Here is the next long awaited chapter in MOP. Thank you all for your support, especially for my second story Kitsune Clan. I have gotten a lot of great reviews on that one. It will get the next update when I finish the chapter.
There is not much going on in this chapter, a lot of dialog and set up, but it a necessary path in this story. I hope you enjoy it none the less.
Review Responses:
chandu-itachi: it may seem like there is a bit of a rush at times but I would like you to keep in mind that this is a very long story none the less. MOP is only one book of three in the peace series. And this one still has a way to go.
Chewie Cookies: I have to often reread other stories when they update so I remember what is happening in new chapters to. My 'spouse' is my wife and her pen name is jadedren.
Superboy99: A lot of the manga remained the same for the most part. I change some incongruencies that I could not even believe in. Kishimoto made some drastic errors in my opinion that were ridiculous. I dabbled with the idea of the rinningan, but have decided against it, at least for the time being.
Kingkakashi: The thing i like about the FF is that there is always someone stronger or a way to become stronger as shown in Naruto's further development in the rasengan variant. I wanted to convey the seriousness that Naruto can show, but also show that he is not a ruthless person. I hope it came off ok.
Starfire99: There will be a flashback to their arrival in chapter 25, as promised to Kingkakashi. It will address a private session between sensei's and students, plus a little bit of Hanabi time. Surprises and hilarity will be abundant in that chapter.
Three Days Later
We find a group of people within the secret confines of the Hokage Tower discussing information that had presented itself in light of recent events. The village outside those hallowed walls was in an uproar over the events that had crippled one of their greatest clans. But within this room the conversation that was taking place would determine the fate of the world as they knew it, regardless of how important the villagers thought their gossip was.
"So now that Sasuke is officially out of the picture and no longer a threat to the village, who was pulling his strings?" Tsunade asked.
"That unfortunately, I do not know," a blonde replied. "In the beginning of restarting Uzushiogakure we were left pretty much alone. But we quickly started to gain attention the faster we built the village, especially when we started to model it after the old village to complete the seal."
"What seal?" Kakashi inquired.
"The protection seal," Naruto looked at Tsunade expectantly. When he received a confused look from the woman the exacerbation was evident on his face. "How could you not know about the village seal, this village was modeled after the original in Uzu." Still nothing but confusion from all those in the meeting. "There should at least be something in the archives?"
There was still silence through the room, "Ok, just for your information, the original village of Konoha was designed off an Uzumaki seal. When it is activated a near impenetrable barrier is erected to protect all those inside."
"That is what you activated when Taka attacked?" Gaara asked.
"Yeah, as I was saying, during the recreation of the village there were a lot of attempts of people trying to infiltrate the village trying to gather information. We were lucky enough to avoid being identified through the support of the village people and any people that got close enough usually found themselves on a mainland shore without memory of being in Uzu no Kuni," he said with a smirk.
"You really are a pain. I have some of those people in our hospital and holding cells still suffering complete mental collapse." The Hokage was only starting, "Once we identified that seals were the cause we attempted to utilize the Yamanaka's abilities to remove it one time."
"And?" was Naruto's only response.
"He is in the room next to the one he tried to help," her ire was raised.
The seal master chuckled while scratching his cheek, "Yeah, they are pretty nasty seals. I'll take care of those when I can. Speaking of holding cells, was there any developments from my special guests?"
"Ibiki should be along shortly," Kakashi added. "I read the preliminary reports after her session with Inochi, Ino, and Anko. She is refusing to talk to anyone about anything until she meets with the Uzukage, Naruto. So he is bringing her here under my request. Inochi couldn't even break through her mind; he explained it must be because of her sensor abilities."
Naruto nodded. If it was his choice he would not have wanted to see the young woman who attempted to attack his village. But given the fact that she may have info he needed, and all attempts by interrogators have been less than fruitful he began to resign himself to the inevitable. His spy network was top notch, even better than his mentor, Jiraiya. Still he could not discover the true identity of the puppet master or the ultimate goals they sought. "While we wait I would like to discuss another threat," he added to the already full plate.
"I swear, how many threats can there be at one time to the world?" Sakura asked.
"It is the way of the ninja world," Tsunade sighed. "It was a major contributing factor that led to me leaving the village in the first place. I had been through two major shinobi wars, countless missions involving espionage, destruction, seduction, and assassination. I lost my grandfather, grand-uncle, parents, brother, and fiancé to wars. All in the name of it was for the betterment of the world and to keep civilization alive."
