The blood, mud, and broken bodies had gradually been cleared away.
Silence returned to the battlefield.
Everything seemed calm again.
Yet although the land looked unchanged, fate itself had already shifted.
Hidden Rain Village – Underground Base
Deep beneath the Hidden Rain Village, inside a dark underground chamber, Orochimaru bent forward and coughed violently.
"Cough… cough…!"
Blood splattered onto the cold stone floor.
Even with his forbidden immortality techniques, Orochimaru was not truly invincible. Every three years, he needed to transfer his soul into a new vessel. During the period before the ritual, his body weakened rapidly. It was the most dangerous time for him.
Normally, preparations for the Living Corpse Reincarnation ritual would have begun long ago.
But this time, Orochimaru had delayed it.
He was waiting for the perfect vessel.
He was waiting for Uchiha Sasuke.
Unfortunately, while he waited, his current body was deteriorating faster than expected.
At first, Yakushi Kabuto had remained by his side, helping stabilize his condition and producing medicine to prolong the body's lifespan.
But now Kabuto had been defeated by Uzumaki Naruto, captured, and taken back to Konoha.
Worse still, the Sound Four and Kimimaro had not returned.
That silence said everything.
"Cough… cough…"
Orochimaru wiped the blood from his lips and raised his eyes.
"Guren."
A woman standing nearby immediately straightened.
"Yes, Orochimaru-sama."
"Has Kimimaro returned?"
Guren glanced at the candle burning on the table beside them. Its flame flickered weakly, as though it might die at any moment.
She slowly shook her head.
"Not yet."
Her expression became serious.
"Orochimaru-sama, the reincarnation ritual must begin immediately. Your body has already reached its limit."
Orochimaru's golden snake-like eyes narrowed.
"What I want has not arrived yet."
Guren clenched her fists.
"Orochimaru-sama… I have always been ready to dedicate myself."
She lowered her head.
"If necessary, I am willing to become your vessel."
Orochimaru snorted coldly.
"I seek the most perfect vessel."
Then he added quietly,
"And even if Sasuke failed to arrive… I prepared another option."
Guren frowned.
"Gen'yumaru?"
Orochimaru nodded faintly.
"He barely qualifies. But after observing his performance in battle, he may be sufficient."
He looked at her.
"But you, Guren… I have other plans for you."
Guren lowered her gaze.
"Yes, Orochimaru-sama."
Orochimaru forced himself upright. Every movement felt heavy.
He stepped closer to the candle.
The flame trembled violently, bending left and right.
Then, just as he reached it—
It went out.
Darkness swallowed the room.
Orochimaru's voice became icy.
"So Kimimaro is dead."
He closed his eyes for a moment, suppressing the rage rising within him.
When he opened them again, murder flashed through his pupils.
"It seems he truly failed."
He turned sharply.
"Guren. Prepare the reincarnation ritual."
"Bring Gen'yumaru."
"Yes, Orochimaru-sama!"
As she hurried away, Orochimaru remained standing in the darkness.
"Uchiha Sasuke…"
"One day, I will truly claim you."
Konoha Village Entrance
Meanwhile, Naruto and the others had finally returned to the gates of Konoha.
The rain had stopped.
Sunlight broke through the clouds and shone gently over the village.
Fresh rainwater washed the streets clean, making everything appear bright and renewed.
Hinata, Shino, and Ino had been supporting the unconscious Naruto and Sasuke the entire journey back.
Now that they had arrived safely, all three finally sighed in relief.
The gate guards, Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki, rushed forward immediately.
"Kotetsu, help carry them!"
"Izumo, go report to Hokage-sama!"
"Right!"
With their help, the exhausted team quickly made their way toward the Hokage's Office.
Hokage Office
When Tsunade saw Naruto and Sasuke brought in, the heavy burden in her heart finally lifted.
First, Naruto had returned alive.
That alone was enough to calm her.
Second—and even more importantly—Sasuke had been brought back.
If Sasuke had truly defected to Orochimaru, the consequences would have been terrifying.
Imagine Orochimaru obtaining an immortal body with the power of the Sharingan.
A monster with endless hatred for Konoha.
If that had happened, the village might never know peace again.
Tsunade exhaled deeply.
Then she smiled brightly.
"Hinata, Ino, Shino—you all did well."
Hinata immediately stepped forward.
"Hokage-sama, please check Naruto-kun and Sasuke first!"
Tsunade examined them briefly, then nodded.
