When Yamato, leading a rapid response team of four elite Anbu, appeared on a rooftop across from the diplomatic compound of the Land of Stars, the scene that greeted his eyes was Sasuke being completely overwhelmed by a sky-blanketing expanse of yellow sand.
The faint morning light gilded the spreading sand on the street with a pale gold, but it could not dispel the murderous aura and suffocation brought by the raging dust storm.
Sasuke's figure appeared particularly wretched amidst the churning waves of sand. Like a lone boat in a storm, he struggled to dodge and evade, trying to avoid the grasping hands of sand and searching for a means to counterattack.
However, against absolute power, his counterattacks seemed utterly pale.
Gaara stood with his back against the gate, his arms crossed, his expression indifferent, as if what lay before him wasn't a battle but merely a boring game of swatting flies.
The sand flowing around him was like an army, both offensive and defensive, following his every whim.
Sometimes it transformed into a giant palm to strike, sometimes condensed into sharp spears to thrust, and sometimes acted like a swamp to restrict Sasuke's movement.
Every counterattack by Sasuke, whether swift Taijutsu or experimental Fire Release Ninjutsu, was easily swallowed or neutralized by that seemingly endless sea of sand.
Yamato's brow furrowed beneath his mask.
He recognized that ability to manipulate sand.
It was the Magnet Release, the Kekkei Genkai passed down through generations in Sunagakure.
The Anbu's Intelligence Division had also long confirmed that this red-haired boy is Gaara, son of the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa.
Moreover, the strength he had displayed during the Chunin Exams far exceeded that of a Special jonin.
Looking at Sasuke in contrast—
Although the enhancement from his Three-Tomoe Sharingan had brought his strength to the threshold of Jonin level, he had only just awakened it.
Without any clansmen to guide him in its use and development, he was clearly outmatched against an opponent like Gaara.
"Commander?" An Anbu wearing a tanuki mask asked in a low voice, his fingers already resting on the short sword hilt at his back. "Should we intervene immediately?"
Yamato slowly shook his head. His gaze passed over Sasuke and Gaara, landing on the half-open gate beyond, on the faintly visible figure in the shadows of the corridor… Uchiha Shisui.
That man simply stood there quietly, like a bystander aloof from the matter, but Yamato dared not underestimate [Shisui the Body Flicker], who had earned his formidable reputation during the Third Great Ninja War.
"Wait a little longer," Yamato's voice came through the mask, calm and restrained. "Our top priority is to prevent the situation from escalating and to ensure Sasuke's safety, but... we also need to observe Shisui's movements. If he truly intended to harm Sasuke, he wouldn't have waited until now."
He wanted to know, by allowing Gaara to engage Sasuke, what was Shisui trying to test?
'Or... did he have another motive?'
Every action this current clan head of the Uchiha, Minister of Police of the Land of Stars, took regarding Sasuke might carry deeper meaning.
Just then, the situation in the field changed.
Perhaps sensing the prying eyes rapidly gathering from all sides, or perhaps feeling that the 'performance' had been sufficient, Shisui, who had been silently watching all along, finally stepped forward, emerging from the corridor's shadows into the morning light.
"Enough, Gaara." His voice was not loud, but it cut clearly through the howl of the sandstorm.
Without any hesitation, Gaara's surrounding sandstorm, like soldiers receiving orders, rapidly converged and subsided.
The sky-filling yellow sand rolled back like an ebbing tide, reforming into a gentle stream that swirled at his feet, eventually mostly flowing back into the giant gourd of sand on his back.
The pressure suddenly vanished. Sasuke stumbled, dropping to one knee, gasping for breath.
Sweat had soaked his bangs, plastering them to his forehead. His clothes were covered in dust, making him look rather disheveled.
But his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, far from dimming, appeared even more vividly crimson and striking due to his intense emotions and exertion.
At this moment, those eyes were locked dead on Shisui, filled with accusation, anger, and confusion.
Shisui met Sasuke's gaze, his expression calm.
He did not explain, nor did he exchange pleasantries.
Hum—
Shisui's black pupils instantly turned crimson. Three tomoes emerged, then rapidly spun and transformed, connecting.
Finally, they condensed into a shape resembling a windmill shuriken.
The Mangekyo Sharingan!
Sasuke felt the scene before him blur and twist, as if space itself was being shaken by the power of those eyes.