"And like you I left as well for the same reasons," Naruto chimed in. "Nagato warned of the impending battles and wars that were sure to come to pass after I defeated him when he attacked Konoha. Hinata just decided to follow me due to extenuating circumstances," he smiled at his wife. "The warning was that someone was after the biju, which we already knew when they captured Gaara, and through Ero-sannin's resources. I figured if I disappeared and was labeled as dead that the person that was after the remaining tailed beast would have to put their plans on hold until Kurama reformed after my death. I would possibly take ten or possibly twenty years for that to take place. It would leave the ninja world to live in peace for a decent amount of time."
All of Naruto's friend's look around dejectedly at the sacrifices that the blonde had already made, and was still willing to make. Not wanting to get off topic he continued, "But that can wait until our guest arrives. The threat I mentioned was Orochimaru's long time lackey, Kabuto,"
There was a grinding of teeth at the mention of the slippery and despicable man. "You have information on the bastard?"
"Yeah, he has been maintaining a low profile since Sasuke killed the snake-teme. But I was able to track him down to an area several miles outside on Kusagakure. The reports have been disturbing to say the least and would likely warrant immediate attention, with your approval of course Hokage-sama."
"If the information warrants it then I would be happy to support a joint operation," she intoned.
"The toads that I utilize to track him down had informed me that he has taken his former masters mantel, and surpassed his capabilities. His capabilities have grown astronomically, and like I has achieved sage mode through the use of the snake summons, but on a much greater level without limitations," he said with a frown, hating to admit his own short-commings.
"I saw your fight with Pain, how can someone surpass the power you displayed during that time?" his former pink haired teammate inquired.
Naruto sighed, "Unlike Kabuto currently, I can only maintain sage mode for five minutes maximum."
"But you maintained that state for a much longer period though," Tsunade stated curiously.
"I do it through the use of shadow clones. I make clones to gather the nature chakra for me. Doing so in mass, I can expel a clone when I near my limit to extend my time. Kabuto does not require this work-around as he has given up a large portion of his humanity and fused his body with the great white snake. He currently lives in a state of sage mode the entire time." The entire idea of giving up your humanity disgusted him greatly, and by the looks of the people in the room there was a consensus in his feelings toward the idea.
"Even with the additional boost in power it wouldn't be sufficient enough to pose a threat if numbers were on our side. If we push forward with overwhelming force, there is a great chance that we could defeat him without suffering any loss," Gaara speculated.
Naruto shuddered at the idea of losing a friend, but felt it best for them to understand all the risk they may encounter should Konoha offer assistance. "That is the battle plan that I have chosen to take as well but that it is not the greatest concern where Kabuto is concerned." He steeled his gaze and looked at everyone in the room, insuring that everyone was closely paying attention. "In taking up Orochimaru's mantel he has also taken up his masters obsessions with the Nidaime Hokage's kinjutsu, the Edo Tensi."
There was a growl that was coming from the current Hokage, a gasp from the soon-to-be Hokage, and confusion from a majority of the others. "So that those of you who don't know, the technique reanimates those that have died…"
"Naruto, that, is a kinjutsu of Konaha and is not to be known to exist by those not authorized by the Hokage," Tsunade threatened.
"Regardless of how you feel Baa-chan, those that are here, need to know this information, as it may be them on this mission," Naruto shot back. "What your teammate used when he fought jiji was only the tip of the iceberg to the reports I have now. Kabuto has been looking to perfecting the technique, making those that he brings back unstoppable. He has taken your grand-uncle's and his master's research and pushed it as far has he could go." The blondes' eyes drooped with the stress he felt. "I know how you feel, Hinata and I have been living in secret, even from those we care about. But everyone needs to be prepared for what may await them when we encounter the snake-teme."
Casting him a glance the Hokage grunted, knowing what he said was true. She gave him a nod to continue. "As the name implies, it plucks a soul from the dead and gives it a physical form, and he uses the recreations to do his bidding. They are unstoppable in every sense of the word. Chop a limb off and it reconstitutes, a head just melds back together, and even blowing it up will only give you several moments rest before it fully reforms."
"Then how do we defeat an enemy that cannot be killed?" Gaara asked.
