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As the shinobi returned to their villages, they were met with celebratory parties, but the returning shinobi's mood did not match the cheery civilians; it was the exact opposite - gloom. On their way home, some tried to retaliate against the puppets but were beaten up badly; some of them suffered broken bones. They were no match against the Rinnegan puppets; not only did they retain all their original abilities, but they also had Sasuke's Rinnegan and Sharingan. The returning shinobi could do nothing against them. As the gates of the Hidden Leaf opened to let the shinobi back into their village, in the forefront of the welcoming party stood Konohamaru with his friends and Hanabi. Konohamaru eagerly awaited Naruto's return, and Hanabi was worried about her sister and if she made it out alive.
In the forefront of the returning shinobi walked Tsunade, and next to her walked Sasuke Uchiha with Team Kurogane. Despite Sasuke talking all night with his team, he easily caught up to the returning Leaf shinobi by flying with his Susanoo. The villagers immediately noticed the black rods in their Hokage and Naruto's body in Tsunade's arms. Chatter spread among the villagers as they tried to make sense of the situation. They also noticed Orochimaru standing by Tsunade, which added to the confusion.
With her Byakugan, Hanabi inspected Naruto and Tsunade more closely. "They are not alive."
"What!?" Konohamaru asked, shocked.
"Both Lady Hokage and Naruto are dead; there are no vitals."
"No... this can't be true... This can't be happening," Konohamaru and his friends sobbed. They wholeheartedly believed in Naruto; to them, he was a force to be reckoned with. No one could stop him. They played ninja with him when they were little; he was such a kind and good soul. His death was too sudden for them. They didn't want to believe it; they had to see up close.
When they tried to approach Sasuke, they were immediately stopped by Shikamaru. Shikamaru was not on Sasuke's side, but he was trying to do damage control.
"What's going on?! Why does Granny Tsunade look like Pain's puppet? And what happened to Naruto nii-chan? And why is Orochimaru here? He killed my grandpa! Why aren't you doing anything!?" Konohamaru inquired frustratingly.
Puppet Tsunade spoke loudly, "Everyone, gather in front of the Hokage Mansion and bring everyone you know; I have an important announcement for everyone in the Hidden Leaf village. All of your questions will be answered there."
"Orochimaru, go find them," Sasuke ordered. Orochimaru ran with a small group of Root Anbu to a specific place. Orochimaru was in charge of them but followed them for directions; he was going to oversee their mission personally.
Among the shinobi walked Hinata Hyuga, who seemed deeply depressed. Her mind was blank.
"Nee-chan!" She got hugged by Hanabi. "Thank goodness you are ok, thank goodness, I was worried," said Hanabi with teary eyes. She was scared for her dear sister's life; she didn't know what she would do if Hinata died. Hinata hugged her back, but it didn't feel right. It felt cold and distant. Hinata was completely emotionally unavailable. "Nee-chan?" Hanabi called out to her, surprised by her coldness. Hinata simply replied with disinterest, "Hm?""Never mind," Hanabi sensed it wouldn't be appropriate to press further right here.
Sasuke reached the Hokage Mansion and entered inside; Jugo and Suigetsu stood guard at the main entrance. The first change Sasuke has made is that now not everyone can just walk into the Hokage's mansion whenever they want to.
Sasuke, Karin, and the puppet walked into the Hokage's office. This gave him a sense of nostalgia and made him remember his childhood. He had been to the Hokage's office only a few times as a genin with Team 7. Sasuke looked over at Naruto's corpse, deeply immersed in sentimentality.
(Nii-san, Shisui-san. I've done it, I became the Hokage; I've inherited your will, I swear I'm going to protect the village no matter the cost.)
Sitting in the Hokage's chair, Sasuke felt a profound sense of success; only six people had ever got to sit in this seat, and he was the first Uchiha to achieve this. From the very beginning, the Uchihas were discriminated against and pushed aside. Sasuke felt as though he overcame the curse of being born an Uchiha and cleansed the Uchiha name; this felt like the true restoration of the Uchiha clan he had relentlessly sought. With time to spare waiting for people to gather up and Orochimaru to return, he closed his eyes, reminiscing even deeper.
Memories of Team 7 flared up in Sasuke's mind, both the good and the bad times. He then remembered the Uchiha massacre, making him feel uneasy, but he remained stoic. Sasuke's whole life played in Sasuke's mind in chronological order, thinking about how he got up to this point. The despicable decision to carry out the Uchiha massacre was made in this very building, he was going to make sure that would never be the case again.
