Hey guys. Here is chapter 5. Oyashiro En isn't an OC. He is an actual character in Sasuke Shinden. It will continue for likely another one to three chapters before Erza returns to Fiore. Yes, she returns to Fiore in another two to three chapters.

And since I am clubbing both Sasuke Shinden and Naruto the last, I may be altering few things and missing out few characters.

Thanks to grither55, blacknredrose37, ADecentWriter101, Rain-XIX, Devil's darklight, and Anon-chan for your reviews and to those who are currently following this fic.

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Chapter 5: Oyashiro En

After Sasuke and Erza left with Orochimaru, the rest of the former Taka got into addressing the concerns they had after seeing their former leader after two long years, almost amazed at the change in behavior of Sasuke.

"Sasuke working for other people's sake…" Suigetsu remarked, looking somehow moved as he sat down on one of the couches in the room. "And that too he isn't working alone. Who would have thought that… Although I am still salty about his beautiful companion."

"He was originally a Konoha shinobi. So, it's not that strange that he would want to help out the woman that was with him," Juugo pointed as Suigetsu looked at him with a huff. "And Uzumaki's are close to Senju's, one of the founders of the leaf. Probably they're not just strangers."

"Even so," the swordsman exclaimed at Juugo's words. "He didn't go back to Konoha. Doesn't he feel like staying yet?" Suigetsu said.

At Suigetsu's doubt, Karin looked at the former mist ninja with a scowl, "You don't understand at all," She glared, deciding to educate her dimwitted teammate. "They say that the huge wars disappeared, but there are still probably many dangerous individuals out there. Since Sasuke has those eyes, there are also guys who would target him."

Sasuke had the Sharingan in his right eye, as a survivor of the Uchiha clan, and even the Rinnegan in his left eye. His eyes were the most desirable feature for men who wanted power. That's why Orochimaru wanted Sasuke's body, once in the past.

"If Sasuke stayed in the village, there is a chance that some shinobi might appear who would attack the village with their target as Sasuke," Karin said. "So by spreading around the fact that 'Uchiha Sasuke isn't in Konoha, he's constantly wandering around the world', they decrease the possibilities of harm occurring to the village on his account."

"Karin is right." Juugo said. "If he were very close to the village, maybe some guys would appear, trying to draw out information from people associated with Sasuke. Probably one of the reasons he is keeping Erza close to him instead of sending her to the village for protection."

"What do you mean by protection? Isn't she helping Sasuke on this mission?" Suigetsu asked. Karin looked at her dumb friend with an exasperated sigh.

"You know Sasuke well, don't you? I suspect she has something to do with the scroll that was stolen from here a month ago. It's highly possible that the shinobi Sasuke is tracking right now are actually after the girl with him." Karin said.

"He couldn't risk the village's security for Erza's protection. That is why he took it on to himself to protect her. He probably has his reasons," Juugo said.

At Juugo's adjunct, Suigetsu raised a hand to cup his chin, "That does explain about Erza-chan. But all of his other friends, I mean the people that know Sasuke from the leaf. They are all strong enough anyway, right? They won't let information be extracted from them easily," and tilted his head in contemplation.

"It's not only this. If he were in the village, he would also come face to face with very young children. Probably there would be guys who would try to extract information even from these children." Juugo said, getting back to the earlier topic. As Juugo said, in this world there were also shinobi who could go as far as becoming inhumane to achieve their goals.

"I don't know about that."

"There are also guys who adored Uchiha Itachi, Orochimaru-sama's object of research, and bear a grudge towards Sasuke because he killed Itachi. He's probably trying his best not to leave behind information in the village."

"I wonder if Sasuke thinks of so many various things to this extent." Karin said. It was natural that she got a doubt since Sasuke doesn't show much on his face and even when Team Taka were travelling together, his team mates couldn't guess what he was thinking.

At Karin's words, Suigetsu was somehow half in doubt.

"I'm not sure, but if it's so, is Sasuke going to travel all the time?"

At Suigetsu's words, Juugo answered "It may be so."

Hearing this, Karin lowered her eyes.

"..."