"There are two ways that I know of to put them down permanently," the blonde sighed. "The first is through the same means that jiji dispatched the first and second Hokages"
Shock spread across Kakashi's face at the implication, "But that would mean the use of the 'Death Summoning Seal'. The user must forfeit their life to perform the technique."
"I won't allow that to happen. We must find another way to take them out before I would even consider joining in such a foolish operation," Tsunade declared.
"Relax Baa-chan, that wasn't an option I was willing to take either unless it became truly dire," Naruto quickly added to quell the concerns. "I planned on using option two, though it is a little less than desirable."
"What could be less desirable than losing your life just to defeat one person amongst an army of reanimated people?" Sakura inquired.
"It is a sealing method that will incase the reanimated body into a scroll. The less than desirable part of it is that the soul occupying the body will also be sealed as well. The will find no rest in the afterlife through this method," Hinata spoke up. "They will forever be locked in the limbo of the seal for all eternity unless we find a way to separate their soul from the bodies once again."
Naruto grasped her hand reassuringly, "I told you I would find a way Hinata-chan. I just need a little more time."
Neji picked up the concern on his cousins face and decided there was something personal in the exchange. "Why is there such a big concern about sealing some random reanimated people?"
Naruto hated hiding this secret from his best friend; he has been doing so for a while now. He steeled his resolve and figured it was time to let him know now than in the heat of battle. "Your father has been spotted near an area where we believe that Kabuto has taken up camp in."
At the mind shattering news, Neji's heart plummeted into his bowels. The normally pale man turned even greater shades of white, to the point he nearly turned translucent. "We will do everything we can to free his soul once more Nii-san," Hinata spoke trying to sound as reassuring as possible. Tears were welling in her eyes at the state of shock on her cousins' face.
"We will, I am already working on it," Naruto tried to sound convincing. "As you can tell the enemy we will face is just not some random shinobi brought back to life," he tried to cement the idea of the trials they will likely face ahead. "We will likely encounter famous people from times past, family, loved ones, and prominent figures in the shinobi arts. They are likely to be seen at the point they were at the top of their game, at the strongest point in their lives. They will be dangerously strong and must be met head on with no hesitation. Kabuto's control on them will be supreme and they will not hesitate to kill you, no matter the ties that you once held with them."
Just then the doors swung open and in stepped Ibiki with his head wrapped in his bandana, strutting with all the authority that he had earned through his years of dedicated service. Next to him was a man with long blonde hair in a ponytail. Upon first glance it appeared as if it was Ino, but that notion would quickly give away once the masculine figures were noticed. Inochi walked in with the air of authority he normally had, just the same way he carried himself during the council meetings. In the back of the group was a woman that sent shivers down his spine. He grabbed his cheek absentmindedly as memories of his encounter with her resurfaced. She had a sneer on her face when she eyed the blonde Uzukage, one that did not sit well with him. Between the trio was a person of great importance in the information loop-holes that plagued both villages to the threats they faced.
As the group passed Naruto toward an empty seat Ibiki spoke to the young man, "Do not think I will forget what you have done."
"I will have my pound of flesh for what you did to my playground," the trench coat wearing kunoichi added.
Naruto gulped as they passed and sat the VIP in the solitary chair with Inoichi and Anko taking her flanks as a security precaution. "You have your face-time as you demanded. I suggest you speak quickly and tell us what we want to know before we resort to old methods of extracting information," Ibiki instructed.
Anko leered at her with a sickening smile, "I could use a release after all the damage that I had undo to the forest." She quickly shot a glance to Naruto that spoke untold volumes of pain if she ever got a hold of him.
Karin spoke softly at first, "I wish to be granted asylum."
"What did you say?" Tsunade inquired. The red head's voice was so low she could not hear it clearly.
"I want asylum in the country of my ancestors in exchange for what I know," she said loud enough for all to hear.
"And where would that be?" Kakashi asked.
Karin did not fully know what she was doing, or what her consequences would be if granted, but she pushed forward regardless, her need to see the homeland of her grandmother driving her thoughts. "Uzushiogakure."
Naruto's mouth opened with uncertainty, as did several others. "Why would you think that Uzu is your homeland," he said when he regained his bearings.
Karin had the decency to look timid in front of the scrutinizing gazes. "My name is Karin Uzumaki. My family was from Uzu no Kuni and members of the Uzumaki clan. Both of my parents were Uzumaki. My grandmother would tell me stories of her childhood home in Uzu. And until my parents were killed and the village we lived in destroyed, I would have married another Uzumaki with the hopes of one day returning to our homeland."