In the next instant, all his senses, sight, hearing, touch, even his perception of his own Chakra, were forcibly stripped away!
The clamor of reality faded.
When Sasuke regained his senses, he found himself in a completely unfamiliar environment.
Beneath his feet was soft, lush, pale green grass, extending to the horizon, meeting the clear, blue-washed sky at a distant line.
A gentle breeze blew, carrying the fresh scent of grass and unknown wildflowers, tenderly stirring his hair and clothes.
This place was tranquil, open, and full of vitality.
This was Shisui's mental space.
About five meters before Sasuke stood Shisui, but the expression on his face was far gentler than in reality.
His hands hung loosely at his sides. Looking at Sasuke's still-alert Three-Tomoe Sharingan, a flicker of complex emotion passed through his eyes.
"It seems you've grown quite a bit these past few years, Sasuke," Shisui's voice was particularly clear and genuine in this space.
It gave Sasuke a feeling of returning to some afternoon six years ago, an ordinary conversation between himself, his brother, and Shisui.
Sasuke did not let down his guard, but his gaze was involuntarily drawn to the magnificent yet eerie Mangekyo in Shisui's eyes.
The Ocular Power contained in those eyes was as deep as the sea, far beyond the reach of his Three-Tomoe.
"So this is..." Sasuke's voice was somewhat hoarse. "The power... beyond the Three-Tomoe?"
Shisui nodded: "Yes, this is the Mangekyo Sharingan, which surpasses the Three-Tomoe. A gift from the Uchiha Clan's ancestors, and also... a heavier burden."
"That man..." Sasuke's breathing suddenly quickened, his hands unconsciously clenching into fists. "He has those eyes too, doesn't he?"
"Yes." Shisui's answer was concise and certain. A flicker of indescribable pain and regret passed deep in his eyes.
Having received confirmation, the suspicions about that night in Sasuke's heart seemed to gain a little more credence.
He forcibly suppressed his churning emotions and stepped forward, his voice trembling slightly with agitation: "What exactly happened that night?! Shisui!"
He was practically growling: "I saw it with my own eyes! The clan compound were littered with the corpses of our clansmen! My father and mother lay in pools of blood, yet here you are, standing here alive! And that guy called Gaara said... Mother... she's alive too?!"
His accusations poured out like cannon fire, every word steeped in six years of unplaceable pain and confusion.
The three tomoes in his Sharingan trembled wildly, mirroring his violently turbulent inner state.
Faced with Sasuke's nearly hysterical interrogation, the gentleness on Shisui's face gradually faded, replaced by an expression mixed with guilt and helplessness.
He sighed softly, the sound particularly heavy in this tranquil mental grassland.
"What happened that night... is very complicated, involving too much," Shisui's voice lowered, his gaze seeming to pierce through time and space, returning to that bloody evening. "But what I can tell you clearly is that the majority of the Uchiha Clan are indeed still alive. They now live in the Land of Stars."
Despite having suspected and mentally prepared for it, hearing the definite answer directly from Shisui still sent a wave of intense dizziness through Sasuke.
'Alive... the clansmen... mostly alive... the corpses that filled the clan compound, the blood that soaked the streets... could it truly have all been an illusion?'
"As for you..." Shisui's gaze towards Sasuke became complex. "Back when we defected from Konoha, the situation was extremely critical, chaotic and rushed. I did... once consider taking you with me."
Sasuke's heart clenched violently.
"But," Shisui's tone shifted, carrying a trace of bitterness. "I hesitated, and... I was afraid."
"Afraid?" Sasuke was puzzled.
"What I feared wasn't Konoha's pursuers, nor the hardships of the journey." Shisui looked directly into Sasuke's eyes, enunciating each word. "What I feared was that the surviving clansmen, who had just lost parents, brothers, children, their hearts filled with hatred and grief… when they saw you, the younger brother of that executioner... what impulsive things they might do."
Sasuke stood frozen as if struck by lightning.
"Hatred clouds the eyes, grief twists the soul. Even if Hikari-sama and I ordered everyone to strictly forbid harming you, even if we promised to protect you..."
"But in some deep night, at a moment when someone woke from a nightmare, who could guarantee that kunai of revenge wouldn't be pointed at you, who was still just a child back then, knowing nothing about any of it?"
"Even Aunt Mikoto refused to live in the new clan compound in the Star City, choosing instead to settle on the outskirts..."
