Sasuke's sharp voice cut through the silence of the forest.
"Come out!"
A moment later, Shigure stepped calmly from the shadows of the trees, his expression unreadable as his gaze met Sasuke's across the river.
"How did you find me?"
Shigure asked quietly. Logically speaking, Sasuke shouldn't have been able to sense his chakra.
"I didn't," Sasuke replied. "I just… felt you were here."
A feeling, huh?
Shigure's lips twitched faintly. Feelings were things that could never be explained by logic—and sometimes, they were the most dangerous kind of instinct.
He tilted his head slightly.
"Tell me, Sasuke… why did you run away from Konoha?"
Sasuke didn't look back. "Didn't you leave Konoha too?"
He turned, his voice calm but cold, and sat on a smooth boulder by the riverbank.
Seeing this, Shigure walked over and sat beside him.
In the distance, Haku and Chōjūrō waited silently, as instructed. Shigure had told them not to interfere—this conversation was his alone to handle. They trusted his strength completely.
Sasuke's eyes were fixed on the rushing water.
"Konoha…" he murmured.
"Maybe I once belonged there. But now, that place means nothing to me."
His voice held no anger—only emptiness.
His clan was gone. The Uchiha name, his entire bloodline, erased in one night. The only reason he'd stayed in Konoha at all was because that was where his clan had been. There was nothing left to tie him there—no love for the village, no 'Will of Fire' to inherit.
Shigure studied him quietly.
"Does it really matter whether you leave Konoha or not?" he asked.
It was a simple question, but one that carried weight.
With Sasuke's potential, if he continued to train patiently, he could've become strong enough to face Itachi within a few years. Revenge didn't require defection.
Sasuke turned his head slightly, crimson eyes flickering with emotion.
"I've been thinking," he said softly. "Is Itachi really that strong?"
He looked directly at Shigure.
"Can he defeat you?"
It was a bold question—but not an unreasonable one.
Shigure was silent for a moment.
"Itachi's strength is undeniable," he admitted. "But if you're asking for a clear answer…"
He shook his head. "It's uncertain. Even now, he might not necessarily be able to defeat me."
At that, something in Sasuke snapped. His Sharingan activated, tomoe spinning furiously.
"Then tell me!" he shouted.
"If even you say Itachi might not be invincible—then how did he, alone, annihilate the entire Uchiha Clan?!"
Shigure's brows drew together. He hadn't expected Sasuke to jump straight to that conclusion.
Sasuke's voice trembled—not with fear, but with fury and confusion.
"Even if Itachi was stronger than the others, the Uchiha weren't fools! If they couldn't win, they would've escaped! He wasn't a god—he couldn't have hunted down every last one of them!"
He clenched his fists.
"If not a single Uchiha managed to escape… and if no one in Konoha even noticed what was happening… then that means—"
He paused, eyes narrowing to slits.
"Konoha was involved."
The words hung in the air, heavy and cold.
Sasuke stood abruptly, his voice low but sharp.
"I defected, and within half an hour, the village detected it and sent pursuit squads. But back then, an entire clan was wiped out—without even alerting the ANBU. Do you really think that's possible, Shigure?"
Shigure didn't speak. He could see it now—the years of bitterness, doubt, and betrayal that had shaped Sasuke's path.
Sasuke continued, his tone laced with quiet resentment.
"Even geniuses like you can be used as tools for the village's sake. If it meant preserving their so-called 'peace,' they'd sacrifice anyone."
He turned his gaze away, his Sharingan dimming slightly.
"So yes," he said.
"That's why I left. I refuse to live in a village built on lies."
Shigure exhaled softly. "So that's your reason."
He placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder.
"What you choose to do is your own path. I have no right to stop you. I came here on a mission—and to see for myself the reason you left."
He stood and stretched slightly, his tone calm again.
"Now that I've heard it, I won't stop you. Go."
Sasuke blinked, caught off guard.
"You're… letting me go? Just like that? How will you report back?"
Shigure smirked.
"I'm a Hidden Mist shinobi now. My Mizukage values me highly. If I were a few years older, she might've already tried to 'devour' me."
Sasuke blinked—then realized what he meant, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
"…I see. As long as you're living well in the Hidden Mist, that's enough."
He turned toward the river.
"Maybe, someday, I'll need your help."
"Anytime," Shigure said easily.
"Just send word."
For a brief moment, there was a quiet sense of mutual respect between the two—relics of the same generation, walking different paths.
But Sasuke broke the silence first.
"Since we might not meet again soon… let's fight."
Shigure raised an eyebrow.
"Fight?"
Sasuke's gaze hardened.
"I want to see it for myself—the gap between us."
Shigure sighed, smiling faintly.
"You do realize, I'm the Six-Tails' jinchūriki now. I still carry the power of a Tailed Beast within me. Are you sure you want this fight?"
Sasuke's eyes gleamed crimson once more.
"More than ever."
Sasuke frowned. "Are you like Naruto too?"
"Something like that," Shigure replied lightly.
"Is the power of a Tailed Beast really that strong?"
Seeing the thought forming in Sasuke's eyes, Shigure suddenly stood up. "Your Sharingan alone holds immense power. You don't need a Tailed Beast, Sasuke. For you, it would only be a burden."
"Then why do you…"
"I just want to understand the nature of the Tailed Beasts better. Their power doesn't matter much to me."
Sasuke smiled faintly, finally grasping Shigure's intent. He wasn't obsessed with power itself — he sought comprehension. To Shigure, the Tailed Beasts were a mystery to study, not tools to be used.
Maybe they came from different villages. Maybe one day, they'd even stand as enemies.
But right now, they were comrades.
Sasuke's smile faded, replaced by determination. "Shigure… I want to challenge you again!"
He leapt to a large boulder across the river, drawing the chokutō at his waist. His stance made it clear — he wouldn't leave without a fight.
Shigure unsheathed his blade, Zangetsu, its dark metal glinting in the sunlight. "I won't hold back in a sword fight."
"I never expected you to." Sasuke's tone was firm.
"While you were away in the Hidden Mist, I didn't waste time either. I've been training with my sword — show me how far apart we really are!"
Sasuke's blade crackled with lightning — Chidori Blade.
At the same time, Shigure's sword shimmered, cloaked in the heat of his Boil Release: Heat Haze Blade.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow.
"You're not using your Ninjutsu-based Flow Blade? I thought my Lightning Release could counter your techniques more easily."
Hot steam rose from the ground, veiling the river in mist.
"Sasuke," Shigure said, tightening his grip, "you wanted to see the difference between us, right? Then take this seriously — because I won't hold back."
Their eyes locked.
Sasuke's gaze sharpened as his Sharingan spun into its full three-tomoe form. His chakra flared — sharper, denser. Understanding had refined his power once more.
Good, Shigure thought.
In the blink of an eye, Shigure drew his sword. The moment the blade left its sheath, his body blurred, turning into an afterimage as he charged.
Sasuke met him head-on, lightning surging across his sword as he slashed upward.
Steam clashed with lightning.
The air sizzled.
Then—
Clang!
The sound of steel colliding rang out across the river, echoing through the trees.
Both landed lightly on opposite banks, the river bubbling between them.
A moment later, a sharp crack echoed.
Sasuke looked down — his sword had split cleanly in two. Only the hilt remained in his hand.
He stared at it for a moment, then exhaled with a bitter smile.
"Looks like the gap between us… isn't small at all."
...
TN:
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