Everyone was currently trying to digest the shocking information as quickly as it was given, none more so than Naruto. Hinata looked at her husband, and she saw hope in his eyes. She knew it was the prospect of having additional family members, even if they were spread throughout the nations. "What village was this in?" Sakura asked.
Naruto looked to Sakura with a thankful nod, grateful she had asked the question that remained on his tongue. "It was a small village in Kusa. There were several families living in the village that were of Uzumaki decent."
"I remember that village," Kakashi chimed in. "I was sent on an investigation assignment there after we got word of the devastation."
"That was the one where we found evidence of the snake bastards?" Anko asked. Kakashi nodded in response.
"How can you remember just a single mission like that? Out of all the missions you have likely done, I would think it would be nearly impossible to recall one so easily," Hinata inquired curiously. Given their age they had only completed so many missions and it was difficult to remember certain ones with so little detail provided to recall it.
Kakashi lowered his head in remembrance, "That is the case with most missions. But this was a rare exception. There are many missions though that one will go through if they live long enough that have a greater impact on your life. A few I can remember easily, some still haunt my dreams to this day." Kakashi looked to Karin sadly, "Your village is one of the latter."
Anko recalled just the same as she began to answer everyone's unspoken questions. "When we arrived at the village it was in utter ruins. Houses were burned to the ground; stone walls were destroyed to the point that it was mere rubble. There were jutsu craters pock marking the roads and surrounding areas." She swallowed thickly as she continued, "Bodies were thrown around as if they were rag dolls, some in the most gruesome fashion. Men, women, and children, none were spared. Even babies in their cribs were not left untouched."
"As we buried the dead we came across the village registry and accounted for all the bodies but three," Kakashi picked up where Anko left off. "Two were a married couple," he stopped as he looked at his blonde student. There was a look of hope in his eyes, "They were not of Uzumaki decent, I'm sorry."
"They may have been out of the village at the time when he attacked it." Anko continued. "I don't remember the name of the third name on the list but I do know it was a little girl." The memory infuriated her. When she found out that a little girl was missing at the time it hit home with her. The evidence of the attacker leading to it being her former sensei, and the notion of him having taken a small girl for his own gain, was too close to home for her. "That must have been you."
A nod was Karin's only response. "You mean to tell me you willingly followed the man that attacked your village and killed your family!" Sakura said in disbelief.
This time Karin shook her head, "I did not know that at the time. I was young, and scared. When he found me in my home where my parents told me to hide, he said that he scared off the attackers and that he would protect me."
"You expect me to believe that you knew nothing about the truth all this time?" Anko asked.
She hung her head in further shame, "As I grew and lived around the sannin I had developed my suspicions. It may have been out of fear, or not wanting to face my past that I never brought it up. Eventually he put me in charge of one of his bases and I grew content as long as I was left alone. I just carried on out of habit I guess." Reliving the memories only amplified her regret, "I didn't know he actually did it until just now."
"I will grant your request depending on the information you provide and its validity," Naruto interjected. "If for any reason you leave anything out or put the future operation or our villages in danger, I will execute you myself, clan member or not."
Karin looked to the young blonde with a glimmer of hope in her eyes. She nodded "Anything you want Uzukage-sama."
"You can start by cutting the 'sama' crap. Niceties don't work with me," Naruto informed. "Then you can tell us who is pulling the string of Akatsuki."
"I have never seen his face personally, but I have heard him going by a few names. He normally wears an orange mask with a single hole to see through," she started.
"You mean Tobi?" Kakashi asked.
"That is one name he goes by," as she recalled. "When he was speaking Sasuke-ku… Sasuke, he introduced himself as Madara Uchiha." She caught herself from speaking of the Konoha traitor in such an affectionate term. It wasn't that she thought of him affectionately anymore that caused the slip, but rather habit. One she swore to break after he had tried to kill her by sucking her life out of her.
Tsunade gasped at the name and Naruto was thinking hard about the name, trying to gather all the information he could on it. "So it is true? Madara did survive?"
Karin shook her head again, "I don't think so Hokage-sama. While I was wandering through the halls of the established base I overheard him talking to his second in command, a plant-thingy-man whatever. His second called him by another name, Obito Uchiha I think it was."
