Chapter 66: The Unmasking
At first, Kakashi's objective had been simple: locate and retrieve Sasuke. But the moment he laid eyes on this "Sasuke," a deep sense of wrongness had taken root. It was this feeling that made him hold back, choosing to observe the fight between this stranger and his students rather than immediately intervene. With every move, every technique, his suspicion grew from a vague hunch into a cold, hard certainty. The person standing before them was not Uchiha Sasuke. Or at least, not the Sasuke they knew.
The fighting style was completely different. The Sasuke he'd trained would never rely on Shadow Clones in combat, a tactic he'd always seen as Naruto's crutch. And he would certainly never use the Rasengan, a technique symbolically linked to Naruto and the Fourth Hokage. But more than the techniques, it was the demeanor—the cunning, almost playful cruelty—that was utterly alien to the brooding, intensely focused boy he remembered.
"You..." Kakashi began, his voice low and measured, "...are you really Sasuke?"
Ren's playful smirk didn't waver, though a flicker of surprise was quickly suppressed. "Oh? And why would you ask that?"
"From the moment I saw you, something felt off. I dismissed it at first, attributing it to the changes Orochimaru might have wrought in you. But the longer I watched, the more certain I became."
"What, precisely, do you find so suspicious?"
"First," Kakashi listed, holding up a finger, "Sasuke never used Shadow Clones in battle. You used them multiple times against Naruto. Second," another finger rose, "you used the Rasengan. A technique Sasuke does not know and has no connection to. And finally... your entire presence. You feel sly, calculating. Not like him at all."
"And you base your accusation on just that?"
"Of course there's more," Kakashi said, his single eye sharpening. "What sealed my suspicion was your behavior towards Ino." He paused, letting the statement hang.
Ino, who had been watching with a heart torn between grief and confusion, looked up sharply at the mention of her name. The memory of her punch landing, his lack of retaliation, his strange words—it all began to coalesce into a terrifying, hopeful possibility.
"From the start, you treated all of us with cold disdain, like strangers. But your attitude towards Ino was different. You didn't fight back when she attacked you. As I recall, Sasuke and Ino were classmates, but they were never close. In fact, the one Ino was always close to... was Sasuke's brother, Uchiha Ren. Am I right?" Kakashi's gaze was unwavering, piecing the puzzle together.
"That's... true," Ino whispered, her voice trembling.
"You've said a lot," Ren replied, his tone still light, though the smirk was now a little forced. "What's your point?"
"My point is," Kakashi stated, his voice dropping to a conclusive tone, "I have a theory. Perhaps... you are not Sasuke at all."
A wave of stunned silence washed over the clearing. Naruto, Sakura, Shikamaru, and Choji could only stare, their minds reeling. *Not Sasuke? Then who is he? Why would he look exactly like him?*
Tears, which had been held back by shock, now welled up in Ino's eyes and spilled over. With a soft clatter, the kunai fell from her numb fingers onto the dirt. She didn't hesitate. She took a step, then another, and then she was running—not with anger, but with a desperate, fragile hope—straight towards Ren.
"Ino, wait! Be careful!" Shikamaru yelled, fearing a trap.
But Ino didn't stop. She ran until she was right in front of him, her tear-filled eyes searching his face. The violent retaliation they all expected never came. They only saw the boy look down at her with that same wry, almost sad smile. For a long moment, they just looked at each other. Then, with a choked sob, Ino threw her arms around him, burying her face in his chest and holding on as if he were a lifeline.
"What? What's going on? Why is Ino...?" Naruto mumbled, utterly bewildered.
Sakura could only stare, her own emotions a tangled mess of confusion and jealousy.
Shikamaru's eyes narrowed, his mind racing. *According to Kakashi-sensei's reasoning, and Ino's reaction... is it really possible? Is this guy... Uchiha Ren?*
"Heh," Ren chuckled softly, his arms coming up to gently return the embrace. "Some things never change, Ino. You still like to cling to people."
"I finally found you," she sobbed into his shirt, her voice muffled. "Ren."
"I'm sorry," he murmured, his voice uncharacteristically gentle. He brought a hand up and gently wiped the tears from her cheek. "I made you worry. It's my fault. Please, don't cry."
"My guess was correct," Kakashi said, his voice firm with finality. "You are Uchiha Ren. The one everyone wrote off as lost. The one they forgot."
This confirmation sent another, even greater shock through the group.
"This... how is this possible?" Sakura gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "He's... he's really..." She couldn't bring herself to say the name, the image of the helpless, vacant-eyed boy too starkly contrasted with the powerful, dangerous shinobi before them.
The idea was staggering. The boy they had all pitied, ignored, or forgotten had somehow become a ninja stronger than all of them combined. It was a concept their minds struggled to accept, yet Kakashi's logic and Ino's undeniable reaction made it the only possible truth.
"Hmph," Ren—*Uchiha Ren*—let out a cold snort, looking over Ino's head at Sakura. "So it's 'that idiot Uchiha Ren,' is it?"
"I... I didn't mean..." Sakura stammered, flushing with embarrassment and shame.
"Ren, I'm sorry!" Ino said quickly, pulling back slightly to look up at him, her eyes pleading. "Sakura-chan didn't mean it like that! She's not malicious, please don't be angry with her."
Ren's cold expression softened as he looked down at her. "Haha! Don't worry. I'm not so petty as to hold a grudge over something like that. And if you ask me not to be angry, then I won't be."
"You... you're really Ren?" Naruto finally burst out, his earlier confusion replaced by dawning, exuberant joy. He stumbled forward, ignoring his own injuries. "You got your memories back? You're better?!"
"Yes," Ren said, meeting Naruto's gaze directly. "I am Uchiha Ren. Got a problem with that?"
"It IS you! Haha! AWESOME!" Naruto yelled, jumping into the air with a fist pump, his pain completely forgotten in his sheer delight. "You're finally better!"
*Really, what is with this idiot?* Shikamaru thought, wincing as he touched a tender bruise. *He was ready to fight him a minute ago, and now he's celebrating like it's his birthday. His nerve is thicker than Choji's armor.*
"Naruto, you idiot..." Sakura muttered under her breath, a mix of affection and exasperation in her tone.
*This guy...* Ren watched Naruto's display, a genuine, unforced smile touching his lips for the first time. *I should have known. This is so... Naruto.*
"Naruto," Kakashi's voice cut through the celebration, bringing a dose of reality back to the situation. "Don't celebrate just yet. While we now know he is Uchiha Ren, our business is far from over."
"Eh? Huh?" Naruto's celebration halted abruptly. He looked around, suddenly remembering where they were and why they were there. The serious expressions on his friends' faces made him rub the back of his neck sheepishly. "Oh... right. Sorry, I just got so happy, I forgot..."
"Then," Kakashi said, taking a deliberate step forward. His gaze locked onto Ren's, his voice dropping into a tone of grave authority. "Let's talk, Uchiha Ren."
Ren's gentle smile vanished, replaced by a cool, assessing look. "Oh? Let's."
𝗚𝗨𝗬𝗦, 𝗙𝗢𝗟𝗟𝗢𝗪 𝗠𝗘 𝗢𝗡 𝗜𝗡𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗠 𝗔𝗧 𝗚𝗘𝗛𝗥𝗠𝗔𝗡𝗦𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗥𝗢𝗪9