What was once an image on a screen now shows itself to me as a spiritual vision, if that makes any sense. A giant buddha type figure holding its hands out towards me. Each hand holding a different symbol, of the sun and the crescent moon.
Regaining consciousness gave me a feeling in my bones, no, my very being similar to that of when I first came here. Except, rather than feeling like my soul and body were oil and water being forced to mix ever so slowly, I now feel like one pure and clean ocean. This was the best we had felt in either life really, not at peace or anything like that but whole inside.
My chakra was finally in sync.
Physically speaking I remained the same, still bearing a fit and well-maintained body. But spiritually it was a whole different matter. I was whole now and I could feel it. My soul wasn't something I could truly feel or be aware of, I had only an uneducated feel for it from my last life. But now that I could feel it all the more clearly, from it still being a new experience to me and this body only now having gotten used to my soul. This was made all the more pronounced with Hagoromo gifting me Six Paths Chakra, a power of feeling far beyond anything me or Sasuke could have experienced.
To be honest this makes me a bit glad that I didn't get this much power from the start. It was one thing to be alive and suddenly turn up dead, then to be put into the body of an incredible famous/infamous anime character with supernatural abilities in a supernatural world. That sort of thing took some getting used to. Having enough power, potentially more even, to take on everybody of note within the last 100 years and win is something else entirely. Sure the safety blanket would've been nice but meta-knowledge sufficed in place of raw power for a time. But that time has now passed.
I can finally make full use of my abilities, even my newer ones bestowed upon me by the Sage of Six Paths. Three names that I intellectually knew of already had revealed themselves to me from instinct: Amaterasu, Kagutsuchi, and Amenotejikara. And lastly, Six Paths Chakra itself, the use of it would place me squarely at the pinnacle of power achievable outside of becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchuuriki or to a lesser extent a Jinchuriki, mastering Sage Mode, and the use of the Eighth Gate, the Gate of Death.
However, I can't openly use the power of Six Paths yet. My previous barrier was due to my body not being ready for it, now the only barrier that remains is myself. To be clear, it would be perfectly safe to use the chakra now that it has become a part of me. The problem at all really is my doubts, about the Rinnegan itself and my then newfound chakra signature. The Rinne-Sharingan isn't something I can turn off, but I could easily hide with a Henge. Wait for a second, forget the Henge, who says that I can't just make a natural contact lens via Creation of All Things, assuming that's possible. Man it's such a shame that Naruto hardly ever used this more effectively, like the least he could do for Kakashi is just give him a copy of Sasuke's eye, but to be honest I think DMS Kakashi scared Kishimoto out of Kakashi ever getting a Sharingan back lol. But Kishimoto ain't here now, is he? But let's Keep It Simple Stupid and stick with the Henge for now.
So my main issue lies with Zetsu. I know that Black Zetsu could sense me and Naruto, with us being reincarnates of the Sage's sons, but not sure how it would extend to should a significant change occur. It's a real possibility that my increase in power with chakra unseen for millennia could cause him to panic and try to deal with me, by sending Obito and the Akatsuki after me, which at this point isn't much of a threat. (However I'm not walking into Rain without a Perfect Susanno and Kirin ready, I know damn well not to tempt characters with Prep Time)
Or perhaps try to assassinate me in my sleep, he is undetectable to sensors of Karin's caliber and to the senses of Kages. And I'm not too sure on his strength as while he claimed that War Arc Kakashi would kill him, he was able to pierce an off guard Juubi Madara, so best not to test that against myself.
He even has spores that could incapacitate Kages too, which remains me to replicate that when I get access to Wood Release. And it shouldn't be too hard once I can get access to Danzo's arm by killing him, Yamato's DNA by out stealthing him, and the White Zetsu material via capture, and implementing them all into myself with the use of Creation of All Things and Medical Ninjutsu. Karin should be more than willing, Sakura would take some to a lot of convincing depending on how our relationship goes, and I'll certainly have to use Kotoamatsukami to get Tsunade to help implant her grandfather's OP genes into a known traitor.
Then there's the problem of Zetsu just hiding out until I die in battle, very unlikely at this point, or of natural causes should he feel that my presence is far too much to overcome. Which would be extremely annoying as that fucker has centuries of experience in hiding from people, operating under even Hagoromo's nose while the man was the most powerful in the series. Best not to scare the fucker off by acting too overtly yet then.
So I'll just use the same excuse I did for Karin but shift it a little. Orochimaru did have access to Hashirama cells and fucked with my soul a bit, so I could always play it dumb regarding my knowledge of Six Paths Chakra and let Zetsu fill in the dots using that info. After all, why would Hagoromo after a thousand years or so of inaction give his chakra to the son he passed over rather than the one he named his successor.
So forget all about me doubts, let's enjoy being OP! But let's not go waving my dick around too much tho. Any further thoughts I had been interrupted by the sounds of voices, of which would have me up already had I not been on my awakening induced nap then musings. It seems that I have to deal with an unexpected result of my awakening.
The first thing I see is Suigetsu with a kunai to Karin's throat. Yikes, I knew that they didn't like each other but to go this far. What made the scene even more shocking was how clear it was. Far more than it ever was, even with the basic 3 tomoe Sharingan. It seems that he assumed that she did something that left me unresponsive. Let's fix this before a major fuck up happens.
"Huh, so she was telling the truth." Suigetsu states upon seeing me up. His expression shifted from the most serious I've seen from him to a more calm one.