"Liar!" Kakashi cried out. Everyone turned their head in shock to the one-eyed Hokage-to-be. He sighed at his own outburst, but his anger remained ever present. "Obito was my teammate on Minato sensei's team. He died in Iwa during the Third Shinobi War. His body was crushed to death during a cave in and I was unable to save him. I saw his mangled body beneath the rocks."
"Many of us have lost teammates Kakashi," Ibiki stated. "But given the reports of the capabilities of the ninja within the terrorist organization, it is best to assume the impossible."
Tsunade looked to her successor in understanding, "Ibiki is right. You were there when Team Ten went after those that killed Asuma. One being Hidan the Immortal, to this day he is buried within earth, alive for all we know."
Kakashi did not want to accept what he was told, but there was a great deal of validity to the words of wisdom. "I am sorry I cannot give you a description, as I said, I did not see who was behind the mask," Karin added.
"It is fine," Naruto stated. "What about the situation with Sasuke and the masked man? How long will it take to reach the hideout and inform him of my living status?"
Karin looked to the blonde. "It is unlikely that Sasuke will return to him."
"Why not? Does your team not work for him?" Gaara asked.
"The arrangement is not that simple as allegiance or employment," she continued. "The masked man promised him power and the resources he needed to destroy Konoha for their involvement in the Uchiha massacre. Considering he was so easily defeated by his former teammate, his pride would be utterly destroyed as well. He has gotten stronger, but clearly he was out of his league."
"What would be his likely course of action?" Tsunade inquired.
The red head thought for a moment, "I don't know where he would go but he would be looking for a way to get stronger. I don't know what you did to him," she looked at Naruto. "But he would likely need a lot of recuperation from what I could see." There was almost a hint of satisfaction in her voice. "He would not seek out the masked man because the power he was granted was not enough to even compare to you."
"That leaves us at a complete dead end as far as the traitor is concerned?" Anko stated the obvious.
"What about the base that the masked man is currently using?" Gaara asked.
Karin turned to the Kazekage, "HHHWith a map I can show you the location."
"What about potential allies?" Tsunade demanded.
Thinking hard she did recall something on the matter, "I believe that he had some sort of accord with the current snake sannin…"
"Kabuto!" Naruto nearly shouted, bringing up the previous topic again.
She nodded, "Yeah. They mentioned something about an exchange of resources. The man in the mask was very curious about some dead bodies." She shivered at the thought. "In exchange there was mention of some genetic material and research."
"We have to act before those two can develop anything more dangerous than they already have," Tsunade said with urgency.
Naruto nodded in agreement, "We cannot let those two collude any longer than they already have."
"Right, Naruto, you get your wish," the Hokage continued. "There will be a collaboration effort in the capture or utter defeat of Kabuto. A team from Uzushiogakure and those that you have suggested will be dispatched at the earliest possibility to hunt for him. For those ninja from this village it will be listed as an S-rank assignment and pay plus preparation will be made available. I do not need to inform you how dangerous this mission is."
"Hokage-sama," Neji interjected. "I know that my current orders now standing are that of training the new Hyuga head, but I am requesting a place on this team."
She looked at him in understanding. "Granted," she said reluctantly.
"Good," Naruto chimed in. "Hinata and I will gather a…" he stopped as he felt a tug on his sleeve.
"I cannot join you on this assignment Naruto-kun," Hinata spoke softly.
He looked at her quizzically after he was sure of what she said. He was about to question her when she picked up his hand and placed it on her stomach, flashbacks began to assault him of the last time she acted as such. His eyes widened in realization of the meaning, "A-a-are you sure?" A smile graced her lips as she looked at him lovingly. With a simple nod of her head he shot from his chair and wrapped her up in a hug, lifting her feet from the ground as he twirled her around. He shouted with joy as the other occupants in the room looked on in confusion.
"Am I missing something?" Anko questioned as she leaned toward Kakashi. He shrugged in response.
The joyous blonde turned to everyone, "I'm going to be a daddy!" he shouted.
"You already are," Sakura stated the obvious.
Hinata giggled at the obvious statement. "I am pregnant again Sakura-san."
Tsunade cracked a wide grin at the news, "If I didn't know better, I would think you were trying to bring back the Uzumaki clan single handedly."
A grin threatened to split his face as he looked at the Hokage, "What can I say? I can't keep my hands off of her." Hinata blushed deeply at his response to the insinuation. As did most of the other females present in the room.
Anko for her part just turned to Ibiki, "How come I can't find a man that couldn't keep his hands off me?"
