wells opened his own eyes to see what had changed his mind. Wells eye opened wide with shock and horror as he realized what had gotten the thug's attention.

"S-Sasuke...w-what is...he doing here?!" Wells coughed up, trying his best reach out to the boy in order to tell him to get out of there. Yet, even as he used every ounce of his strength to warn the boy, Sasuke simply stood still with a rock in hand.

"If you want to pick a fight with someone, then fight me" Sasuke declared as he looked at the thug straight in the eye, without a single shred of fear or hesitation.

Everyone else froze in disbelief at what they had just heard. They looked at the boy who was standing his ground without flinching and collectively thought that he was either the bravest or the most suicidal moron ever. Some of them even wanted to intervene and get him the hell out of there but they were equally afraid of the repercussions of getting involved, especially if it meant getting sliced by that sword. This was the downside of having a village be built around peace for so many years: no one was strong or brave enough to defend them anymore.

Predictably, the thug's response to the challenge was to let out a hearty laugh before quickly returning to his default expression of being constantly angry. "No need to act like a hero kid. Just beat it before I make you start crying to your mommy!" he growled before turning his attention back to the old man.

Sasuke shook his head and sighed, admonishing the thug's predictable behavior and himself for forgetting that he was a child once again and thus, someone who would not be taken seriously.

But that mattered little in the grand scheme of things, especially when the old man's life was at stake. Wasting little time, Sasuke charged forward, fully intending to take on the ruffian by himself. Jumping as high as he could, Sasuke spun around and attempted to hit him with a spinning back kick...only for it to connect and not do anything as the thug turned around once again, barely fazed by the attack.

"I told you to buzz off!" he roared as he hit Sasuke with a back hand, sending him flying and tumbling backwards.

The crowd gasped collectively at the sight of the child getting hit. It was enough for them to start taking some actions as they began shedding some sense of self-preservation in order to do something about the troublemaker. At the very least, they had started moving closer towards the thug, voicing their concerns while doing so.

"He was just a boy! What is wrong with you!" Wells admonished the ruffian.

"Doesn't matter what you think of me, old man" the thug retorted, turning his attention back to Wells. "You'll be dead in a second and he'll be next" he continued, grabbing the senior citizen by the collar and lifting him up to his level.

In that moment, time seemed to stopped indefinitely for Sasuke, almost as if he was attempting to register what had just happened. Everything that the Sage had warned him about seemed to be coming true, especially since he had just got blown away by some no named goon when not too long ago he was taking on godlike beings.

"So this body really is weak, dammit" he thought to himself as he struggled to get up from the hit. This was the reality he had to face at this moment; the reality that he no longer had his inhuman physical speed and strength. However, that realization also gave him a moment of clarity, as his eyes opened wide, almost as if he remembered something.

Weaving some sort of strange signs with his hands, strong currents of electricity burst from Sasuke's left hand, the scattering sounds comparable to the chirping of birds flying in the air. But all was not right, for it felt heavy and painful. Sasuke gritted his teeth as he clutched his left hand with his right, trying to hold onto to it as best he could.

And with that single act, all eyes were on him once again, as the display of elemental powers was enough for people to look at him with both awe and concern. Even the thug, reverted his attention back to Sasuke as he looked on with curiosity.

"Is that...lightning coming from his hand?" he commented, dropping the old man to the ground and turning around to face Sasuke. "So you're a mage huh" he said.

'Mage', now that was a word Sasuke had heard before. His caretakers had told him that they were individuals capable of greater feats of magic, many of which were combative in nature. And if his display of his ninjutsu was enough for him to be compared to them, then it seems that mages were this world's equivalent of shinobi.

"Alright kid! Bring it!"

But alas, that mattered little in the moment. Sasuke had the thug's full and undivided attention as he readied to fight him with his sword in hand. The young Uchiha realized that at his current state, he would have to end the fight quickly. After all, his current body could barely contain the immense power of the Chidori. Now all that was left, was one final ace up his sleeve to compliment the Chidori: his Sharingan.