Karin couldn't help but be struck by the sheer number of people gathering in front of the mansion. The crowd continued to grow, and it was a sight she had never witnessed before.
"I'm going to become Hokage," Sasuke remembered Naruto's words. He had stolen Naruto's dream. Naruto had worked so hard for it, yet in the end, it didn't matter. This world was a very scary and dark place. You could work toward something all your life, and it could all have been for naught, just like Rock Lee when Sasuke easily surpassed his hard work by obtaining his speed. Sasuke's future was filled with uncertainty, and he knew that he was ready to face anything standing in his way.
(Kaguya Otsutsuki... If there are others like her...) Kaguya's very existence bothered him. He had no proof that there were more of her kind, but it was not outside the realm of possibility.
Orochimaru entered the Hokage's office, prompting a quick exchange with Sasuke.
"That was fast," Sasuke remarked.
"It's not difficult to locate the old and privileged," Orochimaru replied.
"Then let's get started. Karin, you don't have to come with me," Sasuke offered.
Karin, fully aware of the gruesome task ahead, was resolute. She couldn't bear to miss out on what she considered the most pivotal moment in shinobi history, and she wanted to stand by Sasuke's side.
"I'm going," she affirmed.
"Very well, suit yourself. Orochimaru, go and preserve Naruto's body and DNA immediately," Sasuke instructed.
"Understood," Orochimaru acknowledged. He couldn't help but reflect on how their roles had reversed over time. Sasuke's directive, however, posed a significant challenge as Orochimaru lacked a laboratory in the Hidden Leaf Village. Thus, Orochimaru embarked on a quest to find a suitable location and acquire the necessary equipment.
As Sasuke ascended the stairs of the Hokage mansion and reached the rooftop, he found himself stepping into a blinding light. Overhead, the stone faces of the previous five Kage stared down at him. Sasuke regarded these faces with disdain. To him, they were remnants of a failed past, a glorification of leaders who had consistently fallen short in achieving their goals and dreams. They were the architects of the corrupt and rotten shinobi system that had claimed countless lives. They all symbolized the concept of the "Will of Fire," a notion Sasuke had learned about in the academy, but one he considered utter nonsense.
The Will of Fire preached that love was the key to peace, yet it came from the very village that carried out assassinations for money and harbored deep-rooted corruption. It was the same village that had chosen genocide over peaceful resolutions, casting a shadow over their supposed commitment to peace. The fragile peace that existed in this dark and cursed world was only maintained through the threat posed by figures like Madara Uchiha, and Sasuke knew this peace was temporary. Eventually, the villages would return to conflict because nothing ever changed. The world remained trapped in the never-ending cycle of hatred.
Sasuke was determined to shatter this cycle of hatred by becoming an eternal presence. If the focal point of hatred never ceased to exist, then there could be no cycle. This was the kind of Hokage Sasuke aspired to be, akin to Itachi, who operated in the shadows, dwelled in darkness, and bore the burden of everyone's hatred. Itachi was the true Hokage, not those who had created the circumstances leading to the world's current predicament. The Uchiha massacre had been a tragic event that couldn't be undone, but Sasuke could shape the future. He had spent his entire life dwelling on the past, but now it was time to focus on the future, move forward, and shape a better world.
With his resolve growing even stronger, Sasuke decided on his next course of action.
Sasuke walked to the edge of the Hokage Mansion's roof, facing thousands of onlookers. By his side stood "Tsunade." Sasuke had never delivered a public speech before, but the fact that it was his first time didn't intimidate him; he viewed that as a potential weakness.
Through his puppets, he started giving speeches in all five great nations simultaneously. In each village, the speech was a bit different.
"Ladies and gentlemen, shinobi, and civilians, my name is Sasuke Uchiha. Today, I stand before you not as a conqueror but as a harbinger of change. I come with a vision—a vision of a world free from the shackles of hatred and conflict, a world where our children can grow up without fearing war and loss."
"My journey, much like many of yours, has been marked by pain and suffering. I have witnessed the devastating consequences of power being abused, of darkness consuming the hearts of those we once hailed as heroes. Through these trials, I have come to understand that the only way to break this cycle is through a revolution."
