The sealing took three days.
Sasuke remained present for all of it, his Eternal Mangekyo recording every detail. The other Akatsuki members rotated shifts—exhausted by the chakra drain—but Sasuke never left.
He didn't need to participate in the sealing. His role was complete. But he stayed anyway, watching, analyzing, learning.
"You're very focused," Konan observed during the second day. She stood beside him, her paper-based body reformed after a rest period. "Most members find the sealing process tedious."
"Most members aren't interested in understanding the mechanics." Sasuke's eyes tracked the chakra flow from the Three-Tails into the Gedo Statue. "I want to know how this works. How tailed beast chakra is extracted, contained, redirected."
"Why?"
"Because knowledge is power." His fifty-three node pattern spun slowly. "Understanding this process means understanding how to counter it. Or replicate it."
Konan's expression was unreadable. "You think you'll need to extract a tailed beast yourself one day?"
"Perhaps. Or perhaps I'll need to prevent someone else from extracting one." Sasuke finally looked at her. "Either way, observation costs nothing and potentially gains everything."
"You're not like the others," Konan said quietly. "They joined Akatsuki for ideology, revenge, money, or entertainment. You joined for..."
"Resources. Information. Access." Sasuke turned back to the sealing. "Akatsuki has knowledge and capabilities I can't easily obtain elsewhere. That makes you useful."
"And when we stop being useful?"
"Then I leave." His tone was matter-of-fact. "Just like I left Orochimaru when I'd learned everything he could teach me."
"Honest, at least." Konan's paper wings rustled. "Pain thinks he can control you through mutual benefit. Kisame thinks you're manageable through partnership. What do you think?"
Sasuke was quiet for a moment. Then: "I think Pain is dying. I think this Rinnegan he possesses isn't truly his. And I think Akatsuki's real leader is someone else entirely—someone manipulating from the shadows."
Konan's expression froze. "How—"
"I have exceptional eyes and a mind that notices patterns." Lie. He knew because of future knowledge. "Pain's body shows signs of chakra degradation. The Rinnegan's power flows through him but doesn't originate from him. Someone implanted those eyes."
He met her gaze directly. "Am I wrong?"
Konan didn't answer. But her silence was confirmation enough.
"I don't care who's really in charge," Sasuke continued. "As long as Akatsuki provides what I need. But don't mistake my cooperation for loyalty. I'm here because it benefits me. Nothing more."
"And if we become obstacles?"
"Then you'll be obstacles I remove." His draconic pupils gleamed. "Just like everyone else who's stood in my way."
Konan studied him for a long moment. "You're the most dangerous kind of ally. The kind that never pretends to be anything but dangerous."
"Yes." Sasuke smiled—cold, empty. "Remember that."
She left without another word.
Day three of the sealing.
The Three-Tails' chakra was finally fully extracted. The Gedo Statue's eyes opened—two of the nine now glowing. The massive demonic statue radiated power that would terrify most people.
Sasuke just studied it analytically.
"Impressive construction," he murmured. "A vessel designed to hold all nine tailed beasts simultaneously. The chakra capacity alone is extraordinary."
"You recognize what this is?" Pain's holographic projection appeared beside him.
"The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. Connected to the Rinnegan." Sasuke glanced at Pain. "Another thing I learned from old records. The Sage of Six Paths' creation, if the texts are accurate."
"You've done extensive research."
"I make it a point to understand power structures before engaging with them." Sasuke's Eternal Mangekyo reflected the Gedo Statue's glow. "This statue is the key to your plan, isn't it? Collect all nine tailed beasts, seal them inside, and then..."
He trailed off deliberately.
Pain's Rinnegan narrowed. "And then?"
"I assume something catastrophic that reshapes the world." Sasuke's tone was casual. "Organizations like Akatsuki don't collect world-ending weapons for small goals. You're planning something that requires the combined power of all nine bijuu."
"And you're comfortable working toward that goal without knowing the details?"
"I'm comfortable gathering power alongside people who have similar interests." Sasuke turned away from the statue. "Your ultimate plan is irrelevant to me. I'm here to learn, to grow stronger, to access resources I need. When I've achieved that, I'll reassess whether Akatsuki still serves my purposes."
"You're very candid about your self-interest."
"Because pretending otherwise is pointless. You're not stupid, Pain. You know I killed Itachi for his eyes. You know I'm using Akatsuki just like I used Orochimaru." Sasuke's voice was completely flat. "The question is whether my usefulness outweighs my untrustworthiness."
Pain was silent for several seconds. Then: "Your next mission is in two weeks. There's been increased activity from the Five Great Nations. They're forming a coalition, possibly targeting Akatsuki."
"Because we captured a tailed beast."
"Yes. They're taking us seriously now." Pain's expression was grim. "We need intelligence on their movements. You and Kisame will infiltrate the Fire Country border and gather information on Konoha's preparations."
"Understood." Sasuke paused. "Will this put me in proximity to Konoha itself?"
"Possibly. Why?"
