When the creature tore his sword free, Sasuke finally had a moment to assess the battlefield.
It wasn't good.
Their numbers were supposed to be higher than the enemy's. Before the mutations, the operation had been clean and efficient. Standard ANBU work.
But once those people transformed into monsters, the situation flipped completely.
Their strength had surged to an absurd degree.
Fox was in the worst state. He was primarily a medical ninja, with genjutsu as his strongest specialty. Normally, that alone would have been enough to suppress enemies like these.
But now?
The monsters were completely immune to illusion techniques.
Fox was forced into close combat, barely holding on with taijutsu. Blood stained his armor. He wasn't the only one. Several ANBU had already been injured.
So the source really was this thing in front of him.
Sasuke stood up, watching the creature grind his broken blade beneath its foot, its grin wide and hungry.
This was bad.
He needed to kill it quickly.
Not eventually. Not slowly.
Quickly.
But how?
The creature charged again.
Sasuke dodged, chakra flaring beneath his feet, and steel wires snapped tight around the monster's limbs. They held, but only barely.
Pure strength alone would tear them apart in seconds.
No time.
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
A concentrated stream of fire raced along the wires, engulfing the creature in roaring heat.
The flames burned fiercely.
Then faded.
The monster was still standing.
Smiling.
Sasuke clicked his tongue.
He could win a prolonged fight. He was sure of that. The creature's attacks were crude. Predictable. Given enough time, he could grind it down.
But time was exactly what they didn't have.
His teammates were already reaching their limit.
He glanced over. Hyena was barely holding the line, supported by another strong ANBU operative. Even that wouldn't last long.
So no more delays.
Chidori Blade hadn't worked.
Would Chidori itself be enough?
Even if it was, where would he strike?
No… the answer was simpler.
He wasn't strong enough yet.
Sasuke remembered something Kakashi had once said during the graduation exam.
Those who break the rules are trash. But those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash.
Truthfully, these ANBU weren't his friends. At best, Hyena and Fox were familiar faces.
But did that mean he could watch them die?
Stand there, powerless?
He remembered another conversation. One he'd had with Fujimoto Tōma.
About the Sharingan.
The clan said awakening it required intense emotional trauma.
Tōma didn't entirely agree.
Strong emotions weren't the cause, he'd said. They were just a shortcut. A way to force the mind to the necessary threshold.
If someone's mental strength reached that point naturally, awakening didn't require tragedy. Only resolve.
And such an awakening would likely be more stable.
Sasuke had believed that.
After all, Kakashi's teammate had awakened two tomoe simply through the will to protect others.
If he could do that…
Then why couldn't Sasuke?
Until now, the danger had never truly been aimed at him.
But this time, people were going to die if he failed.
The monster slammed its fist into the ground. The structure shook violently as cracks raced toward him.
Sasuke leapt to a nearby wall, eyes fixed on the creature.
For a moment, he saw Itachi.
The road of hatred. Distortion. Killing the one you love most.
Sasuke exhaled.
Dodged again.
Then he closed his eyes.
His hands formed a simple seal. The most basic one. Optional. Almost ceremonial.
In real combat, no one wasted time on it.
But Sasuke did.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
"I don't accept your path, Itachi."
"If I awaken after my comrades die, then it means nothing."
"Sharingan… awaken."
His eyes opened.
Three tomoe spun into place.
"I can see it."
Chakra flow. Muscle tension. Movement before movement.
Most importantly…
A weak point.
Lightning erupted around his hand, the sound of a thousand birds screaming through the corridor.
Sasuke moved.
Straight at the monster.
The creature swung.
The fist passed behind him.
Chidori pierced forward.
"Chidori!"
The strike landed precisely where the energy converged.
The monster froze.
Black markings surged outward from the wound, crawling up Sasuke's arm, only to be absorbed into the seal on his neck.
Then the world shifted.
He saw the truth.
A quiet boy with orange hair. A child who talked to animals. Who wandered forests alone.
A child who lost control.
Who killed without wanting to.
Who was rejected. Feared.
Saved once by a lonely shinobi with bone manipulation. Kimimaro.
And lost him too.
So he locked himself away.
Afraid. Hoping. Hating himself.
Until today.
Sasuke snapped back to reality.
The monster knelt before him, eyes empty.
"Jūgo," Sasuke said softly.
He extended his hand.
"I was trapped once too. In a prison called revenge."
"Someone told me there was more to life than that. I didn't believe him. But he broke the bars anyway."
"You don't have to stay locked away anymore."
"I can suppress your rampages. And if you don't know where to go…"
"…then walk with me."
Jūgo stared at him, then reached out and grasped Sasuke's hand.
It was warm.
"I'll follow you," Jūgo said quietly.
Sasuke pulled him up and glanced around.
The other monsters had reverted. Powerless. Broken.
He smiled.
Itachi.
I proved it.
Your path is wrong.