Konoha Year 101. On a planet far, far away from the Ninja World.
The man's vertical, purplish-gold eyes gazed at the emaciated face illuminated by the dim candlelight, vaguely seeing the spirited youth he once was.
As the candlelight flickered, the man's deep, hoarse voice spoke, "Sasuke-kun, your time is running out…"
Sasuke, on the sickbed, was emaciated beyond recognition, his body covered in tubes from various medical instruments keeping him alive. His eyes, tightly shut and unable to open, were filled with a sigh as he smiled.
"I never thought that the last moments of my life would be spent with you, Orochimaru…"
Orochimaru's calm, effeminate words carried an inexpressible heaviness. "There's nothing we can do about it. After all, everyone except for me and Sasuke-kun sacrificed themselves in that battle…"
The candlelight flickered violently, and Sasuke's thoughts replayed his past like a revolving lantern.
During the Fourth Shinobi World War, he and Naruto teamed up to seal Kaguya, and in the battle at the Valley of the End, he was defeated by Naruto. In that battle, he opened his heart and resolved to become the guardian of Naruto's Ninja Way.
However, the threat of the Ōtsutsuki Clan did not cease with Kaguya's sealing. Fifteen years after the war, he and Naruto teamed up to defeat 'Momoshiki' and 'Kinshiki', and then, along with Boruto, the past Jiraiya, and Naruto, they defeated 'Urashiki'!
But in the subsequent battle to eliminate Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, he and Naruto paid a heavy price!
After that battle, he, having lost his Rinnegan, and Naruto, having lost his Nine-Tailed, officially retired to the sidelines.
Fortunately, the next generation, represented by 'Boruto' and 'Kawaki', rose up. And a scientist named Amado, who originated from the 'Kara' organization, revealed the powerful secret of the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
Ōtsutsuki Shibai, according to Amado, had consumed dozens of chakra fruits, mastered 'Divine Arts' that were above Ninjutsu and Sage Art, and was the closest existence to a 'God'!
Amado, solely by extracting genes from Shibai's 'remains', created terrifying artificial humans like 'Ada' and 'Daemon' (Worldview up to Boruto: Naruto Next Generations manga, Chapter 75).
At that time, Sasuke and Naruto were shocked by Shibai's existence, but upon learning that Shibai was likely dead or had reached a higher dimension and posed no threat to this world, they felt at ease.
But the reality was, Shibai was still alive! His feigned death, abandoning his physical body, was merely the final leap before becoming a god, and he was in a long period of dormancy!
On the day Shibai awoke, he perceived the existence of the Ninja World through a Divine Art called 'Clairvoyance' and launched an attack on the planet where the Ninja World was located!
Thus, there was that Ninja World defense battle!
That battle—no, perhaps it couldn't even be called a battle… it was a one-sided slaughter!
Sasuke's best friend, his beloved, his daughter, his beloved disciple, and the Ninja World he had silently guarded for many years, all were shattered by Shibai's overwhelming power!
Sasuke should have died, but to preserve the last hope, he did not hesitate to use the 'right eye' inherited from his deceased older brother to activate 'Izanagi'.
Although he narrowly escaped death using Izanagi, he still suffered almost irreversible damage. At the critical moment, another survivor, Orochimaru, took the severely wounded Sasuke and escaped the Ninja's planet using a spaceship left by the Kara organization!
Shibai, knowing all this, did not pursue, or perhaps disdained to pursue… He replanted a Divine Tree on the Ninja World planet, and by absorbing the life energy of the entire planet, cultivated a brand new chakra fruit!
It was that fruit that allowed Shibai to complete his final leap and become the supreme Ōtsutsuki God!
Having become a god, Shibai went to a higher dimension, leaving behind a desolate Ninja planet and a torment for the only two survivors!
His thoughts returned to reality. With his one arm, he pulled out the tubes from his body and sat up. Sasuke, on the verge of death, spoke his last wish.
"Orochimaru, I want to see my homeland one last time…"
Orochimaru nodded with a faint smile. He possessed a large number of cloned Sharingan from Uchiha Shin, and with his techniques, he could restore Sasuke's sight at any time. But Sasuke had been avoiding it for many years, avoiding the enemy's power, and even more, avoiding his own heart.
The transplant surgery was completed quickly.