"Of course I was you asshole, what reason would I have to kill Sasuke, the only person that I can I depend on for support, anyway." Karin says, irritated at Suigetsu and the situation. I don't doubt that she could've used her chains to deflect the kunai, it seems that she let him have the illusion of control to keep him agreeable. Clever girl, the canon one would've been helpless.
"Suigetsu, get that kunai away from her neck and let her go," I demand, the strictest I've been with him since we've met. Sure Karin wasn't in any danger that she couldn't get out of but I wasn't too happy with this sight being the first thing I had to deal with after waking up. "This is no fault of hers, it's mine entirely." I say, back in my normal tone.
The Hozuki does as I say and removes the kunai from Karin's neck and his hold on her. Upon looking at me his calm shifted towards his usual self as he sported a grin. "Wow, when they said that having sex for the first time changes how you see the world, I never thought that it'd be so literal."
"Suigetsu what the hell do you mean?" To that he simply pointed at himself before turning into a puddle. I look down at it only to see my reflection, reflecting the image of the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan in my eyes. An interesting detail to notice is that while my eyes maintain the design of the Mangekyou Sasuke had in canon, the addition of Itachi's is absent. Itachi's design seems to be replaced by Hagoromo's, which makes sense, but rather than any intricate design it's just two visible ripples, akin to the pattern of the Rinnegan.
"Thanks to Karin I've been restored to my full power, and more." I add to that statement by reverting my Sharingan back to their iconic three tomoe version, before morphing it back into the shape of my Eternal Mangekyou.
To further demonstrate this I spit out a massive ball of fire, yet it remains suspended in the air. I send chakra towards both Mangekyous and coat the fireball in the black fire of Amaterasu. Lastly, I bring up my hand to face it.
'Almighty Push'
With a simple thought, a force of gravity extends from my palm and towards the black fireball, sending it towards the Southern Hideout. The force of the Almighty Push reduced the Hideout along with the surrounding area to rubble, the flames of Amaterasu ate away at any remains. I then willed the Amaterasu to extinguish itself immediately, can't leave behind evidence that'll last a week after all. I then spat a fireball into the air towards the clouds, not enough to trigger a storm but enough to make it look like one had just passed. So that if one anyone looks it'll look like a powerful thunder jutsu did this.
After that little display, for me anyway, I turned back to Karin and Suigetsu. Their faces radiated shock at the results, perhaps not at the damage itself but more at how easily I did it. Of course, Sasuke could achieve similar results via Kirin, which was expected as it was his most powerful jutsu and a S-Rank technique that spelled certain death for them without the highest quality of defense or regeneration. But this was something I did in such a quick, simple, and effortless move.
I'm aware that this was completely unnecessary, but I couldn't help myself. It wasn't to show off, I already knew that I would beat Suigetsu and Karin in a fight, but purely to see what I could do. "So much more."
"Well congrats Karin, you're useful for something!" Suigetsu says half mockingly as he claps, but I can see an appraising look in his eyes as well.
"I've always been useful, more than you and your overgrown stick at least. I'm a healer and a sensor, which is more than I can say about swordsman number 2." That look in his eyes is quickly replaced by one I've grown used to, annoyed at insults towards a sword of his.
"I wouldn't call him a swordsman for long Karin, as soon as he gets the other 6 'swords' he'll be an axeman, a sower, and a seal master." I add in.
"Suigetsu, a seal master? How?" Karin says baffled, an intricate and complicated as fuck art as that and Suigetsu shouldn't be put in the same sentence unless a disaster was what you wanted.
"I kid you not, it's literally-" I say while trying to hold a chuckle in.
"Shibuki, aka a sword that has a scroll full of explosive tags incorporated into it, lined up behind the blade, combining swordsmanship and explosions!" Suigetsu interrupts before I can get my jibe in. "It's also called a 'Blastsword'" He tacks on.
"Oh, I see." Karin nods, taking his words at face value.
"Thank you. So it seems that Sasuke was right after all, you do process an intellect. At least one bigger than his if you can understand such a simple-" Suigetsu says, relieved to see his sticks taken seriously since the start of our journey.
"I see that it's literally an exploding tag on a stick. That's one of the legendary blades of the Seven Swordsmen that you never shut up about?" And here's where that relief dies a quick death. " Are you sure it wasn't stolen from an Uzumaki child, because something so simple with a name like Splash is only what one would come up with. Then again it wouldn't surprise me if the best Kirigakure could do with sealing is imitate a child."
I could sense that Suigetsu was gonna pull up a classic when it came to losing a debate, bringing up a tragedy. And while it might be fun to see a little joke turn into a rabid argument akin to the ones on the internet or modern-day politics, I'm pretty sure rubbing in Kiri's role in the destruction of Uzu won't help in forming a bond at all.
"All right, that's enough. While I'm sure we're all having fun bullying Suigetsu, one of the few family-friendly things involving him, I, and therefore you all, have more important things to do. And you know what that means."
"Aw man, more walking? I didn't know that place was gonna be that far. Wave was so close to the last one after all." Suigetsu complains, oh so eager to begin another however long walk. To be honest I don't blame him, the only time that I slept since starting our journey was after biting Karin. And I'm sure after getting some rest for the first time in a while I wouldn't want to start traveling again either. But alas, I have places to go and promises to keep.
"Because this is on an island, the Northern Hideout will be on a rocky area which means it'll be quite far from water. In fact, I think there wouldn't even be any water for miles. So I guess for the safety of our teammate he must stay behind. I'll miss your company Suigetsu." Karin says, faking a concerned tone.
