Viridian and jade rustled into the peripheral of Sasuke's view as he gently shoved aside obstructing branches while searching for an isolated spot to train in peace. He had been walking for quite some time, long enough that he was slightly out of breath. The lack of exercise and nearly two months of bedrest had started taking a toll. Ignoring the tightening in his chest, Sasuke pushed forward in his miniature quest.
Soon enough, more and more of the morning sunlight peaked through the holes assembled by the leaves of the thick forest, and Sasuke more or less stumbled out of the woods into a breathtakingly refreshing and spacious glade, split cleanly in two by a very wide, sparkling river.
Sasuke caught his breath while standing bent over with his right hand resting on his right thigh. Filling his lungs to its maximum capacity, he took in the fresh pine-scented air through his nose and closed his eye. He straightened upright, exhaling as he continued to see the world in darkness behind his eyelids.
He took two steps forward, stepping out of his tattered black sandals, and completely halted all and any movement, just standing there with an arm and a half at his sides. He stood so still, he could have fooled himself into thinking the world had stopped, if not for the sounds, smells, touches, feelings that entered his senses.
The rushing of the river. The sing-song calls of different birds echoing through the trees. The dewy plush of the grass under his toes. The light wind tickling his earlobes. The agonizing pulse of his obliterated left arm... Sasuke concluded that although time was reversible—he was living proof of this—it was definitely unstoppable.
He opened his stance. He punched the air without any trace of the wavering emotions battling in his heart; swiftly and confidently, he fell into familiar katas—taijutsu ingrained into him through muscle memory and patterns of flawless kicks and punches and graceful spins practiced countlessly.
Sasuke took a little while to adjust to his missing limb, but he was always a quick learner and adapter. He figured out ways to compensate for his left arm by substituting what was normally supposed to be left-handed punches with either his legs or right arm.
The strongest shinobi possessed absolute mastery of the fundamentals, and Sasuke was no exception. Back to the basics he went, planning to refresh his body from bottom up. He remembered a time when he would have ridiculed this idea, when he just wanted to be as strong as possible as quickly as possible. When he would pore over his clan's arsenal of jutsu and attempt to teach himself all of them without really possessing a firm foundation. When he was stupid and naive, famished for power.
But he wasn't his thirteen or fifteen-year-old self anymore. He wasn't even the same person he'd been a few months ago. What was his ambition now? What was his purpose for living? Now it seemed as though his life held no meaning. He wasn't even supposed to be alive in this time.
His punches and kicks grew agitated, and Sasuke gritted his teeth in frustration. If there was a higher being out there, it seemed to Sasuke as though they loved toying with his life. First, he found out that his entire clan is bound by a curse; second, the said curse was manifested in Sasuke when his whole family was murdered in front of his eyes by his older brother of all people; third, after spending half of his life nurturing this Curse of Hatred and seeking vengeance, he learned the truth behind Itachi's actions and that his brother never stopped loving him all along; and lastly, when he finally came to his senses and Naruto's Will of Fire overcame his Curse of Hatred, he just had to end up nearly a hundred years in the past.
Breathing heavily, he threw himself onto the grass and opened his unbandaged eye. The morning sky was a clear, vibrant blue. Carefree, fluffy white clouds floated past. He paused, catching his breath. Without even turning his head and still staring at the sky, he addressed the carefully concealed presence in the bushes a little ways behind him.
"I know you're there."
The presence faltered, as if hesitating to reveal himself, but the spectator decided it was futile to hide from Sasuke's detection and stepped out.
"How did you know I was there? I was suppressing my signature," Madara, impressed, asked curiously.
"No matter how hard one tries, not one man can completely erase his presence from this world apart from death."
"Oh? But I would say that I even consider myself as a master of controlling my presence."
Sasuke shrugged, and didn't say anything more. Madara twitched in annoyance and decided to investigate Sasuke further.
"Say, you up for a spar? I could use a good workout right about now."
Sasuke sat up and finally looked up at the other man.
"No."
Madara blinked, clearly taken aback. He wasn't expecting a rejection.
"Is it your injuries? Are they not healed yet?"
The perpetual frown on Sasuke's face deepened, and Madara could just feel Sasuke's irritation at the suggestion that he was weak. But Sasuke didn't voice his thoughts. Madara could see that Sasuke was a person careful with words and emotions.
"I'm fine."
"Then why?"
Truth be told, Sasuke wished to interact with Madara and Izuna as little as possible. This was kind of impossible now, now that he had already gotten their attentions, but he thought it was wise not to give them any more information about him than he already had—especially his fighting style. Not to mention, the excruciating pain in his left arm had been tormenting him from the moment he woke up in this world. He refused to show any weakness.
Ignoring Madara's question, Sasuke deftly stood up and made to stalk away. Madara's eyebrows knitted together in annoyance, clearly not used to being snubbed, and decided to make the first move anyway.