Sasuke, supported by Orochimaru, came outside. Looking up at the starry sky, he immediately saw the dead star of his homeland!
The once vibrant blue had been replaced by a desolate dark gray and pockmarked craters.
Sasuke couldn't help but wonder, if not for that catastrophe, Naruto and he would have retired by now, right?
And Sarada would have taken over the heavy responsibility of Hokage from Naruto, while Boruto would have inherited his Ninja Way, embarking on the path of silently guarding the Ninja World. The two families would truly become one, enjoying the joy of having children and grandchildren around them!
What a heartwarming scene.
But in the end… there was no 'if'.
The reality was, he could only stand in the distant starry sky, reminiscing about his homeland that had become a dead star, and lamenting the unreachable, formidable enemy!
Two lines of tears streamed down from the corners of his eyes.
Gazing at his profile, Orochimaru gently said, "Are you still unwilling, Sasuke-kun?"
"Ah, unwilling. How could I be willing? But what can I do if I'm unwilling? The very idea of trying to defeat that kind of guy is arrogance. Why should thousands of years of genetic accumulation lose to our decades of guarding the Ninja World's will?"
Sasuke clenched his withered right fist.
"I've replayed it countless times, but in the end, I came to a conclusion that even I despise! Only an Ōtsutsuki can defeat an Ōtsutsuki…"
Orochimaru lowered his gaze and pondered, "Perhaps saying this now is a bit of a Nara hindsight. Putting aside the Ōtsutsuki component for a moment, Sasuke-kun's growth trajectory since the Fourth Shinobi World War has been somewhat forced. If you hadn't received the Six Paths Sage's gift when you were sixteen, perhaps you would have been even stronger…"
Sasuke turned his gaze to Orochimaru.
The latter continued, "This is a conclusion I reached after repeatedly studying the evolution history of the Uchiha's eye power. Any ocular Ninjutsu requires a transition. During your 'Eternal Mangekyo' period, you should have been nurturing a new ocular Ninjutsu, but before that Ninjutsu awakened, you prematurely activated the Rinnegan. While this provided astonishing power in the short term, from a long-term perspective, the ceiling of your potential strength was greatly limited."
"Furthermore, Madara, also an Indra reincarnation, managed to awaken his dual Rinnegan just before his death by transplanting Senju Hashirama's cells. You originally could have also awakened dual Rinnegan, but you only received a small amount of Chakra left behind by Lord Hashirama."
"And the combination of Senju and Uchiha is the Six Paths. The Six Paths are indeed descendants of the Ōtsutsuki. The Six Paths Sage's remains we found at the Reta Country ruins were genetically compared with pure-blood Ōtsutsuki remains, and both were missing a certain genetic fragment from the Ten-Tails and Hamura…"
"And with my current techniques, I can supplement that genetic fragment on the foundation of the Six Paths, recreating the power of the Ōtsutsuki. In other words, as long as Sasuke-kun can become the Six Paths, I can turn you into a true Ōtsutsuki…"
After hearing Orochimaru's words, Sasuke lowered his head dejectedly and let out a long sigh.
"Hope appeared at an unfortunate juncture, leaving only regret. The people I wanted to protect have long since fallen asleep underground…"
But Orochimaru's next words made Sasuke's dim eyes suddenly brighten.
"Sasuke-kun… if I can do it, would you be willing to start over?"
Sasuke gazed at Orochimaru with these eyes that were not his own. Even though he had a guess, he still asked for confirmation, "Start over? What does that mean?"
Orochimaru smiled and replied, "It means going back to the past."
"You can do something like that?"
"Come with me."
Back inside, Orochimaru took out a wooden box that had been sealed for many years. He peeled off the sealing tag, and inside was a strangely shaped turtle!
Even after many years, Sasuke recognized the turtle's true identity at a glance!
"Plow…!?"
Years ago, it was a treasure carried by Ōtsutsuki Urashiki. As long as enough Chakra was provided, it could freely travel through time!
Back then, Urashiki, knowing he couldn't defeat Naruto and Sasuke, returned to the past era, attempting to seize the Nine-Tailed from young Naruto's body. Sasuke and Boruto, sensing the plot, followed him and, together with the past Naruto and Jiraiya, defeated Urashiki.
After defeating Urashiki, Sasuke and Boruto returned to their original time with the help of Plow's power. Plow, having its own consciousness, decided to travel through time and space alone, and had been unheard of since!