She immediately got up from her seat, exiting the hall. She entered her room and fetched a photo from inside her desk. Once, when they moved as Taka, Karin took it by force, extorting it. She had wanted to take the photo with just the two of them, but Suigetsu and Juugo were there, too.

According to what she had been able to gather so far, the scroll that Sasuke was after apparently allowed the user to open a gateway to an entirely different world. The other world was rumored to be full of life just like theirs, a paradise away from the cruelty of the shinobi world.

After coming into contact with Erza, she became sure of this other world. Karin was an exceptional sensory ninja. Her capability to identity chakra was unrivalled even among the elite shinobi. So, it was no wonder that Karin was the first one to pick up how different Erza was compared to the rest of them.

After all, it wasn't chakra flowing through Erza's body, but something entirely different. Something much more… crude.

If Sasuke was really intent on protecting the leaf village this way, by spreading around the news that he wasn't staying in the village, would he seriously consider going to this other world?

Karin stood as she let that thought sink into her head, staring motionlessly at the photo containing the entire team taka.

Just what was going to happen with Sasuke from now on?

..

The entire journey to the island went in silence, to which Erza was thankful. It would have felt awkward for her if Orochimaru and Sasuke had started talking during the journey to each other like they were buddies, which she had wrongfully assumed apparently. It would have been exactly like how it was back in the hide out where she saw Taka interact with the former avenger.

Even though the Uchiha hadn't talked much with his former team, she could still feel some kind of camaraderie between them. She was genuinely glad that Sasuke wasn't as alone as she had thought of him, but couldn't help but feel out of place with them. Probably it was because she was getting envious of a homeless man having friends.

Thankfully, it seemed Sasuke doesn't consider Orochimaru close enough, though the snake sannin kept bugging him about some woman whose name he didn't reveal whereas Sasuke just glared in response each time.

They had boarded a boat from the nearest harbor, and they moved into an even smaller boat from the island they finally arrived at.

As they advanced, all around them was enveloped by mist, and their field of vision decreased. The boatman was rowing the boat without speaking, as if he was accustomed to it.

Gentle breeze had lulled Erza to sleep, few strands of hair falling in front of her face. One look at the queen of fairies was enough to tell that she was tired from all the travelling.

She clearly wasn't used to travelling like the last Uchiha. Sasuke's gaze fell on her as she was currently seated beside him, her head against his shoulder as she slept. He felt a bit relieved that she slept showing her complete faith in the man beside her though it unnerved him a bit. He could never put his faith like that in someone whom he had met just a month ago better yet sleep that way near Orochimaru. This just showed him the difference between the two coming from similar pasts, or so he would like to put it that way.

His attention shifted to the man in front of him when the said person was smiling slyly.

"You have grown a soft spot for her, haven't you Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke just narrowed his eyes but did not say anything.

"You are not even going to deny it...?" Orochimaru asked with his eyebrows raised. "I never figured you could be such a romantic..."

"..."

"Fufu...It's no fun if I am the only one talking. You are no fun at all, Sasuke-kun." Orochimaru said, getting amused when Sasuke's face twitched in annoyance.

Some brief silence followed after Orochimaru's last remark. The sannin turned his attention to the sleeping red head. One of her hands lay so close to Sasuke's own, her body practically using his student's body as a warm comforter. Even though Sasuke's face was still stoic as always, he could tell the Uchiha didn't mind it at all.

Perhaps there was some truth to his teasing after all.

A grin was about to creep onto his face before he looked at his student who looked like he had something on his mind.

"...It's strange that you can move in this way as you please." Sasuke said while staring at the prow of the boat that advanced inside the mist. His former sensei had tried to destroy Konoha and assassinated the Fourth Kazekage. And besides these things, Orochimaru had committed various serious crimes.

"I am not free. And, Sasuke-kun, you're one to talk?" Orochimaru replied while turning his gaze at the waves stirred by the wind. As Orochimaru said, legally speaking, Sasuke should have been imprisoned for life.

Erza didn't know about any of the crimes the two had committed. Probably if someone had told her that she was going on a trip with two people who should have been given a death penalty, she would have had her guard up instead of relaxing her form near them.