Sasuke sensed Madara's attack the millisecond his foot lifted from the ground, and his knees automatically dropped in one fluid motion as he ducked a kick strong enough to have landed a fatal blow. Sasuke's brow twitched and he turned his head to refuse the older male's offer once more, but Madara decided he wasn't finished and swiped another low kick at Sasuke as he crouched on all fours. This time, Sasuke lightly hopped over the limb. He jumped backwards to considerably distance himself.
"I said—"
"It doesn't matter what you say! I want to spar you, so I will!" Madara grinned, and shot forward with a burst of chakra expelling from his feet. It took Sasuke willpower to not slap a palm to his face. He had no other choice but to humor his living ancestor, as much as he didn't want to.
So the spar had turned into somewhat of a test of endurance for Sasuke, dodging Madara's fast and powerful taijutsu left and right and continuing to remain on the defensive.
"Stop dodging and attack me!" Madara demanded, annoyed by the younger Uchiha.
"Tch." So pushy. Fine, if Madara wanted him to attack, then he would. But to make his powers as inconspicuous as possible, he concluded he would have to finish the fight in one decisive blow without using his Sharingan abilities. He wasn't quite sure if Madara had even awakened his Mangekyou yet at this point in time.
Sasuke also kind of wished he had his chokutō with him, but it was whatever.
The two stood in their respective spots for a good twenty seconds, staring each other down. Madara tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for Sasuke to attack him. When Sasuke gave no indication that he would, he charged once more headlong to the patient teen.
Madara was very fast, but Sasuke was hailed as one of the, if not the, fastest shinobi of his own generation. His fingers came together in a blur. Madara's eyes automatically bled red, three black commas swirling as he perfectly read the hand seals Sasuke formed. It was all too familiar to him.
Hah. The Gōkakyū? Such a simple move.
Sasuke released the jutsu from a large exhale without even calling the name of the clan technique. Madara easily sidestepped to the right of the large fireball, but then at that very moment, his vision transitioned from hot orange flames immediately to a blinding electric blue. So fast! His arms came up to block this strange lightning attack and was thrown back a few meters. Had there always been Uchiha with an affinity for the lightning element?
The smell of burnt flesh permeated the air, and Madara stood up, examining his singed arms. He could tell Sasuke hadn't put much chakra or power behind the attack. He grinned. Interesting!
"How did you know where I was going to be when I evaded your Gōkakyū without activating your Sharingan? It also seemed as if you would have been even faster than how quickly the Sharingan would have predicted my move. Not to mention, I could have easily opted to take cover in the forest."
"I don't need to use the Sharingan for such trivial things," Sasuke dryly replied.
What! Madara twitched. That's almost like he's saying he doesn't need his Sharingan to spar me!
Madara growled, "I'll wipe that condescending attitude right off your—"
"Well, if it isn't Madara!" A booming voice entered the fray, and both Uchihas turned to look at the newcomer who stepped out from the shadows of the trees on the other side of the great river. Sasuke immediately recognized this man, although he looked much livelier, younger, and healthier than the last time he saw his reanimated form from during the war.
The Shōdaime Hokage.
Sasuke resigned to the fact that he couldn't escape encounters with Konoha's most famous historical figures, whether they ended up being commemorated or detested, and let out a sigh.
Hashirama seemed to notice him to, and nodded his head to Sasuke in trepidation.
"Oh? Seems like Otouto-san joined you today." Noticing Sasuke's bandaged left eye, he hesitantly called, "I apologize on behalf of my clan if your injury was due to the battle from last time." He pointed to his own eye in reference. "I came here to reminisce our childhood days, but it seemed like you decided to do the same."
Sasuke could see that Madara was clearly conflicted. On one hand, nostalgic feelings for his childhood best friend had suffused throughout his body, but on the other hand, the clash of their clans and his duty as the next Uchiha leader had kept him at bay from greeting the Senju back. After all, they had just butted heads a couple months ago.
"He's not Izuna. He's another clan member."
Hashirama crossed his arms and his eyes opened in surprise, "The resemblance is uncanny. Do all Uchiha look so similar to each other?"
"I can't believe you're seriously asking this after fighting in countless battles against my clan and murdering hundreds of my clan members! But for the most part, I gue—wait, why are you really here? You can't have possibly come here solely for nostalgic purposes." Madara refused to be sidetracked.
"I mean, it's not like many women from your clan show their face in battle, so it wouldn't hurt ask anyway."
"What? What do Uchiha women have anything to do with this?" Madara demanded.
"I guess that can be counted as evidence that she's not a member of the Uchiha clan," Hashirama muttered to himself, "but we can't discount her from being a spy for them either..." he sighed. "If only Tobirama wasn't so convinced that she's one of the bad guys, I wouldn't have to be the one doing all this roundabout snooping..."
"What are you going on about?" Madara called over the rushing river. He couldn't quite make out Hashirama's self dialogue.
Hashirama ignored his inquiry and seemed focused on his own agenda as he proceeded to ask, "Your clan doesn't happen to be missing a girl about," he pointed to Sasuke, "his age, does it?"
"...No..." Madara slowly enunciated. "Not that I know of. I would know, especially if it's a female clan warrior. There weren't that many to begin with."