"Today, I stand here to introduce a revolution of ideals, a transformation of our very way of life. It's a revolution that transcends the boundaries of nations and villages, uniting us all under a common purpose—to create a world of lasting peace."
"In my pursuit of this vision, I've made choices that some may find controversial, but I assure you they were made with the greater good in mind. I've sacrificed friendships and bonds, not out of malice, but out of necessity. I've dismantled the old systems, the old rivalries, because they were the breeding grounds of hatred."
"We are all familiar with the legacy of pain and loss, of heroes who have fallen in the name of their villages and beliefs. But it's time for us to redefine what it means to be heroes. True heroes are not those who fight blindly for their self-interests but those who sacrifice everything for the betterment of all."
"My revolution is not about domination or tyranny. It's about creating a world where we, the people, can collectively govern ourselves, where decisions are made not for personal gain but for the benefit of the world. It's about sharing our resources, our knowledge, and our strength to uplift every individual."
"I've eliminated all the tailed beasts so that we no longer have to fear another tailed beast attack on the village. The Hidden Leaf village has been attacked by a tailed beast twice now, and the existence of these creatures allowed Akatsuki's nefarious plans to come to fruition."
"I've also taken the extreme step of subduing the Kage of every village, turning them into my remote puppets. With this, inter-village wars among the five great nations are now impossible because I will never allow them."
Outrage spread like wildfire among the citizens as he made these revelations, but Sasuke remained unfazed. He cast a powerful genjutsu, enveloping everyone in the Hidden Leaf Village, sharing a visual representation of his experiences and knowledge. It was a taxing feat that drained Sasuke's chakra considerably. If he were attacked at this moment, it could pose a significant problem, but with Team Kurogane by his side, he felt confident he could handle any threat.
"I would like to share with you all a story—a true story about my older brother, Itachi. Many of you know him as a traitor, a criminal, a murderer, but you couldn't be more wrong. The village has deceived you. My brother, Itachi, exterminated the entire Uchiha clan, except for me, not out of malice, but because he was ordered to by the Hidden Leaf Village. The Uchiha clan was plotting a coup d'etat."
Sasuke revealed the moment when he confronted Danzo and received confirmation of the truth. "No matter what, I will always love you," He showed them these words said to him by Itachi. He then showed them the Third Hokage confirming the truth about Itachi, explaining how Itachi had kept tabs on the Akatsuki and protected the village from the shadows.
"But the Uchiha clan planned a coup d'état because the Hidden Leaf Village kept discriminating against the Uchiha clan and pushing them to the outskirts of the village. I even met the First Hokage through an Edo Tensei jutsu. He revealed that the village was a framework to prevent the slaughter of children and clans. So, let me ask you all this: Where is my clan?"
Sasuke transported them into the heart of the Uchiha district, revealing the devastation—destroyed homes and lifeless bodies strewn across the streets. An uncomfortable silence fell over the masses. It was difficult to believe, but if it were true, they couldn't help but feel profound pity and sympathy for Sasuke.
"The Uchiha massacre didn't have to happen. There were peaceful measures that could have been taken, such as addressing the clan's grievances and not oppressing them. Shisui Uchiha's genjutsu, which could brainwash anyone without a means of undoing it, could have been used on the entire clan. Shisui intended to use his Sharingan to make my clan protect the Hidden Leaf Village, but Danzo stopped him, killed him, and took his Sharingan. So, I took revenge for my clan by killing Danzo. But Danzo wasn't acting alone."
Sasuke gestured, and Karin brought an elderly man and woman into the view of the crowd. They were bound tightly with cloth in their mouths, rendering them unable to speak. These individuals were Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado, the two advisors to the Hokage.
"They were conspiring with Danzo and continuously undermining the Hokage, while the Hokage just allowed it to happen. They were closely associated with the Root Anbu organization, which persistently conspired against the Hokage's and Hidden Leaf's interests. They represent the deep darkness that has plagued this village. So, let me ask you all this: Can any of you continue to believe in a system that commits genocide behind closed doors and actively works to bring itself down? My first decree, as the one and only Gokage, is the immediate public execution of these two heinous criminals. Those who are not comfortable with violence, avert your eyes."
Sasuke's Chidori flared up in his hand, emitting a sound resembling the chirping of a thousand birds. Swiftly, Sasuke pierced through their bodies, killing them instantly.
The people were completely and utterly stunned, never imagining they would witness such an event in their entire lives. Konohamaru, especially, stood with his mouth agape and eyes wide open.