"Besides, even Kabuto, who is one of the war criminals of the Fourth Shinobi World War, is living in the outside world now, right?" Sasuke asked.

Yakushi Kabuto was Orochimaru's right-hand man, and in order to know what kind of person he was he had kept storing one thing after another inside his body.

By means of the Reanimation Jutsu, a Kinjutsu he performed, the ninja world was about to follow the way of obliteration. Not to mention his actions, the lives he stole, all the crimes that were allowed.

Probably there are people who hated Kabuto's past actions, so there must have been people anxious about Kabuto's future. If he had been left alive, he could make the same mistakes again.

"Though, if compared with me, the probability that Kabuto runs into evil is lower." Orochimaru said with a serious look on his face.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Fufu… You don't trust Uchiha Itachi's power?"

Sasuke kept silent.

Itachi, who had been resurrected by Kabuto's Reanimation Jutsu, had fought against Kabuto to dispel this jutsu. That time, he had used Izanami on Kabuto. This jutsu made him look at himself over and over again, so that it wouldn't dispel until he accepted himself.

However, for Sasuke, who had seen how strong he was, it was hard to imagine how Kabuto had broken out of that Izanami.

"Despite appearances, even Kabuto had a person with whom he shared a bond. That probably became the guide that dispelled the jutsu."

"A person with whom he shared a bond?"

"Right. She's the woman who rescued Kabuto when he was a war orphan."

Sasuke, who didn't know about Kabuto's past, was surprised by this.

"At the beginning she was a Konoha shinobi, and then she was enrolled by the 'Root', and she became one of the elite of the Intelligence Division. For someone from the 'Root', she possessed an integrity that which you could even call unusual… But she left the 'Root', and went working in an orphanage. Kabuto was there."

"Kabuto wanted to be helpful to her and her orphanage, and he had been dragged into the war as a result. But his fate was sealed when he caught my eyes."

Orochimaru said this without flinching.

"As a result, Kabuto was burdened with Konoha's darkness, and it was arranged that he would kill her, whom he loved dearly and looked up to, with his own hands. From there on, he became my faithful subordinate. He managed to do any filthy thing with composure. However, when later on he gathered up and used all those well-known shinobi for the Reanimation Jutsu, apparently she was the only one who he didn't try to resurrect. He could have used her power as a shinobi as much as he liked. Maybe Kabuto's feelings as a human were all condensed there."

—He looks like my past self.

His older brother's voice was brought back to Sasuke's memory. Itachi had said this after he put Kabuto under Izanami. Itachi said that both he and Kabuto had been toyed with by the world of shinobi.

—I want Kabuto to realize this before he dies, unlike me.

Sasuke hadn't thought that Kabuto and Itachi were similar. Even now, he couldn't think that they were similar.

However, he could imagine that it was for Kabuto a pain that only Kabuto himself understood.

"It hadn't been communicated to Kabuto, but she always thought about Kabuto too. Maybe inside Izanami, he became aware of this love she held for him."

He wondered what kind of path in the world Kabuto would walk on from now. Probably this woman, who was so important for him, illuminated the way he would take.

Erza had woken up in the meantime with a stir though Sasuke wasn't able to notice that as he was occupied with his thoughts. He thought about the special bond Kabuto had with this woman while staring at Erza unconsciously, who was yawning and trying to wake up from her sleepiness.

..

"Sasuke?"

He blinked, looking around for a moment and then at her. She had a concerned expression on her face for him. He quickly regained his composure. 'How long was I staring at her?'

"You were staring at me so intently. Is everything all right?" Erza asked.

"..."

"Yes. He is dear." Orochimaru replied for Sasuke. "... Oh, it seems we have arrived at our destination."

The boat stopped at the coast as they all got down. They could see a huge arena like construct even from the coast. Sasuke grew suspicious as he looked at the huge building but kept quiet for the moment.

"Here is an island that doesn't exist. You can't find it even in the map."

Orochimaru spoke as he began walking through the slight lush of green on either side of a concrete path. Sasuke looked behind his shoulder at the boat that was beginning to go back before he started following the sannin.

