Karin watched the scene quietly, a trace of envy flickering in her eyes.
So they were a couple. No wonder Ino had been so frantic earlier.
Her thoughts drifted to Sasuke. Things between them still hadn't gone anywhere. Worse, she remembered the pink-haired girl on the other side. Sakura had been in the same team as Sasuke before. Same class. Same squad.
Karin clenched her teeth, instantly on guard.
Who cared about first come or last come? Feelings didn't work like that. She wasn't about to give Sasuke up so easily.
As for the darker undercurrents swirling around Tōma, Karin sensed something was off, but it wasn't her place to worry. He wasn't her responsibility. Still, she couldn't help thinking that politics in big villages were terrifying. Someone practically lined up to be the Sixth Hokage, yet people from his own village were already trying to bury him.
Kakashi, meanwhile, studied Tōma in silence. He'd pieced together enough to understand what was happening. In the past, he might have worried whether Tōma could survive this kind of internal pressure.
Now?
After witnessing that sword strike, Kakashi felt nothing but pity for Tōma's enemies.
If Tōma was already this strong, how hopeless must it feel to stand against him?
Kakashi's visible eye curved slightly with interest. He was genuinely curious to see what kind of change Tōma would bring to the shinobi world.
This is going to be interesting.
"I'll leave things here to you," Tōma said, sensing another Flying Thunder God mark nearby. "Sasuke's group is fighting on the other side. I'll check on them."
"They're dealing with Sasori," Kakashi replied quickly. "Sasuke, Jūgo, Sakura, and Chiyo. It should be under control."
"Good. I'll be right back."
With that, Tōma vanished.
After he left, Kakashi carefully set Naruto down and turned to the two girls. "Ino, check on Gaara. Karin, you know medical ninjutsu too, right? Look after Naruto."
"Yes, Kakashi-sensei," Ino replied, hurrying over to Gaara.
As her examination continued, sweat formed on her brow. Her expression darkened. This wasn't something she could fix.
Karin, meanwhile, crouched beside Naruto. She was curious about this so-called distant relative. Part of her didn't even mind if he bit her to recover chakra. But clearly, he didn't need it.
The battlefield on the other side was a valley reduced to ruins.
Broken puppet parts littered the ground like the aftermath of a war. Several figures stood amid the wreckage.
Sasuke and the others looked exhausted, all bearing injuries. Chiyo had taken the worst of it, and Sakura was still treating her.
Sasuke breathed heavily, staring at the red-haired body lying motionless ahead.
Sasori of the Red Sand.
At first, the fight had seemed manageable. Sasuke's Sharingan allowed him to see the chakra threads controlling the puppets, and severing them wasn't difficult.
They'd forced Sasori out of his outer shell far faster than expected.
What none of them had anticipated was that his real body was also a puppet.
"Eternal beauty," Sasori had called it.
To Sasuke, it was nothing but a warped obsession. If you gave up your own body, what was left to protect?
Once Sasori revealed himself, the scale of the fight changed completely. The quality and number of puppets skyrocketed. Hundreds moved at once.
This was a man who had turned a Kazekage into a puppet.
That explained why the valley looked like a battlefield drenched in corpses.
Even so, they might have managed without such severe injuries if not for Sasori's final counterattack. The last scroll had nearly reversed the outcome. Only their numerical advantage carried them through.
"So this is Akatsuki…" Sasuke muttered, teeth clenched.
He thought of Itachi. Kisame. Sasori.
Every one of them was a monster.
Which made one thought impossible to ignore.
How dangerous was Tōma's situation?
Worse still, there'd been no chance to interrogate Sasori. He was dead before they could ask anything. Tōma's location remained unknown.
They'd even questioned the small snake that had guided Tōma earlier. It insisted the place Tōma went was the same as this one.
Yet there was no sign of him. No trace of battle.
That silence had terrified them.
Sasuke's three-tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly, a dangerous light flashing within.
If something happened to him…
Had that man taken yet another important person from him?
First his family. Now, just when he'd found people who mattered again, was it happening all over?
Naruto. Kakashi. Sakura. Everyone in Konoha.
No. I won't allow it.
The tomoe spun faster.
He needed more power. No matter the cost.
"Thinking about something dangerous?"
A voice spoke right beside him.
Sasuke jolted and looked up.
Tōma stood there, relaxed, smiling as if he'd simply strolled over.
Sasuke froze.
"Trying to force your eyes open is a bad idea," Tōma said seriously. "Even if it works, the price will be heavy. If it fails, you might lose that chance forever."
He'd arrived just in time.
Sasuke had been pushing himself, dredging up memories, trying to forcibly awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan.
Tōma didn't believe it would succeed. If it were that easy, the Mangekyō wouldn't be so rare.
And failure would've left Sasuke bedridden at best. Blind at worst.
"...You're okay?" Sasuke asked slowly, studying him.
"Of course. You think an ambush like that could kill me?" Tōma said with an easy grin.
Sasuke let out a short laugh. "Then why did you fall into it at all?"
"Bad intelligence," Tōma replied with a shrug. "It happens."
"So who gave them that much information?" Sasuke pressed.
Tōma paused. Then smiled knowingly. "You've been digging pretty deep in ANBU records."
"The Fifth didn't hide it," Sasuke answered calmly. "So what now? Are you just letting it go?"
"Not a chance," Tōma said, glancing toward Konoha. "But without solid proof, moving now would only backfire. Being the future Sixth Hokage comes with inconveniences."
"Want my help?" Sasuke asked, hand tightening on his sword.
"No," Tōma replied immediately. "Be patient. And don't try to take them on alone. It's not worth it."
Sasuke hesitated, then nodded.
Tōma understood. If he asked, Sasuke would kill first and defect later.
But that kind of path benefited no one.
And besides… Sasuke wasn't strong enough yet.
"Sasuke," Tōma added quietly. "The one who's truly anxious right now isn't us. So don't do anything reckless. I've got a plan."
"I understand."
Sasuke glanced at Sakura, still focused on treating Chiyo.
Then he spoke again. "Tōma."
"Yes?"
"If you really become Hokage… I'll stay in Konoha. I'll help."
Tōma laughed. "Only me? Naruto doesn't qualify?"
Sasuke snorted. "If it's him, I'd rather take the hat myself."
Tōma smiled. "Then get ready to stay. That 'acting' title won't last much longer."
"Good," Sasuke said simply.
Sakura had noticed Tōma earlier and had felt relieved, but Chiyo's condition kept her busy.
Jūgo leaned against the wall, watching Sasuke for a moment before closing his eyes again.
Whatever Sasuke chose, he would follow.