Shisui's words were like a splash of cold water, extinguishing the flame of resentment ignited in Sasuke's heart by feeling 'abandoned'.
Yes, he was that man's younger brother.
In the eyes of the clansmen who survived the executioner's blade, that identity itself was the original sin!
Even his mother might be implicated!
"So... leaving me behind was... to protect me?" Sasuke's voice trembled, carrying a bitter absurdity.
"At least, in Konoha, under the watchful eyes of Danzo and the Third Hokage, your life safety was guaranteed in the short term. Their greed for the Sharingan ironically became your protective charm in childhood." Shisui calmly stated the cruel reality. "Moreover, you carry the most orthodox bloodline of the Uchiha. They need you to legitimize Konoha's position."
Sasuke fell silent.
Too much information, too complex a web of cause and effect, was assaulting his worldview, which had originally been simple and driven by hatred.
He felt an unprecedented exhaustion and confusion.
He wanted to ask more… about his mother's specific situation, about the clansmen's lives in the Land of Stars, about that Shura, about the true reason Itachi had massacred the clan back then...
But Shisui slowly shook his head.
"Although time passes hundreds of times slower outside in this Genjutsu Space," Shisui said, his gaze becoming distant. "Some things, you need to discover for yourself, to judge with your heart. Answers force-fed by others, no matter how 'true' they seem, can become another form of bondage."
He looked at Sasuke, revealing a gentle, brotherly warmth and expectation in his eyes: "I can only tell you... Aunt Mikoto... has always missed you very much. In the Land of Stars, she lives well, but there has always been an empty place in her heart."
"Mother... misses me..." Sasuke murmured, his heart feeling as if it were being violently squeezed by an invisible hand. Acrid longing and yearning burst through the dam instantly, almost suffocating him.
He could almost see his mother's gentle, tear-filled eyes, hear her calling out with a choked voice.
He wished he could rush to the Land of Stars immediately, find his mother, and find out everything!
Seeing the intense emotions churning in Sasuke's eyes, Shisui knew the moment had come.
He put his hands on his hips and let out a light breath.
"Alright, what needed to be said has been said. I've also helped clear you of some suspicion. Those watchers in Konoha should temporarily relax their suspicions about you a bit." His tone became slightly lighter again, carrying a hint of teasing. "As for which path to take from now on... whether to continue staying in Konoha as the 'Uchiha orphan', or to choose another path... that's up to you."
He paused, as if suddenly remembering something, and added: "Oh, and after this uproar, remember to act justified and go demand from Konoha's higher-ups the return of the Uchiha Inheritance: the clan compound's land deeds, the clan's collection of books, accumulated wealth, and so on. That is rightfully yours. Don't let those old bastards benefit from it."
"Finally, you've now evolved your Three-Tomoe Sharingan. That stinking rat in the gutter could make a move on you at any time. Be careful."
With that, before Sasuke, who had sunk into deeper confusion and contemplation, could ask anything else, Shisui smiled slightly, and the Genjutsu World collapsed and disintegrated.
Sasuke blinked, his senses reconnecting to reality.
The faint morning street sounds reached his ears, the smell of dust and cool air filled his nose, and before his eyes were the now-clear view of the courtyard, and... a hand that had somehow appeared on his left shoulder.
Alarm bells rang in Sasuke's mind. His body instinctively wanted to counterattack, but details his Sharingan captured as he turned sideways made him forcibly restrain the impulse.
The hand was steady and strong, carrying a familiar Chakra feel, and the other party's attire and mask...
"Commander..." Sasuke said in a low voice, recognizing the person behind him as the Anbu Commander, also the man who had taught him for many years, his half-teacher, Yamato.
Seeing that Sasuke was conscious and showing no signs of excessive resistance, Yamato felt somewhat reassured.
He stepped forward, placing Sasuke behind him, and looked towards Shisui and Gaara, who had already retreated within the gate.
"Apologies for disturbing the tranquility of your diplomatic mission. On behalf of Konoha, we extend our deep regret. I will take this one back and discipline him strictly. Farewell."
Without waiting for a response, Yamato gave Sasuke a curt order: "Back to base."
As his voice trailed off, he was the first to leap up, landing lightly on a nearby rooftop.
The several accompanying Anbu followed close behind like shadows, taking up favorable positions for protection and surveillance.