"Stay close to me," Sasuke simply said, turning back at Erza. The whole path in front of them was very dangerous with mist everywhere blocking his vision. A perfect setting for assassinations. One could never guess what might happen next in places like these.

Erza didn't needed to be explained. She came to understand the ways of the shinobi during her travels with Sasuke. As much as she hated to admit, she wasn't good at stealth and it was best to let Sasuke deal with it. So, she just nodded and moved closer to him before the voice of Orochimaru filled the air.

"You can relax. I know that this place isn't exactly legal and most of the dealings that are done here are chary by nature. But that's the catch you see. This place is safe especially because of that and they know they can't risk the trust of the people they deal with."

"What are you hiding, Orochimaru?" Sasuke asked but didn't need an answer as it was given to him. They reached an arena and walked as a rogue shinobi greeted them with an exaggerated slur.

"Welcomeee!"

Starting from the dazzling attire of the shinobi's to the randomly sprawled luxurious buildings, the fancy clothes that crowd wore as they walked around looked mostly superficial from their point of view.

In front of Sasuke was a dome shaped construct that was clear to identify now.

"An arena?"

"This place is called the Coliseum."

Orochimaru answered, looking at the red head before motioning for them to follow inside the arena.

A match was already going on between two people as huge stands crowed an open field in the center. Erza could see two men fighting in the open field and the audience was cheering, going crazy as smell of booze filled her nostrils. At the corner of her eyes, she also noticed some cash being handed over by people sitting in exclusive cabins, separated from the common crowd.

"Glory for the winner! Despair for the loser! Rules are as simple as that, ladies and gentleman!" A moderator appeared in between as the previous fight finished. "The rules are simple. Just have your shinobi fight the opponent's shinobi in a free style battle. The winner gets the loser's shinobi. Now isn't that an easy way to achieve some great shinobi power, isn't it folks?"

Probably this place also had wagers and gambling going on as well. She turned to look at Sasuke but saw his face was also filled with disgust.

"It's like a show, isn't it?" Orochimaru said, creeping her up from behind.

"...yeah." she said trying to sound polite. "Who are the people that are fighting?"

"They are all kekkei genkai users like our Sasuke-kun here. Whoever wins, his owner gets the other shinobi." Orochimaru said having an amused expression.

"Our target is one of those bastards who are forcing them to fight?" Erza asked as Orochimaru nodded. "Unforgivable. That's just- Why don't they revolt?"

"It's an insurance and guarantee to their safety." Sasuke said, keeping his gaze fixed to the match. Orochimaru sneaked to somewhere meanwhile, leaving those two alone.

"Insurance…?"

"People tend to fear what is considered as inhuman," Sasuke kept his gaze on the shinobi that was being beaten by an earth style user before he looked at Erza. "In cases like that, people shun them down, some even going as far as to hurt them. All because common logic doesn't apply to them. So, it is better for them if they are with someone who doesn't mind them being kekkei genkai users. Even if the person they serve under forces them to participate in activities such as these."

This was most certainly true, even in the case of hidden leaf village. Many villagers were wary of Naruto during the early days due to the nine tailed fox demon that was sealed inside him. Many even considered his blonde friend as the reincarnation of the fox itself back then.

The Uchiha clan had also faced some similar discrimination due to their ability to control tailed beasts, so it most certainly wasn't uncommon with how people with unusual abilities were treated.

Erza grit her teeth in frustration. "You all are not some lively stock, you know."

Sasuke blinked at her reaction before nodding after a moment. "I agree. I never said I shared their opinion. Endure it until we can find Oyashiro En."

The woman beside him had absolutely no relation with them yet she felt anger as they were treated badly. It always surprised him and made him slightly envious whenever he realized how kind Erza was. She was a lot similar to Naruto in this aspect. If he were his old self, he wouldn't have even spared a second glance towards things that didn't concern him.

"Will Oyashiro show up here?" Erza asked, looking back at the battle that had reached its end. "Mr. Orochimaru said it himself that he is a weary man."

"Hm, true but however Oyashiro En shows up nowhere but here, more or less." It wasn't Sasuke who answered her as Orochimaru got back, his smile still in place. "Moreover, he doesn't appear unless he wants someone."