However things didn't go as expected and suddenly his worst fears, the worst case scenario had happened. "What!" Sasuke yelled out inside, a way for him to express the fact that for some reason, his visual prowess just wouldn't activate. "Why won't the Sharingan come out!" Sasuke thought to himself as he tried to force it out over and over again. However, his thoughts suddenly came to a screeching halt as a revelation hit him."The Sage...he must've done something to this body. Damn it" he cursed.

Time was a luxury he could not afford to lose however. In the split second that he was pondering, the lowlife thug was already charging towards him at full speed. Sasuke bit his lip as he gripped his left arm as tightly as he could. Sharingan or not, he would have to make do with what he had right now.

Gathering all of the electricity into his palm, Sasuke pushed the rest of his body forward as he charged straight towards his adversary, dragging his left hand along. The incredible speed generated from the Chidori was evident by the fact that everything around him became a blur with the sole of exception of his target.

Without the Sharingan, it was becoming clear to Sasuke that this was now a death or glory attack as the thug prepared to deal a fatal blow of his own with his sword raised forward. The victory would go to the one who would deal the first blow. And with that predicament in mind, the young Uchiha pushed his palm forward with all of his might.

"Chidori!" he shouted.

Spark of electricity flew everywhere as the two combatants clashed. When the dust had finally settled, the result were a little different from what the onlookers had expected.

What laid before them was a sight that shocked and horrified them all the same: The thug stood motionless as blood poured from his mouth, eyes wide open with shock as the child' hand went straight through his torso and to the other side, the electricity slowly dying out from his hands.

"B-but...how!?" the thug struggled to utter those words, choking on his own blood as his life started fading away. Everything started becoming dark and cold as he could no longer hear anything around him. Never in a million years did he think that his demise would come at the hands of a child.

Panting, the boy withdrew his hand from the body as he dropped to his knees, exhausted, while the thug fell back first to the ground, dropping his sword at the same time as he laid on the pavement, motionless.

Wells opened his eyes to the sight of his wife helping him up to his feet while he watched the crowd collectively gasp in horror at the sight of a boy committing murder right in front of their eyes. It was something the whole village was not accustomed to and the scene that played before their eyes clearly disturbed them. They had always been somewhat unnerved by Sasuke, mainly due to his unchild-like behavior and that strange eye of his. Now their fears were being confirmed and there was nothing he could do about it.

"It never should've come to this" he stated, hanging his head in shame and disappointment.

"You're partly responsible for this mess" Majorie scolded him, not intending to let him forget about the fact that him trying to act like a hero was what got Sasuke involved.

All of that mattered little to the young Uchiha, who was kneeling on the ground and panting from exhaustion. The reality that his new body was a shell of his former self becoming more evident by the fact that just using a Chidori was enough to take him out of commission. But he had little time to rest, as another conflict was stirring up, deep inside of his mind.

…...

"What have you done to me!?" Sasuke called out, staring at the Sage of Six Paths deep within his subconscious.

"I have an explanation for this, Sasuke" Hagoromo said, calmly floating in front of him.

"Then it'd better be a good one" Sasuke said, crossing his arms.

"Of course" Hagoromo stated. " As you know, you carry the burden of hatred that your counterpart cast out of himself, which also means that the dark chakra that manifests this hatred is also within you as well. I feared that this chakra would consume you and affect you for the worse, so I took it upon myself to seal it off."

"How?" Sasuke asked, raising a brow at the explanation.

"We know that chakra is the fuel that powers our jutsus. Without chakra, many of our abilities would be rendered obsolete" Hagoromo explained, " I took this concept and reversed it, thereby using your visual powers as seals to hold off the dark chakra emanating from within you."

"Is this why I couldn't activate my Sharingan or why my Rinnegan was dormant?"

"Yes. But there is also another reason for this; I have already told you this before but your body truly cannot handle the immense power that we share" Hagoromo answered, " any attempts in trying to force that power out would cause excruciating pain and suffering."

"And you thought to do all of this without asking me first?" Sasuke asked, with anger in his tone .

"I apologize for my hasty actions, but I thought it would for the best if the weight of Indra's burden did not hold you down anymore" the Sage said.