Sasuke looked up at Shisui, who had already turned and walked away inside the gate, and met Gaara's gaze. Their eyes held complex, unreadable emotions.
He said nothing more, silently following Yamato's figure. In a few bounds, he disappeared behind the layers of buildings.
With the parties involved gone, the tense atmosphere in the air of this street seemed to ease somewhat.
But the prying eyes hidden in the surroundings… from Konoha's major Ninja Clans, other village diplomatic missions, and even Root… did not immediately disperse.
Inside the Land of Stars' diplomatic compound, on the second floor of the study.
Behind a large desk, a figure sat with his back to the door, casually flipping through a document on the desk.
The figure wore simple black athletic wear, with neat, short hair, looking like an ordinary youth. But when he slightly tilted his head, those calm eyes seemed capable of seeing through people's hearts.
Shisui entered, closed the door, then knelt on one knee, his posture respectful: "Shura-sama, as per your instructions, initial contact and guidance have been made with Sasuke."
Menma closed a draft arrangement concerning the seating for foreign dignitaries at the third exam, sent over by Konoha's officials.
"You did well, Shisui."
He turned around, his gaze resting on Shisui. He nodded slightly, his eyes deep.
Menma walked to the window, overlooking Konoha's morning street scene, his gaze settling in the direction of the Hokage Rock.
"Now, we just need to wait," Menma continued, his tone carrying a hint of anticipation. "Once the [Konoha Crush Plan] is set in motion, Konoha's interior will inevitably fall into chaos. The existing order and system will show huge loopholes. That fellow Danzo will inevitably covet the Hokage's seat."
"At that time, the seed planted in Sasuke's heart will naturally find an opportunity to break through the soil. He will make his own choice and return to Aunt Mikoto's side."
Hearing this, a weight was lifted from Shisui's heart.
What he had feared most was that Shura might bear a grudge against Sasuke as 'Itachi's brother' and be unwilling to accept him.
'It seemed I had worried for nothing.'
"Thank you, Shura-sama." Shisui said sincerely.
Menma waved his hand, indicating he need not be so formal.
His thoughts, however, drifted to another person, his younger brother, Uzumaki Naruto.
According to the original 'plot', Naruto and Sasuke were bound by a fateful entanglement. The Chakra Reincarnation of Asura and Indra seemed to have a quantum entanglement effect, tying their fates closely together.
If only Sasuke left Konoha, it would be hard to guarantee that Naruto wouldn't pursue him relentlessly like in the original work, triggering a chain of knock-on reactions.
And if he took Naruto away alone, it was hard to say whether Sasuke might become the other pursuer.
'So, it would be best to have both leave together...' Menma pondered silently.
…
Meanwhile, at the Hokage Building.
Hatake Kakashi lightly knocked on the door of the Hokage's office and, upon receiving permission, pushed it open and entered.
He still had that same lazy expression, his forehead protector tilted to cover his left eye, as if he had just come for a casual chat.
When he saw the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, standing by the window with his back to him, his pipe sending up wisps of blue smoke that he hadn't taken a puff from in a long time, Kakashi's nonchalant expression tightened slightly.
"Hokage-sama, you wanted to see me?" Kakashi's voice regained some of its seriousness.
Hiruzen slowly turned around. The wrinkles on his face looked particularly deep in the morning light, his eyes carrying undisguisable fatigue and gravity.
"Yes, Kakashi, you're here." Without small talk, he went straight to the point: "Sasuke... went to the Land of Stars' diplomatic compound early this morning."
Kakashi's right eye widened slightly, a flicker of surprise crossing it, but it quickly returned to calm.
"And then?" Kakashi asked.
"He caused quite a commotion, injured two Land of Stars' guards, and engaged in combat with that young man named Gaara." Hiruzen walked behind his desk and sat down. "However, Shisui intervened to stop it. It seems... he only briefly communicated with Sasuke, without in-depth contact. Yamato has already brought him back. For now, his emotions seem relatively stable, with no further extreme behavior."
Kakashi listened quietly, his mind racing with analysis.
"Then, why you called me..." Kakashi ventured tentatively.
He vaguely guessed the answer.
Hiruzen raised his eyes, his gaze deeply fixed on Kakashi… his former grand-student's disciple, now an accomplished Elite jonin, former Anbu Commander, and one of the few people truly privy to the inside story.