"Karin, storage scroll please," I say while holding my hand out. She just sighed before pulling one out and handing it to me. I simply opened it and threw it into the water. "Suigetsu, I hope you like saltwater, because that's the only water we'll have for a while."
"Tch, yeah, saltwater is fine but it's gonna be such a pain in the ass to deal with considering all the salt."
"Well then, you can rest easy for one thing Suigetsu." To complete my statement I bring forth my Susanoo. I send chakra towards my Mangekyou and the Susanoo envelopes me in its ribcage, the first stage known as Ribcage Susanoo.
The ribcage grows to a large skeletal system, with two arms and a skull, Skeletal Susanoo.
The Skeletal Susanoo expands to include a pair of legs while skin starts to grow over the bones giving it a more humanoid appearance. And it grants me two weapons in my Susanoo's hands, a sword and a crossbow. Humanoid Susanoo.
The Susanoo now manifests armor over itself, the Armored Susanoo and to those without the Eternal Mangekyou the last stage before blindness.
But as I do have an EMS my Susanoo evolves one last time, manifesting even more armor and a pair of wings.
The thing I notice the most, besides the sudden shift in height and the minute feelings of agony, is the color difference. Instead of purple, my Susanoo shares a coloring similar to the start-up screen of a Playstation 5. Very strange but I don't have a better description for the type of silver or grey I see.
"We won't be walking."
In the Perfect Susanoo, I was as tall as a skyscraper, but probably on the around the baseline in height or something I don't got a ruler on me. Which meant that they couldn't hear what I just said and vice versa. I couldn't help but click my tongue at the thought.
Hmm, even if I crouched or knelt in this thing I might end up killing them, which would be a total dick move on my end. So I just reverted my Perfect Susanoo all the way back to Ribcage Susanno.
"Where and how the fuck did you get that!?" Suigetsu yells at me.
"My eyes." I simply replied.
"That explains nothing!!" He execrably shouts, clearly not liking my answer. Karin was too busy gushing in glee over the amount of chakra I'm letting out to really care about my answer.
"It's because I am an Uchiha Elite, fuck you that's why." And that only seems to get him ready to scream back at me. "But for an actual answer, I've awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan, the pinnacle of power for the Uchiha. Unlocking these eyes grants us two new abilities for each eye and access to the Susanno, a chakra projection that serves as the ultimate offense and defense."
"Ok. The eye abilities I can get. I've heard of Itachi's Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu and they fit in with the Sharingan's whole eye powers thing. But what the hell does a giant chakra warrior have to do with eyes?"
"I don't really know, perhaps the same reason a bunch of the Seven Swords don't fit into sword category yet are still considered swords. Now I'm sure we have a lot to say, or rant in Suigetsu's case but as I said earlier we have places to go."
And once again I manifested my Perfect Susanno, this time dragging Suigetsu and Karin with me.
--
Was it dumb to use the Perfect Susanoo, one of the most powerful techniques of the Uchiha Clan as an Uber? Sure! But that didn't stop canon Sasuke from doing the same with his Rinnegan now did it?
Speaking of the Rinnegan, I considered using the Animal Path to summon that big ass bird Pain used but didn't for one main reason, Pain himself. The guy was able to share a line of sight with all the Paths of Pain, including summons, and I didn't want him looking at me through that. Now I'm not even sure if it worked like that, since neither Obito, Madara, or Sasuke used the Animal Path during their time together so I wouldn't know. Now I'm not scared but I'd rather be there when Pain finds out that there's another Rinnegan user rather than miss it, that reaction should be fun. It's also the same reason that I don't summon that chameleon to hide my Susanoo, so I settled for flying above the clouds while Henged as one.
Again, speaking of the Animal Path, I have one more question. Could I summon the Paths of Pain? I mean, Rinnegan, so I could do it. But I don't know how that works and all that would do is piss Nagato off since I can't summon him as well to off him with the Paths. But something to look into later.
Anyway back to my flight. I rode in the forehead as was the default for most Susanoo users. Karin was with me, or rather just in my back, for two reasons, to refill my chakra should I need it and for company.
Of course, you could be anywhere inside of the Susanoo. Suigetsu was in the neck area. I think he wasn't too comfortable with being this high up in the air. Sure he was effectively fall-proof but I doubt many shinobi had any experience with such heights.
"So Suigetsu, I have a question. Technically speaking, as of right now I have the largest sword on the continent, possibly the planet. So, doesn't that make my sword better than all of the Seven Swords?"
"What, no! Just because it's so stupidly large doesn't mean it's better than the Seven Swords. Each of them carries special functions that put them above most swords. Sure your sword is large but you won't ever use it in a proper swordfight, at that point it's just a club. So you have the largest club in the world, congrats Sasuke. But still not as cool as the Seven Swords."
"Well besides the size difference, the fact that the Susanno's sword is made of purely Sasuke's chakra gives it a material far greater than any blacksmith could hope to have. Not to mention that being made up of chakra allows it to channel ninjutsu far more effectively without fearing any degradation, and serve far more for special functions." Karin says, adding her two cents.
"As for the club comment, Kisame usually keeps Samehada wrapped up, and that looks very much like a club so I wouldn't be surprised if he just beat a motherfucker to death with it. And I do recall that you said 'They are swords that just so happen to take the shape of other weapons. They still function as swords just with extra features, therefore they are indeed swords'. Therefore that should apply to my sword, regardless of size or shape."