And there it was, the justification that Sasuke had expected from him. The justification for deliberately holding back his true strength whether it was for practical or sentimental reasons. Regardless of his reasons, the fact that the Sage had tampered with his new life without his consent pissed him off. To Sasuke, this was just more evidence that the Sage of Six Paths was treating him less as an equal and more like a child to watch over.

"Let me make it clear to you" Sasuke addressed with authority, " I'am not your son. I' am not Indra. So stop acting like you have to make every decision on my behalf because I clearly recalled you stating that you would only be here to observe the path that I would take. If you still feel the need to make up for your own mistakes with your son, then that's fine but I'm not him. Remember that"

"I..." Hagoromo paused, seemingly deciding to choose his next words carefully. His calm exterior betrayed what was really going on inside, as he seemed to be pondering extensively on what Sasuke had just said, which in turn, confirmed the Uchiha's suspicion that this offer of reincarnation was more than just an attempt at redemption for the Sage: this was his way of trying to reconnect with his son Indra.

"You have a point, my dear Sasuke, that much is true" Hagoromo said with a nod, "but I do not think you truly understand the gravity of your situation."

"What do you mean" Sasuke asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Take a look" Hagoromo replied as he pointed his staff towards what looked like a massive cell.

Complying with the Sage, Sasuke turned around to face the structure. It's appearance briefly caught him by surprise before he managed to compose himself and began walking towards it. The large cell was quite similar in concept to the ones that housed the tailed beasts inside a Jinchuriki, which meant that this one served a similar function.

"Let me guess, the dark chakra is sealed on the other side of this cage" Sasuke said, looking back at the Sage.

"That is correct" Hagoromo affirmed.

"And if it's caged, then that means, its taken a form of its own. Is that right?" Sasuke asked.

"See for yourself" Hagoromo said.

No sooner had the Sage said those words did a sinister aura began emanating from the other side of the cage. Sasuke flinched as he felt the presence of a dark silhouette emerging from the shadows, its chakra was cold and sinister.

Large white eyes appeared first, followed by a wide toothy grin. As the rest of its body emerged, Sasuke had a clearer picture of what it looked like. They consisted entirely of a head, torso and two hands, resembling his incomplete humanoid Susanoo form.

"This is..." Sasuke gasped with unease as the creature got close and began rattling the large cage. With it's dark color, demonic horns and malevolent grin, there was no doubt that this was the living manifestation of his hatred.

"The source of your power …...and of your pain and suffering" Hagoromo said. Sasuke narrowed his eyes, backing away slowly as the towering creature continued to roar from inside the cage, demanding to be let out.

"I wish there was another way" Hagoromo said, shaking his head.

"Was this...inside of me, all this time...?" Sasuke asked, his gaze peering straight into the Sage's eyes and for a brief moment, there was silence.

Sasuke looked back to the dark chakra that was rattling the cage. It's presence unnerved him in ways he never thought possible. The fact that it was a manifestation of the curse of hatred only served to make him feel even more uncomfortable around it. Was this thing inside of him all along? Like an evil spirit or demon possessing him?

"So what will you do now, Sasuke?"

Sasuke's eyes trailed up to the Sage of Six Paths with a look of uncertainty and confusion.

"I...need sometime to think about all of this" Sasuke explained.

"Of course" Hagoromo nodded.

Sasuke placed the remainder of his necessities into his new bag as he closed it. A few change of clothes, rations and some money were all that he needed to get started. Of course, it wasn't that his time had come to leave the village permanently, but rather the incident prior had caused so much unease between him and the rest of the residents that he opted to stay as far away from them as he possibly could in order to ease their worries.

"Are you all set, boy?" Wells asked, eagerly waiting for him outside.

"Yeah" he answered, slinging the bag over his shoulders as he walked towards the exit.

As he stepped outside, Sasuke was greeted by the sight of the two elderly couple , eagerly waiting for him.

"Do you have everything you need, dear?" Majorie asked in a kind voice.