"Relax. Their chakra is exhausted, and they're mentally drained. That's why they collapsed."
"Their injuries are not serious."
Hinata's tense shoulders finally relaxed.
Her eyes became moist.
"That… that's wonderful…"
Tsunade laughed softly.
"You three worked hard too. Go rest immediately."
"I'll take care of these idiots."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
After a reluctant glance toward Naruto, the three finally left.
Outside the Office
Once outside, Ino stretched and forced a tired smile.
"Well… even with all the chaos, the ending was perfect, right?"
Hinata smiled gently.
"Yes."
Shino adjusted his glasses.
"Not exactly."
The girls looked at him in surprise.
"This mission was essentially completed by Naruto alone."
Ino raised an eyebrow.
"What's wrong, Shino? Jealous?"
"No."
He shook his head.
"On the contrary… If there is a next mission, I do not want Naruto carrying everything himself and risking his life alone again."
His voice became firmer.
"I need to become stronger."
Hinata and Ino stared at him.
Then Ino burst out laughing.
"Shino… I didn't know you were secretly such a kind person."
"You always look depressed."
Hinata giggled softly.
"Shino is right. We all need to work harder."
Ino placed her hands on her hips.
"Fine, everyone can train later."
"But first—we eat."
She grabbed Hinata's hand dramatically.
"Dinner is on me!"
Hinata nodded happily.
"Mm."
Shino gave a rare small smile.
Inside the Hokage Office
Tsunade looked down at the sleeping Naruto and Sasuke.
A smile remained on her face.
Beside her, Shizune held Tonton and sighed with relief.
"Finally… some good news, Lady Tsunade."
"I was worried Naruto and the others would fail."
Tsunade crossed her arms.
"To be honest, even though I trust Naruto, this was still Orochimaru's scheme."
"I wasn't fully confident either."
She looked at Naruto.
"But he still succeeded."
"What an unbelievable brat."
Shizune covered her mouth and laughed.
"At first, Lady Tsunade didn't even like Naruto very much."
"Now he's an unbelievable brat?"
Tsunade snorted.
"Everyone misjudges people sometimes."
Then she rolled up her sleeves.
"Enough talking."
"Let's treat them properly."
"Yes, Lady Tsunade."
With Tsunade present, even fatal wounds would have little chance of remaining fatal.
Soon after treatment, she ordered both boys transferred to Konoha Hospital for recovery.
They had completely exhausted themselves.
Especially Naruto.
He had first defeated the Sound Four.
Then battled Kimimaro in a fierce life-and-death struggle.
Then forced out the Nine-Tails' chakra by burning his own life force.
Finally, he fought Sasuke in a clash filled with friendship, anger, and pain.
By the end, he had nothing left.
If not for Naruto's monstrous vitality, most ninja would have died hundreds of times over.
The Next Day – Konoha Hospital
Naruto slowly opened his eyes around noon the next day.
"This is…"
He blinked toward the ceiling.
Then two familiar faces entered his vision.
Kakashi Hatake and Hinata Hyuga.
Hinata's face brightened instantly.
"Na-Naruto-kun… you're finally awake…"
"Kakashi-sensei? Hinata?"
Kakashi gave a visible sigh of relief.
"Naruto… you worked hard."
He scratched the back of his head.
"Bringing Sasuke back should have been my responsibility as his teacher."
"But in the end…"
Naruto's memories returned all at once.
He scratched his head awkwardly and grinned.
"Kakashi-sensei, I know Hokage-sama sent you on another important mission."
"So there's nothing to blame yourself for."
He gave a thumbs up.
"Besides, the result was good, right?"
Then his expression changed.
"Where's Sasuke, that idiot?"
Hinata pointed toward the next room.
"Hokage-sama treated him. She said there's nothing seriously wrong."
"But… he still hasn't woken up."
Naruto frowned.
"Still unconscious?"
Kakashi shrugged.
"With Granny Tsunade around, he won't die even if he tries."
Naruto sensed the issue was probably not physical.
Sasuke's body might be healed.
But his mind was another matter.
Kakashi then looked at Naruto seriously.
"Anyway… good job."
"Frankly speaking, after completing a mission like this…"
"You could qualify for promotion to Jonin."
Naruto froze.
Then he sat bolt upright.
"JONIN?!"
Hinata jumped in surprise.
Kakashi's visible eye curved into a smile.
"Yes."
"For once… try acting mature."
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)