Meanwhile, apparently the match was being settled. The shinobi who had fought left the arena, and the moderators shouted the names of the following competition out loud.

"Found him?" Sasuke asked Orochimaru, deciding not to follow what was going on in the arena.

"Fufu… you will see." Orochimaru grinned, surprising Sasuke as the sannin fixed his gaze at the announcer.

Sasuke grew suspicious of what Orochimaru had planned as he followed his gaze to the moderator that announced the next match with every bit of excitement he could muster.

"This is the match of the day, ladies and gentlemen! The legendary Shinobi who attacked the Five Kage conference and the last of the survivor of Uchiha clan, Uchiha Sasuke! Vs Oyashiro En's comeback with the undefeated..."

The announcement after droned into cheers as both Sasuke and Erza stood with stunned expressions. After getting over the initial shock, Erza immediately reequipped her sword and pointed it at Orochimaru while he stood amused.

"What the heck were you thinking!? You don't know how much he despises this!" Erza said, taking a step forward but the last Uchiha stopped her.

"What is the meaning of this, Orochimaru?" Sasuke asked, his eyes narrowing dangerously. He was sure there was some explanation or else Orochimaru wouldn't have taken the trouble to come all the way here if he wanted to get rid of him.

"He took the bait."

"I am asking you what the meaning of this is."

"You know I wouldn't do this if there were no other way of luring him out." Orochimaru said, his interest now peaked at the red head who just summoned a sword from thin air. That being said, there were other pressing matters at the moment. "Please tell her to point her sword away or I would be forced to take out my Kusanagi as well. You get it, don't you?"

Sasuke knew Erza was strong but she was no match for Orochimaru in her current condition. Besides, it would just result the mission on a failure. Sighing, "It's all right, Erza."

"But-" She looked at the expression Sasuke held at the moment before huffing. "Fine."

"Don't mistake my intentions here. If it were easy to find the man himself, I would have done it." Orochimaru explained as things settled with the couple. "He is a wary man so he doesn't divulge his location so easily. It's not farfetched to say he is probably around Kabuto's level. However, he has to come out after the end of the match for the exchange. That is the practice here."

It looked Sasuke had no choice but to fight here to drag Oyashiro out. He clicked his tongue in displeasure as the crowd was growing restless with the lack of action.

"Oh my, is Uchiha Sasuke defaulting the match…?"

Sasuke turned to look at the red head as the moderator rambled on, "Hn. It looks like there isn't much choice after all."

Erza who still hadn't seen Sasuke's powers, was feeling uneasy. So as much as she wanted to trust him, she couldn't help but worry.

"Okay. Please be careful," she said backing away. Sasuke had a small smile before he narrowed his eyes, ready to jump into the arena, "I'll end it immediately." saying that, he jumped into the arena among loud cheers.

..

With Sasuke's arrival, the excitement grew among the crowd. His opponent had also arrived, as steam surrounded the youth's body.

The youth appeared to be in his late teens. Oyashiro's retainer; Futsu.

"Let the match begin!"

At the signal, Futsu immediately moved to attack Sasuke wasting no time. He immediately went through few hand seals as he inhaled before releasing something similar to mist from his mouth.

The mist faintly smelled like acid as Sasuke stayed in his position until the last moment before back flipping the corrosive jutsu.

"Vapor style, solid fog jutsu huh?"

Sasuke merely pointed out as he put some distance between them.

Judging by the dumb founded expression on Futsu's face, Sasuke knew he guessed right. There wasn't a lot of knowledge regarding that jutsu so probably his opponent had moved fast to attack him before he could figure out the jutsu. It was too bad though, because he already fought against this jutsu, once in the past.

The skill level of Futsu was nothing compared to the Mizukage's though, who was able to melt even his Susanoo. So there was nothing to worry about here.

Futsu who was on his guard, appeared frightened as Sasuke closed the distance between them in an instant. He wasn't looking into his eyes though, as if he was fearing looking into his eyes and released the fog jutsu again in panic.

'Hn, what an idiot.'