"No reason. Just planning my approach." Another lie. He wanted to assess Konoha's current strength. See how Naruto had developed. Evaluate potential threats.
And maybe... maybe hunt for any remaining Sharingan users he'd missed.
"Do not engage Konoha directly," Pain warned. "This is reconnaissance only. We're not ready for open war with the Five Nations."
"Of course." Sasuke's tone suggested he'd follow orders.
His eyes suggested otherwise.
Later that evening, Sasuke found Team Taka waiting at their designated meeting point several kilometers from the sealing site.
"Mission complete?" Karin asked immediately.
"Yes. The Three-Tails is sealed. Akatsuki now has two of nine." Sasuke sat down, allowing himself a moment of rest. "Our next assignment is in two weeks. Intelligence gathering near the Fire Country."
"Back toward Konoha?" Suigetsu perked up. "That could be interesting."
"It could be dangerous," Jugo countered. "Sasuke, are you sure returning to Konoha's territory is wise? They'll be looking for you."
"Let them look." Sasuke activated his Eternal Mangekyo briefly—just long enough for them to see the fifty-three node pattern. "I'm not the weak genin who left that village years ago. I'm something far beyond their comprehension now."
"You've gotten stronger," Karin acknowledged. "But Konoha has strong shinobi too. Naruto's been training. Kakashi is still there. And—"
"And I have Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, Dragon Sage Mode, Hashirama cells, and over fifty absorbed dojutsu." Sasuke's voice was cold. "None of them are a threat anymore. Not individually."
"What about collectively?" Suigetsu asked. "If they gang up on you?"
Sasuke considered this. "Then I retreat. I'm powerful, not invincible. Not yet."
"Not yet," Karin repeated. "Sasuke-kun... what exactly is your endgame? You've collected so much power already. When does it stop?"
"It doesn't." Sasuke's draconic pupils gleamed in the darkness. "There's always more to collect. More to learn. More to absorb."
"But for what purpose?" Jugo's voice was quiet but intense. "Power for its own sake is meaningless. What are you building toward?"
Sasuke was silent for a long moment.
He couldn't tell them the truth—that he knew the Otsutsuki were coming. That he needed power to face literal gods. That everything he'd done was preparation for threats they couldn't even imagine.
So he told them a partial truth.
"I'm building toward a level of power where nothing can threaten me. Where I control my own destiny completely. Where I'm beyond the reach of villages, organizations, or fate itself." His eyes blazed. "I'm building toward godhood."
The word hung in the air like a death sentence.
"Godhood," Karin whispered. "You actually mean that."
"Yes." No hesitation. "I've seen what the so-called gods of this world can do. The Sage of Six Paths. Kaguya Otsutsuki—though she's just a myth in most records. But the power existed. It still exists in fragments—Rinnegan, tailed beasts, Sharingan."
He stood, his purple-black Dragon Sage Mode aura flickering briefly around him.
"I'm going to collect every fragment. Merge them. Transcend them. And when I'm done, I'll be something unprecedented. Something that makes the Sage of Six Paths look weak by comparison."
"That's insane," Suigetsu said flatly.
"That's ambitious," Sasuke corrected. "There's a difference."
"Is there?" Karin's voice shook slightly. "Sasuke-kun, you're talking about making yourself into a god. That's not ambition. That's megalomania."
"Call it whatever you want." Sasuke's tone was utterly indifferent. "I know what I am. I know what I'm doing. And I know I'll succeed."
"How can you be so certain?" Jugo asked.
Because I have transmigrator knowledge. Because I know what's possible. Because I've seen the endgame and I'm rewriting it.
But he said: "Because I've never failed to achieve a goal I've set. I said I'd get Hashirama cells—I did. I said I'd awaken Mangekyo Sharingan—I did. I said I'd kill Danzo and take Shisui's eye—I did. I said I'd kill Itachi and gain Eternal Mangekyo—I did."
He looked at each of them in turn.
"I said I'd become the strongest. And I will. Doubt me if you want. But you'll all witness it."
None of them had a response to that.
Two weeks later, Sasuke and Kisame stood at the Fire Country border.
"Ready for some reconnaissance?" Kisame asked cheerfully, Samehada wrapped on his back.
"More than ready." Sasuke activated his Byakugan, the lavender-blue tint spreading across his eyes while maintaining the red base of his Eternal Mangekyo. "I want to see how Konoha has developed. What threats might exist."
"And if we encounter that Naruto kid? Your old teammate?"
Sasuke's expression was completely neutral. "Then I'll evaluate whether he's become strong enough to be interesting. Or if he's still irrelevant."
"Cold." But Kisame grinned. "I like it. Let's go see what the Hidden Leaf is hiding."
They moved into Fire Country territory, two S-rank missing-nin infiltrating one of the Five Great Nations.
And Sasuke's eyes—those impossible, collected, evolved eyes—saw everything.
Every patrol. Every defense. Every weakness.
And in the back of his mind, a thought formed:
How many Sharingan users might still be hidden in Konoha? How many eyes haven't I collected yet?
The Dojutsu Hunter was returning home.
And he was hungry.