"That may be because the last one that tried lost his hands and another vital appendage that contributes to pregnancy." With a vicious grin on her face at remembering the incident, everyone laughed at the idea, although some of the males chuckled a little while secretly covering their precious family jewels.
After a few moments when the laughter died down, there was a covered cough. Everyone turned to the source, the red headed bull in the room. She didn't want to interrupt their merry time; in fact she envied their camaraderie. "What about me?" she asked wanting to know her fate as she felt she upheld her end of the agreement.
"I'm afraid you will have to find your own man to give you a child." Everyone turned to the least likely source of the joke, Neji.
Uproarious laughs resonated off the walls at the unexpected joke. Karin just glared at him even though her blush betrayed her ire. As the jovial mood died once again Naruto turned to her, "You will return to Uzu and be placed within the detainment center for the time being." She looked at him with a down cast expression, hopes slipping as he spoke. "If after this mission the information you have and will provide us is validated you will be granted access into the population of Uzushiogakure. Under supervision, of course." She looked at him again with some hope returning to her face. "When the council and I decide that you are no longer a threat to the village, or world for that matter, then and only then will you be allowed to live your own life within the village, free of scrutiny."
She nodded her head in understanding, feeling as if this was her closest chance she had at achieving her childhood dream, the one developed from the stories of her grandmother. "I understand."
Deep in an Underground Bunker
Screams echoed throughout the carved walls of the complex. Anguish was the name of the symphony to the conductor. In a far off room, not so sterile, an operation was taking place. An operation that that the 'surgeon' took great delight in.
"Quit you sssniviling," he hissed out. "I told you it would be painful."
"Be more careful," the patient yelled. "Those are my eyes."
The doctor stabbed a lone eyeball that was sitting on the counter next to him, one he had just removed from the man on the table. "Which are utterly uselessss now. No thank to your incompetence."
"If that freak in a mask had just given me what I asked for, this would have been a different senerio," he shot back. Screams escaped his throat once again and as the pain increased his vision vent black. The tone of the wails became so high his throat closed up and silence again settled. Finally there was a squelch sound and the surgeon placed the second eye on the counter. Sobbing sounds could be heard as his throat opened again to allow much needed air into his lungs.
"You are very fortunate that I was able to barter these from Madara. I was originally going to use them in research. On sssecond thought I ssshould just leave you blind," the man cackled. "It would be interesting research to see how blindnessss effects the battle prowessss of an Uchiha, eh Sasuke."
He panted as air refilled his lungs, "We have an agreement you snake. You just do as you're told and you can have all the research subjects you want. I will even throw in the carcass of the dobe after I am finished with him."
"Yessss, yesss. Just make sure you hold up your end of the bargain. Try not to damage the Kyubi vessel too severely. I would like as many samples as I can get." He hissed as he pulled an eye from a jar with a milky liquid. After putting the eye into the empty socket he retrieved the second and repeated the process. "These eyes cost quite a few of my creations. Not to mention the formula to release the technique."
As he began to apply healing chakra to the eyes Sasuke's head began to feel a tingling sensation as if the skin around his eyes was itching. Pain started to well within the sockets of the transplanted eyes, but he bit back the agonizing sensation. It was far from what he experienced when his eyes were removed and tolerable, even if it was a little.
The snake doctor started wrapping gauze around the patient's eyes, "It will be a while before you will be able to use your new eyes at all. The optic nerves need time to heal naturally even though I already reattached the endings. After that you will have to readjust to using them in any combat scenario."
"How long?" he grunted out.
The man hummed in thought as he turned away to gather his supplies. "At least a month before the bandages could be removed. Then the actual rehabilitation will take longer but be entirely up to you on the duration. I am estimating by the time you are able to use the eyes in basic combat your hand and wrist should have some mobility. Just remember that the damage done there will never recover to one hundred percent."
"It matters not. My brothers' eyes will guide me to my vengeance," Sasuke stated. "What of the curse mark?"
As he packed the last of the tools he turned to the young man. "It was completely removed from your system. Something I would like to study in great detail. But if you are asking if I could implant a new one, the answer is no. It was a heavily guarded secret of my predecessor. Even if I knew how to complete the procedure and the jutsu, without Jugo's chakra and genetic material, it would be pointless to try."
The pale man made his way to the door and proceeded to exit, "Just rest for now Sasuke-kun. There is plenty of time to plot your revenge another day."