Sasuke thought as he nimbly dodged the jutsu before using the body flicker technique to appear insanely close to Futsu. Futsu who was still drawn in his previous attack, wasn't able to do anything as Sasuke dealt an astounding kick to his chest, causing him to be overthrown from the stage and crashed into a wall with a deafening sound.

"Aarghh!"

There was no need for Sasuke to show his sharingan to his opponent. Moreover his pride wouldn't allow him to display it in such a filthy place. Mere hand to hand combat was enough.

"…T-The winner is Sasuke!" The moderator yelled as he got over his initial shock and the crowd cheered along. Sasuke just glanced at the medical unit that was now treating Futsu before he got off the Diaz.

Just as Sasuke had proclaimed earlier to his partner, he did end it immediately. Erza was amazed by the brief dominance displayed by the Uchiha in this short battle. Actually, she wasn't sure if she could even call it a battle.

"That's just nothing. He can still do a lot more," Orochimaru said from beside her as if reading her mind.

"You knew Sasuke could easily win, didn't you? That is why you didn't hesitate to enter him into the matches." Erza said, talking to the snake sannin beside her.

"FuFu... seems like you found out." Orochimaru smiled. Then they followed an attendant and met Sasuke who joined them to the meeting place.

"Like I said, have some faith in me, Erza." Sasuke greeted with the corner of his lips curved up.

"Yeah, I am sorry. I should have held more confidence in you," she looked at him with a small smile before her expression grew one of worry. "So... what is going to happen to the candidate who lost?"

Sasuke closed his eyes and smirked, "...honestly...you truly are one of a kind", he mumbled under his breath before looking at her. "He returned back to his owner. Apparently, Mr. Snake guy here only made the deal in exchange for information."

"I heard that." Orochimaru said.

"I did say it out loud."

"Sasuke-san, great job. This way please," an attendant greeted them before he led them to a deserted stand in the arena. Upon reaching there, they saw a slim guy wearing a diamond shaped sunglasses and was surrounded by his two guards.

Apparently, that guy was the renowned richest person in the elemental nations and the former boss of the leader of the Lightening group who were after Erza and the scroll.

Orochimaru greeted the opposite guy like they were old acquaintances.

"Orochimaru-san, you meanie. Furthermore, this was the first time I have participated in years, and if he defeats him that quickly I end up looking bad too… And what's more, I couldn't even get a glance of the sharingan!"

Although he was complaining, the man was speaking mockingly.

"What can I say? I did tell him to put on a show but his girlfriend became all serious and ordered him to wrap it up quickly." Orochimaru said as both Sasuke and Erza winced slightly.

"Ah... so the great Uchiha Sasuke has a girlfriend. That certainly is a rare news. At least the legendary Uchiha clan survives that way," Oyashiro remarked, looking at the red haired beauty he presumed to have captured the last Uchiha's heart. His eyes went to the free flowing scarlet hair.

"And what more... his girlfriend seems to be another kekkei genkai user like himself and a member of the almost extinct Uzumaki clan... Ah! I am getting chills just imagining what kind of a user their children would become!"

He joked as Erza blushed at the unexpected words from Oyashiro En.

'C-Children..!'

On the other hand, Sasuke's expression became dark, "Be careful to choose your next words because they might be your last ones."

"My, my. The rumors are true. He sure is a stoic person, isn't he Orochimaru-san?"

Sasuke glowered, getting to the point, "Tell me all that you know about Fuushin, the leader of the Lightening group."

"Fuushin …? Hm, since you won, I guess I owe you that much. Originally he was a child from another owner. After I won him here, he became part of my group of guards. His birthplace must have been the Land of Water. Although, unlike the Village of the Hidden Mist that is in the mainland, he was from a small island in the outskirts. He was feared by the people of the village, and it seems that they got rid of him at a short age."

"They got rid of him…?"

To Sasuke, who frowned, "Isn't that how it is always with kekkei genkai users?" Oyashiro said.

"Things like unique powers bring nothing but fear from the point of view of weak people. Wrongly suspecting him just because he was different, they despised and discriminated him, and in the end they tried to eliminate him. It is as if he was miserable from the moment he was born."