With a subtle smirk, Sasuke whispered to himself, "Three down, nii-san."
Sasuke, his clothing stained with blood, continued to speak as if nothing had just transpired. "I want you all to take a good look at the Hokage stone faces. That right there is the glorification of our failed past. Each Hokage failed to ensure peace and eradicate the darkness within the village. They were not your saviors or protectors. Many of the shinobi problems can be traced back to their failures. Therefore, my second decree is to tear down the five Hokage stone faces."
The crowd's reactions varied widely—outrage, astonishment, and even some agreement—as Sasuke made his shocking announcements.
Sasuke summoned his perfect Susanoo and soared to the Hokage stone monuments. With the colossal hands of his Susanoo, he meticulously dismantled the stone faces before the assembled witnesses. Among them, Konohamaru watched with a mixture of anger and sorrow, especially when the visage of the Third Hokage crumbled. He felt an overwhelming sense of sadness and anger, coupled with a sense of powerlessness. He didn't know how to react.
In that moment of despair, Konohamaru felt a comforting touch on his shoulder. He looked up to find Shikamaru, who had a cigarette dangling from his mouth, silently offering support. Shikamaru empathized with Konohamaru's pain; he knew what it was like to lose someone dear.
Hinata was notably absent from the scene. She had retreated to her home, lying in her bed, overwhelmed by sadness beyond words.
Ino struggled to reconcile the current Sasuke with the one she had once had a crush on during their academy days. Sai understood the motivations behind Sasuke's actions but questioned the morality of his methods. Kiba, on the other hand, seethed with anger and vehemently disagreed with everything Sasuke had said. However, a part of him was also deeply unsettled by the apparent darkness that had consumed Sasuke. It was as if he had transformed into a malevolent entity.
Hanabi, who had chosen to attend, was shocked by the avalanche of new information. She needed time to process it all, as she was still just a child.
Shikamaru found merit in Sasuke's words but couldn't condone the extreme actions he had taken to convey his message.
Ino leaped from rooftop to rooftop, closing the distance between her and Sasuke. When she believed she was close enough, she unleashed her Ninja Art, the Mind Transfer Jutsu.
Sasuke stood there, his gaze blank, as Ino's spiritual form approached him. He inquired in a calm tone, "What do you think you're doing?" His Sharingan and Rinnegan had the power to expel her at any moment.
"Sasuke, I need to know if this is all true. Please let me see," Ino pleaded.
"Hmpf, suit yourself," Sasuke responded.
Sasuke allowed Ino to enter his memories, and the deeper she delved, the more darkness she encountered. His heart was consumed by this darkness, a depth of despair she couldn't have fathomed. With every memory, she experienced Sasuke's lifelong suffering, realizing that everything he had said was shockingly true. She couldn't comprehend how Sasuke had retained the will to live amidst such more she learned about him, the more it hurt her. She felt as though if she kept feeling Sasuke's pain long-term, she would go insane.
Eventually, Ino reached Sasuke's soul, but it was shared by another presence—Indra Otsutsuki. She saw this figure within Sasuke, shrouded in complete darkness. Tearfully, she spoke, "Sasuke, you don't have to do this. I can see that you're suffering immensely." She embraced his soul, trying to offer comfort. "Sasuke, you don't have to keep suffering. You can heal. Just promise me that you won't go after Kakashi-sensei and Sakura, please."
Indra/Sasuke pushed her away, rejecting her affection. With a voice that seemed to merge Sasuke and Indra, he responded, "I can't promise you that." Sasuke then used his Sharingan to expel Ino from his mind.
Some people in the crowd became rowdy, but Sasuke paid them no mind. He flew back onto the Hokage Mansion roof, taking Karin with him. Before descending, Sasuke used Amaterasu to incinerate the bodies of the two village elders he had just killed. They didn't deserve a funeral in his eyes.
As Sasuke passed the men's restroom, he told Karin, "Go ahead with my puppet. I need a moment, but we have things to discuss." Karin nodded in understanding.
Inside the restroom, Sasuke went straight to the sink to wash his hands. However, it proved to be more challenging than he had anticipated. "Tsch, it won't wash off." His hands were stained with Naruto's dried blood. The memory of the moment he killed Naruto kept replaying in his mind, haunting him. Sasuke started rubbing his hands faster and harder, frustration building. "Dammit, dammit, dammit."