"Alright, alright. I'll admit that going by what you two have said and my own words that this sword is more powerful than the Seven Swords. But I still maintain that this is impractical as hell and takes nowhere near enough skill to use. You can't exactly be subtle or use this indoors, can you?"
"Oh yeah, I definitely agree."
"So, how much longer till we get to Jugo?"
"I'd say 20 or so minutes."
"In that case, I'll be taking a nap, wake me when we're there." Suigetsu said before he moved/swam toward the stomach area.
For a moment it was silent as it was just me and Karin in the forehead. But I couldn't help but hear that one song from Aladdin about the flying carpet and showing off the world, a shame that I didn't remember the lyrics. But I do remember a Friend Like Me so I'll be sure to annoy Naruto with that later.
"So Sasuke, now that we're finally alone I'm curious about what we'll be doing." Karin inquires.
"Well, it's rather straightforward. I plan on recruiting Jugo next but not fully. If correct, I may have a way to get him fully under control, which would leave him unavailable to us for a while. Also, I'm not going to just leave a hideout full of knock-off Jugos unattended. In the best-case scenario, they all kill each other, in the worst-case scenario, they go on a rampage, or somebody up to no good takes them."
"So you plan on rehabilitating him then. I'm not too sure if it'll be successful but it's worth a try. But what will you do should it fail and Jugo proves to be too dangerous to keep around?"
"Should it fail, I'll probably just leave him at Ryuchi Cave still. It's the home of his clan, from what I've heard the Sannin say anyway, so he should be fine there. To be honest, I don't need him and really, I don't feel like babysitting him and keeping him under control, but I won't be putting him down if I don't need to."
"If I were you I wouldn't bother at all, much simpler. But that's kind of you. Like the prisoners, you're helping Jugo out despite not needing to. I appreciate that, seeing as you did that for me during the Chunin Exams all those years ago."
"It's not much really, I'm just trying to be a decent human being. I've done plenty of bad you know, being under Orochimaru doesn't leave you clean as you're aware. Besides, I couldn't let that bear make an ugly mess out of a cute girl like you, I'd be missing out on the beautiful lady I have in front of me." A bit cheesy but sounds pretty nice imo.
"Oh shush you, hehe," Karin says with a blush. But her expression soon gets sullen. "It still feels so strange when I look back then, that I was as helpless as a civilian in front of that bear. To have been so weak. Yet as I am now I'd be able to kill every opponent in that Chunin Exam with ease barring Gaara, he'd take a bit more effort."
"Gaara was quite the menace, bad enough that my Sensei taught me his A-rank assassination jutsu, now my signature jutsu, to help me survive. He also subtly and not so subtly tried to get me to forfeit the match. And boy was that fight quite the struggle." I reminisced, speaking with both the events of the anime and Sasuke's own memories playing in my head. I shake my head a bit to dismiss them and continue the conversation. "And I feel you on the strangeness. Honestly, I think this applies to most people. As you grow and develop, what once seemed so difficult and insurmountable is doable and for some effortless. That said, I'd rather not go through any of it again. Orochimaru, leaving Team 7 behind, losing my home and family, the Massacre." Dying too, but can't mention that of course.
"Ah, there's things I'd prefer not to go through again too, honestly just my life in Kusa overall. I didn't live in poverty or starve or anything like that, but they used my mother up until she died as a shriveled corpse. She did so much to keep me alive, and for that, I'm forever grateful. Even knowing that the destruction Orochimaru brought to Kusa was great, the deaths of so many shinobi and civilians, even after I learned of the monster that he was, I still feel a sense of gratitude for that act. I'm sorry if-"
"You have nothing to feel sorry for. You had nothing to do with such an event. And besides, shinobi kill countless numbers of people, so even if you did the deed on your own I'd still want you by my side. Karin, it's perfectly fine to feel happy that the place and people that took your mother away are gone. Besides, I'm in a similar boat with you regarding missing family."
"Thank you for understanding, I was afraid that you'd think less of me and shun me for it."
"Think nothing of it. We're friends and you're special to me, it's a given that I'll accept you."
"Speaking of special, I have a request if it won't be too much trouble. I want to take my mother's body or remains from Kusa and bring it back home to Uzushiogakure. After that, I wish to stick around if you'd have me." Karin asks, the meekest I've heard from her.
"Karin, such a thing would be no trouble at all, both your request and staying with me. I promise that we'll get your mother home." Knowing what I do of her backstory, I saw no reason to refuse.
"I know that I may have been over the top in the past in my feelings for you but it's hard not to when you're you. The looks would've pulled me in no doubt, but who you are is what attracted me then and continues to do even now. But I won't lie when I say that your looks and chakra are very enticing."
"Karin, I'm deeply flattered that you feel this way. It's not often that people care about me for me, beyond my name, my looks, or my eyes. The only people that did the same for me were my old team. So I'd be happy to try to return your feelings, but I want to state this now so there are no hard feelings. First, I want to start a bit slow and casual, go out for dinner and stuff. After all, the most time we've spent together was with me under a distant and professional persona, I want you to see me more open first and try things before making any serious commitment." I truly am interested in her, but I want her to get used to me first so she won't be expecting a relationship with the old Sasuke. And of course, I want to start slow, relationships are serious things after all. "But just because we're starting slow doesn't mean we can't get close emotionally, or intimately." I emphasize that last point by flipping myself around so that she's resting on my chest instead of my back and resting my hands on her ass, giving it a nice squeeze, and a kiss on the lips like the one we had at our reunion. But like I said I still want to try a few things.
