"How could this be? Why? Why would this happen? I can't believe it…"
Sasuke murmured to himself, lowering his head. His frustration was intensifying, and his Sharingan began to unconsciously emerge, a clear sign of him losing control.
Seeing Sasuke's agitation growing worse, even to the point where his Sharingan activated on its own, the black-robed figure quickly acted. A green glow shot out from under his robe, striking Sasuke's forehead with precise accuracy.
Sasuke immediately felt a cool sensation wash over him, and his restlessness was forcibly calmed.
"Steady your mind. Calm down."
The black-robed figure spoke.
"Thank you."
Sasuke replied, taking a deep breath. He was slightly startled by his near-loss of control just now. This only further demonstrated how overwhelmed he was by the amount of information he had received.
The black-robed figure spoke again, "If you find it hard to calm your thoughts, you can always talk to me."
Sasuke nodded. He had been thinking about this for a while. Once his revenge was complete, he would no longer have any secrets from the black-robed figure. He owed him so much that there was no reason to hide anything.
"The thing is, you can understand that Orochimaru and I are both Naruto's subordinates. Itachi originally captured Naruto because of the so-called Biju Capturing Plan. However, I managed to save Naruto. But shortly after, we learned that Naruto was forced to take poison by Itachi, so he died not long after I rescued him. That's why I'm here now… to avenge Naruto. Now that I know who is behind everything, I intend to find Orochimaru and take revenge together."
He paused for a moment before continuing, "But according to what you said, Orochimaru was once part of Akatsuki, and he left under mysterious circumstances. It's highly likely that Orochimaru never truly left Akatsuki, and he was just secretly kept out of sight."
Sasuke's expression hardened as he sorted his thoughts, "This isn't just speculation. Orochimaru had fought against Akatsuki's members before, and he couldn't have been that weak. Now I realize, he must have let them win on purpose."
"And when Naruto was poisoned, I should have sensed something strange between us, but after Orochimaru sent me out of the room under the pretext of treating Naruto, and he passed away just like that. I can't rule out the possibility that Orochimaru and Itachi were working together, deliberately allowing Naruto to die."
Sasuke clenched his fists in frustration, "But this is just my guess. Orochimaru and I spent so much time together, and I don't want to believe he's involved. But still… what if I'm wrong? If Orochimaru truly was working with Itachi, then what do I do?"
After saying all his thoughts, Sasuke crouched down, burying his face in his hands, the pain and internal conflict clear on his face.
After a long silence, the black-robed figure spoke again, "Sasuke, you're right. Sometimes, it's not the number of possibilities that worries you, but the one possibility that you don't want to believe. If your deductions are correct, Orochimaru would indeed be one of your enemies. How about you listen to my suggestion?"
Sasuke looked up sharply and said, "Please, tell me!"
This was what Sasuke had been waiting for. He no longer trusted his own judgment, as he was too lost in emotion and had no ability to act on his own.
Since the black-robed figure had made a suggestion, if Sasuke accepted it, he would receive the help he truly needed. That was the outcome Sasuke had been hoping for.
The black-robed figure pondered for a moment before replying, "Instead of worrying about whether Orochimaru is good or bad, why not go after the confirmed enemies of yours in Akatsuki?"
"But I can't beat them alone!"
Sasuke sighed dramatically, hoping to bait the black-robed figure into his pirate ship.
As expected, the black-robed figure didn't hesitate, "Don't worry, I'll help you."
"Really? That's great!"
Sasuke suddenly jumped to his feet and gave the black-robed figure a big hug. With the black-robed figure's support, Sasuke believed that the damned Akatsuki was no problem at all.
However, what puzzled Sasuke was that the black-robed figure seemed to be too kind to him. He thought that he was simply showing gratitude by hugging the black-robed figure, but he never expected that the black-robed figure wouldn't shy away.
After all, anyone would have a sense of wariness when embraced by a stranger.
But the black-robed figure didn't avoid the hug. In fact, after being embraced, the black-robed figure's body trembled slightly.
This tremble didn't carry any malicious intent to attack. On the contrary, it seemed more like a sense of urgency or anxiety.
'What on earth was going on?'
Before Sasuke could figure it out, the black-robed figure quickly slipped away from his embrace.
Sasuke faintly noticed a flash of green light from within the cloak.
The green light disappeared, and the cloaked figure spoke in a calm tone, "Alright, let's continue. Once we take down a member of the Akatsuki, we can extract their memories. That should help us trace the others, and through their memories, we can determine if Orochimaru is still connected to the Akatsuki."
As they spoke, the cloaked figure turned and traveled towards the Land of Rain.
"Your plan is quite thorough."
Sasuke was very satisfied with the black-robed figure's suggestion. He found that he was increasingly reliant on the black-robed figure.
The black-robed figure is powerful, could provide rare medicines, and offered wise suggestions. Such a perfect existence actively helping Sasuke made him almost feel like he was living in a dream.
Sasuke pinched his cheek and couldn't help but gasp.
'That hurt. That meant it wasn't a dream.'
'Huh? Why does it smell so nice?'
Sasuke suddenly paused. The faint floral scent seemed to be coming from his hand, and the only person he had just embraced was the black-robed figure.
Thinking back, when he hugged the cloaked figure, he had noticed the other party's frame was quite slender.
'With that fragrance and delicate figure, could this person actually be a woman? Was that why they had changed their voice to sound neither male nor female?'
As this thought crossed his mind, Sasuke couldn't help but take another deep breath of the floral scent in his hand.
"This is great."
For once, a smile appeared on Sasuke's face. If the black-robed figure was a woman, that would explain why she was helping him.
Apart from anything else, Sasuke had always been surrounded by girls since he was young, so he understood the reason: it was because of his refined appearance.
So it was quite possible that the black-robed figure had helped him because she was attracted to his good looks.
If that were the case, Sasuke not only felt no aversion but was instead quite pleased. Because...
Just as he was thinking this, the black-robed figure reappeared in front of Sasuke and asked, "Why are you still standing there in a daze?"
Sasuke hesitated for a moment, but finally made up his mind and asked, "Excuse me, are you a woman?"
Once again, there was an eerie silence.
After a long pause, the black-robed figure finally spoke: "Why are you asking this?"
Sasuke scratched his head and said with an embarrassed face, "To be honest, I owe you a lot, and I understand that in your eyes, I am weak in both strength and intellect. I know I can't offer you much in return, nor can I ever fully repay you. But you still help me, and that makes me think you're interested in my appearance."
After saying this, Sasuke's face turned bright red. His self-praise made him feel embarrassed and awkward.
"So?"
The black-robed figure asked, still waiting for his response.
At this point, Sasuke realized it was too late to back down, so he decided to go all in, "So, if you're a woman, after my revenge is completed, I'm willing to 'give myself to you,' and spend the rest of my life repaying you! That way, perhaps it would be enough to repay your kindness..."