Sasuke took a long, hard look at himself in the bathroom mirror, reflecting on what he had become. In the reflection, he saw his younger self, a time when he was happy and the memories of his days with Team 7 were still fresh. It was all over now, forever. Sasuke leaned against the wall, realizing that this was much harder than he had imagined, both emotionally and physically. But he told himself, "Itachi suffered way worse. I can't waver."
Meanwhile, the puppet of Tsunade sat in the Hokage seat and called out, "Anbu." An Anbu agent emerged from the shadows, but both Karin and Sasuke could sense their presence and knew exactly where they were.
"Summon the man who carved the Hokage stone faces," ordered the puppet Tsunade.
"Yes, Lord Hokage," the Anbu agent acknowledged before vanishing into the shadows.
"Karin," Sasuke began, but Karin cut him short, saying, "Sasuke, this feels weird. I want to talk to you face to face."
"Very well, as you wish," Sasuke walked into the room. "Karin, I want to discuss the future of our clans."
"Our clans?" Karin blushed, interpreting Sasuke's intention.
"I am the last Uchiha, and as far as I know, you and Naruto were the last Uzumakis. With Naruto out of the picture, that makes us the sole survivors of our clans. So, what do you say? Do you want to restore our clans?"
Karin was completely stunned. "If you insist, I guess I don't have a choice."
"I'm not forcing you or anything. You can decline if you don't want to," Sasuke assured her.
"It's not that I don't," Karin began but found herself too embarrassed to continue.
"Of course, not right now," Sasuke replied. "I'm just at the beginning of my journey, and there is so much I need to figure out. Right now is not the right time to bring children into this world, not yet. I have yet to shape the future for the better."
Karin wanted to believe Sasuke was finally reciprocating her feelings for him, but Sasuke's reasons couldn't be any further from that. If someone like Kaguya were to show up again and he were to fall in battle, who would remain to defend the Earth? With the mixture of Uchiha and Uzumaki bloodlines, maybe the children could...
They heard a knock on the door, and an older man walked into the room. "Did you call for me, Lord Hokage?"
Sasuke confirmed, "You're the stone face carver I requested, correct?"
"Yes, that's me."
"I apologize for destroying your beautiful art, but it was necessary. However, I want you to even out the cliff and carve a new symbol on it for everyone to see."
The man inquired, "A new symbol? What kind?"
Sasuke turned around and pointed at his back. "The Uchiha crest."
The stone carver considered this request. "I've never done a symbol before, but I could do it, for a price, of course."
Sasuke agreed, "Yes, of course. You'll be rewarded for your hard work, and you'll also be compensated for the stone faces I destroyed. I know you put a lot of effort into them, and I want to make it up to you."
"Thank you, Lord Hokage."
"You may go now," Sasuke dismissed him.
Sasuke let out a loud sigh. "What's wrong, Sasuke?" Karin asked.
"Nothing. I'm going for a walk."
"Can I go with you?" She asked, hoping it would evolve into a date.
"Sorry, I need to go alone to clear my head. Don't leave the puppet's vicinity; I don't want you getting hurt. If you want to go outside go with Suigetsu and Jugo."
Sasuke walked out of the room and strolled around the village. The villagers were not looking at him too fondly. Some were hostile, some wary. It did not feel warm or welcoming. Some fled at the sight of him but subtly, changing their walking directions. Sasuke remembered how the villagers used to treat Naruto.
(Is this how Naruto felt? It feels God awful.)
In the distance, he saw a familiar face leaning against a wall. He pulled out a cigarette, but before he could pull out a lighter, a bolt of electricity lit up his cigarette.
"Special service just for you, but you do know underage smoking is illegal, right? But I'll let it be in your case."
"What do you want?" Shikamaru said, frowning.
"I want to discuss some things with you."
"What kind?"
"You led the Shinobi alliance assault on me, right?" Shikamaru's heart started pounding, imagining his head being decapitated in an instant.
"Yeah, I did. News reaches you fast, don't they?"
"It's easy to get information when you are six people at once in different places. I'm being briefed about the entire war in the Hidden Stone village right now. I must say, good job."
"Huh?"
"The way you led them, and the fact that they immediately obeyed you, was amazing. Your strategy wasn't bad either; you're highly intelligent."
"Thanks, I guess," Shikamaru grudgingly accepted his praise.
"Did it have to come to this?" Shikamaru asked cryptically to detach himself from the question.