Oyashiro's eyes moved to look at Sasuke as if he was evaluating the Uchiha's worth based on his rarity. He smiled sweetly, as if he was trying to tempt him.

"But I like them you know, the kekkei genkai. You know, they're good because they have a strong, rare feeling, don't they? That's why I gathered many of them, and accepted them in my group of guards, and to increase their level of rarity, I came to massacre all of them but one several times"

He was completely like a child that talks about his toys. Oyashiro's eyes turned their attention next to the woman beside Sasuke, who looked like she was having a hard time restraining herself from lashing out on him.

"There were many kids that were rebellious since birth. If I didn't know medical ninjutsu, I probably couldn't have raised them," he continued in his mocking tone. "Fuushin was a relatively quiet kid but one day out of the blue, he took other kids and ran way. I wonder why they left though. I even gave them an allowance-"

"I've heard enough."

Sasuke grit his teeth as he stood up. He didn't spare as much as a glance as he walked away from the stands, feeling disgusted with the whole conversion. Orochimaru's gaze turned curious before he too followed after the former avenger.

Orochimaru stayed quiet for a few moments as he walked behind the fuming Uchiha. Only once Sasuke reached a place behind the stands, far enough from the place Oyashiro was at did he stop.

"Oh my. He really ticked you off, didn't he?"

"Shut up."

"But I guess it's alright since we did gain the information we were after." Orochimaru smiled once again before looking around. "I don't see Erza. Come to think of it, I don't think she followed after us."

Sasuke's eyes widened faintly before snapping his head back in the direction they came from.

..

"…There they go away. They did not even say a good bye."

Oyashiro had a fake expression of hurt before he looked at the only person who stayed behind.

"Oh my, dear. You did not follow after your boyfriend?"

Erza looked at the man with a frown. She was beginning to wonder who was the real villain here- The people who were out there, planning to do mass immigration to another world, even if it involved risking the lives of the innocent bystanders—or the person in front of her who drove them towards it.

She was upset herself as it reminded her of the tower of Heaven where she was treated as a slave along with others back then. Those images came to her mind unintentionally as her mood went sour and she settled a death glare on the former owner of Fuushin.

"O-oi, you don't have to look at me like that, you know! I know I am rich and handsome, but you shouldn't leave your boyfriend just because of that. I can see how my treatment of kekkei genkai users might have turned you on-" He stopped, feeling a danger to his life for some reason as he could practically see some aura around the red head. "Alright, I will shut up now."

"You talk about giving them shelter, allowance and everything, but you don't actually see them as humans, do you?" She scowled as Oyashiro retreated to smiling. He wasn't even going to deny it.

"I knew you were a naïve girl from the moment I met you. You think it will be fair if I left them alone. They will probably hunted again. I was the one that protected them and gave them shelter and food. They would rather stay with me than listen to words especially from your group. Also Orochimaru-san, who's cooperating with you, came in possession of rare people here. Did you help those people? Why am I even saying it to you? You are also a kekkei genkai user, so you must know it."

This statement made Erza stare hard at the floor below her feet, cursing the sannin under her breath.

Sasuke, who had returned once he realized Erza didn't follow them retreated to observing what was going on behind a pillar.

Orochimaru who was with him, had a sweat run down his temple. 'This woman surely is troublesome just like that Kyuubi brat... meddling into affairs that doesn't concern them. Why did Oyashiro have to point it out?'

"You know? I think from the point of view of the victims, the disinterested people are the same as the wrongdoers. Those who didn't help them are the same as me. So, you all are equally guilty in their eyes." Oyashiro said justifying himself. "Your boyfriend was no different. Actually, I am not even sure if he is your boyfriend anymore. He had used others in the past for his goals. How is my hobby a bad thing and what he did a good thing, huh?"

Sasuke unconsciously clenched a hand as he became silent. He could see her arms trembling from what Oyashiro spoke of him. She was probably shocked after hearing how he had once been and probably couldn't believe it.

Oyashiro continued, "And now, you too will go away without stopping this hobby of ours that we practice here. How aren't you an accomplice? Look who's talking."

