The light reflected by the windowpane dimmed as the sun sank in the west, painting everything in hues of orange.
By the time Mai stepped out of the hospital, the world outside was already bathed in the mottled glow of dusk.
She had turned down Sakura's invitation to go shopping or grab dinner, choosing instead to wander the streets alone, lost in thought.
August was an unremarkable month, caught between summer and autumn. The cicadas had long since fallen silent, and the heat still lingered, waiting for the cool breeze that would eventually turn the green leaves red once more.
"Tch." Mai kicked a pebble on the roadside as she walked. The intersecting streets stretched in all directions, the vendors packing up for the day, mothers holding their children's hands, shops half-lowering their shutters… signs that the day was winding down.
Konoha Village, which is the home to countless people, lazily settled into the evening after another day of toil. Mai rounded a corner and stepped onto the riverside slope, her lips pursed in mild displeasure.
"Hattori-nii… was in the Land of Wind, huh?"
"So far away."
The girl mechanically made her way home, her mind replaying the details Sakura had shared.
With her hands clasped behind her back, she walked slowly, her shadow stretching long. Then, at some point, she stopped and turned to face the open sky.
The river flowed gently, its surface shimmering with light. Mai took a deep breath as she faced the setting sun.
From here, she could still see the towering walls at the edge of the village… the same place where she had once sat, swinging her legs, naively believing that after their reunion, more meetings would naturally follow.
But reality wasn't like that. A cicada couldn't hold onto summer forever. She needed to grow up a little more.
Her brief conversation with Sakura had affected Mai more than she let on. She seemed to have realized something, though she showed no outward signs.
Living a sheltered life, her way of thinking had been naive and simplistic at times. But hearing about that perilous S-Rank mission made her understand… she had been waiting for the day Logan would remember her and come to see her.
Yet while most people enjoyed their peaceful lives, in places unseen, he was still fighting through danger.
Logan didn't seem to miss her. Nor did he have the time.
That realization made him feel distant.
Just like the sunset before her, she can obviously see it, but it always out of reach.
Konoha was wonderful. Her brother has a successful career, and she was progressing smoothly as a Kunoichi. She shouldn't be fixating on unrealistic hopes.
And yet, Mai couldn't quite explain it. That little girl who once played with turtles by the sea had suddenly decided, one day, to leave her hopeless, joyless fishing village behind and journey to a foreign land thousands of miles away.
Maybe the image of that man under the moonlit sky had been too striking, his promise too solemn, the aurora too beautiful. It had left such an impression that, even at such a young age, nothing else could compare.
That had been the starting point of everything for her.
The orange hues of the sunset deepened into streaks of crimson, the light sinking, onto the tips of the grass, onto the river's surface, before fading away, taking her confusion and helplessness with it.
"I'll do my best." Mai whispered to herself.
A burst of laughter and playful shouts came from the side of the road.
"Hurry up, hurry up, you're so slow."
"Yeah, yeah, just wait till we see those ladies..."
"Heheh."
Two boys came running, arms slung over each other's shoulders. When they spotted the familiar girl standing quietly by the roadside, they froze mid-step.
"Mai, why are you here?"
Hearing this, Mai turned around and looked. What a coincidence, it turned out to be her two teammates, Yuta and Arata.
"Just taking a walk."
"Oh, have you eaten yet?" Arata rubbed the back of his head, awkwardly lowering his arm from his friend's shoulder as if suddenly self-conscious about their earlier conversation.
Yuta exchanged a glance with him, and smiled awkwardly: "Well... Arata and I were gonna check out the night market later. There's a dance performance at the Komami Shrine today. Wanna… come with?"
Mai: "No, I won't go."
"O-oh…"
Her blunt refusal left the two boys… who, in modern Japan, would've been your typical high school guys, stumped. Even if she didn't like hanging out with them, Mai usually showed some interest in things like this.
"Anyway, bye." Mai waved and continued on her way home. She wants to go back to train and become stronger, so how can she have time to play with the little boys?
"Ah… see you."
Arata and Yuta looked at each other, not knowing where to offend Mai, "But the dancing shrine maidens are really pretty..."
"Yeah…"
Then, they put aside their worries and continued to go happily.
…
Some nights were lively, others quiet. The lively ones might be adorned with golden lanterns and fireworks, while the quiet ones remained as they were.
But once the lights faded and the moon was hidden behind clouds, everyone's radiance dimmed.
Just like now, as the last glint of light vanished from Sasuke's blade.
The candle had burned out, plunging the room into absolute darkness. The hallway outside was silent, and a slow, creeping stillness filled the air.
Sasuke stood like a statue in the pitch-black room, savoring the moment.
He had spent a long time polishing the sword today. He had waited even longer for the candle to extinguish itself. He looked forward to the day he would unsheathe it… a flash of steel, swift and lethal.
Creak.
Sasuke pushed open the door.
This hidden stronghold had been buried underground for years, so devoid of life that even the torches seemed to burn out of sheer habit. The monotonous corridors stretched endlessly, as if leading deeper into an inescapable nightmare.