"I..I…I'm so glad!" She cheers out after we separate lips, squeezing me tightly as she does. With her face now in sight I can actually how emotional she's getting with the strong blush she's sporting and the light tears falling out of her eyes. But most of all that is the smile I can see on her face and her eyes. "I'll be more than happy to start slow! But I have a feeling that you have more to say, don't you?"
"As the last of my clan, I have to think about what's best for repopulating and handling children, and I doubt that you'd enjoy giving birth to a massive amount of children. So there may be a possibility of me having more than one partner." Yeah to be honest I don't care too much about repopulating a dead clan that I don't truly belong to at the moment. Maybe later on but certainly not in the Elemental Nations, Konoha got them all killed in the first place (sure it was Danzo/Obito who plotted it but I'm not starting a family on the ground stained by their ancestors' blood), and everywhere else, Konoha included, would only try to exploit them.
And I'm not sure what I'll do on the wife front. Short term I plan on sleeping around if I can, I mean Sasuke caught the attention of a few like Ino, Temari, Tenten, and Mei so it wouldn't hurt to try and get some. And maybe shoot my shot towards Konan and those Kumo kunoichi. Might try with Hinata and Tsunade but they may be out of reach, Naruto-sexual and if Jiraiya couldn't then I certainly won't.
As for settling down, I'm not sure. First I would have to find someone willing to leave this world for me which would be a rather short list considering how nationalistic most kunoichi are. Now I'm not unwilling to come back here for visits but like I said earlier the Shinobi World is no place to live in. So my best bet for that is either Karin or Sakura, so far I'm getting along pretty well with Karin so I'll have to wait and see with Sakura. As for whether or not I take more than one wife, it really depends on how things go later on but that shouldn't be an issue until much later.
"Hm. It's not ideal but I expected that it'd be that way if you accepted me. Of course, there's insemination but I can understand wanting to make sure that any children you have are a result of natural love rather than such a cold method. I call dibs on being first wife though when or should we get that far."
"I'd agree but a bunch of my fangirls back in Konoha already called dibs, the only two who aren't worthless being Ino Yamanaka and my teammate Sakura Haruno. Best them in a 'fight of love', I think that's what they called it, and I'll give you the position."
"A heiress to a clan of mind readers and the apprentice to Tsunade Senju herself as competition, huh? And wait a second, 'fight of love'? An awfully horny way to decide such a thing don't you think?"
I let out a chuckle at her response. I'm pretty sure it was some Academy nonsense but that was funnier so I'll let it stick.
"I think it's a moot point to say it now but nothing is normal when it comes to you, is it?" Karin questions, not really expecting an answer.
"Normal is a very broad term and to be honest by the time that I'm done with my quest you'll be finding my love life to be very normal compared to my main life."
"I think I already did when you had more drastic changes in chakra than new outfits and have a giant eyeball-powered chakra construct as our ride. Now let's stop talking, I just want to enjoy this moment for as long as I can. And rest on you for a while. You're so warm, ya kno." And with that last word Karin dozes off.
Dammit, I can't be the only one awake here, I want some cuddly sleep too! I quickly formed a Shadow Clone and had him pilot the Susanno. I gently wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her in. I too dozed off after a while of listening to the rhythm of her breath.
--
"How nice of you to land for me." I say to the smoke that was my Shadow Clone once I notice that we landed near the Northern Hideout. My Shadow Clone flicked me on the head, both to wake me up and as revenge for not getting to cuddle with Karin. Well too bad, I never said that they couldn't join in, just that they had to drive. Shadow clones sometimes smh.
After we wake up, we start walking, stopping only when we find an injured man leaning against a rock, near where a warden should be watching.
"You-you must be him, Sasuke Uchiha right? It started with the rumors of Orochimaru, that he'd been killed. Then this…" Any words that the man might've said ceased, as did his life.
"Yeesh, dead just like that." Suigetsu notes.
"Strange how he lived long enough just to talk to us." I point out, which draws Karin and Suigetsu eyes from the corpse over to me. To that they just blink, before Suigetsu just shrugs it off and Karin just moves on.
"Damn, most, if not all of the wardens have been killed. It seems that without the fear of Orochimaru to keep them in line the prisoners took it as an opportunity to get their revenge on them. This is why I stuck around the Southern Hideout. Sure the prisoners were annoying and the experiments nightmare-inducing, as per the course when it came to Orochimaru, but all of that was relatively easy. This is just where the unlucky end up." Karin states with a grimace.
"Then that gives us all the more reason to get Jugo and head back to Sound. If these fakes could cause trouble unattended I'd hate to think what a village full of them would do." I respond.
Some dude just jumped from a rock pillar while trying and failing to pull off a Sonic spin, flailing his arms instead. After he crashes to the ground, a man bearing similarities to Jugo when transformed looks from the ground to us.
"I know you, I'm sure I do." He says when his eyes lock on me.
"Oh look at that I know you as well, knock off Jugo." I say with a mocking look.
"KNOCK OFF JUGO!?" The knock-off's expression quickly shifts from a vague recognition to anger.
"Yeah, you know, with that orange hair and fuck ugly appearance when transformed. Except the only thing about you that's different from him is that you're way uglier."
"I'M WAY BETTER THAN THAT PUSSY! IMMA FUCKING KILL YOU!" Are the last words he shouts before falling to the ground, with a hole in his head. But damn that just was a simple throw, it wasn't even enhanced with chakra in any way. I gotta make sure I watch myself in the future.