"You mean Naruto?"
"Yeah."
"I've already told you it was necessary to remove the tailed beast chakra inside of him."
"The Nine Tails fully cooperated during the war; I don't think it was a threat anymore."
"It's not just about that; it's about the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan is only possible if the tailed beasts exist. But there was one way worse issue."
"Way worse issue?" Shikamaru searched in his mind for what he could mean. "Is it the Kaguya you mentioned before?"
"Yes, her." Sasuke put Shikamaru under a genjutsu, showing him the battle with Kaguya and just how strong she was.
"I had to erase them so she never could be revived again, but-"
"If she exists, others like her might exist somewhere out there, is that right?" Shikamaru continued Sasuke's sentence.
"Yes, you learn fast."
"I think you messed up big time, Sasuke."
"And why do you think that?"
"I admit that you're strong, stronger than you were before. But what if they come in pairs? Just one took everything you had. Imagine what if they sent a whole army. We don't know how many of them are out there. The power of the tailed beasts could be our best weapon against them."
"I admit I thought about that too, but I have other trump cards to play. I am not out of options. I already surpassed Kaguya, and I am nowhere near my true potential."
"That overconfidence could cost everyone's lives in the future."
"I'll make sure that we'll win no matter what."
Shikamaru wanted to ask a question, fearing the answer. "What happened to Kakashi sensei and Sakura?"
Sasuke remained silent. Sasuke was open about killing Naruto but avoided talking about Kakashi sensei and Sakura, so Shikamaru deduced that they managed to escape from him.
"You know... You hurt more people than you realize by killing Naruto. Konohamaru was his student. He's really sad right now. And did you know Hinata loved Naruto? She is completely broken; she has no will to live whatsoever. God, you... I can't believe I looked up to you at the academy. I can't believe you are the same person. No matter how hard you try, you won't be able to shake off who you are: an occupier, a tyrant, a murderer, an international criminal. It's going to stick with you forever."
"Your strategic abilities, your exceptional critical thinking, and your confidence to insult and criticize your Hokage in his face. I like you, Shikamaru. There might be a time in the future where I fall. If that happens, even if our ideologies and opinions differ, I want you to be the 7th Hokage if the worst happens."
Shikamaru was dumbfounded by Sasuke's sudden proposition. "Sounds like a drag."
"Of course, that's just my opinion. I have no way to influence what happens after my death, not that I'm planning on dying, but still."
"You want to become immortal and rule forever?"
"Yes, it must be done."
Shikamaru took a big puff of smoke. "You know... You remind me of Pain."
"The guy that destroyed the village?"
"Yeah, that one. He was from the Hidden Rain village. He too wielded the Rinnegan; he wanted to rule the 5 great nations by fear with the power of the tailed beasts and assure peace that way. He also believed to be a God, and he too lost everything, and his homeland was ravaged by the 5 great nations during the second and third great ninja wars. The nations used the Rain village as a battlefield, making life a living nightmare for the natives there."
"Oh, I see," Sasuke got pensive.
"If you'll excuse me, I have personal business to attend to," said Shikamaru.
"Ok, good talking to you," replied Sasuke.
Sasuke jumped onto the rooftops and reached the hospital rooftop where Sasuke had fought Naruto. He sat on top of one of the water tanks; they were replaced by new ones, but the placement was the same. Sasuke reflected on what Shikamaru had said, "You messed up."
Sasuke started thinking about what would happen if any other Otsutsuki showed up again. Shikamaru was right; they could be used as weapons against them, but their existence also posed a risk to everyone. However, Sasuke had confidence in himself; he had several trump cards at his disposal that he could use in the worst-case scenario. He hoped that time would never come.
"You hurt more people than you realized." "Hinata loved Naruto." Hinata. Who's that? Must be the girl that Shikamaru dragged away from the fight, a Hyuga. Thinking about it, Sasuke remembered he went to the academy with her. "I'm sorry," Sasuke muttered to himself while looking at the destroyed Hokage stone face monuments.
Sasuke pulled out his old headband; he took it back from Naruto, who had been carrying it as proof of their bond. "Amaterasu." The headband turned to ash. Sasuke burned down the failed past with his own flame. He was no longer just a ninja. He had become something more, something much more sinister, and that's why he wouldn't fail. Because he was no longer human, that's what Sasuke believed, further alienating himself from everybody. He had become a demon. From now on, the age of the shinobi is over.