After walking through the maze-like space for a short while, he opened another door.
Inside, a calm, unhurried conversation was taking place. It paused briefly at his intrusion before resuming as if nothing had happened.
The room was lit, though not brightly to let everyone see what's inside.
The scene inside came into view: Orochimaru, his pallid skin and sickly demeanor unchanged, reclined on a futon. Another figure, half-shrouded in shadow, sat below… It's Kabuto, with his glasses glinting faintly.
The golden snake pupils shifted, and Orochimaru chuckled softly, "Ah, Sasuke has arrived."
Orochimaru looked at Sasuke, who was wearing a pure white kimono, dark blue trousers, and a purple rope belt around his waist, almost similar to him.
Orochimaru admired Sasuke for a moment, his lips curling in satisfaction, 'Perfect.'
Kabuto's ability to observe words and emotions was first-class, so he raised his eyes and said with a practiced smile, "As expected of Sasuke. Even though Orochimaru-sama summoned you long ago, you remained utterly focused… maintaining that astonishing diligence you've shown these past three years. Training late into the night again today, I see."
"You must be exhausted, right Sasuke? That won't do. You must take better care of this amazing body of yours." Orochimaru crooned, his gaze lingering hungrily over the vessel that was nearing maturity. His tongue flicked out to wet his lips.
'Not yet ripe. No need to rush.'
Surrounded by veiled traps and blatant malice, Sasuke remained expressionless. He walked to the side of the room, his tone indifferent, "You didn't use an emergency summons. Orochimaru, cut the nonsense. What do you want?"
Kabuto shrank back into his chair, pretending not to be affected by the blunt dismissal. While the two people with higher status than him spoke, he consciously lowered his sense of presence.
Orochimaru said leisurely in an interested tone, "Hehehe, you recall the news I shared with you last time, don't you? About Raiden Hattori's reappearance? Well, just days ago, he showed up in the Land of Wind again. That strange man seems to have reconnected with Akatsuki… How intriguing."
Hearing this, Sasuke's reaction was very cold, "That's it?"
"And..." The cold, rasping voice continued, this time, laced with schadenfreude, "If nothing goes wrong, he's also been in contact with Itachi."
The hand resting on the sword tensed slightly, and Sasuke's lips pressed into a thin line, 'Those two...'
"Do you have any thoughts on the matter?"
"Thanks for the information." Sasuke said with a cold tone, "Those two, Uchiha Itachi... and Raiden Hattori, one day, I will cut off the bonds with my own hands, it's just a matter of sooner or later. "
"Is that so?" When Orochimaru saw this, he felt greedy that he almost couldn't suppress his desire to devour Sasuke now. But he relied on his strong self-control to suppress his desire.
"That's all."
"Ah, how I wish I could begin the preparations now…" The conversation concluded without the desired reaction… Orochimaru had hoped to savor Sasuke's inner turmoil.
Standing up, he trailed a hand over his own pallid skin as he retreated into the shadows of the room, "This body grows more detestable by the day. "
Kabuto, ever the sycophant, chimed in smoothly, "Please endure just a little longer, Orochimaru-sama."
"Hehehe..."
When the two of them turned their backs, showing the very picture of master and loyal servant, Sasuke spoke from behind.
"There's one thing I forgot to mention."
"Oh? And what might that be?" Orochimaru subconsciously wanted to turn around, but as soon as he thought about it, his expression changed, and his body became sluggish and even unable to move.
A blade, gleaming and slick with viscous fluid, erupted from his left chest.
"You..." Orochimaru instantly understood the situation.
"Get this straight. No matter what happens with Uchiha Itachi and Raiden Hattori..."
"You'll die before them."
The room exploded in a flash of searing light.
'Impossible. Illogical. Inconceivable.' Orochimaru's mind reeled as the violent current ravaged his body.
The lightning tore through him, agony searing every nerve. The sheer voltage threatened to reduce him to a convulsing wreck.
'He shouldn't be this strong yet, and he shouldn't have attacked so soon...'
The chosen vessel and the devourer… These roles were always fluid in their deadly game, a chess match where life and soul were the stakes. Both sides played with confidence, with one from centuries of accumulated power, while the other from patience and gathering strength.
But Sasuke, defying all expectations, had just graduated ahead of schedule.
"How dare you raise your hand against Orochimaru-sama?" Kabuto was stunned, his glasses nearly slipping off his face. At this time, he could no longer pretend to be calm.
"You're signing your own death warrant… You're not strong enough..." Orochimaru gripped the blade, his skin splitting as blood welled between his fingers. His voice was squeezed out from the gap between his teeth.
The three-tomoe Sharingan stared down at him with the indifference of a predator eyeing dead prey.
"Let's get started, Orochimaru."
With those words, Sasuke ripped away the thin veneer of their deadly charade.
Three years ago, he had awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan.
Three years later, although he did not get the legendary Mangekyo Sharingan…
The world had learned to fear the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan long before the Mangekyo Sharingan was known.