"And unlike you, Jugo could handle a basic kunai." I say as I shake my head.
"Hey Sasuke, I think the rest of them noticed us." Karin notes as she points towards a bunch of Jugo copies standing near the gate of the hideout, all of them gazing towards us.
"Of course they did, that asshole screeched louder than you did when Sasuke-" Splash. Suigetsu tries to say before Karin smacks him on the head. I wonder how it must feel, to shift your head into a different state of matter and shift back like it was nothing. I imagine it'd be pretty disorienting for people unused to it.
"That liquid thing of yours is both convenient and annoying. I can beat on you as much as I want, but you won't feel it." Karin remarks, drying her hand off with the air.
"Yeah, feeling pain isn't something I have to deal with much. Although I can't say the same for you if the way you walked before we got here says anything." The hell do you mean Suigetsu?
"Sadly nothing like that happened, yet. But it's something I'll be more than happy to get used to, hehe." Karin says as she leans on me. Oh, I see. "And to be honest my legs were just asleep." She sheepishly adds. Ah, the pins and needles, it seems that even super people have to deal with such pains.
"You'd think that finally getting some attention would calm her down some, not make it worse." Suigetsu follows up on his previous comment.
"I think it'd be more accurate to say that by giving her a taste, I've awakened an unquenchable thirst if anything." I confess
"You've got that right." She says, giggling into me again.
"Well that's nice and while I'm glad you finally got some Sauce-ke, Kubikiribocho hasn't gotten any ketchup and I've been itching to fix that. So Sasuke, how about we make this a competition and see who can kill the most." Suigetsu says with a grin as he holds Kubikiribocho up at the ready.
"Fine by me," I agreed before turning to Karin. "Keep an eye on any monstrous chakra, I don't want any of them to gain some sense and flee. And keep count if you can, they might be all gone by the time you can blink."
"Alright, and early congratulations Sasuke for winning!" Karin jokingly cheers for me as I go.
"What's this, the referee is showing her bias already?" Suigetsu says with little heat in his voice before turning to me. "And so sure of your victory already huh. You might wanna tone that arrogance down a bit."
"Well of course I would, Sasuke has far more potent chakra than either you or those beasts over there, a few uses of ninjutsu should take care of them quick enough."
"Hm, fair enough. In that case, I'll change the rules, no area of effect or large uses of ninjutsu, kenjutsu or simple ninjutsu only."
"You're a bit late for that. I'm just a clone so the original wouldn't have gotten any of that." The clone I left said, pointing to a display of lightning cutting down Jugo imposters.
"You should recognize when you're talking to a clone by now, a basic one nonetheless." Karin taunted, adding more fuel to the fire. Suigetsu's only response was to slash at the clone before releasing that it was useless to attack an illusionary one. Deciding he wasted enough time, Suigetsu rushed to the fray.
XXXX
A couple of seconds ago.
XXXX
Man, it's fun ditching Suigetsu with clones. Either I'm that good or the guy really needs to pay attention more to the little things. Like me disappearing in the middle of a conversation.
"Alright you bunch of budget cut Jugos, I hope you had your fun but it stops here. Because it's time for a clearance sale, and no one's buying." I taunt, calling forth the cockiness that the Uchiha were known for. But is somewhat undermined by my crappy line.
"WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE CALLING ME A BUDGET CUT JUGO YOU LITTLE SHIT!!" Which got my desired result anyway judging by how pissed they got.
"I think I'm Sasuke Uchiha, the guy who killed Orochimaru and soon the rest of you no name cannon fodder."
"Oh really, THEN TELL THAT BASTARD WE SAID HELLO ON YOUR WAY TO HELL!!"
"I'm afraid that won't be possible for what will be obvious soon enough."
Before they could even take a fighting stance I was already moving towards the nearest target. Ox, hare, monkey. And a thousand birds begin to chirp. And that makes this the third offensive jutsu I've used in this body. Along with those birds, the Sharingan makes itself visible, a necessity for navigating with them.
As soon as my hand hit the ground my body rushed towards the nearest target. I didn't need to thrust my hand into his chest, a glancing blow of the Lightning Cutter was enough to kill him instantly. I hardly stop with just that man, before he even falls to the ground five more already join him in their fall.
I'm basically recreating what Kakashi did to the Stone ninja in Ninja Storm 4, mowing everyone down with a Chidori Rush.
It wasn't any different for the next couple of kills either. They were all so slow. And even if they weren't so slow these guys fought like generic mindless monsters do with their signature hack and slash. So it was effortless for me to dodge their attacks. While they had enough mental capacity to try and attempt to gang up on me, it was only an attempt.
Did I really need to do this, not all. But wouldn't want to start using their powers once they got the chance. And this is still new to me so I just want to throw as much jutsu around as I can right now. And right now it's hella fun. But still, let's not go too crazy tho.
By the time Suigetsu arrived I'd already killed a third of them. Had I gone all out or used a few AOE ninjutsu it'd already be over.
The Hozuki makes his entrance known with a yell of glee and by cutting a man in half. Vertically.
"Damnit Sasuke you outta cut it out with that clone crap!" Suigetsu shouts, a mix between slight annoyance and glee.
"It ain't my fault it works so well on you Suigetsu."
"Whatever, but since you cheated-"
"Suigetsu we are shinobi, we don't do fair. Or did you not pass the Chunin Exam, because cheating was literally a necessity towards passing." I interrupt with a fake lecturing tone.
