Sasuke had anticipated the worst-case scenario, but he never expected this outcome. He couldn't have imagined that the black-robed figure would provide him with a medicine of such extraordinary quality. He had never even heard of a medicine that could restore Sharingan's vision. This was an outcome beyond his wildest dreams.
"Why are you helping me?"
Sasuke asked, his tone much softer now.
At this point, he understood clearly: the black-robed figure was helping him. From the medicinal bath earlier to the exceptional elixir now, there was no reason to doubt the intentions of such a benefactor.
Right now, he only wanted to know the black-robed figure's motive.
The fact that the figure wasn't trying to control him by force indicated a willingness for peaceful interaction, so Sasuke saw no need for hostility.
"Do I need a reason to help you?"
For the first time, the black-robed figure spoke. The voice was neutral, neither masculine nor feminine, and their age was impossible to determine.
Sasuke ignored these details. The black robe covering the figure's entire body was a clear indication of their desire to remain anonymous. A disguised voice was just another layer of precaution that Sasuke didn't bother questioning.
"Then, what do you want me to do?" Sasuke pressed further.
The black-robed figure shook their head slightly, "I don't need you to do anything."
"No reason, and you don't need me to do anything?"
Sasuke couldn't figure out the rationale. Still, his immediate priority was to find and confront Itachi. He bowed slightly and said, "Thank you very much for your help. My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I owe you a favor this time. If you need me in the future, I will help you once. But I have important matters to attend to now. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
After saying this, he turned around and prepared to leave.
He couldn't help but find the situation amusing, 'With the figure's power and access to rare elixirs, what help could they possibly need from me?'
To put it bluntly, Sasuke wasn't even qualified to carry their shoes at this point.
Since the figure wanted nothing in return, there was no way he could ask their help in defeating Itachi.
But before Sasuke could take a few steps, the black-robed figure called out to him.
"Wait!"
"Is there something else?"
Sasuke turned his head and asked.
The figure shook their head again, "I have nothing pressing to do, so I will go with you. You seem unsettled, and you might run into trouble again."
"This…"
Sasuke was stunned.
He had already given up, but unexpectedly there was a pleasant surprise. The black-robed figure actually took the initiative to join him.
'If a fight broke out with Itachi, perhaps this figure could lend a hand.'
"Is that not acceptable?"
The black-robed figure asked.
"No, no, no! Of course, it's acceptable. I'd be glad to have you join me!!"
Though Sasuke's emotions were in turmoil, he forced a smile. Having such a powerful ally at his side was a rare blessing, and he needed to show the utmost respect.
It was the least he could do now.
"Then let's not waste time. Let's depart now."
The figure suggested.
Despite the late hour, the black-robed figure made no mention of resting, which pleased Sasuke even more.
"Let's go this way."
Sasuke pointed out a direction, and the two began their journey.
The identity of the black-robed figure remained a mystery, but Sasuke didn't care. His sole enemy was Itachi, and no one else mattered.
As long as someone could help him, their identity was irrelevant.
However, not long after the pair set off, a yellow figure appeared beside the wooden hut they had just left.
"The presence disappear here?"
The figure that appeared was none other than Naruto's shadow clone.
Earlier, Naruto had sent out a hundred shadow clones, and this particular clone was lucky enough to pass by the place where Sasuke fainted. The clone had been tracking Sasuke's lingering presence, following his Chakra trail. After he had stayed unconscious for so long, Sasuke left behind a significant amount of Chakra trace.
Following the trail, Naruto's shadow clone had tracked it all the way to the small wooden hut.
However, the Chakra trace abruptly vanished.
The residual traces were clearly recent, but the sudden disappearance indicated that someone had intentionally erased them.
"Sasuke has grown…" Naruto's clone muttered, "He knew to hide his tracks. That's reassuring."
Naruto wasn't worried anymore. Sasuke's ability to cover his tracks showed growth, and with Sasuke's Mangekyo Sharingan, even if trouble arose, few would be able to defeat him.
And if anything happened, Naruto's main body would receive word from Otogakure and rush to help.
However, just as the clone was about to dispel itself and send the information back to the main body, a new notification rang out in his mind.
[Friendly Reminder: Traces of another system owner have been detected. Please proceed with caution.]
"Another system owner? What's going on?"
Naruto was slightly startled and quickly entered combat readiness. He couldn't sense anyone nearby, which only meant that the other party must be a stronger system owner than himself.
[The other party has already left. This system detected their presence through their ability to erase their own traces. Their system is of the same level as ours, but their stealth abilities are extremely strong. Beware of surprise attacks.]
Upon hearing this, Naruto let out a breath of relief, but his sense of urgency soon returned.
'Stealth abilities? Erasing traces?'
Connecting these two points, Naruto's heart sank, "Damn it, Sasuke was probably taken by the other party."
"System-sama, hurry up and analyze where they went. Aren't you interested in devouring other systems to evolve?"
Naruto was anxious.
Since crossing over into the Naruto World, Naruto has never been so anxious… not just because he was worried about Sasuke's safety, but also due to an overwhelming sense of unease.
Even though Naruto hadn't outwardly expressed it, as a transmigrator with a system, he had always believed he was the protagonist of this world.
The sudden appearance of another system owner shattered his sense of exclusivity.
The system had just confirmed that the other party's system was at the same level. That meant that the opponent's potential would not be inferior to his. If Naruto continued to act carelessly, he might be ambushed and have his own Sign-In System devoured.
The more Naruto thought about it, the more restless he became.
'Is this a battle for destiny?'
While the system analyzed the situation, Naruto quickly speculated about the other party's intentions.
To be precise, Naruto is a story with dual-male protagonist setting. Both Naruto and Sasuke are blessed with the world's destiny, a privilege unique to protagonists. Naruto holds half of this world's fortune, making it so that the universe is inherently on his side.
As a Child of Destiny and the world's protagonist, he is protected by the ultimate rule: the protagonist cannot die.
But Naruto couldn't guarantee what kind of abilities the other system owner might possess. If they could somehow seize control of Sasuke's body, Naruto's aura of fortune could collapse entirely.
[The other party's stealth capabilities are too high, and they've been gone for too long. Tracking is impossible. However, the host need not worry.]
"No need to worry? How can you not be anxious in this situation?"
Naruto was confused.
Under normal circumstances, the system would be more anxious than he was, after all, it also faced the risk of being devoured.
[If the other party were truly powerful, they could have ambushed and killed the host with their stealth ability. The fact they didn't suggests only one thing: they aren't strong enough yet. For systems of the same rank, exceptional stealth capability often comes with weaknesses in other areas. These sneaky types of systems typically have low defense, health, or attack power. This system recommends that the host focus on improving their own abilities… this is the top priority.]
"That does make sense."
Naruto nodded slightly.
Originally, he had planned to wait in Otogakure for news of Sasuke. But now, it was clear that unless the other system owner wanted a showdown, they wouldn't reveal Sasuke's whereabouts. So waiting would be futile.
'For now, heading to the Land of Lightning to complete the prerequisites for obtaining the full power of Rumble-Rumble Fruit and walking on the path on becoming the Thunder God seemed like a safer plan.'
'That said, system's outward calm was a little deceptive. The fact that it had said so much also means that the system itself is very impatient.'
'It seemed this time, even the system was genuinely shaken...'