Sasuke bent his head down slightly, wondering what he was going to do as his partnership with Erza was at jeopardy. As much as he wanted to drag her away from the madman now, he was probably a touch too late.

'So, this is how it ends, huh.'

"...He has changed his ways."

His head perked up slightly as he heard Erza speak in a very low audible tone.

"Heh, I pity you." Even Oyashiro was surprised by her response as she continued, "Have you been treating people like objects all your life? If you can't see people for what they are, then it's your fault. And don't you dare compare yourself to him. He is different, unlike you. Even if what he have might once done in the past might be wrong, he is at least making an effort to do the right thing, Oyashiro."

She spoke the words sincerely that she felt at the moment. Oyashiro didn't look like he was too thrilled to hear what she had just said as his jovial behavior was all gone now and was replaced by a scowl.

"You wrench-"

"I am going to have to stop you there," Sasuke cutoff Oyashiro, walking in front of them as he looked at the merchant with an apathetic gaze. "Don't you dare finish that line."

Erza felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment at his appearance as she thought he had listened to what she just told about him. Nevertheless, she felt secure in his presence as she turned to look at Oyashiro with a newfound determination.

"You said that we aren't doing anything about it, right?" she asked in a sweet voice. Oyashiro panicked as he saw Sasuke knock out his two body guards in an instant. Few rogue shinobi that have been placed around started running towards them as Orochimaru and Erza took them out with their respective swords.

"Next are the prisoners, Oyashiro." Sasuke said, drawing his katana out and pointed at his face.

"Why the hell are you listening to the nonsense that the girl is spouting!?" Oyashiro asked infuriated.

"It's true I don't like to be ordered around. And, I admit that she is honestly annoying at times." Sasuke said without any remorse as a short objection came from the red head beside him. He continued, "However, only a few people can even tell me what to do. You cannot order me around unless you are the dobe or her."

The former avenger could see it clearly now. She was just like Naruto, who was his closest friend. She was indeed cut from the same cloth as Naruto. And just like the loser, she was also becoming someone who he could consider close.

"You wanted to see the sharingan, didn't you?" Sasuke said, as his clan's prized possession activated in his right eye. Oyashiro felt a chill run down his spine as he came into contact with Sasuke's sharingan before he was knocked out cold.

A few hours later, all the concerning authorities were captured and all the fighters were confined to an area. Sasuke contacted Yamato who was close by and asked him to call Konoha to take custody of them and decide what to do with them later-on.

Yamato and some back-up reached the place after some time and Sasuke handed them over to him. Sasuke looked at the group that was being escorted with a stiff expression.

"Leave it to me. They will be in Hidden cloud village's care as Lord Sixth suggested."

Yamato answered, reassuring the Last Uchiha.

"Thank you. Take care of them as they could have been very well be me." Sasuke answered as Erza stood beside him. Orochimaru stood at the back, not wanting anything with the conversation.

The shinobi thanked them and left with Yamato whereas the authorities were carried away by the back-up.

The last words of Yamato played in his head. 'You have turned a new leaf, Sasuke. I am sure Naruto would be happy to hear this success of your rescue mission.'

But the credit for freeing them wasn't entirely his. Half of the credit belonged to Erza. He felt he was able to take action because he had formed bonds with someone after so long. He was even able to understand his opponents, and in doing so, he felt something warm expand inside his chest. He instinctively remembered Naruto, who was a shinobi that came to grow by leaning on many people.

He wondered until where did Naruto's "world" spread, and what kind of scenery spread out in the future that Naruto aimed at. Above all in this way, when he was travelling around world, nothing but the obscurity of people caught his eyes. At least he had the company of someone to show him the slimmer ray of light that can be found in others when all he could see was only darkness. Someone who was just like his friend, though honestly less annoying than the loser and a company he might actually not mind having around.

But he could not afford to stop yet. He must continue on his current journey with a certain red head as the thief was still hiding somewhere out in the world, with the scroll of Dimensions that would take them to a magic land filled with fantasies.

And cut.

Please leave a review on what you thought about this chapter and I apologize in advance if there are any mistakes.

Until then, later!