"Of course I know that, it's just I'm a tad surprised that the great Sasuke Uchiha has to cheat to win. But of course, how could I blame him when he's up against me, the man who'll wield all Seven Swords and usher in a new golden age of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. In that case, I'll allow you to keep your illegal kills. And just so you know, unlike you wusses in Konoha, we don't waste our time on testing in Kiri's Chunin Exam."
"Yeah, I think you Kiri folk killed all of your literates with that old graduation of yours so you can't exactly have a test. It'd be pretty embarrassing to disqualify an entire village." At this point, I decided to experiment. I attach a chakra string to my sword and once I make it long enough I start to spin it around. I was borrowing a move from White Ichigo here and there's no one to call me out hehe.
"Well, at least I passed a Chunin Exam." Suigetsu said back to me. His only response to my new move was a chuckle and he too joined in the spins. Except rather than using a string he just extended his arms via hydrification nonsense.
"I'll have you know that Orochimaru made me a jonin, so I outrank you, a missing ninja and revoked of the rank of chunin in Kiri."
"You killed the Otokage, so that makes you a double missing-nin, so that makes your rank less than mine. And I'm no missing-nin, I'm just missing in action due to being kidnapped, so still a chunin."
"Except in Sound, it's ruled by 'Law of the Strong, Orochimaru Edition', and since I killed Orochimaru that makes me the law, which means that as soon as I head back there I am the Otokage."
"I'm sure by now they already have an Otokage."
"The only people there strong enough to take that title would be Dosu and Guren. I'm already stronger than Dosu even with his sound gimmick and I'm more than able to beat Guren in a fight, especially with how much I've grown in power." And Shin, assuming he exists, would probably pop up later ala canon or have left to go simp for Itachi.
"And would you look at that, we're done." Suigetsu says as he pulls the Executioner's Blade out of a man's insides. And as he does the sword is drinking in all the blood it can, painting over the color of white stained in by the bleach. "And despite how lackluster these guys were, they sure were good blood for my sword." Hmm, I doubt that. Had they been authentic that sword should've been turned into stone.
"Of course we are, these guys were B rank at best while I'm S rank and you're, I think from mid A to midish S rank, able to fight a good majority of jonins and some gimmicky S ranks."
"You are not telling me that I'm on par with jonin and guys with gimmicks."
"If it makes you feel better you're stronger than Zabuza, even if you aren't as cool or intimidating. I mean the guy looked scary shirtless and in cow prints while you're wearing a purple tank top."
"I'll have you know that I'm more than capable of doing his whole 'naming body parts' schtick, it's just that I prefer to bring in my own charm. And as soon as we're done with getting Jugo I'll show you how wrong you are to underestimate me."
"I'll be looking forward to it."
"Well, that was fast." Karin says once we're done. "Well, with you Sasuke it was never going to be an issue. And I even got in some practice with my chains on the few that had the sense to flee, it's been a while since I got to use them in combat."
"That's great to hear Karin, keep progressing and we'll be able to abuse those chains in so many ways, both in and out of combat." I praise with a wink, which of course got a blush out of the Uzumaki. "Now let's go inside and get this over with."
Karin leads us inside as she knew Jugo's exact location via sensing and knew her way around.
While the last hideout gave me the creeps, it was nothing compared to here despite them being built the same. There being tons of blood along with body parts in places tends to do that. It's one thing to see gore through a screen but it's a whole nother to step in and smell that gore. I would've puked by now if it weren't for Sasuke already being used to these sights, you don't spend time around Orochimaru without seeing some fucked up shit.
Karin's unfazed for the same reason I think, and of course, a shinobi from the Bloody Mist wouldn't look twice at such a scene. He's probably thinking of how he's seen better.
"We're here" And with Karin's little announcement our walk ends, right in front of Jugo's door.
"Alright," I say in a whisper, "I'm going to get him out of that room without setting him off, but I'm gonna need you two not to contradict me or it's fucked." I get nods as my answer.
I simply make an Earth Clone and have it Henge into Kimimaro. After that, I get a slip of paper and scribble some nonsense that'd look like fuinjutsu to the uneducated, which Jugo, along with 80% of other shinobi, definitely was.
"Jugo, if you are hearing this recorded message, then it means I am dead." My clone says in what I remember to be the voice of Kimimaro.
"Kimimaro!? A message from you!?" A voice yells out from within the vault.
"And if this message is playing it could only mean one thing, my successor has arrived. Sasuke Uchiha has come to help you in my place. I know it must be hard to hear this Jugo, but you must move on. Confining yourself in this place won't help you. Please, as my final request to you, I ask that you allow Sasuke Uchiha to help you."
The door bursts open, but rather than it being done by a berserker in a mad rage, it was done in a mad sadness.
"Kimimaro!" Jugo says as he tries to crush 'Kimimaro' in a hug. To which he only chuckles.
"Jugo, this is only a projection, I am not truly here. But I do hope that this has given you a degree of peace. Farewell, my friend." After those final words, the clone disappeared, and along with it the image of Kimimaro. The only thing that clone left behind was Jugo's tears. It was a bit awkward to watch but it was a bit rude not to let a man grieve, so we all stood in silence.
"This was the oh so feared Jugo, this is disappointing I won't lie."
Never mind that Suigetsu was fine with a bit rude. I'm just happy that Jugo was so lost in that slip of paper that he didn't hear that.
After crying for around five minutes did Jugo finally get up. He nodded at me but didn't say a word. I simply smiled at him in return.
Now we walked back down. But considering how long the walk was I'd rather not.