"Yeah, I do" Sasuke answered, "thank you for everything …...and I'm sorry for the mess I caused."

"Bah, don't worry about it" Wells brushed off his apology," if I were twenty years younger, I would've trounced that fool with ease. My only regret is that you had to take the fall for my actions."

"Even so, I still think it's for the best that I keep a distance between myself and the village" Sasuke argued.

"If that is how you feel, then we won't argue" the old lady acknowledged, " so what will you do now?"

Sasuke stared into the palm of his left hand as he clenched his fist tight."I'm not sure. I think I want to see how the world looks to me now."

"There's an old cabin in the foothills of the nearby mountain where a woodcutter used to live. You can stay there if you'd like. At least until you can get your bearings" Wells informed him, " and it's not too far from the village either, so if you need anything from us, you can run back here quickly."

"I see" Sasuke said, " thanks for letting me know. If you need anything, find me there then."

"Of course" Majorie acknowledged with a smile.

"Alright then, I'm heading off." Sasuke nodded as he turned around and began walking away.

"Please, do take care of yourself" the old lady shouted as Sasuke simply continued walking without giving a response. "I sure hope he'll be fine on his own" Majorie sighed as she looked on.

"Bah! Don't worry about it. That boy can take care of himself just fine" Wells reassured her with a smile.

Birds rested atop the trees, chirping in all directions as if telling the world about their life stories. And they weren't the only ones either, as the insects were also busy humming and chirping to their own sounds.

Yet, for Sasuke, it wasn't as annoying or troublesome as crowds of rowdy humans in large gatherings. It also helped that the nearby river had a calming effect on him. There was just something nice about all of this; not just the act of walking in a riverbank, but the peace and tranquility that the forest had given him, away from human contacts.

For someone who wasn't really into social interactions, it came as no surprise that a hermit lifestyle suited well for Sasuke. Originally, he had planned to leave and travel this new world not too long ago, but after certain 'encounter', the young Uchiha was forced to reflect on his current situation and think things through.

He was shell of his former self, that much was certain. The new body was unaccustomed to battle, which rendered his attacks weak and ineffective. His punches were like wet tissue paper and his speed was comparable to that of a tortoise. On top of that, he could barely use any of his basic jutsus without hurting himself or suffering from pain. However, the biggest blow to his former glory was the fact that the Sage of Six Paths had siphoned off many of his true powers in order to contain and seal off the dark chakra that manifested within him. All without his consent.

While Sasuke did eventually come around and understood why he did what he did, the Uchiha wasn't exactly pleased by this whole outcome. The part that he hated the most was the fact that Hagoromo might've had a good reason for doing so: No longer was he plagued by nightmares, in fact he could barely remember much of his troubled past, the parts that haunted him the most. Aside from getting a good night's sleep, the practical reason for holding back his power did seem somewhat understandable. After all, if this new body could barely use one Chidori, he doubt it could handle something like the Susanoo.

There were times where he did consider releasing the seal and retaking his powers back, but after seeing the dark chakra that manifested in the form of a ghastly fiend, he opted to withhold it lest that thing messed him up again. He would have to make do with his current strength for the time being.

Speaking of his current strength, another reason why Sasuke decided to hold off on the traveling was to build up this new body with as much training as possible. After all, if a simple thug was able to hurt him, what good would it do for him to go weak and unprepared?

Currently, Sasuke was taking a break from training in order to gather food for dinner, having spent the whole afternoon fishing, digging for roots and foraging for herbs.

There was still a considerable amount of time left before it got dark, which meant that if he was fast enough, he might have some spare time for an extra training.

Plucking some of the mushrooms off the ground, Sasuke inspected them thoroughly before placing them in the bag. The old man had taught him in great detail about which wild plants were safe to eat and which weren't, a lesson which he was quite appreciative of.

His feet took him all over the riverbank as the sun slowly began setting down westwards, signaling to him that time was running short. Something that was all too familiar in his daily routine.

Just as he was getting used to this mundane activity, a rumbling sound in the distant bushes caught his attention, letting him know that he wasn't alone anymore. Putting his bag on the ground, Sasuke drew out a knife that had been given to him by the old man and looked at the direction of the bushes.

