Sasuke couldn't even hold his ground against Uchiha Itachi, let alone defeat him.
The idea of joining Orochimaru took root in his mind, and as if by fate, Orochimaru sent the Four Sound Ninjas to meet him.
Originally, the Four Sound Ninjas had planned to attack Sasuke, demonstrate the power of the curse mark, and tempt him into seeking Orochimaru for strength—just as they had done in the original timeline.
But before they could make a move, Sasuke agreed outright.
This left the Four Sound Ninjas feeling like they had just punched air.
—
Late into the night, when most of Konoha was fast asleep, the village was quiet, with only Sasuke's slow, deliberate footsteps echoing along the tree-lined path.
Even though he had agreed to meet the Four Sound Ninjas outside the village, he made no effort to hurry.
Humans are not without feelings. Now that he was about to leave Konoha, possibly never to return, an unconscious reluctance slowed his pace.
But all roads have an end.
Just as Sasuke neared the village exit, an unexpected sight made him stop in his tracks.
Not far ahead, standing under the moonlight, was a pink-haired girl with a broad forehead.
Haruno Sakura.
Sasuke's hands remained in his pockets as he glanced at her with an indifferent expression. "Your hair's grown out, and it looks like your teeth have been fixed. What are you doing here so late?"
Sakura, her head bowed, dejectedly replied, "Because this is the only way out of the village."
She had already realized that Sasuke was planning to leave Konoha—and it was no surprise that he was going to seek out Orochimaru.
"Go back to sleep," Sasuke said, taking a step forward to walk past her.
"Why?" Sakura whispered, tears already forming in her eyes. She turned to face him. "Why… won't you tell me anything? Why do you always keep me in the dark?"
Sasuke stopped for a moment, then recalled Fujiwara Kirito's mocking words: 'If you have a problem, ask for help. If you don't, just leave it to me.'
A wave of humiliation surged through him.
It was as if, in Sakura's eyes, he was weaker than Naruto.
All she had for him was her pitiful, self-absorbed infatuation—something he neither wanted nor needed.
His voice turned colder. "Don't flatter yourself. And don't meddle in my affairs. This is a cruel world for ninjas. Instead of wasting time on pointless emotions, you should focus on learning an actual jutsu and stop being dead weight."
"Not just in Team 7, but among all our classmates and during the Chunin Exams, you were the weakest. If you can't change, you might as well give up being a ninja and go back to being an ordinary person."
"But Sasuke, I love you…" Sakura's voice trembled, tears streaming down her cheeks.
She wanted to confess her feelings, just as she had in the original timeline, hoping that her love might be enough to keep him from leaving.
But Sasuke cut her off impatiently. "Shut up."
His tone was sharp, filled with annoyance. "Your feelings are your problem. I have no reason to care, and no reason to reciprocate. Also, I can't stand the way you cling to me when everything's fine but run straight to Naruto the moment you're in trouble. It makes me sick just looking at you."
With that, Sasuke moved forward.
But Sakura, refusing to give up, gritted her teeth and issued a desperate threat. "If you leave, I'll scream. I'll wake up the entire village."
Before she could react, Sasuke vanished.
When he reappeared, he was already behind her.
"You really are annoying."
With a swift motion, he struck the back of her neck, rendering her unconscious.
Tears still clung to her eyelashes as she fell.
—
By the time Sasuke arrived at the meeting point with the Four Sound Ninjas, they were all hanging upside down from a large tree, their bodies swaying like lifeless puppets.
"What is going on?" Sasuke asked coldly, staring at them.
The Four Sound Ninjas could only let out muffled noises—their mouths had been sealed with cloth.
Sasuke's brows furrowed as he scanned the area. Seeing no one else nearby, he pulled out a kunai and sliced the ropes, freeing them.
"Tell me, what happened? Who did this to you?"
The Four Sound Ninjas didn't answer. Instead, their fearful eyes were fixed on something behind Sasuke. Cold sweat dripped down their faces.
A pale, slender hand appeared out of nowhere and lightly patted Sasuke's shoulder.
Sasuke's body tensed. He turned sharply—but there was no one there.
Then another hand patted his back. Again, he spun around, only to find emptiness.
This eerie cycle repeated several times, and even after activating his Sharingan, Sasuke couldn't catch a glimpse of his tormentor.
Finally, realization dawned on him. His face darkened as he called out, "Come out, Fujiwara Kirito. Stop playing games—I know it's you."
A mocking voice answered.
"Oh? My dear stepson, how did you figure that out?"
Sasuke turned to see Kirito standing casually under the tree, arms folded, his expression relaxed yet unreadable.
"No one else is childish enough to pull a stunt like this," Sasuke said, narrowing his eyes. "And the only people these weaklings would fear this much, besides Orochimaru, are you."
"Haven't you already left Konoha? What are you doing here?"
Hearing this, Kirito smirked. "Oh, I just changed my mind. Didn't you once ask me to train you? I've decided to grant your wish."
The Four Sound Ninjas visibly stiffened at Kirito's words. Their orders were to take Sasuke to Orochimaru as soon as possible, but now Kirito was interfering. They wanted to speak up, but the mere glance he shot them was enough to silence them.
Sasuke's eyes lit up.
If someone like Fujiwara Kirito trained him—and with the power of his Sharingan—then defeating Itachi would no longer be just a dream.
Orochimaru?
The man who had been humiliated time and time again by Kirito? Sasuke suddenly felt like he wasn't that important after all.
"Really?" Sasuke asked eagerly.
Kirito, however, remained nonchalant. "Don't get too excited. I'll train you for one month. After that, you're on your own. Of course, you can also just go with these idiots if you prefer. It's your choice."
Deep down, Kirito had no real interest in training Sasuke.
Although he had married Mikoto, he had no intention of becoming Sasuke's Master.
His only reason for stepping in was to keep Sasuke alive.
(End of this chapter)
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