"Hey, how long are you planning to drag this out? Hurry up and come with us!"Several rough-looking men gathered around, shouting loudly.
"You never even paid me! Why should I go with you!"A raggedly dressed young girl cried out, her voice choked with sobs. "Father! Your unfilial daughter couldn't even scrape together the money for your burial! Even in death, you have no proper resting place!"
Inside the dilapidated hut behind her, a seventeen-year-old boy dressed in a light gray short-sleeved shirt with a high collar lay unconscious.
The noise outside eventually stirred the boy awake.
"What's going on?"The boy sat up and looked around, confused. Where am I?
Suddenly, a sharp pain surged from his left eye, jolting his memory back.
That's right.During his final clash with Naruto at the Valley of the End, he had forcibly activated his Rinnegan, trying to deflect part of the devastating Sage Art: Super Giant Rasengan.But the strain of overusing his ocular powers had torn open a distorted rift in space-time... and swallowed him whole.
"Did I get transported somewhere else?"Sasuke stood up and pushed open the creaky, battered wooden door.
Outside, a few disgusting men were surrounding a young girl — barely around ten years old — their laughter sickening.
"Where is this?"Sasuke asked coldly.
(PS: They're speaking Chinese here — totally reasonable, don't question it.)
The thugs were momentarily stunned by Sasuke's sudden appearance.
The little girl, recognizing the big brother who had saved her earlier by the riverside, immediately scrambled up from the ground and hid behind Sasuke.
With a blank face, Sasuke continued: "How far is this from the Valley of the End?"
"I don't know about any 'Valley of the End,' but if you dare interfere with His Excellency the Bishop's affairs, your death won't be far off!"A burly bearded man sneered and jabbed a finger at Sasuke's forehead.
Snap — Crack!
In less than a second, Sasuke had snapped his finger and shattered his kneecap, then uttered coldly: "Get lost."
"You're dead, punk! Just wait! The Bishop from Spirit Hall won't spare you!"The bearded man cursed as he was dragged away by his companions.
Once they were gone, Sasuke turned to see the little girl gazing up at him with wide, tear-filled eyes, her cheeks flushed.
"Where's your family?"Sasuke asked.
"They're all gone... only I'm left."The girl sobbed and clung tightly to Sasuke's waist.
Something stirred painfully in Sasuke's heart. Slowly, he raised a hand and gently patted the little girl's head.
Later, sitting by the fire inside the shabby hut, Sasuke asked:
"What's your name?"
"I'm Mu Qing. What about you, big brother?"Mu Qing said between bites of roasted rabbit meat Sasuke had cooked.
"Uchiha Sasuke," he replied.
"Your name's so long! It's hard to remember!"Mu Qing pouted.
"Sasuke."Sasuke simplified.
"Okay, Sasuke-nii!"Mu Qing smiled brightly. But as she laughed, tears welled up again.
"What's wrong?"Sasuke asked.
"I have family again. I have an older brother now!"Wiping her nose, Mu Qing grinned."Sasuke-nii, your eyes are so pretty!"
The next day, Sasuke attempted to open a portal back to another dimension — but had to give up. His ocular power was too depleted; even the tomoe in his left eye had completely vanished.
He would have to wait for his strength to recover.
Gazing out at the lush mountains and rivers, watching Mu Qing energetically fishing in the river, Sasuke suddenly felt... hollow.
Revenge, power, betrayal, battle, glory, hatred — everything he had carried...All of it seemed to have been stripped away.
A peace unlike anything he had ever known settled over him — almost like a dream.A quiet life was never meant for someone cursed like him.
But after a brief daze, Sasuke began studying this new world carefully.
According to Mu Qing, it was a vast continent filled with countless kingdoms — a land torn apart by endless wars and conflict.
Suddenly, crude shouting interrupted Sasuke's thoughts.
"There! That punk dared to stop us from recruiting servants for His Excellency the Bishop!"
It was the same gang of thugs from yesterday, only this time they brought along armored soldiers and a man with gray hair.
"Peasant! How dare you interfere with Spirit Hall's business? Do you realize your crime?"The gray-haired man sneered at Sasuke's plain clothing.
"Spirit Hall? Never heard of it. So what?"Sasuke replied coldly.
"So what?!"The gray-haired man burst out laughing."I was going to spare you for your looks, but now... you're in big trouble!"
Turning, Sasuke said quietly to Mu Qing:"Get inside."
Clutching her fish tightly, Mu Qing nodded and ducked into the hut.Peeking through the doorway, she saw — within moments — every single enemy collapsed to the ground.
"Sasuke-nii! You beat them! We can't stay here anymore!"Mu Qing grabbed Sasuke's sleeve, worried.
"Spirit Hall, huh?"From a seal on his wrist, Sasuke summoned the legendary Kusanagi Sword, and with a single thrust, pinned the gray-haired man's hand to the ground.
"Remember this.""My name is Uchiha Sasuke."
The gray-haired man screamed in agony — he, a dignified Spirit Elder, was crushed before even releasing his Martial Spirit.
"You'd better pray I don't return! Once I report this to the Bishop, you'll be condemned for desecrating the Church!"
Sasuke, twisting the blade deeper, said coldly:"I spared you on a whim. I could kill you just as easily."
The gray-haired man looked up at Sasuke —and saw a pair of crimson eyes, marked with eerie patterns, burning into his soul.Terror overwhelmed him as he hallucinated countless golden spears aiming at him, pinning him to a wooden stake.
Sasuke glanced indifferently at the unconscious Spirit Hall soldiers, then looked at the broken-down hut where Mu Qing waited.
Pulling the Kusanagi Sword free, he said without looking back:"Let's go."
Mu Qing gave the hut one last glance, hugged her fish tighter, and quickly caught up with Sasuke.
(End of Chapter)