BOOM
And with my second use of the Rasengan, there was a hole in the wall. We now had a new exit to jump out of.
"Uh, Sasuke, what was that for?" Jugo asks, my action confusing the poor guy.
"You ever get that feeling that you just want to jump to the bottom of the stairs rather than walk them?" I ask in a neutral voice, which got a look of confusion from Jugo, a nod out of Suigetsu, and surprisingly Karin too. "Well, I'm acting on it." I say before jumping out of such a jumpable hole.
I stick the landing, as to be expected with Uchiha grace. Suigetsu landed in a splash, Jugo just pulled a fuckng Iron Man and just glided down with his chakra (rocket, jets?), while Karin just walked a bit along the walls before jumping into my arms.
"Alright, now that I have you four here there are some things we need to discuss. As many of you are aware, my main goal is to handle my very complicated relationship with Itachi Uchiha, an S rank shinobi and a member of the terrorist organization Akatsuki." This just got everyone to nod, already expecting that, I'm fairly certain that anybody who knew of Sasuke would already know.
"However before I deal with that there are more pressing issues. One you may already know, Suigetsu and Karin, is that I intend to head to Otogakure to ensure that they won't become an issue. As you've already seen the results of a hideout without Orochimaru to keep it in line, you can guess what would happen on the scale of a minor hidden village. But we'll discuss this matter more later, we must focus on another. Or rather, just the two of us. Jugo, what do you plan on doing?"
"Kimimaro's last request to me was to allow you to help me. So I will, it's the least I can do for my friend." Jugo says all stoic like, though the emotion and red in his eyes directed solely towards me adds something I might be concerned about. He's been confined here alone for so long and now the guy his best friend died for shows up. That fake message of mine might not have helped looking at him now.
"I know of Ryuchi Cave, the origin of your family's power. It is there that I hope that the Snakes will help you control yourself." And where I hope to dump you for a bit before I find myself stuck with a clingy berserker because I am in no way qualified, or interested, enough to handle that on top of his other issues.
"That name, Ryuchi Cave, I feel something when I hear of it, think of it. A name innate to me, just as much as my berserker state," Jugo says, his face was akin to someone remembering something crucial yet somehow forgotten. "Yes, though I know nothing of it I can feel the familiarity." His face now haven lightened up at this.
"Well then, before I can do such a thing we should head to a different location. When discussing the matters of their affairs, summon creatures can be very secretive." I run off to a random area and Jugo follows after me. After a bit I make sudden stop, where the other two are still in viewing distance yet out of hearing range.
This part makes me a little nervous. It was Sasuke Uchiha who signed the contract with Orochimaru as the current summoner. Now Sasuke killed him and while I have the body and memories, I don't have his soul. But regardless I feel that I need to deal with this as soon as I can. Worst case, they remove me as their summoner, and best case they keep me as their summoner and teach me Sage Mode and teach Jugo control.
I grab a kunai and try to lightly stab myself in the arm, which only succeeded in lightly attaching me. Not wanting to continue and risk accidentally injuring myself and looking stupid I finally bit the bullet, that being my thumb, and got the blood necessary. Boar, dog, bird, monkey, and ram. With that last hand sign done, I slam my hand into the ground.
'Summoning Jutsu!'
At the current silence I began to feel a bit worried. Perhaps they chose to simply not respond to me at all, which would suck but-
'POOF'
It seems that a snake wasn't coming to us, we were coming to them.
Merry (late) Christmas to all of my readers and I hope you all have been doing well!
Your gift for the end of the year from me is
CLIFFHANGER
But since I like y'all too much I'll give you a bit of info for what happens next chapter, a bit of spoilers at the bottom.
Here Sasuke finally gets access to his full power, as shown with the rather minor or dumb use of the Rinnegan and Perfect Susanoo, Team Undecided/Taka has some interaction, we start a romance, and we find Jugo. I have no idea why this is so long to be honest.
Originally there was going to be a few more scenes but I stopped here as I felt this chapter was long enough, it was at 10k words at one point which was waaaay too long for me and probably some of you. The longer these get the more I feel that I'm adding a bit too much filler. I really ought to trim the length down a bit for next chapter. But I do hope you guys like this chapter well enough. To be honest this was sort of ready earlier in the month but I was a bit busy and didn't think this was good enough then, even now I still have some doubts. But I want to post it now so y'all won't have to wait too long like I did last time and over-editing can kill stories I hear.
As for Jugo, I hope my decision with him won't be too upsetting. The guy's an interesting character but I feel that leaving him in Ryuchi Cave will be for the best. I don't have much in the way of interacting with him right now as I do with Suigetsu and Karin and I don't him want to feel forced or anything like that. But that doesn't mean he won't be seen again, just not until later and probably with a change in character.
And as for Karin, I feel this may be a bit controversial. I'm new to writing romance but I want to give it a try so I'll have them go casual and slow for now, a close friends with later benefits type thing. And I hope the dialogue with them was real enough/not too cringy regarding romantic stuff.
Anyway I hope some or most of you liked it and please leave your thoughts. Tell me what you liked, what you didn't, or any sort of suggestion/criticism really. Thanks for reading and I hope you all have a happy New Year later.
SPOILER] (Sasuke gets Snake Sage Mode (the way Kabuto got it rather than Mitsuki), Jugo stays in Ryuuchi Cave to learn more about his heritage and control himself, and Sasuke trains with Karin and Suigetsu a bit on their way to Sound before running into the Zombie Duo and getting into a fight.) SPOILER