On the Hokage Rock, Senju Hashirama was chatting and laughing with the other Kage from different villages, enjoying a rare moment of peace after the war.
Meanwhile, at the Intelligence Division headquarters, Uchiha Sasuke had just arrived — and his goal was clear.
"Orochimaru! I need your help with something!"
Sasuke pushed open the door to Orochimaru's personal lab and stepped inside. The faint scent of chemicals lingered in the air. Nara Shikamaru and Morino Ibiki, stationed nearby, instinctively grew wary when they noticed him. After all, Sasuke had once defected from the village and allied with the masked man — Uchiha Obito.
But that was in the past. In the end, Sasuke had fought alongside Naruto Uzumaki and helped end the Fourth Great Ninja War. With Naruto's personal request, and the joint declaration of the Five Kage, Sasuke's international bounty and criminal status had been officially revoked.
When Orochimaru turned and saw Sasuke, he smiled faintly.
"Well, well… Sasuke-kun. What's the matter? You actually need my help?"
Sasuke glanced around at the cluttered lab and snorted. "You really build a laboratory wherever you go, don't you?"
Orochimaru shrugged, his serpentine smile widening. "Everyone has something they pursue. For me… seeking the truth of this world is my greatest desire."
"Put aside your pursuit of truth for now," Sasuke said sharply. "I want you to do me a favor. I want to resurrect the Uchiha clan."
Orochimaru's golden eyes narrowed slightly. "Does Naruto know about this?"
Sasuke nodded. "He promised me before. I spoke with him before coming here — he's already agreed to the plan."
Orochimaru licked his lips. "How… delightfully insane."
"What was that?" Sasuke's eyes sharpened.
Orochimaru smirked. "This could be considered a pursuit of truth in its own right. Very well — I'll help you. But even I have only a limited supply of Uchiha remains and blood samples. How do you plan to proceed?"
"I'll take care of that myself," Sasuke replied flatly. "And where's Kabuto? I haven't seen him."
"He's working with Yamato under Naruto's orders, keeping the remaining White Zetsu forces under control," Orochimaru explained. "He should recover soon and return."
Then, with a faint glimmer in his eyes, Orochimaru asked, "Do you think Kabuto could find the Uchiha clan's burial site… or retrieve something from their remains?"
Sasuke met his gaze. "Wouldn't he?"
Orochimaru chuckled softly, saying no more.
Indeed, after the Uchiha clan's massacre, Orochimaru himself had once tried to obtain something from their remains — but most valuable items had already been taken. The only things he'd managed to retrieve were minor — scrolls and documents. The corpses and blood samples had been seized long ago by others… most notably Shimura Danzō's Root, Uchiha Itachi, and Obito.
Kabuto, for his part, had dug up a few graves, mostly as a precaution in case he needed leverage against Sasuke.
Without further conversation, Sasuke turned to leave, his voice trailing behind him: "When Kabuto returns, send him to me."
The moment he stepped outside the Intelligence Division, a voice called out.
"Sasuke!"
Turning, Sasuke saw Nara Shikamaru leaning casually against the wall beside the entrance, arms crossed, as though he had been waiting.
"What is it?" Sasuke asked coldly.
Shikamaru pushed off the wall and walked toward him. "You came to see Orochimaru for something important, didn't you? And… back on the battlefield, you suddenly switched sides and helped Naruto. My guess is you saw something that changed your mind."
"That's none of your business," Sasuke replied sharply. "If you've got nothing else to say, I'll be leaving."
"Stop," Shikamaru ordered.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "You'd better have a good reason, Shikamaru."
"Tch." Shikamaru clicked his tongue at Sasuke's tone, but he didn't take it personally. He knew Sasuke had always been aloof, even as a child.
Closing the distance between them, Shikamaru looked Sasuke in the eye. "I don't care why you decided to help Naruto and end the war. But I know you and Naruto are bound by fate — like brothers from a past life. So I don't want you doing anything that'll hurt him. That guy… is my brother, too."
Sasuke understood immediately. Shikamaru thought Sasuke's visit to Orochimaru was something underhanded, and feared Naruto didn't know about it.
"You worry too much," Sasuke said with a faint smirk before walking away.
Elsewhere, Uchiha Obito was being led somewhere by Rin Nohara.
"Rin, where are you taking me?" he asked.
"You'll see," she said with a warm smile, tightening her hold on his hand.
When they arrived, Rin gestured excitedly toward the open training field before them. "Look, Obito — does this place look familiar?"
Obito's eyes widened. This was where Minato-sensei had trained him, Rin, and Hatake Kakashi during their youth.
"Why… why here?" he asked, smiling unconsciously as memories flooded back. For a moment, he saw his younger self, standing beside Rin and Kakashi.
"I knew you wouldn't forget," Rin said softly.
She looked exactly as she had the day she died — forever frozen in that moment, an unchanging figure in Obito's heart.
A pang of grief and regret tightened his chest.
"What's wrong?" Rin asked, sensing his shift in mood.
Obito took a deep breath, raising his head so his tears wouldn't fall. "If I had died at the Kannabi Bridge… maybe none of what happened later would've come to pass. Maybe… I could've died with a pure heart."
Rin's grip on his hand tightened. "Obito, I told you… I'll always be watching over you."
"I'm sorry," he whispered, tears finally spilling. "I broke my promise. I didn't become the man you wanted me to be."
"It's okay," Rin said gently, pulling him down so she could wipe his tears. "Everything's over now."
For the first time in years, Obito wished he could go back — be that young, reckless boy again.
As they stood there, a voice cut through the air.
"Obito! I finally found you!"
It was Sasuke.
Obito turned, frowning slightly. Sasuke's gaze held a trace of resentment — after all, Obito had deceived him under the guise of "Madara" for years. But Sasuke also understood that Obito had been nothing more than Madara's pawn… just as Madara himself had been the pawn of Black Zetsu.
They were all victims in one way or another. But now wasn't the time to dwell on it.
"Obito, I need your help," Sasuke said plainly.
Obito stood, his hand still in Rin's. Despite being a war criminal, he remained free thanks to Naruto and Kakashi's personal guarantees. Many in Konoha still hated him — and rightly so. He had been responsible for releasing the Nine-Tails, nearly destroying the village, and instigating the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Still, Rin's presence had softened him.
"What do you need?" Obito asked calmly.
Sasuke glanced at Rin. Yes — this woman had changed him. Once a man had something to protect, he would be willing to compromise, to change… even to help an old enemy.
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