He never expected… this item to somehow end up in Orochimaru's hands!
Sasuke: "Where did you get it?"
Orochimaru: "That's a long story. Once I knew about the Ōtsutsuki God's existence, I foresaw that the Ninja World would eventually face this catastrophe. Unfortunately, Naruto-kun's surveillance of me was too strict back then. After acquiring this treasure, I could only keep it hidden away…"
Sasuke: "You plan to use Plow's power to send us back to the past? Plow's time travel transmits our current selves completely back to the past, meaning two of us would exist at the same time point. The current me is old and frail. Even if I go back, the only thing I could probably do is entrust the future to my past self, but that probably won't work?"
Orochimaru smiled, feigning ignorance, "Oh? Why wouldn't it work?"
Sasuke turned away, not letting Orochimaru see the expression on his aged face.
"Sigh." After a long while, Sasuke sighed.
"Naruto… couldn't even handle my past self. What can I do in this state?"
Orochimaru found it amusing: "That's true~, but seeing Sasuke-kun embarrassed after so long is quite entertaining…"
Sasuke turned his face, his expression serious: "So… you already have a plan, don't you?"
"Indeed." Orochimaru said solemnly: "There's another way to use Plow, which is to only bring your soul back to your past body. It's like your current self being reborn in your past body, but…"
Sasuke: "But what?"
Orochimaru: "There are two flaws. First, the user cannot independently choose the timing of the rebirth. Second, only one person can be transported, and after activation, Plow will be destroyed…"
Sasuke's expression turned heavy.
He knew what that meant.
He would be reborn at an unpredictable time, which was secondary. The important thing was that he would part ways with Orochimaru, who had accompanied him for many years!
This person, once his mortal enemy and also his benefactor, had been like family during the last ten years of his life…
Such a profound bond could no longer be summarized in words!
Orochimaru raised his palm, and a white ball of light appeared.
"Sasuke-kun, this is a Chakra body containing all my knowledge, memories, and emotions. It is my gift to my past self, and it will reside in your soul, accompanying you back to the past. When you meet my past self, don't be polite, defeat him and infuse this light ball into him. He will understand everything and inherit all my research results, becoming your aid!"
Sasuke did not reach out to take it.
Orochimaru smiled: "Don't make that face, Sasuke-kun. You have people you want to protect again, don't you?"
Sasuke: "What about you? After I'm gone, you'll truly be all alone, won't you?"
Orochimaru: "I have truth as my companion, I won't feel lonely."
Sasuke still didn't reach out to take it. He was no longer the boy who only thought of himself.
"This journey is perilous. Plow's strength is so immense that even if I transform into an Ōtsutsuki and start over, I'm not confident I can change the future…"
Orochimaru smiled: "So, if you truly succeed, remember to come back and tell me. Let my solitary life have something to look forward to, how about it?"
These words finally made Sasuke accept!
"Then it's a deal!"
He reached out and took the light ball. The light ball dissolved in his hand and merged into his soul!
Swish! Orochimaru's beautiful hair floated up as Chakra was injected into Plow!
Fizz! Orochimaru's eyes emitted a golden light, and a dazzling beam descended from the sky, carrying Sasuke's soul, leaving his aged body, and heading towards the unknown past!
"Orochimaru, you've worked hard all these years, so please wait for my good news!"
Orochimaru smiled, watching Sasuke's soul disappear into the vortex of time and space!
Whoosh! Crack!
The light dissipated. Plow had exhausted its power, and its shell was covered in cracks!
Crack! Orochimaru's figure also showed cracks, heading towards destruction!
— "Sasuke-kun, I'm sorry, I didn't tell you that the price of activating this Ninjutsu is the destruction of both the caster and Plow. So, I'm destined not to wait for your good news. Therefore, please carry my last wish and move forward—towards the future!"
"Heh heh, in the very end… I ended up living as the person I once hated the most. But, like this… it's not bad after all."
Orochimaru's body disintegrated into a pile of ashes.
The swimming dragon returns to the sea, the white snake finally turns to dust!
Orochimaru, a story not of a hero, but better than a hero, thus concludes with the apocalypse.
And then… returning from the apocalypse, the soul that traveled through time and space, returned to a younger body, and upon opening its eyes, saw clearly.
— "Rain?"