Sasuke spent the first week after the final survivor elimination in the medical wing.
Absorbing eighteen Sharingan in three weeks had stressed his eyes beyond safe limits. Even with Hashirama cells facilitating integration, the cumulative strain was severe.
"Your ocular chakra network shows micro-fractures throughout both eyes," Kabuto reported during examination. "Not immediately dangerous, but concerning. You're approaching the threshold where even Eternal Mangekyo won't fully repair the damage."
"How many more absorptions before permanent damage?"
"Difficult to estimate precisely. Maybe ten to fifteen more total before your eyes start degrading irreversibly." Kabuto made notes. "You need Itachi's eyes soon. Eternal Mangekyo will stabilize your vision and repair most of this damage."
"After Danzo's cache. Twelve more Sharingan plus Shisui's Mangekyo—that's worth the risk." Sasuke's eyes were bandaged, forced rest. "Can my eyes handle twelve more absorptions before I get EMS?"
"Theoretically, yes. But it will be painful. And recovery time after absorbing that many simultaneously will be extensive—possibly weeks."
"Acceptable." Sasuke leaned back. "What's the status on Konoha intelligence?"
"Orochimaru has provided updated information on ROOT facility layouts. I've compiled potential infiltration routes." Kabuto pulled out documents. "But Sasuke-kun... this is extremely dangerous. You're talking about infiltrating the most secure village in the world to steal from a hidden facility that even most Konoha shinobi don't know exists."
"I'm aware of the risks."
"Are you? Because if you're caught, every shinobi in Konoha will mobilize against you. Kakashi. Guy. The entire ANBU force. Possibly even the Hokage directly." Kabuto's tone was serious. "You're powerful, but you're not invincible. Not yet."
"That's why we plan carefully. In and out before they realize I'm there." Sasuke's voice was confident despite the bandages. "And if things go wrong, I fight my way out. My current power level should be sufficient."
"Should be. But Konoha has fighters who could challenge you—especially if they coordinate." Kabuto stood. "I'm not trying to discourage you. Just making sure you understand the stakes."
"I understand perfectly. And I'm doing it anyway." Sasuke's tone was final. "Shisui's Kotoamatsukami alone is worth the risk. Perfect genjutsu that rewrites will without detection. That ability could be invaluable against future threats."
"You mean the Otsutsuki."
"Among others."
Kabuto was quiet for a moment. "Do you really believe they're coming? Or is that just convenient justification for your collection obsession?"
"Does it matter? Either way, I need maximum power. Either way, I collect every dojutsu." Sasuke's voice was empty. "The motivation is irrelevant. Only the result matters."
"That's... a disturbing philosophy."
"It's honest philosophy." Sasuke gestured to the door. "Leave me. I need to rest. My eyes need complete darkness for the next week."
Kabuto left without another word.
Sasuke sat in darkness, his thoughts churning.
Eighteen Sharingan absorbed. Eighteen Uchiha killed. One of them barely more than a child.
Am I really saving the world? Or have I just become a monster who rationalizes murder?
The teenager's face flashed in his mind. Hikaru. Sixteen years old. Terrified. Begging for his life.
I killed him anyway. Took his eyes. Burned his body.
Does the fact that I feel guilty change anything? Or is guilt just another weakness?
He remembered Kasumi, the prostitute who'd accepted death calmly. Daiki and Renji, the twins who'd died together. Hideaki and his entire family, dead because they'd witnessed something they shouldn't.
How many more will I kill? How many more families destroyed? How many more children?
As many as necessary. Until the collection is complete. Until I'm strong enough that the Otsutsuki pose no threat.
And if they never come? If I've killed all these people for nothing?
Then I'll have become the world's greatest monster for no reason at all.
The thought should have bothered him more than it did.
On day nine, Team Taka visited.
Sasuke could hear their footsteps—three distinct patterns. Suigetsu's casual stride. Karin's precise steps. Jugo's heavy tread.
"How are you feeling?" Karin asked.
"Eyes are healing. Should be cleared for activity within a week." Sasuke's voice was steady despite the bandages. "Why are you all here?"
"We need to talk," Jugo said quietly. "About what happened with Hikaru."
Sasuke was silent.
"He was sixteen," Karin said. Her voice was controlled, but he could hear the strain. "Just a kid. Barely had his Sharingan developed. And you killed him anyway."
"He was a witness. A security risk."
"He was a child." Karin's voice rose. "Sasuke-kun, I've followed you through eighteen eliminations. I've watched you kill clan members, burn bodies, eliminate witnesses. I've accepted it because I believed—I wanted to believe—that there was a larger purpose."
"There is—"
"But killing a sixteen-year-old who was begging for his life?" Her voice cracked. "That's not strategic necessity. That's not preparing for the Otsutsuki. That's just... murder. Cold-blooded murder of a terrified child."
"He had Sharingan. That made him valuable. That made him a target." Sasuke's tone was flat. "His age is irrelevant."
"His age is EVERYTHING!" Karin's emotional control shattered. "He was barely older than you were when this all started! He could have been an ally, a teammate, someone who—"
"Someone who would eventually become a security risk. Who would tell others about my abilities. Who would compromise future operations." Sasuke's voice was cold. "I made the tactical decision. It was correct."
"Tactical decision," Karin repeated bitterly. "Is that what you tell yourself? That everything you do is just tactical?"
"Yes. Because it is."
"What happened to you?" Karin's voice was quiet now. "When did you become something that could kill a crying child without hesitation?"
Sasuke was quiet for a long moment.
"I became this the moment I decided to collect dojutsu. Everything else—every death, every elimination—is just logical consequence of that initial choice." He turned his bandaged face toward where he sensed Karin's chakra. "You knew what I was becoming. I told you from the beginning. This shouldn't be a surprise."
"I thought you'd have limits. Lines you wouldn't cross." Karin's voice was hollow. "I was wrong."
"There are no lines. There's only the goal and whatever it takes to achieve it." Sasuke's tone was matter-of-fact. "If that makes me a monster, then I'm a monster. I accepted that already."
"And that's it?" Suigetsu spoke up. "No guilt? No second thoughts? You just... accept being a child-killer and move on?"
"The guilt is pointless. It doesn't change anything. Hikaru is dead. His Sharingan is absorbed. Regretting it serves no purpose." Sasuke's voice was empty. "So yes. I accept what I am and continue forward."
Silence fell over the medical room.
"I'm staying with Team Taka," Karin said finally. "But know this, Sasuke-kun—I'm not following you because I believe in you anymore. I'm following because someone needs to witness what you're becoming. Someone needs to remember that you made these choices."
"Fair enough."
"I'm still in," Suigetsu said. His tone was more serious than usual. "But Karin's right. That kid... that was fucked up, even by our standards."
"Noted."
"I'll follow you," Jugo said quietly. "My curse mark gives me purpose. But Sasuke... try to remember that you're still human. At least partially."
"I'm not sure I am anymore." Sasuke's voice was barely a whisper. "I think that part died somewhere between the first absorption and the eighteenth."
They left without another word.
Sasuke sat alone in darkness.
Am I still human? Was I ever human? Or have I always been a ghost wearing Sasuke Uchiha's corpse?
I killed a child yesterday. Took his eyes. Felt guilty for maybe thirty seconds. Then moved on to the next target.
That's not human behavior. That's something else.
What am I becoming?
The question haunted him for the rest of his recovery.