"Hm," Hashirama thoughtfully put a finger to his chin, "What about any female healers? Not missing any of those either, right? Particularly from our last encounter two months ago?"
"Look, I don't know why you're asking this, but if you don't want to start another impromptu blood fest, then I suggest you leave before Izuna or your brat of a brother shows up."
"Doesn't seem to be that either. Well, I think I acquired what I came to look for!" Hashirama smiled. Madara always gave him a chance to go instead of attacking him immediately, unlike his younger brother. In that respect, Hashirama still held pure hope for making peace with the Uchiha. When it came time for both of them to take leadership of their respective clans, Hashirama vowed to bring up the idea of a ceasefire and an eventual treaty once more.
He turned around, ready to leave the two Uchiha to their own devices again but tilted his head back as an afterthought.
"Oh and one more thing—try to be a little bit nicer to your surroundings would you?" As Hashirama walked away, the charred area affected by Sasuke's fireball technique rumbled slightly, and pristine new trees and grass sprouted and shot up in place of the scorched. Sasuke's eyebrow arched, impressed.
"Tch. Show off," Madara grumbled. "What was that all about anyway? I swear he's always off in a world of his own..."
Sasuke gave a dispassionate shrug and retreated back into the woods himself.
"Hey! We weren't done!"
"You really shouldn't be moving around this much," Izuna commented, already sitting in seiza and sipping freshly brewed tea as Sasuke re-entered his temporary abode.
And here's the other one, Sasuke mentally resigned.
"...and I'm telling you, next time spar me with everything you got! Or else—oh, Izuna! Where have you been?" Madara sauntered into the cabin.
"Here," he simply replied. "I didn't think he would be up and about already," he said, referring to Sasuke.
"If you all wouldn't mind, I would like to be left alone to rest," Sasuke bit out in an uninviting tone. Izuna frowned and set down his traditional teacup, and Madara walked over to his brother's side.
"I didn't only come here to check up on you, Sasuke."
Sasuke glanced at him and waited for him to continue.
"Otou-sama wishes to see you tomorrow morning."
The person Izuna was referring to... Uchiha Tajima. The infamous Uchiha clan head of this era. If there was anything Sasuke knew about his clan's history, it was that Uchiha Tajima was hailed as one of the most profound leaders for being able to repeatedly clash with the Senju but never relinquishing their position as a powerhouse to them.
This period of time was primeval. This period of time was a survival of the fittest. During an era where even children were mercilessly slaughtered in battle, Uchiha Tajima had risen beyond this and had been able to maintain leadership.
And it was this very person who requested Sasuke's presence.
Sasuke fully understood it was the duty of the head of the clan to count and keep track of all his members, no matter how large that number may be. After all, he had once been the son of one. He knew he couldn't evade the question of his random appearance in this world forever. Tajima had probably already realized since Sasuke had been found that he was a stranger to this clan, someone that he couldn't recognize.
It seemed like after two months, the man had finally decided to call him in. Most likely for an interrogation.
"Well?" Izuna prompted, waiting for Sasuke's reply.
"Ah."
"I'm sure you know where the main compound is. He'll be there; he always is."
Sasuke mutely nodded.
"Before I leave, I wanted to ask if your injuries were healing alright and if you've managed to recover any of your memories."
"...I'm fine," Sasuke said, choosing to ignore the second question altogether.
Izuna sighed and gracefully stood up, not pressing him any further. Sasuke's eyes narrowed. It seemed as if Tajima hadn't disclosed his suspicions about Sasuke to anybody, not even to his own sons.
Madara followed his brother out the door, but not before turning his head to glance at Sasuke one last time. Sasuke sat lost in thought with his arm extended on his right knee and left leg outstretched. There was something off about this boy who seemingly came out of nowhere and grabbed their attentions. He wondered why his father was seeking him out. He would find out tomorrow.
Sasuke spent the rest of the day in meditation, partly to curb the pain in his left arm to a dull throb and partly to mentally and spiritually prepare himself for his encounter tomorrow.
The next morning, he stepped foot for the first time in the main Uchiha compound. His childhood home was oddly reminiscent of the style, set-up, and decor of this place, and unpleasant feelings rolled through him in waves.
A household servant guided him through the winding hallways toward a room emitting a foreboding aura.
"Tajima-sama. Uchiha Sasuke is here to speak with you," She lightly called out, voice quivering slightly.
"Enter."
The servant knelt down, sliding open the shoji meticulously in the traditional method. Sasuke took a step into the room, taking great care to keep his eye trained on the ground. He stood in anticipation in front of the esteemed Uchiha.
"Sit," Tajima ordered, and Sasuke complied, kneeling down onto the tatami.
"Look at me."
Hesitating for one second, Sasuke shifted his gaze to look at Tajima's face.
And his eye met with a spinning Sharingan.
Author's Note: I was originally going to tell you all my whole life story and what went on in my life these past two months, but I decided to save it. I'm healthy now, and that's all that matters. I also turned twenty last month! Feels weird not being a teen anymore.
Chapter two of Sakura and the Lost Princess is also currently a work in progress.
I won't abandon my stories. Constructive criticism and comments are welcome.