Sasuke was certain that it was just some rodent running around, though just to be safe, he readied himself in the event that it was a large predator stalking him.

That being said, if his intuition was correct, it was neither of those things. "I know you're hiding, you can come out now" he called out, pointing his knife towards the bushes.

The bushes rustled again as a small head peeked out from underneath. It was enough for Sasuke to lower his knife and sheathe it as the figure slowly emerged from the undergrowth; It was a young girl, probably around his age, nervously approaching him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked with a slight frown on his face. The last thing he wanted to do was to have to escort a kid all the way back to the village, even if it wasn't far at all.

"Umm...well, ….I-I was just picking some flowers when I saw you...that's all" the girl answered nervously, fidgeting her hands and avoiding eye contact with him.

"Really.." Sasuke said, narrowing his eyes, " then where are the flowers?"

The girl panicked as she began mumbling and stuttering her way to an answer. "Uh...w-well...I umm..."

Sasuke sighed as he shook his head. "So she was just following me" he thought to himself as he turned around and picked up his bag. He still had an hour of daylight to go and idle chatter was a waste of his time.

"Just go home" he said, walking away from the girl.

"W-what! But..." the girl objected for some reason.

"But what?" he argued, "besides, it's gonna get dark soon. Your parents are probably worried about you."

The girl's entire expression changed the moment he said those words. Not that Sasuke noticed it, since his back was turned. "About that..." the girl said, lowering her head as her voice started becoming dour "I don't really have any".

Hearing those words caused the young Uchiha to stop in his tracks, with a look surprise all over his face. Almost as if he had been caught off guard by those words, Sasuke's entire body seemed to have stopped on their own as certain words began echoing through his mind.

"Back then, I...I always knew you were alone too. All I really wanted to do was to come up to you and start talking. I get sort of giddy, but...I never did"

"Naruto..." Sasuke quietly muttered. Right now there was kid who had no parents and something about the way she told him made Sasuke trust her words; it felt sincere, almost as if he could feel the sadness creeping up to her voice. It was a feeling him and Naruto knew all too well: loneliness.

'Listen" Sasuke stated, immediately getting the girl's attention as she looked at him. "if you wanna hang around then make yourself useful and help me find some food".

The girl's face lit up for a moment before her expression turned into that of confusion mixed in with curiosity, "really?"

'Yeah. Now shut up and help me before I change my mind"

"Okay" her eyes shone brightly as she began following him. Only to be stopped dead in her tracks by the sound of her stomach growling. It was loud enough for even Sasuke to take notice of and turn around.

Sasuke looked at the girl, who was staring back at him with unease before pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head. "You might as well stay and eat here for tonight" he sighed, "it's already going to get dark soon anyway."

"You mean it?" the girl asked, a smile growing on her lips. Sasuke simply nodded in response.

"Wait" Sasuke said, halting the girl from making her way to him, " before we do anything there's something I wanna ask"

"What is it?" she asked, tilting her head.

"What's your name?"

"My name?" she pondered for a second, before a big grin formed on her face, " It's Erza!"

AN: Firstly, apologies if this chapter feels too long. I created a set number of scenes to be played per chapter inside of my head but when it came time for me to implement them, things just didn't go as planned. For starters, the moment I started typing, the scenes just went on and on and on until I got completely exhausted by how much had been written for a single chapter. Believe it or not, I shortened the final scenes and axed off a lot more for future chapters instead.

Secondly, I hope my justification for why Sasuke isn't as strong as he should be is good enough. My reasons for doing this is because I wanted him to progress with the story from square one and in a way, build himself back up again without having so much power that he could end the plot in seconds. And if anyone's worried about the nerfing, don't worry, it's not permanent. I fully intend to give him his powers back slowly but surely as the chapters progress.

Finally, I want to sincerely thank everyone for the outpour of love and support you've given this story. It moves me to do my best and make a story we can all enjoy as fans of both Naruto and Fairy Tail.

As always, I hope you all enjoy it :)